Your ACSA attends business luncheon featuring Premier Smith

A Conversation with Danielle Smith plaque
A Conversation with Premier Danielle Smith, hosted by the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce

EDMONTON – On Thursday, July 20, the Alberta Construction Safety Association (ACSA) attended A Conversation With Premier Danielle Smith, a luncheon hosted by the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce. Hundreds of businesses and community leaders were present to hear the premier’s vision for the capital region and the province overall.

Smith focused on addressing key concerns as Alberta welcomes a near-record number of newcomers. Maintaining a pro-business environment, tackling the shortage of skilled labourers, building more infrastructure, enhancing public safety, and constructing affordable housing are the biggest priorities, according to the premier.

ACSA CEO Mark Hoosein was one of the attendees and explained why getting involved in such events is crucial. “It’s important that we know what’s going on in the community,” said Hoosein. “We need to help our members and partners find solutions or leverage their expertise to help them implement solutions. We can’t do that if we don’t know what’s going on in the industry.”

“It’s important that we know what’s going on in the community.” – ACSA CEO Mark Hoosein

Hoosein added that the Association must anticipate issues impacting Alberta construction. “Coming down the pipe, you will face a labour shortage. This creates myriad issues with respect to worker safety and incidents,” explained Hoosein. “We need to be able to help our members with that if they desire. That’s why we need to be here. Otherwise, we become super insular and just concentrate on things that don’t move safety forward.”

CEO Mark Hoosein attends Luncheon
ACSA CEO Mark Hoosein at the luncheon

A highlight of the event for Hoosein was the discussion surrounding growing interest in clean hydrogen. Alberta is Canada’s largest hydrogen producer, and billions of dollars have already been committed to developing the technology further. “This is a huge investment in hydrogen manufacturing that will require a lot of collaboration from the construction industry. They will be a major buyer of our members’ services,” said Hoosein. “It’s important for us to know if that’s going to be a thing, to see if we need further specialized services. We need to position ourselves to be able to provide those services.”

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