Safety success BCCSA sets the stage delivering COVID-19 materials to members with lightning speed. Online opportunities UBC is ready to ramp up training with a mix of virtual and in-person learning. FALL 2020 MAGAZINE BUILDFORCE developing strategies for a post-pandemic world Adapt and innovate: Canada Post Mail Publications Agreement Number: 40609661BUILDFORCE MAGAZINE // Fall 2020 5 BUILDFORCE MAGAZINE Fall 2020 Published For: BUILDFORCE CANADA 220 Laurier Avenue West, Suite 1150 Ottawa, ON K1P 5Z9 Contact: Bill Ferreira, Executive Director Tel.: (613) 569-5552, ext. 222 info@buildforce.ca www.buildforce.ca Published By: Matrix Group Publishing Inc. 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Account Executives Bonnie Petrovsky (in memoriam), Brian MacIntyre, Cheryl Klassen, Colleen Bell, Frank Kenyeres, Jim Hamilton, Jon Beroud, Rob Gibson, Sandra Kirby, Tanina Di Piazza, Tenisha Myke Advertising Design James Robinson Layout & Design Cody Chomiak ©2020 Matrix Group Publishing Inc. All rights reserved. Contents may not be reproduced by any means, in whole or in part, without the prior written permission of the publisher. The opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of Matrix Group Publishing Inc. Printed in Canada. GREETINGS 7 A message from the Chair of BuildForce Canada 9 A message from the Executive Director of BuildForce Canada FEATURES 11 Safety success during an unprecedented pandemic When the unimaginable happened, BCCSA delivered COVID-19 materials to its members with lightning speed. 14 Safety, right from the start Tomlinson Group tackled the impact of the pandemic from day one. 16 Easing back into business BOMA Canada predicts that the commercial real estate industry is ready to bounce back. 18 e future of construction contracts Force majeure doesn’t apply to COVID-19 now that the pandemic is predictable. 20 Adapting to consumer demands Companies are adapting in order to keep customers coming back. Will their efforts pay off? 23 Online opportunities Apprenticeship training halted across the country in March. Now, UBC is ready to ramp up training with a mix of virtual and in-person options. 25 Keeping up with the youth Canadian youth are optimistic about the future; however, young women are saying they’re not excited about a career in trades. 26 Leading the future of building science The new normal must include energy efficiency as standard in new builds. 28 Mentorship matters Worker success is the priority as a new mentorship training model is developed. 29 Down, but not (completely) out Not all hope is lost as Canada’s economy re-opens and (hopefully) rebounds. 31 Wondering what’s next Canada’s construction industry is adapting to the pressures of the ongoing pandemic. 32 Measuring training capacity According to the Provincial Building and Construction Trades Council of Ontario, the key to preparing for labour shortages is to assess projected labour demands. 35 e importance of immigration Many of the countries where immigrants usually come from are facing their own demographic challenges. BUILDFORCE BASICS 37 Get to Know BuildForce Canada 38 INDEX TO ADVERTISERS Cover photo credit: PCL ConstructionBUILDFORCE MAGAZINE // Fall 2020 7 W hen we first started working on this edition of BUILDFORCE Magazine it was February and the world looked a lot different than it does today. As we started to explore themes and topics for articles, it became clear that exploring the post-COVID world in terms of construction and maintenance had to be the number one priority. Our sector is facing many challenges, but I am proud to see how rapidly the industry has adapted and innovated. Construction was quickly classified as an essential service in most jurisdictions across Canada, which is testament to how important the business of building is across the nation. But we couldn’t continue to build as we had been – we all had to be flexible, adapt, and ensure that each person who stepped onto every job site was doing so safely. I think the fact that construction workers are so used to wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) really bolstered everyone’s success and I would like to commend every single person who modified their usual routines to keep COVID from spreading to their peers. For the foreseeable future, this is our new normal. It’s not easy, but I am encouraged by anecdotes of socially distanced toolbox talks and contracting companies and unions that are giving back to their communities. If you look for it, optimism can be found even in daunting situations. BuildForce has been working very hard on the 2021–2030 outlook. As you can imagine, we have had to go back and re-assess how COVID-19 will affect the future in terms of project delays and cancellations, government infrastructure funding, and how all of this will impact the labour force. The outlooks BuildForce puts together are foundational for our organization and we take the data included in them very seriously. I am confident the information found within will assist industry and government with labour challenges moving into the new year and beyond. I would like to take a moment to touch on a topic that I feel is very important to our industry – that being Black Lives Matter (BLM). Later this year, BuildForce will be releasing an update to its Working in a Respectful and Inclusive Workplace awareness course. I would like to urge each and every one of you to access this course and to provide it to your employees. Please take this as an opportunity to educate yourself and to ensure that your employees are educated on the importance of inclusion, diversity, and the elimination of racial bias within the industry. There is no better time than now to be on the right side of history. I read an interesting report in August by Pew Research Center that found that two thirds of Canadians believe Canada is more united as a result of the pandemic. On the other hand, 77% of U.S. participants found the opposite is true south of the border. It buoys me to know that the crisis can bring a country together, even though we live in such a geographically huge and diverse nation. I do believe that while we must socially distance as a rule, the pandemic has brought us closer in other ways. I think that many of us now have a greater appreciation for those who provide essential services to us all, for those who help raise and care for our children, and for those we could “always call tomorrow.” The uncertainty of a pandemic has created more certainty around the importance of staying in touch with friends and family and achieving work-life balance. I, myself, was blessed with some extra time with my daughter who lives and works in Pakistan, and had to quarantine at home in Vancouver. We biked the island and re-connected as a family, which may not have happened had the usual distractions been available. As an optimist, I would like to end this message with a tone of hopefulness. We are not fully through this pandemic, and we may not know 100% what the future holds, but if you look for stories of good, they are there to be found. There are many unknowns, but there are also opportunities to make connections, try new things, have adventures, and seek positivity. If I can help in any way, or if BuildForce can help, please get in touch. Our doors are always open – figuratively speaking of course. Until next time, we will continue building Canada. I look forward to connecting with you soon. CLYDE SCOLLAN Chair, BuildForce Canada / GREETINGS // A Message from the Chair of BuildForce Canada CLYDE SCOLLAN Chair, BuildForce CanadaBUILDFORCE MAGAZINE // Fall 2020 9 A s provinces reopen economies shuttered in response to COVID- 19, it’s sometimes difficult to imagine life beyond the pandemic. While history shows that pandemics are temporary and that Canada’s construction and maintenance industry will recover, demographic data projects an immutable message – that 22% of the industry’s workforce will retire by 2029, and that a potential shortfall of as many as 82,400 workers may emerge over the course of the decade. With so much uncertainty over the future, maintaining an ongoing commitment to labour force development can be challenging. The reality is that most firms are actively engaged in labour force development; continually training based on their needs and construction demands. But despite the industry’s best efforts, the retirement of approximately 22% of the sector’s labour force over the decade – slightly lower in Western provinces, but ranging between 24% and 29% in Northern Ontario, the Greater Toronto Area, and all four Atlantic provinces – will create workforce stresses. Ongoing efforts to enhance the promotion of industry careers to young people should help, particularly with those from groups traditionally underrepresented in the industry. However, to overcome the anticipated worker shortfall identified in our 2020−2029 outlook, new- entrant recruitment would need to increase by approximately 35% by the end of the decade. Given that most other industries face similar age demographic profiles, the competition for younger workers will be intense, since there will be fewer younger workers to draw from than ever before. Adapting to changing demographics will be important to the future success of the industry. The natural rate of population growth in the country has been dropping since 1972, and as a consequence of this decline, immigration has become the primary driver of population growth in Canada. Newcomers now make up about 22% of Canada’s population and approximately 24% of the labour force. In the construction industry, however, newcomers account for just 19% of the labour force and only 15% of skilled trades, indicating that industry will need to improve recruitment of newcomers to remain competitive. There is much the industry can do to improve its recruitment of newcomers. The industry could work more closely with provincial governments to identify gaps in the labour force and strategically utilize provincial nominee programs to help supplement domestic training efforts. It can also partner with governments and settlement groups to help facilitate the transition of newcomers with the right skill sets into careers in the industry. Services such as those that job match newcomers with industry employers, or programs designed to support newcomers with the recognition of their educational and professional credentials and certificates are all very helpful. While still a minority, many local and provincial construction associations are already engaged in such activities; some have even participated in job fairs overseas to market careers in the industry directly to potential immigrants. In support of industry efforts to address future workforce challenges, BuildForce continues to provide the information required to make measured and informed decisions related to labour force development. This year, in addition to our annual labour market information forecasts, BuildForce released a mid-year investment update and will soon be releasing a Trends in Immigration in the Construction Sector report to help the industry better gauge the impacts of COVID-19 on anticipated construction investment. BuildForce has also been active in the promotion and expansion of our online professional development courses. This past year we released updates to our Construction Law and Pipeline Construction Safety Training courses. This fall, we will be releasing a new instructional course focused on the importance of mentorship in the development of apprentices. This winter, we will also be releasing an update to our Working in a Respectful and Inclusive Workplace awareness course to better support education around the importance of inclusion, diversity, and the elimination of racial bias within the industry, as well as a new Contract Essentials course with a focus on the importance of standard industry documents. It’s been a challenging year, but the construction sector has once again risen to the challenge and adapted to thrive. As we exit from the pandemic and move into a recovery phase, BuildForce looks forward to continuing to support the industry with quality labour market information and the resources and tools it needs to develop a skilled and resilient labour force. BILL FERREIRA Executive Director, BuildForce Canada / GREETINGS // BILL FERREIRA Executive Director, BuildForce Canada A Message from the Executive Director of BuildForce CanadaNext >