Bill 18: Mactaquac Life Achievement Project Act

Contractors and subcontractors in the construction and skilled trades industries working on the Mactaquac dam rehabilitation in York County, New Brunswick will be most directly affected. Instead of providing the standard labour and material payment bonds and performance bonds, contractors can offer alternate security forms approved by NB Power's Board, which changes the financial security arrangements they'd normally need to set up before starting work. The project's designation as a 'major project' under the Industrial Relations Act means that unionized trade contractors working on site will operate under a specialized industrial relations regime — affecting how collective agreements, hiring, and labour disputes are handled on the job. The procurement exemption means suppliers of goods, services, and construction services to this project won't go through the standard public tendering process under the Procurement Act, opening up contracting opportunities outside the usual competitive bidding framework.