The Construction Record™ Podcast

On this special episode of The Construction Record Podcast, ConstructConnect director of news media Vince Versace and daily news editor Lindsey Cole examine the significant trends and event that shaped the construction industry in 2025. The ongoing U.S. tariff challenge topped the list of topics, along with seismic shifts in Canadian politics and the construction industry's response to changing po...

On a special  episode of  The Construction Record Podcast,  it is Halloween time as  ConstructConnect director of news media Vince Versace and  DCN-JOC  editor Lindsey Cole  gather around the news cauldron to discuss  scary literature involving construction   along with a look at the real-world fears keeping the industry up at night.    Vince drills into a  recently-penned   piece   called the  Si...

On this special episode of The Construction Record Podcast, ConstructConnect director of news media Vince Versace and correspondent Warren Frey report from the 36th annual VRCA Awards of Excellence held in downtown Vancouver. Vince and Warren discuss both the projects showcased, the current state of project building in B.C. and the legacy of the awards, created almost four decades ago by the Journ...

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 f...

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...

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 m...

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...

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 Op...

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 h...

On this episode of The Construction Record Podcast, digital media editor Warren Frey has two interviews with Independent Contractors and Business Association (ICBA BC) president Chris Gardner and BC Building Trades executive director Brynn Bourke about who they're endorsing and what they want to see for their sectors after the election on Oct. 19. Gardner said the ICBA is supporting the BC Conserv...

On this episode of The Construction Record Podcast, digital media editor Warren Frey speaks with ConstructConnect director of news media Vince Versace about the long history of the humble hard hat. Invented by American Edward W. Bullard in 1918 the hardhat is both the first and one of the most vital pieces of safety equipment on site and an iconic, instantly recognizable symbol of the construction...

On this episode of The Construction Record Podcast, Calgary Construction Association president Bill Black speaks with digital media editor Warren Frey about the many delays and governmental clashes affecting the City of Calgary's Green Line light-rail transit project.   Alberta premier Danielle Smith recently said she wants the project to proceed as originally envisioned and expressed concerns the...

On this episode of The Construction Record Podcast, digital media editor Warren Frey speaks with ConstructConnect director of news media Vince Versace on the 23rd anniversary of 9/11 about how the subsequent study of the tragedy led to new designs and building practices. Vince explained how new forms of egress were adopted in tall buildings in order to facilitate evacuations, how construction move...

On this special episode of The Construction Record Podcast, as children and teens across North America make their way back to school for another year, digital media editor Warren Frey and ConstructConnect director of news media Vince Versace discuss construction as seen in the movies. Films and television can inspire future career choices for young people, and certainly The LEGO Movie, which celeb...

On this episode of The Construction Record Podcast, digital media editor Warren Frey interviews Vancouver Regional Construction Association (VRCA) president Jeannine Martin and British Columbia Construction Association (BCCA) president Chris Atchison about the upcoming B.C. election. The B.C. election race was upended on Aug. 28 when BC United leader dropped out and the party withdrew from the rac...

On this episode of The Construction Record Podcast, digital media editor Warren Frey speaks to Wesgroup president and CEO Beau Jarvis about dealing with the housing crisis from a developer perspective. Wesgroup recently released a video titled " Housing Crisis 101: Why Homes Don't Just Happen" (embedded below) which illustrates through animation how changing government regulations and an uncertain...

On this episode of The Construction Record Podcast™, digital media editor Warren Frey speaks with economist and President's Fellow at the University of Calgary's School of Public Policy Jack Mintz about Canada's reinvigorating and expanding ageing infrastructure. Mintz said privatization is one possible route to increasing infrastructure across Canada, and pointed to the telecommunications industr...

On this episode of The Construction Record Podcast™, digital media editor Warren Frey speaks with BCIT Centre for Welding Technologies and Metallurgy director Mathew Smith about "cobots," robots designed to work collaboratively with students and workers in industrial environments. Smith said cobots differ from traditional industrial robots in size, function and cost and because of the use of senso...

On this episode of The Construction Record Podcast™, digital media editor Warren Frey speaks with ConstructConnect chief economist Michael Guckes as he details his plans for his new role. Michael and Warren discussed what's in store for the economy as summer turns to fall including the possibility of a rate cut from the Federal Reserve as well as the shifting political landscape as the United Stat...

On this episode of The Construction Record Podcast™, digital media editor Warren Frey speaks with Yellowknife Consulting Services president Terry Dussault about emerging trends and safety risks on worksites. Dussault highlighted rising risks such as struck-by incidents and the need for better respiration masks to deal with threats such as potential silica inhalation. He also said more awareness is...

On this episode of The Construction Record Podcast, digital media editor Warren Frey speaks with Substance Group chief accessibility officer Mark DeMontis about how accessible buildings in B.C could be a new and lucrative market for developers. DeMontis said while there has been some resistance to BC Building Code changes that increase accessibility in new buildings, he thinks those attitudes focu...

On this episode of The Construction Record Podcast™, digital media editor Warren Frey speaks with both TAS CEO Mazyar Mortazavi and Creative Fire managing director Jordan Baptiste about the TAS Reconciliation Plan, a document intended to guide company actions as they engage with Indigenous communities to further development. Mortazavi described as an impact platform which uses real estate to drive...

On this episode of The Construction Record Podcast™, digital media editor Warren Frey speaks with both BC Building Trades executive director Brynn Bourke and British Columbia Construction Association (BCCA) president Chris Atchison about Canada's immigration system and how it intersects with an ongoing labour shortage in the construction industry. Bourke addressed what she said is an "addiction" t...

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 i...

On this episode of The Construction Record Podcast™, digital media editor Warren Frey speaks with Adrian Price, an architect and principal with London-based BDP Architects, about the design of the retail segment of The Well, a mixed-use "micro-city" of residences offices and retail in downtown Toronto. One of the standout features of The Well is an extensive glass canopy that brings European-style...