GlassTalk

Margaret Webb has retired after 22 years of dedicating inordinate amounts of time, energy, passion and expertise to this industry. She was instrumental in creating not one but two industry associations: the Insulating Glass Manufacturers Alliance then the Fenestration and Glazing Industry Alliance. GlassTalks was fortunate to get Margaret to step back into the industry for a brief moment following her retirement to reflect on her time, tell a few stories and share a few opinions about how things are and how they ought to be.

Monte McNaughton joins Glass Talk to explain the new agency, Skilled Trades Ontario, which replaces the Ontario College of Trades as the skilled trades regulator in the province. McNaughton explains his the reason for the change and the direction the new organization will take in trying to smooth the path for apprentices to move through the system, and in trying to attract new workers to the trades. Following McNaughton’s interview, a panel of industry voices joins the podcast to discuss his comments: Ian Howcroft, president of Skills Ontatio, Angelo Cairo, president of Stouffville Glass and Brett Lucier, president of Provincial Glass.

Glass Canada brand manager Navneet Matharu joins GlassTalk for a special New Year look back and look ahead. We talk about the supply chain issues that emerged in the second year of COVID; do some gossiping about what suppliers and contractors are saying; touch on the big news stories of 2021; and preview the year ahead in Canada’s commercial glazing B2B channel, including a preview of our exciting Top Glass lineup coming April 20.

Keeping an eye (and ear) on your critical materials, equipment and personnel is more important than ever. Luckily, technology in site security systems is advancing quickly. Gavin Daly of Axis Communications joins GlassTalk to talk about the principles of security systems: what are the objectives? What is possible and not possible? What threats and opportunities should you consider? He touches on the other uses of site surveillance, too, including controlling access, identifying safety risks and improving operations. With possibilities for audio pickup, networked speakers, low-light and high resolution cameras, facial recognition and remote monitoring, it’s not about getting a grainy black-and-white video picture any more.

The Ontario Construction Secretariat is the liaison between the unionized trades and employers in Ontario, so their CEO, Robert Bronk, is well positioned to discuss the big topic bedeviling all of us these days – skilled labour supply. Bronk used to train glaziers, so he knows this industry. We had a wide-ranging conversation about the sources of the present skilled trades shortage; the need for greater awareness in Ontario’s schools and homes; the effects of the pandemic and recovery; the outcomes of pandemic-fighting measures on Ontario jobsites; prediction for inflation and supply shortages; and much more.

We know the pandemic has done SOMETHING to our supply chains. But what? Michael Gabert and the Canadian Institute of Quantity Surveyors are tasked with understanding the prices and availability of all manner of construction supplies and generating accurate estimates and forecasts for their clients. So he was the perfect person to have on the podcast to explain why it’s so hard to get the things we need for our jobsites and plants. Michael discusses how negative effects from the pandemic snowball as they roll down the supply chain, starting at mines and ships and ending up as big delays on our loading docks. We get into inflation, interest rates, aluminum futures shipping containers and the outlook for our globalized trading system.

The Buildings Show, Canada’s largest construction show happening Dec. 1 to 3 at the Toronto Convention Centre, has been a popular destination for glazing contractors because of the opportunity it affords to take in the broadest possible range of suppliers and conference topics out there. There’s always a nice selection of commercial glazing and façade construction products, but also HVAC, insulation, roofing, concrete and even property management solutions. This time, there’s a building envelope session but also many sessions aimed at “soft skills” in the construction industry: human resources, marketing, leadership, project management and other topics we know are critical but don’t always have time to think about. Since the Buildings Show is returning as a live event for the first time since the pandemic hit, we thought it was time to invite program director Teresa Baker to GlassTalk to give us the full FYI.

The young president of one of Canada’s iconic architectural glass fabricators, Antamex, joins Glass Talk to share his experiences through a period of whirlwind change for the company. From struggles, to ownership by international giant, Oldcastle, to independence and restructuring, Spurgeon and his team have been on a wild ride for many years. Now Spurgeon is leveraging the lessons learned and the company’s legacy of expertise to position it for the decades ahead, with modern business practices, automation, investment and careful market position. You’ll learn something from Glass Talk’s conversation with Ryan Spurgeon.

Bringing the view from (barely) south of the border, industry influencer Max Perilstein joins Glass Talk to shoot the breeze about everything related to architectural glass and beyond. No one love the glass business more or has been commenting on it for longer, so tune in for Max's takes on the supply crunch, energy efficient glazing, the AGC sale to Cardinal, float glass production, training and labour issues, the return of live events and much more.

We all know there’s a new world coming, but what will it look like? Francis Pomerleau, chief executive for national strategy at one of Canada’s largest construction contractors, has some ideas. Pomerleau has launched a brand initiative for Pomerleau locating the company’s focus in three key areas: collaboration, innovation and sustainability. He’s positioning the company to meet the next wave of challenges that will follow the pandemic, and beyond. He joined Glass Talk to share his insights with Canada’s glazing community, and weigh in on some of the big issues we’re all discussing.