C E O ’ S M E S S A G E
In Sports and Politics:
Have a Game Plan
and Stick to It
By Ron Glen, CEO, ARHCA
On April 26, Albertans elected a new provincial government
whose prime focus will be fiscal restraint.
But given the magnitude of the rapid and
unchecked accumulation of debt in the last four years,
the math simply dictated that any government coming in
would have to take action to reduce operating and debt
financing costs.
Last fall, the Board of Directors looked at the fiscal and
economic challenges our province and our members were
facing and made two key decisions. First, the board concluded
that we needed an advocacy program to bring attention to
road infrastructure in the 2019 provincial election campaign.
And second, the ARHCA needed a game plan that would
focus the activities of the association on those things that
can contribute to seeing industry through the next five to 10
years, regardless of who won the election.
Our advocacy campaign, “Driving Improvement,” was successful
in getting a number of our issues into the agenda of
the new government. Through a review of red tape, the new
government has committed to reduce the burden of regulation
and compliance and has provided several avenues for
the ARHCA to participate in, exposing both the dumb rules
that don’t fit our industry and the inconsistent application of
those rules. They have also acknowledged that a review of
procurement is necessary and may now be coming to understand
that the downloading of all risk predictably ended up
creating a claims problem for transportation.
We’ll work closely with government on red tape, fair procurement
and appropriate risk sharing, and while this will
help, there is no substitute for more and sustained funding
for roadbuilding to keep cash flow in the industry moving
and opportunities for our companies. We should expect
several very lean years ahead as far as provincial highway
spending and grants to municipalities for their public roads.
So, while we will lobby and advocate for more spending
on road improvements for economic benefit and public safety,
our board’s new Strategic Plan will ensure that we press
forward on several fronts to keep our association strong and
serve members with new initiatives in the coming years.
Our game plan, the ARHCA Strategic Plan, speaks to who
are members are, our importance to Alberta’s economy and
way of life, and the six key strategic priorities that ARHCA
committees and staff will pursue:
•• Infrastructure Delivery
Advocate for clear, predictable and sustainable
infrastructure delivery and increase alignment between
members and stakeholders.
•• Member Experience
Act as a conduit to connect members and stakeholders
by creating opportunities for high quality engagement.
•• Workforce Development
Promote workforce attraction and retention by
enhancing industry profile and career opportunities.
•• Industry and Community Partnerships
Build relationships that enhance our profile and
amplify our advocacy.
•• Non-government Infrastructure Owners
Develop opportunities for members to identify services
attractive to non- government infrastructure owners.
•• Government Engagement
Foster sustained business partnerships that promote
open communication and meaningful conversations to
positively impact stakeholders.
Many of these priorities will sound familiar as they are
the statements that have grounded this organization for
many years. The tactics we use going forward may be different
and the objectives we seek in the shorter term are the
details found in the rest of the plan. Please go to our website
– www.arhca.ab.ca – and have a look at the whole plan and
let us know what you think about it. n
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