PCA now has a dedicated full-time voice in Ottawa. In this episode, PCA VP of Public Affairs, Darrel Reid, speaks with PCA's Director of Federal Relations, Jason Tucker, about federal advocacy, political conventions, parliamentary monitoring, and why Canada’s productivity challenge requires all construction hands on deck. Jason explains how PCA is building relationships across party lines, pushing back against narrow assumptions about unionized construction, and making the case for fair, open, and labour-neutral rules so every qualified contractor can compete.

PCA’s President & CEO, Paul de Jong, speaks with Ian Anderson, former CEO of Trans Mountain Corporation, who shares his perspectives and best practices developed for and implemented on the Trans Mountain Expansion (TMX) project. Ian provides his views on the Ottawa-Alberta Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which intends to build a new bitumen pipeline to Pacific tidewater, and concludes with discussion on his latest project in support of Energy Alberta’s plans to build a nuclear reactor in north-western Alberta.

PCA recently met with Premier David Eby, Minister of Infrastructure Bowinn Ma, and senior B.C. government officials to discuss British Columbia’s Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) framework and its exclusionary impact on PCA/CLAC contractors. In this episode, PCA's Jason Tucker speaks with colleagues Darrel Reid and Dan Baxter about why this meeting matters, what PCA told the Premier, how CBAs affect competition and workforce capacity, and why outcome-based procurement could help B.C. achieve its social goals without shutting out qualified unionized builders.

Without staff reports, public consultation or proper debate, Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow introduced a motion at City Council that further limits the availability of contractors and workers to build City of Toronto projects. PCA staff Karen Renkema (Ontario VP) and Stephen Hamilton (Ontario Director) discuss the negative impact this will have for taxpayers, workers and small businesses  as we inch closer to municipal elections in the fall.

Paul de Jong, President & CEO of PCA, speaks with Stefan Rutkowski, President & CEO of Careers The Next Generation. Together, they discuss the rationale for Careers as a means of addressing youth unemployment, how industry and employers play a role, and what policies and solutions must be developed to address this important challenge.

Richard Van Egmond, the project leader of the provincial Edvance OYAP Program, joins Karen Renkema to discuss how the Edvance OYAP provincial program differs from local OYAP programs, provides critical support to young people interested in the trades, and offers support and flexibility to employers through the partnership between Edvance and CLAC. A critical listen for those employing young people, parents of students considering the trades, and students trying to understand their options for vibrant career choice.

This podcast session between PCA’s Paul de Jong and Bill Black, President and CEO of the Calgary Construction Association, unpacks the “Honour the Work” initiative. Honour the Work has been rolled out to over 950 Calgary area classrooms, in which students in grades 1-6 are provided with multidisciplinary kits providing hands-on activities that connect classroom learning to real-world trades.

In this episode, PCA's VP of Public Affairs, Darrel Reid, is joined by Paul de Jong, PCA's President & CEO, Dan Baxter, PCA's BC Director, and Ryan Bruce, Government Relations Director at CLAC. Together, they reflect on PCA and CLAC's recent lobby days at the BC Legislature, where they made the case for fair and open tendering — and why this issue is gaining unprecedented political traction in British Columbia.

There's been a lot said about mental health and wellness in the construction industry - but what about financial wellness? How do the two relate? What steps can be taken to improve both, and foster a more productive, engaged workforce?
Listen now as Kevin McCarthy, Head of Corporations and Institutions at Enriched Academy, and PCA's Vice President, Ontario, Karen Renkema, discuss these important questions. 

B.C. says it wants to build more infrastructure and spend taxpayer dollars wisely. So why is it still using procurement rules that shut out so many qualified contractors and workers? In this episode, Darrel Reid sits down with PCA’s B.C. Regional Director, Dan Baxter, to talk about the province’s Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) regime, the new private member’s bill from MLA Kiel Giddens and the bigger fight over fair and open procurement in British Columbia. They discuss what these policies mean for competition, labour choice, project costs and the people trying to get more infrastructure built in a province that badly needs it.