ECA Breaking Ground Summer 2023

EDMONTON REGION’S CONSTRUCTION SECTOR IS BUILDING A LOWCARBON ECONOMY

NEW KIHCIHKAW ASKÎ PROJECT IS THE FIRST PURPOSE-BUILT, PERMANENT, URBAN INDIGENOUS CULTURAL AND CEREMONIAL GROUNDS IN CANADA

AI IN CONSTRUCTION; AN EFFECTIVE TOOL IN TRAINED HANDS /22

Summer 2023

Breaking barriers

Career Pathways empowers the next generation of construction and skilled trades

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Bringing together industry

A look back at the first Hub of Construction Expo

Official Publication of the Edmonton Construction Association

4438 – 97 Street, Edmonton, AB T6E 5R9 Office: 780-463-5850

Arcom Technical Services Ltd maintains 24 years of experience working in Healthcare, Institutional, Government and Commercial construction projects. Throughout our history, we have installed complete multi site data cabling / fibre network upgrades, complete multi facility Wi-Fi installations, P2P Wireless networks, security systems and associated telecommunication systems. In addition to our telecommunications department, we also have a full-service Electrical Department to compliment our telecom services. Successfully completed contracts since our start in 1999 totals 5,726 projects.

Arcom has successfully renewed our 2021 AHS Prequalified Contractor status for all zones in Alberta for the categories of Electrical Class I, Class II and Telecommunications. The extensive knowledge that Arcom has working primarily in government environments is vast and encompasses all levels of complexity.

Our stringent protocols for IP&C are unrivaled as Arcom’s policies often surpass the industry standard requirements. To this point, Arcom is also the exclusive regional distributor of HepaCarts https://www.hepacart.com/ We only support and deploy the best equipment for IP&C when patient, staff and public health are involved.

A key differentiator of our organization that has allowed us our success, is our deployment of our Canadian trademarked performance system called Orbitis. Not only is Arcom a trusted partner; but have also taken the initiative to develop a business performance system to assist our clients in reducing costs and reducing installation times. No other company has or deploys Orbitis, therefore none of our competitors can match our level of performance. Arcom also utilizes Orbitis to manage Construction partners, manufactures, distribution and sub contractors. This enables us to choose the best partners for Arcom and their clients.

Royal Alexandra Hospital

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Osadczuk

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PROJECTS SERVICE TESTING ENERGY

Action Electrical has been serving Edmonton and the surrounding area since 1973. This year marks our 50th anniversary of offering Full Circle electrical services. Thank you to our Clients and Suppliers for 50 years of progress and support.

This year, the Action family has grown. We are pleased to announce that Big Hill Electrical Services has joined our team. They’ve been serving the Cochrane area for over 20 years, and will be an integral part of the Action team as we move toward the future!

actionelectrical.net 780-465-0792

With a dedicated team of lawyers, Witten LLP’s Construction Practice Group is fully equipped to serve the needs of project owners, contractors, investors, and other industry participants.

Witten LLP’s Construction Practice Group has the experience and expertise to assist clients with all types of construction related issues including disputes involving claims for breach of contract, delays, deficiencies, and builders’ liens.

Please contact Renn Moodley (rmoodley@wittenlaw.com) or Riley Snider (rsnider@wittenlaw.com) with any inquiries. 780-428-0501 wittenlaw.com

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ON THE COVER

From left to right: Serenity Atatahak, student at Dickinsfield School; Ryan Christensen, Delnor Construction, ECA Board of Directors and ECA Career Pathways Committee; Brittaney Down, ECA Education & Corporate Services Coordinator; Brad Mielke, NAIT and ECA Career Pathways Committee; Eric Wleh, student at Dickinsfield School.

106

Edmonton region’s construction sector is building a low-carbon economy

114

Leading by example: Emerging Leaders Institute builds the skills of nextgeneration construction leaders

122

Bringing together industry: The Infrastructure Owners Forum discusses the most important construction-related issues today 126

Building bonds on ice: PEG kicks off 2023 with

Empowering women in construction: WomenBuild kicks off its third

142

Reflecting on a lifelong career: Edmonton architect Jan Pierzchajlo retires after over 30 years in the industry

145

Supporting the community: United Way is helping students build strong, stable futures

148

How an Edmonton construction business opened their doors at the worst time possible in modern history –and succeeded

150

Assisting with the transformation of Edmonton: Visco Demolition celebrates 55 years in Edmonton

153

Index to advertisers

ECA Breaking Ground

Published by:

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Kalina Broda

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Mary Van Buren

© Copyright 2023. ECA. All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced by any means, in whole or in part, without the prior written consent of the publisher.

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2023 ECA BOARD

Board Chair

Derek Ciezki

Vice-Chair

Jen Hancock

Treasurer-Secretary

Bert DeBruin

Directors

Dustin Bennett

Ryan Christensen

Bert DeBruin

Leah Marchon

Daniel McAllister

Steven Oosterhof

Peter Osborne

Andrew Sharman

Sean Tymkow

Ben Wagemakers

Darryl Wiebe www.edmca.com

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Paul Stocco Michael Coombs

Message from Derek Ciezki, ECA Chair

I extend greetings from the ECA board of directors to our member firms and industry partners. I hope this message reaches you in good health, filled with the rejuvenating spirit of spring and the exciting possibilities that await you.

As we prepare for the next few months with ECA events combined with summer vacations and maintaining project schedules, the results of an election are looming with anticipation. What will the results mean for the industry and economy? How will the government continue to support the industry and help attract new talent to the market?

I am optimistic the outcome will be positive, given the strength of our collaborative relationships in Edmonton. We can also reflect on the challenges and successes of 2022 as we all worked through the fallout of the pandemic and adapting to new ways of work.

I also continue to remember our past chair, Doug Hansen. Doug was an inspirational leader for both the board and the construction industry, and leaves a legacy that will continue to be admired.

Some of the ongoing challenges facing our members include supply chain interruptions, material pricing increases,

and labour shortages, as well as seeing sustainable capital funding on projects.

Over the next few years, the board will prioritize government relations and advocacy efforts in collaboration with the ACA and other associations. The ECA has adopted a more proactive and engaged approach to political advocacy. We are working closely with a boutique government relations firm to assist in formulating a provincial advocacy strategy. In addition, our consultant will offer strategic governance advice to the board and provide tactical advocacy support to the senior leadership team. The goal is to establish a strategy for the board to effectively engage with the Alberta Government, including the Ministries of Infrastructure and Skilled Trades and Professions, to name a few.

We have deemed this to be a priority in order to advocate better for member needs by creating and building a stronger relationship with government. With our newly formed Government Relations Committee, we have successfully met with elected officials and Infrastructure Minister Nathan Neudorf on various occasions to discuss some of the challenges and opportunities for our industry,

how businesses want predictable and sustainable project funding, as well as support for our growing labour concerns. The industry is becoming more transparent, and we will need to continue to build on these relationships through the election and beyond.

Our ECA board of directors have been working extremely hard on ensuring that the key pillars of our renewed strategic plan continue to be delivered to each of our member firms.

Through our collaboration pillar in advancing the industry, our Owners Forum kicked off recently with another great session and discussions. Topics included implementing more collaborative project delivery models like IPD, and the City of Edmonton demonstrated how it has reduced a significant amount of red tape through delivery, while increasing collaboration and sharing both risk and reward with team members. Our industry needs to find new ways of delivering projects and continuing to be innovative relative to procurement of services.

An emphasis on renewal work and sustainable design with climate change strategies will need to take priority in the coming years. With the cost of energy

NO MISSION STATEMENT. NO VISION STATEMENT. JUST VALUES.

FREEDOM & TRUST

MUTUAL ACCOUNTABILITY

ENTREPRENEURIAL ENTHUSIASM

INTEGRITY & MUTUAL RESPECT

COMPLETE OPENNESS

INCLUSIVE DIVERSITY

in our province, we are challenged to find new ways to develop new forms of energy for buildings while maintaining aging infrastructure. Renewable resources, including solar, as well as recent discussions around hydrogen and electrifying buildings, will be a cornerstone of discussion as Alberta is well positioned in the global market, which will attract a lot of investment to our province and create opportunity. It’s

for all of the industry, but an opportunity nonetheless that needs to be explored further as we need to reduce our carbon footprint and find new ways to design and build.

Our Education Working Committee has also been active in ensuring new and improved training is available to member firms to continue to enhance our knowledge, provide tools for

providing professional and technical development.

BuildWorks is also looking at a refresh to ensure there is continued member value in this service and delivery across Edmonton and Alberta.

I would also like to acknowledge the ECA who make this association an amazing one to be a part of. Led by David Johnson, president, and his leadership team, including Matt Schellenberger, Caroline Bowen, Bev Christensen, and Wendy Billey, among other team members, who are always working hard to ensure the ECA provides a high level of engagement; whether it be golf, networking opportunities, procurement, and educational opportunities, to name only a few.

Our Builders Connect Luncheon was a huge success and a great turnout with over 600 people in attendance. Our recent Hub of Construction Expo in early May was also a big success being the first with excellent speakers and sessions, as well as a trade exhibition. We hope to build off of this experience in years to come.

With mental health concerns at an ultimate high, the need for support and connection is key. Through our education seminars and networking events we provide opportunities for industry to connect and share experiences.

We are

We never say good enough as we strive for premier service and continue our relationships through unparalleled support

We communicate with the “big 4” (Telus, Shaw, Rogers, Bell) on your behalf

We negotiate Fiber & Telecom construction costs

We will coordinate the electrical infrastructure installation

We broker the best deal for your client from all providers to get the best “bang for their buck”!

We are the one-stop-shop for all things business communication (Phone systems, Network solutions, Wi-Fi management, cloud services, and more)

As we approach the summer months of 2023, we anticipate the results of the election and what projects and opportunities will arise. As businesses, we need to adapt to the changes that lie ahead and create opportunity where it didn’t exist before to be sustainable.

New business opportunities are more available to our member firms than in recent years, with anticipation of continued growth in Edmonton and the capital region’s construction market.

The ECA wishes each of you all the best in 2023.

Wishing you and your families a safe and successful summer.

Warmest Regards, Derek

Ciezki, P.Eng.

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Over 50 Years of Integrity in Building

Message from David Johnson, ECA President

GREETINGS ECA MEMBERS

As I enter my second year as president, I would like to assure you that I am fully committed to upholding our core belief that our purpose is to provide value not only to our members, but to the construction industry as a whole. As you are aware, the Edmonton Construction Association (ECA) offers a wide range of services, including BuildWorks, networking events, educational opportunities, and advocacy, just to name a few. We are dedicated to continuously improving our offerings while exploring innovative ways to address the needs and desires of the industry.

2023 has kicked off with great momentum, and the level of engagement within the ECA membership never ceases to amaze me. We began with our highly successful annual Builders Connect Luncheon, which saw over 600 attendees. The event featured an address and update from the Minister of Infrastructure Nathan Neudorf, and concluded with the presentation of our well-deserved ECA Volunteer Impact Awards. Our Career Pathways Committee has also been hard at work. Established in 2022, the committee aims to tackle future labour shortages through strategic partnerships and initiatives such as Tools for Schools and member scholarships. This year, we expanded the Tools for Schools program and provided essential tools and supplies to 23 schools in the Edmonton region. We have also increased collaboration with other organizations, including Skills Canada Alberta and Junior Achievement.

What’s new for the ECA this year? After much consideration, we successfully hosted our inaugural Hub of Construction Expo, a two-day conference and tradeshow in May. The event featured inspiring keynote speakers, engaging breakout sessions, and valuable networking opportunities. We have also established a formal government relations committee, leading to the development of a provincial advocacy strategy. This

strategy has involved numerous interactions with government officials and opposition parties, enabling us to highlight the state of the construction industry in Alberta and provide recommendations to lawmakers. Collaboration between the Edmonton Construction Association, the Alberta Construction Association, and the Calgary Construction Association remains strong as we ensure our key messages align and represent the industry’s needs. Lastly, I am thrilled to announce that the ECA is expanding its member services through the strategic acquisition of a startup company. We are diligently working to enhance our already impressive lineup of member services, and more information will be shared as we finalize the program details.

Once again, our seven golf tournaments have sold out (in under 25 minutes), and we eagerly await the opportunity to hit the links with our members. In addition, we have a multitude of networking and educational events planned for the second half of 2023, including BBQs, Meet the GCs, Owners Forums, the Canadian Leadership Institute, and more. Furthermore, our sub-groups, namely the Young Builders Group (YBG), Professional Estimators Group (PEG), and WomenBuild, will host numerous in-person meetings, panels, and networking events.

I am truly grateful to be part of the construction community and to work alongside our incredible board and committee members. I would also like to express my deep appreciation for our hardworking staff, who dedicate themselves to supporting the success of our members every day. I wish you all a prosperous year in business and thank you for choosing the Edmonton Construction Association as your partner. Sincerely,

David Johnson President, Edmonton Construction Association

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YOUR ECA TEAM

MATT SCHELLENBERGER Director of Corporate Development

DAVID JOHNSON President

CAROLINE BOWEN Director of Membership & Networking Engagement

WENDY BILLEY Executive Assistant

BRITTANEY DOWN Education & Corporate Services Coordinator

JENNIFER PARKER Finance Coordinator

DAVID ROSS Printing & Support Services

DEBBIE BARKER Procurement Manager

JONATHAN VILLALTA Communications & Marketing Coordinator

GABRIELA CRUZ Administration & BuildWorks Support Coordinator

TAYLOR LEWIS Events & Engagement Coordinator

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BREAKING BARRIERS

Career Pathways empowers the next generation of construction and skilled trades

By Kalina Broda

Brick by brick, Career Pathways is working to remove the stigma associated with construction-related careers and opening more doors than ever to the next generation of employees.

This year, youth across the Edmonton region are being offered new and expanded opportunities to get an inside look at the diverse career paths the industry has to offer, thanks to significantly increased funding for the Edmonton Construction Association’s (ECA) Career Pathways program and its dedicated member volunteers.

Beyond expanding the alreadysuccessful Tools for Schools initiative, Junior Achievement and Skills Canada Alberta sponsorships have also been added to the Career Pathways’ roster of youth engagement opportunities in 2023.

CHANGING PERCEPTIONS

Three years ago, the ECA Career Pathways committee came together to address labour shortages in Alberta’s construction industry in a meaningful way. They identified that long-standing misconceptions about careers in construction and skilled trades hinder youth from entering the labour force— and set out on a mission to change it.

“This is a group of industry leaders tackling labour shortages head-on,” says Brittaney Down, ECA’s education and corporate services coordinator. “They’re getting face-to-face with today’s youth to show them jobs in construction aren’t just a ‘fall-back’ option. They can be a promising career.”

Brad Mielke, a Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) instructor and Career Pathways committee member, shares his own experience

The ECA’s Career Pathways program is building a pipeline of future construction and skilled trades employees by connecting industry leaders with students from across the region through donations, event sponsorships, mentorship, bursaries and more.

Smiles are secured across the board as pictured ECA members Donovan Germain, Daniel McAllister, David Johnson and Sean Tymkow deliver tools to Balwin School’s staff Carolyn Mathew, Adam Ward and Felino Delacruz.

TOGETHER WE BUILD THE FOUNDATIONS

With our collaborative approach and experience in a wide range of techniques including CFA Piling, we provide economical, efficient and innovative solutions to shoring, deep foundations and ground improvement.

navigating his passion for carpentry in junior high and high school.

“In the late ‘80s and through the ‘90s, we saw this great push for higher-level education: the ‘university pathway’,” he says. “Shop classes were swapped for computer labs… and if you were interested in pursuing construction or trades, society labelled you a failure.”

Though perceptions are beginning to change, the process is slow.

“It’s only in the last 10 years or so that school boards have realized how wrong that thinking was,” adds Mielke. “While they’ve started reinvesting back into shop classes, it’s evident teachers need more help, especially at the junior high level.”

As it stands, roughly 40 per cent of junior high schools in the Edmonton Public School Board offer constructionrelated courses. After setting foot in his own daughter’s junior high shop class, Mielke was inspired to make a difference.

“A lot of the shop teachers are just making do. More often than not, they have a finite value of things they can purchase,” he says. “After seeing my daughter’s classroom, I thought, we can do better—we can make a difference.”

On a wider scale, the Canadian Construction Association estimates over 93,000 construction job vacancies exist in the Canadian labour market, largely due to a retiring workforce and a lack of young people entering the industry.

Despite daunting statistics, Career Pathways is moving full steam ahead to change the narrative and show youth all the viable careers the industry has to offer. Equipped with extra funding, industry leaders are finding new ways to connect with students and teachers from elementary, junior high, and high schools through donations, event sponsorships, mentorship, bursaries, and more.

“The need is there and we’re excited to amplify our efforts and see what kind of difference we can make with more funding and resources,” says Down, who also remains optimistic about the

To date, ECA’s Tools for Schools program has donated almost $100,000 worth of tools and materials to junior high and high schools across the region.

This May, 10,000 students from across the province gathered at the Edmonton EXPO Centre to compete in a variety of skilled trades competitions and explored future career opportunities.

evolving industry and employment opportunities. “There’s tons of technology coming out of construction and skilled trades. You can go to postsecondary and be an estimator or a project manager—you don’t necessarily have to be out on the site or in a field. Career Pathways highlights all these opportunities as valid options.”

TOOLS FOR SCHOOLS: AN ANNUAL SUCCESS

In early 2023, Tools for Schools completed its largest supply donation to date, giving over 4,000 students across the Edmonton region ongoing access to hands-on experiences in shop programs.

“Our biggest focus is helping young people see a future in the trades,” shares Mielke. “To do that, we need to put tools in their hands so they can really feel engaged and supported.”

Every Friday for four weeks, ECA members hand-delivered over $70,000 worth of much-needed tools, consumable materials, and safety supplies to 21 schools in Edmonton Public and Parkland County school divisions. The delivery also came with ample recognition to the dedicated teachers working tirelessly to keep the programs going.

“At the end of the day, these teachers are also part of the construction industry,” says Down. “They’re the people who are teaching these students and helping foster a love for working with your hands. That’s how these things start.”

Building on prior success since 2021, the program increased its funding and received additional donations through partners like Lafarge, Kerr Interiors, and Home Depot Canada. To date, almost $100,000 worth of tools have been delivered to junior high and high schools across the region.

This year, Tools for Schools also offered a customized supply distribution approach to cater to the different needs of each classroom. Shop instructors were able to pick tools and materials from a standardized list and were also

ECA member volunteers built an interactive display to demonstrate the diverse careers involved in achieving a joint project vision.

ECA volunteers share a round of high-fives for their rewarding work at a Tools for Schools delivery.

“Our biggest focus is helping young people see a future in the trades,” shares Mielke. “To do that, we need to put tools in their hands so they can really feel engaged and supported.”

encouraged to request specific items based on their classroom and program’s unique needs. By equipping shop classrooms across the Edmonton region with the proper resources, the program hopes to inspire and prepare students for potential careers in the construction industry.

Dickinsfield Junior High School was among many schools on this year’s delivery list.

“It makes it really exciting that I get to

be a part of it, I get to test out new tools,” shares seventh-grade student Zaian Noman. “I would love to continue with construction, and everybody else wants to try it too.”

In order to determine whether a school can offer a construction class, student interest, availability of learning spaces, and teacher capacity need to be considered.

“At Dickinsfield, we feel very fortunate to receive the donation of tools from the

A MATCH MADE ON-SITE.

Edmonton Construction Association to support student learning in our newly renovated lab,” says Chelsea Edmann, Dickinsfield’s principal. “Exposure to different opportunities, including construction trades, in junior high helps students learn new skills and build an understanding of possible career pathways. Students are excited to try out all the equipment and can’t wait to build new projects!”

The Careers Pathway committee is already busy planning their next delivery in 2024 and hopes to onboard schools from the Edmonton Catholic School Board and utilize its member company partnerships to secure additional donations and funding.

SKILLS ALBERTA: HANDS-ON LEARNING

As a proud new sponsor of Skills Canada Alberta, the ECA cheered on hundreds of young competitors from across the province showcasing their trades and technology skills in a variety of hands-on skill competitions at the Edmonton EXPO Centre in early May.

Over the course of two days, the ECA helped support the Skills Alberta Competition and trade show. The event showcased Alberta’s finest young skilled trade and technology talents, and offered 10,000 students the opportunity to explore a myriad of careers and seek advice from industry leaders themselves.

As part of the event’s Try-A-Trade trade show, Career Pathway committee members put their own skills to the test, planning and building an interactive display to showcase the diverse roles that make up the Edmonton Construction Association’s membership–and how they all work together.

“ECA is the hub of construction—and we wanted to highlight that,” says Mielke, who helped brainstorm the display booth’s vision. “We wanted to show how trades cooperatively work together on a jobsite to achieve a joint vision.”

Delnor Construction helped bring the display to life, building a series of four-

3.5 TONS CONVENTIONAL AND MINIMAL TAIL

compact

by-four-feet walls, each with different layers representing the many careers involved in each scenario.

“The piece really showcased just how many different trades are utilized in a build,” says Down. “It’s not just someone coming in and building a wall—you’ve got your electricians, plumbers, drywallers, framers, estimators, project managers— the list goes on. It’s 50 different careers who’ve touched this wall to make it all happen.”

Overall, the new sponsorship was deemed a success. “We’re thrilled with our first contribution to the Skills Canada Alberta Competition,” says Down. “We had a great group of volunteers interacting with students coming through to teach them about the wall system, and of course, team work.”

JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT: INVESTING IN MENTORSHIP

Career Pathways is also helping open up a world of choices for Edmonton

youth by supporting various mentorship opportunities throughout the year.

The ECA is a delighted new sponsor of Junior Achievement’s World of Choices events, which empower students to succeed in designing a career by learning from industry leaders. Member volunteers have the opportunity to connect with students through small sessions and share their unique experiences that led them to where they are today.

The first World of Choice event took place in mid-April, where ECA members from a range of professions shared their own journeys navigating schooling, jobs, people—and all the challenges in between—with the students of Cardinal Leger Junior High School.

“It’s an opportunity for our members to get in front of hundreds of students and share their unique career paths, in hopes of inspiring youth to feel confident to start their own journey,” says Down.

And more often than not, their careers do not always follow a conventional path.

“Students get this idea that you go to school, get a job, and that’s where you’re at for the rest of your life,” says Down. “World of Choices shows them that’s not always the case. It can be: go to school, get a job, meet someone and get a different job, meet someone else and get a different job, go back to school, and so on. It puts into reality what it’s actually like to go out there and have a career.”

The next World of Choices event is set to take place later this fall and ECA members are encouraged to participate.

BECOME A VOLUNTEER

Behind each Career Pathways initiative is a group of dedicated volunteers committed to showing youth first-hand that promising careers await them in construction and trades.

Inevitably, as Career Pathways continues to expand, more volunteers are needed. “We rely heavily on our members and board to make these initiatives happen,” says Down.

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According to Mielke, every ECA member is already equipped with the tools they need to get involved. “These aren’t difficult things we’re doing here— but they’re incredibly impactful,” he says. “Everyone who’s working in this industry already has the skill set needed to make a difference.”

He also encourages members to consider the lasting impacts on the community and generations to come.

“If you’re a parent, do this because you’re interested in what your kid’s future is. If somebody in your world is a teacher, you know they need that support,” he shares. “What can you do to make a difference if only for an hour?”

ECA members are encouraged to sign up for Career Pathways volunteer opportunities by reaching out to Brittaney Down at brittaney.down@edmca.com. u

PROFESSIONAL ESTIMATING GROUP

The ECA Professional Estimating Group (P.E.G) supports the estimators, spec writers, quantity surveyors, and PMs who work hard to keep the project pipeline full.

Through special networking, mentoring, and professionaldevelopment events, the P.E.G cultivates the business relationships and friendships that every professional needs to excel in their work. Spread the word to the estimators, spec writers, quantity surveyors, and PMs that you work with.

Remember: the PEG is open to all employees of ECA member firms

Visit edmca.com/peg/

Women Build is a group with a mandate to connect and inspire women in industry.

For more information please contact Caroline Bowen at caroline. bowen@edmca.com

Visit edmca.com/womenbuild/

BRINGING INDUSTRY TOGETHER

A look back at the first Hub of Construction Expo

By Paul Adair

Taking place May 10-11, 2023 at the Edmonton EXPO Centre, the Edmonton Construction Association’s (ECA) inaugural Hub of Construction Expo (presented by Procore) was an opportunity to bring construction stakeholders – contractors, trades, designers, engineers, suppliers, owners, service providers, and others – together to build stronger relationships, make lasting connections, and come up with solutions to some of the industry’s most pressing issues.

Featuring dynamic keynote speakers and industry-focused breakout sessions that covered the latest and greatest in technology design, project delivery, and support, this exciting two-day conference and trade show was the first of its kind for the ECA and its membership. Those

who were there benefited significantly from the first ECA’s Hub of Construction Expo for a variety of reasons, including, but not exclusively:

Networking opportunities: The Hub of Construction Expo gathers professionals from various sectors of the industry, including contractors, trades, architects, engineers, suppliers, and manufacturers. Attending provides an excellent platform to connect and network with like-minded individuals, potential clients, partners, and industry leaders. Building these relationships can lead to collaborations, partnerships, and new business opportunities.

Knowledge sharing and learning: The event featured numerous keynote speeches and breakout sessions by industry experts and thought leaders.

Attending these educational sessions can help industry professionals stay informed about the latest construction industry developments, acquire new knowledge, and gain insights into best practices.

Showcase products and services: Exhibiting at the trade show or sponsoring the expo allowed companies to showcase their products, services, and innovations to a targeted audience. It also provided an opportunity to demonstrate new technologies, equipment, materials, and solutions. This kind of exposure can generate leads, attract potential clients, and enhance their brand visibility.

Collaboration and partnerships: The expo provided a platform for collaboration and forming strategic partnerships. Engaging with professionals from different sectors of the industry

The Hub of Construction Expo, a two-day conference and trade show, was the first of its kind for the ECA and its membership.

can lead to collaborative projects, joint ventures, and mutually beneficial partnerships. Collaborations can help leverage expertise, share resources, and tackle complex projects that require interdisciplinary cooperation.

Industry recognition and credibility: Active involvement at the Hub of Construction Expo can contribute to building a positive reputation and establishing credibility within the industry. By participating as a speaker, panelist, or exhibitor, professionals can showcase their expertise and position themselves as industry leaders. This recognition can lead to increased trust from clients and improved business opportunities.

“The expo is part of the ECA’s dedication to delivering value to its members, and emphasized the four key pillars: Procurement, Collaboration, Networking, and Education,” says David Johnson, ECA president. “Both the ECA staff and the board of directors diligently strive to engage members and stakeholders in advancing the construction industry. The development of this conference was driven by the intention to address each of these pillars comprehensively.”

THE BREAKOUT SESSIONS

The Hub of Construction Expo featured nine informative breakout sessions presented by industry experts and thought leaders. These sessions

covered a wide range of topics, including new technologies, innovative construction methods, regulatory updates, sustainability practices, and market trends.

The breakout session topics and presenters included:

• Alberta’s Election: What Happens Next – Brooks Merritt, CEO at Loyalton Strategies

• Completing Complex Building in Challenging Times – Harshil Gupta, product marketing manager at Procore

• Case Study: Edmonton EXPO Renewal – IDP project team

• The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Lessons Learned Using Digital Project Delivery at the University of Alberta – facilitated by Roddy Handa, Tracey Didluck, Paul Rasmussen, Michael Parfitt, Cathal Donelly, and Jesse Pantzouri

• Development Trends in Edmonton –NAIOP

The Hub of Construction Expo featured nine informative breakout sessions presented by industry experts and thought leaders.

Sponsored by PCL, the Hub of Construction Expo’s trade show featured nearly 100 exhibitors covering builders, service providers, and products, and offered an invaluable platform for direct business-tobusiness interactions for ECA members.

• Spotting Addiction in the Workplace –Anthony Zoretto

• Thriving Hub of Opportunities – Chris McLeod, VP global marketing & communications at Edmonton Global

• Creating a More Inclusive World – Erin Davis, lead inclusion strategist at Erin Davis Co.

• Myth Busting the Employment Service

Sector – facilitated by Brooks Hanewich at AICCC, Women Building Futures, Buy Social Canada, and EMBERS

A FANTASTIC KEYNOTE LINEUP

The expo also featured a rich slate of keynote speakers, who kicked off each day informing, inspiring, and motivating those in attendance about their unique and exhilarating experiences.

DR. JAMES MAKOKIS AND ANTHONY JOHNSON

The amazing two spirit couple, Dr. James Makokis and Anthony Johnson, competed and won as Team Ahkameyimok (which means ‘never give up’ in Cree) on the seventh season of Amazing Race Canada. As the first two-spirit, Indigenous married couple to compete, much less win, the two are on a mission to help raise awareness to create equal access for LGBTQ2S+ and Indigenous populations.

A proud Cree from the Saddle Lake First Nation in northern Alberta, Makokis runs a transgender-focused medical practice and is a leader in Indigenous, LGBTQ2, and medical communities. He

The trade show proved to be an opportune moment for industry professionals to come together and foster knowledge sharing, and put a spotlight on innovative products, learning, and networking.

has a two-spirit perspective and strong connections to preventative health and spirituality.

Born and raised on the Navajo nation, Johnson is a self-proclaimed spiritual nomad, artist, poet, photographer, and cultural documentarian.

Their ability to blend their personal experiences with high-level expertise helps build new foundations of understanding for the acceptance of individuals while empowering individuals to give them tools and strategies for how they can be a part of the solution through allyship and unity.

WILL GADD

Will Gadd is one of the top adventure athletes in the world, whose presentations on risk and reward take him around the globe to speak to audiences ranging from corporate leaders to at-risk youth. Gadd has been recognized as a National Geographic Adventurer of the Year and recently became the first person to climb a frozen Niagara Falls, not because he was insane, but because he wanted to convince everyone – from the governor of New York down to the state police – that the act of traversing the falls, while dangerous, could also result in some massively positive outcomes. That particular adventure took years of hard work, preparation, and listening, and ended with him receiving the keys to the city.

Gadd was at the expo to talk about his wildly successful career that has spanned more than 30 years of high adventure from the heart of Africa to the glaciers of Greenland.

“Will Gadd left an impression on me,” says David Johnson, ECA president.

“As a renowned ice climber and paraglider pilot, as well as the host of the documentary series Fearless Planet, his message resonated deeply. He emphasized the importance of taking calculated risks while effectively managing them. While our audience didn’t consist of extreme sport athletes, the insights he shared were easily applicable to their businesses.”

DR. CAROLINE BROOKFIELD

The reluctant creative, Dr. Caroline Brookfield is a veterinarian, author, speaker, stand-up comic, and mom who helps leaders, executives, and unapologetic ‘left brainers’ rediscover their unique style of everyday creativity, to build confidence in uncertainty,

foster better well-being, and boost job performance and satisfaction. Dr. Brookfield shared her passion for helping others identify their own barriers to individual, everyday creativity, so that they can find the courage to speak up, stand out, and build a uniquely satisfying future for themselves.

WHEN THE SUN GOES DOWN

But it was not all work and no play for those in attendance. The Hub of Construction Expo also featured a fun slate of live music and entertainment, and the networking events were exceptional in providing ample opportunities for attendees to connect, unwind, and forge valuable relationships.

On the first night, the ECA organized

an exclusive Edmonton Oilers watch party sponsored by Hub International at Edmonton’s premium live music and party venue, On The Rocks – in which the Oilers beat the Vegas Golden Nights four-to-one. Prior to the game and between periods, there was live music performed by Alberta’s own Achilles Last Stand and the entire evening had an energetic atmosphere bolstered by the home team’s win. Sponsored by Denger Construction, the second night featured a memorable happy hour closer, where attendees enjoyed more live music from local talent Leo Martinez and had the pleasure of indulging in a variety of craft food and drink vendors.

“I was particularly enthusiastic about our ECA events as they offered a great opportunity to reconnect with our members and foster meaningful interactions,” says Johnson. “These events not only provided a platform for business-to-business engagements, but also facilitated social connections. Our association’s ability to bring together diverse participants from the construction industry in a single location has consistently led to high attendance at our events.”

THE TRADESHOW AND EXHIBITS

Sponsored by PCL, the Hub of Construction Expo’s trade show featured nearly 100 exhibitors covering builders, service providers, and products, and offered an invaluable platform for direct business-to-business interactions for ECA

On the first night, the ECA organized an exclusive Edmonton Oilers watch party, which featured music by Achilles Last Stand prior to the game.

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Learn in the way that works for you:

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Earn your safety designation:

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members, which include manufacturers, suppliers, and contractors.

Based on the responses received by attendees and exhibitors alike, the trade show proved to be an opportune moment for industry professionals to come together and foster knowledge sharing, and put a spotlight on innovative products, learning, and networking.

“We are grateful for the feedback we received from exhibitors and participants, acknowledging the value they derived from the trade show component of the expo,” says Johnson. “By carefully

considering the feedback received from expo delegates, our primary goal is to ensure the satisfaction of both exhibitors and delegates in the forthcoming editions of the event. This valuable input not only affirmed the trade show’s significance, but also provided us with insights into areas for improvement.”

WORKING BEHIND THE SCENES

Organizing an event of this magnitude demanded an extensive level of collaboration and, although the ECA enlisted the services of a professional

planner to aid in the event organization, there were numerous significant tasks that the association itself undertook to ensure its success.

Working in conjunction with an internal organizing team, including the event planner, the ECA facilitated communication and coordination among multiple stakeholders, including the speakers and presenters, sponsors and exhibitors, the Edmonton EXPO Centre, attendees, the board, volunteers, and the membership at large.

“It required the collective effort of many dedicated individuals to successfully navigate the challenges and deliver a conference that truly benefited our membership,” says Johnson.

Looking ahead, the ECA is actively preparing for another event and is considering the many valuable insights gained from the previous one. The expo organizing committee is currently evaluating the feedback received from both internal sources and external participants, and is determined to refine the format, consider alternative dates, and maintain its unwavering commitment to delivering value for both ECA members and sponsors.

“By mid-2023, informed decisions will be made regarding the specific details and structure of the 2024 event,” says Johnson. “Stay tuned for news on our next expo!” u

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ECA AS THE HUB OF CONSTRUCTION EXCELLENCE

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A strategic goal of the ECA is to broaden our ring of inclusivity, bringing more diversity and engagement to the stakeholder table, and welcoming all members of the industry to take part in the future of construction in Edmonton.

The ECA aspires to serve and enable our community to constantly innovate and improve. Our vision is to see the ECA as a Hub of Construction Excellence in the Edmonton Region.

CCA SECURING A STRONG FUTURE FOR THE INDUSTRY THROUGH COLLECTIVE ADVOCACY

By Mary Van Buren, CCA President

Representing 20,000+ member firms, the Canadian Construction Association (CCA) is proud of our mission to inspire a progressive, innovative, and sustainable construction industry.

The key to our success is working with valued partner associations like the Edmonton Construction Association. We are powered by your engagement. Together, we are driving change on key issues that make a real impact, not only for the industry but for all Canadians.

Released in March, our 2022 Annual Review demonstrates CCA’s commitment to you, our members, to be your trusted advisor, champion, and partner.

Read the CCA Annual Review 2022 at www.cca-acc.com/ about-us/annual-review-2022/.

A SMART INFRASTRUCTURE PLAN BACKED BY INVESTMENT

Over the past two years, the CCA has been actively pursuing more investment in key trade gateways and corridors across the country. This included partnering with the Western Canada Roadbuilders & Heavy Construction Association and bringing in national partners, like Export Development Canada, the Business Council of Canada, and the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, to build the support we need among politicians and Canadians. The CCA helped fund the report, From shovel ready to shovel worthy,

to strengthen our case

We are gaining traction, with some modest investments proposed in the 2023 Federal Budget to strengthen Canada’s transportation systems and supply chain infrastructure. Real growth however will not come from band-aid solutions. It will come from a long-term initiative, coordinated with the provinces, to develop a National Trade Corridor.

The CCA has always maintained that one size does not fit all. Every region and municipality, including our Indigenous communities, have different needs and priorities. The National Infrastructure Assessment would have helped create an integrated, apolitical strategy on how Canada would prioritize, finance, and deliver critical infrastructure projects. But there has

been no movement on this promised 2021 federal initiative. We cannot afford to wait. As the industry’s national advocate, the CCA will continue its outreach on this issue so policy makers understand the risks of their inaction – aging infrastructure, damage to our reputation as a trading partner, and inadequate supply chains, to name a few.

WORKFORCE AN URGENT PRIORITY

More than 70 members from across Canada and representing all sectors of the construction industry met with parliamentarians from all parties to discuss the labour crisis and urgent need to Rebuild Canada’s workforce NOW during CCA’s annual Hill Day on November 15. Our collective efforts to bring this message locally, provincially, and federally has generated government support for investing in promotion of the trades and increasing immigration targets to help ease the shortfall. Conversations will continue, however, as the government needs to create a more supportive environment to alleviate the labour choke points that risk crippling Canada’s economic growth. This includes changing an outdated immigration point system and working with provinces to ensure better skills matching.

The urgent need for skilled trade workers is also receiving nationwide attention as we work to build the number of apprentices, through our partnership with the Canadian Apprenticeship Service, and turn construction into a first-choice career, through our industry-wide Talent Fits Here campaign.

FAIR PROCUREMENT

The value of involving contractors earlier in projects is gaining steam. The CCA obtained a commitment from government leaders at its semi-annual Meech Lake meeting to establish a working group on procurement and project delivery methods. To build the infrastructure needed across the country and recruit the workforce of the future, federal procurement strategies need to adapt to encourage innovation, include contractors earlier in the process, account for long-term value and sustainability, promote the use of alternative delivery models, and support shared risk.

We also embarked on a fact-finding mission this past summer to learn first-hand from members about their challenges with current procurement practices. Dubbed the Standard Practices Tour, the CCA visited Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg, St. John’s, and Montreal. In 2023, we will again meet with members in five different cities to ensure we are up to date with current issues.

The CCA’s Best Practices Services is delivering new resources – some of which are being developed through the work of our National Advisory Councils. We are also increasing our outreach to buyers of construction so we can educate them on the benefits of sharing risk and involving contractors early in the project.

ACTION-BACKED POLICIES TO SUPPORT GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE

Canada’s construction industry is ready to become a leader in the transition to a net-zero economy. We submitted detailed recommendations on developing a buy clean policy, mandating change, enabling investment decisions, growing Canada’s advantage in building practices, technology and building materials, and training and incentivizing the future workforce. Following the submission, the CCA has been invited to participate in a working group on Canada’s Green Buildings Strategy. The CCA and our partners are also aligning on our

message that governments must update building codes, provide incentives for businesses, share climate data, and create a list of approved “green” materials.

Budget 2023’s proposed tax credits in clean technologies and hydrogen are a missed opportunity that we plan to address. Tying restrictive labour conditions to these incentives effectively discriminates against an important segment of the Canadian workforce and, in particular, small and medium-sized companies. Over the next few months, the CCA will reinforce our budget asks in support of a strong economy during our semi-annual Meech Lake meeting on April 25, through a robust outreach strategy leading into the summer recess, and culminating with Hill Day 2023 where the industry will convene to make our message heard in Ottawa.

STAY IN TOUCH!

You can count on CCA to be a collaborative partner to the Edmonton Construction Association, providing helpful tools, sharing best practices across the country and being your voice with the federal government.

Stay in the loop by subscribing to CCA’s newsletter at bit.ly/ ccasubscribe, by following @ConstructionCAN on Twitter, or by looking up Canadian Construction Association on LinkedIn. u

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ACA ADVOCACY UPDATE

By Ken Gibson, Executive Director, Alberta Construction Association

Your membership supports construction associations working on your behalf at the local, provincial, and national levels. The role of the Alberta Construction Association (ACA) is to advocate industry solutions to the provincial government.

With the height of construction activity in the summer months, shortages of skilled personnel have become even more acute. Members tell their associations there aren’t enough skilled workers available right now and that there is a

huge concern that young people may not be interested in becoming construction’s future workforce.

The ACA has brought member concerns to the Alberta government through a series of recommendations to improve Alberta’s apprenticeship system. These recommendations include:

• Government work with industry to ensure restricted activities and corresponding wages create professions of choice within the skilled trades

• Greater recognition of prior learning to facilitate apprentices changing their trade specialization

• Adding trades training capacity and more flexible delivery methods for Alberta’s post-secondary institutions

• Reinstate period exams for quality assurance via a provincial standard The ACA was able to share your concerns with Skilled Trades Minister Madu in a consultation on April 18th. Following this meeting, Minister Madu committed to reinstating period exams

beginning this September. The ACA was also able to share on April 18th recommendations to:

• Make school boards accountable for offering trades-related programs

• Dedicate funding for trades-related programs in Alberta’s K-Grade 12 education system

• Make it easier for tradespeople to teach trades at the K-12 level

• Add career counsellors familiar with the trades

The ACA has also been advocating for a number of changes to the Provincial Temporary Foreign Worker program in recognition that improvements to Alberta’s talent pipeline will not generate new workers to address immediate needs. These recommendations include:

• Ensure high wage construction occupations are eligible under the Federal Skilled Trades Program

• Allow Trusted Employers to obtain work permits that apply to more than one worksite and allow for regional or sectoral Labour Market Impact Assessments that cover multiple employers rather than each employer required to submit

• Modify the international experience Class program to allow foreign apprentices in their final two periods to complete their studies in Alberta and add these grads to the Canadian experience Class immigration stream The ACA resumed this advocacy with the new government following the May 29th election.

The ACA has also secured funding from the provincial government to assist industry with skills development and hiring workers new to the industry.

The Construction New Talent Program offered by the ECA and ACA supports work-integrated learning placements of Alberta post-secondary students in engineering, business, IT, etc. with Alberta’s design and construction

industry. More than 60 employers have received over $1 million to support 200 students.

The Trade Pathways Program pilot for the greater Edmonton region so far has exceeded targets and placed 63 work experience candidates with 11 employers, with 20 permanent hires and seven confirmed entering apprenticeship. The ACA has secured additional funding to extend Trade Pathways to 2026.

Digital skills will increasingly be important on construction jobsites and to entice young people to consider a career in construction. The ACA has secured funding to develop curricula for a digital tradesperson credential. The research phase of this work will commence in summer 2023 under the direction of an industry steering committee. u

ECA LAUNCHES GOVERNMENT RELATIONS COMMITTEE

The new committee has also already met with elected officials at the Legislature

By Lisa Kopochinski

In an effort to educate the board on political advocacy and share direct concerns and opportunities from members, as well as advocate for the construction industry in Edmonton, the ECA recently launched its Government Relations Committee.

The ECA board acts as a collective voice of industry and, in discussions with government, they want to hear industry concerns through this one voice and in collaboration with the Alberta Construction Association as the provincial advocacy partner association.

“This committee was set as a priority from our board retreat in September to be able to have a voice at the table

locally and provincially, meeting with elected officials,” explains Derek Ciezki, ECA board chair and partner at SMP Engineering. “We want to share our mandate and policy priorities of sustainable capital funding, fair procurement practices, and effects of labour shortages in completing projects on time and on budget in light of the upcoming election. It’s also an avenue to develop relationships with Ministries of Infrastructure, Jobs, Economy, and Labour.”

Board member Leah Marchon, a partner and senior advisor at Lloyd Sadd, says the committee also helps the ECA ensure its initiatives are aligned with the

Back row, left to right: ECA Board Chair Derek Ciezki; ECA President David Johnson; ECA Director of Corporate Development Matt Schellenberger; and Calgary Construction Association (CCA) Board Chair John Manes.

Front row, left to right: ECA Vice Chair Jen Hancock; ECA Chair of Government Relations Committee Leah Marchon; CCA President & CEO Bill Black; and CCA Director of Government Relations Frano Cavar.

Calgary Construction Association and the Alberta Construction Association, which should help each bear more influence when attacking key initiatives that affect all members.

“It’s been timely to create the committee as we’ve moved out of the less personable approach of Zoom/ Teams meetings and are able to get more boots on the ground with our members and key decision makers in the industry,” said Marchon.

Marchon adds that she wanted to be a committee member and has always been interested by the different levels of government.

“Coming from the supplier side of the construction industry, I am not able to directly speak to the day-to-day impacts of government in our industry. I wanted a better understanding of the process of making progress between industry and the government,” said Marchon. “What started as a genuine

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE EDMONTON CONSTRUCTION ASSOCIATION.

interest has developed into a much better understanding of the relationship between government and industry.”

Ciezki said his interest lies in making a difference and representing a growing and progressive industry that can have a major impact on the economy and city for years to come.

“In my current role as chair of the Government Relations Committee for the Consulting Engineers of Alberta and past president of the board, I found a lot of value and benefit associations have and the impact they have on decisions that are made in parliament and policy we can influence,” says Ciezki.

He is also interested in working with

a political advocacy specialist and registered lobbyist by introducing the process of the election, how bills are passed and augmented, such as the Prompt Payment Act, and the impact the ECA has representing the voice of a large construction industry.

CURRENT ACHIEVEMENTS

To date, Marchon said she is pleased with what the committee has achieved already, such as successfully meeting in person with the UCP Caucus, the NDP Caucus, independent sitting ministers within the UCP, the Minister of Jobs and Economy and Minister of Skilled Trades, as well as a lunch meeting with the Edmonton City Council.

“We have weekly advocacy calls with Brookes Merritt, CEO of Loyalton Strategies, to keep us up to speed on what is going on within our province and city. This keeps us on track to ensure we’re staying on top of current events and building on our existing relationships,” said Marchon. “In our short five months of being a committee I’m happy with the traction we’ve made.”

The committee has also already met with elected officials at the legislature, including the Ministry of Infrastructure Deputy Premier Nathan Neudorf and his administration, including Deputy Minister Mary Pearson, ADM Ghassan Elchazli and Cathy Maniego to discuss policy priorities and mandates of the ECA, as well as where the ministry is with investment in the province and city.

“A meeting with city council and Mayor Sohi took place on April 5 to discuss local issues related to downtown economic

The CCA and ECA delegation met with Deputy Premier and Minister of Infrastructure Nathan Neudorf, along with his senior staff at the Alberta Legislature on March 4, 2023.

Ciezki said his interest lies in making a difference and representing a growing and progressive industry that can have a major impact on the economy and city for years to come.

3 rd PROOF

recovery, [such as] affordable housing, climate change, and key projects like the LRT expansion, Commonwealth Stadium, more collaborative project deliveries, and how we can attract more labour and talent to the capital region,” said Ciezki. “We’re also continuing the discussion around the road to net zero and how the industry can help with this opportunity.”

• advancing the conversations they’ve had to date on ensuring funding is allocated to shovel-worthy projects;

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As for the goals for the rest of this year and 2024, Marchon said the committee wants to continue the momentum and be a visible and active association at local events to ensure their message is heard.

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• attracting and retaining talent in the region to create a foundation for the next era of the industry; and

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• helping support new projects by early contractor engagement, manage risk together, and share in the success of the projects the ECA designs and builds. Post election, the committee will continue similar discussions with elected officials, ministries, and MLAs to focus on the mandates and policy priorities that are important and vital to the success of the construction industry.

“The ECA is looking forward to continuing to have a voice at the table and to help set the foundation for future

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SACRED LAND PROJECT NOW COMPLETE

With the grand opening planned for September, construction is complete on the new $6.5 million kihcihkaw askî project (which means “sacred land” in Cree) in Whitemud Park located in southwest Edmonton.

This impressive project provides a natural setting for Indigenous peoples, groups, and communities to host spiritual ceremonies, sweat lodges, cultural camps, and talking circles, in addition to growing medicinal herbs and facilitating intergenerational learning in a welldesigned outdoor space.

HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE

By Lisa Kopochinski

The idea for kihcihkaw askî was originally conceived by Indigenous community members 15 years ago in 2006. The kihcihkaw askî site is historically and culturally significant and has served as a ceremonial site in the past.

“Long before becoming farmland, the kihcihkaw askî site was used for many centuries by Indigenous people foraging for medicines for healing purposes,” says Trish Kuffler, general

This impressive project is the first purpose-built, permanent, urban Indigenous cultural and ceremonial grounds in Canada

Above: With the grand opening tentatively set for September, construction is complete on the new $6.5-million kihcihkaw askî project in Whitemud Park.

PHOTO COURTESY OF DELNOR CONSTRUCTION.

supervisor, facility infrastructure delivery, City of Edmonton. “In the late 1960s, the Fox family endowed the former farmland to the City of Edmonton for public recreation. Due to the significance of this area and the fact that the land was available, the site was chosen.”

This site now provides an accessible place where urban Indigenous youth and families can access cultural resources near the heart of the city. It is also a place where Edmontonians can learn about the traditions and history of Indigenous people, a location to provide land-based education, and a place to re-establish relationship and connection to ceremony and land. It is also the first purpose-built, permanent, urban Indigenous cultural and ceremonial grounds in Canada.

“The significant importance of this project led to the idea being integrated

Master Plan was approved in 2009. In 2011, city council approved funding for kihcihkaw askî Phase 1,” says Kuffler.

From 2015 to 2017, Indigenous consultation, design, and environmental reviews took place. This consultation included a grand council gathering hosted by Native Counseling Services of Alberta in 2015, as well as two Council of Elders meetings in 2015 and 2016 to provide feedback on the design and site plan.

In 2017, the City completed a review of the environmental impact assessment and site location study, and supported the design and development plans. The environmental impact assessment and site location study received committee approval on January 29, 2018, as per the River Valley Bylaw.

In 2020, the City began working with the Indigenous Knowledge and Wisdom Centre, and the project was approved by council to proceed with construction.

PROJECT STAKEHOLDERS

Some of the stakeholders in this impressive project included the Indigenous Knowledge and Wisdom Centre (IKWC) and the Native Counselling Services of Alberta.

The IKWC manages and operates the facility, says Chelsea Burden, project manager, facility infrastructure delivery, City of Edmonton.

“As the operator, who is also developing and facilitating programming, their participation in the planning, design, and delivery of the project was essential. The Counsel of Elders was formed to work with the kihcihkaw askî project team throughout design and construction. The Counsel of Elders provided spiritual and cultural leadership for the project and was an invaluable resource for the entire project team.”

construction managers

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support from the City of Edmonton in 2015. Thirty-two elders participated on the first day, followed by 36 elders the next day. The gathering discussed how Indigenous communities could work together at kihcihkaw askî, with a focus on protocols for ceremonies.

“The elders identified priorities for the first year of operation, and identified opportunities, barriers, and limitations,” says Burden. “This feedback was integrated into the Phase 1 design.”

Two Counsel of Elders meetings followed in 2015 and 2016 to gather feedback on the schematic design report and revised site plan. These

Deboski, Delnor Construction

meetings helped revise project documents.

PROJECT SITE

The project selected Delnor Construction as they wanted a construction manager “with a commitment to partnering with a local Indigenous employment agency and engagement consultant to deliver the project,” said Kuffler. “The procurement documents also included further requirements to identify potential Indigenous subtrades to perform scopes of work.”

Construction started in November 2021

with substantial completion reached this past March.

“We are proud to have been the construction manager on this project, overseeing all scopes and phases of the work, including preconstruction,” says Jason Deboski, corporate project development leader and principal at Delnor Construction.

The project includes two structures on the site in addition to two sweat lodges, a pavilion, amphitheater, a circular area for tipis, and much more.

Deboski says that one of our major focuses on this project was ensuring that Indigenous people had a major role in constructing the project, and that Indigenous-owned businesses were aware of this project and had an opportunity to bid and perform services on the project where possible.

“Our team was honoured to lead the construction of this unique project that

“It’s safe to say that everyone who had a role in the kihcihkaw askî project is proud and grateful to have been a part of such a special project.”

—Jason

A TREMENDOUS RESOURCE

As the first purpose-built permanent urban Indigenous cultural and ceremonial grounds in Canada, kihcihkaw askî is a tremendous resource for enhancing cultural inclusion “as we create a city that is inspiring and alive with culture, and enriches the quality of life for all Edmontonians,” explains Chelsea Burden, project manager, facility infrastructure delivery, City of Edmonton.

The programming and ceremonial spaces for engaging Indigenous and non-Indigenous organizations, including schools, will have a lasting impact on many lives, and the facility serves as a blueprint for other communities across North America.

“Prior to construction commencing, a ground blessing was held in September 2021 to thank and honour the relationship between all stakeholders on this project, as well as to seek blessing from Mother Earth in allowing construction to take place,” said Burden.

we understand is the first of its kind in Canada – in that it has been carried out in partnership with a municipality,” says Deboski. “It was an opportunity to construct with great environmental sensitivity in the beautiful river valley. There are places on the site where you can stand and feel as though you are in the

woods and not near the heart of the city.”

He recalled mornings when the team would see animals using the site as part of their morning commute. Having constructed a naturalized area, he knows it will continue to be used by the area’s wildlife.

“It was also an incredible opportunity

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for us to learn from our friends at the IKWC about the history of this site and have an opportunity to participate in a ceremony led by local elders. It’s exciting to get a sense of how the site will be enjoyed by Indigenous people, as well as be a welcoming learning place for those of us who aren’t Indigenous.”

PART OF THE

Deboski adds that one of the major focuses on this project was ensuring that Indigenous people had a major role in constructing the project, and that Indigenous-owned businesses were aware of this project and had an opportunity to bid and perform services on the project where possible.

To help overcome challenges on this impressive project, he said a number of strategies were at work.

All carpentry and labour personnel on the project—for Delnor Construction and the subcontractors—were connected through Spirit Staffing.

“This helped us connect with an

excellent workforce and resulted in more than 50 per cent of the workers onsite identifying as Indigenous,” said Deboski. “Our supply chain was notified of this unique project, and we encouraged Indigenous-owned businesses to bid on the work. As a result, 25 per cent of the subcontractors on the project had Indigenous ownership and/or employment of Indigenous personnel.”

He added that his team was hopeful that this project could also be an opportunity for those who aren’t Indigenous to learn about Indigenous history and culture within their own city.

To help overcome challenges on

this impressive project, Deboski said a number of strategies were at work.

There were several elements that helped this to happen including an orientation video produced by Hunter Cardinal of Naheyawin describing the history of treaty and the impact and significance of this project. All workers on-site watched this video prior to commencing any work.

As a thank you to those that did the work of building on-site, a very meaningful smudge and gift giving ceremony occurred where elders thanked and blessed each project participant one by one.

“I’ve never seen anything so personal occur on a construction site before,” said Deboski. “It’s safe to say that everyone who had a role in the kihcihkaw askî project is proud and grateful to have been a part of such a special project.” u

As a thank you to those that did the work of building on-site, a very meaningful smudge and gift giving ceremony occurred where elders thanked and blessed each project participant one by one.

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THE DOWNTOWN RECOVERY COALITION

Building a better downtown for Edmonton

By Paul Adair

The downtown is the heart of a community – both literally and symbolically – and often signifies the brand or identity a city wants to present to the world. A downtown also tends to be the leading economic driver for a city, drawing many people into the core to work, live, and play each and every day.

This is no different for Edmonton, where the city’s downtown is home to approximately 13,000 people and a workplace for more than 60,000. And while the downtown represents less than one per cent of the geographic area of Edmonton, the land there comprises a significant amount (10 per cent) of the municipal tax base.

Unfortunately, a lack of redevelopment and an exit of several flagship retailers over the years has caused many Edmontonians to believe that their downtown is in a state of decline. This is a perception that Edmonton’s Downtown Recovery Coalition (DRC) hopes to change by helping to build a more vibrant and thriving downtown that will continue to be an engine of Edmonton’s economy, and a welcoming place for all.

“It comes back to the idea that 10 per cent of the tax base resides in a relatively small area and that, if we lose that tax base because of

The Downtown Recovery Coalition is focused on three main pillars that – when brought together – support their overall mission of creating a more vibrant and welcoming downtown.

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a deteriorating downtown, the entire city will pay the price,” says Alex Hryciw, chair of the Downtown Recovery Coalition. “The downtown says a lot about your city and, right now, Edmonton’s downtown says that we have lost a bit of our direction and it just needs a little help to

find its way back to greatness.”

The DRC was established in 2016, at which time it was called the Downtown Vibrancy Task Force and advocated for things such as integrating the new arena downtown, identifying friction points with businesses, improving wayfinding,

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and developing bike lanes. When the Task Force disbanded once its goals were met, the DRC officially formed with a new mission to foster greater economic growth and vitality downtown as Edmonton recovers from the impacts of the pandemic.

“Edmonton’s downtown has gone through several transformational changes over the last decade. We’ve seen our new arena built and are now seeing the final pieces come into place around the ICE District. We are seeing a lot more investment come into the downtown because of it,” says Hryciw. “But it’s been a couple of long, hard years since COVID-19 drained the life out of our downtown, just like it did for many cities across Canada. While we’re still struggling with recovery – slowly but surely – we are getting back to where we want to be.”

The DRC is led by a 30-member volunteer steering committee which contributes to the funding of the DRC in

The DRC is committed to ensuring that sidewalks and roads are clean and in good repair and that planters, benches, trees, garbage cans and other small pieces of public infrastructure are regularly maintained so that, on the whole, the appearance of Edmonton’s downtown is clean and welcoming.

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regard to its advocacy work. It includes a diverse range of downtown Edmonton stakeholders representing a cross-section of the downtown community, including community groups, non-profit, and business leaders who have a passion for downtown. The steering committee also includes REACH Edmonton, a community-based coordinating council that is building a safer Edmonton through community collaboration and innovative crime prevention solutions that make a difference.

THE THREE PILLARS

The DRC is focused on three main pillars that – when brought together –support their overall mission of creating a more vibrant and welcoming downtown: Safety and Security; Cleanliness and Infrastructure; and Transformational Projects.

Coming out of the pandemic, it has been tough convincing people to come back downtown. Part of the reason for this is a growing perception among students, workers, and visitors that the

downtown’s LRT system is increasingly unsafe, especially during the colder months when Edmonton’s vulnerable populations begin to seek shelter at the city’s LRT stations. Large groups also tend to block the stairways while engaging in anti-social behaviours such as smoking, open illicit drug use, and verbal harassment and intimidation.

“One of the biggest goals has been to improve security along Edmonton’s transit system by increasing visible law enforcement and securing LRT entrances,” says Hryciw. “We know that we can’t arrest our way through this challenge, but we do believe that even just the presence of law enforcement allows the perception of safety to increase and allow people to feel safer accessing transit. We have also advocated for a zero-tolerance policy for illicit drug use in transit stations, as well as on transit, which became a bylaw earlier this spring.”

Cities across North America tend to struggle serving each corner of their community equally, and Edmonton

A recent community-led Corporate Clean Up Challenge presented by the DRC saw approximately 800 people sign up to remove trash from the city’s downtown.

The response to the work being done in Edmonton by the DRC has been tremendously positive, and there is growing interest from the community about how to better support the coalition’s efforts.

is no exception. Much of the physical infrastructure of downtown Edmonton is currently in disrepair, and it is not uncommon to see crumbling curbs, unfilled holes, damaged trees, and sidewalks littered with trash. The DRC is committed to ensuring that these sidewalks and roads are clean and in good repair and that planters, benches, trees, garbage cans and other small pieces of public infrastructure are regularly maintained so that, on the whole, the appearance of Edmonton’s downtown is clean and welcoming.

“The City needs to do better creating and maintaining the infrastructure that makes our downtown the sort of place you’d like to spend time,” says Hryciw. “As such, we are working closely with the City and continuously advocating for a greater priority placed on repairing and improving our aging downtown infrastructure.”

THE ROAD AHEAD

Some of the longer-term goals the DRC is looking to accomplish are related to such things as improving crisis diversion and Edmonton Police Service response times, as well as doing what it can to ensure the various social agencies that support people in crisis have the staff and resources they need to respond in a timely manner when called upon. The DRC also advocates for more long-term recovery spaces for people struggling with addictions and homelessness as a way to provide all Edmontonians with an opportunity to live with dignity and a roof over their heads.

“We want to make sure there is enough capacity within both the justice and health system so we can break the endless cycle of vulnerable people going through the system and ending up back on the streets,” says Hryciw.

The response to the work being done in Edmonton by the DRC has been tremendously positive, and there is growing interest from the community about how to better support the coalition’s efforts. The organization’s monthly

community coffee events have been well attended by community members seeking information about how to help, and a recent community-led Corporate Clean Up Challenge presented by the DRC saw approximately 800 people sign up to remove trash from the city’s downtown.

“We’ve been able to activate a grassroots community movement in terms of downtown recovery and the

community clean up was a really good example of the eagerness we see from Edmontonians to get involved. It shows that our community is willing to work hard to make the downtown a little bit brighter,” says Hryciw. “We’ve got all the pieces set and, if we can collectively and collaboratively move them forward, we’ll see our downtown come back to life and feeling more vibrant overall in the next few years.” u

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AI IN CONSTRUCTION

An effective tool in trained hands

By Jay Summach, Key Account Manager, Amii (Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute)

Daily it seems, a new story makes the rounds about a computer doing a thing that nobody expected a non-human to be able to do — not in 2023, at least. A while ago, it was self-driving cars and computers winning game shows. Now, the conversation has swung towards large language models like ChatGPT and the bewildering range of home, school, and work tasks that they’re poised to retire from human to-do lists.

From 2015 to 2018, I served the ECA as director of education. During that time, I got to know hundreds of Edmontonarea companies that deliver world-class

construction services and products. Our city has played a prominent role in the evolution of the global architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry over the last 100 years — and that’s evident in the high number of international companies that originated and continue to be headquartered here.

Today, I’m a key account manager with Amii, the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute. To the same extent that Edmonton is a construction town, Edmonton is an artificial intelligence town. Amii started 20 years ago with four founding researchers at the University

of Alberta. Since then, thanks to partnerships with industry and strategic investment from the Alberta and federal governments, Amii has emerged as a global powerhouse in machine learning. Today, Amii funds the work of over 30 research fellows, plus a not-for-profit corporation of 75 specialists in putting machine learning to work for the industry.

My purpose in this article is to share what I see happening at the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and construction. The University of Alberta’s Construction Innovation Centre (CIC) offers a glimpse of where the construction industry is headed. There, collaborative teams of researchers, students, and industry partners are unlocking new methodologies, new tools, new materials, and new insights that will augment the capacity and competitive advantage of Canadian construction companies. More often than not, AI has a pivotal role to play in where we’re headed.

Dr. Ali Golabchi and members of the research team who are evaluating construction exoskeletons. These worn devices use elastomeric bands and springs to store or transfer energy from the user’s movements. Golabchi’s team applies sensors to collect data from test users — including range of motion, muscle activation, and user experience. This kind of data can be used to predict whether a particular kind of exoskeleton will reduce user fatigue in a particular worksite situation.

Left to right: Dr. Ali Golabchi, Niromand Jasimi, Negar Riahi, Armin Bonakdar, Maryam Shakourisalim.

Before I introduce you to some of the projects underway at the CIC, here’s a short primer on what we mean by “artificial intelligence” and “machine learning”.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) AND MACHINE LEARNING (ML)

Artificial Intelligence refers to technology that can do things that, formerly, only a human could do. A smart speaker can understand what you’re

saying, play the song you asked for, and follow it up with another song that you’ll probably like… that’s AI at work. AI is at work in most of our devices these days: it populates our social media feeds, it filters the spam from our inboxes, it suggests a faster route to our destination, etc.

AI came together as a science over 70 years ago at the intersection of computer science, mathematics, and philosophy. In 1950, Alan Turing published a paper titled “Computing Machinery and Intelligence”,

in which he asks the question, “can computers think?” His key intuition was that if human intelligence comes from combining experience and reason, and if a computer has access to experience (that is, data) and reason (encoded as software), then computers ought to be able to “imitate” human intelligence. Turing was right — and 70 years later, it’s becoming tougher to distinguish the imitation from the real thing.

Machine learning (ML) is one kind of AI.

Dr. Lianne Lefsrud. Dr. Qipei Mei. Dr. Ying Hei Chui.

It refers to algorithmic methods — that is, sequences of step-by-step calculations — that enable computers to find and model the patterns in data, and to improve the models without the help of a human programmer. Decades of progress, on multiple fronts, have brought AI/ML to their current moment of breakthrough potential:

• Computer hardware is more powerful than ever, and simultaneously more affordable;

• Sensors have been developed to capture every conceivable kind of data, in increasingly fine detail;

• The amount of data stored on and off the Internet has grown to billions of gigabytes, representing

an unprecedented repository of ‘experience’ for AI systems to learn from;

• New and improved methods of ML are enabling computers to tackle increasingly complex and creative tasks;

• Natural language processing (NLP) models like ChatGPT have made ML systems vastly more accessible to both technical and non-technical users.

PREDICTION MACHINES

Notwithstanding the fact that ML is being applied to a wide range of use cases, every ML model does essentially the same thing: it “predicts” the answer to one question. Simply put, an ML model is a “prediction machine”, to borrow the

Dr. Roberto Monroy is developing a platform for robotic sorting of plastics for recycling. Some aspects of the robot workflow are guided by computer vision. However, sorting must also be informed by the chemical composition of objects. Therefore, Dr. Monroy is working to integrate computer vision with infrared spectroscopy.

title of an excellent book by Agrawal, Goldfarb, and Gans.

A lot of the workplace tasks that you perform include some element of “prediction”, in the sense of choosing a particular action because you predict that it will have a desirable outcome. Your ability to make good predictions comes from your training and experience. The more alternatives and outcomes you have been exposed to, the more accurate your predictions become.

Construction expertise is teeming with predictions. What fee should you quote for delivering this scope? How should you adjust the concrete mix, given the air temperature and humidity? Which laydown will minimize the need for reshuffling? Which design will optimize for requirements, cost to build, and cost to operate? Where is a safety incident likely to occur, and what action should you take to avoid it?

A ML model can lower the cost and greatly improve the accuracy and speed of predictions, especially in situations where the prediction must weigh multiple factors. As such, a good ML model can be an insightful, reliable, and cost-effective tool for the human who is ultimately responsible for decisionmaking. But before this can happen, two things must be true: the ML model must be developed around a single, precise question; and the model must be trained on a large volume of high-quality data that enables it to answer that question.

EVERYTHING STARTS WITH DATA

Dr. Ali Golabchi is associate director of the CIC. I ask whether there is one thing — above all — holding the construction industry back from leveraging ML

technology. “Data,” he says. “There are lots of opportunities to collect data, and we aren’t doing it. On the other hand, the data we do collect is unorganized, inconsistent, or separated in silos — so that data goes unused. Managing data in a dynamic, complicated industry like construction is much tougher than it is in a controlled environment like manufacturing.”

Before a ML model can offer reliable predictions, it must be trained on relevant data, and a lot of it. A company can’t just summon data from thin air, if they haven’t collected it in advance. Sometimes, relevant data sets can be bought or simulated, but there are costs and limitations to what is possible. Depending on the predictions that a company has in mind, it can take months before the data is in place to begin training a ML model. But companies don’t have to do it on their own.

“To really make a difference, there has to be consistency in [data] formats and a willingness to share and work together. No single company can tackle this on their own,” Golabchi says. “That’s where an organization like the CIC can help. We can bring together industry expertise, industry data, industry funding, and government funding to support research that benefits everybody.”

Safety management is one of those activities where construction companies collect a lot of data. But by and large, that data goes unused because it is so *difficult* to use.

“Companies keep incident data in thousands of reports, but rarely analyze these to learn and prevent future incidents,” says Dr. Lianne Lefsrud, who co-leads a CIC project analyzing the influence and interrelationships of leading indicators in safety incidents. “We over-rely on our sight to identify hazards, and over-estimate our cognitive ability to understand them all.”

Lefsrud’s team pooled 15,000 incident reports contributed by industrial

construction partners. Their initial challenge was to develop ML models capable of extracting and categorizing the information stored in the reports. That wasn’t a straightforward task. Although companies collect similar information in their incident forms, the forms themselves are highly variable in their formats, completeness, and accuracy. Some companies input their safety reports into well-structured digital

forms; while other companies diarize information with pen and paper. Lefsrud’s team had to develop an automated system to deal with it all.

Once Lefsrud’s team was able to identify the leading indicators described in incident reports, they were able to get down to discovering patterns in the data.

“It’s never one thing that goes wrong, it’s three to five things,” she says. “You have a congested site, work at height,

changing weather, and 40 per cent new workers on site.” The long-term goal of the project is a safety management platform that merges historical data with present conditions, to predict the likelihood and severity of hazards — and to recommend mitigations.

“We want to be able to tell a construction company ‘you have four things that are flagging, so take special care’,” says Lefsrud. “A superintendent

with 20 years of experience will know this intuitively. But with the turnover in construction companies, that implicit knowledge is not necessarily in people’s heads. We need to translate that implicit experience into an early-warning system.”

GENERATIVE AI

Whereas Dr. Lefsrud is using ML to make predictions based on worksite indicators, Dr. Ying Hei Chui and Dr. Qipei

Mei are applying ML to design decisions for prefabricated wood buildings.

“If a building component is going to be fabricated by a robot,” says Chui, “It may need to be designed differently, to make it easier for the robot to produce the component efficiently.”

Mei elaborates, “Design decisions have to be made at a very early stage, and cannot be changed without affecting the whole manufacturing process. We’re using AI to generate design options that consider later stages.”

But as is the case for safety managers, who are bombarded with more factors to consider than any human can reasonably manage, building designers must weigh myriad considerations.

“There are so many factors to consider,” says Chui. “You can’t just look at structural requirements and the cost of material. There’s manufacturing time. Installation time. Operational efficiency. You have to treat these things holistically at the design phase.”

Mei explains, “Currently, there’s a lot of back-and-forth between design and manufacturing. We’re trying to improve that link, to reduce the amount of backand-forth.”

Chui and Mei don’t see AI as sidelining humans in the design process. Here, as in many industry applications of AI/ML, the goal is a “human in the loop” system where ML augments human expertise.

“It isn’t easy to have structural design taken over fully by AI at this point,” says Mei. “Life and safety are at stake. But AI can assist human engineers, exploring many more design options than a human has time to complete.”

THIS IS A GREAT TIME TO GET STARTED

AI and ML are already delivering value for early adopters across the construction industry — particularly in areas like procurement, contract management, supply chain management, office process optimization, and in closed environments like manufacturing and research. But industry scans published over the last

few years unanimously agree that construction lags behind other industries in taking advantage of AI. The moral of the story is that no company needs to feel like they’ve missed the boat. If you’re just beginning to explore where AI might lend you a competitive advantage, you’re in good company.

For companies that are new to thinking about AI, training is the essential first step. Speaking from his experience as an innovation enabler, Golabchi says “there has to be buy-in from top management, down through supervisors and workers… everyone needs to see the value in transformation.”

A 2023 article in the Harvard Business Review (HBR) reports that 80 per cent of Fortune 1000 executives cite “cultural impediments, not technology” as the greatest roadblock to their AI initiatives. In other words, if your C-suite, management, and field teams aren’t aligned on evolving into a data-driven business, it probably isn’t going to happen. (See Randy Bean, “Has progress on data, analytics, and AI stalled at your company?” HBR Jan. 30, 2023)

Amii offers a condensed ‘crash course’ to introduce your technical and nontechnical staff to the fundamentals of translating business opportunities into ML questions. The course is delivered in two half-day sessions, and led by one of our ML educators. Learn more and register at amii.ca/training.

Eventually, you’ll need to take carefully considered steps from dreaming to planning to doing. It’s wise to have an ML partner with industry experience who can help you identify a high-value, low-risk first project, so that you can build momentum and buy-in for your subsequent ML initiatives. You’ll also need to decide whether it makes the most sense to buy an off-the-shelf ML solution, or to partner with an ML vendor or organization like the CIC, or to leverage the project and expert coaching to develop your in-house ML capacity.

Amii specializes in the third approach, but there are pros and cons to all three options.

LET’S TALK!

Bit by bit, machine learning will transform the ways that construction projects are tendered, planned, designed, and delivered. There’s a technology pun in that last sentence, in case you missed it. If this article has piqued your interest,

or convinced you that this is a good time to start a conversation, Edmonton is home to many qualified partners who can get you underway on your ML journey.

Learn more and get involved with Amii by visiting amii.ca, or by reaching out to me at jay.summach@amii.ca.

Learn more and get involved with the Construction Innovation Centre by visiting constructioncic.ca. u

AFFIDAVITS

As part of your ECA membership benefits, a free Commissioner for Oaths service is available to ECA members that require a signature on associated forms.

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Contact brittaney.down@edmca.com or by phone 780-483-1130 for more information.

THE UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA’S CONSTRUCTION INNOVATION CENTRE (CIC)

Advancing construction innovation through collaboration and high-impact research

By Ali Golabchi, PhD, PMP, Associate Director, Construction Innovation Centre (CIC)

There has historically been a disconnect between academia and industry. Just like the plans and tactics created by a contemporary Fortune 500 CEO are inevitably different from what a professor of business studies will teach to their students in the classroom, construction researchers and construction practitioners work and think on different levels. However, the construction industry needs to catch up to other industries in terms of adopting innovative solutions to address its long-lasting challenges, such as low productivity, and new ones, such as labour shortage.

The Construction Innovation Centre (CIC) was established by the Faculty

of Engineering at the University of Alberta in 2019 to bridge the gap between researchers and construction practitioners and make sure that construction engineering research aligns with the concerns and interests of the construction organizations in the community. The CIC leverages the strength of its connections to the construction industry and the many construction-related disciplines that are covered under the Faculty of Engineering’s umbrella.

WHAT IS THE CIC AIMING TO ACCOMPLISH?

The CIC intends to become the foremost source for cutting-edge

The Construction Innovation Centre (CIC) was established by the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Alberta in 2019.

research and technology for Alberta’s construction industry. The combined expertise and experience of more than 30 faculty members, who are established researchers and educators, and more

than 50 trusted industry partners with long histories of excellence, has created an interdisciplinary and collaborative environment for collaboration between academia, industry, and the Canadian

government to come together to create high-impact innovations across the construction engineering spectrum and pioneer solutions to the most pressing problems facing the construction industry at large.

The CIC’s research endeavours are guided by its Research Roadmap, a living document that guides the CIC and the researchers who work with it to identify the most vital areas for research, provide important and impactful services to CIC members, and identify meaningful metrics to measure the performance of CIC projects. The roadmap has been developed through extensive interviews and surveys of industry practitioners, researchers, and members of governing bodies, reflecting the most prominent needs of the construction industry. The CIC’s Research Roadmap puts an emphasis on projects that are collaborative and multi-disciplinary,

The CIC intends to become the foremost source for cutting-edge research and technology for Alberta’s construction industry.

MECHANICAL | ELECTRICAL | CIVIL ENGINEERING

As a member of the Edmonton Construction Association, Arrow Engineering, a Division of Englobe, supports ECA’s vision for shared success. We’re proud to align ourselves with the ECA and other member firms who share our values of Teamwork, Collaboration and Leadership.

have significant potential to lead to academic breakthroughs, and will lead to the greatest possible impact on the construction industry at large. It also represents a continually updated blueprint for where the CIC will focus its efforts to find solutions to the big and interesting problems currently facing the construction industry.

The goal of the CIC is to advance the competitiveness of our construction industry partners, enhance and showcase the expertise of our collaborators, contribute to innovation in construction, and become internationally recognized as a leader in benefitting the construction industry and society as a whole.

WHAT ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF CIC PROJECTS?

The CIC’s projects span a variety of topics involving emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, robotics, digital twins, and extended reality, to develop innovative solutions and technologies that can potentially solve the top challenges of the construction industry.

Example of some current CIC research projects include:

The CIC project titled “Enhancing Safety Management Systems on Construction Projects: A data-driven approach” seeks to use artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ ML) analysis to help identify trends and leading indicators, better design prevention and mitigation strategies, and leverage information gathered from organizations across the Canadian construction industry.

The CIC project titled “Robotic Wall Construction Using Innovative Building Blocks and Processes for Enhanced Productivity, Safety, and Sustainability” seeks to develop innovative, lightweight, robot-friendly building blocks that will facilitate modular design and additive construction. The integration of robotics, innovative materials, additive

manufacturing, and lean principles will lead to an improvement in the lifespan of walls created with these new materials and stimulate improvements in the Alberta building industry.

The CIC project titled “Evaluation of impact of exoskeletons on performance and safety of construction workers” aims to evaluate the suitability of wearable robots that will assist construction

workers while they perform physically demanding construction tasks, and to provide a framework for the successful adoption of this emerging technology in the operations of today’s construction organizations.

The project titled “AI-powered generative design and manufacturing for prefabricated buildings” seeks to use artificial intelligence (AI) and Building

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Information Modeling (BIM) to develop AI algorithms to automate design generation and optimization, facilitate intelligent manufacturing, improve the productivity and value of design through a deeper understanding of the influence of manufacturing on design, and design and optimize generative robotic manufacturing systems for sustainable production.

The CIC project titled “Industrialization and Decarbonization of the Construction Process” aims to improve the efficiency of the offsite building construction sector; develop technologies to facilitate mechanization and automation of the offsite building construction sector; and to create a BIM-based framework to automate drafting and

design for manufacturing and estimate construction-related emissions and the energy consumption of building technologies.

These projects and many more are just the beginning of what the CIC hopes to help researchers and industry partners achieve, and each opens the opportunity for the academics and construction practitioners who partner with the CIC to learn more about what is possible for the future of the construction industry, not only in Canada, but worldwide.

WHERE IS THE CIC HEADED NEXT?

While the construction industry is huge and greatly contributes to the global economy, it is one of the slowest industries to adopt emerging technologies, automation, and

digitalization. The CIC is constantly working alongside researchers and industry partners to find and explore innovations in construction engineering that will help bring the construction industry into the new millennium and allow it to advance and grow to suit the needs of modern society. From the question of how to improve efficiency and productivity, to explorations of new technology and construction methods, the CIC seeks to foster innovation and creativity now and into the future.

At the Construction Innovation Centre (CIC), we work with various industry partners on innovative projects in many areas related to construction engineering. If you are interested in getting involved, feel free to reach out to us at cic@ualberta.ca. u

The CIC seeks to foster innovation and creativity now and into the future.

YBG IS THE FUTURE

A healthy and connected YBG means a healthy, connected future for construction in Alberta. Formed in 2014, the YBG has become the gathering place for emerging leaders in every construction sector not only contractors and trades, but designers, engineers, owners, and other stakeholders.

If you’re an ambitious, creative leader in the first half of your construction career, the YBG is for you!

Visit edmca.com/ybg/

YP Merge aims to encourage collaboration among Young Professional groups from the construction-design-consultantowner communities in the Edmonton region.  It grew out of the SHIFT Conference, which the Edmonton Construction Association’s YBG Group initiated in 2015, and was solidified in 2018.

Oh, and if your group isn’t connected yet, reach out and let’s change that – matt.schellenberger@edmca.com.  Help us grow and focus on supporting common networking, education and advocacy goals.

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EMBERS AND ITS SUCCESSFUL SOCIAL PROCUREMENT EFFORTS

With three locations in B.C.’s Lower Mainland, this award-winning social enterprise is now expanding and opening an Edmonton office

By Lisa Kopochinski

With its mission to create economic and employment opportunities for people by providing them with jobs, training, and support, EMBERS has helped thousands of people facing barriers to work and lead productive lives.

EMBERS, which is an acronym for Eastside Movement for Business and

Economic Renewal Society, was formed in 2001 as a community economic development charity with the goal of creating economic and employment opportunities for people living on low incomes in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.

“Over the years, EMBERS has helped

thousands of individuals on their employment journey to lead productive lives through self-employment, job placements, training, and support,” said CEO Marcia Nozick.

In 2008, EMBERS launched its social enterprise, EMBERS Staffing Solutions, an award-winning not-for-profit temporary

EMBERS provides individuals a hand-up through job opportunities, job flexibility, and other supports.

PHOTO COURTESY OF EMBERS.

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staffing agency, which uses a business model to address social problems.

“Our staffing company employs people from all walks of life, many who are in a state of transition, be they immigrants, people re-entering the workforce after

a set-back or health issue, or people starting over who face barriers to employment due to social discrimination or other challenges,” said Nozick. “Our experience shows us that there are many individuals who have capacity and a desire to work, but who need extra support to connect to a job and move ahead.”

EMBERS provides individuals a hand-up through job opportunities, job flexibility, and other supports, including free PPE rentals, access to transportation, extended dental and medical benefits, skills training, and other programs to empower workers to succeed and bridge the way toward full-time employment.

“As a social enterprise, EMBERS is self-sustaining and invests 100 per cent of its profits back into the community through higher hourly wages, equipment, and training for workers. In 2022 alone,

EMBERS employed more than 2,100 individuals and supported them on their journey back to work,” said Nozick.

NEW EDMONTON OFFICE

Presently EMBERS operates out of three locations in B.C.’s Lower Mainland region, with Vancouver being its flagship office. In May, EMBERS is opening a new branch in Edmonton where Nozick said the plan is to connect with many construction-related companies in Edmonton to hear the needs of the industry and how EMBERS can be part of providing a workforce solution.

“We’d been looking at opening up in Edmonton for a few years,” said Nozick. “We have a number of current construction customers in B.C. with projects in Edmonton, and who had expressed interest in working with EMBERS if we had an office in Edmonton. Then, last year, we connected with End Poverty Edmonton who introduced us to several community groups. We discovered that there was a gap that allowed us to assess, from a community’s perspective, if there was a need or opportunity for an EMBERS operation.”

She said the EMBERS team discovered an open and welcoming community that is promoting social procurement at an awareness and policy level incorporating multiple partnerships and players, including industry, government, and community.

“EMBERS was encouraged to open a branch as an organization that could fill a gap in the social employment sector— not to replace or duplicate what already exists among the employment services—

“Over the years, EMBERS has helped thousands of individuals on their employment journey to lead productive lives through selfemployment, job placements, training, and support.”

— CEO Marcia Nozick

Annually, EMBERS places more than 2,400 individuals in primarily construction-related jobs. PHOTO COURTESY OF EMBERS.

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THE SOCIAL PROCUREMENT PROCESS

The social procurement process is when organizations use their purchasing power of goods and services to further social, economic, and workforce development goals.

EMBERS Staffing Solutions is a social enterprise that operates using a double bottom line that is both social and economic. When construction companies hire through its temporary staffing service, they receive the added value of contributing towards changing peoples’ lives and building healthier communities, since 100 per cent of EMBERS’ profits go back to support the community and help people reintegrate into the workforce.

In Vancouver, EMBERS is part of an ‘ecosystem’ of players that work together to develop social procurement opportunities, particularly through community benefit agreements. Working together with social agencies, construction companies, and government policy makers towards supporting social procurement processes, allows millions of dollars to be directed at creating social value by targeting purchases from social enterprises such as EMBERS.

EMBERS is a workforce solution that provides construction companies with needed labour, from day one to ongoing, while providing workers with support and the opportunity to advance their careers in construction. It is able to place people in construction-related jobs because of the partnerships it has built with companies that share the same social values and that have a need for its temporary staffing service.

but to complement and be a vehicle to help in providing transitional jobs through our temporary staffing model,” said Nozick. “In 2022, after completing our three-year strategic plan, we decided to move ahead.”

Nozick said they will start off with a branch manager and two staffing specialists in the office and grow its operations as the business grows.

SUCCESS STORIES

EMBERS has been very successful in attracting construction jobs for the people who come through its doors seeking employment. Annually, it has placed more than 1,400 individuals in primarily construction-related jobs, including hoist operators, skilled and general labourers, carpenters, apprentice plumbers, health and safety officers,

traffic controllers, heavy equipment operators, among other positions.

Nozick cites the examples of Michael and Hamad, just two of the thousands of individuals EMBERS has helped:

Michael had been struggling for months without any success to find a job. He was six months clean and sober after having fallen into drug addiction and ending up in the back alleys of the Downtown Eastside. After completing rehab, he was clean and ready to work, but no employer would hire him. He couldn’t explain why he hadn’t worked in eight years. His counselor told him go to EMBERS.

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EMBERS found him a job pushing a broom to start. He was steady, had a great attitude, and soon we helped him to advance with certified skills training as a hoist operator, and later as a health and safety officer. Today, six years later, Michael is an assistant site superintendent with a major construction company. He reconnected with his family, is now remarried, has a two-bedroom apartment, and owns a big Ford truck.

him after tragedy struck, which took the lives of all his family. Hamad suffered from high anxiety, but felt he was ready to take baby steps back into work. At first, he could only work a few days a week, but he kept coming back. Gradually, he built up to where he was able to work full-time steady hours. EMBERS helped Hamad to take courses and move up the career ladder.

The company he was working with decided to hire him on directly and today, five years later, he is head of health and safety for that company. Today, it is Hamad who calls the EMBERS office to order workers for his site. He told us that EMBERS saved his life. We were his family and work was his therapy.

THE NEAR FUTURE

As for EMBERS’ plan over the next few years, Nozick said they are planning to implement a national expansion strategy for their social enterprise.

“Edmonton is our first location outside of B.C. and, if all goes well, we will be looking at opening a second branch in Calgary,” said Nozick. “From there, we can’t be sure. We are thinking about Toronto, but for now, our focus is on Edmonton and building a very successful social enterprise to meet the demands for labour by customers and helping thousands of people improve their lives through the power of work.” u

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COVENANT’S WELLNESS COMMUNITY

Bird Construction playing a key role in community-based health and wellness project

By Mica Royal

Following Bird Construction’s merger with Stuart Olson in 2020, Covenant Health’s Wellness Community is one project of many that highlights the unique and electrifying synergy resulting from the union of two thriving century-old construction companies. Individually, both entities had successfully secured clients in diverse sectors, bringing an incredible amount of experience, depth, and resources across Canada together when the merger was first announced. Now as ‘One Bird’, with more than 5,000 employees operating in 20 districts across the country, the company covers greater territory with the capability to create specialized teams. What each achieved as separate construction companies are the individual legacies that are now jointly imprinted into each new project since 2020, and the Wellness Community project is one that Bird is excited to leave its ‘new’

fingerprint on.

“Visibility, or a long-standing presence in our industry is one thing, but adding depth in terms of the real value that Bird brings to a project, as well as the relationships we build along the way ... that’s the difference,” says Greg Madziong, vice-president and district manager. “We’re stronger together and that’s something that trickles down to the communities we’re part of.”

To quote Plato, “The part cannot be well unless the whole is well”. As irrelevant as ancient Greek philosophy may seem to the world of construction, there is something to be said about the importance of community and those who are actively involved in creating the kind wherein each person feels valued, and most importantly, seen. Strong, vibrant, and thriving communities have a significant sense of purpose — a sense of purpose

Covenant Health Wellness Community. All renderings courtesy of Hodgson Schilf Evans Architects.

On site at Covenent Wellness Community with Bird Construction VP and district manager, Greg Madziong, and project manager, Je Hanz Daza

that is shared individually and as a collective whole. Within this type of community, there is a place and role for each person, as well as a shared sense of interconnectedness and camaraderie. A thriving community takes care of its members because they are wholly invested in the collective well-being of the group. Most importantly, the most resilient communities are always evolving,

adapting to the needs of its members, and becoming stronger in the process.

As one of the pioneers in the Canadian construction industry, Bird is an active participant of this process and understands the myriad of roles involved when it comes to bringing life to vision with architectural and engineering designs. From owners, developers, investors, architects, and

engineers to contractors, building users, and community members, each role has meaning and purpose in the bigger picture of ‘community’. When each group understands how their work is connected to others, this adds greater value and an additional layer of meaning to a project. In this respect, a community building becomes more than a steel or wood structure, it becomes a part of the living

Covenant Health Wellness Community.

Bird’s-eye view of Covenant Wellness Community Development.

fabric that supports and sustains the community itself.

Perhaps this sounds wildly abstract or preposterously romanticized, but we only have to look around and take note of the most well-loved buildings in our communities, such as schools, community halls, recreation centres, and the like. Each building was purposely built, creating a special sense of place and continuity for all community members; each being borne out of

necessity and then actualized by vision. When we, as members of the construction industry, view construction in this light, we are reminded of our own purpose and contributions as builders of community inasmuch as constructors of wood, steel, and concrete structures.

Of Bird’s many community building projects that embody the sentiment at hand, one project stands out — Covenant Health’s new Wellness Community. Located in the heart of Edmonton’s

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Since the purchase of the Southeast Campus in 2017, Covenant has remained steadfast in its desire to offset health care gaps with the provision of communitybased services. The COVID-19 pandemic further highlighted the lack of emergency space at Grey Nuns Community Hospital and it became clear that a paradigm shift in the delivery of health care from dependence on hospitals to communitybased care was needed more than ever.

In a public/private partnership with Rohit Group of Companies, the Wellness Community project is a multi-phased development that utilizes innovative designs developed in collaboration with Hodgson Schilf Evans Architects

Health’s CEO, Patrick Dumelie.

Above: Phase 1 construction of Covenant Wellness Community. Right: Bird Construction’s Madziong and Daza during a site visit at Covenant Wellness Community.

to provide person-centred care to patients, residents, and families from all backgrounds. While the pandemic reinforced the need for additional emergency spaces and health-care services, it also served to add colour to Covenant’s bold vision.

“There’s much more we can do with this project,” says Dumelie. “This project became a vision for the future of health care and a vision that can be spread

across the entire province.”

It can be said that the ‘soul’ of this project is community, which is reiterated by Dumelie when asked about the development, “Our wellness community will welcome people from all demographics and walks of life, with a special focus on inclusion and accessibility for all.”

The Wellness Community will be located in the heart of Mill Woods, just

blocks from the Grey Nuns Community Hospital and Valley Line LRT. It will serve one of Edmonton’s most diverse and fastest-growing neighbourhoods, with a population that has nearly doubled over the last 20 years. Phase 1 of the development, which consists of a community health centre, will offer more than 200,000 square feet of space for health and wellness services, and construction is well underway. The new Wellness Community project will play a vital role in strengthening the community not only by providing health-care services, but also education and employment opportunities, as well as creating partnerships with other community organizations.

When asked about the importance of this project to the community, as well as for Bird Construction, Madziong shares, “The impact that this development is going to have on the community is going to be significant. Covenant recognized the potential of a great solution and this is something that certainly resonates with Bird. We’re glad to be a part of it.”

Project manager, Je Hanz Daza, agrees, “It’s an honour for Bird to be involved in making Covenant Health’s vision a reality. Partnership and collaboration within the team (HSEA, Rohit, Covenant Health, Covenant Foundation, and all of our trade partners) is really evident in the day-today activities on site. The team is happy to be part of this amazing build.”

President and CEO of Covenant Foundation, Lisa Munro, echoes the sentiment, “We’re tremendously grateful to be partnering with Covenant Health and Bird Construction to help support the Covenant Wellness Community, which will be an absolute game-changer for seniors’ health in Edmonton.”

Covenant Health’s new Wellness Community is slated to open in 2025 and we, as a community, will be one step closer to ensuring that the part is, in fact, as well as the whole. u

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EDMONTON REGION’S CONSTRUCTION SECTOR IS BUILDING A LOWCARBON ECONOMY

The Edmonton Metropolitan Region is at the forefront of significant global opportunities in global food security, logistics, life sciences, artificial intelligence, and the clean technology that’s paving the way to Canada’s netzero future—hydrogen. Our construction sector is a big part of why these worldscale opportunities are within our reach.

The Edmonton region contributes to more than 30 per cent of Alberta’s

GDP—and it is rapidly growing. It is the fifth-largest and second-fastest-growing major metropolitan area in Canada.

“We are becoming globally recognized for our capability and capacity for bringing these opportunities from earlystage concepts to world-class facilities,” said Malcolm Bruce, Edmonton Global CEO. “The construction industry is present in every sector in the Edmonton region, and our talent pool has proven

time and time again that the Edmonton region is ready to meet these increased industry demands.”

CANADA’S PATH TO NET-ZERO RUNS THROUGH THE EDMONTON REGION

As Canada transitions to a low-carbon economy, all of our futures are linked. That’s why key partners in the Edmonton region are working cooperatively to take advantage of the $11-trillion global hydrogen opportunity for Canada. This

Heidelberg Materials’ announcement for its Memorandum of Understanding with Canada, supporting its project to develop the cement industry’s first carbon capture and storage facility. From left to right: Chief George Arcand Jr., Co-chair, Edmonton Region Hydrogen HUB; Joerg Nixdorf, Heidelberg Materials VP cement operations CAN; Mayor Amarjeet Sohi, Edmonton; Oliver Patsch, Heidelberg Materials president Northwest Region; and the Honourable Randy Boissonnault, Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance.

consortium of partners, known as the Edmonton Region Hydrogen HUB, is accelerating the growth of Canada’s emerging hydrogen economy.

Alberta already produces over 60 per cent of Canada’s hydrogen, with most of that coming from the Edmonton region— and we’ve been doing it for decades. This,

combined with the Edmonton region’s expertise in Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS), is attracting significant investment.

“Diversifying Canada’s energy portfolio is key to a prosperous economic future, one that creates good paying careers, and helps us achieve our 2050 net-zero goals,” said the Honourable Randy Boissonnault, Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance, at the Canadian Hydrogen Convention during Air Products’ announcement to build a hydrogen fueling station in Edmonton.

Investments into the region’s hydrogen economy will have a

Alberta and Canada government funding announcement for Air Products’ net-zero facility. From left to right: Peter Guthrie, Alberta Energy Minister; Rachel Smith, Air Products Canada vice-president and general manager; The Honorable François-Philippe Champagne, Federal Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry; Seifi Ghasemi, Air Products chairman, president, and CEO; the Honourable Randy Boissonnault, Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance; Councillor Aaron Paquette, Ward Dene, City Council, Edmonton; Councillor Karen Principe, Ward tastawiyiniwak, City Council, Edmonton; Laura Jo Gunter, president and CEO, Northern Alberta Institute of Technology; and Malcolm Bruce, Edmonton Global CEO.

Dow’s existing Edmonton ethylene and polyethylene facility. The company says the new facility could be fully operational by 2030.

profound economic impact on Canada and trigger considerable demand in the construction industry. For example, hydrogen is ideal for refining oil; producing petrochemicals and fertilizers; as a transportation fuel for long-haul trucking, heavy machinery, and buses; and in highheat manufacturing of materials like glass, concrete, and steel – areas that are looking at hydrogen and CCUS to decarbonize operations and meet emission-reduction targets.

As a result, the construction industry is experiencing an exciting time of growth and innovation as new projects come online.

AIR PRODUCTS’ NET-ZERO HYDROGEN FACILITY AND FUELLING STATION

During this year’s Canadian Hydrogen Convention, the largest hydrogen event in North America and hosted in the Edmonton region, Air Products announced plans to construct the largest hydrogen fueling station in the world in the Edmonton region. The hydrogen refueling station will be the company’s first in Canada and will complement its net-zero hydrogen facility currently being built. That facility is a $1.6 billion project and is creating 2,500 construction and engineering jobs.

When it becomes operational in 2024, Air Products’ complex is anticipated to contribute over $809 million to the regional GDP and stimulate growth in distribution, manufacturing, and transportation as hydrogen fuel becomes more readily available to heavy-emitting sectors.

DOW CHEMICAL NET-ZERO ETHYLENE AND DERIVATIVES COMPLEX

Last year, Dow announced plans for its proposed net-zero complex, which

For example, hydrogen is ideal for refining oil; producing petrochemicals and fertilizers; as a transportation fuel for long-haul trucking, heavy machinery, and buses; and in highheat manufacturing of materials like glass, concrete, and steel – areas that are looking at hydrogen and CCUS to decarbonize operations and meet emission-reduction targets.

will be the world’s first net-zero ethylene plant that uses low-carbon hydrogen to make ethylene without emitting greenhouse gases. This massive $10 billion project is expected to decarbonize 30 per cent of Dow’s global footprint and

generate more than 7,000 construction jobs. Dow anticipates making its final investment decision on this project in Q4 of 2023.

More recently, Dow announced its preferred partner for the complex at the

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2023 Canadian Hydrogen Convention. Linde has been selected to complete the design and engineering for a Lindeowned and operated world-scale complex.

“The Dow net-zero Fort Saskatchewan project will be a milestone project in global industrial decarbonization,” said Dan Yankowski, Linde senior vicepresident, Americas, about the proposed complex.

Phase 1 of the project is planned to begin in Fort Saskatchewan in 2027. This is another world-scale project that will be coming to the Edmonton region should Dow finalize their complex.

“Linde’s engineering, large project execution, and operations expertise, combined with our long-standing relationship, uniquely positions us to support Dow as it takes an important step towards achieving its decarbonization goals,” said Yankowski.

Heidelberg Materials’ Edmonton cement plant where its Edmonton CCUS project will be built.

Regardless of scale, we regard each project as a partnership. By uniting our expertise with yours, together we can identify the most effective and efficient solutions for your situation.

These projects are part of the rapidly expanding capital investment announcements made by Alberta’s Industrial Heartland Association.

CEMENT INDUSTRY’S FIRST GLOBAL FULL-SCALE CCUS FACILITY

Another milestone announcement this year is Heidelberg Materials and the Government of Canada’s successful completion of a Memorandum of Understanding in support of Heidelberg Materials’ project to develop the cement industry’s first global full-scale carbon capture and storage facility. The new facility, which is part of Heidelberg Materials’ Edmonton plant, is scheduled to be operational by late 2026 and will capture more than one-million tonnes of CO₂ annually. Over the project’s threeyear construction period, it will create over 2,000 jobs.

“Heidelberg Materials continues to improve the sustainability of the building materials we will provide to the emerging hydrogen sector as we also aim to decarbonize our industry with an interim target of 50 per cent of all revenue from sustainable products by 2030,” said Corwyn Bruce, Heidelberg Materials’ Edmonton CCUS project director. “The story in Edmonton is even more exciting, as our planned Edmonton cement CCUS project will allow us to produce the world’s first Net-Zero Carbon Cement without purchasing offsets.”

TAPPING INTO THE FUTURE

One of the region’s biggest challenges, according to Malcolm Bruce, is awareness of what’s possible here in international markets.

“This is a pivotal moment for the Edmonton region. We’re globally competitive in so much of what the world needs: hydrogen, AI, life sciences, agriculture, and global logistics,” said Malcolm. “We’re moving aggressively to take advantage of these opportunities for Canada. And with investments continuing to come in and new

partnerships being formed, we’re attracting the world’s attention.”

Edmonton Global’s purpose is to radically transform and grow the region’s economy. One way it’s doing that is by attracting foreign investment and trade to the region. The region’s connectivity to global markets, access to abundant talent and resources, and thriving innovation ecosystem are all key advantages to offer investors.

Edmonton Global has found tremendous success since its inception in 2018, attracting more than $2.8 billion in investment and creating approximately 4,000 jobs—and that’s despite the pandemic and global investments being down 40 per cent during 2020 and 2021. Most of these investments are capital expenditures, a boon for the Edmonton region’s construction industry.u

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LEADING BY EXAMPLE

Emerging Leadership Institute builds the skills of next-generation construction leaders

By Daniela Cohen

The Emerging Leadership Institute (ELI) is designed to provide handson leadership skills training to up and coming leaders in the construction industry. The program is delivered by the Edmonton Construction Association (ECA) in partnership with the FMI Corporation.

Specializing in leadership training for construction professionals in North America, FMI has successfully implemented this program for over 25 years. The three-day intensive program

is held in person once a year, the most recent ran from April 18 to 20, 2023 with 23 participants.

“We often use the term ‘nextgeneration leader’. Guys like me need to retire and we need a whole new generation of young leaders who can step up and do their thing their own way and take the industry to where it needs to go,” said Ed Palpant, a principal at FMI and one of the course facilitators.

As someone who has owned three businesses, including in the construction

industry, Palpant brings extensive experience to the program. During the banking and housing crisis in 2008 and 2009, he said many mid-career leaders left the construction industry, so younger leaders are now being “thrown into significant leadership roles that [they previously] may not have had to worry about quite as quickly”. The ELI helps to build a strong foundation for these leaders by focusing on three main aspects: how you lead yourself, how you lead others, and how you lead the work.

The 2023 ELI was held at the ECA offices with 22 participants.

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Leading yourself and others effectively involves having a good understanding of people’s different personalities.

“Everyone knows that intellectually, but how do we learn to appreciate it and respect it so that we build better teams?” said Palpant. “When you start by understanding how you think, and then that alongside how other people think, and when you can pair those two, now you can lead differently. Instead of always doing what works for you as the leader, how do you do what works for the people that you’re leading?”

Communication and delegation are

other important aspects of effective leadership. And in terms of the work itself, Palpant said the focus is on problem solving. He adds that in this particular course, they focus on what are the biggest problems in the construction industry, and what could a set of new generation leaders do to make that better.

Luke Toller, project manager at IMARK Architectural Metals, participated in the April ELI and found it more introspective than he expected. He said he most enjoyed learning “how to give people information in a way that makes more

sense to them” to make sure both parties involved have the same level of understanding of what’s being discussed. He also appreciated learning how different people display stress and how to be able to help them, as well as awareness of his own communication style when under stress.

In addition, he saw how the learning in the program could be applied to communication with his two young kids, who may need a different delivery of the message for it to resonate.

He is confident these skills will serve him well in the future.

“The idea of the entire process that we’re working through is how do we make our work atmosphere more fluid, more streamlined, more productive? So, taking the time to understand everybody within your team, I think is the most valuable thing that I got out of this. Knowing now that I have this basis of skills where I can assess people in my team, and I can assess myself while we’re working together, and see the way forward for all of us, knowing that we’re having a productive and also a healthy work environment,” said Toller. “And that creating an atmosphere for all people

be] healthier and happier and feeling more comfortable in our roles, inevitably we’re going to be more successful as a group.”

Jeff Juravinski, project manager

[to

The Emerging Leadership Institute is a three-day intensive program held in person once a year. The most recent ran from April 18 to 20, 2023.

The course focuses on what the biggest problems are in the construction industry, and what could a set of new generation leaders do to make that better.

at Delnor Construction Ltd., also participated in the April ELI. He particularly enjoyed the interactive nature of the course and the opportunity to hear other participants’ perspectives. For Juravinski, it was nice to get into a room with people in similar positions as himself, but from other companies. He enjoyed how he was able to share his struggles and realize that he had more in common with others even though his

classmates were competitors.

He said he learned that listening is a skill he needs to work on. “I think one of the big emphases was, you’re listening to understand, not to respond,” said Juranvinski. “And there was a certain portion where we went through a bit of an exercise, and it highlighted to me that that’s a big area I need to work on.”

Increased self awareness is an important part of the impact Palpant has

seen through facilitating the program.

“One particular person thought it was an effective leadership style to ram his idea and his agenda down everybody’s throats, thinking, ‘I’m a smart guy, and I know what the right answer is’,” said Palpant. “But he became hyper aware that ‘Wow, not everybody thinks like me. If I’m going to get the best from them, I can’t just expect them to be like me. I need to get the best from them in who they are….’ If you think as a more highdominant person, that’s a big revelation and several other people said, ‘Wow, I can’t believe that you are willing to admit that’.”

Effective time management is another benefit of the program, said Palpant. He adds that participants often share that they’ve got to make some tough decisions about where they give their time.

“And where I say no, because now as a leader, I have to say no to more and more things. And we also tie that to their personal life because no leader is a leader only at work, right? And so sometimes you have to think, ‘Okay, are my kids getting enough time? Is my significant other getting enough time? Am I taking care of my own health?’ Things like that. Because if you’re not doing that, it’s hard to be a really good leader for other people,” he says.

Juravinski said the program is going to help him navigate challenging situations while working with a diverse range of stakeholders with different perspectives and values to accomplish common goals. And in addition to being applicable in his work in the construction industry, he feels he can use the learning from the program in his personal and family life.

“It’s not just one dimensional,” said Juravinski. “It’s good for every facet of my life.” u

FMI has successfully implemented this program for over 25 years.

The Infrastructure Owners Forum was launched in 2017 to help those in the Owner community to better collaborate, build understanding and connect, with the purpose of improved integration across the construction continuum, and quality outcomes for the entire construction sector.

The group meets bi-annually and now includes over 20 public owners and several developers meeting with industry to tackle common challenges.

BRINGING TOGETHER INDUSTRY

The Infrastructure Owners Forum discusses the most important construction-related issues today

By Paul Adair

The Infrastructure Owners Forum was launched by the Edmonton Construction Association (ECA) in the spring of 2017 as a way to foster collaboration and build understanding between Alberta’s construction industry stakeholders.

Originally attended by 17 public owners from the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, as well as the University of Calgary and the City of Calgary, the Owners Forum has since expanded to represent over 25 regional public and private owners (public & private buyers of construction), more than 50 AEC firms (vendors of construction services), and six partner associations.

“The intent of the Owners Forum is to help both the public and private sector to become more engaged in the ECA, as well as to improve the construction industry as a whole,” says Jamey Singh, construction consultant. “The Owners Forum is a way for the association to broaden its connections by engaging with public and private developers, and the event provides an opportunity for collaboration greater than any one-off contract or relationship can provide, enabling everyone to have a better understanding of each other’s specific needs.”

In bringing everyone to the table, the ECA – through the Owners Forum’s presentations and break-out sessions –continues to help drive innovation and integration across Alberta’s construction industry, as well as deliver high-quality,

On April 20, 2023, the ECA held its most recent Owners Forum and invited a variety of guest speakers and presenters to discuss some of today’s most important issues.

In bringing everyone to the table, the ECA – through the Owners Forum’s presentations and break-out sessions – continues to help drive innovation and integration across Alberta’s construction industry.

successful outcomes for construction projects. Meeting bi-annually in April and October, the Owners Forum provides a platform for those in attendance to have in-depth and fruitful conversations around the myriad of common challenges impacting construction in Alberta today.

“We have to glean expertise from the leaders in this industry to have a stronger understanding about what will make our systems and supports perform better,” says Chris Wright, managing director, Edmonton Public School Board. “It just made sense to bring this group together to share best practices and talk about how we can all work better together for our public stakeholders because public infrastructure is a huge component of Alberta’s construction industry and, so far, it has paid a lot of good dividends.”

The response to the Owners Forum over the years has been nothing short of outstanding. The feedback from the event indicates that there is an increased mutual awareness and respect across the construction industry, and the sharing of perspectives, concerns, and challenges results in a stronger building community overall.

“The Owners Forum is a great place for discussion and testing ideas, and it’s become a bit of a petri dish for industry and owners to talk about specific topics,” says Wright. “Important conversations have happened because of the relationships that were established at the Owners Forum. I believe that the construction industry has come to value what this kind of event provides, not only at the bi-annual get-togethers, but also in the greater sense of community that has developed outside the meetings.”

APRIL 2023 OWNERS FORUM

On April 20, 2023, the ECA held its most recent Owners Forum and invited a variety of guest speakers and presenters to discuss some of today’s most important issues. The priority topics – or ‘buckets’ – at this year’s event

covered a wide range of issues, including Industry Guidelines and Roles (formerly Priority 1 – Performance Management Systems); Project Delivery and Industry Collaboration (formerly Priority 2 –Common Delivery Method Assessment Tool); and Innovation, Industry Education, and Sustainability (formerly Priority 3 –BIM, Innovation, and Project Delivery).

“The Owners Forum is designed to be flexible and the topics we discuss tend

to evolve in response to the construction industry’s most pressing needs,” says Wright. “Because of this, the individual buckets will change year over year, depending on the salient topics of the day. We also focus on few topics at a time, making sure the foundational work is being done so that we can build on over time.”

In support of Bucket 2 (Project Delivery and Industry Collaboration),

Shannon Fitzsimmons at the City of Edmonton was on hand to present a case study on the Edmonton EXPO Centre Rehabilitation Project and the use of an integrated project delivery (IPD) model. IPD is a delivery method in which the owner, design team, and construction team are committed to work in unison from the start of a project through to project delivery.

The City of Edmonton showcased the benefits of incorporating this IPD model (better communication and collaboration, more efficient processes, and the reduction of adversarial relationships), as well as to share project learnings and outcomes in hopes that those in attendance would be able to learn from the EXPO pilot project and use some of the IPD principles within their own projects.

“The EXPO presentation was very wellattended, and we all had an opportunity to hear from ownership and the contractor about their experiences and perspectives on IPD,” says Singh. “This was really good and valuable information for the consultants, contractors, and everybody else in the room to hear as we are all looking for ways to improve our ability to deliver projects on schedule and on budget, especially as costs have soared because of material and equipment increases.”

Another Owners Forum session focused on the sustainable side of construction and brought in Charles Ward from the Department of Energy

at the Government of Alberta to speak at length about hydrogen technology and the impact of climate legislation on construction.

“We specifically had Charles come in to talk about energy knowing that, as things like the carbon tax and other legislation becomes growing issues, thinking about sustainability will be important going forward for many of our larger public owners, as well as how they might aggregate some of their costs when they’re looking at electricity or natural gas purchases,” says Jen Hancock, vicepresident of collaborative construction at Chandos.

The Owners Forum also heard from one of its partner associations, NAIOP Edmonton, a commercial real estate association focused on being the voice for the development industry. NAIOP’s presentation provided attendees with a snapshot of Edmonton’s commercial real estate industry, which provides $5.5 billion in GDP, produces half of Edmonton’s property taxes, and supplies 32,000 jobs.

LOOKING AHEAD

The ECA will always seek to identify how it can best assist its members on what matters most to them, and then collaborate as a group on ways to move forward delivering projects and producing more successful outcomes on those issues that are front and centre. As part of this, the agenda for the upcoming October 2023 Owners Forum will be made available in upcoming months

and many topics of discussion are being considered, such as labour shortages, inflation, supply chain, cost of ownership, and climate change, just to name a few.

“We haven’t yet nailed anything down specifically, but I would certainly not be surprised if we saw a topic based on zero carbon or something in that space because that is absolutely becoming of a topic that our owners are having to deal with,” says Hancock.

While the agenda may not be set, what is known is that the success of the Owners Forum going forward will depend on hearing from all construction owners and partners – both private and public/big and small. Only with the active participation from all in attendance will the Owners Forum be able to ensure the construction industry in Alberta is moving in a direction that benefits all, and not just towards the largest voices in the room.

“When folks come to the Owners Forum, we want them to lean into some of these discussions and become involved, and if they can step up to present or teach everybody else in the room about what their organization might be involved with – even better,” says Wright. “It’s imperative that we work together and all pull in the same direction if we hope to move the needle on how things are being done. We need to ensure that we have a diverse conversation that can generate ideas, and that only happens when everybody seizes the opportunity to get involved.”

ECA members can always keep informed of what happens at the event through the ECA website. And even though the Owners Forum is not open to the public (so that owners can have the space they need to speak openly and to move issues forward), the ECA is always open to hearing from its members about what kinds of issues they want raised at any upcoming forums. u

The response to the Owners Forum over the years has been nothing short of outstanding.

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BUILDING BONDS ON ICE

Professional Estimating Group (PEG) kicks off 2023 with curling funspiel

By Shayna Wiwierski

Local Edmonton estimators traded in their hardhats for curling stones earlier this year.

The ECA and the Professional Estimating Group (PEG) held their curling funspiel on February 23, 2023 at the Shamrock Curling Club in Edmonton. The event was the 2023 kickoff event for PEG and sold out at 60 people.

Presented by Kerr Interior System Ltd. and O’Hanlon Paving, the networking event featured 14 teams of four people

each, where they played three games of curling followed by drinks and networking. The event was also catered by the Drift Food Truck. The funspiel was held from 10:15 a.m. to 4 p.m. and featured a Heroes or Villains theme with a prize for the best-dressed team.

“For something funny and quirky, we had a theme and it was left up to everyone’s interpretation of what they thought it was,” says Taylor Lewis, events and engagement coordinator for the

ECA. “We had lots of people dressed as Edmonton Oilers versus the Calgary Flames, as well as people dressed as Avengers characters. We also had some local Edmonton heroes, such as [Bert Gibbs, the man] who tackled the arsonist on Whyte Ave [in 2019]. It helped to set the tone and bring everyone together.”

This was the first time in five years that the ECA has held a curling-related event and was also the first time that the PEG has done a curling event. The idea came

The ECA and the PEG held their curling funspiel on February 23, 2023 at the Shamrock Curling Club in Edmonton.

This was the first time in five years that the ECA has held a curling-related event.

from the PEG Leadership Team, some of which members curl recreationally.

“Curling is a very social sport,” says Eric Hanssen, member of the PEG Leadership Team and estimating manager at O’Hanlon Paving Ltd. “It’s a nice sport that not a lot of people have tried. There were a few of us on the leadership group who were avid curlers so we decided to open one up and see if we could get some interest.”

Hanssen, who has been a member of the PEG Leadership Team for a year and a half, says that the feedback was very positive. He says that people had a great time and that the tournament was a lot of fun. It also brought in a lot of new curlers. The funspiel started with a lesson from other members on how to curl and he says that everyone had a great time.

The PEG was formed in late 2017 and is focused on bringing together and

supporting estimators, spec writers, quantity surveyors, and project managers who work hard to keep the project pipeline full.

“Estimators typically don’t get recognized in any other mentor groups, so PEG gives us an outlet for that,” says Hanssen. “Typically, we don’t meet in person a lot so it gives us an avenue to do that. You can share ideas, meet other estimators face to face, and learn more about the industry.”

The PEG group is a pretty tight-knit group as they get to meet other people in the sector within the Edmonton area. Hanssen says that there are no other events that cater directly to estimators, and PEG provides a much-needed outlet for those working in this particular industry.

The PEG group typically holds three to four events a year in addition to the

annual PEG Golf Tournament, which takes place this year on August 23, 2023 at the Petroleum Golf and Country Club. The golf tournament is currently sold out with 144 golfers. Lewis says that these events are always a huge success and the events are unique as well.

“Their events are really cool. They always have some sort of estimating activity. One last year was a mystery challenge, so the team members of the PEG came up and, I don’t know how they did it, but they calculated how many pints of beer would fill the volume of the upstairs of the [MKT Fresh Food Beer Market]. By answering that question, you got extra questions to build a structure that could hold a can of beans without crumbling,” says Lewis. “They had paper, tape, certain materials and we put them into groups of six or so. They had to build this structure which would hold

The funspiel featured a Heroes or Villains theme with a prize for the best-dressed team.

The PEG was formed in late 2017 and is focused on bringing together and supporting estimators, spec writers, quantity surveyors, and project managers who work hard to keep the project pipeline full.

this can of beans without breaking or crumbling.”

She adds that it was nice to see industry leaders, who at the time were strangers, work together and make new friends, as well as foster connections and network while doing a fun activity. She says that typically the PEG events bring in around 60 to 70 people.

For the PEG group, a large part of being a member, like with all ECA groups, is the ability to network with other like-minded individuals. Lewis says that PEG members are very close and they often come to events together and meet up on their own outside of official gatherings.

Although it’s still early, and there are a few PEG events left for 2023, Lewis says that the feedback from the curling funspiel was positive and they are already getting requests to do it again in the future.

“People are like ‘we have to grow this next year, it was great, it needs to be bigger’… it was a super fun event,” says Lewis. “I have only gotten super positive feedback and [people asking] when will it happen again. It’s more of a winter activity, but even the sponsors are looking to be a part of it next year, so that means we have to do it again.” u

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EMPOWERING WOMEN IN CONSTRUCTION

WomenBuild kicks off its third year with a Spring Mix-N-Mingle

By Daniela Cohen

According to the 2020 Labour Force survey, women make up only 16 per cent of the construction industry in Alberta. In 2019, Caroline Bowen, director of membership engagement at the Edmonton Construction Association (ECA), and the only woman on the leadership team, started receiving calls asking if the association was doing anything for women in the industry. Cautious about creating this type of separation between women and men in construction, Bowen hesitated to act. But the response to a golf gathering she hosted a short time later with 40 women

friends in the industry caused her to reconsider.

“I’m not kidding you, I probably got 38 messages the next day just saying, ‘That was incredible.’ ‘I got a job out of this.’ Not a new role, somebody got hired to do some stucco for another company. It was just amazing!” said Bowen. “And they were like, ‘When are you doing your next event?’ It honestly just gained momentum from there.”

Together with three other women, Bowen created a leadership team and a plan for what is now WomenBuild, a platform she says is designed to “inspire,

motivate, and connect” women in the construction industry.

WomenBuild hosts three events per year: a spring speaker series with senior leaders in the industry, a summer golf tournament, and a fall speaker series that includes a panel discussion followed by a mix and mingle. Over the last few years, WomenBuild’s email list has grown to 400, and its events have been consistently sold out.

This year, the kickoff event was the Spring Mix-N-Mingle held at the Greenhouse Restaurant at the Victoria Golf Course on April 12.

This year, the kickoff event for WomenBuild was the Spring Mix-N-Mingle held at the Greenhouse Restaurant at the Victoria Golf Course on April 12.

Carolyn Aumiller, project manager team lead at Pagnotta, goes to ECA events whenever possible. She has been working in the construction industry for over 10 years and is part of the Edmonton Construction Association (ECA) Young Builders Group (YBG). Joining WomenBuild to network was a natural step for her and the aspect she most enjoyed at the Spring Mix-N-Mingle was meeting many new women among the 90 attendees.

“It’s easier to network when it’s just women in the room and [there’s] that kind of camaraderie,” said Aumiller. “A lot of women in construction find those larger events intimidating. You’re walking into a room that’s 80 to 85 per cent male who all know each other. It’s awkward. Especially for newer women in construction and women that just aren’t as confident interacting with men in the industry, WomenBuild is a great opportunity to come out and be more at ease with talking to people.”

Aumiller said she spoke with one woman who shared that she never went to these kinds of events, but came to this one.

“She was so intimidated, even scared, to come to this because she’s very introverted and doesn’t like talking to people. But she’s an executive at a company and she’s like, ‘I need to get out and start doing this more,’” said Aumiller. “So, it was great to talk to her and [help] make her at ease [by saying], ‘No, this is a great space for you to come, and come to more of these, but [also] come to the other events. Now that you know a bunch of these women, a lot of these women go to the other bigger events.”

Born and raised in Saskatchewan, Falynn Schellenberg comes from a family who owned a paving and civil/industrial construction business. While pursuing her business degree at MacEwan University in Edmonton, she met her husband and

Over the last few years, WomenBuild’s email list has grown to 400, and its events have been consistently sold out.

The WomenBuild Spring Mix-N-Mingle saw 90 women attend and network with each other.

ended up staying. In 2016, they bought St. Albert Parking Lot Maintenance Ltd. (SAPLM), now a civil general contracting company specializing in asphalt-related construction, where Schellenberg’s husband had started out as a labourer. In 2021, they acquired Rody Contracting Ltd., a civil earthworks company specializing in electrical trenching which serves Alberta’s construction market.

“My dad always said that networking has such a key role in construction…. So, being a part of associations is a very important way to maintain relevance to the industry, be competitive, stay on board with all of the current standards and information,” said Schellenberg. “But a big part of it, especially being business owners, is the networking side

and relationship building. Even if it’s with competitors, there’s really nothing that you cannot benefit from with being a part of the association.”

After the pandemic and once their kids were a bit older, Schellenberg and her husband got more involved in the ECA, and she decided to attend some WomenBuild events.

“You can meet various women in different construction roles, not just necessarily in administrative roles, [and] you can either be in the same position where they’re a first timer or meet somebody who’s been around the association for a long time,” said Schellenberg. “And then when you do go to other ECA events outside of WomenBuild, there’s a familiar face.”

For Schellenberg, WomenBuild has been a valuable opportunity to connect with other women in leadership positions.

“It is a different perspective to be at an ownership level, management level, or leadership level in construction being a female and trying to maintain your presence and relevance in a room when you don’t know as many people and a lot of times being male dominated. So, collaborating with those people and seeing what works for them can be very beneficial,” she said.

Bowen said WomenBuild’s impact on participants has brought her to tears a few times.

For example, in the fall series last year, a speaker shared a story about a 36-year-old woman engineer for a large

corporation coming into her office in tears to say she was pregnant.

“Personally, she was thrilled, of course,” said Bowen. “Well, in a professional way, she was devastated because she was in the middle of this massive project… And they were also struggling to get pregnant, and she got pregnant during this project.” Bowen said that while men don’t even think about these things, this is a dilemma many women attending the event could relate to.

“But then what the panelist was saying was, we’re scared to say those words that ‘I’m pregnant’ or ‘I’m stressed’, or whatever it is, but the men in the office actually want to learn more from us as well,” said Bowen. “They want us to communicate, they want us to feel comfortable with them as well.”

In another instance, women spoke about outhouses on construction sites having no toilet seats, and through the conversation, realized that this wasn’t the case at all sites. They were then able to share this with their respective companies.

“There were three companies that went out and checked every single outhouse that they had on site, because they did not realize that there were no toilet seats on some of them,” said Bowen, adding that the companies subsequently installed those toilet seats.

In the future, Bowen would like to see a woman from each of the ECA’s 1,000 member agencies represented in WomenBuild. She would also like to hold another three or four events each year, and in a few years, a learning retreat, where women can broaden their horizons and add to their toolkits.

“A lot of member firms are now sending their young women to WomenBuild events because they’re saying, ‘You need to connect with other women in the industry. You need to grow your network of women’,” said Bowen. u

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CREATING ENVIRONMENTS FOR AMAZING LIVES TO HAPPEN

Cantiro, an award-winning land developer and homebuilder, works with municipalities and other stakeholders to bring new and innovative products to their regions

By Lisa Kopochinski

After more than 25 years in operation, the Beaverbrook Group of Companies—a multifaceted real estate company—was rebranded in October 2020 as Cantiro.

Paul Fereday, Cantiro’s vice-president of multi-family, says the rebranding and repositioning was a multi-year process that involved departmental and team restructuring, the addition of several new roles and areas of expertise, in addition to consolidating its websites and communications strategies.

“The rebranding was also finalized and

launched during the pandemic, which was unintentional, but gave us a fresh start and rallying point during a trying time. It brought all the divisions together under one brand. For solidarity and focus, it was a great move for the company and our employees. The Cantiro umbrella lets people know the true range and scope of projects in which we are involved.”

This was never more apparent than this year when Cantiro won four of the top awards at this year’s CHBA Edmonton Awards of Excellence – a first

in the industry – and ended up with a final total of 16 awards and 17 finalists.

The 112-employee company has leveraged all parts of its real estate expertise to accelerate growth and continue to deliver consumer-focused homes, communities, commercial properties, and investment opportunities to maximize the potential of available land.

Cantiro works with municipalities and other stakeholders to bring new and innovative products to their regions

The Urban Square, a vibrant community plaza, featuring retail, dining, services and more, has become a new hub of activity in Glenora. ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF CANTIRO.

Together.

Today, along with our employees, customers and communities, we are building a healthy, shared future. We believe that if you honour the land, it will honour you. This philosophy is the key to our unwavering commitment to safety and responsible work practises; providing the solid support for steady, dependable growth and a sustainable future.

and integrate them into current policies and future planning. Its consolidated acquisitions team proactively searches for and vets opportunities that best suits its collective offerings versus approaching it from a more traditional siloed or divisional viewpoint.

“We regularly evaluate options that range from a quarter section of land for developing communities for housing to infill pockets for commercial and multifamily units,” says Stewart Fraser, vicepresident of commercial, acquisitions and entitlements at Cantiro. “We look at our developments as building communities either horizontally or vertically in the case of some of our higher density mixed-

use sites. We plan for how an area will function today and evolve over the next 25 to 50 years.”

CURRENT PROJECTS

Just one of Cantiro’s impressive projects under construction is West Block, a 3.5- acre redevelopment at the western-most corner of Glenora, a residential neighbourhood in Edmonton overlooking the North Saskatchewan River Valley.

“Bringing together residences, retail, and office space, the development brings the latest benefits of urban living to this historic neighbourhood,” explains Fraser. “Its vibrant community plaza integrates

seamlessly with the surrounding community and the future light rail transit (LRT).”

The Urban Square is transforming this high-profile corner to become the new hub of activity in Glenora. Current tenants include three gourmet restaurants, a coffee shop, hair salon, nail salon, liquor store, butcher shop, clothing retailers, offices, and more.

“There are five building sites total,” says Fereday. “We’ve built Phase 1, which includes 100 West Block – a mixed-use tower with residential, services, retail, and dining – and 300 West Block – a separate three-storey mass timber office and retail building.”

The 16-storey luxury residential tower features 60 open-concept homes. Residents have access to an exclusive fitness centre, indoor/outdoor lounge area, multi-purpose flex room with catering kitchen, and even a ‘hotel

Overlooking the North Saskatchewan River Valley, West Block, a 3.5- acre redevelopment currently under construction, is located at the westernmost corner of Glenora, a residential neighbourhood in Edmonton.

“We plan for how an area will function today and evolve over the next 25 to 50 years.”

– Stewart Fraser

suite’ to host guests from out of town. Two additional phases will also join the development in the upcoming years.

“We are in the process of re-zoning, design, and entitlement approvals for 200 West Block, a 60-unit mixed-use building with main floor retail facing West Block Drive, and 400 West Block, a 96-unit apartment building due to begin construction in the second quarter of 2024,” explains Fereday. “The final phase will be a mixed-use 25+ storey tower. We’re aiming to have this completed for when the LRT opens directly onto the Urban Square. We’ve been working with the City for several years on the LRT integration.”

Even with all of this success, Cantiro has had challenges that include supply issues caused by the global pandemic.

“We worked to streamline materials across product lines and pre-order in larger volumes to maximize availability and minimize costs,” says Fereday. “We also increased communication with customers to keep them up to date on any delays and what we were proactively doing to address them.”

With fluctuating interest rates and economic uncertainty, buyers also became wary in such an uncertain time. To help combat this, Cantiro implemented programs offering pricing guarantees and interest rate assistance.

WHAT’S NEXT?

As for what the near future holds for Cantiro, the company will continue working towards its purpose of creating environments for amazing lives to happen.

AWARD-WINNING COMPANY

60 open-concept homes.

“Edmonton is a great city and Alberta continues to be a strong market,” says Fereday. “We continue to pursue opportunities throughout the Edmonton region and have intentions to enter the Calgary market as well.”

Cantiro’s B.C. projects include Owl’s Nest Estates, a community launching this year along the shores of Kalamalka Lake, featuring 38 net-zero luxury residences, as well as townhomes in Penticton and Peachland.

Two new Cantiro developments are also coming to Kitchener, Ont., including a new 64-unit condominium project launching later this year and a 24-storey mixed-use tower featuring 231 purposebuilt rentals and main floor commercial space that will be completed in 2025. u

Multi-faceted real estate company Cantiro was recently awarded four of the top awards at the 2023 CHBA Edmonton Region Awards of Excellence (CHBA-ER AOE). This is a first in the industry that no other company has accomplished in the same year.

THESE AWARDS INCLUDE:

• Builder of the Year – Large Volume

• Best Community

OTHER AWARDS OF NOTE IN 2023 INCLUDE:

• Builder of the Year – Multi-Family

• Industry Leadership

• Best Townhouse Project: Cantiro Townhomes in ONE at Keswick, and the Cantiro Townhomes in Emerald Hills (finalist)

• Best Multi-Family Rental Project: CX

• Best Apartment Style over $250,000

• Best Townhouse $350,000 to $400,000: New York, and Berlin (finalist)

• West Block Penthouse (Best Net-Zero Home)

NOTABLE CHBA EDMONTON REGION AWARDS INCLUDE:

• Multi-Family Home Builder of the Year for 2021, 2022, and 2023

• Best Apartment Building: West Block Glenora for 2020, 2021, and 2022

• Best Community: The Hills at Charlesworth in SE Edmonton for 2022 and 2023

The 16-storey luxury residential tower features

“Edmonton is a great city and Alberta continues to be a strong market.”

– Paul Fereday

A celebrated Edmonton-based architect known for his innovative health-care designs retired last year after over three decades in the industry.

Jan Pierzchajlo was born and raised in Edmonton, and after gaining his undergrad and masters at the University of Manitoba, he moved back to the Alberta capital to be closer to his family. Pierzchajlo says that he knew from a young age that he would be an architect after his mother saw his talent in drawing.

“It was my mom’s fault. She told my oldest brother that he was going to be a doctor and I like to draw, so she told me I would be an architect. My younger brother was supposed to be a lawyer, but he became an engineer instead,” said Pierzchajlo. “My mom said you have some talents there and this is where your gifts are. I didn’t know what I wanted to do, so I took that route and she was right.”

After four years working for different architects across Alberta and in Winnipeg, as well as a year working in Berlin with his then-girlfriend, now wife, Pierzchajlo got a job at the Rockliff Group in Edmonton, which is now known as Rockliff Pierzchajlo Kroman (RPK). He later became a partner in the firm

REFLECTING ON A LIFELONG CAREER

Edmonton architect Jan Pierzchajlo retires after over 30 years in the industry

By Shayna Wiwierski

in August 1993 and has been actively involved in the company as project architect, design architect, and partner in charge until his retirement last year.

Pierzchajlo says that when he started at RPK there were around 15 to 18 people working at the firm, which, at the time, was considered large for Edmonton. Over the next 30 years he says that the numbers have gone up and down, with the highest being 22 people working there and the lowest at 15. Although they are considered medium-sized, he says that he has heard people call them a “boutique-sized firm”.

“Big firms now are really big, so it’s something I’ve seen in the industry. It’s harder and harder for the medium- and small-sized firms to compete against the big behemoth firms, but we do and we continue to do that,” says Pierzchajlo. “That’s one of the big changes I’ve seen.”

RPK specializes in health care design, in particular hospitals. He says they typically do replacement facilities for old hospitals in smaller towns in Alberta, which really makes a difference to residents of those communities.

Pierzchajlo says that out of all their specialties, he enjoyed doing seniors accommodations the most, working on humanizing the accommodations they

design for the elderly.

Pierzchajlo is a fellow of the Royal Architecture Institute of Canada, as well as past president of the Alberta Association of Architects, of which he is also a volunteer. He is also part of the Edmonton Construction Association (ECA) and mentions that the association allows RPK to have great communications with different owners’ groups, contractor groups, engineering groups, and prime consultants.

“We get together to discuss the issues that are shaping industry and being involved with the ECA allows us to have great communication,” he says. “I think contractors understand what they need from us and sometimes there’s a disconnect, so being able to have those communications that we share and those perspectives on whether its procurement, processes, or contracts, it’s more of an integrated approach.”

Pierzchajlo, who turned 65 at the beginning of the year, sold his remaining shares of the company to his partners in August 2022 and is no longer an owner or employee. He did stay on with the company as a consultant, doing miscellaneous work for the firm such as reviewing contracts and being involved in project work that allows him to work

from the sidelines and provide comment or expertise in certain areas.

Although he is technically retired, he still sits on the Alberta Association of Architects’ practice advisory committee and is the external relations member of the Alberta Association of Architects, so he often gets to attend ECA functions

and meetings with government. He also sits on the working group with the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) that is dealing with issues in the design and operation of long-term care facilities in Canada.

After over 30 years in the industry, he says that although there are many

projects he was honoured to work on, he is also really proud of RPK and the people that he was able to help shape over his career.

As for what he has planned outside of work-related activities, he mentions spending time with his wife and two grown children. He is also a big fan of outdoor activities as they have a home in Canmore and he enjoys doing crosscountry skiing in the winter and kayaking, canoeing, and biking in the summer.

After three decades in the industry, he expects the future of the profession to see revolutions in the way that buildings are built and can’t wait to experience it all from a front-row seat.

“I think that I’m really excited for the future of the profession. It feels like it’s getting harder every day to do the job, but I feel there are huge opportunities for invention and not just how we invent our buildings, but how we deliver them and build them,” says Pierzchajlo. “I’m internally an optimist, so I’m looking forward to how that unfolds.” u

SUPPORTING THE COMMUNITY

United Way is helping students build strong, stable futures

United Way of the Alberta Capital Region brings together caring people and businesses, non-profits, governments, and other organizations to give children and youth the support they need to get a great start in life, do well in school, and reach their full potential.

For vulnerable students, navigating the school system and making it to graduation is about more than just getting good grades. Healthy relationships with family and friends, access to school supplies, secure food and housing, and mental health resources

are vital in supporting students on their educational journey.

More than ever, youth in the Edmonton region are facing socioeconomic challenges and a lack of access to basic needs.

United Way initiatives like Tools for School and All in for Youth (AIFY) lay foundations for support through the school years, from kindergarten all the way to high school completion — giving the next generation the tools they need to succeed and break out of the cycle of poverty.

United Way initiatives like Tools for School and All in for Youth (AIFY) lay foundations for support through the school years, from kindergarten all the way to high school completion.

No single person or organization can solve our communities’ biggest problems on their own. It’s only by coming together and leveraging the power of a collective movement that we can make lasting change.

“At PCL, we take great pride in giving back to our community. Supporting United Way is an essential part of that commitment,” says Chris Pullen, vicepresident and general manager with PCL Industrial Management Inc. “We’re proud to support an organization that provides resources to youth in our community and supports them as they explore potential career opportunities. Young people are the future of our industry, and we feel privileged to play a part in guiding them toward success.”

United Way of the Alberta Capital Region builds relationships in the

community to collaborate, coordinate, and make real headway in tackling big issues in our region. Since our start in 1941, United Way has worked with our partners in businesses, government, unions, and agencies to build stronger communities where everyone can thrive.

By being there for youth on their educational journey, your support of United Way can help kids stay in school and set the next generation up for success.

GIVING STUDENTS THE TOOLS THEY NEED TO SUCCEED

For many of us, summer means fun, sun, and a chance to relax. For others, summer means stress as back-to-school shopping puts pressure on a family’s already tight budget.

In some areas of the Alberta Capital Region, the need for backpacks filled

with school supplies is as high as eight in 10 students.

Families shouldn’t have to choose between school supplies and putting food on the table. United Way’s Tools for School initiative aims to reduce this barrier. By providing backpacks, we can give children and youth the tools they need to be successful and participate in school.

United Way has seen a steady increase in needs from schools across the Edmonton area in recent years. Families are stretched thin due to the socioeconomic ripple effects of the pandemic, and our region is facing an influx of newcomers and refugees seeking a new start.

Through support of community donors and corporate sponsors, we continue to meet the needs of children and youth

United Way of the Alberta Capital Region builds relationships in the community to collaborate, coordinate, and make real headway in tackling big issues in our region.

in our community. At the start of the 2021-22 school year, United Way was able to provide 16,289 backpacks and kits to families in need across the Alberta Capital Region.

GRADUATING FROM HIGH SCHOOL CAN BREAK THE CYCLE OF POVERTY

High school graduation is linked to better chances of employment, increased lifetime earnings, and improved overall wellbeing. By providing wraparound services, United Way’s All in for Youth (AIFY) initiative supports children and youth on their journey toward high school completion.

Located directly within eight Edmonton schools, All in for Youth brings together 10 local partners to address the complex needs children and families experience when living with low income.

AIFY removes barriers to learning, helping students and families in many ways through mentorship and student success coaching; student and family mental health therapy; out-of-school time group programming; school nutrition programs; and in-home family support. These supports not only help

students, but also offer families a sense of stability.

“Because of this support, I was able to get this job where I am right now. I got support for my clothes, my child’s school stuff, books, stationery, and school snacks at the same time every Friday…They’re always there to provide,” a student’s caregiver shared.

Last year, more than 2,800 students and their families had access to AIFY services – helping them to thrive in school and in life.

As school communities experienced upheaval during the COVID-19 pandemic, AIFY resources were there to help families navigate the ever-changing restrictions. While some programming and service delivery started out or stayed virtual, there was a concerted effort to shift services back to in-person when possible.

The school communities saw how student and family mental health and wellness was impacted by the pandemic, including learning disruptions, social isolation and re-adjusting to in-person learning, and the socio-economic repercussions of COVID-19 protections.

While the pandemic may have changed the needs of students and families, it did not stop the ability of AIFY to give them the support they needed.

Over the past seven years of All in for Youth, students, families, and school staff have reported greater resiliency and hope, more positive relationships and social networks, and improved self-esteem. AIFY has also tracked improved school performance, and better physical and mental health.

Together, these changes lead to stronger, healthier, and safer communities.

HELPING KIDS FROM THE START

As we flip the calendar page towards summer, United Way is already gearing up for a busy season supporting students and families as they navigate their educational journey.

Investing in education equips people with the tools and confidence to create meaningful and lasting change in their own lives. When we support educational journeys, students – and, ultimately, our community – become stronger, more resilient, and more capable.

But we can’t do it alone. When you support United Way, you are an important part of a movement of changemakers who want what’s best for their community.

Together, we can empower students and their families to build brighter and stronger futures. u

At the start of the 2021-22 school year, United Way was able to provide 16,289 backpacks and kits to families in need across the Alberta Capital Region.

United Way has seen a steady increase in needs from schools across the Edmonton area in recent years.

While some programming and service delivery started out or stayed virtual, there was a concerted effort to shift services back to in-person when possible.

HOW AN EDMONTON CONSTRUCTION BUSINESS OPENED THEIR DOORS AT THE WORST TIME POSSIBLE IN MODERN HISTORY –AND SUCCEEDED

When starting a new business, the odds are against you at the best of times. Numerous factors, tangible and intangible, must fall in place to make it happen. Shield Foundation Repair, an upstart Edmonton foundation repair company, broke ground at the worst possible time. Economies were on their knees, countless businesses were their shutting doors, and “uncertainty” was the word of the day. Not only was the world in turmoil, but Shield needed to break through in a competitive market with well-known and established competition.

You’d have to be crazy to start a new business in these conditions. Or, just maybe, crazy like a fox. Here’s how they did it.

START WITH A GREAT IDEA

Undaunted, the Shield team, driven by President Todd Ivanochko, had a great idea – customers deserve better. Simply put, they would introduce a professional, customer-centric approach to an industry that wasn’t known for professionalism. With a lifetime of experience in the foundation repair business, Ivanochko saw the opportunity and set his sails.

HAVE A PLAN

The plan was to bring together innovation, an experienced, diverse team, and class-leading materials. With this strategy, they could undertake a larger range of projects than competitors. The goal? A customer experience like no other in the business.

SURROUND YOURSELF WITH GREAT PEOPLE

The leadership team is chock full of industry specialists at every position who cut their teeth in the foundation repair business and believe to their core that customers deserve better.

Carefully selected new hires undergo rigorous safety and operations training before hitting the field under the watchful eye of supervisors. Ongoing training is comprehensive and adheres to

the highest industry and governmental standards.

With an eye to lifetime learning, company principals attend trade shows and international conferences to continuously upgrade their product knowledge and learn the latest technical advancements.

Shield also takes pride in offering opportunities for women and minority groups, historically underrepresented in the construction sector. Speak to company principal and office manager Tammy Ivanochko and she will point to their occupational health and safety officer and field operations manager as prime examples of the value women can bring to the sector. “A person can get a job in construction anywhere. People come here to get a career,” she says.

COMMIT TO INNOVATION

Technology and innovation are pivotal to the unique Shield customer service experience. While you may not consider foundation repair a technological innovation sector, a quick tour around the Argyll Road head office will quickly change your mind.

An app is used to enable both and customers and project managers to view progress reports, work site images, and timeline updates.

Shield is in the process of designing their own custom CRM software package that will be unique to the construction sector.

The latest dust suppression technology is used on-site to prevent silica and concrete dust particulate hazards on jobsites.

To reduce environmental contamination and environmental damage at sensitive locations, zero-emission electric conveyors transport material to central collection locations.

USE THE BEST MATERIALS

Shield continually searches for innovative, high-quality products that often exceed most typical job specs. Technical field manager

Jobsite safety meeting.

Tim Willcox isn’t shy when speaking about the quality components that go into what you might think is a normal foundation repair.

He’ll point out that by using best-in-class materials, his customers can have confidence that they’re getting the best the market has to offer, and the company can offer a transferable lifetime warranty on all work completed.

For difficult, below-grade structural repairs, Shield applies a unique blend of bentonite and polymers that expands to form a barrier across the structure’s surface while also sealing small cracks in the concrete and filling voids in the adjacent soil.

A revolutionary advanced thermoset vinyl polymer concrete is used for repair services in high-traffic and/or locations where confined space is a factor or cannot be out of service for the typical periods required by normal concrete cure times.

BUNDLE YOUR SERVICE OFFERING

A typical foundation repair company offers a narrow set of specialties, which often requires the customer to become a sub-contractor when multiple services are required. Since most customers do not have this skillset, it can result in anxiety and frustration while trying to manage multiple contracts. Shield works hard to provide a “one-stop-shop” range of services, allowing their customers to work with one company for all their needs.

BUILD YOUR BRAND

Being a new player in an established market, the goal was to build awareness and “be found when people are looking”, directing

customers desperate for foundation fixes to an informative website, whereby they could contact the company directly with the tap of a finger or a click of a mouse.

To break through and quickly gain an awareness foothold, Shield used radio and TV advertising.

A digital marketing program, on-the-ground tactics such as a fleet of graphic-wrapped service trucks, local TV news features, and outdoor marketing tactics grew awareness fast.

The company conducts in-house demo sessions featuring innovative foundation repair techniques and materials, targeting engineering firms and property management companies.

SOLVE A PROBLEM TO BEAT THE ODDS

Starting a new company is incredibly hard and fraught with risk. To have your best chance at success, you need to begin with a strong idea based on a customer need, or unfulfilled service offering. When you figure this out, you have a far better chance to succeed.

Shield Foundation Repair opened its doors only four years ago. From humble beginnings they have become an industry leader in the Edmonton foundation repair field and a successful, multi-million-dollar organization with a bright future. Was it easy? Absolutely not. Was it exciting? Absolutely.

As Ivanochko proudly says, “We thrive on projects others turn away from”. From building companies to solving customer problems, you can bet he means it. u

FROM FOUNDATION REPAIR TO HOUSE MOVING AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN

• Foundation repair and replacement

• Waterproofing horizontal, vertical, blind side

• Sumps, weeping tile, and drainage

• Concrete work – wet, dry, structural

• Asbestos and mold remediation

• Underpinning

• Jack and slide structu res

• Lifting and leveling buildings, bridges, structures

• Dust suppression

• Demolition

RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL

Protect what matter most.

SHIELD FOUNDATION REPAIR

8625 Argyll Road, Edmonton, Alberta shieldfoundationrepair.ca 780 760 4900

INC

ASSISTING WITH THE TRANSFORMATION OF EDMONTON

Visco Demolition celebrates 55 years in Edmonton

Over the last 55 years of being in business, Visco Demolition has played a role in the evolving landscape of the Edmonton area. Incorporated in 1968, Visco Rentals worked on water and sewer installations in the early years, but by 1980, the company had transitioned to demolition and incorporated as Visco Demolition in 1990.

It is a little bittersweet to consider some of the historic Edmonton landmarks that Visco Demolition has demolished over the years, such as the Burns Meat Packing Plant (1988), Gainers Meat Packing Plant in Mill Creek Ravine (1988), the University of Alberta Hospital

(1992), Canada Packers Meat Processing Plant at Fort Road and Yellowhead Trail (1995), John Ducey Baseball Park (1995), and Clarke Stadium (2000).

Visco Demolition often works on larger construction projects where the demolition makes way for new landmarks or needed infrastructure. The demolition of the Central Post Office in 2013 made room for the new Royal Alberta Museum. Between 2013 and 2017, Visco Demolition removed 14 bridges and over 100 buildings for the NE Anthony Henday Drive. In 2014, Staples came down for Rogers Place, and in 2016, the Greyhound Station made room for Stantec Tower.

In 2017, Union Tractor and four other buildings made room for Valley Line LRT, and between 2020 and 2021, 18 buildings came down for Valley Line West LRT.

While assisting with the transformation of Edmonton, Visco Demolition has also undergone significant growth and transformation. The original founders, Neil and Shirley Visser, were joined by their two sons, Ron Visser and Corey Visser in the late 1980’s. Although Shirley was a pioneer in the construction industry and was often the only woman on a jobsite, she discouraged her daughters from taking on similar roles and as a result, both daughters sought

Visco Demolition often works on larger construction projects where the demolition makes way for new landmarks or needed infrastructure.

out other careers in unrelated fields. Ron gradually took over the leadership of the company and the focus shifted to recycling the materials from demolition projects. Visco Demolition introduced some of the first concrete crushers into the Edmonton area in 2005 and continues to produce tonnes of recycled concrete aggregate each year.

The most dramatic changes to the demolition sector have occurred in the last 10 years. General contractors were also growing and undertaking changes in

leadership. General contractors that had worked with Visco Demolition for many years suddenly were filled with project managers who had no knowledge of our long working relationships. Projects that once were awarded with a handshake, started to require prequalification submissions, bonding, and extensive project documentation. The health and safety expectations also ramped up quickly, which created challenges for a small company in a high-risk environment to manage.

Coincidently, Neil and Shirley’s daughter, Sonya Green, had obtained her Master of Business Administration (MBA) and developed a specialization in finance and risk management. She agreed to join the family company in 2014 and gradually took on more leadership. Green’s focus on financial stability and retaining experienced employees led to tremendous gains in both the number and size of projects.

Green became president in 2019 and Ron continues to be involved with the technical aspects of high-risk demolition projects. Visco Demolition now has an extensive portfolio of multi-milliondollar demolition projects as the prime contractor, with the most noteworthy example being the Michener Centre North Abatement and Demolition project for Alberta Infrastructure that exceeded $15 million in contract value. u

Geotechnical | Civil | Environmental Engineering & Consulting

Providing strategic and cost effective solutions through a culture supporting inclusivity, collaboration and integrity.

Head Office: 780-484-3377

24hr: 1-877-888-6325

nichols.ca

For career opportunities submit resume to hr@nichols.ca

Projects that once were awarded with a handshake, started to require prequalification submissions, bonding, and extensive project documentation. The health and safety expectations also ramped up quickly, which created challenges for a small company in a high-risk environment to manage.