NS Prompt Payment Coalition calling on provincial government to enact prompt payment legislation

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Newly formed Nova Scotia Prompt Payment Coalition calling on provincial government to enact prompt payment legislation in Nova Scotia.

Halifax, NS – (09/12/2018) Payment delays are unacceptable in Nova Scotia’s construction industry and the newly formed Nova Scotia Prompt Payment Coalition is calling on the provincial government to enact appropriate legislation.

“Our province needs a prompt payment solution that works for everyone including tradespeople, contractors, government and consumers,” says Tim Houtsma, board member of the Canadian Institute of Steel Construction and a member of the Coalition. “While this serious problem is being felt now in ourindustry, there is a risk to Nova Scotia’s competitiveness long-term if we do not take action to fix theissue.”

“The existing law in Nova Scotia – the Builders Lien Act – is costly, cumbersome, and inaccessible to 65 per cent of the construction industry (small and medium-sized family-owned companies consisting of 50or fewer employees),” says Duncan Williams, president of the Construction Association of Nova Scotia and another member of the Coalition. “It addresses non-payment as opposed to delinquent payment andthe lien rights of many in the industry will expire long before they realize they will not get paid.”

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