Core infrastructure, including investment in trade corridors, will be increasingly important to the growth of Manitoba’s and Canada’s economies in the next years, Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson told more than 200 MHCA members and invited guests at the association’s Annual Awards Breakfast November 18.
The Premier, the breakfast keynote speaker, said she respects MHCA as the voice of one of Manitoba’s critical industries.
“The Manitoba Heavy Construction Association is the voice of one of Manitoba’s greatest industries, promoting investment in core infrastructure from streets and highways to bridges and trade transportation networks,” Stefanson said.
“You keep Manitoba moving forward, and you are one of our most important partners as we work to grow our economy together.”
She noted that the heavy construction industry helps build the infrastructure that sustains us as a province and protects our communities.
“When you tell us what you need to build in our province, we listen. And the message I have heard consistently is that your industry needs stability. You want sustainable, predictable, and incremental funding for infrastructure.
“I am here to tell you that we are listening, taking action, and getting the job done for your industry.”
To that point, she said Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure senior staff will be establishing a working group with the heavy construction and design engineering representatives to improve the efficiency of the tendering process.
“This working group will ensure we move forward together towards an understanding that, a budget set, is a budget tendered and a budget awarded,” she said.
Further, she committed to seeing the current 3-year budget program for highways capital move to five years, along with a 10-year strategic infrastructure capital plan. The premier noted some of the key initiatives her government has taken to strengthen Manitoba’s trade corridors and ramp up its trade profile, to advance economic growth, including:
- $1.5 billion commitment for highways investment will support Manitoba’s Trade and Commerce Grid and the Winnipeg One Million Perimeter Freeway Initiative, adding interchanges on the Perimeter Highway and making other improvement to ensure the efficient movement of goods along key trade corridors
- $40 million for the expansion of CentrePort south, which will grow Mb’s GDP by more than $1 billion when fully built out
- Twinning the TransCanada highway to the Ontario border
- Upgrading the rail line to Churchill, creating a northern transportation corridor across western canada
She noted that many of these initiatives have been championed by the MHCA for years, including the need for sustained, predictable multi-year infrastructure investment plans.
Members also heard from Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham and Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Doyle Piwniuk, who presented MTI’s Construction Awards to contractors for the 2022 construction season.
Mayor Scott Gillingham repeated the need to work collaboratively on investing in the city’s trade corridors.
Gillingham said Stefanson’s work to see the CentrePort South lands serviced with water and sewer pipes has been critical to moving on the full development of the inland port.
Gillingham has committed to increasing the forecasted roads renewal program by $50 million in the next five years.
The mayor also committed to seeing collaboration between the city and the industry in building better roads.
Lorenc thanked the premier for her commitment to the budget tender working group, noting that a second working group to focus on reducing various risk elements in the tender design and bid process will be equally as important to the program and the industry.
Shaving risk from tender scoping and contracts means industry can better price their bids and that returns better value to the program, and the taxpayer, explained Lorenc.
He underscored that the commitment was just one of the many actions taken by Stefanson in her short tenure to date to build Manitoba’s economy and strengthen the provinces trade connections domestically, continentally and globally.
Among those actions are:
- Re-establishing the economic development department
- Establish the economic development secretariat, which the premier chairs
- Establishing the venture capital fund to attract private sector investment and growth
Stefanson and Gillingham’s addresses helped round out the morning’s program which included hearing from Board Chair Nicole Chabot, her last appearance as the board’s leader. Vice Chair Dennis Cruise assumed the Chair’s position at the MHCA AGM, immediately following the breakfast.
Chabot, in her final ‘Year in Review’ address to members, also highlighted the progress MHCA has seen in its campaign to press Ottawa for a national trade gateways and corridors initiative.
Lorenc, in his “looking forward” address told the members a coalition of regional and national business groups will redouble its efforts in 2023 to press for significant increases to trade gateway and corridors investment.
To read Chabot and Lorenc’s addresses click here.