Well done to mayor Ralph Leriger and the team at the Town of Westlock who worked on bringing Kiewit Construction Canada to the municipality.
We think it’s a pretty big deal in a number of ways.
Just on the surface there’s $4 million being spent on construction and relocation expenses, plus 18 jobs coming to town, which great news for a community that has been searching for more industrial businesses.
And really, that’ why every taxpayer should be applauding. Increasing the industrial tax base will take a bit of pressure off residents. Plus, if any of these 18 decide to buy a home in town, or the county, that’s good news for everyone.
We have no doubt that Kiewit will thrive here and hopefully expand, take on local staff and set down strong roots in the community.
There’s no reason to think they wont.
Kiewit isn’t some kind of fly-by-night construction company, rising anew from the ashes after a failed deal.
This is one of the largest global construction businesses with a 130-year history, solid corporate governance system and employee ownership incentives.
It really is quite a coup for the community.
What makes it even better is it looks like there were no inducements, no sweetheart deals, and back scratching to make it happen, which can so often be the case.
Kiewit seems to have been treated like anyone else.
So why did they move here? It seems one of the key reasons was the town’s new streamlined development process and zoning bylaw.
Evidently, the new development and permit process facilitates speedy approvals.
It also probably helped everyone that as a construction company, Kiewit has a fair bit of experience in such processes.
It’s telling then that the representative from Kiewit was happy to laud the town’s development permit system for its ease.
That’s high praise from someone in the know.
