Voices of Industry: A Paradigm Shift in CBAs

At Buy Social Canada we work to advance social procurement and grow social enterprise. We work with social enterprises, all levels of government, the corporate sector and communities across Canada.

Buy Social Canada

Buy Social Canada shares new CBA research on current policy analysis, literature review and stakeholder perspectives

Buy Social Canada presents a webinar presentation of our latest research<h1>Voices of industry: A paradigm shift in CBAs</h1><h2>Supporting apprenticeship and workforce diversity through community benefit agreements (CBAs)</h2>CBAs have seen a variety of construction industry responses, including an initial sector pushback to perceived issues of added costs and implementation inefficiencies. At the same time, segments of the construction industry welcomed CBAs as a means for engaging with community issues, improved project planning, and addressing industry needs to meet skilled labour demand. As the number of social procurement practices and CBAs increase, the shared and common language and learning also evolves across government policy and construction sector practices. We may be witnessing an evolution of positive positions and attitudes of the construction sector regarding CBAs. CBAs are increasing and emerging across Canada and internationally over the past 10 years. This research features three case studies:1. City of Vancouver’s CBA Policy 2. Metrolinx CBA projects3. Infrastructure Canada’s Community Employment Benefit InitiativeKey takeaways from the research include:<ul><li>There is an evolution of knowledge and acceptance of CBAs across sectors</li><li>The majority of respondents see CBAs as a potential solution to addressing labour market pressures through apprenticeships and employment opportunities</li><li>There are various and nuanced definitions and understanding of CBAs</li><li>As an emerging trend there is a need to increase research as implementation increases</li><li>If targets are to be set they need to appropriately recognize the local capacity and project needs – matching supply and demand</li><li>A successful CBA requires communication, co-creation and collaboration between key stakeholders in the design, implementation, monitoring and reporting processes</li></ul><h1>Speakers</h1>Jamie AbernethyProject Director, AeconJamie is an experienced Project Director with a strong commercial background and a demonstrated history of working in the construction industry, the past decade of which has been spent in the water &amp; wastewater sector with a primary focus in the alternative project delivery model.Jamie was project manager for Aecon, the General Contractor on Comox Valley Regional District&#x27;s recent wastewater treatment project which had a Community Employment Benefit requirement.Elizabeth Chick-BlountExecutive Director, Buy Social CanadaElizabeth coordinates and connects Buy Social Canada’s work with public and private sector purchasers including all levels of government, SAP and Chandos Construction, to design and implement Social Procurement and Community Benefit Agreement policies and practices. She worked with the City of Vancouver on the development of the CBA implementation strategy and is currently working with PCL construction on the implementation of the CBA on the New St. Paul’s hospital development, Westbank and Peak Construction on the 150 West Georgia Street project, and Chandos Construction on the implementation of a voluntary CBA on the 1st &amp; Clark project.<h1>About Buy Social Canada</h1>Every purchase has an economic, environmental, social and cultural impact, whether intended or not. The collective effort of leveraging social value from purchasing has a powerful and positive ripple effect on our communities.Buy Social Canada’s social enterprise purpose is to educate, advocate and engage social suppliers and purchasers from across governments, institutions, and corporations, to advance social procurement and community benefit agreement policies and practices to help build healthy communities.Buy Social Canada’s expertise and experience extend across consulting, policy design, tool and resource development and training and workshops, always with a focus on utilizing local community assets, ensuring knowledge transfer and local capacity building. Buy Social Canada’s team has been actively engaged in and focused on social purchasing and Community Benefit Agreements (CBA) research, policy development, implementation, and measurement for over 15 years. Buy Social Canada has been collecting, analyzing, and applying best practices in multiple jurisdictions, various socio-economic environments, and rural and urban market municipalities. Buy Social Canada was contracted by the City of Vancouver to develop the tools and implementation framework for the City of Vancouver’s Community Benefit Agreement Policy and is currently the Independent Third-Party Monitor for the first two projects to implement the CBA Policy. Buy Social Canada is a delivery partner in the British Columbia Social Procurement Initiative (BCSPI), working with over 30 municipalities across British Columbia to explore and implement social procurement and Community Benefit Agreements.

Voices of Industry: A Paradigm Shift in CBAs

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Voices of Industry: A Paradigm Shift in CBAs

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