Rising costs, labour shortages stand in way of quick Fiona rebuild in Nova Scotia
The desire to quickly rebuild after post-tropical storm Fiona is running up against challenges that existed before the hurricane-force winds left a trail of destruction in Nova Scotia: the rising cost of construction material and widespread skilled labour shortages.
It's too early to put a price on the damage caused by Fiona, but Public Works Minister Kim Masland says the rebuilding effort will be competing for labour with ongoing construction projects -- driving up prices and extending timelines.
"No question, there is going to be cost pressures going forward," Masland said after a recent cabinet meeting. "But we are going to need to work through those and make sure that we're delivering safe and reliable roads to Nova Scotians."
The minister said that prior to the storm, the province had cancelled six existing bridge and road projects this year due to higher-than-expected costs. Some cost estimates, she said, are "coming in extremely high," which she attributed to the rising price of steel, diesel, asphalt and labour.
The government said last week in an economic update that capital spending on highways and other infrastructure will cost $73 million more than budgeted for the 2022-23 fiscal year.
Masland said the province still intends to complete the six cancelled projects, which include repair work to a bridge in her constituency of Queens-Shelburne. Her department is looking at "different delivery options," such as executing the projects in phases. The province will focus first on urgent repairs, she said.
In Nova Scotia, some of the most severe storm damage was in Cape Breton and Pictou County, where roadways were washed out and the causeway to Big Island was significantly damaged.
"We'll need to look at the jobs that are most crucial, most important, and we will have to focus on repairing those first," Masland said.
Duncan Williams, president of the Construction Association of Nova Scotia, says the demand for skilled tradespeople is extremely high. He estimates that about 2,000 to 3,000 additional workers were needed for ongoing projects well before the storm hit.
Williams said the sector lost a number of skilled workers during the pandemic, when many chose to retire early, but "even prior to the pandemic we were coming up to labour challenges," he said in an interview Tuesday.
"And then of course construction projects are booming, so throw in a hurricane on top of that and we've got some real, real problems," Williams said. A lot of projects in the Halifax area, he added, have "crawled to a snail's pace" because of labour shortages.
Marjorie Davison, the CEO of the Nova Scotia Apprenticeship Agency, says estimates show Nova Scotia needs about 11,000 new tradespeople between now and 2030. "About half of that demand is just in the construction sector alone," Davison said in an interview Tuesday.
In June, Premier Tim Houston acknowledged the gaps in Nova Scotia's skilled trades labour market and announced a new program aimed at recruiting and retaining young tradespeople. The program will return the provincial tax paid on the first $50,000 of income earned for all trades workers or trades apprentices if they are under 30 years old.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 5, 2022.
---
This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Meta and Canadian Press News Fellowship.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Another suspect arrested in Toronto Pearson airport gold heist: police
Another suspect is in custody in connection with the gold heist at Toronto Pearson International Airport last year, police say.
Hailey and Justin Bieber are expecting their first child
Hailey Rhode Bieber, Canadian musician Justin Bieber's wife, announced her pregnancy on social media on Thursday. Hailey posted a series of photos showing her baby bump alongside husband Justin.
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
Poilievre-led government 'would never' use notwithstanding clause on abortion, his office says
A Conservative government led by Pierre Poilievre would not legislate on, nor use the notwithstanding clause, on abortion, his office says, as anti-abortion protesters gather on Parliament Hill.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Here are the ultraprocessed foods you most need to avoid, according to a 30-year study
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
Miss Teen USA steps down just days after Miss USA's resignation
Miss Teen USA resigned Wednesday, sending further shock waves through the pageant community just days after Miss USA said she would relinquish her crown.
Why these immigrants to Canada say they're thinking about leaving, or have already moved on
For some immigrants, their dreams of permanently settling in Canada have taken an unexpected twist.
Cyclist strikes child crossing the street to catch school bus in Montreal
A video circulating on social media of a young girl being hit by a bike has some calling for better safety and more caution when designing bike lanes in the city. The video shows a four-year-old girl crossing Jeanne-Mance Street in Montreal's Plateau neighbourhood to get on a school bus stopped on the opposite side of the street