Thursday, 4 September 2025

N.S. government looks to end policy that ensures work for independent trucks

 

N.S. government looks to end policy that ensures work for independent trucks

The 80/20 agreement outlines how many local trucks need to be used for roadwork

 
Michael Gorman · CBC News ·
Andy Weir and his son, Dale, stand in front of one of their trucks with a live bottom trailer. (Submitted by Andy Weir)

Andy Weir can remember a time when his father's ability to get work with his dump truck depended on the outcome of a provincial election.

"If you voted for the wrong party, for three years you didn't work your dump truck," the New Minas, N.S., resident and owner of Weir and Son Trucking said in an interview.

The Truckers Association of Nova Scotia was formed more than 50 years ago in response to those conditions as a way to level the playing field. A further step was taken in the early 1990s with the creation of the so-called 80/20 agreement: 80 per cent of the trucking work related to road building had to be supplied by local small businesses like Weir's, using rates set by the government, while the job's contractor supplied the other 20 per cent.

But last month, the Progressive Conservative government signalled it plans to do away with that policy in 2026, something Public Works Minister Fred Tilley confirmed to the association in a letter dated Aug. 13.

A man speaks into a microphone. A sawmill is in the background. Fred Tilley, Nova Scotia's minister of public works, pictured at Ledwidge Lumber in Enfield, N.S., on July 17, 2025. (Taryn Grant/CBC)

Tilley writes that the move is in response to "the current economic climate and tariff pressures" and is related to initiatives to "reduce barriers, support internal trade and build a stronger economy."

"Among the programs that have been identified as a barrier is the current practice of regulated trucking services for capital highway contracts," Tilley writes.

"Beginning in 2026, trucking services for capital highway contracts will follow a market-based procurement model."

Doug Faulkner, president of the association and a self-described one-man band who's operated a single truck and two trailers out of West Hants since 1985, said Tilley's decision came with next to no discussion.

Wondering what was up

Faulkner said he was struck during an introductory meeting with Tilley several months ago that the minister was so familiar with the 80/20 agreement.

"Typically, a new minister wouldn't be," he said in an interview. "So when we left the meeting, we were kind of wondering what was up."

Association members found out when Tilley's letter was hand-delivered during a meeting last month.

Faulkner and Weir both say the government should have been more open with association members and willing to have a conversation before acting. Their concern at this point is the trickle-down effect. The association has about 475 members with a total of up to 1,500 trucks.

Without protections for small businesses, both men fear large contractors will undermine independent operators on jobs and price them out of the market. There are also concerns about what it could mean for the businesses that association members support, such as repair shops and parts suppliers.

Weir, who started his trucking business in 1981, is particularly worried about what the change will mean for young people who have recently entered the sector.

"A couple of guys called me and said, 'What the hell am I going to do? If there's no 80/20,' they said, 'I can't afford my truck.'"

Opposition calls for better explanation

Interim Liberal Leader Derek Mombourquette said Tilley owes the association a more thorough explanation for why the provincial government is making the change.

"It grew businesses across the province," he said of the 80/20 agreement.

"Come clean and tell these companies why this is a trade issue — if it is — and what compensation or any changes may be in place to help ensure that the companies in Nova Scotia can continue to succeed and grow."

Faulkner said association members are reaching out to Tilley, Premier Tim Houston and their local MLAs, but so far they've received little if any response. He said members are not willing to give up the agreement without a fight.

"If they think we're going to roll over and give up on what we've worked for for a long time and what people ahead of us have worked for for a long time, that's not going to happen."

Tilley was not made available for an interview.

A statement from Tilley's department said the policy is 30 years old and "violates our trade agreements."

"Public Works will honor any prior contractual obligations under the 80/20 rule for projects that will be carried over into future years," the statement said. "We have also created a transition team, and we will continue to work with [the Truckers Association of Nova Scotia] and its members through this transition."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR


Michael Gorman

Reporter

Michael Gorman covers the Nova Scotia legislature for CBC, with additional focuses on health care and rural communities. Contact him with story ideas at michael.gorman@cbc.ca

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