Fort McMurray, in northeast Alberta, is known for being at the heart of Canada’s energy sector. Over the past several years, the community has shown resiliency and perseverance in responding to several natural and economic disasters:
- Canada’s largest wildfire evacuation in 2016;
- a slump in the local economy;
- a flood in 2020;
- the pandemic.
Local firms led the recovery, but they needed more support.
In response to the pandemic, the Government of Canada launched the Regional Relief and Recovery Fund (RRRF). This fund supported small and medium-sized businesses hurt by the pandemic. Through the RRRF, PrairiesCan invested $200,000 in the Fort McMurray Construction Association (FMCA).
The FMCA creates opportunities for members through training, events and connections. Its support helps boost the growth and quality of the construction industry in the Fort McMurray area.
Our funding helped the FMCA set up training resources for local construction-related businesses. It works with members to determine the skills most in need. Its new online resources help connect construction firms and professionals to business and job opportunities.
The FMCA represents 130 member businesses. Our support helped it increase its training capacity. Through training and engagement, this effort engages local firms to be part of the economic rebuild and helps position them for success.
Fort McMurray construction businesses and professionals get training and support for local recovery (length: 1:58 minutes)
Transcript: Fort McMurray construction businesses and professionals get training and support for local recovery
[music]
[Video opens on a construction site during the winter. Construction workers are working outdoors, assembling panels.]
[Fort McMurray, Alberta appears on the screen.]
KEITH PLOWMAN, President, Fort McMurray Construction Association: Fort McMurray Construction Association, we exist to help local construction companies thrive, both now and into the future.
[Video transitions to Keith Plowman, President of the Fort McMurray Construction Association.]
We provide government advocacy, we provide training, we provide events and networking to help our local construction companies succeed.
[Video transitions to clips of construction workers onsite. The construction workers are using equipment to cut wood.]
Fort McMurray has been hit hard. In the last five years we’ve had some pretty trying times, and as an association we looked at our programs and what we wanted to do, and we decided that the system that we had needed to be upgraded.
[Video transitions to Keith Plowman in his office having a discussion with a woman sitting across from his desk.]
With the funding from PrairiesCan we’ve been able to offer 1200 new educational courses, which are really going to help our local businesses.
[Video transitions to construction workers developing blueprints.]
BRYCE HORBACHEWSKI, Health, Safety and Environment Manager, Casman Group of Companies: We have access to the Fort McMurray Construction Association. We’ve used it for jobs, we’ve used it for communications with other clients.
[Video transitions to Bryce Horbachewski, Health, Safety, and Environment Manager, Casman Group of Companies.]
If we have the training that’s local and we have those opportunities where it’s local, is that we’re able to keep our employees here in town instead of having to send them away.
[Video transitions to clips of Bryce Horbachewski reviewing blueprints with construction workers.]
[Video transitions to Keith Plowman.]
KEITH PLOWMAN: The cool thing about this platform is that it doesn’t just service our 130 members here in Fort McMurray but we’ve actually opened it up to the entire community. Even people that aren’t members are able to access this information.
[Video transitions to a computer screen with the Fort McMurray Construction Association webpage. The screen is scrolling through the services that Fort McMurray Construction Association offers.]
[Video transitions to Bryce Horbachewski.]
BRYCE HORBACHEWSKI: If the Fort McMurray Construction Association wasn’t here we would have to allot more resources for outsourcing. Having those resources local means that we spend less on that and we can spend more time providing quality services.
[Video transitions to clips of construction workers having a meeting. One construction worker is providing updates to the rest of the team.]
[Video transitions to Bryce Horbachewski.]
It’ll be exciting to see a change in the educational level of the industry itself that will benefit everybody within the region.
Text on screen: PrairiesCan committed $200,000 to the Fort McMurray Construction Association to provide education and training to address the needs of construction-related businesses impacted by COVID-19 in the Fort McMurray region.
[PrairiesCan website www.prairiescan.gc.ca appears on screen.]
[PrairiesCan Twitter @PrairiesCanEN appears on screen.]
[Prairies Economic Development Canada Wordmark appears on screen.]
[Animated Canada Wordmark appears on screen.]
