The Construction Record™ Podcast

On this special episode of The Construction Record Podcast, digital media editor Warren Frey speaks to British Columbia construction and safety stakeholders about a rising number of work-related deaths as they observe the 43rd anniversary of the tragic accident at the Bentall IV building in Vancouver that claimed four lives on Jan 7., 1981. BC Building Trades executive director Brynn Bourke hosted...

On this episode of The Construction Record Podcast, digital media editor Warren Frey discusses Renew Canada's 2024 list of Canada's top infrastructure projects with Renew editor John Tenpenny. As with previous years, health infrastructure projects made a strong showing due to pandemic-era spending increases to deal with the current health crisis and any future ones. Transit also continued to domin...

On this episode of The Construction Record Podcast, digital media editor Warren Frey speaks with CK DesGrosseilliers, a spokesperson for the Threads of Life victims group, about recent changes by the Ontario government regarding mandatory inquests after construction-related deaths. DesGrosseilliers has a personal stake in the issue, as her brother Tim DesGrosseilliers, a unionized elevator constru...

On this episode of the Five Pods of Xmas, ConstructConnect news media director Vince Versace talks about the most interesting construction stories of the past year and talks with digital media editor Warren Frey about future plans for The Construction Record™ Podcast.   Vince said artificial intelligence (AI) has rapidly grown into a functional and useful tool within the construction industry, but...

On this episode of the Five Pods of Xmas, news editor Lindsey Cole looks at some of the most important stories of 2023 and predicts what lies ahead for the industry in the coming year. Lindsey pointed to the housing crisis in Ontario as a major story, as well as the Greenbelt scandal as Doug Ford's government backpedaled on development of a large amount of publicly-owned land. She also pointed to...

On this episode of the Five Pods of Xmas, we hear from Daily Commercial News staff writer Angela Gismondi as she reflects on some of the most important stories she covered throughout the year and looks at what's in store in 2024. Housing was of course top of mind and one of her key areas of coverage both in Ontario and on the national landscape. She said the Greenbelt scandal was an important part...

The Five Pods of Xmas – staff writer Don Wall On this episode of the Five Pods of Xmas, Daily Commercial News staff writer Don Wall reflects on important stories from 2023 including changes in Ontario to the inquest process. Don recently wrote a story about Ontario changing its approach to inquests in order to clear a backlog of cases leading to substantial delays. Additionally stakeholders have o...

The Five Pods of Xmas – Journal of Commerce staff writer Sarah Rowland On the first of our Five Pods of Xmas, Journal of Commerce staff writer Sarah Rowland reflects on her new position reporting on Western Canadian construction and lets us know what she's looking forward to covering in 2024. Amongst Sarah's favorite topics is the changing Vancouver landscape as city council and the ABC party look...

On this episode of The Construction Record Podcast™, digital media editor Warren Frey looks back at 2023 and forward to 2024 through an economic lens with ConstructConnect chief economist Alex Carrick and senior economist Michael Guckes.   Chief amongst the big construction stories of 2023, Carrick said, is the increased number of megaprojects underway in both the United States and Canada, as well...

On this episode of The Construction Record Podcast™, we have highlights from a recent Buildings Show fireside chat style panel about artificial intelligence (AI) moderated by ConstructConnect director of news media Vince Versace, featuring LandLogic CEO Arash Shahi and Doug Dockery, ConstructConnect's chief technology officer. The trio discussed the current and future role of AI in the constructio...

On this episode of the Construction Record Podcast™, digital media editor Warren Frey speaks with Weather Network meteorologist Mark Robinson and Western University's Dr. Greg Kopp about the increasing dangers of extreme weather and how construction can create resilient building techniques to withstand climate change. Robinson detailed the disaster areas he's seen across the planet ranging from Ne...

On this episode of The Construction Record Podcast™, digital media editor Warren Frey speaks with Residential Construction Council of Ontario president Richard Lyall about the federal government's Fall Economic Statement, introduced by deputy prime minister and finance minister Chrystia Freeland on Nov 21. Lyall reflected on the parts of the statement of benefit to the residential construction ind...

On this episode of The Construction Record Podcast, Daily Commercial News staff writer Angela Gismondi speaks with Dara Calleary, Ireland's minister of state for trade promotion, digital and company regulation, about the launch of the Ireland-Canada Construction Network, an initiative to share products, skills, and innovations between the two nations. Calleary said while Ireland has traditionally...

On this episode of The Construction Record Podcast, digital media editor Warren Frey speaks with both Interact Analysis senior research director Alastair Hayfield about the downturn in the European heavy equipment market and what that indicates more broadly as well as an interview with Jacob Bros. president and CEO Scott Jacob about leadership in times of ongoing crisis. Hayfield detailed how dema...

On this episode of the Construction Record Podcast™, we have interviews from the Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships (CCPPP) 2023 annual P3 conference in downtown Toronto about the present and future of the public-private partnership (P3) procurement model. Digital media editor Warren Frey spoke with CCPP president Lisa Mitchell about both the conference and the current P3 climate and...

On this episode of The Construction Record Podcast™, we have highlights from ConstructConnect's Fall 2023 Construction Economy Outlook podcast, featuring ConstructConnect chief economist Alex Carrick and senior economist Michael Guckes, American Institute of Architects chief economist Kermit Baker, Associated General Contractors of America chief economist Ken Simonson, and ConstructConnect vice-pr...

On this episode of The Construction Record Podcast™, digital media editor Warren Frey speaks with All Nations United president Mary French about the current opportunities and future potential of Indigenous collaboration with the construction industry on major projects. French recently took part in the "From Reconciliation to Building Together — A Discussion on Building and Fostering Meaningful Bus...

On this episode of The Construction Record Podcast™, digital media editor has two interviews from the recent Independent Contractors and Businesses Association of B.C. Innovation summit. The first interview is with Brad Burnett, the executive vice-president of ITC Construction Group and was on a panel titled "The Future of Construction is Pre-Construction." He explained how he went from an estimat...

It's that time of year again as digital media editor Warren Frey and correspondent Peter Kenter delve into the spooky and ghoulish side of construction with a look at their favorite structures that may or may not be host to unexplained apparitions and forces beyond life and death. Peter interviewed Haunted Walks director Jim Dean for an upcoming story about infrastructure hauntings around Ontario,...

On this episode of The Construction Record Podcast™, digital media editor Warren Frey speaks with Dr. Jon Callegher about attracting young people to the construction industry and then retaining them once they enter the field. Callegher, the executive director of the Job Talks research and media agency, spoke at the recent British Columbia Construction Safety Alliance Health and Safety Conference a...

On this episode of The Construction Record Podcast™, digital media editor Warren Frey speaks with Sarah Rowland, the Journal of Commerce's new staff writer, about her background in journalism including stints at the Georgia Straight in Vancouver and the Montreal Mirror, her time in communications and her hopes for her new role as she brings you news from western Canada's construction, architecture...

On this episode of The Construction Record Podcast™, we have interviews from the British Columbia Construction Safety Alliance's 2023 Health and Safety Conference, including BCCSA president Mike McKenna and safety expert Michael Fears. McKenna gave an overview of both conference content and the importance of being able to network with one's peers and spoke to the importance of mental health work b...

On this episode of The Construction Record Podcast™, digital media editor Warren Frey speaks with Vancouver Regional Construction Association president Jeannine Martin about the 2023 Awards of Excellence, held Oct. 17 at the Vancouver Convention Centre West. Martin discussed the many projects involved in the awards, including impressive retail like the Pacific Centre Apple Store in downtown Vancou...

On this episode of The Construction Record Podcast™,  digital media editor Warren Frey speaks with Independent Contractors and Businesses Association (ICBA) president Chris Gardner about the organization's upcoming Construction Innovation Summit. Gardner went into detail about how technology and innovation can help construction address an ongoing and worsening labour shortage as well as showcase h...

On this episode of The Construction Record Podcast, digital media editor Warren Frey speaks with ConstructConnect senior economist Michael Guckes about his work with a new Project Stress Index tool, the current federal deadlock and its effect on the wider economy and the somewhat muddled state of office to residential conversions. Guckes gave a fulsome look at some of the trends he's seeing via th...