On this episode of The Construction Record Podcast™, 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 Podcast™, 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 Nashville-based Brandon Mason, the president of BCMason Group about his work as a contractor on both community-based and large-scale projects in the city.

Mason said he grew up around construction and after work across North America with other firms he set out on his own path, starting with projects in Nashville’s African-American neighbourhoods that reflect his commitment to giving back to his own community.

He’s also worked on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the area at varying levels of complexity and reflected on working on a project at Fisk University where his mother was once a student. Mason’s latest project was contributing to the National Museum of African American Music which he pointed to as an uplifting and collaborative experience with African-American construction firms working at all levels of the project.

You can listen to our recent interview about economic diversification with ConstructConnect chief economist Alex Carrick and senior economist Michael Guckes 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 Podcast™, digital media editor Warren Frey speaks with ConstructConnect chief economist Alex Carrick and senior economist Michael Guckes about how general contractors and others in the construction industry can diversify their work portfolios in terms of geography, new vs. renovation projects, strategic work in verticals and the comparison between public and private sector work.

Alex pointed to demographic changes in both Canada and the United States as driving construction including Atlantic Canada’s dramatic growth and the southern United States seeing an unprecedented rise in population due to migration from bigger cities.

Michael also pointed to increased financial activity in the renovation space and pointed out much of that might be due to fiscal conditions outside the projects themselves. Both Michael and Alex also highlighted the opportunities for diversification in both the public and private sectors and why it’s important to keep a foot in both worlds if possible.  

You can listen to our recent interview with Dream Unlimited executive vice-president Tsering Yangki  is available 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 Podcast™, digital media editor Warren Frey speaks with Dream Unlimited executive vice-president Tsering Yangki about a new report from the Task Force for Housing and Climate titled “Blueprint for More and Better Housing.”

Yangki went into detail about the reports recommendations for doubling the amount of housing stock in Canada by concentrating on not only modular and panelized construction but also emphasizing climate resilient construction to ensure housing can withstand a worsening climate crisis while still building at scale.

The report recommends legalizing density, implementing better building codes, investing in factory-built homes and not building in high-risk areas. Yangki also emphasized the need for not only coordination between all three levels of government but also the non-profit and private sector to ensure everyone is aligned with the purpose of expanding housing affordability for all Canadians.

You can listen to our recent interviews from the VRCA and CCW’s recent LEAP 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 Podcast, digital media editor Warren Frey has three interviews from the LEAP conference, a collaboration between the Vancouver Regional Construction Association and Canadian Construction Women. The one-day conference held March 8 in Vancouver brought together women in the construction industry with thought leaders to push their careers further ahead and inspire them with new ways to navigate a male-dominated industry.

The first interview is with VRCA president Jeannine Martin and CCW president Seema Lal about the origins of the conference and what they hope to achieve by bringing women in the industry together and the second interview is with Diane Rolston, a coach, author and speaker and she told the audience how to work around self-limiting thinking with a talk called “Leaping Forward: Dynamic Tools to Break Barriers and Elevate Success.”

We also have interview with Crown Building Supplies CFO Jas Sangha, who was on the “Sisterhood at Work” panel and spoke about moving into construction from outside the field and navigating not only being a woman in the industry but also cultural factors she faced as an Indo-Canadian.

You can listen to our recent interview with Steven Winter Associates Inc. research principal Dr. Victoria Lanteign about embedded equity in built forms 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 Dr. Victoria Lanteigne, a research principal at Steven Winter Associates Inc. in New York City about improving the built environment through equity, accessibility and inclusive design.  

Lanteigne explained that embedded equity is an emerging approach to design that supports marginalized groups that have been traditionally not benefited from the ways in which the built environment has been implemented and stressed the importance of integrating equity into building sustainable structures.

They added design fails marginalized communities is by not soliciting their input during the design process, but added there are projects that are fulfilling this effort such as the Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacifica American Experience in Seattle, WA which was built with full collaboration of the Asian-American community, as well as Harvey Milk Plaza in San Francisco which was designed to be inclusive of the LGBTQIA+ community.

Lanteigne also said equity-based design doesn’t necessarily cost more than traditional design, though there is a misconception that is the case, though they added community engagement can take time and add to the bottom line. Their research involves creating design teams to further streamline the process.

You can listen to our recent interview with Procore Technologies global technology evangelist Kris Lengieza about coming construction technology trends 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 Procore Technologies global technology evangelist Kris Lengieza about what new technology and innovation is headed for the construction industry in 2024.

Kris explained how while artificial intelligence (AI) gained traction in 2023 in the construction industry, over the next year AI use will accelerate  as awareness of ChatGPT and other large-language models (LLM) spreads awareness of possible AI implementation for a number of different applications. LLMs will also allow for preservation of institutional knowledge, he said, by allowing industry veterans to error-check AI recommendations to better align with their own experience.

He also said robotics has reached the point where more affordable technology lets worksites address safety and labour challenges while achieving new levels of efficiency. Kris also said the pace of acceleration over the next year will be a surprise, as will the focus on worker’s mental health and a new adaptable approach to bringing in previously unrepresented groups to construction.

You can listen to our recent interview with British Columbia Institute of Technology instructor Justin Perry about holistic forest management here and all special episode featuring Bass Installation owners Natasha Callender-Wilson and Stephen Callender 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 Record Podcast™ - Special: Black History Month with Bass Installation’s Natasha Callender-Wilson and Stephen Callender

On this episode of The Construction Record Podcast™, digital media editor Warren Frey speaks with Natasha Callender-Wilson and Stephen Callender of Bass Installation about their experiences as Black business owners and operators in the construction industry.

Stephen explained how he came from Barbados to Toronto and worked his way up in the industry before founding his own company and was joined by his daughter Natasha who split time between higher education and managing the business end of the glass installation firm. From there they’ve worked on some of the biggest towers in Toronto including the BMO Building, CIBC Square and the Shangri-La Hotel Toronto.

Stephen is also one of the founders of the Afro-Canadian Contractors Association and he discussed the challenges of both finding other Black contractors to hire and the racism they continue to face. Natasha also relayed her experiences as the only Black woman on a work site. Both Natasha and Stephen also addressed the recent push towards diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives which have seen some progress but can at times also be  more “box-checking” than real social change.

You can listen to our recent interview with British Columbia Institute of Technology instructor Justin Perry about holistic forest management here and all 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 British Columbia Institute of Technology instructor Justin Perry about a new holistic approach to wildfire management.

Perry recently spoke at TedX Abbotsford with a talk titled “Holistic Wildfire Management: Seeing Fire Through Multiple Lenses” (embedded below) which elaborated on ways in which we can change our perspective from a traditional approach of fighting every fire individually to shaping, cultivating and adapting the landscape to a new set of conditions as climate change creates stronger and more deadly wildfires across Canada every summer and fall.

He also explained how traditional Indigenous wildfire management methods can and have been adopted to combat fires and speaks to several resources both for studying previous catastrophic fire events such as the Lytton and Fort McMurray wildfires, and resource hubs for both individuals and businesses to increase fire resilience.

You can listen to our recent two-part series looking at geopolitical upheaval, labour shortages and the economic outlook for construction with ConstructConnect chief economist Alex Carrick and senior economist Michael Guckes here and here and all 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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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nuepb77LPKI&t=424s