Construction labour shortage weighs on Alberta businesses as growth accelerates

Alberta’s population boom is increasing pressure on the construction sector to build the infrastructure to accommodate growth and business owners say they’re already feeling the labour crunch. 

A shortfall of workers in skilled trades is an issue across Canada, but with Alberta adding more than 200,000 new residents last year, the industry needs to find a way to keep up with more road and bridge repairs, new housing development and major infrastructure work.

“It’s literally the No. 1 issue on everyone’s mind,” said Independent Contractors and Businesses Association Alberta president Mike Martens.

“From the sewage lines underneath the water treatment plants to the roads, bridges, hospitals — all these things that really create the amazing life we have in North America is old infrastructure,” he said.

“We’ve taken it for granted, and now it’s needing fixing, and we don’t have the people available to fix it.”

Industry group BuildForce Canada forecasts Alberta will need to replace almost a quarter of its 2023 labour force within a decade.

While the province’s younger population relative to some other parts of Canada should help make it easier to close the gap, factoring in growth means there could still be a shortfall of 22,000 workers by 2033.

Statistics Canada data shows Alberta’s construction job vacancy rate jumped to 6.7 per cent in the third quarter of 2023. In comparison, in the five years leading up to the start of the COVID pandemic in 2020, the province’s construction job vacancy rates never exceeded 3.5 per cent.

Gary Zeitner is senior vice president of Edmonton-based civil construction firm Abalone Group of Companies. (Madeline Smith/CBC)

Gary Zeitner is senior vice president at Abalone Group of Companies, a civil construction firm. The company employs heavy equipment operators that do the excavation and grading work to prepare for the next stage of construction — it’s the bedrock of virtually any infrastructure project, whether that’s a new residential subdivision or an industrial project.

“We do not bid on all of the opportunities that are out there, and the reason is entirely about our labour force,” Zeitner said.

“We have an asset base of equipment that would allow us to do much more work than we’ve done in the last five years, but we simply can’t get the labour force that would be able to make use of all of that equipment.”

Operating the excavators and other equipment involved in the

… Read more

Scams target businesses and people in the Calgary area

After losing $1,000 to fraudsters, Diamond Valley Autopro owner Jordan Jaworenko is warning people to be wary of potential scams.

A Diamond Valley business owner is cautioning the public about scams after falling victim to one.

Jordan Jaworenko, owner of Diamond Valley Autopro, said a fraudulent company contacted his team in 2023 about putting their company logo on a Country Food Mart grocery bag.

Service advisor Stewart Hamilton shared more details about the scam.

“The gentleman phoned me, basically soliciting for sales, obviously,” said Hamilton. “He was saying that the Country Food Mart was on board and it was a branch off of their bags … I knew there was the sponsorship on these bags available and whatnot, so we went ahead with it.”

The company in question, Hermit Group, calls itself a “full-service sustainable marketing agency” on its Facebook page, which has been inactive for several months.

“He was going to do a logo with his design team,” said Hamilton. “Never really saw anything out of him. We sent pictures of what we wanted our logo to be, and he just kept saying that things have been delayed a little bit.”

After receiving a payment of $1,000 from Diamond Valley Autopro for the agreed-upon marketing work, Hermit Group went quiet.

“Every time I followed up with them he’d answer or within 15, 20 minutes he called me back,” said Hamilton. “So, then I followed up with him and the number’s been disconnected. Both his business and the two numbers on the email that I always got a hold of them on.

“I sent him an email, but I’ve yet to hear anything back. It didn’t bounce back to me, but I haven’t heard anything, and the website is under construction, which is something strange because it never was under construction prior to, I’d say, February.”

The only review available for Hermit Group online is by Facebook user Mike Pearce, who is listed on LinkedIn as being an employee of the company. 

Hermit Group could not be reached for comment.

“I had called the phone number. It’s disconnected. I had tried emailing through the website and other social media and it’s inactive,” said Jaworenko. “So in the last month is when, who knows what happened, but you can’t contact them anymore.”

Jaworenko said he should have been more cautious.

“I didn’t see anything online under their name about

… Read more

New French-language commercial signage rules continue to cause concern for Que. businesses


Representatives of the Quebec business community are criticizing the measures introduced by the government to protect French.


In an open letter sent to a Montreal daily, economic organizations – the Retail Council of Canada (RCC), the Conseil du Patronat du Québec (CPQ), the Association québécoise de la quincaillerie et des matériaux de construction, Manufacturiers et Exportateurs du Québec, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) and the Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec – asked the Legault government to review its position on the issue.


In their view, the French-language rules on commercial signage would force businesses to make changes that would often be difficult to put in place within two weeks.


“Unfeasible in such a short space of time,” argued Michel Rochette, president of the RCC’s Quebec section and spokesperson for the group behind the letter.


The letter’s authors said that “the government had promised a three-year deadline for the implementation of rules which, to date, have still not been adopted.”


While Bill 96 was finally passed in 2022, some of the measures concerning businesses, the “rules of the game,” as Rochette calls them, were only tabled in January this year.


Their final version has not yet been adopted.


His conclusion is, therefore, simple: “We can’t make any changes until we have the rules.”


The deadline for compliance with Quebec’s new regulations is June 1.


On that date, any mention of “on/off” on a button would be banned under the provisions of Bill 96, as would “play” on any player and many other words that were not yet subject to the French rule because they did not relate to the safe use of a product.


The logistical challenge of the adaptation period is a real concern for the co-signatories of Saturday’s open letter.


But the problem is broader.


According to Rochette, outdoor advertising will also turn into a logistical nightmare.


“Quebec businesses already went through an entire transformation, which was completed barely five years ago, of all outdoor signage for businesses,” says Mr Rochette. “Now, the regulations tell us that we have to go through a new phase of change. So all the signs that have been modified will have to be redesigned in an even shorter timeframe.”


The RCC chairman pointed out that signage is also subject to constraints set by municipalities

… Read more

Three booming businesses that make Denver stand out

A concert venue built into a natural rock formation outside of Denver, CO

Amy Sparwasser | iStock Editorial | Getty Images

This story is part of CNBC’s quarterly Cities of Success series, which explores cities that have transformed into business hubs with an entrepreneurial spirit that has attracted capital, companies and employees.

Two cities in Colorado are experiencing tech-fueled economic booms, with Denver’s skyline transforming and Boulder’s gross domestic product surging. This growth is driven by a mix of factors, including a strong military presence, leading universities, and a focus on high-tech industries such as aerospace and quantum tech, as reported in CNBC’s primetime special “Cities of Success: Denver & Boulder,” which airs April 11 at 10 p.m. EDT.

However, the influx of people and businesses has brought challenges like a growing homeless population, affordability issues and infrastructure strain. 

While the tech boom benefits both cities economically, Denver stands out because it continues to see growth in other areas: professional sports, a popular outdoor recreation venue, and a cannabis industry that is expected to see double-digit growth in the future.

Cannabis correction, not retreat

Marijuana plants at a grow facility in Denver.

Matthew Staver | Bloomberg | Getty Images

In the past decade, legal marijuana sales have added a staggering $15 billion to Colorado’s economy, with nearly $3 billion of that coming from taxes.

“Cannabis is a strong sector. [It represents] tens of thousands of jobs in Colorado — billions of dollars of economic activity,” Colorado Gov. Jared Polis told CNBC in a recent interview.

The city of Denver has benefited significantly, with marijuana sales surpassing $6 billion since 2014. According to data from the Denver Department of Excise and Licenses, the city’s marijuana tax revenue collection crossed the half-billion mark last year, hitting $501.5 million in August 2023.

Despite being a national trailblazer since 2014 — when it was the first state to legalize recreational marijuana — the Centennial State’s cannabis industry has been experiencing a significant decline following the pandemic.

A recent report shows a 24% drop in Denver’s cannabis revenue compared with 2021. Despite this dip, Polis told CNBC that he remains optimistic about the future of marijuana.

Industry experts predict a return to growth. The governor’s Office of State Planning and Budgeting forecasts a 16% revenue increase for the state overall in 2024, highlighting the industry’s long-term potential.

“There is still healthy growth

… Read more

Car-free portion of 17th Avenue would be a no-go for many businesses

‘If we were to do something, would we trial it for one day? Would we trial it for a weekend? It would have to be a bit of a test’

Published Apr 07, 2024  •  Last updated 5 days ago  •  5 minute read

Pedestrians walk past rows of parked cars on 17th Avenue in Calgary on Sunday, April 7, 2024. Brent Calver/Postmedia

As snow melts and shovels are put away, many Calgarians will flock to patios and shops on 17th Avenue, while still being able to park — and drive — on the street.

Based on the results of a survey conducted last year and the amount of stakeholders within the 17th Ave. Business Improvement Area (BIA), it is unlikely Calgarians will see a “car-free zone” on 17th Avenue this summer, according to BIA executive director Tulene Steiestol.

Advertisement 2

Article content

Article content

Social media conversations about

… Read more