Both road builders and construction companies play a vital but often overlooked role across international industries, as they provide essential infrastructure to keep almost every industry moving thanks to the road network and the construction of operations facilities. Therefore, to unite these companies on Prince Edward Island in Canada, PEI Road Builders and Heavy Construction Association was established to provide a united voice across the industry. This united voice works to bring continued economic and structural benefits to the people and businesses across the province, whilst promoting the role of road building and construction contractors and suppliers with governmental bodies.
The highway system is the lifeblood of Prince Edward Island’s economy, as the road network serves almost every industry including farming, agriculture, fishing, fish-related products, and tourism. We must also not forget the essential role transport plays in the general everyday functioning of the island through the road network system. Therefore, whilst the roadways may often go overlooked, they play such a vital role in keeping economies moving to get people to their destinations and to get products to end markets. In a similar vein, the heavy construction industry works closely with roadbuilders, to implement vital infrastructure and facilities for a vast array of industries which keep employment opportunities within the region. These two industries collectively provide significant employment opportunities to the suppliers and contractors of these sectors which bring continued economic security to the people of the province. Therefore, with personal economic development comes sustained economic benefits for the region on a wider scale as infrastructure continues to meet the growing market demands and keep money within the region for future island development.
The Association was incorporated in 1962 by contractors and suppliers with the goal of forming one cohesive and united voice to uphold and promote these companies and the role they play on both local and international scales. The Association is governed by a board of directors made up of 8 representatives from its regular members, and 2 representatives from its associate members. These members meet monthly and focus on developing the industries to support the contractors and suppliers working in these sectors. The board is split into various committees including the Industry, Education and Workforce Recruitment Committee, the Specification and Safety Committee, Membership, events and Public Relations Committee, Negotiated Prices and Rental Rates Committee, Plans, Surveys, Drawing and Standards Committee, Snow Committee, and the Bridge and Structures Committee. These committees work to ensure a well-rounded development across the industry whilst bringing continued economic development and notoriety to the region’s roadbuilders and heavy construction sector.
One of the association’s primary focuses is networking, to ensure that its member suppliers and contractors can access some of the largest upcoming developments for the province in both public governmental planning and private sector development. The annual conference, which was last held in February of this year, provided an essential setting for investors, other contractors, suppliers, governmental bodies, and industry leaders to come together to develop the industries for Prince Edward Island and beyond.
These meetings are vital, as the roadbuilding and heavy construction industries are expected to play an essential role in the development of the region going forward. In November last year, the region announced a new capital budget of $1.5 billion which it will invest into the island over the next 5 years. This development by the government is in response to the concerns of those living in the region and will focus on transportation, housing, and healthcare facilities. The government has planned $85 million for developing transportation and infrastructure making vital maintenance and development of roads and bridges and $70 million to the PEI Housing Corporation to create 560 social housing units over the next 5 years. In addition, the government has allocated $123 million to Health PEI to develop new healthcare facilities and construct a mental health campus, hospital and primary care facilities, and teaching spaces along with the development of a new medical school.
We can see with these announcements the vital role the members of PEI Roadbuilders and Heavy Construction Association will continue to play in helping the government make the region better for its citizens. With vital infrastructure, roadway and healthcare construction required as part of the government’s investment into the island, the Association’s members will partner with the project and further their role in the industry. These partnerships are the reason the association was established to get its member organisations into conversations with big investment decision-makers to allow them to play a crucial role in developing the island towards the future.
Overall, PEI Road Builders and Heavy Construction Association has provided a unified voice for its members for the last 60 years. The association continues to support, uplift, and promote the industry and consequently its members by ensuring that vital networking and partnerships are in place to help its members continue to play a significant role in the development of Prince Edward Island for the future. We have seen that the government will be implementing vast investments into these industries as it works to make the island better for its citizens, and therefore we look forward to seeing the vast role the Association will continue to play across the region’s road-building and heavy construction industry going forward.
