CCA of Ottawa is the voice of the nation’s industry, providing support to non-residential builders throughout Canada
Written by Nicholas Paolini
In 1918, 200 construction companies joined together in Ottawa to found the Canadian Construction Association (CCA). Today, that same association includes a total of 16,000 construction companies.
The CCA was created to improve working conditions and inform the Canadian public about the construction industry. Safety and quality at job sites has continued to be enhanced and industry awareness has kept growing during the association’s 90-plus years.
The non-profit national association represents non-residential builders. Its membership consists of huge companies that build everything from bridges to sky scrapers, but the vast majority is very small businesses.
The CCA is the major voice for commercial builders in Canada. With such an important role the association is made up of an executive committee, an elected volunteer board of directors from across the country, as well as various councils and standing committees. The day-to-day operations are run by CCA President Mike Atkinson and his staff out of Ottawa. Atkinson graduated law school in 1982 and immediately began working for the CCA, landing his current position in 1993.
LOBBYING GOVERNMENT
As voice of such a large industry, Atkinson and his staff have maintained a serious and effective lobbying presence with the Canadian national government.
“We mounted quite a lobbying campaign to make sure our federal government in its January 2009 budget embraced infrastructure investment as the best means to stimulate the economy and create jobs in the short term,” Atkinson says, “We won out on that argument.”
The CCA in fact won the argument to the tune of $412 billion in infrastructure stimulus on top of the existing $33 billion in federal infrastructure commitments spanning the next three to four years.
Atkinson says that even before the stimulus package, institutional and infrastructure projects were leading the way for the industry because of the provincial governments. And because infrastructure “framework agreements” had already been put in place between the various levels of government, the country was able to start implementing the stimulus money quickly.
Atkinson also expects industrial construction to pick up again as the economy recovers and as commodity prices rise.
“Industrial construction had been leading the seven to eight consecutive years that we had with unprecedented activity,” Atkinson says. He also feels mining construction will help pick up the industry as the worlds demand for uranium, copper and potash increases.
While the industry as a whole is in decent shape thanks to the stimulus money, Atkinson and the CCA are far more concerned with a few years down the line, when that money runs out and the government focuses on the deficit.
“We hope that government has learned its lesson that you can not neglect infrastructure. We will not accept the argument that you can not balance the books and invest in infrastructure; they are both equally important to the long-term prosperity of a nation,” says Atkinson.
THE GOLD SEAL
As far as long-term success, the CCA is implementing different programs into the association to insure its own. The Gold Seal program is particularly successful. The association has given more than 5,500 gold seal certificates out to construction estimators, superintendents and project managers. The requirements to receive a gold seal are five years of experience, a certain level of education, and completion of the Gold Seal Exam.
The Gold Seal Certificate was developed by the industry for the industry.
“We are very proud of that program and the way it’s taken off, especially in recent years,” Atkinson says, adding he believes the certificate helps in a needed area of elevating industry and individual status.
The CCA Gold Seal program also has a national certification system recognizing excellence in construction safety. That program is done in conjunction with the various construction safety associations across the country.
SUPPORTING SUSTAINABLE PROJECTS
The CCA is fully behind the green building movement. Atkinson understands its benefits for the environment, but also sees sustainable building as a “huge opportunity” for the industry.
“We very much embrace sustainable development in our industry.”
One of the ways the CCA is embracing sustainable building is through LEED training. At a national level Atkinson’s association does not offer the training first hand; that is taken care of at the local level. However, it’s finalizing an agreement with the Green Building Council to allow LEED for contractor courses to be taught by all CCA Partner Associations.
“We see this area as extremely important and a big opportunity going forward.” Atkinson says.
Another example of how the national CCA provides value for its partner associations at the local and provincial level is with respect to the development of standard industry contract forms and guides.
“As a national association we try to assist and partner with our local associations so they can provide a wide range of programs, benefits and services to the grass roots members.”
www.cca-acc.com