The decision by Prime Minister Mark Carney to roll out a federal Major Projects Office (MPO) in Calgary, Alta. is being hailed by stakeholders in construction circles as a step in the right direction.
However, don’t hang out the parade banners just yet. There is still lingering PTSD in Western Canada over Ottawa’s past policies, some caution, so it will take results for the masses to fully convert.
The office is part of an initiative to fast-track the approvals process for large, nation-building infrastructure projects across Canada that are deemed crucial for national economic growth.
Dawn Farrell, former president and CEO of Trans Mountain who brings four decades of experience in Canada’s energy sector to the table, has been appointed as first CEO of the MPO.
Projects expected to be frontrunners for development are ports, railways, energy corridors, critical mineral developments and clean energy initiatives.
Chris Flett, business manager of Local 955 of the International Union of Operating Engineers, whose members build pipelines and refineries across Alberta, says he is thrilled with the news.
“Alberta is rich in both traditional and alternative forms of energy and is ground-zero for unlocking Canada’s potential to develop major, nation-building projects that will provide both family and community-supporting jobs and energy security,” he said.
“We look forward to working closely with this office and with CEO Dawn Farrell, a highly capable and talented professional who will work hard to build alliances and get things done.”
Flett said he’s eager to see a list of projects, whether from crucial pipelines to wind turbines, hydro and more, that will help the national economy blossom.
“IUOE 955 and its professional membership remain job-ready to help build and maintain these important projects,” he said.
Kevin O’Donnell, executive director of the Pipe Line Contractors Association of Canada, is pleased the MPO headquarters will be in Calgary and also that there appears to be a “hurry-up-offence” mandate.
“I think they’re doing all the right things,” he said, but cautioned that the proof will be in the pudding as “talk is cheap, especially in politics.”
For those in the pipeline world, the key is to get a gateway to the west along with new port infrastructure in Churchill, Man., he said.
O’Donnell noted local unions have the manpower to do the work as they’ve been recruiting and training trades.
“We’re ready to go at a moment’s notice on any major project.”
Tania Johnston, chief executive officer of the Mechanical Contractors Association of Canada, said the organization has been advocating for a centralized department or secretariat dedicated to construction.
“This Major Projects Office is, at the very least, a recognition that a more centralized authority can create efficiencies in how projects are built in this country. The industry has also faced many challenges when it comes to permitting and other levels of bureaucracy that slow down projects. By removing those impediments, our sector can focus more on doing the work and building the projects.”
Johnston said Calgary makes sense for the office, given the province’s important role in resource extraction and export.
John Gamble, president of the Association of Consulting Engineering Companies – Canada, noted there is still much work to be done to speed up projects.
“We are glad to see some movement on this major commitment from the government. One of the challenges we face in Canada is that we have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to natural resources, not only to supply our own economy but to create significant export opportunities. Having a single point of contact and the concept of a major projects office is certainly encouraging.”
It takes disproportionately longer to get projects approved in Canada, compared to almost all of its competitors on the world stage, and that now appears to be acknowledged, Gamble said.
“We need to get projects happening in this country. It’s always been a little bit perplexing that to get energy from Western Canada to Eastern Canada we had to go through the States.”
Bill Black, president and CEO of the Calgary Construction Association, said putting the MPO in Calgary is a sign the narrative in Ottawa is changing and the government is following through on promises it made during the election campaign.
He cautioned, however, that many in Alberta have reservations related to anything that is associated with the feds in Ottawa.
Although he says there is no doubt it has been taken too far by some in the tinfoil hat brigade, the jury will take some time to be convinced.
“The challenge here is the jury has PTSD. The jury is going to stay out here longer than most juries. But the thing is, again, the announcement of this Major Projects Office, it’s almost as if the narrative is being followed through. It’s evidence that they’re moving in the right direction.
“Ultimately it will all come down to actual tangible results and change too, and not just rhetoric.”
