Provincial highway maintenance is one of B.C.'s most important services. The government of B.C., BC Road Builders & Heavy Construction Association and the B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union have reached agreements to ensure high-quality highway maintenance services through to 2018-19.

The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure has reached agreements with the BC Road Builders & Heavy Construction Association (BCRB) to extend 27 of the 28 existing provincial service area highway maintenance agreements for an additional five years, through to 2018-19.

The BCRB has reached labour agreements in all 27 service areas, 25 with the BCGEU, to help ensure labour certainty throughout the term of the extensions. These labour agreements cover more than 2,000 workers throughout B.C. and help provide certainty for the next seven years.

The BCGEU and Independent Operating Engineers have ratified collective agreements that will help instil certainty for workers over the next seven years. One service area chose not to participate in the extension process.

These agreements ensure the ongoing safe operation of the provincial highway network and help provide price certainty through to 2018-19. Travellers can rely on service levels that meet or exceed best practices throughout North America.

The ministry will continue to closely monitor the performance of all its road and bridge contractors and guarantee they are meeting or exceeding the service level requirements.

Quotes:

Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Mary Polak -

"We appreciate the work that our maintenance companies and their employees do. By extending these contracts, our B.C. maintenance companies can begin preparing for winter knowing they have job certainty for their 2,000 employees who work around the clock to keep our highways safe."

B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union president Darryl Walker -

"These contract extensions are good for the travelling public and good for our members. These extensions ensure that the most experienced highways workers in the province will be maintaining our roads and highways for years to come."

BC Road Builders & Heavy Construction Association president Jack Davidson -

"With these contract extensions in place, our contractors can continue to invest in the equipment and resources necessary to keep our provincial highways and bridges maintained to safely move people and goods across the province. The services our highway maintenance contractors provide and the employment they create make an important economic contribution to all regions of British Columbia."

Quick Facts:

• Contracted road and bridge maintenance services are provided by 14 private, B.C.-based companies under 28 separate contract service areas, operating out of 140 communities.

• B.C.'s maintenance contractors maintain more than 47,500 kilometres of road and 2,800 structures, and employ about 2,000 people who provide services 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The annual value of these service contracts is approximately $370 million.

Learn More:

Follow the work of the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure online at: www.tranbc.ca

Contact:

Kate Trotter
Government Communications and Public Engagement
Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure
250 356-8241