The Business Council of Alberta’s latest report, Laying the Foundation, delivers an urgent message that without bold, coordinated action, Alberta risks falling short on key infrastructure, energy, and economic goals. On May 7, CLRA will be hosting a panel discussion with the Minister of Jobs, Economy and Trade, the Business Council of Alberta, and NAIT to dig into these challenges and look at ways to chart a path forward. Key Insights from the Report include: Labour Shortages Are Escalating Alberta needs 27,700 new construction workers by 2027. Pressures come from an aging workforce, declining apprenticeship enrollment, and limited immigration pathways for tradespeople. Workforce Development Gaps Current training and apprenticeship systems aren’t keeping up. Barriers persist for youth, women, Indigenous people, and newcomers. Report calls for modular training, micro-credentials, and inclusive entry paths into trades. Misaligned Immigration Pathways Only ~2% of new immigrants enter construction trades in Alberta. Federal immigration streams prioritize academic credentials over practical skills. Alberta must develop targeted regional immigration strategies. Capital Flight and Project Risk Labour shortages and strained industrial relations could lead to project delays, Escalating costs and investment uncertainty in clean energy, housing, and infrastructure The Seed vs. Sod Debate: Homegrown vs. Imported Talent CLRA

Canada: Construction and Maintenance Looking Forward, a new report by BuildForce Canada, offers a detailed analysis of construction activity and labour market dynamics across the country for the decade ahead. It draws on BuildForce’s proprietary labour market information system, which combines input from industry stakeholders, government data, and economic modelling. We summarized some of the findings below. In Alberta, the construction sector is expected to experience a significant short-term surge through 2024 into 2025, driven by major infrastructure investments such as the Calgary and Edmonton LRT expansions, new gas-fired power plants, petrochemical developments, and a growing number of renewable energy projects. As a result, construction employment was anticipated to grow by 3,700 workers – or 2.4% – in 2024 alone. Beyond 2025, activity is projected to plateau slightly as these major projects wrap up. Even so, the non-residential sector is expected to remain resilient, with continued demand in industrial construction and maintenance providing a degree of stability. The residential construction sector, meanwhile, is likely to see fluctuations tied to interest rates and housing affordability. While growth may slow in the short term, modest gains are possible in the latter part of the decade. Labour market challenges are expected to intensify

Business Councils in the western provinces have published a list of policy recommendations ahead of the federal election call. A jointly-released paper from B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba called Untapped Potential: Driving Canadian Prosperity Through Natural Resources characterizes a critical choice facing the next federal government: continue with policies that limit investment, development and growth, or create a competitive environment that allows the resource sector to thrive. The report emphasizes the critical role of Canada’s natural resource sectors – oil and gas, mining, forestry, agriculture, and aquaculture – in driving economic growth. Despite Canada’s rich resource base, the country has failed to capitalize on its natural advantages due to restrictive regulations, inefficient approval processes, and lack of policy support. The report calls for strategic policy changes to enhance competitiveness, attract investment, and promote sustainable development. Canada’s natural resources sector is a cornerstone of its economy, contributing significantly to GDP, employment, and exports. In 2023, the sector added $464 billion to real GDP, representing 21% of the national total, and supported 3 million jobs, accounting for 15% of employment. Notably, wages in this sector were $25,000 above the national average, and its productivity was 2.5 times greater than that of the