By Cheryl Jahn

Construction Carries On

Construction industry largely unaffected by COVID-19

May 15, 2020 | 1:38 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – The construction industry hasn’t missed a beat since the COVID-19 pandemic became problematic for so many businesses and industries.

“What we’ve had to do is figure out how we can work within the WCB which means staying apart,” explains Allen Creuzot or Creuzot Construction, a local home building company. “If you’re building new houses, you can stay two hockey sticks apart and still be fine. If you have multiple trades on-site, they can all work in different areas.”

The BC Construction Association did a survey of its membership province-wide to gauge the impacts of the pandemic. Less than five percent laid off staff as a result of the pandemic. In fact, 31 percent of companies cited staffing as one area of concern for the respondent companies.

“There hasn’t been a lot of layoffs on these major projects,” explains Scott Bone, CEO of the Northern Regional Construction Association. “Where the main concern is, what are the business impacts. We’re seeing about 60 percent of them have been impacted. They’re working on major projects but their business opportunities going forward are somewhat minimized right now.”

He cites the City of Prince George’s decision to delay $25 million worth of projects. But it is still committed to $95 million in projects.

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But it doesn’t mean there aren’t challenges, especially if the measures to address the pandemic and its impacts last 12 to 18 months, as the experts predict.

“The bigger projects can last a couple of years or however long it takes. So they may not be affected as much,” says Creuzot. “But new housing? That could be affected. You’re not going to get buyers, banks are very difficult to deal with right now. So if it’s going to last that long … and that’s the million-dollar question … it could dramatically impact this industry.

The BCCA survey also noted concerns around companies’ access to projects once the pandemic has subsided.