The Construction Record™ Podcast

On this episode of The Construction Record PodcastTM, digital media editor Warren Frey has two interviews from the Vancouver Island Construction Association’s (VICA) annual conference held recently in Victoria, B.C.

The first interview is with MNP Consulting Services partner Susan Mowbray who gave attendees a look at the current economic situation on Vancouver Island and explained where opportunities for innovation would allow the construction industry to adapt to changing demographics and an increasingly shrinking labour pool. She added artificial intelligence (AI) is an opportunity for employers to both streamline what they do but also compete more effectively.

Our second interview is with Immigration, refugee and citizenship lawyer Sarah Goodman who spoke at the VICA conference about some of the pathways to hire skilled workers from overseas. She outlined not only well-known programs for temporary foreign work and pathways to permanent residency but also highlighted ways in which foreign workers with enough skilled trades experience in their home countries could obtain a Red Seal certification.

You can listen to our recent interviews with industry reaction to the recent federal budget 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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On this episode of The Construction Record PodcastTM, digital media editor Warren Frey compiles highlights from the recent Construction Economy Outlook Spring 2024 titled “What is Normal Anymore?” and held online on May 9.

The webinar, presented by ConstructConnect, the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) and the American Institute of Architects (AIA) featured ConstructConnect chief economist Alex Carrick and senior economist Michael Guckes, AGC chief economist Ken Simonson, AIA chief economist Kermit Baker and ConstructConnect vice-president of content acquisition Morgan Stinson and vice-president of product marketing Paul Hart.

Baker looked at recent trends in construction activity as well as the outlook for this year and into 2025 and Simonson examined construction employment as well as material and labour costs and how much the industry is spending.

Stinson gave an overview of bidding trends seen in ConstructConnect’s data and Guckes took a look at the summer starts forecast for construction, as well as project stresses and the continued influence interest rates on the economy.

Finally, Carrick did a deep dive on how demographic changes are shaping the economies of both Canada and the United States, as well as how upcoming election in both countries could affect the construction industry and overall economy and looked at rising costs.

You can listen to our recent interviews from the Vancouver Island Construction Association annual conference 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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On this episode of The Construction Record PodcastTM, digital media editor Warren Frey has two interviews from the BC Council of Forest Industries (COFI) 2024 annual conference in Vancouver.

The first interview is with Don Iveson, the former mayor of Edmonton and current executive advisor on climate investing and community resilience for Co-Operators Insurance. Iveson is also the co-chair for the Task Force for Housing and Climate and he spoke to the important ways both the current affordable housing crisis and the present and future climate change emergency are linked together and can be mitigated in an integrated fashion.

The second interview is with Abacus Data CEO David Coletto. In his address to COFI 21024 delegates he revealed public perception of the forestry industry has changed in a positive manner because of a continuing wildfire crisis. Most of those polled in B.C. understood the industry’s role in mitigating wildfires when they occur and changing practices to manage forestry resources in a way that addresses ongoing risks, a big change from the public’s views of the industry in previous decades.

You can listen to our recent interview with Stantec’s Jag Singh 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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On this episode of The Construction Record PodcastTM, digital media editor Warren Frey speaks with Stantec nuclear lead and engineering manager Jag Singh about small modular reactor (SMR) technology and its potential uses in western Canada.

Singh explained SMRs are smaller, more flexible and modularized plant which consume much less water than conventional reactors and can make use of alternative nuclear fuel including material that previously was considered as waste material. He also pointed out while SMRs are generating new interest the idea has been around since the mid-1950s when a version of the technology was used in nuclear submarines, but are a leap forward in safety with reactors that become less reactive as they become hotter and others that run at normal atmospheric pressure, eliminating the hazard of a meltdown.

He also touched on how SMR technology can be used in western Canada and Alberta specifically to assist in oil and gas work by generating emission-free steam power and pointed to increased energy demand across the Prairies as a use case for adoption of SMR technology as well as conventional nuclear power.

You can listen to our recent interview with Nashville contractor Brandon Mason 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.

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