WESTERN BUILTThe voice of the construction industry in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba Fall 2022 Canada Post Publications Agreement Number: 40609661 Modern Expansion Traditional Teachings EMPOWERSWESTERN BUILT Fall 2022 5 WESTERN BUIILT The voice of the construction industry in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba OPENING REMARKS 07 British Columbia 09 Alberta 11 Saskatchewan 13 Manitoba 14 BRITISH COLUMBIA NEW HOME TURF FOR RED LEAFS Student athletes at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia, will sprint to success at new SFU Stadium at Terry Fox Field. PROJECT SPOTLIGHTS 16 ALBERTA BREAKING GROUND, BREAKING CYCLES The Central Alberta Child Advocacy Centre (CACAC) Centre of Excellence, being built in Red Deer, Alberta, will be a safe space for the province’s most vulnerable. 20 SASKATCHEWAN MODERN EXPANSION EMPOWERS TRADITIONAL TEACHINGS A renewal project at Wanuskewin Heritage Park in Saskatchewan embodies Indigenous culture while providing a place for Elders to gather. 24 MANITOBA DRAMATIC ARTS OPPORTUNITIES The new Desautels Concert Hall in Winnipeg, Manitoba, provides performers with an inspirational venue that is designed to inspire, connect, and advance the arts. COVER DETAILS A recent renewal at Wanuskewin Heritage Park in Saskatchewan features the stunning addition of the paskw¯aw Round, a circular conference room with a seating capacity for 350 visitors. Learn more about the project and its design and materials, starting on page 20. Photo courtesy of King Rose Visuals. FEATURES 27 New Report Points the Way to Zero Carbon for Canada’s Large Buildings 29 To Meet our Climate Goals, we Must Address our Aging Buildings 31 Preparing for a Low-Carbon Future 33 Mould, Moisture, and the Building Envelope 35 Choosing the Right Insulation to Minimize Damage Caused by Flooding 37 Hiring, Training, and Retaining Women: CAF-FCA’s National Strategy to Support Women in the Trades 38 INDEX TO ADVERTISERS Published by Matrix Group Publishing Inc. Return Undeliverable Addresses to 309 Youville Street Winnipeg, MB R2H 2S9 Toll Free Phone: (866) 999-1299 Toll Free Fax: (866) 244-2544 www.matrixgroupinc.net Canada Post Mail Publications Agreement Number: 40609661 President & CEO Jack Andress Operations Manager Shoshana Weinberg sweinberg@matrixgroupinc.net Publisher Jessica Potter jpotter@matrixgroupinc.net Editor-in-Chief Shannon Savory ssavory@matrixgroupinc.net Senior Editor Alexandra Kozub Editor/Social Media Manager Jenna Collignon Finance/Administration Lloyd Weinberg, Nathan Redekop accounting@matrixgroupinc.net Director of Marketing & Circulation Lloyd Weinberg distribution@matrixgroupinc.net Sales Manager - Winnipeg Neil Gottfred Sales Manager - Hamilton Jeff Cash To receive a Media Kit and learn about advertising in the next issue, email jcash@matrixgroupinc.net. Account Executives Colleen Bell, Rob Gibson, Jim Hamilton, Frank Kenyeres, Sandra Kirby, Cheryl Klassen, Charlie Langsford, Andrew Lee, Brian MacIntyre, Jaime Schroeder Layout & Design Kayti McDonald Advertising Design James Robinson ©2022 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. To receive Western Built digitally-only moving forward, email distribution@matrixgroupinc.net. This issue’s four Project Profiles were written by staff writer Paul Adair. Thank you to all of the experts who contributed their knowledge in this issue of Western Built, in the form of messages, expert interviews, and feature articles.WESTERN BUILT Fall 2022 7 OPENING REMARKS BRITISH COLUMBIA PROMPT PAYMENT LEGISLATION – ADVOCACY IN ACTION For many in our industry, Prompt Payment remains the most critical issue for ongoing business viability. That’s saying a lot when you consider we’ve just survived a plague. A bright light of hope was created when a representative of the Ministry of Attorney General participated in townhalls in each of our regions in early 2022, followed by promises of industry working groups and potential tabling of the legislation in Fall 2022. These hopes were abruptly dampened when Eby pushed the timeline to a potential revisiting in Summer 2023, with no clear explanation. “NRCA won’t back down when it comes to advocating for Prompt Payment for our members,” said Northern Regional Construction Association CEO Nicole Bryant. “Many are consistently vocal on this topic, but others are weighed down by the burden of quietly trying to deal with it. The construction industry already operates on razor thin margins. Adding the stress of managing cash flow, when the average aged balance can be 90+ days, is often too much for businesses to manage. The extremely frustrating part is that it is completely avoidable. With approximately 250,000 voters in our BC industry, it is time for this issue to become a priority for BC government.” Rory Kulmala, CEO of the Vancouver Island Construction Association, is equally concerned about unjustified payment delays, saying, “Our members are working harder than ever to keep up with the demand for construction. In doing so, they are often chasing entitled payments for many months after the work is complete. This can place them in a somewhat precarious, and needless, financial position. Timely payments would contribute greatly to ensuring that they can operate efficiently and be financially stable. Clifford Kshyk, CEO at the Southern Interior Construction Association, has witnessed the impacts of payment delays on his Association’s members for more than 15 years, and had this to say: “When work is being completed in a satisfactory manner, why should payments be withheld? Prompt payment legisla- tion would make project owners and others down the chain accountable for the payment timeline. These laws would give contractors and subcontractors a powerful set of legal tools to ensure they are paid for work performed and materials supplied. Construction companies are builders, not financiers. The procras- tination of the BC government on this matter is unwarranted.” Donna Grant, Vancouver Regional Construction Association president, recently acted on behalf of her members, saying, “Throughout the summer I pursued meetings with MLAs in my region to discuss the issue of Prompt Payment. Those who agreed to meet ranged from no knowledge on the topic to some who have been engaged in discussions for years. I found no one who could explain the decision to delay the industry working group. Given that we’re simply asking for our members to be paid in a timely fashion for work they’ve appropriately completed, it’s hard to understand why we aren’t getting more traction.” Chris Atchison, BC Construction Association president, has been passionately advocating for Prompt Payment legislation with BC governments throughout his tenure, and was successful in bringing the townhalls to each region. “If government continues to ignore the escalating pressure and risk on BC’s con- struction contractors, the sector will be at a breaking point. Much like disregarding building maintenance, sooner or later that deferred maintenance is going to present you with a much bigger problem. BC’s con- struction community is united across all labour affiliations, demanding that the BC government catches up to the rest of Canada and gives us prompt payment legislation. All that is lacking is the political will from those in the legislature.” Donna Grant President Vancouver Regional Construction Association Rory Kulmala CEO Vancouver Island Construction Association Nicole Bryant CEO Northern Regional Construction Association Clifford Kshyk CEO Southern Interior Construction Association Chris Atchison President British Columbia Construction Association WESTERN BUILT Fall 2022 9 OPENING REMARKS OUT OF THE FRYING PAN… I am sure that for many of us it feels like COVID-19 is already ancient history. Yes, there are some lasting aspects and too many indi- viduals were personally and professionally impacted, but other priorities are looming larger in our industry’s headlights right now and it has a distinct out of the frying pan feel about it. Right now, the main issues are: 1. Supply chain instability and price volatility. Do not worry – I am not going to bore you with another version of all that has been beaten to death already on this issue – ‘nuff said. 2. Labour challenges. Where did all the workers go? We have been talking about this issue since at least the mid-nineties, and yet, here we are facing it now for real. What did we do for the last 25 years? And last but not least… 3. How much longer will public and private procurement groups blatantly ignore points 1 and 2 above and still expect the industry to take on full risk in a low price, race to the bottom bid like we used to? Frankly, lowest bid was never the right way to procure construction, and yet it has prevailed – largely thanks to our acceptance of it. In doing so, it has set our industry on a course that it may not recover from. Recent realities have begun to expose the long- term impact of such short-term thinking and the wake up calls are beginning. Points 1 and 2 above are hitting us in ways we could never have imagined. Back in the ‘ancient times’ of early 2020, we could generally expect three to five per cent price increases every year from all our suppliers and we could price accordingly. Other than the odd fuel surcharge, we could generally predict months or even years out. We also had a reliable labour force both in the field and in the office and, consequently, we actually knew what volume of work we could deliver 18 months from now and what it would cost us. No more. In the words of the much-loved Monty Python Yorkshire men sketch – “You tell that to the young people nowadays and they don’t believe you!” Honestly, we can barely believe it ourselves. It feels like a lifetime has passed and yet we are only talking about two and a half years ago. Prior to today, the longest construction downturn in Alberta in recent memory burned through balance sheets as companies tried to survive longer than they ever thought possible and this rolled straight into COVID-19. If the industry had not been able to prove its ability to maintain safe protocols and keep on building, there would likely be many that would not have survived the first year – never mind the second. Work volumes and activity are on the increase, which could not have happened soon enough, but we are not out of the woods yet. Current procurement practices, emboldened by years of compliant tendering, combined with draconian contractual terms despite market realities that are not of our making, are meaning that much of that work has too high of a risk profile for all but the most desperate. Having said that, even the desperate will eventually turn bad work away if enough casualties emerge. Some significant decisions will be needed from all of us in the years ahead. But… the good news – it’s not too late. If I have piqued your interest, let’s continue this conversation and discuss how we can turn the tide. Visit www.westernbuiltmagazine.com/blog to read the rest of this article, or scan the QR code with your phone to be taken directly to the article. ALBERTA Current procurement practices, emboldened by years of compliant tendering, combined with draconian contractual terms despite market realities that are not of our making, are meaning that much of that work has too high of a risk profile for all but the most desperate. Bill Black President Calgary Construction Association Bill Black is President of the Calgary Construction Association. He has 40 years of construction industry experience, initially as an estimator in business development and, more recently, executive leadership. This photo was taken at an event where participants drew on their arms the word that represented what they most wanted to do for others. Click the link below or scan this QR Code with your phone's camera to be taken to the full article by Bill Black. In it, he outlines challenges AND solutions that will help Alberta's construction industry achieve future success for all stakeholders. http://westernbuiltmagazine.ca/out-of-the-frying-pan CONTINUE THE DISCUSSION ONLINENext >