The Calgary Construction Association has put forward their three election pillars, marking the countdown to a new council and the hope for continued buy-in by councillors for the importance of the construction industry.

Speaking to the media on Sept. 9, the association identified an expanded construction workforce, closing Calgary’s infrastructure gap, and continued work towards placemaking and city-building as the top priorities they want to emphasize to candidates.

Bill Black, President and CEO of the Calgary Construction Association, said that the industry is facing major challenges and opportunities.

“One of the factors that gets us out of bed in the morning right now is the volume of major projects that our city is seeing. These are the major ones, the longer term, three- to four-year duration projects, and then all the infill projects that will come along with that… we reckon it’s between $15 and $20 billion worth of major projects alone,” he said.

“We’re also looking at the third year-over-year growth in housing starts, and how that will need to continue to respond to our growth and an infrastructure deficit that desperately needs a real plan and a significant amount of investment to ensure that our current infrastructure can maintain its performance.”

Statistics provided by the association showed that Calgary was 6,000 construction-related jobs short in 2024 to meet demand, and that number is expected to grow by 2030.

Black said the need for Calgary was to come up with a long-term plan that would extend beyond election cycles that would include both funding partners from government but also include the technical expertise of industry.

“There are individuals that work for some of the companies that specialize in underground utilities, that have 40 years experience in the infrastructure in this city. These are the types of individuals that can sit around a table and help Council and Administration build the plan, and if needs be, utilize our network of provincial and national associations to do some of the lobbying that will be needed to get the funding in place,” said Black.

Hiring more workers, creating more economic opportunities

Frano Cavar, Director of Public Affairs and External Relations for the Calgary Construction Association, said addressing the nearly one-in-five missing construction jobs should be a top priority for councillors.

“This is not just a workforce issue. It’s a growth issue. Without the people to build homes, school and infrastructure, Calgary will not be able to keep up with the pace of this increasing population strain. Now what is true that most training programs fall under the purview of the provincial and federal governments, The City of Calgary is not without influence through Calgary Economic Development (CED) and promotional agencies,” he said.

As part of the platform, there was a hope that the construction industry would be added to the key industries that CED would focus on to attract talent.

Currently those sectors of focus include aerospace, agribusiness, cultural and creative industries, energy, financial services, life sciences, and transportation and logistics.

“Given that [CED] is a promotional agency that is funded by Calgarians through our tax dollars at work and through city council, I think there is an opportunity to really expand that portfolio and that role and work with us to diligently tell the story of Calgary’s construction industry, to attract and retain workers to our city,” said Cavar.

Black said construction would also help to address the needs of those key sectors.

“We have hospitality, entertainment district, public realm, transportation infrastructure, office conversions, schools, Prairie gateway, inland port, data centres, aerospace and others, all happening in our economic region, 250,000 people since 2020 or 2021—and we’re heading rapidly towards 2 million residents will also need roads, utilities, strip malls, retail,” he said.

Addressing those infrastructure needs was the second pillar of the platform, which asks incoming councillors to consider the $7 billion infrastructure gap.

Something that Black said was not glamorous work, but is absolutely essential to keeping Calgary growing.

“The problem with infrastructure is it’s invisible. There’s no photo op, there’s no ribbon cutting, and it takes longer than one election cycle to put a proper and robust infrastructure maintenance and repair program in place,” he said.

That lesson being the one that was learnt from the Bearspaw water main break which put the water supply for 1.4 million Calgarians in jeopardy, but also prevented other industries like roofers and construction trades from completing vital projects during the summer because of the issues around fire safety.

The third pillar of the CCA’s election platform around city-building and placemaking was also long overdue, said Black.

“It’s taken 10 years to get a Green Line started, never mind talking about a field house since 1967 and still people have to drive to Edmonton. The roadblocks can be actual situations, or they can just be attitudes where things just do not get pushed from concept into reality,” he said.

Ensuring that the some $15 billion in capital projects underway are properly supported and stewarded, would be essential for the long-term economic viability of Calgary.

“Ultimately a new council will need their need to engage and grease the wheels of the momentum that’s already in place, or become a spoke in the wheel. At the end of the day, in today’s world, if you’re not growing, you’re falling behind, and we are growing as a city,” said Black.

“City building and place making are key to our ability to attract new talent, investment and growth to our city, and the construction industry is at the core of this, because we design, finance, build and maintain the physical infrastructure that makes up our city, whether it’s residential, commercial, industrial, the construction industry is key.”

2025 CCA Municipal Election Platform