October 6, 2020

WCB Updates Important to ACA Members

via Alberta Construction Assoiation   There are a couple of important updates from the WCB to share with ACA members. 1)      WCB-Alberta will be implementing cost relief measures to reduce the financial impact of COVID-19 affected claims. The WCB have understood that this was a significant concern for members, with COVID-19 claim costs that were outside of our members control and extended periods of disability for other claims due to treatment delays. The WCB-Alberta information sheet, titled COVID-19 cost relief Q&A, provides more information. It indicates that cost relief measures will be carried out in the third quarter of 2020 and will...

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October 6, 2020

CCA statement on the Growth Plan announced by the federal government and Canada Infrastructure Bank

Dear colleagues and members, CCA issued the following statement today in response to the Growth Plan announced by the federal government and Canada Infrastructure Bank. Growth plan must include strategy for swift flow of funds to be effective, says Canadian Construction Association  Statement on the Growth Plan announced by the federal government and Canada Infrastructure Bank OTTAWA, October 2, 2020 – CCA members – 70 per cent of which are small and medium-sized, family-run businesses – have been asking for a clear, balanced, fair and flexible infrastructure stimulus plan as Canadians focus on pandemic recovery. The growth plan announced on October 1...

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October 6, 2020

The Offsite Revolution in Construction

via BCG  By Romain de Laubier, Arne Burfeind, Sebastien Arnold, Sven Witthöft, and Marius Wunder The construction industry is a paradox. The annual global growth rate is more than 3%, but the sector is in crisis: prices are soaring, jobs remain unfilled, and demand far outstrips supply. The crisis can be attributed to one broad shortcoming: unlike almost every other industry, construction has been reluctant to modernize and thereby boost its productivity. The car factory of 2019 looks nothing like the car factory of 1919, whereas the construction site has hardly changed during that time. Of course, construction is not easily amenable to mass...

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September 28, 2020

New CCDC 2 and online training

New CCDC 2 and online training Dear colleagues, As Chair of the Canadian Construction Documents Committee (CCDC), I am pleased to announce that this winter CCDC will be publishing the new version of the CCDC 2 ‘Stipulated Price Contract’ and the brand-new Master Specification for Division 01 ‘General Requirements’ and CCDC 31 ‘Service Contract Between Owner and Consultant’ documents. We will also be providing online training to explain the key changes to CCDC 2 and to introduce the new Division 01 document. Online training will be held in November, consisting of four distinct presentations. Presentation 1: An introduction to CCDC...

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September 28, 2020

Cash is king: How this entrepreneur mastered the basics of financial management

via bdc Marc Lindner established proper financial processes that helped him take control of his finances Marc Lindner’s roofing company had a problem some businesses would only be too happy to share. Sales had jumped 50% each year since the company started in 2014. Its workforce had grown from one to 35 employees in just a few years. But despite the explosive growth, Kitchener, Ont.-based Black and White Commercial Roofing was having cash flow issues. Lindner had focused so heavily on sales and customers that financial management had been neglected. He was making major purchases without proper planning and didn’t have a good idea about his costs....

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September 23, 2020

CCA launches Talent Fits Here campaign to attract a new generation to join the construction industry

Dear colleagues and members, The Canadian Construction Association (CCA) has launched Talent Fits Here, a campaign designed to encourage more Canadians to consider a career in construction. VIEW THE CAMPAIGN AND SEE OUR REAL-LIFE STORIES “For the first time in decades, the industry has more projects than people,” says Mary Van Buren, CCA president. “And our industry is not alone – there is competition for talent across sectors due to shifting demographics and baby boomer retirements, and it is fierce.” Talent Fits Here is a national public awareness campaign designed to shift some of the traditional perceptions around working in construction by...

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September 23, 2020

CCA member Chandos Construction Celebrates 40th Anniversary

CCA would like to congratulate long time member Chandos Construction on this very big occasion! Keep reading to find out how Chandos Construction has evolved over the past 40 years. Since our inception, we’ve completed more than 2,000 projects. We committed to inclusive hiring – a practise that nurtures diverse talent and attracts women, Indigenous peoples, new Canadians, LGBTQ2S+ and youth to the construction industry. Everyday we look for more ways to use our business model to build a better world. We’re taking it back to 1990 in celebration of our 40th anniversary. Our co-founder Dan O’Brien was 30 years...

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September 16, 2020

New affordable housing project in Ogden going ahead despite some community objection

via GlobalNews By Melissa Gilligan Calgary city council has approved the construction of an affordable housing project in the community of Ogden. As Sarah Offin reports, some community members have concerns about the location of the building. A proposal to build an affordable housing unit in the community of Ogden was given the go-ahead by Calgary councillors on Monday evening. City council voted in favour of changing the current land-use designation for the site of the proposed Ogden Family Housing development at around 10:30 p.m. following a marathon meeting that began at 9:30 a.m. The four or five-storey mixed-use building...

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September 9, 2020

Alberta to receive over $6.3M to strengthen energy efficiency and green building practices

via Construction Canada September 8, 2020 The Canadian government is investing $3 million to enable small- and medium-sized firms in Alberta to develop innovative green technologies and support local jobs. Image courtesy CNW Group/Western Economic Diversification Canada The Canadian government is funding $3 million to help Alberta’s construction and engineering industry innovate and grow. This investment from Western Economic Diversification Canada (WD) will help small- and medium-sized businesses adopt new products and technologies that improve the energy efficiency of buildings and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This funding will be directed towards an Alberta-based not-for-profit organization—the Smart Sustainable Resilient Infrastructure Association (SSRIA)—to establish a network...

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September 2, 2020

COVID-19: The Impact on Leadership Development

  Never before has leadership been tested in such a universal way; COVID has not stopped at brand, finances, revenues, marketing, product, industry or employee engagement. But what it has done, is put a huge spotlight on leadership teams. Now more than ever, investing in leadership programming is crucial. When looking for a leadership development program, look the following key components for the best experience. Over the last few months, we learned that it turns out many “leaders” were only that in title. When the title was taken for granted, leadership in the face of adversity hasn’t always stood the...

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