On this episode of The Construction Record Podcast, digital media editor Warren Frey and daily news editor Lindsey Cole look at not only the 2024 Vancouver Regional Construction Association (VRCA) Awards of Excellence but also the leading stories in construction across Canada.

Lindsey spoke about the Ontario Building Trades convention covered by staff writer Don Wall, with a focus on the NextStar plant currently being built in Ontario, as well as coverage of RESCON’s housing summit. Warren also talked about his recent story covering industry reaction to the recent B.C. election which as of publication still doesn’t have a clear winner.

We also have a feature interview with VRCA president Jeannine Martin, who talked about the changes to this year’s awards, including VRCA director of advocacy and engagement Craig Larkins co-hosting the event with Juno winning Vancouver comedian Ivan Decker. She also explained the Awards role in celebrating the Lower Mainland’s construction industry and some of its biggest and most innovative projects.

You can listen to our recent interview with Construction Industry Rehabilitation Plan (CIRP) executive director Vicki Waldron and Community Savings Credit Union vice-president of strategic partnerships Raj Khunkhun here. Our episodes are available at the Daily Commercial News and Journal of Commerce websites, on Libsyn and at Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music’s podcast section. Thanks for listening.

The Construction Economy Outlook: 2025 Starts Now

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On this episode of The Construction Record Podcast, digital media editor Warren Frey speaks with Construction Industry Rehabilitation Plan (CIRP) executive director Vicki Waldron and Community Savings Credit Union vice-president of strategic partnerships Raj Khunkhun about their partnership in deploying the Recovery Protection Program (RPP), which addresses the financial needs of those suffering mental health or substance use pressures and are going through CIRP’s rehabilitation process.

Waldron said the impetus for the partnership was that a big barrier to people staying in treatment was their finances, which often were affected negatively by their mental health or substance use struggle and that the RPP allows them to focus on their recovery.

Khunkhun said Community Savings waives banking fees and postpones loans for three months, and noted there are regulatory restrictions on going further than that time period. He added they modeled their part of the initiative on a previous policy used to help workers on strike or in a lockout situation.

You can listen to our recent interview with Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) CEO Caroline Gumble here. Our episodes are available at the Daily Commercial News and Journal of Commerce websites, on Libsyn and at Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music’s podcast section. Thanks for listening.

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The Construction Economy Outlook: 2025 Starts Now

On this episode of The Construction Record Podcast, digital media editor Warren Frey speaks with Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) CEO Caroline Gumble about skilled trades recruitment and DEI initiatives in both the UK and North America.

Gumble explained the CIOB has existed for 190 years and stands for science, ethics and practice of the built environment. She detailed some of the ays the UK has encouraged diversity in hiring through the use of “blind CVs” where no personal information in included in a resume to discourage unconscious bais.

She also explained that while there are slight differences in terms of the makeup of the workforce in North America and the UK, both face the same demographic challenges of a looming wave of retirements with not enough workers ready to replace them.

You can listen to our recent interviews from the ICBA Construction Innovation Summit here. Our episodes are available at the Daily Commercial News and Journal of Commerce websites, on Libsyn and at Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music’s podcast section. Thanks for listening.

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The Construction Economy Outlook: 2025 Starts Now

On this episode of The Construction Record Podcast, digital media editor Warren Frey has two interviews from the Independent Business and Contractors Association’s (ICBA) 2024 Construction Innovation Summit.

The first interview is with BuildForce Canada executive director Bill Ferreira, who addressed attendees at a session called The State of the Construction Workforce - Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities, laying out the current and future labour trends affecting the industry.

Dusty Robotics CEO and co-founder Tessa Lau explained the cutting edge of automation in construction with a session titled “The State of Robotics in Construction - Today’s Reality and Tomorrow’s Possibilities” which looked at some of the technology on the horizon for one of the oldest industries in the world.

You can listen to our most recent podcast interview with urbanist, author and Creative Class Group founder Richard Florida here. Our episodes are available at the Daily Commercial News and Journal of Commerce websites, on Libsyn and at Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music’s podcast section. Thanks for listening.

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The Construction Economy Outlook: 2025 Starts Now

On this episode of The Construction Record Podcast, digital media editor Warren Frey speaks with urbanist, author and Creative Class Group founder Richard Florida about a new report he’s written about the need to revamp Toronto’s waterfront.

Great Waterfront, Great City compares Toronto’s development on its waterfront with other world-class cities such as Dubai, New York and London and points to how while residential and office development has gone forward, the area needs to draw in not only Torontonians but increase tourism to the city.

He added focusing on the tech sector, creating sports infrastructure and said Bily Bishop Airport which resides on the waterfront is key to expansion and bringing in international business and tourists.

You can listen to our most recent podcast with interviews with ICBA president Chris Gardner and BC Building Trades executive director Brynn Bourke about the B.C. election here. Our episodes are available at the Daily Commercial News and Journal of Commerce websites, on Libsyn and at Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music’s podcast section. Thanks for listening.

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Toronto’s waterfront ‘boring,’ needs fun, attractions: Florida

On this episode of The Construction Record Podcast, digital media editor Warren Frey has two interviews with Independent Contractors and Business Association (ICBA BC) president Chris Gardner and BC Building Trades executive director Brynn Bourke about who they’re endorsing and what they want to see for their sectors after the election on Oct. 19.

Gardner said the ICBA is supporting the BC Conservatives and its leader John Rustad and pointed to the current NDP government’s use of community benefit agreements (CBA) as one of the main reasons.

Bourke said the BC Building Trades are allied with the BC NDP and current B.C. premier David Eby and also voiced the organization’s support for CBAs and other NDP labour policies.

You can listen to our most recent podcast on the history of the hardhat here and Part One of our BC Election podcast series here. Our episodes are available at the Daily Commercial News and Journal of Commerce websites, on Libsyn and at Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music’s podcast section. Thanks for listening.

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On this episode of The Construction Record Podcast, digital media editor Warren Frey speaks with ConstructConnect director of news media Vince Versace about the long history of the humble hard hat.

Invented by American Edward W. Bullard in 1918 the hardhat is both the first and one of the most vital pieces of safety equipment on site and an iconic, instantly recognizable symbol of the construction industry.

From its origins as an overlapping layer of canvas and glue to its current iteration, hardhats haved saved lives and prevented injuries for countless workers over the past century.

You can listen to our recent podcast featuring an interview with Calgary Construction Association president Bill Black about the troubled Green Line project here and our episodes are available at the Daily Commercial News and Journal of Commerce websites, on Libsyn and at Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music’s podcast section. Thanks for listening.

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More Than a Century of Safety: The Legacy of Edward W. Bullard

Research looks to evolve the hard hat from all angles

On this episode of The Construction Record Podcast, Calgary Construction Association president Bill Black speaks with digital media editor Warren Frey about the many delays and governmental clashes affecting the City of Calgary’s Green Line light-rail transit project.

Alberta premier Danielle Smith recently said she wants the project to proceed as originally envisioned and expressed concerns the current project is not cost-effective.

Black does not want to take sides on the design of the project or see it devolve into a political battle as he expressed during several media interviews but expressed concerns the conflict might sideline the local construction industry.

He pointed to smaller member firms using the Green Line as an “anchor project” for their work being adversely affected by funding battles at the government level and that the uncertainty surrounding the project undermines confidence within the local industry when working on big projects.

You can listen to our recent podcast featuring ConstructConnect director of news media Vince Versace discussing how the tragedy of 9/11 changed the construction industry here and our episodes are available at the Daily Commercial News and Journal of Commerce websites, on Libsyn and at Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music’s podcast section. Thanks for listening.

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