Journal of Commerce | Jean Sorensen | November 24, 2025
The BC Building Trades (BCBT) is arguing for a strong role and voice under the newly-passed BC Infrastructure Act where regulations are now being formed.
“We want to ensure that workers and communities benefit from these projects,” said Brynn Bourke, BCBT executive director.
Those benefits, as outlined in a submission to government, include: Hiring locally, paying fair wages, ensuring local businesses benefit, fair distribution of projects throughout B.C., First Nations support for projects, and proponents participate in apprenticeship training.
The BCBT also want the projects covered by project labour agreements (PLAs), which ensure all employees are unionized.
Through its 25 member craft unions, the BCBT is also asking for a seat at the table.
“We want to be part of the regulatory process,” said Bourke.
“As government builds the framework for project designation and for tracking project progress, workers should be at the table with a seat designated for a representative from the BC Building Trades unions,” BCBT said in its submission.
Bourke said both the federal and B.C. governments have announced a list of major projects to push forward.
“We are creating a paradigm very quickly to completely restructure our economic value and it is happening in less than a year,” she said.
That takes skilled labour and Bourke sees the BCBT input as needed.
“We are therefore uniquely positioned to have a view into skilled trades training and labour market fluctuations and can provide valuable insight that government needs for projects to be successful under the Infrastructure Projects Act,” the BCBT said in its submission.
The BC Infrastructure Act, which was passed, gives government sweeping powers to fast-track designated government and provincially significant projects.
The government is now doing a three-phase consultation on the regulations.
Phase one (closed Sept. 30) dealt with Category One government projects and Category Two provincially significant projects by Crown or private corporations plus project eligibility.
Phase two (closed Oct. 31) dealt with the requirements for a professional reliance model for permitting. Phase three led by the Environmental Assessment Office started in September and runs into March 2026.
The BCBT have forged feedback to the first two phases in a 14-page submission.
For a project to be considered provincially significant in Category Two there is a proposed framework where four requirements would be assessed and met. They are eligible project type, First Nations decision-maker support, core requirements and additional benefits.
The BCBT want to see eligible project types expanded.
“We support adding or enhancing a category to better capture projects such as shipbuilding and shipyard and ferry infrastructure,” it said.
The association has been vocal against the outsourcing of four BC Ferries to a Chinese shipyard.
Bourke called it “frustrating” to see shipbuilding contracts going offshore to Germany, Poland and China after B.C.’s century-long legacy of building its own transport vessels.
“We have the people and the ability,” she said.
The BCBT argues price should not be the deciding factor, but rather benefits that accrue to the provincial economy and the construction industry, both of which should be a core requirement.
The association also wants to see robust apprenticeship programs on Category Two projects and suggests this could be achieved in two ways, either requiring proponents to enter into PLAs with craft-based trades or the province can use its regulatory powers to set wage and apprenticeship requirements.
The BCBT is recommending provincially significant projects should be balanced throughout the province and not overly represented in one region.
“Designated projects should provide direct economic benefit, through job creation, to the community where the project is built,” it said.
In phase two feedback on moving to a qualified professional model to expedite projects, BCBT cautions against becoming too liberal with oversight.
It points to the failure that caused the Mt. Polley Mine tailings breach in 2014. An enforcement and compliance audit found in an attempt to reduce regulatory burden on industry, government established regulatory oversight by qualified professionals without any kind of oversight for the professionals.
BCBT is recommending limiting qualified professional to individuals belonging to a regulatory body under the Professional Governance Act and to individuals who possess qualifications that are considered traditional knowledge such as First Nations knowledge holders.
The BCBT warns that no matter how much governments attempt to expedite projects, they will not succeed unless there is skilled labour available.
“Workforce projections show that B.C. will need a total 61,100 new skilled trade workers by 2034 to replace retiring workers and meet increased industry demand for non-residential construction,” it said in its submission.
BCBT maintains the government must prioritize and implement a workforce development plan that addresses trades training funding, project sequencing (improved data sharing amongst governments) and skilled trade certification.
“The BC Building Trades call on the provincial government to expand the list of certified skilled trades,” the submission said, adding government should provide the funding necessary to SkilledTradesBC to adequately implement and enforce the program.