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

Backgrounders

Key benefits of labour agreement

The Community Benefits Agreement allows government to make sure that local people and communities get long-lasting benefits from public investments into major infrastructure projects, while maximizing the number of contractors that can bid on major infrastructure projects.

Key benefits of the negotiated labour agreement include:

Apprenticeships:

  • Increased apprenticeships in the skilled trades is essential to the development of British Columbia’s workforce. 
  • Targets will be aligned with the Government Apprenticeship Policy to maximize work-based training and opportunities to grow the skilled workforce.

Training:

  • The development of construction skills for persons other than the Red Seal apprentices is essential to the development of British Columbia’s workforce.
  • Wherever possible, existing government training programs and services will be leveraged. Training needs will be assessed for each project, and a process will be established to co-ordinate the development of new training where gaps exist, in collaboration with training partners and building trades councils, as required.

Indigenous and under-represented groups:

  • This agreement provides incremental and prioritized opportunities for the participation of Indigenous peoples and other traditionally under-represented groups on government infrastructure projects, in a safe environment that is free from discrimination and harassment.
  • Government has an existing consultation and accommodation process to address impacted Indigenous groups on projects. This process will continue and not be affected by the implementation of a labour agreement.
  • In addition, Indigenous peoples, women, and other traditionally under-represented groups will now have priority access to employment and training opportunities.

Local people and businesses:

  • When local workers have greater access to work opportunities in their communities, local people can, in turn, build, invest and stay in their communities.

Wages:

  • Wages have been negotiated to align with industry wages, based on prevailing construction rates.
  • This provides good-paying jobs to workers on these projects, and provides cost certainty to government.
New Crown agency to help build B.C. infrastructure

A new Crown corporation called BC Infrastructure Benefits Inc. (BCIB) has been created under the Business Corporations Act. It will act as signatory and the employer entity for the Community Benefits Agreement. The minister responsible is Claire Trevena, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure.

A full governance body will be established as a priority for the new organization. The organization is expected to be fully operational in fall 2018.  

The broader Community Benefits Framework will remain with core government. The mandate of BCIB is to provide the labour workforce for the construction of select public-sector infrastructure projects, delivered in accordance with terms and conditions of the Community Benefits Agreement.

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