Author: Russell Hixson

Key Takeaways:

• The program is a partnership between the Vancouver Regional Construction Association, the Burnaby Board of Trade, the Burnaby School District and the British Columbia Institute of Technology.
• Through the Bring Trades to Schools program, students can engage in practical workshops and immersive experiences led by industry experts and educators.
• Organizers believe the initiative will help to encourage more youth to consider a career path in construction trades. 

The Whole Story:

The Vancouver Regional Construction Association (VRCA) has announced a new partnership with the Burnaby Board of Trade (BBOT), British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT), and Burnaby School District.  

 The initiative, titled “Bring Trades to Schools”, seeks to bridge the gap between classroom learning and real-world applications in the construction industry. Organizers say that bringing trades directly into educational environments will give students invaluable hands-on experience and exposure to various trades, including mechanical, welding, carpentry and electrical, empowering them to explore potential career paths and develop essential skills for future success.

 “This marks a significant milestone for the VRCA team as we inaugurate this innovative initiative! Originating from VRCA’s Education Committee, with valued contributions from our esteemed program partners, the concept has flourished. By bringing trades directly into schools, we aim to inspire and empower the next generation of skilled professionals while working to increase B.C.’s skilled workforce,” said VRCA President Jeannine Martin.

 Through the Bring Trades to Schools program, students can engage in practical workshops and immersive experiences led by industry experts and educators.

 Ryan Leonhard, director of workforce initiatives, Burnaby Board of Trade (BBOT) explained that skilled trades are and will continue to be in high demand, so providing students with the opportunity to explore different skilled trades through hands-on, practical experience is a win for everyone. 

“Students connect with well-paying career options, and Burnaby gains more tradespeople to continue building and growing our local community and economy,” he said. 

 Marita Luk, business development manager, BCIT School of Construction and the Environment believes the BTS initiative will help to encourage more youth to consider a career path in construction trades. 

“BCIT is proud to partner with VRCA, BBOT and the Burnaby School District on the Bring Trades to School (BTS) initiative,” said Luk. “As the largest provider of trades training programs in Western Canada, BCIT is a key driver of strategic workforce development and will leverage its unique expertise and resources to support economic recovery, growth, and resilience in BC.” 

Key Takeaways:

• B.C. courts have upheld the government’s decision to pause power service to crypto-mining projects.
• Forestry products company Conifex sought to compel BC Hydro to provide power to several of its high-performance computing data centres it planned to use for mining.
• BC Hydro argued that the order should stand and Conifex’s mining centres would collectively use approximately 2,500,000 megawatt-hours of electrical energy per year.

The Whole Story:

A B.C. forestry company has been blocked by the courts in its quest to power a new cryptocurrency mining operation. 

Conifex Timber Inc. sought to compel BC Hydro to provide the massive amounts of electricity required for mining. The B.C. Supreme Court (BCSC) sided with BC Hydro, upholding the province’s ability to halt power for new crypto mining operations.  

“Conifex is disappointed by, and disagrees with, the BCSC’s decision,” said the company in a statement. “Conifex continues to believe that the provincial government is missing out on several opportunities available to it to improve energy affordability, accelerate technological innovation, strengthen the reliability and resiliency of the power distribution grid in British Columbia, and achieve more inclusive economic growth.” 

The company stated that it is considering its position in relation to the judgment, including potentially appealing the ruling, along with other legal avenues which it may pursue.

Crypto mining is the process of validating transactions on a blockchain network and adding them to the public ledger, known as the blockchain. The miners use powerful computers to solve complex mathematical problems that confirm and secure transactions. In proof-of-work-based cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, the first miner to solve the problem gets the right to add the next block to the blockchain and is rewarded with newly minted cryptocurrency and transaction fees. This process requires significant computational power and energy consumption, making it a competitive and resource-intensive activity.

At issue in the case was the validity of a 2022 order in council issued by the lieutenant governor which directed the BC Utilities Commission (BCUC) to issue orders relieving the BC Hydro of its obligation to supply service to cryptocurrency mining projects for a period of 18 months.

Conifex continues to believe that the provincial government is missing out on several opportunities available to it to improve energy affordability, accelerate technological innovation, strengthen the reliability and resiliency of the power distribution grid in British Columbia, and achieve more inclusive economic growth.

Statement from Conifex

As a result of that decision, two of the Conifex’s data centre projects were removed from BC Hydro’s interconnection queue. At the time of the decision, those two projects were at the front of the queue.

Conifex argued that the order was an unreasonable exercise of the lieutenant governor’s authority and contravened the intent and purposes of the Utilities Commissions Act. Conifex also argued that the order is invalid because it does not comply with the government’s obligations under the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act to consult with Indigenous peoples, in this case the Tsay Keh Dene Nation, with whom Conifex intended to collaborate with on its cryptocurrency mining projects.

Northern B.C.-based Conifex is a forestry company that had plans to diversify its operations by developing high-performance computing data centres for cryptocurrency mining. The first required step to secure sufficient electrical power for a mining operation is completing BC Hydro’s interconnection process. In early November 2021, Conifex’s first proposed centre completed that process, and is now moving forward. At the time the  order was issued, two of the Conifex’s other mining facilities were in the interconnection queue with BC Hydro, and were at the front of that queue.

The interconnection process requires the new customer to pay for any new system infrastructure requirements that are for that customer’s sole benefit, and to contribute to the cost of any system reinforcements or upgrades necessary to serve that customer.

BC Hydro made several comparisons to put the electricity usage of Conifex’s facilities in context, notably that projects would use almost half of the output of the Site C Project.

Christopher O’Riley, the CEO of BC Hydro, argued that Conifex’s mining centres would collectively use approximately 2,500,000 megawatt-hours of electrical energy per year. In fiscal year 2022, BC Hydro’s nine largest customer sites each required delivery of more than 500,000 megawatt-hours of electrical power, but none of the nine sites required more than 1,000,000 megawatt-hours.

BC Hydro noted that cryptocurrency mining is a comparatively new phenomenon. It has grown rapidly in the province over the past several years, and the interconnection requests for cryptocurrency miners have far exceeded projections forecast by BC Hydro in December 2020.

Justice Michael Tammen says in a ruling issued Friday that the government’s move in December 2022 to pause new connections for cryptocurrency mining for 18 months was “reasonable” and not “unduly discriminatory.”

Last summer, Conifex signed an agreement with 

The verdict comes less than a year after Greenidge, a cryptocurrency datacenter and power generation company, announced that it has executed a new hosting agreement with Conifex. Greenidge added that Tsay Keh Dene Nation, a First Nation with a traditional territory in north central B.C., would be collaborating with Conifex in supplying hosting services to Greenidge. Under the initial agreement, Conifex would host 750 miners on behalf of Greenidge with capacity of approximately 80 PH/s. 

The agreement included consideration for a potential expansion of 25MW of mining capacity using renewable energy. 

Key Takeaways: 

• The corporation said 2024 will be filled with construction milestones. 
• Major projects include the BMO Centre expansion, 17 Ave Extension & Victoria Park/Stampede Station Rebuild project and the Calgary Event Centre. 
• CMLC plans to issue a Progressive Design Build RFP in the coming weeks the design and construction of Calgary’s new event centre. 

The Whole Story:

Calgary Municipal Land Corporation (CMLC) is on track to advance more than $1 billion in major project completions and initiations this year. 

With the BMO Centre expansion and 17 Ave Extension & Victoria Park/Stampede Station Rebuild projects nearing completion, the late-2024 Arts Commons Transformation project construction groundbreaking approaching, and procurement underway for the new 6 St S.E. underpass, CMLC is preparing for a 2024 full of city-building milestones.

“As Calgary’s go-to city-building placemakers, CMLC has a proven track record of designing and delivering some of Calgary’s most transformational projects on behalf of our partners,” said Kate Thompson, CMLC’s president and CEO. “2024 will be a huge year for project completions and groundbreakings, and for continued progress and development for downtown Calgary’s east end. Our team is poised and ready to advance more than $1 billion in major city-shaping vertical and infrastructure builds this year, and to steward further development and placemaking in East Village.”

In 2024, CMLC will continue to oversee the development of several mixed-use residential projects in East Village, which includes projects like BOSA Development’s Arris Residences, which began leasing on 337 units in late 2023, and Alston Properties’ EV606, where construction is underway on 44 residential units and 9,000 SF of main floor retail space. 

CMLC says it is seeing sustained development interest in the community, recently signing Letters of Intent for three development parcels.

In the downtown core, CMLC is leading the Arts Commons Transformation and Olympic Plaza Transformation projects on behalf of Arts Commons and the City of Calgary, and are preparing to reveal the design for the Arts Commons Transformation expansion – a new building with a 1,000-seat theatre and 200-seat studio theatre – this spring and anticipate breaking ground on the expansion later this year. 

The Olympic Plaza Transformation project, which will support Arts Commons’ vision for an expanded, integrated Arts Commons campus, is also advancing through the design phase in 2024.

In The Culture + Entertainment District (The C+E), CMLC is preparing to bring more than $600 million of major city-building projects over the finish line in 2024 in partnership with the Calgary Stampede and the city. The BMO Centre expansion is expected to open for Stampede 2024 and the Victoria Park/Stampede Station Rebuild and 17 Ave S.E. Extension projects will are also on track for completion this summer.

In CMLC’s capacity as district construction coordinator, the team will continue to support the coordination of the many developments in The C+E, including the new Calgary Event Centre and the Green Line LRT’s 4 St S.E. station, to ensure access is maintained at all times for the many Calgarians and visitors who visit the BMO Centre and the Scotiabank Saddledome for events every year.

And as some of CMLC’s major builds in The C+E approach completion, the team is preparing to initiate another major related project: the new 6 St S.E. Underpass. As steward of the Rivers District Master Plan, CMLC will lead the delivery of the district infrastructure projects in support of the Calgary Event Centre. The 6 St S.E. Underpass is the first of those projects to get underway.

“The underpass was envisioned in the Rivers District Master Plan in 2019 as a critical infrastructure connection to support future development in the area, including a new Event Centre, the expanded BMO Centre and more than 4M square feet of future mixed-use development,” said Thompson. “CMLC has proven experience building infrastructure of this kind. In 2011, early in our stewardship of East Village, we delivered the 4 St S.E. Underpass, which has completely transformed the way people travel through downtown Calgary’s east end.”

In 2023, CMLC began the early scoping work required to support the future underpass. Now, with the Event Centre’s definitive agreements and funding in place, CMLC says it is ready to move the project into the next stage of development. 

CMLC will issue a Progressive Design Build RFP in the coming weeks to identify a project team that can support the design and construction. Early works on the project are anticipated to begin in 2024, and the overall construction schedule will be refined in due course.

“CMLC is proud to serve as steward of the Rivers District, and as development manager for some of our city’s most-anticipated capital builds,” said Kate. “Together, alongside the City of Calgary’s downtown revitalization work, these investments will put Calgary on the map as a Tier 1 tourism and hospitality destination, attracting international meetings and conventions audiences, dramatically transforming Calgary’s creative future, and fundamentally re-shaping the way that Calgarians experience downtown Calgary.”

Key Takeaways:

• Started in 2021 with two people, the SPO unit has grown to more than 20
• Officials say the “business within a business” requires an entrepreneurial spirit and the ability to adapt to the local market needs.
• The unit does carpentry, demolition, concrete, equipment rentals and more.

The Whole Story:

After seven years of growth in Canada, Turner’s business unit in Vancouver decided it wanted to look at creating its own self-performing operations (SPO) unit like other large general contractors.

Essentially, this entailed developing a business within a business led by someone with a passion for entrepreneurship. When they put out a call to current employees, Yasir Ali leapt at the opportunity. 

Starting small

“The reason I put my name in the hat to start SPO was because it was the perfect blend of entrepreneurship, creativity and being able to build a business from the ground up that has allowed me to positively impact the Vancouver construction community,” said Ali. 

In 2021, Ali partnered with Preston Boomars, a veteran superintendent at Turner, to shape what the new SPO department would look like. 

“Part of this is looking at it from an intrapreneurial lens in terms of how we set it up with processes and systems and policies, and how we set something up that is not just profitable one year, but sustainable year after year with that trajectory in mind,” said Ali.  

They decided to start by focusing on rough carpentry and site protection. Ali says this work got the business up and running, generated data and allowed the team to go into 2022 with a refined strategy. 

“2021 was a very good formative year. It kind of also changed the change culture,” said Ali. “When you’re starting something new, you are having to train up both internally and externally.” 

Based on their experiences in 2021 and feedback, in 2022 the SPO took off running. Rough carpentry got more established, the team got a truck, warehouse space was leased, Turner assets were used to start an equipment rental business and more staff were added.

Workforce development

These staff included an experienced Red Seal carpenter which triggered a whole new opportunity: workforce development. 

“We realized if we have this experienced carpenter, we should also tap into high schools and look at what carpentry apprenticeship looks like,” said Ali. 

Working with Turner’s Vancouver Business Unit, they connected with several schools and have now created two active partnerships with schools. Every quarter, there are week-long job shadow opportunities for students to get basic construction training and experience on a variety of job sites. 

“If it is something they are interested in, we will bring them on board and then we support their entire journey through their technical acumen as well as setting them up in the industry to eventually be a carpenter Journeyman,” said Ali. 

Adding new kinds of work

In 2022 another opportunity arose. One of Turner’s trade partners was no longer interested in performing demolition work. Turner brought on some of their key folks and added demolition to its SPO services. 

“We kick started last year going out doing demolition, purely clean demolition, anything that doesn’t contain hazardous materials,” said Ali. “One of the other things we started doing on the back end of both 2022 and 2023 was we started tapping into external projects. These were key strategic projects that made sense for us, either they were too small for a special projects division or they were opportunities for us to Maybe do 50% of the work in-house by self-performing. So it just made more sense for us to tackle and that also created a benefit on the back end where we had a more Streamlined course of events.” 

The SPO aslo looked at partnering with Turner’s virtual design and construction department. A robotic total station allowed them to tap into laser scanning and registration. This meant they could get in on an early construction capacity and help clients figure out what the existing conditions look like to avoid change order.

Towards the tail end of 2023 the SPO realized their team was doing a great deal of rock carpentry and decided to expand into drywal. They kick started their very first small drywall project and are looking at adding that as part of their regular services. 

What started out as a two-person department had grown into 22 employees. Amit Patel, vice president & general manager at Turner Construction’s Vancouver business unit, explained that this growth has been directed to the Lower Mainland business’s specific needs. 

“Trade partners are our lifeblood so we don’t want to undercut our trade partners at all,” he said. “We want to work with them. We’re trying to do scopes that trades don’t generally want to pick up or the size and scope is generally not available to them, so that we can still do that for our clients.”

Sustainable growth

As for the future growth of Turner’s SPO department, Ali said the team is trying to be very targeted and mindful about how they grow. One thing they are looking into is cross-training so SPO workers can do multiple kinds of jobs. 

When it comes to starting business inside a business, Patel stressed that it takes a great deal of passion to develop it. 

“It’s about that entrepreneurial Spirit,” said Patel. “To start a business, it’s not just being operational minded. There’s a lot of thankless hours and a lot of long hours. You gotta want to do it for just the love of growing a business and Yasir had that so he was perfect for it.”

Key Takeaways:

• Canada is seeing rapid reductions (potentially up to 5%) in both high and low-rise residential construction costs, with much larger reductions anticipated in Toronto, followed by Montreal and Vancouver.
• Interest rates are expected to begin their decline in 2024, at which point condominium sales will likely recover. By this time, we should also see increased momentum in purpose-built rental development, with credit to government-led incentives and an increase in infrastructure spending.
• Mid-term (2025-2026) success will hinge on timing the market and beating the rush, taking a deal, and hitting the ground running.
• In the long term, we are likely to find ourselves losing the demand versus supply fight, and costs may continue to escalate while the housing crisis intensifies. 

The Whole Story:

Builders could be seeing some relief from high construction costs, however in the long term, the industry will continue to face significant challenges . 

The latest construction costs forecast from Altus group shows that Canada is seeing rapid reductions (potentially up to 5%) in both high and low-rise residential construction costs, with much larger reductions anticipated in Toronto, followed by Montreal and Vancouver.

Marlon Bray, Altus Group’s senior director of cost consulting & project management, wrote that as the industry heads into 2024, development demand is ripe (particularly in the case of residential development), but investors, builders, and developers are wary in this high-interest rate environment. 

“While escalation projections are, in essence, a well-educated guess – especially in the current, more volatile landscape – it remains important to highlight the anticipated impact of cost escalation over the short term, midterm, and longer term,” said Bray.

Across Canada, Altus is seeing rapid reductions (potentially up to 5%) in both high and low-rise residential construction costs, with much larger reductions expected for Toronto, followed by Montreal and Vancouver. However, in the Atlantic (Halifax, in particular) and the Prairies (Calgary, in particular), cost reductions are not expected. Bray noted that instead, these regions could see a continued upward trajectory.

“This cost correction can largely be attributed to interest rate hikes, which have impacted the condominium and low-rise markets in the most expensive cities, by the largest degree,” said Bray. “In the current environment, sales have plummeted, and construction starts are slowing (if not coming to a near halt). The ongoing housing crisis is expected to worsen as a result, with regions like the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) expected to be hit the hardest.”

According to Build Force Canada, employment in the residential sector is forecasted to decline by more than 11,000 workers – or approximately 5% of the 2021 workforce – as demand for new home construction recedes. The non-residential sector helps to offset this; however, the skills need to be transferable, and location plays a key role. Quebec and B.C. will also see large drops in workforce, with a significant decline in Quebec non-residential expected as well.

Even in the best-case scenario, housing needs, infrastructure challenges, and the lack of skilled labour in the market are on a collision course to create a massive construction cost headache – or hangover.

Marlon Bray, senior director of cost consulting & project management, Altus Group

Labour costs are not expected to decrease; union agreements in addition to the increased cost of living mean there is little wiggle room. Material costs have stabilized (albeit higher than pre-pandemic) with some reductions, but nothing significant on an overall project scale.

Bray said the industry will likely see a reduction of overhead and profit as companies adopt lean operational models. To insulate profit margins, some construction trades will reduce their labour force and focus on recreating productivity for the inevitable resurgence in residential construction.

Housing development is expected to slow outside of Calgary and Halifax in 2024. However, the infrastructure/institutional market (including transit and social investments) will remain robust for the foreseeable future in Ontario, Atlantic, and Alberta regions – and to a lesser degree in B.C.

Mid-term: 2025-2026

Interest rates are expected to begin their decline in 2024, at which point condominium sales will likely recover. By this time, we should also see increased momentum in purpose-built rental development, with credit to government-led incentives and an increase in infrastructure spending.

As sales increase, the construction market could become flooded with development projects, especially in regions like Toronto. There are potentially 90,000 condominiums on deck, ready to go out for sale over the next few years in the GTA, along with 30,000 rentals that should be approved and ready to go (with even more moving through the system). 

“In simpler terms, we may see the construction industry shift from 2nd gear to 8th gear in the span of 6 to 9 months,” said Bray.

He explained that success in this mid-term period will hinge on timing the market and beating the rush, taking a deal, and hitting the ground running. This kind of environment is all about relationships, rather than competitive tendering. 

“The lowest bid is not always the best choice; rather, it’s about selecting the right person who can get the project finished,” said Bray. “This sentiment applies to trades as well – pick the right owner, because getting paid should be the priority in a high-interest environment.”

He added that when considering private sector construction costs, it’s also important to recognize that time is an exceedingly important factor in the overall cost of any project. Slow construction timelines (and delays) translate to higher trade, interest, and overhead costs, as well as the loss of opportunity. Within a construction site, “too many white hats” is often a bad sign for coordination and efficiency. 

Bray says the most efficient construction sites are typically those that have leaders and decision-makers in more limited quantities. The presence of too many “cooks in the kitchen”, so to speak, can become more of a productivity bottleneck than an asset. 

“In the world of development, the speed at which decisions are made is a key determinator of profit potential, and if you have the right people, they know how to get things done,” said Bray.

Altus expects the mid-term to endure some serious turbulence. Labour demand is likely going to exceed available supply in 2026; most acutely in Ontario, B.C., and Nova Scotia.

The long-term outlook

In the worst-case scenario, the “wheels may come off the hypothetical development freight train” and we could see double-digit escalation over the long-term, predicted Bray. 

“Even in the best-case scenario, housing needs, infrastructure challenges, and the lack of skilled labour in the market are on a collision course to create a massive construction cost headache – or hangover,” he said. 

When it comes to the housing crisis, Bray said the biggest challenge won’t be policy, it’s the shortage of skilled labour. 

He explained that in the long term, we are likely to find ourselves losing the demand versus supply fight, and costs may continue to escalate while the housing crisis intensifies. 

“The fix? It’s a complicated issue, but the development of a national housing plan that is focused on tangible outcomes and the continued removal of red tape and bureaucracy would be a step in the right direction,” he said. 

Bray believes that if we don’t make major changes to the market now, it’s going to become expensive to build anything, anywhere. He noted that innovation is required; modulization, building information modelling (BIM), and artificial intelligence (AI) need to be applied across the industry. Moreover, we need to find a way to better attract and retain skilled labour. 

“Trade workers build homes that house families and foster communities – this is critical and honourable work that should not be minimized, but celebrated and propped up, now more than ever,” said Bray.

Transferring ownership of a construction business is no simple task. 

It’s a unique industry based on relationships, projects pipelines and processes. Financial services firm First West Capital has in-depth knowledge of the construction sector. When navigating a business sale, their goal is to ensure a fair deal that rewards the owner and sets up the new one for success. 

One of the most complex tasks is answering a deceptively simple question: What is a construction business worth? 

Construction is project-based

Geoff Devereux, a director at First West Capital, explained that while equipment, real estate and other assets are part of this equation, unlike other industries, construction is mostly a project-based business. The common refrain is that you are only as good as your next project. Most construction businesses can produce a forecast of the next six to nine months based on what projects are in the queue.

“But after that it just falls off a cliff and it’s really tough to estimate how things are going to be,” he said. “Even businesses that have been in the industry for 20 years, they’re still very much averse to thinking about multi-year forecasts not based on an actual pipeline. And so figuring all of that out when you’re buying a business is going to be pretty critical to its value.” 

This is often why valuation multiples tend to be a bit lower than other sectors that aren’t subject to the project dynamic. Having a diverse portfolio of projects, sticking with work that your team is experienced with and cultivating relationships with multiple clients are ways to mitigate some of these risks and maintain a business’s value. 

Finding the hidden value

While important, project value isn’t everything. 

Steve Chen, vice president and head of First West Capital, explained that often construction businesses overlook some of their biggest assets for buyers. 

“When we are talking to construction companies — could be trades or subtrades or whoever — they are always talking about their pipeline, saying ‘these are our customers, this is our pipeline’ and we find a lot of value in that for sure, but I think that they undersell the processes, systems and controls that they have built internally,” said Chen. 

How bidding is organized, project management, software systems and many other factors can be a huge in determining the value of a company. First West Capital added that this is especially true of companies with strong estimating offices that are pragmatic and realistic in their work. 

“A lot of companies do these things well. My two cents is that you should be talking about all these processes and systems that you have put in place and how they have contributed to the ongoing profitability and success of the business,” said Chen.     

Thinking beyond price

Chen added that coordinating ownership changes is about more than money. He believes the early conversations should also include planning how the transition will create success for both parties going forward. 

“At the end of the day there is going to be a valuation that includes something paid now and something that gets paid over time,” he said. “If  you just focus on what’s paid today, no matter how well you structure it, you’re probably not going to get the amounts that are paid later. The business is not going to be successful or the projects will fall off when customers aren’t happy.”

Chen encouraged companies thinking of selling to make sure that good systems and processes are in place that will set the business up for ongoing success after ownership changes hands and key people might not be in place. 

He also stressed the importance of understanding who an ideal buyer might be. It could be a competitor down the street, members of your own management team or a large company on the other side of the country who wants to expand into your market. 

“Identify who your ideal buyer is, why they want your business and what it would take to make them successful,” he said. “If you can do that, you’re maximizing your dollars.”

Common pitfalls 

While it may be tempting to try and simplify the process with a handshake deal, Devereux cautioned owners and buyers from avoiding the details. 

“What we sometimes see is an existing owner and several key employees show up at our door with an agreed upon price but not enough work has been done to support the valuation,” he said. “Then things get bogged down because as soon as you dig in, everyone’s expectations get blown apart and things become contentious.” 

While he noted that there can be some hesitation to include consultants, high quality ones exist and can create a deal that is a win for everyone. 

“Typically there is some contingent compensation or transition period so the deal is going to close and then you’re going to have to still work together,” he said. “And if you’re feeling like you just got sort of whatever short end of the stick, suddenly all that cooperation gets a lot tougher.”

Mary Liu, an associate director at First West Capital, believes that structuring a buyout can be complex and many owners tend to avoid advisors, instead opting to keep things in the company. 

“A lot of that work ends up getting done in-house by having these conversations with their more senior employees and thinking about what kind of home equity can be borrowed to buy out a business,” she said. “So they’ve done it in a very grassroots kind of way and instead of seeking professional help on that and I think  because of that, they’ll tend to leave some money on the table.”

If you are thinking about transferring ownership of your construction business, connect with First West Capital’s team to see if they can help your journey. 

• Project Manager – Brockville, Ont. – Newterra
• Director, Construction Admin, Bridges/Highways/Roads – Toronto, Ont. – WSP
• Project Manager – Parkland County, Alta. – Nelson Environmental Group
• VP, Operations – Montreal, Que. – ANDY
• North American Director of Engineering, Sustainable Infrastructure Services – Richmond Hill, Ont. – Johnson Controls 
• Project Manager – Toronto, Ont. – Mueller Water Products
• VP of Logistics – Montreal, Que. – ANDY  
• Project Manager – Vancouver, B.C. – Sledgman Pty
• VP of Engineering – Sturgeon County, Alta. – Pegasus
• VP, Energy Transition & Asset Management – Regina, Sask. – SaskPower

Key Takeaways:

• The Victoria Hospital agreement includes the design and construction of a new acute care tower that  features a heliport on the roof, an expanded emergency department, larger operating rooms, pediatrics, maternity, NICU, new medical imaging, and a First Nations and Métis Cultural space.
• Overall capacity at Victoria Hospital, between the new tower and existing facility, will increase 40%, from 173 to 242 beds.  
• Construction on the new tower is expected to begin in spring 2024 with anticipated completion in 2028.
• The design build agreement includes an option to retain services for phased future renovations to the existing facility.

Whole Story:

PCL Construction Management has entered an $898 million agreement to design and build the Prince Albert Victoria Hospital in Saskatchewan. 

The agreement is inclusive of the design and early works agreement awarded through a public procurement to PCL in December 2022.  

“On behalf of PCL Construction and the extended Design Build team, we would like to express how proud and excited we are to deliver the Victoria Hospital project for the Prince Albert, Northern Saskatchewan, and Indigenous communities that this hospital serves,” PCL District Manager Mike Staines said.  

The Victoria Hospital agreement includes design and construction of a new acute care tower connected to, and directly north of the existing facility. The new tower features a heliport on the roof, an expanded emergency department, larger operating rooms, pediatrics, maternity, NICU, new medical imaging, and a First Nations and Métis Cultural space, among other key services. Overall capacity at Victoria Hospital, between the new tower and existing facility, will increase 40 per cent, from 173 to 242 beds.  

Prince Albert Grand Council (PAGC) is working with the Government of Saskatchewan and the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) on designing the cultural space that will be central to the new main entrance. PCL will engage with local and Indigenous vendors to deliver services for the construction. 

“I am proud that our government is getting this project done and that it is the largest single investment, private or government, in the history of Prince Albert,” SaskBuilds and Procurement Minister and MLA for Prince Albert Carleton Joe Hargrave said. “This hospital will bring expanded and state of the art service to Prince Albert and the North and will benefit all of Saskatchewan upon completion.”

PCL and the SHA will work to ensure minimal disruption to staff and visitors to the hospital during construction and renovation phases. Patient care is not expected to be impacted.  

The design build agreement includes an option to retain services for phased future renovations to the existing facility.

Site preparation/early works included construction of a new parking lot, which will be paved this spring. Construction on the new tower is expected to begin in spring 2024 with anticipated completion in 2028.

Listen to the episode:

It’s not breaking news in the construction sector that construction costs have gone up.

Canada’s residential construction price index has soared 51% since the start of the pandemic, putting new pressure on home prices amid a severe housing affordability crisis. 

Compared to 2017, residential building costs are now 79% higher in Calgary, 65% higher in Edmonton, and 57% higher in Metro Vancouver. For the 11-city Canadian composite, the comparable increase is 73%.

The deeper question is why these costs have skyrocketed in recent years. SiteNews Editor Russell Hixson stopped by the Free Lunch by The Peak podcast to share how much construction costs have gone up and what the major forces behind these increases are.

“Without question, the number one thing that keeps builders up at night … we are going off a demographic cliff,” said Hixson, highlighting the impact worker shortages are having on rising costs. “You have a lot of people who have been in the trades , they are highly skilled workers, they are electricians, project managers, carpenters, and they are getting to retirement age. And there are not as many people going into the industry.”

According to BuildForce Canada, overall hiring requirements in the industry are expected to exceed 299,000 by 2032 due to the retirement of approximately 245,000 workers (20% of the 2022 labour force) and growth in worker demand of more than 54,000. They are predicting a possible retirement-recruitment gap of more than 61,000 workers.

To compete for this smaller pool of workers, the industry has had to offer better wages and more benefits. And many builders are having to turn down work. According to the Independent Contractors and Business Association’s most recent survey in B.C., in 2025, the industry’s average hourly wage – before any bonuses, benefits, profit-sharing or overtime – will reach $37.51, or about $78,000 annually.

Hixson also spoke about the challenge builders have acquiring materials and how those costs have also gone up due to supply chain disruptions and high demand. Some of these disruptions include COVID-19 causing reduced mill capacity, storms cutting off highways in B.C., port strikes, the war in Ukraine and more.

When asked by the hosts what can be done to address these challenges, Hixson spoke about the movement to enact prompt payment, contracts that encourage more project collaboration, technology that can reduce labour demands and more.

“More and more what we are seeing is that builders on a project need to work together to share risk,” said Hixson. “There is always going to be volatility. Stuff is going to happen. If you just try and gouge each other and beat each other, everyone is going to lose. Builders will go bankrupt and you won’t have that partner to work with in the future.”

We have Snow angels, cold concrete pours, buildings on boats and more in the very first SiteViews of the new year.

Ventana Construction

That’s one way to instantly increase your amount of workers. Ventana crews took a break from their B.C. job sites to make snow angels.

Metrolinx

Crews check out the Toronto skyline from Exhibition Station, where one day the Ontario Line subway will share a concourse with GoTransit. Until then, teams are putting the finishing touches on the pedestrian bridge.

Surerus Murphy Joint Venture

On January 20, Surerus Murphy Joint Venture reached 9,005 total completed welds on the Trans Mountain Expansion Project, concluding their welding program with a project-leading repair rate of 3.18%.

Canam

Canam’s massive steel girders roll through Toronto before getting installed at the eight-story podium area at 141 Bay at CIBC Square.

Jacob Bros

This project will be thrilling adventure seekers for years to come. ThunderVolt is beginning to take shape at the PNE in Vancouver. The new coaster will have a fully themed entrance plaza, waiting area, illuminated launch tunnel and landscaping, with footpaths for visitors.

Turner Construction

Turner’s self perform team works on concrete topping at The Post in downtown Vancouver.

Kiewit

A Craft Voice in Safety (CVIS) team member helps maintain safety on site. Every Kiewit job requires a CVIS team to empower craft workers to take ownership of their safety and the safety of those on the project.

CIP Modular

How do you deliver a building to an island? You float it of course. CIP’s first install of the year was a new campground office for Regional District of Nanaimo at Descanso Bay Park.

Syncra Construction

Syncra crews pour the final slab-on-grade at its Kits Block project site. The first section of P1 exterior walls were shot, and the P1 suspended slab reinforcing and electrical rough-ins also took place.

MGI Construction Corp.

MGI conducts demolition operations during a cold Ontario winter.

Seaspan

Seaspan Victoria Shipyards hosted Disney Cruise Line’s Disney Wonder for a quick visit before it set sail for Australia and New Zealand.

The shot of the month goes to …

The Quorum Group

With the crisp winter sky, rolling mountains dotted with trees and crews working on the roof, it almost looks like a painting. The team is working on a two-storey, 12-classroom addition to Dr. Knox Middle School in Kelowna, B.C. The budget for the project is $22.3 million.

Key Takeaways:

• The initial phase includes engineering and design work as well as securing long-lead components that can require years for manufacturing.
• This phase will last through the end of 2024. All the work is anticipated to be completed by the mid-2030s.
• the refurbishment of Pickering is expected to increase Ontario’s GDP by $19.4 billion over the 11-year project period.

The Whole Story:

The Ontario government is supporting Ontario Power Generation’s (OPG) plan to proceed with the next steps toward refurbishing Pickering Nuclear Generating Station’s “B” units (units 5-8). Once refurbished, Pickering would produce a total of 2,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity, equivalent to powering two million homes. 

“With global business looking to expand in jurisdictions with reliable, affordable and clean electricity, a refurbished Pickering Nuclear Generating Station would help Ontario compete for and land more game-changing investments,” said Todd Smith, minister of energy. “The refurbishment of Pickering would create thousands of new jobs and help produce at least another 30 years of safe, reliable and clean electricity to power the next major international investment, the new homes we are building and industries as they grow and electrify.”

OPG will now proceed with the project initiation phase of refurbishment which will last through the end of 2024. The government is supporting OPG’s $2 billion budget for this phase which includes engineering and design work as well as securing long-lead components that can require years for manufacturing. By placing orders in advance with key suppliers, OPG will ensure materials are available when Ontario needs them and help keep costs down. OPG and its business partners will also identify potential Indigenous engagement opportunities in contracting, employment and other economic benefits related to the project.

“With new investments and jobs coming to Ontario and the population growing rapidly, our province needs clean and affordable energy that all communities can rely on,” said Peter Bethlenfalvy, MPP for Pickering-Uxbridge. “To meet this growing electricity demand, we are expanding Ontario’s generation capacity, conducting Canada’s largest clean energy storage procurement, and expanding energy efficiency programs.”

Based on OPG’s preliminary schedule, the refurbishment of Pickering Nuclear Generation Station is anticipated to be completed by the mid-2030s. According to independent preliminary analysis by the Conference Board of Canada, the refurbishment of Pickering is expected to increase Ontario’s GDP by $19.4 billion over the 11-year project period. The project is also expected to create about 11,000 jobs per year. Post-refurbishment operation of the facility is expected to also create and sustain about 6,410 Ontario jobs per year for decades.

“Today’s announcement is a testament to the highly skilled Pickering Nuclear team, whose focus on safety and performance allows the station to reliably power the equivalent of more than two million Ontario homes,” said Ken Hartwick, OPG president and CEO. “Our experience refurbishing Darlington, a highly complex project that remains on time and on budget, will be invaluable as we begin the work necessary so Pickering can continue to help meet the growing electricity demands of this thriving province for another three-plus decades.”

The Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) concluded that the Pickering refurbishment would provide better overall ratepayer value in terms of costs and risks, when compared against non-emitting generation alternatives.

Ontario will follow a multi-phase approvals process. The project is also subject to regulatory approval by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC). The CNSC is the federal nuclear regulator responsible for licensing nuclear power plants and overseeing their safe operation in Canada.

Key Takeaways:

• The decision comes after direction from Ontario’s minister of energy to the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO), outlining next steps related to the project including a cost recovery agreement.
• Using water and gravity, pumped storage acts like a giant battery. It stores excess electricity when demand is low and makes it available when it is high.
• If built, the facility would provide 1,000 MW of flexible energy to Ontario’s electricity system.
• It is expected that construction for the project would begin in the latter part of this decade with in-service in the early 2030s.

The Whole Story:

TC Energy Corporation announced this month that it will continue to advance the Ontario Pumped Storage Project with its prospective partner Saugeen Ojibway Nation, and begin work with the Ministry of Energy and the Ontario Energy Board (OEB), to establish a potential long-term revenue framework. Further, TC Energy and Saugeen Ojibway Nation will assist with the ministry’s evaluation of the Project’s broader societal and economic benefits.

The decision comes after direction from Ontario’s minister of energy to the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO), outlining next steps related to the project including a cost recovery agreement. Subject to an agreement with the IESO, this direction from the minister will facilitate the continued development of the project, that if constructed, will support Ontario’s long-term plans to grow the economy and build a sustainable, reliable and clean electricity system.

TC Energy and Saugeen Ojibway Nation stated that they look forward to continuing work with the Ministry, the IESO and the OEB to advance the project, which they say will play an important role in accelerating the province’s ambitious plans for clean economic growth.

Using water and gravity, pumped storage acts like a giant battery. It stores excess electricity when demand is low and makes it available when it is high.

The Ontario Pumped Storage Project will be designed, engineered, and built by a domestic supply chain. During construction, the project will create 1,000 unionized jobs and over 75% of the total materials and supplies will be provided by Ontario-based companies.

Based on feedback from stakeholders and Indigenous groups, the project team opted to completely re-designed the project to enhance protections for Georgian Bay & near-shore environments.

The project remains subject to the approval of TC Energy’s board of directors and Saugeen Ojibway Nation. It is expected that construction for the project would begin in the latter part of this decade with in-service in the early 2030s, subject to receipt of regulatory and corporate approvals. Further, any future capital allocation decisions will align with TC Energy’s net capital expenditure limit of $6-7 billion post-2024.

 The Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) estimates that Ontario needs 5,000 to 15,000 megawatts (MW) of new electricity production by 2035. When operational, the OPSP will provide 1,000 MW of flexible, clean energy to Ontario’s electricity system — enough to power a million homes for up to 11 hours.

Key Takeaways:

• The over $40 billion Apartment Construction Loan Program is providing low-cost financing to build more than 101,000 new rental homes across Canada by 2031-32.
• Ottawa announced plans to expand the program to include housing for students.
• The announcement comes just days after Otrtawa revealed plans to set an intake cap on international student permit applications to stabilize new growth for a period of two year

The Whole Story:

The federal government has turned its attention to the construction of student housing in its ongoing efforts to address the nation’s affordable housing crisis. 

The Government of Canada will be offering low-cost loans to build more student housing on- and off-campus. They stated that by reforming the Apartment Construction Loan Program, the country will be able to help more students find housing they can afford close to where they study, and help ensure that there are more homes available for families who live in those same communities year-round.

The over $40 billion Apartment Construction Loan Program, formerly known as the Rental Construction Financing Initiative, is providing low-cost financing to build more than 101,000 new rental homes across Canada by 2031-32.

Reforms to the Apartment Construction Loan Program will permit post-secondary institutions to access low-cost loans for student housing construction. The application process is expected to be open in 2024. 

The 2023 Fall Economic Statement announced an additional $15 billion in low-cost loans for the Apartment Construction Loan Program and an additional $1 billion in new funding for the Affordable Housing Fund.

“By allowing post-secondary institutions to access low-cost loans in order to build more student housing, we will help more students find affordable places to live close to where they study, and help ensure there are more homes available for families and folks who live in the community nearby,” said Housing Minister Sean Fraser.

The announcement comes just days after Otrtawa revealed plans to set an intake cap on international student permit applications to stabilize new growth for a period of two years. For 2024, the cap is expected to result in approximately 360,000 approved study permits, a decrease of 35% from 2023. 

Individual provincial and territorial caps have been established, weighted by population, which will result in much more significant decreases in provinces where the international student population has seen the most unsustainable growth, officials said. Study permit renewals will not be impacted. Those pursuing master’s and doctoral degrees, and elementary and secondary education are not included in the cap. Current study permit holders will not be affected.

Soon after the federal announcement, some provinces also introduced new measures to curb international student numbers. Ontario announced a moratorium on new public-private college partnerships. Officials also said they plan to require all colleges and universities to “guarantee that housing options are available for incoming students,” and reinforce oversight of programs with high numbers of international students. B.C. promised to ban new post-secondary institutions from applying to enrol international students for the next two years, as the province roots out “exploitive practices”.

Key Takeaways:

• The funds will focus on increasing the participation of underrepresented groups, such as women, newcomers, persons with disabilities, Indigenous people, and racialized Canadians, in the Red Seal trades.
• They will go towards two projects: one with Build A Dream to Empower Women and the other with Women’s Enterprise Skills Training of Windsor.
• According to the latest data from BuildForce Canada, women make up roughly 12.8% of the Canadian construction sector.

The Whole Story:

Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages, Randy Boissonnault, has announced funding for over $7.3 million for two projects through the Canadian Apprenticeship Strategy’s Union Training and Innovation Program (UTIP) – Innovation in Apprenticeship Stream. These projects will improve the participation of underrepresented groups, such as women, newcomers, persons with disabilities, Indigenous people, and racialized Canadians, in the Red Seal trades.

Through the first project titled Diversifying the Talent Pipelines for In-demand Red Seal Trades, Build a Dream to Empower Women will receive more than $4 million over two years to help up to 18,000 underrepresented apprentices in Ontario, Alberta and Nova Scotia improve their overall skills and competencies in leadership and team building. Participants will also get support to upgrade their technical skills through hands-on experience. In collaboration with unions and employers, the organization will help participants find work placements in the Red Seal trades.

As part of the second project, Women’s Enterprise Skills Training of Windsor Inc. (WEST) will receive more than $3 million over four years for their SMART for Women project to help up to 400 unrepresented apprentices to progress and succeed in their apprenticeships. WEST will provide math refresher courses; assist participants to enroll in technical training courses offered by trades schools and training providers; and provide participants with wrap-around supports, such as childcare and financial support, so they can complete their apprenticeship training successfully and pursue in-demand jobs.

“Investing in training and opportunities for Canadian workers is how we fill critical labour gaps across Canada,” said Boissonnault. “Build a Dream to Empower Women and Women’s Enterprise Skills Training of Windsor Inc are doing this work on the ground and directly supporting the future of Windsor’s workforce. This $7.3 million investment will strengthen our workforce and grow our economy, and support middle class jobs for the people of Windsor.”

• VP, Engineering – Sturgeon Country, Alta. – Pegasus
• VP, Energy Transition/Asset Management – Regina, Sask. – SaskPower
• Project Director, Construction – Edmonton, Alta. – Worley
• Engineering Manager – Toronto, Ont. – Bird Construction 
• Director, Corporate Strategy – Regina, Sask. – SaskPower
• Director, Automation Engineering – Chambly, Que. – ANDRITZ
• VP Commercial Management, Enterprise Practice – Toronto, Ont. – Metrolinx
• VP, Collection Operations – Oakville, Ont. – Emterra Environmental
• VP, Health & Safety Environmental Services – Vaughan, Ont. – GFL Environmental
• VP, Engineering – Calgary, Alta. – Carbon Upcycling

Key Takeaways:

• The acquisition is expected to close on February 4. 
• The two companies will have a combined 1,000-person team that can leverage shared tools, processes, and resources.
• Post acquisition, Dynamysk will continue to operate independently out of its Calgary and Sherwood Park offices, with a transition to Allnorth planned for later in the year. 

The Whole Story:

Allnorth Consultants Limited has announced its plans to acquire Dynamysk Automation Ltd., a provider of instrumentation, controls (automation), and electrical (ICE) solutions.

Allnorth stated that since its inception in 2006, Dynamysk has excelled by the integration of engineering, inspections, commissioning and installation, to offer full-service solutions over the entire project lifecycle to their clients. 

The company noted that it has worked with the Dynamysk team to confirm strong alignment in core values. Both Allnorth and Dynamysk said they prioritize a focus on the well-being of their teams, strong client relationships, and profitability. They added this strong alignment in core values will promote a cultural fit between the two companies, which can facilitate a smooth integration process.Leadership teams from both companies have identified synergies that can accelerate growth initiatives, enhance service offerings, and improve profitability. 

The two companies will have a combined 1,000-person team that can leverage shared tools, processes, and resources. The companies noted that the acquisition also lays the foundation for further organic expansion, supported by Dynamysk’s innovative quality and completions software solutions, like RFO Central (Ready for Operations).

“The acquisition of Dynamysk Automation is a significant milestone in our journey to provide opportunities for our team to provide comprehensive solutions to our valued clients. We look forward to the exciting opportunities that lie ahead as we embark on this journey together,” said Darby Kreitz, CEO of Allnorth.

The integration of Dynamysk’s instrumentation, controls (automation), and electrical team significantly enhances Allnorth’s service offerings. Dynamysk’s clients will benefit from Allnorth’s expertise in civil, structural and mechanical engineering as well as geomatic, materials testing, environmental, and project delivery services. This unique service bundling can be extended to various sectors, including energy and renewables, metals and minerals, fiber and chemicals, and infrastructure.

“Dynamysk continues to look for opportunities to grow value as it relates to our customers, our shareholders and most importantly our people,” said John Lisoway, president of Dynamysk. “When the Allnorth opportunity presented itself, we examined our synergies and realized that together, it checked off all the boxes.  Dynamysk wanted a partner who would complement what each had to offer, creating greater opportunity and value for our customers’ business (the one-stop-shop approach),  a partner that created opportunities for its people to grow, prosper and feel valued (built by people), a partner that shared common core social and fiscal values, and finally a partner who was in, and who understood, the services business.  The integration of Dynamysk with Allnorth is something I am very excited about and look forward to what the future brings.”    

Post acquisition, Dynamysk will continue to operate independently out of its Calgary and Sherwood Park offices, with a transition to Allnorth planned for later in the year. 

Allnorth is a privately held, multi-disciplinary engineering, project delivery and construction services company established in 1995. They service clients primarily in the metals and minerals, energy and renewables, fiber and chemicals and infrastructure sectors. They have offices across Canada, in the U.S. and Mexico.

Dynamysk is a privately owned Canadian company specializing in delivering fully integrated lifecycle solutions in the industrial Instrumentation, Controls (automation), Electrical (ICE) disciplines. This includes all phases of a project from engineering through fabrication, installation, inspections, commissioning and maintenance. Founded in 2006 and with office locations in Calgary, Alta. and Sherwood Park, Alta, Dynamysk has completed projects for clients in Canada, the U.S. and overseas.

Daryl Heppner, operations manager for Polycrete Restorations, is celebrating 30 years with BM Group.  Balraj Mann, CEO of Polycrete and BM Group chairman, said that “it is not an understatement to say Polycrete nor the BM Group would not be where it is today” without Heppner. 

Steve Van Hoffen has been appointed chief financial officer of Maple Reinders after serving the company in increasingly senior finance roles for over 17 years. Van Hoffen stated that he looks forward to supporting the business units to excel, contributing to the company’s strategic growth, and continuing his career at a company that aligns with his values.

Mark Wessel, is celebrating 20 years at Beedie where he works as director of IT.

Working at Beedie has been an amazing experience, mainly due to the opportunity to work with so many talented people, forming great friendships, and, best of all, falling in love and marrying a coworker over 14 years ago. Beedie has proven to be more than just a career for me; it has provided the foundation for a family, complete with a loving wife and kids!

– Wessel

Carla Parsons has been named director of business development – B.C. & Alberta at FINEX INC. Parsons stated that FINEX is a Canadian based, high-density fiber cement that’s about to change the dynamic in Western Canada. Prior to the role, she worked as director of communications for Canadian Construction Women (CCW). 

Frano Cavar will be expanding his role at the Calgary Construction Association to director of public affairs and external relations. He has spent more than two years at the association as director of government relations. 

Grant Grenier is starting a new position as construction & asphalt manager at Lafarge Canada. Prior to this, Grenier spent more than 20 years at Graham as a construction superintendent and a business development manager. 

Erin Elliott, Wesgroup Properties’ VP of accounting, has been appointed director of stakeholder relations for Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW).

John M. Beck, Aecon founder and chairman, has been appointed to the Order of Ontario, the province’s highest civilian honour. 

Brandon Alpine, a Ktunaxa citizen, will be honoured with an educational bursary partnership at the College of the Rockies. Alpine, who passed away last year at age 39, was part of the Aecon Industrial West team and the Construction Maintenance & Allied Workers (CMAW) union. The bursary will be sponsored by Aecon, CMAW 2300 and Alpine’s mother, Janice. 

Pomerleau reached a major milestone this month. The company, along with its subsidiaries Borea Construction and ITC Construction, announced it now employs 5,000 people across the country. 

Jason Metcalfe has started a new position as acquisitions and development manager at Diverse Properties. 

Shawn Gray has joined The Net Effect team as its newest digital advisor and project manager. Recognized as one of Canada’s Top-40-under-40 in construction, Shawn brings over 15 years of cross-market experience in engineering, construction, and technology leadership, having successfully delivered construction projects exceeding $5 billion in value.

Christian Dover has been appointed president of Limen. Dover has more than 20 years of experience in the Canadian and U.S. construction industry.

I am excited and honoured to join the executive team at Limen and for the opportunity to continue to build on Limen’s reputation of delivering safe and successful projects to their strong, growing and loyal customer base. I look forward to working with the existing Limen management team to meet our growth and diversification goals.

– Dover

Emma Grimsrud of Saskatoon has won PCL Construction’s National Student Scholarship. Grimsrud was selected from 670 other students. She will receive a $5,000.

Matthew Rinfret has been appointed Inflector Environmental Services‘ new chief operating officer. His extensive background includes a 17-year tenure with a PCL where he oversaw operations and large-scale projects in the Ottawa and Montreal regions.

As I join Inflector, I am excited for the opportunity to contribute to Inflector’s continued growth and future success. Together with the existing dedicated team, I look forward to continuing to raise the bar on operational excellence and delivering high quality results for all of our trusted clients and partners.

– Matthew Rinfret

Shelley Gray, CEO of SkilledTradesBC has been named one of B.C.’s most influential women in business by Business in Vancouver.

Tanzila Rubayat has joined Infrastructure BC as a senior associate. Rubayat brings over ten years of infrastructure experience in a range of services such as capital municipal project management, planning, engineering design and construction management.

Anton Pojasok is PCL‘s new sustainability director. With more than 27 years experience, Pojasok will drive PCL’s strategic sustainability plan and road map including goal tracking, value added expertise and a range of services provided to clients and project teams related to sustainable design and construction. Prior to joining PCL, Pojasok was vice president of environmental management at Ontario Realty Corporation – Infrastructure Ontario.

‘Less is more’ is the essence of sustainability, from early planning through construction and building operations, there are cost-effective ways to reduce a structure’s impact on the environment with enhanced returns on investment.

– Pojasok

Dallas Hesse is celebrating 15 years with Westridge Construction where he works as a superintendent. He is currently managing the Moosomin Dam Spillway Improvements project in Saskatchewan.

Steve Schmalz is celebrating 25 years with PCL construction where he works as an operations manager in Ottawa. Following in his father’s footsteps, he first joined PCL’s Winnipeg office in 1999 as a field engineer. PCL’s team stated that Schmalz is a patient mentor with a wealth of knowledge.

Adam Hill has joined Metric Civil Contractors as their new director of finance. Prior to this role, Hill held various positions at North West Rubber.

Arsalan Zargar has been promoted to executive vice president of project delivery at Infrastructure Ontario. Officials noted that over the course of the past 4 years working as senior vice president, rail delivery, Arsalan has demonstrated exceptional leadership, extensive experience and formed strong partnerships with internal and external stakeholders, making him an invaluable asset to the organization.

RJC Engineers has announced five new principals and and eight new associates. They stated that with these new additions, RJC is poised to strengthen its position as an industry leader, capable of complex and challenging projects. The enhanced leadership team will further enable the firm to offer comprehensive engineering services, meeting the evolving needs of clients in various sectors.

Mike Woodroff has joined Kerkhoff as its new vice president of construction. Woodroff has nearly 40 years of experience in the industry and has successfully overseen a multitude of projects, differing in scale and complexity.

Tim Laronde has been appointed to Kindred Works‘ board of directors. Laronde serves as Chandos Construction’s director of Indigenous strategies. Prior to joining Chandos Construction, Tim spent over 15 years in the financial services industry where he led business development and capacity building through meaningful and respectful relationships with Indigenous communities.

I’m a big advocate of housing and am inspired by the Kindred Works approach to creating much needed rental housing across the country. I believe there’s a strong values alignment, with their social and environmental impact objectives.

– Laronde

Colleen Federchuk and Eithar Naman have been promoted to vice president of people and culture, and vice president of digital construction at Fitzrovia, respectively.

Andrew Clarke is celebrating 30 years with Beedie development. He first joined the company as an apprentice carpenter. He currently works as its senior director of construction operations.

There are so many great people that I have worked with over my career that make the projects memorable. I might not remember how we put together something on the project, but I remember the people who were involved and the good times that we had along the way.

Clarke

Todd den Engelsen has been hired as the new CEO of Tahltan Nation Development Corporation.

Being Métis, the opportunity to work with an Indigenous business is very meaningful, and I am honoured to be joining TNDC. I have followed TNDC’s progress with admiration in recent years and am excited to apply my experience to growing TNDC’s reputation as a Tier 1 mining service provider, Indigenous Partner of Choice, and Employer of Choice.

– den Engelsen

Farzan Hosseini is Industra Construction Corporation’s new project manager for Ontario operations.

Derick Fluker, senior vice president of acquisitions and asset management at Wesgroup properties, has been appointed to the NAIOP Vancouver’s 2024 board of directors.

Joshua Gaglardi, president of Orion Construction, has also joined NAIOP Vancouver’s 2024 board of directors.

Key Takeaways:

• The TNDC Mobile Training Centre is a 44-foot trailer that houses four simulators, each with its own unique operator training program including articulated trucks, dozers and loaders, excavators, and another program in development.
• Based at the Red Chris mine within the Tahltan Nation’s traditional territory, the centre has the flexibility to relocate to other sites as needed.
• Its primary objective is to support both the Tahltan HEO program and the TNDC Employee HEO training program.

The Whole Story:

B.C.’s construction and heavy equipment industry are turning to technology to train the next generation of equipment operators.

The Tahltan Nation Development Corporation (TNDC) and Finning Canada have launched the TNDC Mobile Training Centre. The training facility is equipped with cutting-edge simulators designed to provide comprehensive heavy equipment training.

The TNDC Mobile Training Centre is a 44-foot trailer designed for training purposes. It houses four simulators, each with its own unique operator training program including articulated trucks, dozers and loaders, excavators, and another program in development.

TNDC and Finning stated that the simulators offer learners a safe, virtual environment to develop their skills in operating Cat equipment. Based at the Red Chris mine within the Tahltan Nation’s traditional territory, the centre has the flexibility to relocate to other sites as needed. Its primary objective is to support both the Tahltan HEO program and the TNDC Employee HEO training program. 

“We are thrilled to unveil the TNDC Mobile Training Centre,” said Colleen Cashin, VP of people and corporate culture at TNDC. “The vision for the TNDC Mobile Training Centre will be to build capacity for Tahltans, our employees and to improve career growth opportunities. It is through partnerships with partners like Finning that we are able to facilitate growth of our people and ongoing growth of our development corporation. Today, we say thank you to our friends at Finning.”

The TNDC Mobile Training Centre facilitates the training of 80-120 staff members each year, equipping them with upskilling opportunities and providing training for new operators. TNDC noted that the mobile training centre not only supports the onboarding of new employees but also enhances employee retention and productivity, while concurrently reducing recruitment and onboarding expenses.

“When we had the chance to partner with our long-standing customer and provide the TNDC with a mobile training center, we didn’t hesitate to say yes,” said Cheryl Gray, senior vice president of mining at Finning Canada. “Simulator training provides a safe, hands-on experience for learners using the same controls and machine applications found in real-world worksites. We are excited to support the Tahltans in developing the skills they need to become certified Heavy Equipment Operators.”

In addition to providing the four simulators, the Finning team is supporting the installation and troubleshooting of the equipment and the training of Tahltan instructors. The two partners stated that this represents a substantial investment acknowledging the collective commitment between the TNDC and Finning to build a talent pipeline for future Heavy Equipment Operators in the Tahltan community. Once in operation, TNDC will be responsible for operating and maintaining the trailer and running all of the training programs.  

Nathan Levinson is the president and founder of Royal York, a massive property management company based in Toronto. They manage tens of thousands of units and more than $10 billion in assets. We caught up with Levinson to chat housing predictions, technology and what his sector can do to address the country’s affordable housing crisis.

SiteNews: With 22,000 properties under management and $10.1 billion in assets, what sort of trends are you and Royal York seeing right now in the Canadian housing market? 

Nathan Levinson: Managing over 22,000 properties and $10.1 billion in assets at Royal York Property Management, we’re observing a critical trend: growing tenants struggling to pay rent due to economic pressures. This, coupled with rising mortgage rates, is creating a challenging scenario for landlords. We’re bracing for what I call a ‘real estate bloodbath,’ where both sides of the rental equation are under immense pressure. It’s a situation that demands innovative solutions and proactive management, which is where Royal York steps in.

Can property management firms like Royal York play a role in addressing Canada’s affordable housing crisis? 

Property management firms like Royal York Property Management have a vital role in this climate of financial strain. We’re not just managing properties; we’re also navigating complex situations where tenants can’t afford rent, and property owners are facing increased mortgage rates. Our role extends to advocating for sustainable solutions and providing practical support to tenants and property owners in these trying times.

What helps create a stable and reliable housing market? 

The current market’s volatility highlights the need for stability and reliability. This is achieved through empathetic tenant management, proactive property maintenance, and strategic financial planning for property owners. Our approach at Royal York is centered around understanding and mitigating the challenges tenants and landlords face.

What role do technology and data play in Royal York’ Property Management’s operations?

Technology and data are the lifeblood of Royal York. In this rapidly changing market, they are more crucial than ever. We employ advanced AI and machine learning algorithms for tenant screening, ensuring a low default rate. Our use of AI for tenant screening and market analysis helps us anticipate and navigate the challenges ahead. Our proprietary software allows for efficient property management, from maintenance to legal services. We’re not just a property management firm but a tech company revolutionizing the real estate sector.

Is there any technology that is currently on your radar or that has you excited? 

Our upcoming platform, Mateem.io, is what excites us the most. Envisioned as the Airbnb of long-term rentals, it’s set to revolutionize the property rental market. Amidst these challenges, Mateem.io is a beacon of innovation designed to streamline the rental process, making it seamless for property owners and tenants. This platform will be pivotal in managing the current crisis, offering seamless, efficient solutions in a more turbulent market than ever, and providing critical support to tenants and landlords.

What are some of the biggest challenges the property management industry faces today? 

The industry is currently facing unprecedented challenges. The impending ‘bloodbath’ due to non-payment of rent and rising mortgage rates is a prime concern. Our challenge is not just in managing properties but in navigating these financial complexities and providing viable solutions to both tenants and landlords.

What are your predictions for the 2024 housing market? 

Heading into 2024, I’m calling it as I see it – we’re on the cusp of a major shift in the Canadian housing market, GTA included. We’re already feeling the squeeze from climbing mortgage rates and the economic climate. This isn’t just a Toronto story; it’s unfolding across Canada.

We’re likely to see a readjustment in various regions’ property values. Sure, areas with high demand might stand their ground, but many others will see a dip in property prices. It’s not just a simple downturn; it’s a recalibration of the market.

Tell me about dropping out of University to running Canada’s largest property management company with 10.1 billions assets under management. What have been some of your keys to success?

Starting Royal York Property Management from the backseat of my car after dropping out of university was a leap of faith, driven by a vision to reform the inefficiencies in the rental market and the mistreatment of tenants by landlords. My early years working with my high school principal, handling maintenance, rent collection, advertising, and property showings, were eye-opening. They highlighted the critical need for positive landlord-tenant relationships and revealed the significant gaps in the market. This experience was the cornerstone of Royal York, a name inspired by a street sign sighting during a cold call, symbolizing our humble beginnings.

The keys to our success at Royal York have been multifaceted. Embracing technology and innovation, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, allowed us not only to survive but to thrive and expand, improving our services for both tenants and landlords. Our approach was not just to offer rental guarantees for landlords, but to create a balanced ecosystem benefiting all parties. This philosophy, stemming from my personal experiences as a mistreated tenant, led to the cultivation of an extensive database of over 200,000 pre-qualified tenant contacts, enabling efficient property rentals. The journey has taught me the importance of resilience, a structured approach, and the power of a vision shared with a growing network. These elements have been instrumental in transforming Royal York into the industry leader it is today.