b'BUDGET SEASONTo that end, the budget allocates $25Also, our Canadian infrastructurethat might otherwise have gone into million over three years to the Ontarioreport card says 40 per cent of roadsother things, he notes. I worry that Immigrant Nominee Program. Inand bridges are in fair to poor to verygovernments at every level are reducing addition, under Ontarios Housing Supplypoor condition, so we have called for atheir infrastructure spending. History Action Plan and the COVID19 Economicnational infrastructure assessment, has shown that whenever we reduce Recovery Act, 2020, $75 million is beingVan Buren adds. infrastructure spending, we payset aside over the next three years forthe piper.the Skills Development Fund, with $3.5Mollenhauer is also concerned that with million going to the Provincial Buildingthe focus on new building and cleanWhile governments must be responsive and Construction Trades Council ofenergy, infrastructure is receiving littleto the needs of their constituents, sums Ontario and $224 million towardsattention. The federal and provincial leveraging private-sector expertise andgovernments have been running fairlyup Mollenhauer, when it comes to expanding training centres. high deficits because they have beenresponsible fiscal planning, It cant be putting money into the pandemicabout who makes the most noise.If we start looking at some immigration reform and some more aggressive temporary worker initiatives, that solves the worker problem. Then, where do we find places for them to live? Mollenhauer asks. You cant afford not to put housing near the GTA, because it impacts so many other things.Labour productivity is another challenge, adds Cunningham. Municipal approvals and approvals from other authorities dont seem to have the capacity to meet the needs, so accelerating the approvals process is needed as well.FEDERAL BUDGETAt the federal level, the four top 2023 Budget priorities are inflation relief, public health care, building a clean economy and creating jobs, and aLEADING THE WAYresponsible fiscal plan. Part of the commitment to a clean economy is the goal of reaching net-zero carbon impactwith specialty services by 2050. The budget estimates the cost of this initiative at $60 billion to $140and innovation.billion per year on average, stating that [it] will be up to the private sector to make the majority of these investments. REMOTE CONTROLLED DEMOLITION SERVICESWe saw as positive the announcements about investing in clean technologyand the clean hydrogen tax, butsome labour conditions are attached to those taxes, which we think restricts the pool of people who can benefitfrom those. We feel they should beopen to all businesses, says MaryVan Buren, president of the CanadianConstruction Association.While we have seen some positiveLeading the Wayannouncements about opening up immigrationits a good startwe would like to see the points system improved so more people can come towww.controlleddemolition.caCanada, especially on the civil side,Van Buren says.BUILDERSDIGEST Quarter 2 202325'