MHCA’s board of directors met on Sept. 24 and considered an array of topics of importance to the heavy construction industry business health. Chief among them were items for discussion and review regarding 2026 planning, including a comprehensive strategic planning session to be completed in the first half of March 2026.
As the Equipment Rental Rates Committee (ERRC) gears up to publish the 2026 rental rates guide, its chair met with Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure (MTI) on Sept.18 to coordinate the 2026 bid hourly tender process, emphasizing the importance of completing an ongoing rental rates data review project and resolving equipment categorization discrepancies.
The MHCA board considered at length and at the end of the discussion agreed to decline MTI’s request to remove the fuel cost adjustment clause. It cited the need for contractor protection and prompt payment and approved maintaining the clause for contracts over $20,000.
The ERRC continues to update equipment categorization and aging policies and will be introducing a 35-year age threshold and a revised discount structure. Other progress includes completing more than 2,700 excavator entries and reviewing backhoe loader classifications.
Other items included:
- Discussed ongoing meetings regarding South Interlake Planning District (SIPD)’s proposed development plan that would eliminate tens of millions of dollars in aggregate extraction opportunities from the area. A working group has been struck to coordinate agreement now by the SIPD to meet with the MHCA and aggregate producers as it considers steps going forward in drafting the development plan.
- Discussed the Manitoba Jobs Agreement (MJA) and the significant challenges it presents significant for our industry. The Board was advised that the provincial government did not have any discussions or consultation with any horizontal or vertical construction industry association prior to signing a MJA on Sept. 8 or announcing the policy at a Sept. 16 media event. A working group of four associations has asked the government for MJA details to consider its implications and any next steps. An MHCA delegation is scheduled to meet with MTI Minister Lisa Naylor and MJA’s lead, Mintu Sandhu, Minister of Public Service Delivery, on Oct. 10.
- Reviewed and updated MHCA membership rates for 2026. The board, after much discussion, agreed to update the rates to reflect what everyone in the economy experiences, growing costs of operation.
- Extensively discussed, modified, adjusted and adopted budgets for the next fiscal year for both the MHCA and the WorkSafely Program.
- The board approved a leasehold improvement financing plan for MHCA facility renovations, aimed at enhancing member experience and operational efficiency for long-term organizational benefit.
