Jock Finlayson: Toward higher costs and less competition in public-sector procurement

The provincial government is establishing a new framework for developing public-sector infrastructure projects. Premier John Horgan and Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Claire Trevena have released an umbrella “Community Benefits Agreement” (CBA), intended to achieve several objectives:
• Increase the use of apprentices on major public-sector infrastructure projects;
• Encourage hiring and training of Indigenous persons and women in construction and related allied