Mr. Andrews states “there are plenty of qualified local carpenters who could do the work on what is a taxpayer-funded project.” This statement is unfounded, especially in light of 2020 construction industry statistics indicating that labour needs associated with the current $112 billion dollar of construction contracts in BC cannot be met. It is estimated that about 29,000 construction jobs will be unfilled by 2029 due to shortages of workers and retirements. This highlights the greatest challenge facing the construction industry, which continues to be the scarcity of locally qualified tradespeople. Additionally, research indicates that 40 per cent of construction contracts awarded in BC during 2020 resulted in the hiring of workers from Alberta because qualified and skilled tradespeople were not available locally, regionally, or in BC.