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CCA’s momentum growing: Board highlights and NAC initiatives

Ahead of the CCA Annual Conference in San Diego, California, several key business meetings took place from March 8-9, 2026, including the final meeting of the 2025-2026 Board, the Annual General Meeting (AGM), and the first meeting of the 2026-2027 Board alongside five National Advisory Councils (NACs). Read on for the highlights.

Annual General Meeting

Trevor Doucette was appointed Chair of CCA’s Board of Directors for 2026-27. Cory Richter was named Vice-Chair and the new Board of Directors was officially confirmed. CCA extended its thanks to outgoing Chair Francis Roy for his leadership.

If you missed the AGM, take a few minutes to review our key achievements from 2025.

CCA remains in a strong financial position, with audited financial statements approved and a continued stable outlook supporting ongoing investment in key priorities.

The new Board convened following the AGM where they approved National Advisory Council membership and were provided an orientation to the organizational dashboard used to assess CCA’s performance and progress against its strategic objectives.

The meetings reflected CCA’s ongoing focus on advancing its strategic objectives across its three pillars: Advocate, Engage, and Advance.

Advocate: Advancing policy and public awareness

With Parliament back in session, the CCA is advancing construction industry priorities, focusing on key federal files such as the renegotiation of CUSMA, faster approvals for major projects, trade diversification, and shaping Buy Canadian policies to keep construction central in federal decision-making.

Public visibility and engagement

The Board approved the Construction for Canadians Roadshow, a national docuseries initiative designed to strengthen public and policymaker perception of the construction industry. The cross-country series will feature on-site visits and direct engagement with Members of Parliament to showcase industry impact, address misconceptions, and position CCA as a national thought leader. A promotional teaser video was released at the conference, with more details to follow.

CCA has also significantly expanded its media presence, leveraging the Construction Quarterly Economic Insights report to generate mainstream coverage and strengthen engagement with government and industry stakeholders – a strategy that will be applied to future reports. The report generated 132 pieces of media coverage and reached a potential audience of 50,959,779, including prominent Canadian outlets such as Bloomberg News, CP24 Online, The Globe and Mail, CTV News, and The Canadian Press, as well as various radio and television stations across the country. This level of exposure strengthened CCA’s visibility in national conversations and reinforced its position as a leading authority on Canada’s construction economy.

Owner outreach and industry initiatives

CCA continues to maintain a strong presence with both public and private sector owners through ongoing outreach and presentations. Recent efforts have included engagements with Defence Construction Canada, the Real Property Institute of Canada, and provincial stakeholders, where CCA has promoted collaborative delivery models, fair risk allocation in procurement, and the use of standardized CCDC contracts.

Looking ahead

A full schedule of activities is planned for early 2026, including municipal engagements, collaboration with federal agencies, cybersecurity initiatives, and National Advisory Council (NAC) work on building information modeling (BIM) and health and safety, alongside the development of new reports on project delivery methods and industry productivity. The Board was briefed on plans to advance work on modular construction and prefabrication by providing clear guidance to owners, focusing on education, practical application, and emphasizing that modular approaches should be used selectively where project conditions support their success.

Engage: Partnering for impact

CCA Partner Association Symposium

Planning is well underway for the upcoming Partner Association Symposium, scheduled to take place in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on May 20-21, 2026. Registration for the event will be launched shortly.

Update on membership review

The membership model review is progressing well, with benchmarking, stakeholder consultations, and partner engagement now complete. Consultants are currently finalizing their report and recommendations, which will be presented at the Board retreat in June. A further update will be provided to the Board at the upcoming meeting.

Advance: Promoting innovative tools, programs, and best practices

CCA continues to drive innovation across the construction industry by identifying and promoting tools, programs, and practices that increase efficiency, productivity, and professional development.

SignaSur^TM on track for full transition

Progress on the SignaSur^TM digital contract platform is advancing steadily, with multiple document outlets engaged in onboarding and national beta testing. Early user participation has produced meaningful feedback, helping refine the platform. CCA has expanded hosting services for multi-store access, including single sign-on licensing, and interest from additional outlets is growing. The Board approved a national standard pricing structure for members and non-members, while planning continues for the 2026 CCDC document releases and a public-facing campaign. The platform remains on track for full transition by January 1, 2027.

Industry standards and education

Through the Canadian Construction Documents Committee, CCA continues to advance industry standards and education. The Board endorsed CCDC 32-G, a guide document intended to support consistent practices and provide practical guidance to the industry. A draft update to CCDC 22 has been released for member feedback. Registration is now open for the spring edition of CCDC Seminars, where new progressive design-build contracts will be introduced, as well as updated traditional design-build contracts. Thirty seminars are scheduled in partnership with local construction associations, with shared revenue.

Building on strong demand, additional seminars and webinars have been delivered, generating solid attendance and revenue, and reinforcing CCA’s leadership in promoting best practices and modern project delivery approaches.

NAC updates

The Board received updates from all five National Advisory Councils (NACs), highlighting emerging issues, regional insights, and priority areas across the country. These discussions continue to inform CCA’s national strategy and reinforce strong alignment between regional perspectives and national direction.

Civil Infrastructure

The Civil Infrastructure NAC meeting focused on upcoming advocacy, industry coordination, and defining future priorities. Plans for the upcoming Construction for Canadians roadshow were outlined, including that firms will be encouraged to submit projects to be highlighted. An update was provided on the $115 billion in major federal infrastructure investments, trade infrastructure, and the Build Community Strong fund. National Defence engagement remains active, with industry days planned through 2026. Discussions included collaborations with the Civil Infrastructure Council Corporation (CICC), CCA-Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) reporting timelines, and the future of the Canada Trade Infrastructure Plan (CTIP). Roundtable discussions identified future priority areas, including workforce hiring tools, procurement practices, direct engagement with DCC/DND as well as the MPO on civil work contracts, safety standardization, and a review of the impact of the Gas Tax.

General Contractors

The General Contractors NAC reviewed updates from the CCA Board and advanced priority initiatives related to BIM, health and safety, and industry productivity. Subcommittee work is progressing on promoting BIM benefits, intellectual property and information-sharing challenges, while a new health and safety subcommittee will focus on inspections, protective equipment, and mental health. Members also discussed growing government interest in progressive delivery models, larger joint venture projects, project delays in some regions, and ongoing concerns related to tariffs, adjudication costs, and workforce training equity. The Council also discussed increased defence-related construction activity and confirmed GC participation in a new CCA productivity task force bringing together multiple advisory councils. 

Local Construction Associations

The LCA NAC held its final meeting under Chair John Mollenhauer, recognizing other departing members, Grant Feltmate and Sue Ramsay. The program for the Partner Association Symposium being held May 20-21 in Halifax is close to being finalized, featuring sessions on AI, workforce advocacy, membership and revenue models, and on off-site tour of the Nova Scotia Construction Sector Council Trades Exhibition Hall. Registration opens in late March. SignaSur adoption continues to grow, with 25 associations opting in to the CCA-hosted multi-storefront and over 100 users beta-testing the system. Next steps include an association toolkit and public facing campaign to help educate members and promote SignaSur. Roundtable discussions identified potential taskforces on industry allyship, municipal election strategies, membership, and Indigenous action plans.

Manufacturers, Suppliers, and Services

Members received an update on SignaSur, including pricing, beta testing, and the transition from traditional documents to digital formats. All new documents are expected to be released exclusively through the SignaSur platform by 2027. The modular and prefabrication subcommittee met twice and is developing a three-part webinar series for the summer/fall. A new subcommittee will also be formed to deliver a webinar series on emerging collaborative contracts and their benefits. Roundtable discussions highlighted key issues across the country, including prompt payment holdbacks and opportunities to advance collaborative contracting models.

Trade Contractors

The Trade NAC highlighted concerns about poor project management practices, including unmanageable deductibles and shifting responsibilities, such as cleaning and site access, onto trade contractors. Members discussed ways to quantify and mitigate these risks, including contingency pricing and appropriate insurance, while emphasizing the need for strong internal processes to identify and negotiate unfavourable contract terms. Roundtable discussions also noted concerns about collective bargaining in tight labour markets, tariffs on steel and aluminum, poor-quality design documents, shrinking profit margins, and the need for a better understanding of different project delivery models. Workforce shortages and price uncertainty remained significant challenges, alongside site theft. Despite these issues, the industry remains active nationwide with a strong project pipeline. Members also shared successful strategies for attracting new talent, including job fairs and school outreach initiatives.

Partner Association reports

The Board also expressed appreciation for the detailed Partner Association reports received, which continue to inform national strategy and ensure alignment across the country.

Upcoming meetings or events

• April 8, 2026: Orientation for Board, committee and NAC members – Virtual
• April 15, 2026:  Orientation for Board and Board committees – Virtual
• June 11-12, 2026: National Advisory Councils – Virtual
• June 17-20, 2026: CCA Board meeting and retreat – St. John’s, NL
• June 11-12, 2026: National Advisory Councils – Virtual

As always, we are happy to participate in your AGMs, Board, or member meetings. Just reach out to Robin Borne to schedule us!