Alta. licence plates banned from Sask. highway job sites

If you are planning to work on new road construction projects in Saskatchewan, Alberta licence plates are no longer welcome.

The Saskatchewan government has banned workers with Alberta plates from all new highway construction job sites.

Existing job sites, like the Regina Bypass, will not be impacted.

Alberta is being targeted in particular because that province applies the same rules to Saskatchewan workers.

“Saskatchewan contractors tell us that vehicles with Saskatchewan plates are not welcome on Government of Alberta job sites,” said David Marit, the province’s Highways and Infrastructure Minister.

“Saskatchewan operators feel forced to register their vehicles in Alberta if they want to do business there. Today’s announcement just levels the playing field.”

The new restriction was developed in response to industry feedback that Alberta’s practice has placed Saskatchewan suppliers at a competitive disadvantage.

“Each province guards their own industry, but I think Alberta was taking it to the extreme,” said Shantel Lipp, president of the Saskatchewan Heavy Construction Association.

“The government isn’t precluding Alberta companies from being here, they’re just setting the standard by saying, ‘you know what? If you want to bid on a project in Saskatchewan you are welcome to do so, but your trucks are going to have a Saskatchewan licence plate on it.’”

New contracts awarded by the ministry will require suppliers to ensure that no vehicles displaying Alberta license plates are present on ministry-funded work sites.

This will include contractors, sub-contractors, consultants and workers. Ministry staff will enforce the contract provision through job site monitoring.