On a special Halloween episode of The Construction Record Podcast, digital media editor Warren Frey is joined by ConstructConnect director of news media Vince Versace and contributing writer Peter Kenter to discuss both ghost towns and participate in our annual horror film geek-out. Peter has been crafting an article about ghost towns in both Canada and the U.S. and explains how abandoned places frozen in time can feel just as haunted as supernatural locales. Vince and Peter also discuss the phe...
Oct 31, 2024•37 min•Ep. 372
On this episode of The Construction Record Podcast, digital media editor Warren Frey and daily news editor Lindsey Cole look at not only the 2024 Vancouver Regional Construction Association (VRCA) Awards of Excellence but also the leading stories in construction across Canada. Lindsey spoke about the Ontario Building Trades convention covered by staff writer Don Wall, with a focus on the NextStar plant currently being built in Ontario, as well as coverage of RESCON’s housing summit. Warren also ...
Oct 25, 2024•17 min•Ep. 371
On this episode of The Construction Record Podcast, digital media editor Warren Frey speaks with Construction Industry Rehabilitation Plan (CIRP) executive director Vicki Waldron and Community Savings Credit Union vice-president of strategic partnerships Raj Khunkhun about their partnership in deploying the Recovery Protection Program (RPP), which addresses the financial needs of those suffering mental health or substance use pressures and are going through CIRP’s rehabilitation process. Waldron...
Oct 18, 2024•15 min•Ep. 370
On this episode of The Construction Record Podcast, digital media editor Warren Frey speaks with Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) CEO Caroline Gumble about skilled trades recruitment and DEI initiatives in both the UK and North America. Gumble explained the CIOB has existed for 190 years and stands for science, ethics and practice of the built environment. She detailed some of the ays the UK has encouraged diversity in hiring through the use of “blind CVs” where no personal information in ...
Oct 11, 2024•13 min•Ep. 369
On this episode of The Construction Record Podcast, digital media editor Warren Frey has two interviews from the Independent Business and Contractors Association’s (ICBA) 2024 Construction Innovation Summit. The first interview is with BuildForce Canada executive director Bill Ferreira, who addressed attendees at a session called The State of the Construction Workforce - Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities, laying out the current and future labour trends affecting the industry. Dusty Robotics ...
Oct 04, 2024•21 min•Ep. 368
On this episode of The Construction Record Podcast, digital media editor Warren Frey speaks with urbanist, author and Creative Class Group founder Richard Florida about a new report he’s written about the need to revamp Toronto’s waterfront. Great Waterfront, Great City compares Toronto’s development on its waterfront with other world-class cities such as Dubai, New York and London and points to how while residential and office development has gone forward, the area needs to draw in not only Tor...
Sep 27, 2024•21 min•Ep. 367
On this episode of The Construction Record Podcast, digital media editor Warren Frey has two interviews with Independent Contractors and Business Association (ICBA BC) president Chris Gardner and BC Building Trades executive director Brynn Bourke about who they’re endorsing and what they want to see for their sectors after the election on Oct. 19. Gardner said the ICBA is supporting the BC Conservatives and its leader John Rustad and pointed to the current NDP government’s use of community benef...
Sep 20, 2024•33 min•Ep. 366
On this episode of The Construction Record Podcast, digital media editor Warren Frey speaks with ConstructConnect director of news media Vince Versace about the long history of the humble hard hat. Invented by American Edward W. Bullard in 1918 the hardhat is both the first and one of the most vital pieces of safety equipment on site and an iconic, instantly recognizable symbol of the construction industry. From its origins as an overlapping layer of canvas and glue to its current iteration, har...
Sep 18, 2024•13 min•Ep. 365
On this episode of The Construction Record Podcast, Calgary Construction Association president Bill Black speaks with digital media editor Warren Frey about the many delays and governmental clashes affecting the City of Calgary’s Green Line light-rail transit project. Alberta premier Danielle Smith recently said she wants the project to proceed as originally envisioned and expressed concerns the current project is not cost-effective. Black does not want to take sides on the design of the project...
Sep 13, 2024•18 min•Ep. 364
On this episode of The Construction Record Podcast, digital media editor Warren Frey speaks with ConstructConnect director of news media Vince Versace on the 23rd anniversary of 9/11 about how the subsequent study of the tragedy led to new designs and building practices. Vince explained how new forms of egress were adopted in tall buildings in order to facilitate evacuations, how construction moved away from the “core pillar” design of the Twin Towers and improved resiliency not only against a h...
Sep 11, 2024•14 min•Ep. 363
On this special episode of The Construction Record Podcast, as children and teens across North America make their way back to school for another year, digital media editor Warren Frey and ConstructConnect director of news media Vince Versace discuss construction as seen in the movies. Films and television can inspire future career choices for young people, and certainly The LEGO Movie, which celebrates becoming a master builder in a world of bricks is no exception. Vince and Warren also cover mo...
Sep 06, 2024•21 min•Ep. 362
On this episode of The Construction Record Podcast, digital media editor Warren Frey interviews Vancouver Regional Construction Association (VRCA) president Jeannine Martin and British Columbia Construction Association (BCCA) president Chris Atchison about the upcoming B.C. election. The B.C. election race was upended on Aug. 28 when BC United leader dropped out and the party withdrew from the race, leaving David Eby’s NDP and John Rustad’s BC Conservatives going head to head. Rustad also spoke ...
Aug 30, 2024•17 min•Ep. 361
On this episode of The Construction Record Podcast, digital media editor Warren Frey speaks to Wesgroup president and CEO Beau Jarvis about dealing with the housing crisis from a developer perspective. Wesgroup recently released a video titled “Housing Crisis 101: Why Homes Don't Just Happen” (embedded below) which illustrates through animation how changing government regulations and an uncertain building environment are adding risk for developers. Jarvis also noted that with 95 per cent of Cana...
Aug 23, 2024•13 min•Ep. 360
On this episode of The Construction Record Podcast™, digital media editor Warren Frey speaks with economist and President’s Fellow at the University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy Jack Mintz about Canada’s reinvigorating and expanding ageing infrastructure. Mintz said privatization is one possible route to increasing infrastructure across Canada, and pointed to the telecommunications industry as an example of infrastructure that works reliably and upgrades at a regular cadence. Pension fun...
Aug 16, 2024•16 min•Ep. 359
On this episode of The Construction Record Podcast™, digital media editor Warren Frey speaks with BCIT Centre for Welding Technologies and Metallurgy director Mathew Smith about “cobots,” robots designed to work collaboratively with students and workers in industrial environments. Smith said cobots differ from traditional industrial robots in size, function and cost and because of the use of sensors can maneuver around human operators, making them much more flexible in a learning environment. Co...
Aug 09, 2024•15 min•Ep. 358
On this episode of The Construction Record Podcast™, digital media editor Warren Frey speaks with ConstructConnect chief economist Michael Guckes as he details his plans for his new role. Michael and Warren discussed what’s in store for the economy as summer turns to fall including the possibility of a rate cut from the Federal Reserve as well as the shifting political landscape as the United States heads to a presidential election in November. Michael also went into detail on his career and how...
Aug 02, 2024•21 min•Ep. 357
On this episode of The Construction Record Podcast™, digital media editor Warren Frey speaks with Yellowknife Consulting Services president Terry Dussault about emerging trends and safety risks on worksites. Dussault highlighted rising risks such as struck-by incidents and the need for better respiration masks to deal with threats such as potential silica inhalation. He also said more awareness is needed about biological risks, such as harmful plant life on a site which can result in workers dev...
Jul 26, 2024•26 min•Ep. 356
On this episode of The Construction Record Podcast, digital media editor Warren Frey speaks with Substance Group chief accessibility officer Mark DeMontis about how accessible buildings in B.C could be a new and lucrative market for developers. DeMontis said while there has been some resistance to BC Building Code changes that increase accessibility in new buildings, he thinks those attitudes focus on the short term rather than viewing those with disabilities as an untapped new market for reside...
Jul 19, 2024•17 min•Ep. 355
On this episode of The Construction Record Podcast™, digital media editor Warren Frey speaks with both TAS CEO Mazyar Mortazavi and Creative Fire managing director Jordan Baptiste about the TAS Reconciliation Plan, a document intended to guide company actions as they engage with Indigenous communities to further development. Mortazavi described as an impact platform which uses real estate to drive positive change operating as developers, asset manages and through private equity. He said the firm...
Jul 12, 2024•14 min•Ep. 354
On this episode of The Construction Record Podcast™, digital media editor Warren Frey speaks with both BC Building Trades executive director Brynn Bourke and British Columbia Construction Association (BCCA) president Chris Atchison about Canada’s immigration system and how it intersects with an ongoing labour shortage in the construction industry. Bourke addressed what she said is an “addiction” to temporary foreign workers in the construction industry and advocated for changing the immigration ...
Jul 05, 2024•25 min•Ep. 353
On this episode of The Construction Record Podcast™, digital media editor Warren Frey speaks with Alastair Hayfield from Interact Analysis to discuss the state of construction in the UK in 2024 with an emphasis on heavy equipment. Hayfield was last on the podcast in episode 322 , and since then the economic situation has not improved, he said. With an impending election on July 4 the industry is in a holding pattern and waiting to see which party takes Parliament before committing to large econo...
Jun 28, 2024•13 min•Ep. 352
On this episode of The Construction Record Podcast™, digital media editor Warren Frey speaks with Adrian Price, an architect and principal with London-based BDP Architects, about the design of the retail segment of The Well, a mixed-use “micro-city” of residences offices and retail in downtown Toronto. One of the standout features of The Well is an extensive glass canopy that brings European-style shopping to Canada while still protecting shoppers and residents from the elements in an aesthetica...
Jun 21, 2024•22 min•Ep. 351
On this special 350th episode of The Construction Record Podcast™, ConstructConnect chief economist Alex Carrick reflects on his career, the construction industry and the broader economy as he prepares for retirement at the end of June. Alex spoke about the many changes in the economy over the previous decades from the gradual greening of every aspect of construction and the economy to the rise of technology and entertainment as a driver for large-scale building. He also spoke of unpredictable e...
Jun 14, 2024•31 min•Ep. 350
On this episode of The Construction Record Podcast™, digital media editor Warren Frey speaks with AEC Cares president and ConstructConnect chief product officer Jen Johnson about ProjectDC, an initiative in the District of Columbia to renovate the Residential Empowerment Adolescent Community Home (REACH) located in D.C.’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. Once a year construction industry professionals come together for AEC Cares Day of Service, with last year’s project in San Francisco was the Lark-In...
May 31, 2024•11 min•Ep. 348
On this episode of The Construction Record Podcast™, digital media editor Warren Frey has two interviews from the recent Royal Architectural Institute of Canada’s annual conference in Vancouver. The first interview features architects Graham McGarva, Richard Evans and intern architect Tatiana Vovchenko about their session about False Creek South, one of the first showcases of urban planning in Vancouver which is now looking to revamp by building in concert with the existing community rather than...
May 24, 2024•17 min•Ep. 347
On this episode of The Construction Record Podcast, digital media editor Warren Frey talks to designers and architects in Kansas City about the design culture of the city and region and the challenges and successes of building CPKC Stadium, the first ever women’s soccer stadium in North America and the home of the Kansas City Current. First, Warren interviews DLR Group principal and interior design leader Gretchen Holy and KC Global Design managing director Ashley McDonald about the vibrant and ...
May 17, 2024•30 min•Ep. 346
On this episode of The Construction Record Podcast™, digital media editor Warren Frey compiles highlights from the recent Construction Economy Outlook Spring 2024 titled “What is Normal Anymore?” and held online on May 9. The webinar, presented by ConstructConnect, the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) and the American Institute of Architects (AIA) featured ConstructConnect chief economist Alex Carrick and senior economist Michael Guckes, AGC chief economist Ken Simonson, AIA chief...
May 10, 2024•55 min•Ep. 345
On this episode of The Construction Record Podcast™, digital media editor Warren Frey has two interviews from the Vancouver Island Construction Association’s (VICA) annual conference held recently in Victoria, B.C. The first interview is with MNP Consulting Services partner Susan Mowbray who gave attendees a look at the current economic situation on Vancouver Island and explained where opportunities for innovation would allow the construction industry to adapt to changing demographics and an inc...
May 03, 2024•17 min•Ep. 344
On this special episode of The Construction Record Podcast™, digital media editor Warren Frey speaks with both Residential Construction Council of Ontario (RESCON) president Richard Lyall and British Columbia Construction Association (BCCA) president Chris Atchison about the recent federal budget and its effects on construction and housing. Lyall said the housing measures introduced in the 2024 federal budget will not address the regulatory hurdles homebuilders still encounter and that meaningfu...
Apr 26, 2024•34 min•Ep. 344
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 hou...
Apr 19, 2024•19 min•Ep. 343
