Counter Talks

The city of Toronto is looking at a ban or restrictions on two-stroke leaf blowers and other lawn equipment, joining other jurisdictions around the continent. Might be a good time to look at upgrading your fleet and retiring these noisy old beasts. Veteran lawn equipment supplier Mark Peart joins CounterTalks to discuss the latest in light lawn care engine technology and the pros and cons of four-...

Pandemic response expert Suzanne Bernier rejoins CounterTalks to tell us what we’ve learned in six months of pandemic about the virus, how it spreads and what businesses should do to combat it. We touch on some of the controversies around masks and lockdowns and whether surfaces are primary vectors for COVID-19. Suzanne looks ahead to the winter and the prospects for a vaccine – and the...

Keith Tyson joins Counter Talks to look over the rental rate numbers for the first half of 2020 and evaluate what effect if any the pandemic has had. The news is overall better than we might have feared, but there have been some unusual movement. Tyson talks about what categories of machinery have done better and worse, where the most movement has been and the possible outlook for the rest of the...

The urgency of attracting a new young workforce to the construction trades is looming ever larger. We’ve known for a while that the retiring Baby Boomer generation will leave a big hole in the workforce – one that Millennials seem reluctant to fill with their preference for technology-focused employment. Now the pandemic has created a huge new need for economic stimulus that will probably be met w...

Edmonton is home to one of the world’s foremost designers of virtual reality simulators for construction applications – Serious Labs. CEO Jim Colvin joins Patrick Flannery to discuss the company’s origins in the gaming industry, the present capabilities of VR, its uses as a training and safety tool and what we should expect in the future when it comes to remote control and simulations.

Canadian Rental Service At Your Service columnist Russ Dantu gets at the things that keep your customers coming back. He and Pat discuss big box versus Mom and Pop approaches, automation, relationship building and more. Everyone says they have the best service in the business…but they can’t all be right, can they?

Suddenly we seem to be able to power just about anything using lithium batteries. Excavators, lifts, loaders, utility vehicles, breakers – the old restraints on power output that used to restrict lithium to lighter roles have vanished. Mike Owen, product manager for Milwaukee Power Tools, joins Counter Talks to explain how this technology has evolved, why it’s taken this step forward and what its...

Pandemic response expert Suzanne Bernier joins Canadian Rental Service editor Patrick Flannery to look back at the chaotic last couple months, assess our response to the coronavirus and forecast where the health authorities will go from here. Bernier has helped craft Ontario and the U.N.’s response to previous epidemics – there is no better person to educate us about this crazy time.  

Government funding guru Bonny Koabel updates listeners on the most recent announcements from Ottawa about federal support for small businesses. Changes and clarifications to the Canadian Emergency Wage Subsidy, including when it will become available and how to apply. Also, discussion of the Canada Emergency Student Benefit, the Canada Student Service Grant and the Canada Summer Jobs program – all...

Point of Rental software CEO Wayne Harris joins Counter Talks to discuss tips and strategies for using technology to set up a safe rental store that maintains social distancing even as operations continue during the pandemic. We get into e-signatures, video calls, fleet scheduling, maintenance tracking and more. Harris works with rental stores all across the continent and has collected valuable in...

Bonny Koabel joins Counter Talks again with the latest update on new government relief programs announced for small businesses affected by COVID-19. The news is changing daily – Bonny tells you what you need to know about who can access what funding and where to find it.

The grim fact is some of our customers’ businesses will not survive this pandemic. Credit insurance is one way to protect your receivables and, no, it’s not too late to buy it. Veteran brokers Carl Pickett and Roch Simard explain the ins and outs of an insurance product that is sure to be getting more popular.

Bonny Koabel, our government funding expert, returns to update listeners on the latest announcements from federal and provincial governments of new financial assistance available to small and medium-sized businesses. Wage relief, cheap credit, deferred payments, tax breaks – you’ll need it all to survive the pandemic and Bonny tells you how.

Government funding guru Bonny Koabel returns to update you on recently announced details of the Canadian federal government’s attempts to support small businesses through the pandemic. In this episode: wage subsidies, payment deferrals, tax deferrals, loan guarantees, CERB and more.

In this special coronavirus episode of Counter Talks, Bonny Koabel of AKR Consulting tells you what government assistance is being offered to companies impacted by the pandemic. There’s help with wages, tax relief, credit, direct grants and more, with more to come on the horizon. Bonny has been getting companies access to government services for a long time and knows the ropes when it comes to cut...

In 2006, Suzanne Bernier developed the Ontario WSIB’s first pandemic plan in response to the SARS outbreak, which was globally recognized as the best of its time. She then led her employer’s internal response to the H1N1 pandemic after several outbreaks in their workplace. She was invited to address the UN in Switzerland to educate on pandemic response and commissioned by its New York headquarters...

Kara Longmire and Mary Crosslin were managers at Alert Management Systems, a rental software provider, for a long time. Now they own the company and are getting recognition from the U.S. Women’s Chamber of Commerce. Tune in for  Canadian Rental Service  editor Patrick Flannery’s conversation with these dynamic entrepreneurs to find out why their story is surprising, why it shouldn’t...

He’s the perfect blend of rental industry and propane industry knowledge. George Olah has seen it all as a former energy advisor to the Ontario government, a general manager of a Toronto rental store and now director of training for the CPA. We talk about the CPA, propane regulations, enforcement and, most of all, the need to get your staff trained on how to handle and connect propane for maximum...

Canadian Rental Service  editor Patrick Flannery discusses ways to ensure the future of skilled labour in the mechanical trades with Julie Davis, director of workforce development for the Association of Equipment Manufacturers.