CHRIS ATCHISON
BRITISH COLUMBIA – Summer is in full swing but at the BC Construction Association (BCCA) we also have our eyes on the fall, with the coming Provincial election in October, ensuring we communicate the priorities most important to BC’s 229,000+ construction workforce and their families to all of this fall’s candidates.
Topping the list of priorities is common sense payment certainty legislation in the form of prompt payment, lien reform, and adjudication processes. Industry has been pushing for this legislation for many years, including partners such as the Electrical Contractors Association of BC (ECABC) and Mechanical Contractors Association of BC (MCABC), and it’s time for BC to join the rest of Canada.
Most recently, a companion document to last November’s Cross-Jurisdictional Legislative Comparison of Prompt Payment and Adjudication Regimes Across Canada was submitted to BC’s Ministry of the Attorney General, Minister of Finance, and the Premier. Prepared by WeirFoulds LLP, the document outlines the objectives and benefits of Prompt Payment Legislation and Adjudication which affect the government, construction business, workers, and taxpayers of BC.
BCCA also recently released a province-wide Industry Alert concerning the removal of “Contract A” by several public sector owners. In the absence of “Contract A”, general contractors and trade contractors should not assume that they will be treated fairly and probably have no legal recourse for being treated unfairly.
On June 25th we hosted a webinar to inform general contractors, trade contractors, and the industry in general about the risks associated with the removal of “Contract A” by public sector owners. You can check out the recorded webinar here.
For more construction industry information, please read the full July BCCA Briefing here: https://mailchi.mp/bccassn.com/bcca-briefing-july2024
Chris Atchison is President of the BC Construction Association
