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Quick
take
Help wanted by Nov. 1
With size comes responsibility. Canada's biggest contractors have the staff and resources necessary to make an impact in health and safety, regulation, business practice, technology, government relations and other areas that are key to the health of our industry. It's a challenge they face quite willingly.
That's why we are pleased to take an opportunity to tip our hats to Canada's "Top 40" biggest contractors, as ranked by revenue, in the November/December issue of On-Site. It's a document that tells all of Canada — and the world — that our biggest and brightest stand second to none.
This research provides another benefit... it offers a snapshot of the industry's health, as seen by our largest firms. How is 2007 shaping up? How healthy is 2008 looking, and in which sectors?
The issue also includes a directory of contractors and their areas of business. It goes beyond the Top Contractors to list ALL the firms that were prepared to share their data.
I may be biased, but I think it is a great document. Certainly, the requests we get for it from both inside and outside our industry prove that it is useful.
 We need your help to make it happen. We have a simple form that needs to be filled out, accessible at www.on-sitemag.sartech.ca/archives/TopCon_Blank.pdf. The deadline for returns is Nov. 1.
Even if you are not sure that you'll make the Top 40 list this time around, we need the data for the economic analysis. On top of that, you'll get a free listing in the Top Contractors directory.
If you have any questions or suggestions about this project or need an extension on the deadline, please give me a call at (416) 764-1612 or email me at editor@on-sitemag.com.
Jim
Barnes
Editor
On-Site
Top
Last poll: Recruiting workers
Just how bad is the hiring crunch? Last time, we asked our readers whether recruiting enough competent workers to handle the work they have lined up was a major headache for them. The responses leave no doubt.
Strongly agree: 77 per cent.
Somewhat agree: 19 per cent
Disagree: 3 per cent.
Instant poll
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Web
site of the month: Careers in construction
Contractors have been pounding their heads against the walls for years over the difficulty in getting the message across to youth about the great careers to be had in construction. With the labour shortage lately, the pounding has become louder and faster.
An admirable attempt is being made by the Construction Sector Council to address the problem with its "Careers in Construction" website at www.careersinconstruction.ca .
The site contains a wealth of information on how the industry works and what kinds of work are available, along with the usual FAQ and links pages. Two useful sections are "Common Myths" and "Test your Construction IQ." If you know an unemployed—or underemployed—youth, you'd be doing them a favour to point them toward this site.
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Quick stat
ICI surge continues
Driven largely by commercial investment in Central Canada and Alberta, non-residential building construction registered a fourth year of growth. Investment reached $10.4 billion in the third quarter, up 4.9 per cent from the second quarter, according to Statistics Canada. In constant dollars, third-quarter investment was up 0.9 per cent from the second quarter, the agency said. The increase was primarily due to office-building construction in Alberta, Quebec and Ontario.
www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/071012/d071012a.htm
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News
bytes
Hall (left) and Stokes discussed business trends.
Forum addresses industry issues for top execs
Staff report
Nearly 30 were in attendance at the Construction Industry Leaders' Forum (CILF) in Montreal Oct. 24. The event was organized by the Canadian Construction Association for its corporate members, with the theme of "Building a Better Company."
The program kicked off with analysis of business and economic trends. The first speaker was Peter Hall, vice-president and deputy chief economist, EDC Economics.
In a presentation entitled "The Spreading Slowdown," Hall suggested that the business news was not good — but not all that bad, either. The U.S. housing slowdown remains a key concern. Hall noted that the U.S. has approximately a one-year oversupply of housing. The mortgage fallout is not over, and economists are concerned about the potential impact on consumer confidence in the U.S., which could ultimately affect Canada.
However, growing globalization means that Canada will not be as heavily impacted by this as it might have been in the past. Hall predicted job growth to continue, but noted that a major decline in Canadian consumer confidence could hurt the economy.
Raymond Brunet, CCA Chair,
thanks Jacques Demers for
his presentation. |
The Western provinces remain "white-hot" and nonresidential building is still strong. Ongoing decreases in commodity costs are expected. He called for the Canadian dollar to drop below 90 cents U.S. by the end of 2008, which should have a positive effect on Canadian exports.
The situation is a deceleration, not a recession, with noteworthy growth opportunities, said Hall.
"CSC Construction Trades Outlook 2007" was a presentation delivered by Ernie Stokes of the Construction Sector Council.
Stokes called for GDP growth to slow to 2.5 per cent and unemployment to stay at about eight per cent in the construction industry, which he says translates to virtually zero. This rate will continue through 2015.
Retirement is putting a tremendous amount of pressure on the industry and aggressive recruiting will be required just to keep employment levels even, he said. The primary source of new workers in the industry will be immigration.
Stokes cited the important role that nonresidential building is playing in the industry, adding that Canada's accumulated infrastructure deficit is also going to drive construction business.
Other speakers included John Szold and Andrew Case from Caliper Canada, a human-resources consulting firm. They delivered presentations on executive leadership and team building, respectively.
The luncheon speaker was celebrated hockey coach Jacques Demers, who blended incidents from his biography with a powerful motivational address on the need for teamwork in achieving success.
Jim Thomson, director, Human Resources Operations — Ceridian Canada spoke on six practices that could help build a high-performance corporate culture. The firm, a human-resources consultant, has itself won several awards recognizing it as an effective workplace.
The event wrapped up with a round table on the subject of "What's Keeping Canada's Construction CEOs Awake at Night?" As many familiar with the industry could guess, much of the discussion revolved around employee recruitment and retention.
www.cca-acc.com 
Event attracted executives from across Canada. Front row: Paul
McLellan, Alliance Energy Ltd., Martha George, Grand Valley
Construction Association and Fred Cahill., G.J. Cahill & Co. Ltd.
Calendar
of events
November 3 to 4: NBMDA Annual Convention & Tabletop Business Session. The National Building Material Distributors Association will host this event at the Broadmoor Hotel, Colorado Springs, CO. Tel: (888) 747-7862. E-mail: info@nbmda.org. More information: www.nbmda.org/events/2007Annual/registration/.
November 5 to 6: Managing Risk in Construction Contracts. This comprehensive seminar is sponsored by The Canadian Institute. The site is The Westin, Edmonton, AB. Tel: (877) 927-7936. More information: www.canadianinstitute.com.
November 6 to 7: Construct Calgary and Homebuilder & Renovation Expo. This conference and tradeshow will be presented by York Communications at the Roundup Centre, Stampede Park, Calgary, AB. E-mail: registrar@mediaedge.ca. More information: www.constructcalgary.com.
November 7 to 9: International Conference on Optimizing Paving Concrete Mixtures and Accelerated Concrete Pavement Construction and Rehabilitation. The conference will provide an international forum to address various aspects of concrete mixture optimization and accelerated concrete pavement construction and rehabilitation that result in long life for concrete pavements. Sponsors are the Federal Highway Administration and other organizations. The site is the Westin Atlanta Airport hotel, Atlanta, GA. E-mail: stayabji@CTLGroup.com. More information: www.fhwa.dot.gov/pavement/concrete/2007CPTPconf.cfm.
November 11 to 13: AEM Annual Conference. The theme of this educational and networking event for senior construction machinery industry executives is "Shaken not Stirred—Mix up your Markets.' The Association of Equipment Manufacturers will hold the event at the Ritz-Carlton Naples, Naples, FL. Tel: 414-298-4179. E-mail: aem@aem.org. More information: www.aem.org.
November 14 to 15: CAED Environment, Health & Safety Seminar. Intended for members of the Canadian Association of Equipment Distributors, this seminar will cover a variety of topics related to the equipment-distribution business. It will be held at the Mayfield Inn & Suites, Edmonton. More information: mswan@caed.org. The CAED web site is at www.caed.org.
November 22 to 23: Construction Superconference. The 17th annual event will provide comprehensive, up-to-date and practical advice on current business and construction-law issues. Sponsors/organizers: The Canadian Institute. Site: St. Andrew's Club & Conference Centre, Toronto, ON. Tel: (416) 927-7936; Fax: (416) 927-1563. More information: www.canadianinstitute.com/Legal/Construction_Superconference.htm.
November 28 to 30: The Concrete Canada and Construct Canada trade shows and conferences will cover a wide variety of construction topics. The events are managed by York Communications and sponsored by a number of industry associations. The site will be the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Toronto, ON. Tel: (416) 512-1215, ext. 222; E-mail: Teresa@yorkcom.to. More information: www.constructcanada.com or www.concretecanadaexpo.com.
January 22 to 25: World of Concrete. North America's biggest concrete-specific show also features World of Masonry. An extensive seminar program is also featured, which starts Jan. 21. Organizers Hanley Wood Exhibitions will hold the event at the Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, NV. Tel: (972) 536-6371. E-mail: tcindric@HanleyWood.com. More information: www.worldofconcrete.com/woc2008/public/enter.aspx?left=0&nav=0
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Next
issue
The November/December issue will feature our "Top Contractors" report — who the biggest and brightest contractors in the Canadian construction industry, as ranked by revenue. It also includes a directory of Canadian contractors that includes not only our Top Contractors but other contractors worthy of note. and indicates their areas of expertise. If you have not filled out a form, it's not too late. The deadline is Nov. 1, 2007. The form is at http://www.on-sitemag.sartech.ca/archives/TopCon_Blank.pdf.
Other features will include a guide to Winter Work and a special feature on cranes. That's not all... The issue includes Concrete On-Site, Canada's concrete magazine. In that issue, we'll update you on insulated concrete forms (ICFs) and concrete admixtures, as well as present you with a preshow guide to World of Concrete 2008, in Las Vegas in January.
And of course you will get our regular slate of columns on Risk, The Law, Fabricating, Contractor Insight, Safety, Software and Off-Site, home of the funny photo contest.
If you have any questions or suggestions, contact Jim Barnes at (416) 764-1612 or editor@on-sitemag.com
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