WEDNESDAY, JUNE 13, 2007

New Report Released Today Indicates B.C.’s Construction Industry Employment is Highest in the Country

VANCOUVER – British Columbia’s construction sector is employing a record high number of people, and it isn’t going to decline anytime soon.

This and other forecast details were released today in The Construction Sector Council’s (CSC) third annual edition of “Construction Looking Forward: Labour Requirements from 2007 to 2015 for British Columbia”. The CSC developed the forecast with input from BC’s Labour Marketing Information (LMI) committee that includes stakeholders from all sectors of the construction industry. The forecast indicates that although major construction projects will continue to flow into the province for the next couple of years, by late 2009 there will be a decline in construction that will give a reprieve to the current workforce requirements.

George Gritziotis, Executive Director of the CSC says, “The tight markets across Canada compel industry and governments to target their efforts to ensure all potential workers, including Aboriginal peoples, women, youth, unemployed and underemployed workers and immigrant workers are all part of a thoughtful and comprehensive solution.” “This report is very important for the construction industry in British Columbia,” said Manley McLachlan, President and CEO, British Columbia Construction Association. “By combining economic projections with the list of planned construction projects on the horizon, it gives industry stakeholders information to make knowledgeable decisions about their sector, the future and how they plan and manage risk for their businesses over the next several years.”

“The huge boom in construction right now in the province requires that we all ensure programs are in place to meet the increased demand for qualified workers who can continue to operate safely on our worksites” said Wayne Peppard, Executive Director, BC Building Trades Council.

M.J. Whitemarsh, CEO, Canadian Home Builders Association of British Columbia says, “The labour market information is critical for our planning as we continue to develop data that is more specific to our sector.”

According to the report, after 2009, conditions will shift and projects in construction will decline. At this time, many workers may move back to other provinces and this should leave labour markets in BC balanced once again.

Construction Looking Forward forecasts will be released for each province over the coming weeks.

A new feature to this year’s Construction Looking Forward report allows stakeholders to perform customized data searches online. This tool will help individuals source out the exact data that is relevant to their particular needs.

The Construction Sector Council was established in 2001as an independent labour/business partnership to address the workforce needs of the construction industry. The CSC is a neutral forum that brings together stakeholders to provide data that industry can use to make critical planning decisions. CSC provides this data to industry who undertake their own analysis. The Government of Canada’s Sector Council Program provided funding for this project. The report is available on the CSC website at www.csc-ca.org.

- 30 -

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Tanya Volk, Karyo-Edleman Communications, (604) 623-3007, tanya.volk@karyo-edelman.com Rosemary Sparks, Construction Sector Council, (613) 569-5552 sparks@csc-ca.org

INDUSTRY CONTACTS:

Manley McLachlan, President, BC Construction Association, (250) 475-1077 Wayne Peppard, Executive Director, BC Yukon Territory and Construction Trades Council (604) 291-9020 M.J. Whitemarsh, CEO, Canadian Home Builders’ Association of British Columbia, (604) 432-7112

For further information contact 

the BCYT-BCTC office:  604-291-9020

cope 15