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The City of Winnipeg has agreed to establish a permanent specification review working group, where the industry will get early notice and submit concerns and suggestions to planned changes to roadbuilding specs.
The working group’s establishment comes from the recent negotiation for and signing of a charter between the City of Winnipeg Public Works department, MHCA and ACEC-MB. The charter was created by an external consultant, hired by the City to assist industry and department managers work toward agreement on how rollout and adoption of spec changes.
The working group was discussed at September 13 meeting of the MHCA Board of Directors.
“We are very encouraged that the spec review working group is now formalized, and will have scheduled meetings so industry can discuss in a collaborative manner issues with new or existing roadbuilding specifications,” MHCA President & CEO Chris Lorenc said.
The Board was also informed that senior officials with Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure have met with industry representatives to discuss the highways capital program, including the manner in which tenders and projects are prepared and rolled out.
A specification review committee will be a permanent feature of such discussions. Industry continues to express concern about the delayed advertisement of MTI tenders and may see significant carry over of both the contracts awarded, and untendered work from 2023 program, to 2024.
Other items discussed at the Board meeting included:
- MHCA WORKSAFELY® is working with a number of other construction-related associations on identifying barriers to recruiting new workers; a provincial government/industry summit is planned to plan solutions later fall.
- MHCA Workforce Development Committee is pressing for micro-credentialing of some skilled labour positions in the heavy construction industry. Micro-credentialing is a way to focus on and recognize skills, in absence of trade certification.
- MHCA, through the Civil National Advisory Committee of CCA, is pressing for a working group to assess the state of and make recommendations about the adoption of green technology and equipment in the heavy civil industry.
- MHCA has signed as an interested party to a memorandum of understanding for a mid-Canada trade corridor development. The corridor’s development would focus on Highway 75, Manitoba’s primary trade route.
