CLRA’s partnership with the Edmonton Elks is entering its third season in 2026 and, with a new five-year agreement now in place, there is plenty more to come. Back again as the Tailgate Presenting Partner, CLRA continues to help fuel the game-day energy and community spirit that Elks fans know and love. And this year brings even bigger news: CLRA has extended its partnership with the Edmonton Elks through 2031, a five-year commitment that reflects our ongoing dedication to not just the construction industry but to community building as well. As Tailgate Presenting Partner, CLRA has a unique platform to grow awareness of the association and promote both our member companies and careers in the skilled trades to thousands of fans at every home game, all while demonstrating support for Edmonton and the people who keep Alberta building. “The construction industry and the football community have more in common than people might think. Both are built on teamwork, hard work and pride in what you create together,” said Joe McFadyen, President, CLRA. “The Elks give us a fantastic platform to celebrate that shared spirit and bring more attention to the trades, and we look forward to keeping that going for

ATB’s latest quarterly economic outlook points to continued demand for skilled trades in Alberta, with a stronger labour market, steady economic growth and momentum behind major projects. Cautious capital spending and ongoing uncertainty in the energy sector mean project timing will remain something to watch. ATB expects Alberta’s real GDP to grow by 2.7% in 2026, up from the December forecast of 2.1%, attributing the improvement to a stronger than expected labour market through late 2025 and early 2026 rather than to oil prices alone. Job growth is forecast at 3.1% this year, with the unemployment rate expected to fall from 7.2% in 2025 to 6.4% in 2026. For CLRA members, this tightening labour market reinforces the need for proactive workforce planning and underscores the value of the skilled trades capacity our members provide. However, strong headline growth does not automatically translate into more construction activity. Workload will depend on whether investment decisions move ahead and how companies respond to evolving market conditions. Recent provincial announcements, including the Premier’s Investment Council and the proposed 120-day project approval timeline, are a direct response to those conditions. If these measures shorten approval windows, they could meaningfully influence the timing of upcoming work.

Canada has no shortage of projects worth building. What it needs to have is a regulatory system fast enough to build them. In its latest From Barriers to Breakthroughs report, the Business Council of Alberta (BCA) outlines recommendations to modernize major project approvals, unlock investment, and give companies the certainty they need. The data tells a stark story; Canada is falling behind. The scale of the problem is significant. Between 2006 and 2021, federal regulatory requirements increased by 37% despite repeated reform efforts. To reverse this trend, BCA recommends improving major project reviews and permitting through changes to the Impact Assessment Act (IAA) and the Canadian Energy Regulator Act (CER Act), and strengthening regulatory design and oversight. Key reforms include: Improve the process for screening reviews in and out of the IAA: Ensure projects are reviewed by the correct regulator under the right legislation and enable “one project, one review, one decision” by integrating federal expertise into provincial processes. Remove late stage political decisions: Adopt a two stage decision model with an early political decision on whether a project proceeds and a final independent authorization on how it proceeds. Shorten and stabilize timelines: Limit reviews to two years or less,