Archived BAC Articles for Canadian Members

Canadian delegates and officers joined IU officials in late August for two days of back-to-back Canadian Congress sessions and educational workshops in British Columbia.

Delegates heard updates on Canadian membership figures, the Millennium Morning Project, and ongoing legal and related OLRB actions in Ontario. During the roundtable discussion, delegates exchanged ideas about programs and issues in their home Locals and provinces. The next day featured guest speaker Wayne Peppard, Executive Director of The British Columbia and Yukon Territory Building and Construction Trades Council. Peppard laid out the Council’s ambitious plans to maximize on Vancouver’s expected building boom as the site of the 2010 Olympics.

Ron Winkler, President of the Canadian Masonry Contractors Association, refers to the first report of the Canadian Masonry Human Resources Committee during a discussion with Congress delegates on training.

Legal and actuarial consultants gave a status report on the IPF Canada Pension Plan and the Local Officers Wraparound Pension Plan. IPF Executive Director David Stupar received comments from delegates
for suggested improvements to be considered in both Plans and expressed the Trustees’ goal to bring “new and improved benefit programs to participants.”

Sandra Skivsky of Prism Economics and Analysis updated the delegates on key issues emerging from the work of the Canadian Masonry Human Resource (CMHRC) study’s Research Committees, and reported on construction activity during the first half of 2003.

Skivsky noted that the construction market in Canada was close to “the crest of its activity” after “riding a long wave of expansion” and low unemployment. She credited the industry’s resilience to the poor performance by other sectors, record low interest rates, and strong institutional building. With regard to labour force trends, it was noted that although 20 percent of the construction workforce is over age 55, during the first six months of 2003, 30 percent of new entrants to the industry for the first time were under the age of 24, suggesting that Locals need to focus on the retention of younger members during economic upswings.

Delegates discussed the major themes identified by labour and management participants during meetings of the CMHRC Research Committees, the acknowledged “work horses” of the study. The six areas are:

• On-the-Job Training Standards
• Health and Safety Standards
• Promoting Certification
• Encouraging Entry to Supervisory Positions
• Ensuring Scope and Quality Training through Industry Lead Initiatives
• Creating a More Supportive Work Environment for Designated Groups.

Congress delegates, from left, Ivan Doucet of Local 8 NB, John Leonard of Local 1 NL, and Frank Perri of Local 4 AB.

Delegates agreed that next steps would entail discussions between the Canadian Masonry Contractors Association (CMCA) and BAC in an effort to add greater detail to each area, and develop an implementation plan to realize the objectives.

As luck would have it, CMCA President and owner of Saskatoon-based Graycom Masonry, Ron Winkler, was also in attendance. Together with delegate and Business Manager of Local 1 Saskatchewan, Clarence Medernach, Winkler reported on their stalled efforts to develop and operate a training center in the province of Saskatchewan. BAC President John J. Flynn noted that the obstacles they encountered extended beyond western Canada and that quality training required input from both labour and management. Flynn then urged Winkler to join him in creating a national labour-management training task force, comprised of like numbers of BAC officers and CMCA representatives. Winkler assured Flynn he would raise the proposal with the Association at their next meeting.

Mario Basilico of Local 1 PQ at one of four educational workshops for Canadian officers.

Officers’ educational workshops covered topics suggested by delegates at the preceding meeting, and included: Preparing for Labour Tribunals and Appeals with attorney Derrill Thompson – a how-to guide on preparing for EI appeals and similar hearings; Political Education and Action Program (PEAP), with Tom Sigurdson, Director, Political and Legislative Affairs, Canadian Office
of the BCTD; a session on expanding pension power by pooling union pension investments through the CLC-supported program, Shareholder Association for Research and Education (SHARE), presented by SHARE Executive Director Peter Chapman; and Helping Members Prepare for Retirement, with retirement expert Terry J. Colton, Ph.D., who claims there’s more to retirement than financial security, and cautions everyone to take a good, hard look at their lifestyle preferences and goals and share them with their spouses and/or family members – preferably before retiring.