Nova Scotia Prompt Payment Coalition

About the Nova Scotia Prompt Payment Coalition

Nova Scotia Prompt Payment Coalition is a province-wide coalition led by the Construction Association of Nova Scotia and includes contractors, unions, suppliers, general contractors, trade contractors, and anyone else who is invested in working to convince the provincial government to enact appropriate payment legislation that would establish minimum norms for payment schedules.

 

Why We Need It

Construction is a $3.8 billion a year industry in Nova Scotia and employs nearly 30,000 men and women from across the province. Despite these statistics, delayed payment in construction is a growing problem and a common occurrence for the men and women who build our communities. In most cases, trade contractors often have to wait for lengthy periods of time – months to years – to get paid for work that has been certified as complete.

Nova Scotia and many other provinces in Canada fall behind other jurisdictions who already have prompt payment legislation in place – 49 US states have it for public sector projects; 31 US states have it in place for the private sector; the US federal government has had prompt payment legislation in place since 1982; the European Union, United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, and Australia all have prompt payment legislation.

When payments are delayed to contractors or suppliers at any level of the construction pyramid, critical processes break down, costs inflate, and there are severe consequences for people whose livelihoods depend on our industry. Trade contractors are especially hard hit by payment delays. They are expected to continue paying staff, funding benefit plans and other payroll obligations, purchase supplies, and continue work in progress even when revenue is delayed by days, weeks, or even months. The risk of late payment, which has increased significantly in recent years, makes it harder for contractors to make competitive bids, hire staff, invest in new capital equipment, and hire apprentices. Current pressures will lead to long-term challenges in the construction sector that our growing province cannot afford to bear. We need a prompt payment regime to ensure the stability of our construction sector.

 

Take Action

Express your support for the adoption of Prompt Payment legislation in Nova Scotia by sending a letter to your MP. We need your help to convince the provincial government to enact appropriate payment legislation that would establish minimum norms for payment schedules.

  • Click HERE for a customizable template to send to your MP
  • If you are unsure who your MP is, you can identify them through this list.

News

Click on the links below to access various news articles, both locally and across the country, regarding prompt payment.

 

Contact

For more information contact: dwilliams@cans.ns.ca