CBTU Report on Community Benefits Agreements

Our national partner, Canada’s Building Trades Unions (CBTU) has been strongly advocating for the inclusion of Community Benefits Agreements (CBAs) in federally procured construction projects. CBAs enable the value of a project to extend far beyond the building of infrastructure. They create pathways to apprenticeship for those in the communities where infrastructure is built, including opportunities for underrepresented groups, and building the skilled trades workforce.

CBTU has conducted research that dives deep into current and past CBAs, identifies best practices and suggests a path forward to implement CBAs successfully on federally procured infrastructure projects. This report outlines CBAs that have been successfully implemented across the country, including Nova Scotia.

The Government of Nova Scotia made a commitment in March 2020 that every provincially procured project over $100,000 has a CBA attached to it. This includes, 25% of all designated trade/craft hours worked to be performed by registered apprentices; a minimum of 10 per cent of the hours worked shall be performed by underrepresented groups. In addition, a minimum 10 per cent of all workforce shall be comprised of underrepresented groups.

The Mainland Building Trades Council is proud to support Canada’s Building Trades on this important work.