JUNE 2019CONSTRUCTIONINFOCUS.COMBUILDING A SAFER AND BETTER SOCIETYAGF GroupDELIVERING THE BEST WITH KNOWLEDGE, COMMITMENT & VISIONBaytree Landscape ContractorsFULL SERVICE WITH A COLLABORATIVE APPROACHPentacon Group SSOL101 – Focus Spring2019_v3FINAL.indd 12019-04-11 10:10 AMEDITOR’S CORNERThe construction industry, as we well know, is one that truly never stands still. There is always work to be done and there are always new things to learn and try – from emerging technolo-gies to green initiatives to updated materials to workforce initiatives. And few understand this better than the industry associations that support and advance the sector through education and advocacy.In Jessica Ferlaino’s Industry Changemakers, we check in with the Toronto Construction Association. The oldest association in Canada, founded in 1867, TCA aims to support its members through the myriad challenges they face. Frequently, those challenges have included the take-up of new technology and issues of fair and prompt payment; of late, they have largely centred around the skilled labour shortage facing the industry – a “serious problem that will become worse,” describes TCA President and CEO John Mollenhauer.“TCA is working to address the labour shortage issue from all angles, believing that both education and technology have roles to play.”There is no one solution to the labour shortage, and TCA is working to address the issue from all angles, believing that both education and technology have roles to play here. As Jessica writes, “Education can serve the industry by develop-ing the next generation of talent while technology can help to streamline efficiency,” with the goal of developing both a robust pipeline of talent and a rich playbook of tools and tech for companies to draw on. It is an approach that has served the association and its members well in its long stead, and we look forward to seeing TCA’s efforts continue to bear fruit for many years to come.Jaime McKee EditorEDITORJaime McKeeDEPUTY EDITORTim Hocken COPY EDITORSThora Smith | Allister HavercroftCONTRIBUTING WRITERSWilliam Young | Margaret EatonAnne Lindert-Wentzell | Jen Hocken | Josh CarmodySamita Sarkar | David Caldwell | Jessica FerlainoNate Hendley | Robert Hoshowsky | Mark GolombekPauline Müller | David O’NeillREGIONAL MANAGER OF RESEARCHCiaran DunneSENIOR CONTENT MANAGERSBrad Mike | Tom England | Peter SwaleCONTENT MANAGERSMehul Jagawat | Afrah El HackWendy Hood-Morris | Nic StanaScott Forbes | Aaron ConwayWhitney McCoy | Louis SusaraMark Gormley | Darragh GilliganChristian Cooke | Alan KeoghSALES & MARKETING MANAGERLuke SimmsSALES TEAMPamela Taylor | Dean Lucas | Kayla BrownEvan Broussard | Joshuwa Amero | Jason MerriottPRODUCTION COORDINATORChantal De BrouwerGRAPHIC DESIGNERSEbic Tristary | Yoana Ilcheva | Gavin Billings | Lindsay BaileyVictoria Lane | Benjamin Thompson | Ina GachparovaDIRECTOR OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENTRobert ChambersPROJECT MANAGERJaimie FoxDIRECTOR OF INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONSColin O’NeillREGIONAL DIRECTOR, NORTH AMERICAAdam CameronOPERATIONS MANAGERJonathan FisherCONTROLLERJen HamiltonPUBLISHERJeff Hocken SSOL101 – Focus Spring2019_v3FINAL.indd 12019-04-11 10:10 AMSuite 300, 7071 Bayers Rd. | Halifax, NS | B3L 2C2 | CanadaP: 1-647-479-2163 | E: info@fmgpublishing.com3INSIDE JUNEFOCUS ON: TORONTO CONSTRUCTION ASSOCIATION HEAVY CIVIL & INDUSTRIALEQUIPMENT, MACHINERY & PRODUCTSCONSTRUCTION SERVICES 4 The construction industry has historically been slow to evolve, drawn to tradition over technology. As the industry is in a state of rapid innovation and advancement, organizations like the Toronto Construction Association (TCA) are working tirelessly to build strong member businesses that won’t fall behind. MECHANICAL, ELECTRICAL, HVAC & PLUMBINGSUSTAINABLE DESIGN & CONSTRUCTIONRESIDENTIAL & LANDSCAPING 5CONSTRUCTION IN FOCUS 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 1-647-479-2163STRATEGIC WORKFORCE PLANNING MASTER CLASS 5 – 6 June, Atlanta, GACompanies who have identified the need to think beyond day to day reactive hiring needs must develop and understand the key components of a strategic workforce planning effort to create a sustainable workforce for the future. The course targets senior management and talent and workforce professionals working toward the fundamentals of a strategic workforce planning strategy and how it fits into the overall corporate strategy and culture of their organization.For more information AIA CONFERENCE ON ARCHITECTURE 2019 6 – 8 June, Las Vegas, NVWith the theme of, ‘Blueprint for a Better Future,’ this year’s programming includes sessions on artificial intelligence, data visualization, 3D concrete printing, Amazon Spheres, tall wood, nano-grid condos, immigrant architects, zero net energy affordable housing, new codes and standards, and architecture tours of local standouts like Frank Gehry’s Lou Ruvo Brain Center, Seven Magic Mountains, and the Downtown Container Park. Enjoy seminars, workshops, tours, and an expo with over 750 exhibitors.For more information 2019 ATLANTIC REAL ESTATE FORUM 12 June, Halifax, NSWith the theme of, “Atlantic Canada Commercial Real Estate Market: Innovations, Opportunities & Transformations in One Impactful Day,” the fifth biennial Atlantic Real Estate Forum will provide valuable insights on the trends, issues, strategies, and opportunities within the Multi-Residential and Commercial Real Estate space. The program will offer a wide range of speakers, presentations and panel discussions on the economic drivers responsible for the GDP growth predictions for the Atlantic Canada market; the major trends in the office, industrial, retail and apartment sectors; the pricing and availability of financing from the credit markets; and provincial planning and growth management policies in key cities.For more information TECH ENABLEMENT AND OPTIMIZATION 20 – 21 June, Chicago, ILIn today’s disruptive technology environment, many organizations struggle to understand how to modernize their legacy applications. Technology evaluation and implementation are complicated and risky. Does your organization have a foundational technology roadmap? This course is designed to enlighten you on how to leverage and invest in technology to remain competitive and up to date.For more information CANADIAN INSTITUTE OF QUANTITY SURVEYORS CONGRESS 25 – 28 July, Québec City, QCThe Canadian Institute of Quantity Surveyors Congress aims to promote and advance professional quantity surveying and construction estimat-ing, establish and maintain national standards, and recruit, educate and support its members. 2019’s Congress coincides with the Institute’s 60th anniversary celebration, so numerous special events and opportunities for networking will abound. Topics to include BIM and BIM Technology, Emerging Technologies, Sustainable Construction, Real Estate Development Trends, Economics and Opportunities, and many more.For more information INDUSTRY EVENTS6INDUSTRY NEWSPENTAGON TO SHIFT $1.5B TO FUND BORDER WALLIn March, the Pentagon announced plans to transfer $1 billion from the Army personnel budget account in support of border wall construction along the U.S./Mexico border and just two months later in May, it notified Congress that another $1.5 billion will be shifted to fund nearly 80 miles of wall and fence replace-ments along the border in Tucson, Arizona and El Centro, Texas.The support was announced as the President declared a state of emergency because of the influx of Central American migrants. Congress attempted to reverse his emergency declaration, but the move was vetoed. Of the $1.5 billion, $604 million is coming from funds to support Afghan security forces, $344 million is coming from Air Force programs, and $251 million is being taken from what was supposed to be a years-long program to destroy lethal chemical weapons in compliance with the Chemical Weapons Convention – to name only a few of the redirections. In total, the Pentagon is expected to reassign $6.1 billion, including $3.6 billion from military construction projects, which will cause project delays. TORONTO HEADING INTO BUSIEST CONSTRUCTION SEASON EVERToronto Mayor John Tory has announced the launch of Toronto’s construction season. This year the city plans to spend $1 billion, making it the busiest of all construction seasons for the municipality. According to Tory, the city cannot afford to let the infrastructure continue to age and degrade; the infrastruc-ture needs to be reviewed, renewed and upgraded to accom-modate the city’s growth. The $1 billion will be spent on roads, bridges, expressways, sewers and water mains. The city is expected to pave 140 kilo-meters of roads and make improvements to about 200 kilome-ters of sewers and water mains, with work taking place on over 600 of the city’s roads. The robust schedule is likely to cause temporary disruptions in the city this summer, but the city is trying to coordinate the projects to minimize any imposition on daily life, which is set to improve once the infrastructure projects are complete. Sixty-three of the projects are expected to run on extended, over-night and 24/7 schedules. There exists a concern, however, that the provincial govern-ment could pull or cut funding to the city which would put these major financial commitments at risk. As projects of this magnitude require advance planning, any last-minute political decisions that would reduce funding could threaten the viabil-ity of these projects, which are deemed necessary infrastruc-ture improvements.7INDUSTRY NEWSCANADA’S FIRST NET-ZERO VERTICAL FARM IN THE WORKSA partnership between the University of Toronto Scarborough and Centennial College at Toronto’s new Environmental and Related Technologies Hub (EaRTH) District will result in the construction of Canada’s first net-zero vertical farm and living laboratory. A memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed in early 2019 and a consultation process has already concluded. The project will apply innovative technology to food production in an urban setting and the facility will support the testing and commercialization of clean technology. The EaRTH District is dedicated to advancing the clean tech sector through research, academic programming and commercialization which makes the partnership and project a perfect fit. The vertical farm will be used for training purposes and will facilitate research in a number of fields such as waste management, clean energy, sustainable building design and conservation. The project is being designed to be interactive and is meant to facilitate workforce development and skills training in the field.U.S. BRIDGES DEEMED STRUCTURALLY DEFICIENTAccording to an analysis of federal data collected through the Department of Transportation 2018 bridge inventory database, conducted by the American Road and Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA), thousands of bridges in the U.S. have been declared structurally deficient and the pace of repairs is the slowest it has been in five years.More than 47,000 of the country’s 616,087 bridges are consid-ered structurally deficient and 235,000, or 38 percent of them, are in need of repair, replacement or major rehabilitation work, a one percent drop from 2017. The pace of improvement has slowed to the lowest point since ARTBA started conducting analyses five years ago and at this pace it is estimated that it would take 80 years to repair or replace. The estimated cost to repair all the deficient bridges is $171 billion. WSI HEADS TO THE HEARTLAND: WAUCONDA, ILLINOISWSI Machinery Inc. will host the grand opening of its new Midwest Technology Center on June 5 and June 6. The event will feature various machines from leading vendors throughout the industry. Along with exhibiting the latest technology, edu-cational sessions on different topics will be held throughout the year, and WSI will be able to show customers step-by-step processes and manufacturing techniques using different con-struction methods and solutions. Showcased technologies will include demonstrations on over 15 SCM machines ranging from advanced machinery to the classical line. Also in attendance will be Saw Stop, Striebig, Circle T, Robopac, Lamello, Leitz Tooling, LMT Onsrud, Safety Speed, Razor Gauge, Festool, Coima USA, Denray, Castle and many more. From Wauconda, Illinois, WSI will serve customers throughout the Heartland for both wood and advanced material machin-ery, and looks forward to offering the latest technology and manufacturing solutions. For more information about the grand opening and to register, go 8INDUSTRY NEWS IS A CARBON TAX GOOD FOR CONSTRUCTION?A report titled Construction and Carbon: The Impact of Climate Policy on Building in Canada in 2025 published by Smart Prosperity Institute (SPI), a policy think tank at the University of Ottawa for Canada’s Building Trades Union, has indicated that an aggressive carbon pricing scheme would lead business to invest $12.5 billion more in the economy, while consumer spending would also increase by $7.1 billion, which is good news for the construction industry. The construction industry, which represents fourteen percent of Canada’s gross domestic product (GDP), would see the most advantage from carbon pricing behind the service sector. The HVAC industry, in particular, would benefit from a higher carbon price. Higher prices would spur a wave of investment in new con-struction, shifting activity to spur job and income growth. According to the report, an additional 19,000 construction jobs would be created by 2025, along with 20,500 in other sectors. Higher carbon prices would result in an estimated $2.5 billion in construction activity. Using Saskatchewan as an example, the report indicated that with higher carbon pricing the province would see the highest percentage of job growth and alternatively, without carbon prices it would see a light decline in construction job figures. 9Next >