HEAVY CONSTRUCTION ASSOCIATION OF REGIONAL NIAGARA PEOPLE BUILDING COMMUNITIES.
BY SCOTT LESLIE
The Business Link
When it comes to the Heavy Construction Association of Regional Niagara, their actions have always spoken just as loud as their words. For nearly 40 years now, their membership has poured their collective strength into a wide range of initiatives to help bring about real change in Niagara’s thriving heavy construction industry. “Our motto is ‘people building communities’—and with good reason,” explains Brad Brewster, President of the Heavy Construction Association of Regional Niagara. “We’re dedicated to increasing municipal infrastructure investment and building better communities for ourselves and future generations.” Originally founded in 1973, the Heavy Construction Association of Regional Niagara (HCARN) is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting sewer, watermain, roadbuilding and related infrastructure growth in the Niagara area as well as providing a safe work environment for their members’ employees. Their membership consists of over 28 contractor members and 30 associate members. The associate members are comprised of manufacturers, suppliers and professionals affiliated with the local heavy construction industry.
The Benefits of Membership Operating on a volunteer basis, HCARN provides two types of memberships—contractor (voting) members and associate (non-voting) members. A contractor membership is limited to Niagara individuals and businesses that are actively involved in the construction of roads, bridges, watermains, sewers, excavations and other related work. Associate memberships on the other hand can be offered to any person or business organization in Ontario that actively supplies services, machinery, equipment or materials to contractor members. Companies and individual contractors can receive several benefits through membership with HCARN. For instance, HCARN members automatically receive membership with the Ontario Sewer and Watermain Construction Association (OSWCA). OSWCA is an organization that represents sewer and watermain construction contractors across Ontario, and monitors issues of interest to the underground infrastructure construction industry. HCARN’s mandate is to serve the interests of the civil and heavy construction industry in the Niagara Region. Their main objectives include maintaining amicable relations between the members of the association and related associations, establishing a sense of understanding and goodwill between the public and members of the association, and obtaining and exchanging information that will help to improve conditions within the industry. “We’re focused on keeping on top of the issues and representing the interests of our members at all times,” Brad says. “Everything we do is done to help our membership and our community.” In terms of building relationships, HCARN works with various professional bodies and associations on behalf of their membership. For example, HCARN works closely with the Infrastructure Health and Safety Association of Ontario, the Ontario Regional Common Ground Alliance, the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board of Ontario, and the Ontario Ministry of Labour to help promote industry safety. HCARN also works to promote legislation that might affect their members and acts as a point of contact with the federal, provincial and municipal governments. The HCARN Board meets annually with public works officials of the various local municipalities to discuss matters of interest and improve their working relationship.
Recent Initiatives Over the past decade, HCARN has been actively following and reporting on municipal and regional watermains, sewers and roads to ensure that a suitable level of investment is committed towards Niagara’s infrastructure. For the past four years, however, HCARN has been monitoring another pressing issue—Niagara’s overflow incidents. Sewer systems normally carry wastewater to sewage treatment plants where it’s treated and discharged into a body of water. During periods of heavy rainfall and snow melting, however, that wastewater can exceed the capacity of a sewer system or treatment plant and end up discharging an abnormal level of wastewater directly into nearby streams, rivers or other water bodies. Unfortunately, these discharges of storm water, sewage and sediment can contaminate local drinking water and fish. They can also force the closure of recreational beaches and waterways. According to HCARN studies, Niagara has had an alarmingly high rate of overflow incidents of late compared to the rest of the province. From 2000 to 2008 for example, Niagara had a total of 1,667 sewage overflow incidents, accounting for 22.95% of all incidents in Ontario. Niagara’s municipal governments may have greatly increased their infrastructure spending in recent years. But the association believes more needs to be done to make overflow incidents a priority. “Our members are concerned about how we’re protecting our families and community from water pollution and contamination,” Brad explains. “It’s a critical environmental and health issue here in Niagara—and it needs immediate attention from every level of government.”
A Community-Minded Association Each year, HCARN holds various official and social events that give their members the chance to network and exchange valuable industry information. These include the Annual Elimination Draw, Annual HCARN Golf Tournament and Dinner and the Annual HCARN Christmas Dinner Dance. During the year, quarterly meetings are also held to discuss HCARN business and present guest speakers of interest to members. However, HCARN’s social events provide their members with the opportunity to raise money for several local charities such as the Tender Wishes Foundation, the Child Advocacy Centre Niagara, and the Niagara Peninsula Children’s Centre Foundation. “We believe in supporting the community and that’s been one of our biggest strengths since day one,” Brad explains. “We feel it’s important to give something back to the community that has supported us all these years.” Over time, the association has also built up a strong relationship with Niagara College. In 2004, for instance, HCARN and OSWCA established OSWCA/HCARN Scholarships to help support the college’s Construction Engineering Technology-Architecture Program. With the additional support of the Ontario Trust for Student Support Program, this scholarship initiative has helped to raise over $152,000. Since 2006, HCARN and OSWCA have given scholarships to 10 recipients. HCARN provides Niagara College with more than just funding. Members of HCARN sit on various advisory boards at the college. They also offer Secondary School Career Days and Take Your Kids to Work Days where Niagara College students can visit the members’ facilities and take part in workplace demonstrations. According to Brad, HCARN is committed to investing in Niagara College to ensure that today’s graduates have the skills they need to maintain the industry’s future. “Our ultimate goal is to help the youth of today become the skilled tradespeople of tomorrow,” he explains. “We’re going to need graduates to fill the void in the heavy construction industry as baby boomers retire—so our partnership with Niagara College is one we’re very committed to growing.” In the past decade, the Niagara Region has experienced tremendous growth in the construction industry. And with the Heavy Construction Association of Regional Niagara on their side, HCARN members can look forward to continued security and prosperity. “With the money currently invested by all levels of government into the infrastructure stimulus program, contractors are expected to be busy this year, completing much needed repairs to our sewers, watermains, roads and bridges,” Brad says. “However, as our infrastructure continues to deteriorate much faster than the upgrades being completed, we cannot sit idle—much more work needs to be done on an ongoing basis to improve the state of our failing infrastructure. HCARN has and will continue to work together with Public Works officials towards a common goal of upgrading our infrastructure in a safe, timely and cost-effective manner. If we keep working together as a team, the future of our industry in Niagara is assured for many years to come.”
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