FEBRUARY 2018
H
business elite canada
3
By Paul de Jong, President of the Progressive
Contractors Association of Canada (PCA)
---------------------------------------------
One might be hard pressed to connect the dots
between Northern Ontario’s third largest city,
and one of Canada’s three prairie provinces.
But it turns out Sault Ste. Marie and Manitoba
have more in common than turning out their
fair share of NHL players. Both also share the
political gumption to do what too few elected
officials seem willing to even consider: taking
on construction labour monopolies.
Fairness and value for hardworking taxpayers
should be the principles that guide procure-
ment practices in every Canadian province and
city. All too often though, they’re not. That’s
why Manitoba and Sault Ste. Marie stood out,
when they recently announced their intent to
end the practice of restricted construction ten-
dering. While the issue may not register with
