Construction Economist Journal - Summer 2012

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CONSTRUCTION ECONOMIST SUMMER 2012

The Journal of the Canadian Institute of Quantity Surveyors Le Journal de l’Institut canadien des économistes en construction

2012AGM

PM 40065075

CIQS

Recap

St. John’s, Newfoundland

ciqs.org


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CONSTRUCTION ECONOMIST SUMMER 2012

The mission of CIQS is to promote and advance professional quantity surveying and construction estimating; to establish and maintain national standards; to recruit, educate and support our members.

Canadian Institute of Quantity Surveyors 90 Nolan Court, Unit 19, Markham, ON L3R 4L9 t. 905/477.0008 f. 905/477.6774 toll free. +1 866/345.1168 e. info@ciqs.org www.ciqs.org

Executive Director Lois Metcalfe. ........................... . . . . . . execdir@ciqs.org Editor Joshua Mutize, PQS.................... . . conecon@ciqs.org Translation André Bernard, ECA Send Change of Address to: Canadian Institute of Quantity Surveyors 90 Nolan Court, Unit 19, Markham, Ontario  L3R 4L9

The Journal of the Canadian Institute of Quantity Surveyors Le Journal de l’Institut canadien des économistes en construction

Features AGM report. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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PAQS report. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Construction cost indices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 A letter to the CIQS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 CIQS affiliated association reports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

CIQS Council President: Mark Russell, PQS(F)

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1st Vice President & CIQS - Maritimes Rep: Mark Gardin, PQS Secretary/Treasurer & CIQS – British Columbia Rep: Roy Howes, PQS Registrar & CIQS - Ontario Rep: Pat Cantin, PQS CIQS - Prairies and NWT Rep: Dave Burns, PQS CIQS - Québec Rep: Jean Paradis, ECA Past President & CIQS - Newfoundland and Labrador Rep: Roy Lewis, PQS(F) Education Administrator: David Lai, PQS(F)

Statements of fact and opinion expressed are those of the authors and CIQS assumes no responsibility for the content, nor do they represent official policy of CIQS. Published four times a year on behalf of the Canadian Institute of Quantity Surveyors by

Third Floor - 2020 Portage Avenue Winnipeg, Manitoba R3J 0K4 Tel: 866-985-9780 Fax: 866-985-9799 info@kelman.ca www.kelman.ca Managing Editor. ........................ Chris Kelman Art Design/Production. ............ Tracy Toutant Advertising Coordinators. ... Lauren Campbell and Stefanie Ingram Marketing Manager. ................... . . Kris Fillion kfillion@kelman.ca 866-985-9798 Publication Mails Agreement #40065075 Send undeliverable addresses to: kelly@kelman.ca

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Departments

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Executive Director’s message. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Editor’s message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 CPD Corner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Education updates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Welcome new members. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Congratulations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24 President’s message. .

OUR CONCERN FOR THE ENVIRONMENT IS MORE THAN JUST TALK This magazine is printed on Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) certified paper with vegetable oil-based inks. Please do your part for the environment by reusing and recycling.


President’s Message

A remarkable bunch of people

B

efore we look ahead to the future, it is probably prudent and correct to spend some time and reflect on what has just gone past. The AGM in St. John’s was excellent. The organizing committee excelled themselves in hosting a varied and interesting AGM and our sincere thanks go to them for a job well done. The entire weekend’s events ran smoothly and the locals were among the friendliest people you could ever wish to meet. Talking of friendly people, the AGM also saw the departure of three of our Council members as they completed their terms. Herve Couture, Bert Bois and Jeff Logan all leave Council with our gratitude for the hard work that they have put in over the years. Their strong characters and forthright opinions will be sadly missed and we wish them all the very best. Looking forward towards the coming year, we welcome new Council members Pat Cantin, Roy Howes and Jean Paradis to the fold. As I mentioned at the AGM, it is not a case of what I am looking to achieve this year, it is what Council collectively are looking to achieve this year. I recall Past President Ian Duncan once mentioning to me after a Council meeting “What a remarkable bunch of people” - and he was right. Aside from the ever present Lois Metcalfe, whose contribution to the Institute is without comparison, it is through the combined efforts, individual talents and work ethic of your elected representatives that make Council tick. We also have the benefit of the continued and ongoing presence of our Past President Roy Lewis and Vice President Mark Gardin to help us along the way. I am delighted to have both of them on Council for this upcoming year. Last, but by no means least, we

We need to ensure that our presence on the international stage is maintained. have Dave Burns continuing his work on the Marketing portfolio, the unrelenting David Lai once again fulfilling the Education portfolio and Joshua Mutize continuing as Editor of the Construction Economist. Now that the plaudits are over, it is time to look at what work is heading our way this year. Council, at the start of every year, inevitably set themselves an ambitious workload and goals to achieve. This year is no different as we continue with the implementation of the marketing plan, notably the launch of the new website, expand the accreditation of colleges and universities across the country, maintain and encourage relationships both at home and internationally, and also carry out the regular business of Council. We have only gone partway along the path of the re-branding. We have the new logo, re-named Affiliates, new textbooks, new promotional material and the basic tools with which we can push the marketing of this great Institute. The marketing plan evolves as we get further into the details of what is actually required; the need to market to the existing members in order to retain both their interest and look after their interests, the need to promote the Institute to potential new members and students, the need to market our services to other Professions and organizations, the need to support

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Mark Russell, PQS(F)

the Affiliates as they carry out the promotional work at a local level, and the need to resurrect our involvement with all levels of government. Our aim is to start seeing some of this come to fruition in the next few years but the challenge is not insignificant. In terms of international relations, we need to be cognizant that more of our members are coming from overseas than before and that we are also seeing fluidity within the global marketplace with many members working abroad and overseas firms moving into Canada. With this in mind, we need to ensure that our presence on the international stage is maintained through our participation as a lead nation within PAQS and to ensure that the people moving to this wonderful country are welcomed and encouraged to join and participate. In closing, it would be remiss of me not to mention the inspirational and thought provoking keynote speaker we had at the AGM. Justin Mercer is a young member of CIQS who graduated a couple of years ago, is currently working his way through the CIQS exam syllabus (with aplomb it should be noted), is working full time and participates with the Institute at a local level. I am not sure whether I would have had the courage to give a presentation to a CIQS AGM at the age of 22, whilst making it amusing and engaging at the same time. How many of us would? So, where is the inspirational and thought provoking part? Justin has Cerebral Palsy. He has overcome the naysayers that said “he couldn’t” with tremendous spirit, dedication and sheer single-mindedness. What a remarkable bunch of people indeed.


Message du Président

Un groupe de personnes remarquable

A

vant de regarder vers le futur, il est prudent et de mise de prendre le temps de réfléchir sur ce qui s’est passé récemment. L’AGA à Terre Neuve fut excellente. Le comité organisateur s’est dépassé dans l’organisation d’une AGA variée et intéressante, et nous leurs offrons nos sincères remerciements pour ce travail bien fait. Toutes les activités de la fin de semaine se déroulèrent en douceur et les gens de l’endroit furent parmi les plus amicaux que vous puissiez espérer rencontrer. En parlant de personnes amicales, le mandat de trois membres de notre Conseil prit fin lors de l’AGA. Il s’agit d’Hervé Couture, Bertin Bois et Jeff Logan qui quittent le Conseil avec toute notre gratitude pour l’immense travail qu’ils ont accompli durant ces années. Et c’est avec tristesse que leur fort caractère et leurs franches opinions nous manqueront. Nous leurs souhaitons à tous ce qu’il y a de mieux. Considérant l’année qui commence, nous accueillons Pat Cantin, Roy Howes et Jean Paradis comme nouveaux membres du Conseil. Comme je l’ai mentionné à l’AGA, il n’est pas question de ce que je prévois accomplir cette année, mais plutôt de ce que le Conseil dans son ensemble envisage de réaliser cette année. Je me rappelle que le précédent président, Ian Duncan, me disait à l’issue d’une réunion du Conseil «Quel groupe de personnes remarquables» - et il avait raison. Mis à part la présence assidue de Lois Metcalfe dont la contribution à l›Institut est inestimable, c›est l›effort combiné de talents individuels et du travail éthique de vos représentants élus qui fait battre le coeur du Conseil. Nous bénéficions également de la présence continue de l›ancien président

Roy Lewis et vice-président Mark Gardin pour nous aider au long de notre démarche. Je suis enchanté de les avoir tous deux sur le Conseil pour la prochaine année. Enfin et non les moindres, Dave Burns continuera à nous faire bénéficier de son travail sur le dossier du Marketing, David Lai continuera sans relâche à traiter le dossier le l›Éducation et Joshusa Mutize poursuivra son travail d›éditeur de «The Construction Economist». Maintenant que les remerciements sont faits, il est temps de regarder quel travail nous comptons accomplir cette année. Inévitablement, en début de chaque année, le Conseil se programme un lot de travail et des objectifs ambitieux à réaliser. Cette année n›est pas différente alors que nous continuerons la mise en oeuvre de notre plan de marketing, plus particulièrement le lancement du nouveau site internet, l›expansion de l›accréditation de collèges et universités à travers le pays, le maintien et l›encouragement de relations tant au pays qu›à l›international, et aussi la continuation des activités courantes du Conseil. Nous n›avons que partiellement réalisé le plan de «re-branding». Nous avons notre nouveau logo, renommé les Affiliés, de nouveaux manuels, du nouveau matériel promotionnel et outils de base avec lequels nous pouvons développer le marketing de ce grand Institut. À mesure que nous entrons dans les détails, le plan de marketing évolue selon ce qui est requis; le besoin de faire la promotion des membres existants afin de conserver à la fois leur motivation et de prendre soin de leurs intérêts, le besoin de promouvoir l›Institut auprès de potentiels nouveaux membres et étudiants, le besoin de promouvoir nos services auprès des autres professions et organisations, le besoin d›apporter notre support aux Affiliés alors

qu›il accomplissent ce travail promotionnel au niveau local, le besoin de ressusciter notre implication à tous les niveaux de gouvernement. Notre but est de voir aboutir une partie de ces objectifs au cours de la prochaine année mais le défi n›est pas insignifiant. En termes de relations internationales, nous devons reconnaître que davantage de nos membres viennent d›outre-mer que par le passé et que nous voyons une certaine fluidité dans le marché global avec plusieurs de nos membres qui travaillent à l›étranger et que des firmes d›outre-mer viennent s›établir au Canada. Ayant celà à l›esprit, nous devons nous assurer que notre présence sur la scène internationnale est maintenue via notre participation comme nation phare au sein du PAQS et en nous assurant que les personnes qui emménagent dans cet extraordinaire pays soient bienvenues et encouragées à se joindre et à participer à l›Institut. En terminant, ce serait un manquement de ma part de ne pas mentionner la présentation inspirante et génératrice d›idées de notre conférencier principal à l›AGA. Justin Mercer est un jeune membre de l›ICÉC, gradué de quelques années et qui fait présentement son chemin à travers les examens du syllabus de l›ICÉC (avec aplomb faut-il noter), qui travaille à plein temps et qui participe aux activités de l›Institut au niveau local. Je ne suis pas certain que j›aurais eu le courage de faire une présentation à l›AGA de l›ICÉC à l›age de 22 ans. Combien d›entrenous l›aurait fait? Alors, où se trouvent ces partie inspirantes et génératirices d›idées? Justin est atteint de paralysie cérébrale. Il a contredit les gens qui disaient «il ne peut pas» avec un esprit, un dévouement et une détermination extraordinaires. En effet, quel groupe de personnes remaquables!

Summer 2012 | www.ciqs.org | CONSTRUCTION ECONOMIST | 5


Executive Director’s Message

Another great AGM

T

he Canadian Institute of Quantity Surveyors’ 2012 Annual General Meeting was held in the most easterly part of North America - Newfoundland and Labrador. The event was hosted by CIQS – Newfoundland and Labrador whose organizing committee comprised of three dedicated members – Roy

Lewis, Wayne Fitzpatrick and Tammy Stockley. CIQS – Newfoundland and Labrador may be the youngest affiliate in CIQS with the least members but they are not lacking in spirit or commitment to the profession. Thanks to the team for a successful event. Traditionally, reports presented by Council at the AGMs are printed,

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Lois Metcalfe

bound and distributed to all delegates. With our commitment to ‘go green’ in the last few years, we have recently projected reports on a screen during the AGM rather than print the reports. At the 2012 AGM, we went a step further. We not only projected the reports on a screen during the AGM but also distributed a flash drive to all delegates containing all the reports. Some delegates viewed the reports on their personal laptops during the meeting. In an attempt to increase attendance at the AGMs, Council is also considering alternate ways to deliver the AGM proceedings to our membership. With the vastness of our country and increase in overseas membership, online AGMs make perfect sense. We welcome comments from our members on this idea – please email me at execdir@ciqs.org. The 2013 Annual General Meeting will be held in Montreal (details to be announced at a later date). Montreal is a complete change of scenery from Newfoundland and Labrador being a cosmopolitan province with diverse architecture, dining experiences and shopping. CIQS – Quebec are hosting the event which promises to provide a solid technical program in both languages. Attendance at the CIQS Annual General Meetings earns members valuable Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Points while networking and socializing with other members and their families. If you have not experienced a CIQS AGM consider making Montreal your first – I promise you will not be disappointed.


Editor’s Message

Joshua Mutize, PQS

W

Construction Economist continues to evolve

elcome to the 2012/13 CIQS Council; particularly the new members of Council – Jean Paradis, Pat Cantin and Roy Howes. It gives me pleasure to write you about our special accomplishments for 2011/2012. The Construction Economist continues to thrive with enriched articles, advertisements and special Council board member messages. Thank you to our readers for your contributions, comments and suggestions! One of our major accomplishments for 2011/2012 was the rebranding of our magazine. Through Parcel Marketing firm and Craig Kelman & Associates, our publishing partners, we are taking a journey towards modernizing our image. I am also excited that our magazine is now available electronically in a book format. Our publisher, Kelman, is providing us with this service at an incredible nominal one-time fee. This is awesome! Through CIQS/Kelman partnership, we have continued to attract more advertisers and as a result we continue to publish our magazine at reasonable costs. The recent magazine publication featured a wide variety of articles that provides knowledge and inspiration to our profession. Previous issues provided incredible information on Building Information Modelling (BIM). BIM is a must know for every QS and Estimator. As technology continues to grow and the information highway continues to become congested, it is imperative for us to continue to improve our strategic thinking. Continue being innovative. Continue to with CPD or Continuing Education Development. I believe the Construction Economist will continue to take a critical role of delivering more diverse articles that help us be

I will work with the new Council to continue working on new strategies and opportunities for our magazine growth. innovative thinkers, strategic thinkers and educated thinkers. During our magazine evolution, it is important to know that we are not perfect and I, as your Editor, am also not so perfect, but with our strength and passion for a high quality product, we will never be diminished. You, as our readers, must continue helping us with our development. We want to be your voice, source of information, source of CPD information and help you find that next job through our advertisers. We want to keep your clients engaged and well informed about the value of this profession on a project. So, I would like to ask you for your help with articles, news leads or any project photos. Now, I would like to draw your attention to next year. I would like to expand our magazine articles to include more diverse subjects in the following areas; Statistics and Economics, Green Construction, Mortgage Monitoring and CPD articles. I truly believe that these are the core

areas that we are lacking consistent coverage in our magazine. I will work with the new Council to continue working on new strategies and opportunities for our magazine growth. Secondly, we would like to continue increasing partnerships with other Editors and journalists. Such relationships will help us continue to provide a quality product that is rich in tools and information for our clients and our services. Thirdly, we would like to increase reports on local chapters’ activities. You may have already seen a few articles in past issues, but we would like to make this more consistent. Last, but not least, our efforts to partner with education institutions will continue to expand. We will work with CIQS Education Director as well as local chapters’ Education coordinators to facilitate partnerships with professors. Education is the back bone for sustainability.

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CPD Corner

Mark Gardin, PQS

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So why do you need CPD

o you think you do not need CPD? It reminds me of that TV show, So You Think You Can Dance. Ever watch it? Most contestants truly believe they have what it takes to be a star but in reality, more often than not, make spectacles of themselves on national TV. Back to CPD - let me guess, in your career you have done it all, seen it all and got the t-shirt that proves it. Actually, it is one of the most popular comments I hear from members. ‘I already sat on an affiliate or chapter board years ago, so why should I need to do CPD – that is for the new members.’ Or, ‘I run my own business and its doing great, I do not need CPD.’ Or my personal favorite, ‘I am happy just as a PQS or an estimator and my employer for the past 25 years likes what I do – no need for professional development to keep my job.’ I got lots more but it is summer and it is sunny outside. Lucky for our profession, construction is an industry of continual change and evolution. New technology, materials and equipment are rolled off assembly lines and put into the marketplace daily. Methodologies and labour practices are continuously improving to gain every ounce of productivity that result in higher profit margins on jobsites. Companies are always seeking competitive advantages by aligning themselves with corporate partners and joint venturing or dealing with mergers or takeovers. If we are not current or prepared for change, we are quickly left behind in a cloud of dust. So, you have been running your own business for many years and by all accounts it is very successful. Looking back, are you doing the exact same thing

with the exact same clients with the exact same people as you did when you started? Probably not. To survive, you had to adapt – whether it was changing your business to a new sector or type of construction; or through a great deal of effort, showcasing your skills to new clients to win them over; or mentoring and training new people because the people you once had left for greener pastures. And looking forward, these changes will continue and likely create more complexity for your business. Yet none of these adaptations would have been possible without your own personal continuous professional development. Or perhaps you are the one with the 25 year employer and everyone is happy. Not expecting change? Of the five construction firms that I worked for so far in my own career: one has new owners, one is bankrupt (long after I left), and two are no longer in business. (One owner retired and closed down the business and the other was closed down by the head office thousands of kilometers away.) Luckily for me, I had moved on before I was forced to find new employment. You may never be in a position to change employers or your

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employment, but in the event that you are, would it not be great to have a wide range of skills that would make you more marketable to find the next great job. And for the ones that already accomplished everything including sitting on one of the CIQS boards, first I would say thank you for volunteering to promote the great Institute that we belong to. Something was inside you that made you step up and accept a nomination to help CIQS. So why do you need CPD? Because you hold a prestigious professional designation and you belong to a professional association that is recognized as a leader in the cost profession in Canada and throughout the world. And a major reason why CIQS is a leader here in Canada and abroad is that it fosters and promotes life-long learning. My wife and I took dance lessons before we got married. No CPD points earned, but I can say there were a few life-long lessons that did keep with me - communication, trust and confidence. We had wonderful teachers who knew just when to separate us when things got a bit tense and we learned how to jive – even though she still steals the lead.

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Summer 2012 | www.ciqs.org | CONSTRUCTION ECONOMIST | 9


Education Updates

Major activities during the past year

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he past year has gone by very quickly and what we have accomplished educationally may not appear to be important or of any profound impact on the future of our Institute. However, if you have read the various articles in this year’s editions of the Construction Economist as well as the bulletins sent out by the Institute, you would have noticed that we have made major strides working in conjunction with our educational institutions in providing fully accredited college/university programs in a wider geographical area of our country. In addition to the above, we had our bi-annual examinations in May and November, signed/re-signed reciprocity agreements, updated some of our syllabi, as well as made changes to our Education Policy Guidance Notes. Below is a list of some of our major activities during the past year:

The first CIQS Council meeting of the current administration was held in Vancouver, British Columbia in September 2011. The highlight of this meeting was the public announcement of the new Construction Management degree with specialization in Quantity Surveying at the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) and the accreditation ceremony that took place at BCIT on September 16, 2011. The entire Council was present for this ceremony where the first accreditation certificate by the CIQS was presented to BCIT. Also, this was the first time that the new logo for the CIQS was officially used. On October 26, 2011, we re-signed a reciprocity agreement with the Canadian Construction Association (CCA) at the Albany Club in Toronto, Ontario. This agreement is an improvement on the previous one and now our certified PQS/ECA members will automatically

10 | CONSTRUCTION ECONOMIST | www.ciqs.org | Summer 2012

David Lai, PQS (F)

receive the CCA`s Gold Seal Certification upon application and our certified CEC members with a minimum of five years certification as a CEC are able to take the Gold Seal Certification challenge examination. CCA`s Gold Seal Certified members are allowed upon application to take our Direct Finalist Examination (Stream B) for their PQS/ ECA certification. In the latter part of 2011, the CIQS – Ontario completed their third revision of the accreditation of their college/ university programs. A ceremony was held for their fully accredited educational programs on Friday December 2, 2011 which was planned to coincide with the second CIQS Council meeting for 2011/2012. The 15th PAQS Congress was held in Colombo, Sri Lanka from July 2227, 2011. At the congress, the CIQS signed a reciprocity agreement with the Association of South African Quantity Surveyors (ASAQS). In total, the CIQS has now signed seven reciprocity agreements with other member countries of PAQS. Through our participation in the European Council of Construction Economists (CEEC), the CIQS continue to increase its international presence. At the third CIQS Council meeting that was held in Markham, Ontario in late March/early April 2012, Council voted in favour of signing a reciprocity agreement with a member of CEEC - the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI). The accreditation report for the Construction Management Degree program offered by Red River College in Winnipeg, Manitoba was completed and submitted at the third CIQS Council meeting for final approval. The accreditation was approved and an


Education Updates

accreditation ceremony was held at Red River College on May 30, 2012. The CIQS was represented at the ceremony by several members of Council. In attendance were many local CIQS members from CIQS – Prairies & NWT along with staff members of the college and several representatives of the student body. The accreditation for the SAIT Polytechnic B.Sc. Construction Project Management program was completed in early May 2012. This was approved by Council at their last meeting just prior to the AGM. An accreditation ceremony is planned for early September 2012. It is interesting to note that prior to 2010, the only fully accredited academic programs were located in Ontario. This has changed dramatically within the last two years - there are now three fully accredited degree programs outside of Ontario. We are now in the third calendar year since the CIQS started to offer all subjects in every examination session. While this has created the opportunity for members to gain their academic requirements earlier, there is also a

negative side to it. The overall failure rate has increased and we are monitoring it carefully. Based on the results of the May and November 2011 examination sessions, the winners of 2011 CIQS awards are: The Frank Helyar Memorial Award for the highest mark (above 75%) in subject #A302 – Mr. Shivaji Jathan of Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Buster Vermeulen Memorial Award for the highest mark (above 75%) in subject #C308 – Mr. Merrill Varner of Western Shore, Nova Scotia. The updating of the syllabi continues. Many new textbooks have been identified to replace those that are no longer available. Several members have submitted suggestions to improve the examinations, guidelines for the preparation of Mature Candidate papers, improvements to the TPE diaries as well as the Areas of Experience. These suggestions will be examined and put forward to Council in the coming year. If they are accepted then changes will be made to the Education Policy Guidance Notes.

Since March 2010, the CIQS Council voted to change the TPE diary requirements for CEC/ECC. Since then, any member seeking the CEC/ECC designation must complete a Class D1 TPE Diary (12 months). However, there are many members that still qualify under the previous rule and are still allowed to submit a one year summarized diary. It was passed at the third CIQS Council meeting that these members who fall under the previous rule must complete this requirement by the end of 2012. As of January 1, 2013 all members seeking the CEC/ECC designation must complete the Class D1 TPE diary. While the above highlighted the major educational issues we dealt with over the last year, there were many other issues that were dealt with on a daily basis and were resolved without the need of Council’s intervention. It has been four years since the idea of hiring a full time Education Director was put forward by the Council of the day. It is my opinion that we have now reached the time when we need to have this person in place in order for us to move forward.

Continuing Education at George Brown College We’re known for the variety, quality and convenience of our courses and programs. Our industry-professional instructors, innovative courses and up-to-date distance-education delivery methods keep our students coming back for more. Our series of OIQS/CIQS accredited courses provide the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in the construction estimating/project management field.

Register now at coned.georgebrown.ca For more information, call 416-415-5000, ext. 4861 (long distance 1-800-265-2002, ext. 4861) or e-mail cetechqs@georgebrown.ca.

Summer 2012 | www.ciqs.org | CONSTRUCTION ECONOMIST | 11


CIQS 2012 AGM Recap

REPORT ON THE

CIQS 53rd Annual General Meeting By Lois Metcalfe The 53rd CIQS Annual General Meeting was held at the Delta Hotel in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador on July 5 to 8, 2012 hosted by CIQS – Newfoundland and Labrador. The event was kicked off for Council on Thursday, July 5 with a Council meeting to review reports for the AGM to be held the next day and tidy up outstanding matters for the 2011/12 year. David Lai was re-elected as CIQS Education Administrator for another two year term. A Welcome Reception was held Thursday evening which gave everyone an opportunity to renew acquaintances and make new friends. The technical sessions were held on Friday morning. Natalie Alexander, PQS, made the first presentation on ‘Construction Projects – Achieving Successful Fiscal Results in a Stressed Labour Market.’ Our second speaker was Adriana Mema, PQS, who made a presentation on ‘Canadian macro-economic climate.’ Excerpts from these two presentations will be featured in the Fall 2012 issue of Construction Economist. Our luncheon speaker was Justin Mercer, a local Associate member, who spoke and delivered his presentation ‘Diversity in the Workplace.’ Friday afternoon, a number of members participated in the first annual AGM run through the streets of St. John’s. The plan is to make this an annual event called ‘Russell Runners’ in honour of Mark Russell who organized the event. The 53rd CIQS Annual General Meeting was held on Saturday, July 7 and attended by 29 members. (To view the minutes please visit the member’s only section of our website). Incoming President, Mark Russell, presented Roy Lewis with a plaque of appreciation for serving as CIQS President. It was announced that the 2013 AGM will be held in Montreal, QC and hosted by CIQS - Quebec.

12 | CONSTRUCTION ECONOMIST | www.ciqs.org | Summer 2012

Following the AGM, the first meeting of the 2012/13 Council was chaired by new President Mark Russell. The President welcomed the following new members to Council – Jean Paradis representing CIQS – Quebec, Pat Cantin representing CIQS – Ontario and Roy Howes representing CIQS – British Columbia. Returning members of Council include Past President and CIQS Newfoundland and Labrador representative Roy Lewis, CIQS – Prairies and NWT representative Dave Burns and CIQS – Maritimes representative Mark Gardin. David Lai will continue as CIQS Education Administrator, Joshua Mutize as Editor of the Construction Economist and Lois Metcalfe will continue as Executive Director. Ian Duncan, Past President, was co-opted to serve on Council to liaise between CIQS and PAQS. Jeff Logan was also co-opted to serve as Chair of the Membership Committee. We also said goodbye to Herve Couture who has been on Council for the last seven years as well as Bertin Bois, CIQS – Quebec representative and Jeff Logan as CIQS – Ontario representative. Ten members participated in the Clive Evans Living Golf Tournament at the Glendenning Golf Course in less than perfect weather conditions (see separate report in this issue). The Saturday evening President’s dinner was held at ‘The Well’ on famous George Street where delegates enjoyed a traditional Newfoundland Jiggs Dinner. Delegates said their goodbyes at the farewell breakfast Sunday morning. On behalf of the CIQS, I would like to thank all delegates for attending, our sponsors for their financial support, our speakers for their time and insight and the Organizing Committee for their hard work. Without all of you, the event would not have been such a success.


THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS

PRINTER – INSERT CIQS – ONTARIO LOGO HERE

2012 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING GOLD THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS

2

SILVER

Cambrian Management Services P.O.N. (Ozzie) Smith, PQS

BRONZE

FRIEND Smith Mechanical Quantity Surveying

Summer 2012

| www.ciqs.org | CONSTRUCTION ECONOMIST | 13


CIQS 2012 AGM Recap

2.

1.

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5.

14 | CONSTRUCTION ECONOMIST | www.ciqs.org | Summer 2012

6.


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1. 2012/13 CIQS Council

8. Tammy Stockley, Kirk Norine from Newfoundland

2. CIQS Maritimes members Mark Gardin and Robert Scammel 3. Presidents Dinner Guests 4. Speakers Justin Mercer, Adriana Mema and Natalie Alexander 5. Chris Court, Laurie Yeomans and Natalie Alexander 6. The Mema Family from Toronto 7. Past Presidents with Lois Metcalfe

9. Roger Ward from Alberta and Herve Couture from Quebec 10. Stuart and Joy Picozzi from Ottawa 11. Joyce Evans, Gord Metcalfe and Della Roussin 12. Russells Runners 13. Kathy and Tony Niro from Sudbury 14. Pat and Joanne Cantin from North Bay

(missing from photo - Jean Paradis and David Lai)

and Dave Burns from Alberta

Summer 2012

| www.ciqs.org | CONSTRUCTION ECONOMIST | 15


CIQS 2012 AGM Recap

REPORT ON CIQS

2012 AGM Clive Evans Living Golf Tournament By Wayne Fitzpatrick Under a cloudy, threatening sky Saturday afternoon, a brave group of CIQS golfers consisting of nine men and one lady (Della) left the safe enclave of the Delta Hotel for the unforgiving links of Glendenning Golf Course. The 15 minute bus ride and check-in had the first twosome of Bertin and Chris teeing-off at 1:34 PM with two groups of four in hot pursuit shortly thereafter. The shot making was of world class caliber; even though it may have been the underworld class, from the way some of the group was destroying the English language; ‘%#$@ &*^!’ could be heard from all in pursuit of that coveted prize. In true PQS form, the golfers did survey the work at hand and survey they did, every rock, tree, bog hole and bunker and then to count and apply the final estimate. Like most estimates, a liberal amount of blind contingency was applied to keep the estimate within acceptable parameters. Despite the uncertain weather conditions, which proved to be rather pleasant, overall most finished the course with one exception Chris Court who could not take the pressure of the competition and had to bow out after 13 holes, sighting some lame excuse about a sore hip due to surgery a week previous. The tournament by most accounts went well and was enjoyed by all; probably a little too much by Mark Russell who tried to get into true Newfoundland character by

“Oh to one day play like that.”

16 | CONSTRUCTION ECONOMIST | www.ciqs.org | Summer 2012

dawning his bright yellow ‘sou’wester’, but he did not fool anyone once he opened his mouth with that thick Scottish accent. Presentation of prizes took place after the buffet ‘jigs dinner’ later that evening and in the true spirit of fun and fellowship, we let Clive Evans win with a score of 87; one better than his son George (how sweet was that). In all honesty, I have to say to Clive, ‘that it is the most boring display of golf I have ever seen anyone play.’ He did not get a chance to see any of the scenery in our lush thick brush and he never finds any lost balls, because he never had to go looking for his. Lament: ‘OH TO ONE DAY PLAY LIKE THAT.’ Other conciliation prize winners were Longest Drive on hole #13 Mark ‘Sandbag’ Gardin and hole #16 Jeff ‘The Bomb’ Logan, not to be outdone by such displays of skill such as closest to the pin out of the bunker Gord ‘Beach Boy’ Metcalfe and longest putt Bertin ‘Quick Foot’ Bois. Other conciliation (meaning pacification) prizes were awarded to the remaining participants because that is the way we are; and besides that, with generous support of our sponsors, TD Insurance, CIQS and Altus Group, we had extra prizes to give out. Here is one who is looking forward to sweet revenge next year, I only have to lose 40 shots; I would have a better chance at the bar!!!


PAQS Conference Brunei – July 7-10, 2012 By Andrew Collins, PQS(F)

The Pacific Association of Quantity Surveyors (PAQS) is an international association of national organizations representing Quantity Surveyors in the Asia and Western Pacific region. • The Mission of the PAQS is: • The promotion of the practice of quantity surveying (QS) in the region • The promotion of ‘best practice’ for QS in the region • The promotion of dialogue between member organizations • Encouragement of regional co-operation in the practice of QS • Fostering of research appropriate to the better understanding of building practice in the region • Rendering of assistance to members of member organizations working in each other’s countries With the significant change in world events over the last four years, the prominence of the Pacific Rim and Asia’s economic growth has become even more evident as Europe struggles with debt and currency issues and the US is still firing on less than all cylinders. Investment and growth are probably more important today in Asia than at any other time in recent history. And so it is important that Canada and the CIQS should be investing in future business ties and possible business opportunities in the region. This includes forming strong ties with other QS’s in the region and learning about their methods of practice and forging contacts. In 2012, the PAQS Congress was held in Brunei. For those that are geography or history challenged Brunei is officially

named the Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace and is a sovereign state located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. The official national history claims that Brunei can trace its beginnings to the 7th century. It later became a vassal state before converting to Islam in the 15th century and claims to trace the Sultan’s family back that far. Ferdinand Magellan visited the state in 1521 and it became a British protectorate in 1888. It gained independence in 1984 and has since done extremely well with Forbes ranking Brunei as the fifth richest nation out of 182 nations due to its extensive petroleum and natural gas fields. It has a public debt that is 0% of the national GDP- eat your heart out Europe and the US. There is a car for every two people in Brunei ranking it about 9th in the world - Canada is 13th. Gas is $0.35/litre! The PAQS held its 2012 congress in the beautiful Empire Hotel and Country Club, a spectacular edifice of distinct modern southeast Asian design located on the South China Sea. You could see the glow of the oil platforms in the distance on the hot evenings as the fisherman cast their nets for the next days’ dinner. There were 12 countries represented as well as the host country with approximately 300 delegates. Canada was represented by Ian and Tyra Duncan. Ian is currently second Vice President and will become President in three years. Andrew Collins was the CIQS country representative. A small but, as it turned out, effective delegation from Canada.

Board Attendees Brunei 2012 Summer 2012 | www.ciqs.org | CONSTRUCTION ECONOMIST | 17


Saturday – Golf, Accreditation & Education and Research Committees It takes about 24 hours to travel from Canada to Brunei, and your CIQS delegation arrived on Friday, ready for a 6:00 AM golf at the Jack Nicklaus designed course on Saturday morning. Three stars go to Ian Duncan for being the only Canadian representative on the course. I am told, given his handicap, he did us proud. Education is at the core of the PAQS. The PAQS Accreditation and Education Committee were next up with a 9:00 AM start that was delayed due to the Chair being held up on his flight from London, UK. The committee got down to business at about 11:00 AM and made every attempt to make the time up. • We talked extensively about the accreditation of a Masters program with issues around length of time for the complete course. • There was discussion on when the period of accreditation starts and ends for both undergraduate and graduate programs (year of graduation; year of entry; or year of entry with backdating to the first student intake). The decision was made with the last option – the accreditation would be based on programs that are already in session. • The Massey University of Auckland was seeking accreditation approval for their undergraduate degree program. This was approved by the committee and sent to the PAQS Board for final approval. This makes two accreditation programs in New Zealand. There are four other undergraduate programs accredited by PAQS throughout the region. • The three year UNITECH accreditation, the first to be approved by PAQS at the 2010 PAQS Board meeting in Singapore, expires next year. UNITECH need to satisfy one last outstanding recommendation associated with their practicum program. In New Zealand practicums are not considered part of degree credits. • There was unanimous re-elected of the Chair, Mr Chua Siow Leng (ISM) and Katherine Thiang as Secretary (ISM). The Research Committee were also meeting at the same time as the Accreditation & Education Committee. This committee was attended by Ian Duncan. It was decided that the subject of BIM should take priority for this committee for the coming year and that the committee would work through the year to come up with something meaningful for the next congress. Each member country was asked to appoint a specific person for this committee to provide continuity for the next few years. After the Accreditation & Education and Research committees had completed their business we were taken out to a local restaurant on the water in the centre of the main town of Brunei, Darussalam, where everyone had a taste of the local fare. We ate heartily and talked to old friends who we had not seen for a year or two and made some new ones. There is something very satisfying in talking to someone from the other side of the world when you share the art and science of our profession – somehow it is a lot easier to understand everyone and you come away with a greater appreciation of those who initially seem worlds apart. 18 | CONSTRUCTION ECONOMIST | www.ciqs.org | Summer 2012

Sunday – PAQS Board Meeting Sunday saw an early start with breakfast at 7:30 AM and the Board meeting underway by 9:00 AM. The PAQS Board is made up of country delegates, VP’s, a Secretary, Treasurer and the Chair. However, the interest in PAQS is high in the regions’ QS community and so there are many observers. We also had observers from other associations, including AACE, ICEC and RICS as well as other countries such as South Africa. The Board meeting was opened with a speech of welcome from the current President, Gordon Cairney from New Zealand. The meeting covers a lot of business and lasts for the full day. Items of interest around the accreditation of the Auckland programs. The Massey accreditation was approved. • A report was made from the Young QS group, a very active group in PAQS who spent Saturday exchanging ideas and talking about the future for their newly chosen profession. • There was discussion over the reciprocity agreement between AIQS (that’s Australian) and IQSSL (Sri Lanka, where the Congress was held in 2011). • Ian Duncan’s appointment as Chair of the Sustainability Committee was approved unanimously by the Board. Ian is to report back next year on what is important to the QS in these changing times in this area. If you have any thoughts on this subject please get in touch with Ian. • A Council of advisors was appointed. The council will be made up of Past Presidents who can be called upon to review any special issues and be consulted by the Board at any time. • Report made on the KL pact (Kuala Lumpur). • Report from International Cost Engineering Council (ICEC). CIQS resigned as member of ICEC a number of years ago but has been approached by the new ICEC administration to consider rejoining. (CIQS is, I believe is one of the only members of PAQS that does not belong to ICEC. Perhaps it is time to reconsider our position). • Each country was asked to make a report outlining membership, highlights of the year and general information on delegates.


Country Reps plus Honoured Guests Brunei 2012

• A presentation was made by representatives from China, members of the Chinese Cost Engineering Association for the 2013 PAQS congress in Xi’an, in the Province of Shaanxi. After the Board had completed its’ business it was 6:00 PM – a long day to sit at the table and discuss business. The next event was the tradition of formal exchange of gifts. Each country formally presents a small memento as an expression of friendship and respect to all the other country representatives. Lois Metcalfe had done a great job in providing some attractive, well designed clocks with the new CIQS logo. They were well received by the other countries. There followed a dinner at the impressive Chinese restaurant within the beautiful complex. We had the facility to ourselves and were able to mix and talk with everyone for the whole evening. The food was fabulous and while it was a very long day, we ended very tired but satisfied at about 10:00 PM. Monday and Tuesday – Audience with the Minister of Development & Congress Parallel Sessions Monday morning saw the country representatives and the VP and Chair up early for an audience with the Ministry of Development and his entourage. The Minister was a major supporter of the Congress and spent some time with us talking about his country and the future development opportunities including a 25 km bridge to connect the two regions of his country. The Minister was also the guest of honour and along with a flag-bearer from each country represented, we filed into the main conference hall to the music of a Brunei orchestra to hear welcome speeches from the Minister, the Chair of PAQS and the President of the local Brunei surveyors. We were also honoured with two stimulating Keynote guest speakers – Sr. Ong See Lian, RICS, Global President (201112) and Professor Roger Flanagan, School of Construction Management and Engineering, University of Reading, UK. Both speakers were on form and we listened to an impassioned speech on the current state of the QS profession from Sr. Ong and what the future could hold for us as a profession from Prof. Flanagan. The two day Parallel Sessions were filled with a series of talks from a variety of speakers attending the Congress focused on the subject of Innovating and Sustaining: Challenges and Opportunities. There were 45 papers being presented in 3 different locations. It was difficult to choose. Papers will be available on-line on the PAQS website.

Official flag bearers from Brunei

The Congress wrapped up on Tuesday evening with a formal dinner. Another Brunei orchestra was on hand with 12 dancers to entertain the over 300 guests. At some point in the evening it was announced that each country had to get up and sing a song. You would have been proud of your CIQS contingent. Neil Young move over - Ian Duncan and Andrew Collins gave a memorable performance of the famous Canadian folk song, Four Strong Winds, with two part harmony, acoustic guitar and full Brunei orchestra backing - future Canadian delegates have a lot to live up too, we were told after the performance! By Wednesday morning we were saying our goodbyes and looking forward to seeing old friends and making new acquaintances in Xi’an in May 2013.

Andrew Collins is a Professional Quantity Surveyor, a Member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and a Fellow of the Canadian Institute of Quantity Surveyors. He is an Associate Director of UBC responsible for Project Services that delivers the design and construction of 150 projects worth $100+ million a year for the renewal and modernization of existing campus buildings. Also part of his portfolio is the delivery of state-of-the-art alternative energy projects at the Point Grey campus. The recently completed feasibility study establishing the future direction of the campus for alternative energy has been given an Award of Merit by the Consulting Engineers of BC. He has recently been awarded the UBC Presidents’ Staff Award for Leadership & Creativity. Andrew is also the Chair of the Public Construction Council of BC, a member and owner representative on the Best Practices Committee for the industry publication “Management of Building Projects”, a member of the BCIT Program Advisory Committee for the Construction Management degree program, initiator of the recently accredited degree program at BCIT for educating local BC students for registration as professional quantity surveyors. He has recently been conferred with the prestigious CIQS Award of Merit. His most recent initiative is working with the Vancouver Regional Construction Association and BCIT to establish a formal Estimator Certificate program at BCIT for the industry in BC. Andrew is also the Canadian Representative on the Pacific Association of Quantity Surveyors Accreditation Committee and was this years’ CIQS country representative at the PAQS Brunei Congress.

Summer 2012 | www.ciqs.org | CONSTRUCTION ECONOMIST | 19


New Members

The CIQS would like to welcome the following new members (Including Reinstatements): A

Amal Abdelsayed, Maple Reinders Constructors Ltd., Mississauga, ON Farida Abu-Bakare, Toronto, ON Solomon Agbede, Winnipeg, MB Mohamed Hussain Ahlaan Ahamed, Dharga Town, Sri Lanka Rahmy Ahmed, Colombo, Sri Lanka Festus Ajibola, Winnipeg, MB Patricia Albiero, Québec, QC Abbas Al-Khudhairi, Altus Group, Toronto, ON Sumindu Andradi, Panadura, Sri Lanka Meiya Annamalai, Carillion Canada, Concord, ON Brent Armstrong, LTA Consultants Inc., Kelowna, BC Javier Asin, Toronto, ON

Julie Grant, Ledcor Construction Ltd., Edmonton, AB Duminda Gunarathne, Kurunegala, Sri Lanka

B

J

Antony Barnes, Brookfield Multiplex Construction Canada Ltd, Toronto, ON Dan Batterink, St Thomas, ON Kyle Berry, Toronto, ON Taranjit Binning, Richmond, BC Michel Bolduc, Ganotec, Trois-Rivières, QC Rebecca Bolkowy, Brackendale, BC Graham Brush, Aluma Systems, Sarnia, ON

C

Gillan Carruthers, BTY Group, Calgary, AB Adesaanu Cecilia, Osun State, Nigeria Peter Clare, Cumbria Construction Corp., Kanata, ON James Clyburn, St. Catharines, ON Mike Cornacchia, Woodbridge, ON Joseph Coyne, Stuart Olson Dominion, Winnipeg, MB Scott Crowe, Vancouver, BC Aiping Cui, North York, ON Virgilio Cui, Surrey, BC

D

Keith Damphousse, LEC Quantity Surveying, Vancouver, BC Kris De Leon, Mississauga, ON Éric Desjardins, Québec, QC Bruno-Alexandre Dion-Duguay, Ste-Brigitte-de-Laval, QC Karim Dlimi, Montréal, QC Rouan du Rand, Redpath Mining, North Bay, ON Éric Dubé, Québec, QC Benoit Duchesne, Lévis, QC

E

Darren Ellis, Barrie, ON

F

Mehrdad Fakhrjahani, Graham Construction & Engineering Inc., Mississauga, ON Mohammed Fasran, Hemmathagama, Sri Lanka Caroline Forget, Montréal, QC

G

Grahame Gipps, Concost Consultants Inc, Burnaby, BC Jessel Gonzales, Stuart Olson Dominion Construction Ltd., Calgary, AB

H

Emmanuel Haché, Laval, QC James Hatch, London, ON Aseni Hettipathirana, Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka Larry Hrabchuk, Arlo Construction Ltd, Vernon, BC

I

Gino Ianni, London, ON James Ilori, Mega Mira Consulting, FCT, Abuja, Nigeria William Isbister, Pomerleau, Halifax, NS Janitha Jayadeva, Salford, United Kingdom Jeyamathan Jeyarajah, Hanscomb Ltd, Calgary, AB

K

Supreet Kapur, Flynn Canada Ltd., Rockyview, AB Jimoh Kareem, Haya Water (Oman Wastewater Services Company SAOC), Muscat, Oman Jarod Kawalle, Concost Consulting Inc., Burnaby, BC Jordan Kemp, Sarnia, ON Catherine Keough, Black and McDonald Limited, Dartmouth, NS Leonard Kerkhoff, Kerkhoff Construction Ltd, Chilliwack, BC

L

Angela Lai, Coquitlam, BC Michael Lee, Fonthill, ON Keith Leung, Hanscomb Ltd, Vancouver, BC

M

Gogisetty Malakondarayudu, Hyderabad, India Brad May, North Bay, ON Pascal Mbarushimana, Kigali, Rwanda Alan McDonald, Edinburgh, United Kingdom Scott McElroy, BTY Group, St. Catharines, ON Afzal Mehdi, Assarain International Contracting Company LLC, Muscat, Oman Merry Mina, Toronto, ON

N

Ariel Navarro, Oakville, ON Michael Neill, Frontier-Kemper Constructors ULC dba Seymour-Capilano Partnership JV, North Vancouver, BC Antonio Jr. Nelson, Longueuil, QC Ching Wai Chris NG, Gammon Construction Limited, Hong Kong

O

Olufemi Ogunfowora, Strongbase Inc., Calgary, AB Abdellah Ouahioune, Anjou, QC

P

Georgeta Parvulescu-Andarache, LCO & Associates, Westmount, QC XMcLean Patterson, Dineen Construction Corporation, Toronto, ON Madushan Perera, Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka

20 | CONSTRUCTION ECONOMIST | www.ciqs.org | Summer 2012

Christian Perreault, Pintendre, QC Steve Piché, Victoriaville, QC Joel Pineda, Scarborough, ON

Q

Amir Qs, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

R

Afker Raheem, Colombo Hiran Randeniya, Kadawatha, Sri Lanka Elmer Relao, Exp. Services Ltd., Burnaby, BC Serguei Remeniak, Montréal, QC Seamus Rooney, London, ON Keshav Rughoo, Providence, Mauritius

S

Azadeh Safaie, West Vancouver, BC Ishari Samarasinghe, Salford, United Kingdom Ramanan Sangarappillai, Markham, ON Manish Sawrangpate, Fluor Canada, Long Harbour, NL Melissa Schwarz, Hamilton, ON Dave Semple, PCL Constructors Inc, Mississauga, ON Nawodanie Senevirathna, Alawwa, Sri Lanka Remeniak Serguei, Montréal, QC Craigg Slowly, Pickering, ON Mark Smith, CB Ross Cost Consulting, Toronto, ON Scott Solez, Edmonton, AB Jan Stapor, Calgary, AB Geoffrey Strench, Logical Solutions Ltd., Richmond, BC Zhongsheng Sun, Tri-Krete Ltd, Toronto, ON Dennis Sutherland, IAQ Products and Services Inc., Belair, MB Ryan Sutherland, IAQ Products and Services Inc., Belair, MB Andrew Swiber, Marid Industries Limited, Windsor Junction, NS

T

Feyza Tatar, Toronto, ON Sasan Tehrani, Concost Consultants, Burnaby, BC Sobiram Thapa, Langdon & Seah Consulting India Pvt Ltd, Bangalore, India Etienne Theron, Wales McLelland Construction, Burnaby, BC David Twiddy, Altus Group, Toronto, ON Jacob Tymos, Concost Management Inc., Burnaby, BC

W

Usi Waida, IDS Fund Sevices, Cape Town, South Africa John White, Acciona Infrastructure Canada Inc Windsor, ON Kyle Whitham, Georgetown, ON Amith Wickramasinghe, Medamahanuwara, Sri Lanka Kirk Will, ThoughtSpeed eCommerce, Mississauga, ON Clive Williams, Daryl-Evans Mechanical Ltd, Coquitlam, BC Andrew Woods, Calgary, AB

X

Fengdie (Freddy) Xiang, Torino Drywall, Woodbridge, ON


Construction cost indices 1] Labour Force Survey, June 2012

In June, employment was little changed for the second consecutive month and the unemployment rate edged down 0.1 percentage points to 7.2%, as fewer people searched for work. Compared with 12 months earlier, employment increased 1.0% or 181,000. At the same time, full-time work was up 222,000 (+1.6%), while part-time work was little changed. The total number of hours worked rose 2.2%. Chart 1 - Employment

Employment gains in service industries The number of people working in business, building and other support services rose by 24,000 in June. Compared with 12 months earlier, employment in this industry was little changed. Health care and social assistance added 20,000 workers in June. This industry’s employment level was virtually unchanged from 12 months earlier. Employment in educational services increased by 19,000 in June, bringing total gains during the previous 12 months to 83,000 (+6.9%). The number of people working in information, culture and recreation declined for the second consecutive month, down 31,000 in June. This decline brings employment in the industry back to levels similar to those recorded in the fall of 2011. Employment also declined in agriculture in June, down 20,000, offsetting increases in April and May. Although unchanged in June, employment in natural resources posted the fastest growth rate among all industries over the previous 12 months, up 10.9%. Chart 3 - Employment by class of worker and industry (based on NAICS) – Seasonally adjusted

In June, there were employment gains in business, building and other support services; health care and social assistance; educational services; and utilities. These gains were offset by declines in information, culture and recreation as well as agriculture. The number of public sector employees increased by 39,000 in June. Employment growth over the previous 12 months was mostly among private sector employees, up 149,000 (+1.3%). Employment rose in Ontario and was little changed in the other provinces. Women aged 25 and over posted employment increases in June, while the number of workers in the other demographic groups was unchanged. Chart 2 – Men and Women, 25 years and over

Data source – Statistics Canada

Data source – Statistics Canada

June’s employment gains by Province The number of people working in Ontario increased by 20,000 in June, and the unemployment rate stood at 7.7%. Compared with 12 months earlier, employment in this province was little changed. While there was little change in employment in Newfoundland and Labrador in June, the unemployment rate increased to 13.0% as more people entered the labour market in search of work. The participation rate, that is, the percentage of people who are employed or searching for work, has been trending upward for the past two years, reaching 62.0% in June—the highest rate in this province since comparable data became available. Of all provinces, Newfoundland and Labrador had the fastest year-over-year employment growth rate, at 4.0%, followed by Alberta (+2.7%), British Columbia (+2.3%) and Saskatchewan (+2.1%). Summer 2012 | www.ciqs.org | CONSTRUCTION ECONOMIST | 21


Despite little change in the number employed, the unemployment rate in British Columbia declined 0.8 percentage points to 6.6% in June, as fewer people searched for work. Following three months of gains, employment was unchanged in Quebec in June. The unemployment rate was 7.7%. Chart 4 - Labour force characteristics by province – Seasonally adjusted

2] Investment in non-residential building construction, second quarter 2012

Investment in non-residential building construction increased 1.8% to $11.2 billion in the second quarter. The increase, which followed three quarters of declining investment, was attributable to higher spending in the commercial and industrial components. Chart 1 - Investment in non-residential building construction

Data source –Statistics Canada

Student summer employment From May to August, the Labour Force Survey collects labour market information about young people aged 15 to 24 who were attending school full time in March and intend to return to school full time in the fall. The May and June survey results provide the first indicators of the summer job market, while the July and August data will provide further insight. The published data are not seasonally adjusted; therefore, comparisons can only be made on a year-over-year basis. The rate of employment among students aged 20 to 24, that is, the number of employed as a percentage of their population, was 63.2% in June 2012, down from 67.4% in June 2011. The June 2012 rate matches the rate observed in June 2009, when student employment was hard hit by the labour market downturn, and is also the lowest June employment rate since comparable data became available in 1977. The unemployment rate for these students was 13.0% in June. This was rate up from 11.0% a year earlier but lower than the 14.0% rate observed in June 2009. The employment rate for 17- to 19-year-old students was 51.4% in June, below the rate observed in both June 2011 and June 2009. Compared with June 2011, the unemployment rate for these students increased 3.5 percentage points to 17.3%. Note to readers Article compiled / adopted from Statistics Canada. The Labour Force Survey (LFS) estimates are based on a sample and are therefore subject to sampling variability. Estimates for smaller geographic areas or industries will have more variability. For an explanation of sampling variability of estimates and how to use standard errors to assess this variability, consult the “Data quality” section of the publication Labour Force Information (Catalogue number71-001-X, Statistics Canada). 22 | CONSTRUCTION ECONOMIST | www.ciqs.org | Summer 2012

Investment rose in seven provinces, with the largest increases in Ontario, Quebec and Alberta. In Ontario and Alberta, the gains were led by the industrial and commercial components, while in Quebec, they occurred in commercial and institutional spending. All three investment components declined in New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, while in Newfoundland and Labrador, investment decreased in the industrial and institutional components. Investment rose in 17 of the 34 census metropolitan areas. The biggest increases were in Toronto, Montréal and Vancouver. All three components were up in Toronto and Vancouver, while commercial and industrial spending contributed to the gains in Montréal. The largest decreases occurred in St. Catharines–Niagara, where investment fell in the commercial and institutional components, and in Greater Sudbury, where all three components were down. Commercial component Investment in commercial building construction rose 2.3% from the first quarter to $6.7 billion. Commercial investment increased in every province except Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick. The largest increases occurred in Central Canada. In Quebec, commercial investment rose 4.2% to $1.2 billion, led by the construction of office and retail buildings. Investment in Ontario increased 2.1% to $2.4 billion, led by higher investment in retail buildings. In Alberta, second quarter commercial investment was up 1.4% to $1.6 billion. The gain came from spending on office and retail buildings and from living quarters for the oilsands projects.


Chart 2 - Commercial, institutional and industrial components

Industrial component Industrial investment rose 6.2% to $1.4 billion in the second quarter, the third consecutive quarterly gain. Spending was higher in seven provinces, with the largest increases in Alberta, Ontario and British Columbia. Alberta led with an 11.2% increase to $333 million, attributable to investment growth in utility and maintenance buildings. The increases in Ontario and British Columbia were led by

rising investment in manufacturing and mining facilities. In Ontario, investment was up 6.7% to $474 million, while in British Columbia, spending increased 22.4% to $137 million. The largest decline occurred in Newfoundland and Labrador, where investment fell 21.9% to $74 million. Investment declined across several categories of industrial buildings, reflecting the completion of some projects. Institutional component In the institutional component, investment declined 1.1% from the first quarter to $3.1 million. This was the ninth consecutive quarterly decrease, although the pace of decline was slower in the second quarter. Institutional investment declined in seven provinces. The largest decrease occurred in Alberta, where investment declined 5.3% to $271 million, reflecting the completion of several projects in the educational category. In British Columbia, investment decreased 3.5% to $348 million. The decline was led by lower spending for educational buildings and health care facilities. The largest increase was in Quebec, where institutional spending rose 2.8% to $497 million, mostly as a result of larger investment for educational facilities.

3] Construction price indexes Census metropolitan areas Halifax (N.S.) Montréal (Que.) Ottawa-Gatineau, Ontario part (Ont./Que.) Toronto (Ont.) Calgary (Alta.) Edmonton (Alta.) Vancouver (B.C.)

2007

2008

8.9 4.4 3.6 4.9 5.6 19.2 17.8 13.8

7.4 4.7 6.0 7.1 7.7 11.2 10.9 6.5

2009 % change -6.5 1.2 2.2 -0.7 -2.2 -7.9 -12.0 -14.9

2010

2011

-0.2 1.1 1.4 3.2 -0.1 -2.6 1.7 -1.4

3.4 3.0 3.3 4.4 3.7 2.2 3.4 3.6

Sources: Statistics Canada, CANSIM, table 327-0044, and Catalogue no. 62-007-X. Last modified: 2012-05-18.

Source – Statistics Canada Note to Readers Unless otherwise stated, this release presents seasonally adjusted data expressed in current dollars, which facilitates comparisons by removing the effects of seasonal variations. Investments in non-residential building construction exclude engineering construction (such as for highways, sewers, bridges and oil and gas pipelines). This series is based on the Building Permits Survey of municipalities, which collects information on construction intentions. Work put-in-place patterns are assigned to each type of structure (industrial, commercial and institutional). These work patterns are used to distribute the value of building permits according to project length. Work put-in-place patterns differ according to the value of the construction project; a project worth several million dollars will usually take longer to complete than will a project of a few hundred thousand dollars. Additional data from the Capital and Repair Expenditures Survey are used to create this investment series. Investments in non-residential building data are benchmarked to Statistics Canada’s System of National Accounts of non-residential building investment series. For the purpose of this release, the census metropolitan area of Ottawa–Gatineau (Ontario/Quebec) is divided into two areas: the Ottawa part and the Gatineau part.

Summer 2012 | www.ciqs.org | CONSTRUCTION ECONOMIST | 23


Letter to the CIQS Hello Folks, The Canadian Institute of Quantity Surveyors held their annual meeting in St. John’s, NL this weekend. The topic for discussion and presentation was diversity. Diversity involves many aspects - one of which is physical disability and more importantly accommodation for persons with disabilities. I would think that the organizing committee would have this uppermost in mind. As a person who was invited to give a presentation on diversity and a person who is a wheelchair user, I would think that I would have been accommodated for all aspects of this weekend event. However, the dinner was held at a venue that is inaccessible and as much as I would have enjoyed being a part of this dinner, I was denied the opportunity due to inaccessibility. It is easy to talk about issues but taking the necessary action to help alleviate the issue is another aspect that is often overlooked. Memory of individuals is commonly short-lived but organizations as a whole have the ability to effect change among its members. I appreciate the opportunity to have spoken at the CIQS conference and do sincerely hope you all enjoyed the dinner. Justin Mercer, CIQS-NL

Response Justin, I hope that the lack of access to the Saturday dinner did not ruin your first experience at a CIQS AGM. The location choice was a carefully measured decision and you can be assured that there was no intent to deliberately exclude you from the event but was chosen to allow the attendees to experience local food and hospitality in a private venue away from the hotel. We tried to balance the entire weekend between the hotel and outside to maximize exposure to our city and culture. As in most progression, we have to take baby steps to achieve our final goals and building/services access to all is prime. Your participation at the events, especially your presentation at the Friday lunch, was critical to delivery of the diversity message. With your permission I would like to post both your e-mail and my response in the Construction Economist in order to take the message to a broader audience. In conclusion, please accept my apologies for all inconvenience caused and I trust that your opinion of the Canadian Institute of Quantity Surveyors and all that it represents has not been tarnished by this single event. Best Regards, Roy Lewis, PQS(F), Immediate Past President CIQS

Congratulations to the following members who have qualified as a PQS or CEC: CIQS-Ontario Kevin Alexander, PQS Jacques Amelin, PQS Antonio DiDomenico, CEC Charles Vincent Granton, PQS McLean Patterson, CEC Joel Pineda, CEC Sami Abdul Aziz Rabbani, PQS Zhongsheng Larry Sun, CEC Yvonne Yee On Tong, PQS John Edward White, PQS

CIQS – Maritimes William Mark Isbister, CEC Peter Riley, CEC Keith Matthews, CEC CIQS – British Columbia Simon Amesbury, PQS Angela Lai, PQS Richard Traher, CEC

24 | CONSTRUCTION ECONOMIST | www.ciqs.org | Summer 2012

CIQS Members at Large John-Michael Clarke, PQS Lalani C. Dodangoda, PQS Jimoh Kareem, PQS Jeyakaran Nadarasa, PQS CIQS – Quebec Claude Roy, ECA


CIQS Affiliated Association Reports

CIQS - British Columbia As this report will form part of the AGM Report, as well as the July Council Report, it is probably best served to the entire CIQS membership to have a look back at the work undertaken by the QSBC/CIQS-BC Board in the past year. You will note throughout the report that the Affiliate name change fluctuates; based on the time the events happened. The 2011/12 QSBC Board (and subsequently the 2012/13 CIQS-BC Board) consists of: • President – Roy Howes, PQS • Vice President – Darren Rae, PQS • Treasurer – John McManus, PQS • Education Director – Dan Holland, PQS • Director – Ross Templeton, PQS • Director – Matt Weber, PQS • Director – Jack Chen, PQS • Past President (non-voting capacity) – Mark Russell, PQS(F) A Special Meeting was held on December 14 to pass the motion to re-name the Society. The meeting was well attended and a revised motion, which included the term “doing business as” was passed. We subsequently discovered, via a Lawyer specializing in non-profit and Societies business, that we could not change or alter the motion to which the Special Meeting was convened for. A further Special Meeting was convened to follow on from the AGM in May 2012 and I am pleased to state that the membership voted to change the name to the “Canadian Institute

CIQS - Prairies and NWT Within our own affiliate region, I am pleased to advise that we have now (as in accordance with the CIQS’s Rebranding Strategy) formally adopted our new name, the Canadian Institute of Quantity Surveyors - Prairies and Northwest Territories, foregoing our past identity as the Association of Quantity Surveyors of Alberta. At our special January 20, 2012 board meeting, the membership voted for this change and our Board of Directors accordingly decided that the new name be registered under the Alberta Societies Act. The registration process was completed and I endorsed the agreement with the CIQS on April 17. Our new logo adorns this report, which is now licensed for use by our affiliate. Beyond the name change and rebranding initiatives, further headway has also been gained in the area of establishing our own accredited schools (within our affiliate region), where postsecondary institutions can become recognized and accredited for their construction-related programs. Once a school is formally

of Quantity Surveyors – British Columbia”. The new CIQS-BC Admin is in the process of carrying out the requisite statutory requirements prior to engaging CIQS in a formal agreement. The Board has taken the bull by the horns in respect to the CCA/CIQS agreement in place for CEC members by focusing on increasing the CEC membership, initially, by targeting the BC Mechanical and Electrical Contractors. In order to maintain our end of the bargain with the BCIT Degree program, the Board have managed to engage Monika Sauer PQS to write and lecture the Civils course and Past QSBC President Mike Garrett, PQS(F) to lecture the Andrew Collins PQS(F) written Risk Management course. Membership renewals ended the year in a fairly decent position, after some mid-year concerns. The Dinner Events this year have once again been varied and well attended. We also hosted a joint Dinner Meeting with RICS Vancouver Chapter which was well received. The Dinner Event sponsorship has also been a success ($1,000/annum) and is proving to be a bargain to the firms and companies that have taken up the offer. The QSBC Golf Tournament last summer was once again well attended and the interest remains high for the upcoming CIQSBC tournament in August. This will be my last Association report on behalf of the old QSBC/new CIQS-BC and I would like to take the opportunity to wish my successor Roy Howes, PQS(F), President of CIQS-BC, every success as the new ‘BC Rep’ on CIQS Council. Source: Mark L. Russell, PQS(F), Past President QSBC and CIQS Representative

recognized by our association, graduates of their accredited programs would meet our education standards and more easily gain their designation and membership to CIQS without supplementing their application with extra exam requirements, etc. After they have graduated from the accredited course and gained the required on-the-job experience, a PQS designation could be quickly achieved. Just over the past few months, our board has accepted and approved Winnipeg’s Red River College for accreditation, making it the first accredited institution within the area served by our affiliate organization. This is a big step forward for our organization and for all students considering our profession. Furthermore, the exposure and recognition gained by both ourselves and Red River College serves all beneficially, furthering the professional standards and recognition of Quantity Surveyors. A special awards ceremony was recently held in late May 2012 at the college where a formal presentation was made with National CIQS Representation in attendance. Further accreditation efforts are also underway between CIQS - Prairies and NWT and SAIT Polytechnic for their possible accreditation with CIQS at their educational institution. At

Summer 2012 | www.ciqs.org | CONSTRUCTION ECONOMIST | 25


CIQS Affiliated Association Reports

present, the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) has been granted accreditation status of the Canadian Construction Associations (CCA) sponsored Bachelor of Science Construction Management Degree Program at their school. As acknowledged, their new four-year degree program will offer the first degree for this institution (ever) and address the requirements sought by our institute through the creation of this ‘first-of-its-kind’ Degree. A special awards ceremony is being planned for their formal presentation of accreditation status, later this year during the month of September. Publically, in other ongoing developments, CIQS - Prairies and NWT is represented among other professional leaders within with Professional Committee Groups , such as the ‘Design & Construction Trend Analysis Committee’, the ‘Design Build Advisory Committee’ and Alberta Infrastructure’s ‘Partners Conference’ where key municipal leaders, industry associations and other stakeholders share a forum to identify common issues, discuss solutions and share information. Our own board members are active contributors in these meetings providing fair representation to our organization. Internally, CIQS - Prairies and NWT Board members are working hard on several new initiatives designed to better serve our members. This year we established both a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Committee; and a new Industry Relations & Advocacy Committee. Overseen by an elected CIQS Prairies and NWT director, each new committee allows common members to actively contribute via their board liaison. The Professional Development (CPD) Committee would assist our affiliate in organizing events, speakers and CPD point functions; where our Industry Relations and Advocacy Committee was established to cultivate stronger working relationships and provide exposure between the CIQS - Prairies and NWT and

CIQS - Ontario It has been a very exciting year for CIQS - Ontario. A lot of interesting things are happening and it has gone by extremely quick. The following is a brief synopsis of some of the highlights for the year that will conclude with this report. I am pleased to announce that the Ontario Institute of Quantity Surveyors has successfully changed its name to Canadian Institute of Quantity Surveyors – Ontario. A special meeting of the membership was called on January 7, 2012 to officially make a motion to change the name of the Institute. The motion at the meeting was carried unanimously by the membership in attendance. On January 9, 2012 we filed the paperwork in order to receive written consent from the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities to use the word ‘Institute’ in our name. Once the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities confirmed there was no conflict with our name we could file 26 | CONSTRUCTION ECONOMIST | www.ciqs.org | Summer 2012

industry partners. In this instance, the primary intent, was to “put a face” on our organization, when introducing the benefits of quantity surveying to potential new markets. This endeavour will provide a platform for our profession to gain exposure to further grow our professional identity, as well as to reinforce our existing arrangements and agreements as a professional organization. Further growth continues in our membership as highlighted by a recent symposium conducted at SAIT (Southern Alberta Institute of Technology), where I, the acting President recruited a number of new student members through discussions relating to the benefits of becoming a member. Future expansion of our membership is planned, through similar discourse at other affiliate institutions and the implementation of our new marketing vehicles, which are presently under development. At our recent May 16 AGM held in Calgary, Alberta, participation was strong, as witnessed by the exceptional interest in affiliate board-member positions. As noted, a ‘full council’ was elected into Directorship, filling all available positions. Our new Board is as follows: • Chair – Dave Burns • Vice-chair – Michael Bernier • Registrar – Doug Eastwell • Diary Director – Chris Frank • Treasurer – Cliff Prather • Education – Wendy Hobbs • Marketing – Gary Bowen • Newsletter – Roger Ward • CPD Committee – Omar Jutt • Advocacy Committee – Mike Swick 2012-2013 is again expected to be a stellar year for growth and new development within our affiliate region. Source: Dave Burns, PQS, CIQS – Prairies and NWT President

the application for a name change with Service Ontario. This application involved amending the supplementary letters patent and had to be approved by this department of the government. After waiting the required 35 business days we received written confirmation from our legal counsel on March 29, 2012 that our name was officially changed from Ontario Institute of Quantity Surveyors to Canadian Institute of Quantity Surveyors – Ontario. We signed the licensing agreement with CIQS for the right to use the logo on March 30, 2012 and have since started using the new branding standards, new logo and colours of the national brand. We will be revising and updating all of our letterhead, stationary, office signage, Website, newsletter, banking information, promotional material and everything right down to the voice mail message. Congratulations! The OIQS AGM was held in Goderich, Ontario on May 26, 2012. The AGM was attended by approx. 30 members. The AGM was a laid back event that allowed members to enjoy the weather and the company of their colleagues. Also during the AGM the Gordon Pattison Award for academic excellence was


CIQS Affiliated Association Reports

presented to Sandra Feenstra from Fanshawe College. On December 2, 2011 with CIQS Council present, CIQS – Ontario held an Accreditation Ceremony for the six fully accredited construction programs that are offered in Ontario. We presented all of the colleges with an accreditation plaque in recognition of the commitment to providing their students with an education that is valued by the Institute and the construction industry. We are hoping that events such as these will foster greater relationships with each College and university. This event was also a formal way for CIQS to acknowledge these construction programs and recognize the quality academic programs these institutions provide. The six academic institutions that were recognized are as follows: 1. George Brown College, for their degree program Bachelor of Applied Technology – Construction Science and Management 2. Algonquin College – for their diploma program in Civil Engineering Technology 3. Fanshawe College - for their Construction Engineering Technology Management program. 4. Mohawk College - for their Architectural Technology (Construction and Design option) program. 5. Niagara College - for their Construction Engineering Technology program. 6. Ryerson University - for their Architectural Science program After completing the enormous task of re-assessing the Fulltime College and University construction programs for our 2011

College and University Program Accreditation Report; the Education Administrator and the rest of Council have started the process of assessing for the first time, all of the mechanical and electrical programs that are offered by the Colleges and Universities in Ontario. This report will act as the temple for all future membership assessments and membership inquiries. This past year we took a big step forward and launched a redesigned newsletter that saw 5 issues published. One of the major issues that we tackled was to set the publishing dates in stone and continue to meet those dates so the members will come to expect the newsletter to be available at the same intervals each year. Our Editor Lenny Simonelli, PQS has done a great job in bring some interesting articles and interviews into the newsletter. We feel this newsletter will form an important part of the re-branding process and provides a professional publication to promote the organization outside of the membership as well as keeping the members informed with the affairs of CIQS – Ontario The various chapters in the province have continued to hold seminars, site tours and other networking events over the past year. We expect that the chapters will continue to help provide these various events for the members and look forward to new and exciting events. Some of the events held this year include: • Seminar on the Spadina Subway Extension at Humber College • Alan J. Ross Memorial Award Presentation at Fanshawe College

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CIQS Affiliated Association Reports

• BIM seminar at George Brown College • Membership seminar at Humber College • Life Cycle Costing Seminar at George Brown College • Industry seminar for high school teacher professional development day in the GTA. • Associations Fair at George Brown College • Annual Holiday Dinner • Seminar “Technology in Construction - The Estimator’s Technology Toolkit” • 9th Annual CIQS – Ontario Golf Tournament • New Canadians Career Information Seminar The elected members for the Board of Directors which represent all members in Ontario are as follows: • President & Northern Chapter Representative: Pat Cantin, PQS • Vice President, GTA Chapter Representative: Chris Court, PQS • Secretary/Treasurer & Central Hamilton Chapter Representative: Craig Bye, PQS,.

CIQS - Québec In line with CIQS rebranding initiative, effective March 13, 2012, the Quebec affiliate changed its name to CIQS - Quebec/ ICEC - Québec. CIQS-Québec objectives for 2011/12: • Ensure that existing and new documents are in both English and French • Ensure that all documents that are requested by both CIQS and affiliates be on the CIQS site so as to reduce expenses on the affiliate side • To verify with CIQS that all tools are readily available to affiliates in order to ensure the affiliates’ continuous development program • To ensure that CIQS’ new marketing strategy in re-branding • Includes all affiliates. • Ensure that CIQS gives all the tools to the affiliates for nation-wide marketing CIQS-Québec financial report: for the next year 2012 shows to be stationary. CIQS-Québec Council has decided to increase ($10.00) their PQS and ECC dues. In September 2011, we had planned a goal of 145 members. As of March 12, 2012, we are happy to announce that we have met that goal and will make a new goal for 2012-13 during our next meeting. Not to forget and worth mentioning, CIQS-Québec were around 60 members in 2005. The CIQS-Québec board has also decided to organize on cocktail-conferences on a regular basis to help earn points for the Continuing Professional development (CPD) for their members. We have briefly talked about the implemented meeting and 28 | CONSTRUCTION ECONOMIST | www.ciqs.org | Summer 2012

• Registrar, Central Hamilton Chapter Representative: - Sheri Thompson, PQS • GTA Chapter Representative: Marco Alescio, PQS • GTA Chapter Representative: Angela Ho, PQS • GTA Chapter Representative: Kamlesh Gandhi, PQS • London Chapter Representative: Bob Picken, PQS • Past President: Jeff Logan, PQS • Education Administrator: Bert Ofoha, PQS • Chair of the Test of Professional Experience Committee: Graham Randall, PQS(F) • Editor, eNewsletter: Lenny Simonelli, PQS • Administrator: Lois Metcalfe I would like to thanks the members of the previous Board of Directors for the work on Council this year and wish them the best of luck in the future. Source: Jeff Logan, B. Arch. Sc., PQS, GSC, LEED AP, CIQS – Ontario President and CIQS Representative

Mr. Jean Paradis is eager to participate in this meeting. However, Mr. Paradis did not push for this meeting due to the fact that the CIQS Education Director post has been up for a director change and felt that it would be best to wait to meet with the new Director, should there be one. CIQS-Québec has created different bursaries; both in Montreal and Québec schools in order to promote the Institute and increase members. We do feel strongly that this is a strong effort from CIQS-Québec and is part of the rebranding strategy of CIQS. We do ask that a discussion be open during the CIQS March 2012 meeting to have a participation of 50% from CIQS on the bursaries. After great effort from the part of the organization committee for the CIQS-Québec 2012-2013 AGM, it is with great pleasure to announce the following new developments: • The CIQS-Québec AGM meeting took place at the Grand Hôtel – Aéroport de Québec on March 10, 2012 and was followed with the congress on March 11, 2012 at the Campus NotreDame-De-Foy at Saint-Augustin-De-Desmaures. • A dinner took place as planned with our honored guest, the Minister of Québec Labour Mrs. Lise Thériault. • Numbers of participants were greater than planned, which contributed to making this our second best AGM ever since the 2007 AGM. • This success produced a surplus of around $9,000.00 which will be utilized to upgrade our members services. The rebranding - what can we say, only that all Members and Council Members of CIQS-Québec have shown their great support in the rebranding initiative. On the CPD side, our Administrator Coordinator Mrs. Isabelle Buisson has done a blitz and our members have responded in great numbers and we should now be up to date. We want to express our thanks to all participating Members and to Mrs. Isabelle Buisson for her initiative.


CIQS Affiliated Association Reports

Mr. Hervé Couture: as the president of the committee for the above AGM and on behalf of CIQS-Québec his inviting the representative of CIQS to visit the possible site for the AGM 2013. Concerning dates, we are looking to confirm dates the weekend before the formula one race, Mr. Couture will keep you informed. CIQS-Québec is now in the waiting stage from CIQS in order to proceed on the translation process. We have completed revising Mr. Jean Paradis book on estimation and are now in the process to produce a document for CIQS approval.

CIQS - Maritimes At the September 2011 NSAQS AGM, members voted unanimously to change the name to CIQS Maritimes. NSAQS made application and was approved for the name change through Service Nova Scotia in November 2011. In early March of this year, CIQS Maritimes Association (legal name) signed the Trade Licence Agreement with CIQS making us the first affiliate to adopt the CIQS name and be officially known as CIQS Maritimes. We continue to see a slight growth in our membership numbers. Currently, CIQS Maritimes has 91 active members and two new members waiting approval. This is the third consecutive year of growth from a low of 75 members in 2008/09. The CIQS Maritimes 2012 AGM was held at the Ramada Plaza Hotel in Dartmouth Nova Scotia. Twenty-three members were in attendance. The new CIQS Maritimes Board of Directors are as follows: • President: Wanda Smith, PQS • Vice President: Travis Rudolph, PQS • Secretary: Merrill Varner • Treasurer: Donna Hoar • Membership: Archie Thibault, PQS • Registrar: TBD • CIQS Rep: Mark Gardin, PQS • Past President: Mark Gardin, PQS • Board Member: Greg Schofield • Board Member: Keith Matthews, CEC

CIQS - Newfoundland and Labrador Welcome to AGM 2012. You have arrived in a city and province which is in the midst of a multi-year construction boom which will require as many resources that our industry can provide. There is significant opportunity for our membership to take an active part in this boom and we encourage everyone to explore the city and discuss with the local membership opportunities for partnering

CIQS-Québec during the last two months has made great effort to ensure that our Québec members do meet CIQS compliances. From our last survey, most members did fill out their CPD points and we hope to be able to keep that standard. It is with regret that I have to inform you that I have to resign my post both on the CIQS-Québec and CIQS boards. I take this time to thank all members and board members, now being a member only know; we as members are well represented and they will keep the high standard that was set. Source: Bertin Bois, CEC/ECC, CIQS – Québec Representative

Interest in participating on the CIQS Maritimes Board is growing. Meetings are typically held monthly and work is being done on many fronts to promote and represent CIQS in the Maritime Provinces. At the 2012 CIQS Maritimes AGM, founding member and first NSAQS President, Leslie White was inducted as the third CIQS Maritimes Honourary Life Member. Leslie has spent his career in the quantity surveying and estimating profession in the Maritimes and was instrumental in the founding of the Nova Scotia Association of Quantity Surveyors back in 1979 when it was decided by CIQS that the organization would include affiliates. CIQS Maritimes Membership Committee Chair, Archie Thibault, has been promoting the Institute with presentations relating to quantity surveying to the Construction Specifications Chapter in Halifax and to the civil engineering students at Dalhousie University. Archie has been presenting at Dalhousie annually for several years and his presentation gives an overview of the challenges of quantity surveying and cost estimating to the fourth year students. We are in the process of scheduling our 2012 Annual CIQS Maritimes Golf Tournament for some time in September. This event is held at the Montague Links Golf Course in Dartmouth and is typically well attended by our members. CIQS Maritimes has seen a significant increase in interest for writing examinations. At the May sitting, there were six members registered to write 8 examinations. We see this as a positive, as our Associate and CEC members are working diligently towards their PQS designation. Source: Mark Gardin, PQS, CIQS – Maritimes Representative

and access to this huge market. Our small group will continue to promote the interests of CIQS and its Members and provide a conduit for access into this vibrant market. Taking the lead from our mainland cousins the local team will initiate and renew contact with the local educational institutions to encourage the expansion of the technical curriculum to deliver graduates capable of direct entry into our profession. In the meantime enjoy your time with us; savour the experience and go away feeling refreshed and invigorated. Source: Royston P. Lewis, PQS(F), CIQS – Newfoundland and Labrador Representative


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CONECON CONSULTANTS INC., a Cost Consulting and Project Management firm is currently seeking applicants for junior and intermediate positions. The candidates shall have completed Diploma in Building Technology or Bachelor in Construction Management or enrolled in CIQS Diploma Program and have construction management, cost planning and estimating experience. Must have ability to work independently and have excellent communication skills. We offer competitive salaries, benefits, training and potential for growth. Please send resume in confidence to: ConEcon Consultants Inc. Fax: 604-524-8970 Email: info@conecon.ca Suite 201, 7857 - 6th Street, Burnaby, BC, V3N 3N4

30 | CONSTRUCTION ECONOMIST | www.ciqs.org | Summer 2012


We make the difference every day. Could you? We are Turner & Townsend, a leading independent global consultancy with clients in the property, infrastructure and natural resources sectors. Our services are extensive, from preparing business cases and operational blueprints, through programme and project delivery, to asset optimisation. As a result of our continued success winning major programmes and projects around the world, for many of the largest international clients, we are growing and looking for talented and energetic people. We want you to grow with us.

Locations

People

■ Americas

■ UK

■ Europe

Opportunities exist in all of our regions across property, infrastructure and natural resources:

We are interested in people at all levels in the following areas: Management consultants Programme managers

■ Asia

Project controllers and planners ■ Project managers ■ Cost managers ■ Cost estimators

■ Australia

■ Africa ■ Middle East

Contract and claims specialists

You could be a sector specialist or a generalist, but you will have an impressive track record of delivery. For further details of current opportunities, please contact Josie Wylie, 416-925-1424 or email torontohr@ttcm2r.com or visit the recruitment area on our website www.turnerandtownsend.com Please indicate which regions are of interest to you.

making the difference Photo: The Shard at London Bridge Quarter © Sellar



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