Minister Jean Boulet arrives with a reform to decompartmentalize the construction professions a little. This reform is necessary AND urgent. If there’s a problem, it’s that she could have gone even further.
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At first glance, we can see this as a clash between bosses and unions in the construction sector. Bosses are looking for flexibility and unions want to defend acquired rights. A classic.
I suggest instead looking at the issue taking into account the general interest of the population rather than limiting ourselves to the interests of the parties directly concerned. For home-buying households, for tenants, for taxpayers in general, do the current rules represent a problem? The answer is yes.
The current regulations, which compartmentalize professions to the extreme, cause three big problems. It extends the time it takes to complete a project, it increases construction costs and it increases the problem of labor shortages.
Wasted time
This week, general contractors provided a concrete example, in a real-life situation. 13 door frames had to be changed in one school. To accomplish the task according to current rules, seven trades with protected activities must be used. Each trade must wait until the other has passed so that it is their turn. We lose hours and half-days.
- Listen to the interview with Éric Boisjoly, general director FTQ-Construction, on Mario Dumont’s microphone via QUB :
If we allowed workers to be a little more multidisciplinary, we estimate that the duration of this work would be reduced from 45 to 26 days. And costs lowered by 14%. I insist that the 19 days saved are particularly significant in a context of labor shortage. Not only are we delivering this project more quickly, but we are freeing up the teams to tackle the next project.
Another era
Our rules are archaic. Construction is divided into 26 trades. In Ontario, it’s 16. This siloing was put in place at a time of high unemployment. If we could generate additional paid hours by compartmentalizing the professions, that was perfect. Today, Quebec lacks construction workers to carry out all the projects.
Archive photo, QMI Agency
These rules were also written at a time when construction unions were in full swing. Terror on elected officials here, warm friendships with the PQ there, public interest has sometimes come second.
Let’s look at the situation in front of us. Housing crisis: we must build. Schools and hospitals in disrepair, major renovations are needed. Electricity production, Hydro-Québec will need 35,000 workers. Public transport will require major projects. As taxpayers, we want to see these projects carried out at the best cost.
Households who want to access property want construction to happen faster and at lower cost.
Renters looking for reasonably priced housing want the same thing.
Minister Boulet’s construction reform represents a minimum.