BUILDING SOLID FOUNDATIONS FOR YOUTH IN THE TRADES Lépine Apartments BUILDING TRUST Galaxy Builders LIGHT SHOW Salex CONSTRUCTIONINFOCUS.COM AU G U ST 2 023ONTARIO YARD LOCATIONS SCRAPMELTINGCASTINGFINISHED PRODUCT Metal Recycling Made Easy Our customers rank our people as the #1 reason they do business with us. We strive to be our customers rst choice when it comes to metals recycling. We value long-term partnerships and will consistently pay a fair price for your scrap metal. Gerdau is shaping a more collaborative, inclusive, and sustainable future. We offer a range of long steel and special steel products from our network of mills across the United States and Canada. We do this as one of the largest recyclers in North America, and as one of the world's most environmentally responsible steel producers. Each Each year, Gerdau transforms millions of tons of scrap into new steel products, promoting sustainable development. We embrace innovative digital mindsets, and provide our customers with outstanding steel products and services. From bridges and roads, to skyscrapers and international landmarks, Gerdau steel is all around us. Turning old into new! www2.gerdau.comEDITOR’S CORNER ONTARIO YARD LOCATIONS SCRAPMELTINGCASTINGFINISHED PRODUCT Metal Recycling Made Easy Our customers rank our people as the #1 reason they do business with us. We strive to be our customers rst choice when it comes to metals recycling. We value long-term partnerships and will consistently pay a fair price for your scrap metal. Gerdau is shaping a more collaborative, inclusive, and sustainable future. We offer a range of long steel and special steel products from our network of mills across the United States and Canada. We do this as one of the largest recyclers in North America, and as one of the world's most environmentally responsible steel producers. Each Each year, Gerdau transforms millions of tons of scrap into new steel products, promoting sustainable development. We embrace innovative digital mindsets, and provide our customers with outstanding steel products and services. From bridges and roads, to skyscrapers and international landmarks, Gerdau steel is all around us. Turning old into new! www2.gerdau.com 3 In this issue of Construction in Focus, we continue to delve into the ongoing labour shortage and what can be done about it. The shortage, writes Claire Suttles, “stems from a complex combination of circumstances working in tandem,” not the least of which has been the ripples of the COVID pandemic. This recent time of upheaval saw many workers change fields or even retire early, but the reality is that con- struction labour shortages have been an issue for some time. I remember being steered toward academic fields—and firmly away from the trades—when I was in school, and until recently, I feared not much had changed in that regard since the 90s. Then a couple of months ago, my 14-year-old excitedly returned from school to tell me about the Trades Day they’d just experienced. Their school, it seems, is partnering with the local college to host workshops and celebrate careers in the trades and now, it seems that alongside pianist and marine biologist, they’d also like to try their hand at being a carpenter. Has it simply been a branding problem all this time? I was told that construction was difficult, dirty, and dangerous. Yet when I speak with leaders in the field today, I hear of paid training opportunities, ongoing education, room for advancement, the use of advanced technology, competitive wages, and valuable perks and benefits. For companies who are making the effort to make their workplaces safe and rewarding places to be, the key to attracting workers may lie largely in getting the word out. In Claire’s Help Wanted – Shoring Up the Construction Workforce, we give the issue the closer look it deserves. Jaime McKee Editor Suite 300, 7071 Bayers Rd. | Halifax, NS | B3L 2C2 | Canada P: 1-647-479-2163 | E: EDITOR Jaime McKee DEPUTY EDITOR Tim Hocken COPY EDITORS Thora Smith | Allister Havercroft CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Claire Suttles | Jessica Ferlaino Grace McGrenere | Robert Hoshowsky | Pauline Müller Allison Dempsey | Nate Hendley | Margaret Eaton William Young | Karen Hawthorne DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS James Corbett OPERATIONS MANAGER Severina Gachparova SENIOR CONTENT DEVELOPERS Scott Forbes | Aaron Ferguson CONTENT DEVELOPERS Steve Finn | Wendy Hood-Morris | Faye Hiscock Dean Lucas | Jamal Francis-Anderson Erin McWhinney | Jack Murtha SALES TEAM Pamela Taylor | Morgan Culpepper | Dean Lucas GRAPHIC DESIGN TEAM LEAD Laura Pratt GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Ashley Dowling | Ebic Tristary | Yoana Ilcheva OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR Julia MacQueen IT ADMINISTRATOR Rebecca Sanford CONTROLLER Jen Hamilton PUBLISHER Jeff HockenINSIDE AUGUST FOCUS ON: WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT FOCUS ON: ONTARIO HOME BUILDERS ASSOCIATION (OHBA) CONSTRUCTION SERVICES 4 Shoring Up the Construction Workforce It’s no secret that construction companies are strug- gling to find workers to fill vital job openings. The workforce shortage has officially surpassed half a million in 2023. In order to meet labour demands this year, the construction industry must attract 546,000 new employees on top of the normal hiring pace, Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) determined using a proprietary model to estimate the numbers. CONSTRUCTION SERVICES 5 CONSTRUCTION IN FOCUS 77TH ANNUAL RILEM WEEK & 1ST INTERDISCIPLINARY SYMPOSIUM ON SMART & SUSTAINABLE INFRASTRUCTURES (ISSSI 2023) 4 – 8 September, Vancouver, BC RILEM Week is the most important RILEM (International Union of Laboratories and Experts in Construction Materials, Systems and Structures or Réunion Internationale des Laboratoires et Experts des Matériaux, systèmes de construction et ouvrages) event of the year. The week includes committee meetings, an industrial session, and the prestigious Robert L’Hermite lecture and award. ISSSI 2023 will coincide to create an envi- ronment of mutual cooperation between experts in Materials and Structures and provide a forum for active dialogue, with themes including: Sensors, IoT and Structural Health Monitoring; AI and Machine Learning; Data Analytics for Infrastructure Management; Durability of Materials and Structures; Resilience to Earthquakes, Floods, Fire, and Blast; Smart & Bioinspired Materials; and more. For more information REAL ESTATE INVESTORS SUMMIT 18 – 20 September, Dallas, TX The Real Estate Investors Summit is an invitation-only, premium Summit bringing chief investment officers and innovative fund managers and consultants together. The summit’s content is aligned with key investment challenges and interests, relevant market developments, and practi- cal and progressive ideas and strategies adopted by successful pioneers. For more information PROCORE’S GROUNDBREAK 2023 19 – 20 September, Chicago, IL Groundbreak brings together the most passionate and innovative thought leaders from around the world who are embracing the transforma- tion happening across the industry. Discuss new ideas, get inspired by construction leaders, explore the Expo Hall, and walk away with action- able insights. For more information GREENBUILD INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE & EXPO 26 – 29 September, Washington, DC This year, Greenbuild’s theme of ‘Building Transformation’ highlights the legacy and commitment of the green building movement to trans- forming the built environment to better serve communities. Commemorate the USGBC’s 30th anniversary and mark the debut of LEED v5. Also featured is IWBC, where wood-based offsite construction’s suppliers, buyers, and specifiers meet to explore opportunities, exchange ideas, and introduce technologies to move the industry forward. For more information visit: and THE NECA SHOW 29 September – 3 October, Philadelphia, PA Presented by the National Electrical Contractors Association, the NECA SHOW is where leaders of the electrical construction industry convene to discuss the ever-changing, ever-growing business climate. Each year, NECA invites the entire industry to network, see the newest products and services, and compare competitive products to find the right solutions. The evolution in electrical construction is happening here. For more information INDUSTRY EVENTS 6 Are you planning an event relating to North America’s growing Construction Industry? To get your event listed in Construction in Focus, please contact us at least six to eight weeks before the event takes place at or call 1-647-479-2163INDUSTRY NEWS INUIT HERITAGE CENTRE IN THE WORKS Inspired by wind-swept snowdrifts in Canada’s north, plans are in the works for the new Native Inuit Heritage Centre (NIHC), to be built in the City of Iqaluit. Following an international design com- petition, Canadian company EXP was selected to perform civil engineering for the project. Once complete, the 55,000 square foot structure will support, preserve, and celebrate Inuit heritage, cultural education, and practices. “This project has been discussed for three decades,” stated the Director of Arctic Engineering Ken Johnson on the EXP website. “We are proud to be a part of the team that can finally establish a place for understanding, knowledge transfer and healing. EXP will deliver civil engineering design consistent with sustainable and resilient practices for piped Arctic sewer systems. The design will also incorporate insulated water, sewer, and recirculating water systems for freeze protection and piping below the active layer to protect the installa- tions from climate change-related stress. The community has long awaited this project of cultural significance and we FREE ONLINE DE&I COURSE Worldwide, the number of men in construction trades still far outweighs women. In an effort to improve diver- sity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) in the built environment sector, the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) has initiated a free training course. The aim of the course is to help built environment professionals better understand how DE&I can help fight underrepresentation in the construc- tion sector. Entitled Diversity and Inclusion in the Built Environment, the introductory course requires two hours per week for three weeks, with a digital certificate when eligible. It will cover areas including why diversity and inclusion matters, the “state of play for diversity within the sector,” and strategies for “limiting bias and creating an inclusive work- place.” More information on the course is available at The CIOB is the world’s largest, most influential construction management and leadership body. look forward to bringing this important center to fruition.” The project will see EXP working in collaboration with other firms on the $140 million CAD project. They include Dorte Madrup Architects, Guy Architects Ltd., Adjeleian Allen Rubeli Limited, Pageau Morel et associés Inc., LEES + Associates, Polar Outfitting, Arctic UA and Panaq Design and Altus Group Limited. The NIHC is expected to be completed by 2027. 7INDUSTRY NEWS GYM ROOF COLLAPSES IN CHINA NEW YORK CITY CRANE IGNITES, COLLAPSES Described by police and government officials as “extremely lucky,” there were injuries but remarkably no fatalities as a New York City crane arm burst into flames, falling to the street below. The crane was located on a building under construction in New York’ Hell’s Kitchen area on 10th Avenue between West 41st and 42nd streets, 45 storeys in the air. Although the exact cause of the fire and subsequent crane collapse needs to be officially investigated and determined, it is believed leaking hydraulic fluid reached a hot metal plate and ignited. Twelve people, including three firefight- ers, were injured when the crane boom fell, crashing into a nearby building. While permits and inspections were up to date and no criminal activity is suspected, preliminary reports state the crane’s operator was charged in 2008 with a construction accident resulting in death. A construction company is being held responsible for the collapse of a school gymnasium roof in the northeast Chinese city of Qiqihar. According to the Shanghai Daily, the cause of the collapse wasn’t improper building, but the illegal storage of building material on the roof. Tragically, the roof caved in during a girls’ volleyball practice at No. 34 Middle School, claiming 11 lives. Initial reports state the contractor, while working on another project, used the gym roof to store perlite. Named perlite because its grains resemble tiny pearls, it is a grayish volcanic glass used as a conditioner in potting soil and as a heat insula- tor. Highly absorbent, perlite is also used to clean up paint, oil and other liquids. It is believed the perlite became saturated after a heavy rainfall, and the added weight caused the roof to collapse. There is also speculation that the building of the gym 26 years ago was ‘tofu-dreg,’ an expression describing poor- quality construction. Qiqihar’s Mayor and Communist Party secretary Shen Hongyu apologized for the disaster, stating “This is Qiqihar’s most serious safety accident in recent years. In this accident, 11 people, including teachers and students, lost their precious lives, causing serious harm to many families.” Prosecutors have begun criminal proceedings against the con- struction company. katz / Shutterstock.com February 5, 2016: Collapsed crane on the streets of new york city with emergency services working on the debris in tribecca area manhattan 8INDUSTRY NEWS VIETNAM’S BIGGEST SHOPPING MALL ONTARIO BUILDING FIRST NUCLEAR IN YEARS To keep up with Ontario’s growing demand for electricity, the province is undertaking pre-development work with Bruce Power for new nuclear gen- eration. This marks the first large-scale nuclear build for Ontario in a generation. The new reactor is planned for the Bruce Nuclear Power Station (NPP). Situated on Lake Huron’s eastern shores, the NPP is home to eight Candu heavy water reactors, which generate about 30 percent of the province’s electricity. “Ontario is starting pre-development work with Bruce Power to site the first large-scale nuclear build in a generation to help meet rising electricity demand with reliable, emissions-free power that will support electrification and power Ontario’s economic growth,” stated the government in a media release. In Canada, all new, large-scale nuclear projects are subject to a federal Impact Assessment (IA). This will see the federal Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (IAAC) “undertake consultations with Indigenous communities and engagement with the public throughout the IA process.” While some of us in North America may think of malls as throwbacks to the 1990s, the largest shopping mall in Vietnam recently teased shoppers with a limited soft opening. Located on Co Chi Chong Street in the Tay Ho District, the new Lotte Mall West Lake in Hanoi is set to officially open on September 22nd. Initially started in 2010 but never completed, the seven-storey shopping centre was on hold until 2017. Since that time, some $600 million USD has been spent on the project, in a popular tourist area. Once finished, about 60 percent of the enormous space measuring 35ha— about the size of 50 soccer fields—will be occupied by 233 stores, with 25 of them marking the debut in Vietnam. Under the Lotte Group, a South Korean conglomerate, the site will also boast a 23-storey hotel, a Lotte Mart grocery store, a 1,007-seat theatre, and the 9,000 square metre Lotte World Aquarium Hanoi. According to Lotte, the massive mall will allow locals and tourists to enjoy “a blend of nature, shopping and cultural experiences.” 9Next >