Monday, March 24, 2025

A Hub of Activity

As the finishing touches are put on a transformative new arena in Lloydminster, more big projects await PCL Builders and Local 151 members in Saskatchewan

BRETT GREENWAY BELIEVES THAT the Cenovus Energy Hub is going to be a game-changer for his hometown of Lloydminster.

“Compared to our old arena, this one is going to be really, really nice,” says Brett, 35, a Local 151 member who has been working on the Hub project as a labourer for PCL Builders Inc.

Lloydminster, which is famously situated on the Saskatchewan-Alberta border, is home to 34,000 people and ranks among the fastest-growing communities in Canada. Its Centennial Civic Centre—built in the late 1960s—was at the end of its usable life, says Mayor Gerald Aalbers.

The city did a recreation facility feasibility study in 2020 to determine the future needs and recreation priorities for the city.

“The assessment considered all sorts of things—from the age of the arena to its condition to the capital costs to rehabilitate those issues that were identified,” says Mayor Aalbers. “It came to a point where council was forced to take a look and ask if we really wanted to invest additional monies in a facility that is at the end of its usable life.”

They ultimately decided to replace the old 1,800-seat arena with a state-of-the-art facility that will meet the needs of the growing community for decades to come. The main arena will have a seating capacity for 2,500 people, with the capability to hold up to 4,500 people for cultural events.

“We will have the ability to put a floor down so we can host concerts and other sports like basketball and volleyball,” says Mayor Aalbers. “So, it is truly a multipurpose event facility that can adapt to the needs of a growing community.”

THE FIRST SHOVELS WENT INTO the ground in July 2023. Within a year, an impressive edifice had emerged on the prairie landscape, like a ship on an ocean horizon. The work is on track to be completed by this fall.

Carl Doell, a PCL superintendent who has been overseeing the project, has been pleased with its pace. During the busy times, up to 50 Local 151 members were on the site daily.

“The summer of 2023 was hot and dry, so that worked out well for us,” says Carl. “And then we didn’t get any snow until after Christmas. It was a perfect winter for building and concrete work.”

The Lloydminster project has been a perfect example of how PCL likes to do business, says Zack Somer, the company’s workforce manager for Saskatchewan.

“One of the mandates we take on with any project is engagement with the community,” says Zack. “When we go into a community like Lloydminster, we aren’t only providing infrastructure. We’re providing quality job opportunities.”

Brett has enjoyed working on a big project that is “just two minutes down the road from where I live.” He’s also appreciated the breadth of experience he’s gained and is confident that it will lead to future opportunities.

Carl sees that varied experience as one of the huge benefits of partnering with CLAC.

“Our CLAC members get the opportunity to do a lot of different things—from carpentry to working on the parking lot, for example,” he says. “It’s not just one thing. Our folks become very well-rounded in a lot of different disciplines.”

“It’s also good for business and the economy,” says Zack. “Our goal is always to keep people employed long term, and as different jobs stop and new ones start, that means we can transition. That wouldn’t be possible without a partner like CLAC.

“The ability to sign a wall-to-wall agreement with CLAC, and Saskatchewan’s openness to noncompulsory trade, means, for example, we can have carpenters tying rebars on slabs.”

IT’S JUSTIN SCHOFFER’S JOB TO keep things humming at the construction site in east Lloydminster. The general foreman has been on the project since the beginning.

“There have never been two days that are the same out here,” says Justin. “But it’s been going very smoothly. A lot of that has to do with planning and organization. We call it overlap—one thing starts up as another thing continues, and that’s how we keep it all going. We want to make sure we are keeping busy and meeting our deadlines.”

CLAC’s wall-to-wall, multiskill labour model means the team stays busy helping each other out, and there is little downtime.

“Everybody out here can put their hands into just about anything,” says Justin. “We help the steel guys. We help the drywall guys. If they need an extra hand for a day, or even for 30 seconds, we can step in and lend that hand.”

Justin, 31, has been a carpenter for many years, but each project comes with fresh opportunities to learn. In this case, his crew got to watch and learn the process for suspended slab—a common feature in arena construction.

“It’s how they form the concourse,” he explains. “They put a form up with posts underneath, pour concrete on top of that form, and then strip it out afterward. Then they’re left with the slab resting on columns.”

He doesn’t know where his next job will be but has no worries.

“Saskatchewan is booming,” he says. “We have a lot of big projects on the horizon.”

GUY DUPLIN, 55, IS A journeyman carpenter and equipment operator who has a long experience working with various PCL divisions. But this particular project is a change of pace.

“I typically work on large-scale heavy civil or industrial projects,” he says. “I’ve done hydro dams, potash mines. This project is unique to me because it’s considered commercial, and I find things are done a little differently—different pace, different responsibilities.”

He appreciates that this project is close enough to his home in Bradwell, near Saskatoon, to return to his family on weekends.

“I’ve learned you can’t be on the road and gone all the time,” he says.

Guy expects to be with the Lloydminster project until the summer. But he already has his next job lined up—and it’s even closer to home.

“I’ll be going up to Prince Albert to work on the hospital,” he says.

THIS FALL WILL MARK THE end of the first phase of the project but launch a new beginning for the community. The facility will be the new home of several hockey teams, including the Lloydminster Bobcats Junior A’s, the Junior B Bandits, and a women’s college team, the Lakeland Rustlers.

City council is anticipating a huge boon to the local economy.

“This is a transformational development,” says Mayor Aalbers, who has served as mayor since 2016 and was acclaimed to a third term last November. “We’re strategically located halfway between Edmonton and Saskatoon and are a true regional hub. There are 200,000 people who use our community for healthcare and for business.”

He expects the Cenovus Hub to attract high-profile provincial and national sporting events—from hockey to curling to lacrosse and basketball—and more top-notch entertainers.

“We will be able to offer those kinds of organizations a place they didn’t have before, where they can put on great games and shows and take advantage of the big fan base in this area,” he says.

Those, in turn, will boost business for local shops, restaurants, and hotels and spur economic growth.

“As elected officials, we try to stay ahead of the curve rather than being on the back side of it,” he says.

PCL is looking forward to more successful community projects during this time of building boom on the prairies.

“We have a special focus on Indigenous engagement as well,” says Zack. “Some of the programs we’ve done with CLAC have opened the doors into those communities. We’re starting to see success with very positive numbers of local hires.”

Cenovus Energy Hub at a Glance

Fast Facts

$101-million project
Main arena with seating for 2,500 people, expandable to up to 4,500 with floor seats
Second full-size indoor ice surface with 500 seats
Outdoor ice surface next to the building

Long Term Vision

Six slo-pitch diamonds
Walking trails and outdoor pavilion
35 powered camp stalls
Six commercial retail units
Plans for a hotel

Funding Partners

City of Lloydminster – $43 million
Province of Saskatchewan – $16.6 million
Government of Canada – $16.4 million
Cenovus Energy – $5 million for naming rights
The 2021–22 Lloydminster U13 Female Blazers – $90,000 (see “They Shoot, They Score!” below)
Ongoing fundraising and sponsorships

Busy Times for PCL

Local 151 members employed by PCL Builders Inc. have no shortage of work these days. Zack Somer, PCL’s Saskatchewan workforce manager, confirms the province is enjoying a prolonged construction boom.

“Construction is always cyclical to a certain degree,” he says. “But these last few years, we’ve seen a lot of major public infrastructure and big private projects.

“All these multimillion dollar projects are unprecedented in the province, and they all seem to be coming at once. It’s a challenge, but it’s a good problem for Saskatchewan to have.”

3 Other Major Projects Employing Local 151 Members

Victoria Hospital, Prince Albert – This four-year, $1-billion project “will be a showpiece for the north that will not only serve Prince Albert but the surrounding communities.”
Saskatoon Correctional Centre – PCL is working on the $120-million expansion of the facility’s urban remand centre. Once complete, it will provide more space to manage and provide rehabilitative programming.
Global Transportation Hub – PCL was awarded a $95-million contract by SaskPower for the second phase of this Regina project. SaskPower is consolidating many of its offices into this new facility to streamline operations.

They Shoot, They Score!

The Lloydminster U13 Girls Blazers hockey team was able to make an eye-popping $90,000 donation to the Cenovus Energy Hub after winning the money in a national contest.

The Chevrolet Good Deeds Cup encourages youth hockey teams in Canada to lead change in their communities by giving them the chance to win a yearly grand prize, which they can donate to a registered charity of their choice.

The Blazers were crowned the 2022 winners for their campaign to make the new Cenovus Energy Hub fully accessible and inclusive. They were the first female team to win the Good Deeds Cup.

“One of their players has a father who is in a wheelchair who always wanted to help out the team,” say Lloydminster Mayor Gerald Aalbers. “But he couldn’t do it because of the accessibility issue.”

Barrier-Free Facility

The team’s donation has ensured the new facility is barrier-free. Features include

Full access to the entire facility
Accessible seating throughout
Telescopic railings to accommodate those both standing and sitting
Barrier-free penalty boxes, dressing rooms, and floor-to-ceiling shower stalls
Specialized rink boards for parahockey players to access the ice
Amenities for sledge hockey

“I can’t say enough good things about those young ladies,” says Mayor Aalbers. “Those are your future leaders.”

What’s So Special about Lloydminster?

Lloydminster is a single city that officially sits in two provinces.

In 1903, British settlers created the community “with the goal of founding an alcohol-free utopia on the plains of Western Canada,” according to Condé Nast Traveler. They situated their main street exactly along 110º west longitude. This turned out to be a bad idea.

In 1905, the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan were created, and the border went right down the middle of Lloydminster’s main street. Residents asked that the border be adjusted to put the whole town in Saskatchewan, but they were turned down.

For 25 years, there were two cities—Lloydminster, Alberta, on the west side and Lloydminster, Saskatchewan, on the east. But in 1930, the two provinces agreed to share jurisdiction of one city.

Almost 100 years later, the city’s unique position is more a fact of history than a fact of life. The Cenovus Energy Hub sits in Saskatchewan, but many local schools and services are on the Alberta side.

“We just go about our lives,” says Lloydminster Mayor Gerald Aalbers. “Some people may have a preference for one side or the other, but we’re just one city and one people.”

One area where there is no division? Football. The whole community supports the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

As Mayor Aalbers says, “we pretty much all bleed green.”