The Hammer

Espisito and Koblik, the husband and wife owners of Otis Interiors in Guelph, Ont., have discovered a better way of doing business. They leverage their creative and operational expertise with a careful design plan including intensive homeowner consultation, milestones, acquisition of all permits and drawings and a payment and procurement schedule to achieve a high level of preparation before anyon...

New standards for energy efficiency and low carbon impact in construction are demanding new skills in the trades – skills your young workers might be more familiar with than you are. Chad Flinn, associate vice-president of academics at Red Deer Polytechnic, and Judi Varga-Toth, manager of the ImpAct-Climate program at Colleges and Institutes Canada, are working to educate today’s construction indu...

Ceiling systems have come a long way from basic white grids and tiles. No longer flat and forgettable, modern ceiling designs enhance aesthetics and can impact health and safety concerns. These days, many integrated ceiling solutions are also manufactured with sustainable and recyclable materials.  Listen to our conversation with Jamie Wright - Product Specialist in Ceiling Systems at Kenroc...

Dave Henderson, senior technical services manager for the Residential Construction Council of Ontario, is concerned about the increasing complexity of building codes. He goes over at least six major changes that are proposed for the 2025 National Building Code update, each of which will add significant costs to new homes and renovations requiring permits. He reflects on his time working on code de...

We continue our series on updates to the National Building Code with Troy Ferreira, technical director for the Canadian Roofing Contractors Association. Ferreira has been involved with commenting and proposing revisions for the 2020 NBC, which has just come into effect nationally but is still being revised. We touch on new language affecting fire protection for spray foam, open cell spray foam req...

Leor Marguiles is a partner at commercial real estate firm, Robins Appleby. From there, he watches as larger developers deal with the fallout from high interest rates and skyrocketing home prices: homeowners delaying or cancelling purchases they suddenly find unaffordable. He joins The Hammer to discuss the factors driving a spike in project delays and defaults and suggest ways that small contract...

Terry Adamson, technical director for Fenestration Canada, joins The Hammer to preview the proposed changes to the National Building Code related to window and doors. Wider door openings for accessibility…tighter air tightness…solar heat gain requirements…upper storey window fall protection…glazing guard loads…it’s all here in an information-dense download.

Explore our 2024 playbook tailored for electrical contractors seeking a competitive edge. Uncover industry-best practices and stay ahead of the curve. 

Vice-Chair Jack Slaughter of the Ontario Labour Relations Board and Jeremy Ambraska, employment and labour lawyer with Sherrard Kuzz (Coos) LLP join this episode of the Hammer to discuss the aging workforce, apprenticeships and training within the construction sector. Vice Chair Slaughter and Ambraska engage in conversation with editor, Kaitlin Secord, about mentorship and knowledge transfer, the...

Facing a dynamic shift in every facet, the construction industry find itself in need of a revamping when it comes to the future of its workforce. From Support Ontario Youth, interim executive director Melanie Winter and program management lead Lea Valcourt join this episode of the Hammer to chat about their organization and its initiatives in supporting the future of construction labour. Winter an...

Cyber-attacks in construction are on the rise. Bad actors are finding this an attractive industry to target as they can access data and cause business interruptions, and even demand payment of a ransom. As construction companies and their construction sites become increasingly connected, any device connected to the network presents a potential cybersecurity risk, and a robust approach to reducing...

In the latest edition of The Hammer, we are joined by Austin Harvey, residential territory manager for ECCO Supply, to discuss heat pumps. Harvey touches on the reason behind the growing popularity of heat pumps, key considerations and factors for contractors considering heat pump installations, as well as pitfall and reluctancies. Harvey also discusses effective ways that contractors can help cli...

There’s a lot going on in the world of green building and spray foam. Jean- François Lupien, the Global Director of Product Management from Huntsman Building Solutions joins us on The Hammer to discuss an innovation in spray foam technology as well as an update on what is going on in the industry and what Huntsman Building Solutions has been up to in 2023. Also, what contractors can expect to see...

As labour and employment pressures build in the construction industry with impending retirements and an influx of projects, apprentices are more important now than ever. In this episode of the Hammer, we are joined by Robert Bronk, CEO of the Ontario Construction Secretariat, to discuss importance of apprenticeships to the future of Ontario’s construction industry and how the unionized sector is i...

Phil Warren, SFA Saniflo Canada’s Managing Director and Frédéric Boucher, Plomberie EPF’s President, join this special episode of The Hammer to discuss SFA Saniflo’s recent experience on their France factory tour, the company’s history, what they see for the future. Listen as Warren and Boucher chat with editor Kaitlin Secord about the company’s innovations to the plumbing world, their global pres...

Liz Kovach, President of the Western Retail Lumber Association Inc., joins this special episode of The Hammer to discuss the association’s Let’s GO Build Program and their take on the recent labour market study. WRLA is a member-based organization that connects and educates the building supply industry in Western Canada to facilitate the growth of member businesses. Their Let’s Go Build program ai...

Join us in this episode as we delve into the world of door systems and explore the various options available to bridge the gap between the indoors and outdoors. Our expert guests, Russ Miller, JELD-WEN Canada's National Account Manager, and Mike Desmarais, JELD-WEN Canada's Territory Sales Manager for Ontario, will guide us through a captivating discussion on the types of exterior door systems, in...

In this edition of The Hammer, editor Kaitlin Secord sits down with Owen Thompson and Marilena Tricarico of Desjardin’s RenoAssistance to discuss their annual Renovation Intentions survey results and what these results can teach contractors. We also chat about strategy for navigating renovations in today’s economy and climate.

With greener homes on the rise, so is government funding for financial assistance. In this edition of the podcast, Kaitlin Secord, the new editor of Canadian Contractor is joined by Bonny Koabel of Access Rebates to discuss Enbridge’s Home Energy Rebate program, energy audits, the Greener Home Loan program, and how knowledge about these funding programs can help contractors and homeowners alike.

Mickel Maalouf of Huntsman Building Solutions joins The Hammer to discuss the crackdown on Radon in homes. As many as 3,200 Canadians die from it every year. It easily penetrates residences and enclosed spaces undetected. It’s the number one cause of lung cancer in non-smokers. Throughout Canada, there are homes with elevated levels of Radon that need to be assessed and treated. There is a cost-ef...

New concepts are emerging in construction contracts aimed at bringing project owners, contractors and subcontractors closer together as partners rather than bosses and hirelings. But to navigate these new structures, especially on today’s larger P3 projects, glazing contractors are going to need to be prepared for a world of enhanced transparency, data collection and communication. Michelle Thross...

Insulating Concrete Forms (ICFs) have been around for more than 40 years. Essentially used to create a sandwich of concrete between two layers of closed-cell extruded polystyrene foam, the applications for ICF have continued to evolve over the years. In addition to their use for basements and foundation walls, Canadian builders are now using the technology to go up several storeys as well. To lear...

It’s a fond farewell to you from Patrick Flannery, editor of the Canadian Contractor B2B channels for the past 2 ½ years. But your magazine and this podcast will be in the very capable hands of Adam Freill, a veteran media professional with background in a variety of construction sectors. Freill joins The Hammer to introduce himself and talk about the role of B2B media in our businesses; the big t...

Whether it’s upgrades to an existing building or ensuring high-performing, durable, and passive building development projects, contractors need to consider a high-performance Air Barrier System (ABS). A strong air barrier is essential to a sustainable envelope. If fact, the building transformation required today and for future would not be complete without an Air Barrier System and its control lay...

Canadian Contractor author of the Ryan Report, Steve Ryan, joins The Hammer to share his thoughts on inflation, interest rates, housing prices and labour…all the big economic topics challenging us all. Why are expectations worse than inflation itself? Why do the prices of houses go down as the prices of everything else rise? Will workers be asking for more in the months ahead? Is there a recession...