Reconstruct the Saskatchewan Construction Legislation Act

The aim of the project is to assess the benefits for Saskatchewan’s construction industry in adopting legislation similar to Manitoba’s Construction Industry Wages Act. The Manitoba legislation has been held up as a model of industrial stability by both employer associations and the building trades in that province. This project seeks to determine what benefits – economic, political and social – could be derived for Saskatchewan from implementing similar wage and labour standards as contained in the Manitoba legislation.

The Manitoba construction industry has seen a significant expansion over the past decade, which many attribute to the stabilizing influence of the Construction Industry Wages Act. During the last decade, the market dynamics led to the plunge in unemployment rates to approximately 7%. This research will provide the Saskatchewan Building Trades with the data and analysis on whether a higher minimum wage and better labour standards for construction workers has a positive spillover effect in the rest of the economy, and whether it helps to attract young workers to the industry and retain current workers. In Saskatchewan in particular, the construction industry often competes for labour with the petroleum industry.

Faculty Supervisor:

Maureen Kilgour

Student:

Partner:

Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (Saskatchewan, SK)

Discipline:

Business

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

University of Winnipeg

Program: