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 phenomenon of “ghost cities” in China where entire neighbourhoods are built and unfilled and the eerie ..read more

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 talked about his recent story covering industry reaction to the recent B.C. election which as ..read more

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 said the impetus for the partnership was that a big barrier to people staying in treatment was thei ..read more

On this episode of The Construction Record Podcast, digital media editor Warren Frey speaks with Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) CEO Caroline Gumble about skilled trades recruitment and DEI initiatives in both the UK and North America. Gumble explained the CIOB has existed for 190 years and stands for science, ethics and practice of the built environment. She detailed some of the ays the UK has encouraged diversity in hiring through the use of “blind CVs” where no personal information in included in a resume to discourage unconscious bais. She also explained that while there are slight ..read more

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 economic projects. On ongoing labour shortage is also affecting construction in the UK, with heavy e ..read more

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 increasingly shrinking labour pool. She added artificial intelligence (AI) is an opportunity for e ..read more

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 meaningful consultation with the construction industry and others doing the work was not pursued by the ..read more

On this episode of the Construction Record Podcast™, digital media editor Warren Frey speaks with Weather Network meteorologist Mark Robinson and Western University’s Dr. Greg Kopp about the increasing dangers of extreme weather and how construction can create resilient building techniques to withstand climate change. Robinson detailed the disaster areas he’s seen across the planet ranging from Nepal to America’s Tornado Alley and Ontario, and explained how climate change is creating mor extreme weather events, though recent wildfires have actually suppressed tornado activity to an extent. He ..read more

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 CEO and co-founder Tessa Lau explained the cutting edge of automation in construction with a session ..read more

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 Torontonians but increase tourism to the city. He added focusing on the tech sector, creating sports in ..read more