Saskatchewan Home to Strong Engineering Cluster

Press Release
July 19, 2017, Regina, SK

Photo: Slope stability monitoring courtesy of Golder Associates Ltd.

Today, the Association of Consulting Engineering Companies of Saskatchewan (ACEC-SK) released their first Industry Capacity Survey.  It shows that while Saskatchewan’s position remains strong, government must continue working in partnership with industry to ensure the province retains the gains it has made in recent years.

“The boom we saw since 2007 helped Saskatchewan’s consulting engineers companies gain a lot of expertise.  We want to see Saskatchewan retain that knowledge going forward so our communities can benefit from smart, well designed and managed projects,” said ACEC-SK Chair Paul Walsh.

Survey results show 75% of consulting engineering companies in Saskatchewan are also headquartered here, with less than 10% of personnel hours “imported” from other provinces. 

Many firms were “exporting” their senior talent to customers or projects in other provinces, ranging from 10% to 50% of a firm’s workload.  While this is good news in that it suggests Saskatchewan is presently home to a cluster of valuable and marketable engineering knowledge, it is also a sign that demand may be insufficient to maintain that knowledge in Saskatchewan over the longer-term.

Based on this report, ACEC-SK makes two calls to action for the provincial government.

“In tight fiscal times, some have suggested halting capital investments as a cure.  In reality, these projects support many local jobs and are necessary if we want to stop the degradation of schools, roads and utilities that support the quality of life of the people of this province.,” said Beverly MacLeod, ACEC-SK Executive Director.  “When local companies compete for and win contracts, it’s good for our economy and good for our public services.  We all stand to benefit when good Saskatchewan companies are successful.”

Consulting engineers offer professional advice to public and private sector clients on matters ranging from soil conservation to power generation, water quality, efficient transportation, value-added mining and more.  The industry employs approximately 2,000 people and contributes as much as $2 billion dollars annually to Saskatchewan’s economy.

The Association of Consulting Engineering Companies - Saskatchewan (ACEC-SK) is a non-profit association representing the interests of the majority of consulting engineering and consulting geoscience firms in Saskatchewan. As the business voice of the Saskatchewan consulting engineering and geoscience industry, ACEC-SK is the link between private industry, government, purchasers, decision makers, and owners.

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For more information contact:
 

Beverly MacLeod
ACEC-SK Executive Director
Regina
Phone: 306 359 3338
Email: bmacleod@acec-sk.ca

Reagan Reese Seidler
SaskBuilds/Priority Saskatchewan
Regina
Phone: 306 798 4465
Email: reagan.seidler@gov.sk.ca


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