January 27, 2021

New research report on Community Benefits Agreements in Canada Now Available

Report Free to Download for CCPPP Members

Since they first emerged in Los Angeles in 2001, Community Benefit Agreements (CBAs) have been designed to share the benefits of infrastructure more widely — literally from the ground up.

CBAs are gaining traction across Canada. The federal government and several provinces have instituted variations on CBAs, while other provinces and territories have legislation or guidelines respecting community benefits in procurement. Many municipalities have also embraced social procurement and community benefits policies.

The P3s and Community Benefits Agreements in Canada report, produced by Constructive Edge in collaboration with CCPPP, focuses on CBAs used on infrastructure projects, in Canada and abroad, with an overview of similar socio-economic advancement policies used in Canada. In particular, this report covers several ongoing Canadian P3 projects with CBA requirements.

While it is clear there is growing community and government interest in making infrastructure projects more inclusive, and leveraging as much social value as possible from public expenditures, there is also a growing acknowledgement that CBAs need to be carefully structured to achieve the appropriate balance between providing real benefits to communities while not unduly burdening the companies delivering the project.   Consultation with the private sector on how to design these policies will have positive results. If provided with the appropriate incentives, industry creativity will follow.