Roofing BC Fall 2014

FALL 2014 IN THIS ISSUE: FEATURES Profile: RooFix ............................... 1 Solar technology comes to roofing shingles.......................... 16 ASSOCIATION President’s message..................... 3 Sinclair turns 100 ...................... 12

THE VOICE OF PROFESSIONAL ROOFING CONTRACTORS

FALL 2014

INDUSTRY NEWS Solar roof powers building .......... 4 NRC testing green roof mats ....... 8 Large warehouses on rise ............ 8 Bird lands hospital contract ...... 10 Roof sports operating panels .... 10 LNG plants must be COR ......... 10 Taking ownership of safety ...... 11 BC Wood aims at Asia................ 14 Safety conference on horizon..... 14 Okanagan building prison......... 14 Awarding a roofing contract: plenty to consider....................... 15 Heritage makeover nets VRCA award................................ 18 Construction outlook good for Lower Mainland .................... 19 Green roof costs could fall ......... 19 Convoy goes west ...................... 20 Asbestos inspectors checking demo sites................... 21 Cool roof savings small in cool climate............................. 21 Feds favour green roofs ............. 21 Building permits up in Lower Mainland.......................... 21 Smelter costs soar ...................... 22 COLUMNS Legal Affairs: remembering the Second Narrows collapse ......... 22

“The most important thing is the original installation. If a roof isn’t installed to RCABC standards, you’re typically going to get failures.”

Solar roof redefined

Sophisticated fixer

Sean Pepin, partner in RooFix: “We are best known for repair and maintenance, but we have been replacing roofs from day one.” Photo: Richard Lam

World’s greenest office building powered by sunlight. See page 4

Burnaby-based RooFix has been repairing and replacing roofs across southwest BC for 14 years.

By Frank O’Brien

RCABC member RooFix Services Inc. of Burnaby has thrived for 14 years by taking a professional approach to the maintenance and repair of roofs–and it has given co-owner Sean Pepin a unique perspective.

“The most important thing is the original installation,” said Pepin. “If a roof isn’t installed to RCABC standards, you’re typically going to get failures.”

Pepin said the “devil is in the details” and poor quality materials or poor workmanship will often be apparent in failed

seams, edges and detailing.

Pepin said all modern materials, if applied properly, have few problems; it often comes down to how they are applied in the first place.

“I haven’t found any material that fails more often than others,” he said.

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Most RooFix work is for private building owners and property managers, but the company also has some large contracts, including handling maintenance and repairs for Imperial Oil service stations across the Lower Mainland and RooFix continued page 6

Convoy celebrates Western-themed event marks Coquitlam anniversary. See page 20

From the President

Where have the mentors gone?

When I am having discussions with people within our roofing industry, or with colleagues in general, there is a common theme that always comes up. “What is wrong with the youth today?” The new response that I am adopting is “the concerns with the youth are attributed to lack of mentorship.” I have been fortunate to have had the best mentoring; huge influences in my life have been my parents, siblings, relatives, in-laws, teachers and coaches. As I transferred into my work and business life I was once again provided an opportunity to hone my values, ethics, trust and appreciation for respect. One of the great blessings I had was to be surrounded with people willing to share their time, knowledge and wisdom with me. The more tutoring that was provided the more I was willing to absorb. Several of these mentors were involved in the roofing industry and are the pioneers of RCABC. I am often in meetings when I am surrounded by business owners who are journeyman roofers, journeyman sheet metal workers, accountants, graduates from business school, etc.

These individuals are generous in nature and I believe that it is gratifying when a younger person asks “can you show me how to do that?”

As we leap forward the message

ROOFING BC

to the youth should be “keep your eyes and ears open, keep your mouth closed until the appropriate time and don’t be afraid to get your hands a little dirty.” The mentors that I was surrounded with took pride in their techniques and showed patience in their guidance. I equipment broken or a minor injury remember the days when one of on the job, you had three options; our veteran foremen would fire a fix it, hide it or lastly, report it. Now man per day; however if that the expectation is that it is reported individual showed up the next day and documented via an incident, they were put back to work. Often near miss or close call form. That is today the sense of entitlement followed by an investigation and a among our younger peers is only subsequent meeting to provide matched by our own. The fear of corrective action that passing on wisdom is helps educate staff to matched by the fear prevent future that our jobs will be incidents. That event taken or that a just took three to four younger person may hours from three or do a better job. four individuals’ There is no doubt days – easily 10 to 14 that our teaching working hours that techniques have to could have been used change rapidly but so to possibly prevent the does our patience and incident in the first understanding of what Colin Rasmussen place. Just imagine if motivates a younger we took this approach to passing person. Today many young men on our knowledge and our trade and women have grown up in practices. First, I believe that we broken families or with challenging might not experience as many situations. Likely their first real incidents and near misses; and that exposure to a mentor is their first secondly, we would create boss or foreman. Respect and trust employees who take pride and are tools that need to be nurtured, show respect for themselves and and roofing contractors in general the trade. possess this attribute. Collectively, So I ask all veteran readers to every day we go to work and build pass your knowledge on. The on our reputations, and our staff reality is that the retention rate in and customers put their trust and our industry is a short five to seven faith in us. I remember the days years, so there is rapid turnover. We when, if there was a piece of

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Roofing BC is published quarterly on behalf of the Roofing Contractors Association of BC and the professional roofing industry by Market Assist Communications Inc.

have to prepare for this and provide mentoring in a rapid, thorough and fulfilling manner.

Now for a little humour to complete my last president’s message prior to the expiration of my term. This relates back to the safety incidents that I mentioned earlier. We have one job site location that dominates when it comes to incidents and near misses – the ‘drive-through’ at Tim Horton’s. In the past two years we have experienced the following: 1) Bruised hand from slamming truck door while dropping coffee; 2) Burnt mouth (coffee was too hot); 3) Damage drive-through window from equipment hanging out of truck; and 4) Three occasions of bumping into a parked car while maneuvering a F350 crew cab through the parking lot and drive-through.

Corrective action: go back to the days when the coffee was put in a thermos before we went to work or the job site had a coffee maker.

My best wishes for a successful fall and winter for all persons involved in the BC roofing industry.

Colin Rasmussen, President, Roofing Contractors Association of British Columbia ■

Roofing BC is online at: www.rcabc.org Managing Editor and Publisher J. Michael Siddall Phone: 604-740-8369 E-mail: Michael@RoofingBC.ca Editor Frank O’Brien E-mail: Frank@RoofingBC.ca Production/Art Director and Advertising Associate Paddy Tennant Phone: 604-507-2162 E-mail: Paddy@RoofingBC.ca Contributing Writers Colin Rasmussen, Filipp Eretnev, Paddy Tennant, Robert Smithson Circulation RCABC reception Phone: 604-882-9734 E-mail: roofing@rcabc.org While information contained in this publication has been compiled from sources deemed to be reliable, neither the publisher nor the RCABC will be held liable for errors or omissions.

The opinions expressed in the editorial and advertisements are not necessarily those of the publisher or RCABC.

Executive Vice President Ivan van Spronsen, TQ ivan@rcabc.org Administrative Senior Manager Barbara Porth, CAE bporth@rcabc.org Technical Manager Rob Harris, RRO rharris@rcabc.org Safety & Risk Management Supervisor Roger Sové, I.P., PID, Ad.Ed. roger@rcabc.org

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A total of 575 photovoltaic solar panels cover the roof of the Bullitt Centre in Seattle. Photo: Brad Kahn

The 14,000-square-foot solar roof of the Bullitt Centre extends up to 20 feet out from the building in an effort to capture enough power in cloudy Seattle. Photo: Brad Kahn

Solar roof re-defined Sunlight powers “world’s greenest office building”

By Frank O’Brien

At its annual conference this October 8 to 10 in Vancouver, the Architectural Institute of BC presented a seminar on what has been called the world’s greenest office building – and the solar rooftop that powers it.

The US$18.5 million, six-storey Bullitt Centre in Seattle, designed by Miller Hull Partnerships, is built to be “zero-energy” and to meet the rigorous standards of the Living Building Challenge. While the 52,000square-foot building is outfitted to cutting-edge environmental standards, such as insulation and energy-saving heating and cooling systems, it is completely powered by the 575 photovoltaic solar panels on the roof.

The structure serves as the headquarters for the environmentally focused Bullitt Foundation and as office space for like-minded tenants. If it achieves Living Building (LB) certification, it will be one of only four in the world, the AIBC seminar was told. Of 15 completed projects seeking LB certification from the International Living Future Institute, the Bullitt is the largest commercial building, and one of the few located in a dense urban environment.

What is remarkable about the Bullitt Centre, and of interest to British Columbia developers and contractors, is that it is solar-powered in a fairly rainy climate that is much like Vancouver.

Providing enough solar panels to bring the net-zero energy goal within reach in cloudy Seattle meant an array covering 14,000 square feet, projecting as much as 20 feet beyond the building’s perimeter.

The panels are sensitive to the amount of daylight they receive, meaning that production values are closely related to solar intensity and sky conditions. In the summer, the Bullitt Center will produce vastly more electricity than it uses, and in the winter it will produce less.

In order to “store” the summer’s surplus, the Bullitt Center uses Seattle’s electrical grid, pushing electricity onto the grid in the summer months when production is high (and when Seattle’s demand is at its highest). The building then takes electricity from the grid in the winter months when production is low. To achieve its “net zero energy” goal, the summer production surplus must meet or exceed the winter production deficit. In all, the solar grid delivers 242 kilowatts of power, according to Construction of the solar roof on the six-storey Bullitt Centre, Seattle.

Photo: John Stamets the designers. ■ 4

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ROOFING BC

• • •

RooFix continued from page 1

beyond. The company also does a lot of the re-roofing for Husky service stations, as well as a number of corporate clients and property managers in both multifamily and commercial buildings.

The bulk of contracts RooFix obtains are from individual owners and managers, not from architects or

consultants, Pepin said. That could change, though, as the veteran fixer becomes known for the quality of its work and the experience and training of its staff.

Terry Pepin, Sean’s father, is a graduate of the University of Alberta and the executive management program at the Simon Fraser University Graduate School

RooFix replaced and recycled more than 800 squares of asphalt shingles in the re-roofing of a potash plant for Neptune Terminals.

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of Business. He served several terms as director of the Alberta, Canadian and National Roofing Contractors (U.S.) Associations and is a past president of both the Alberta Roofing Contractors Association and Canadian Roofing Contractors Association. He had 25 years of experience in the industry before forming RooFix in 2000.

Sean Pepin, who joined the company in 2001 and became a partner in 2005, holds a Registered Roof Observer designation, Red Seal roofing certification and metal cladding certification, among other degrees.

Education, therefore, is seen as paramount to the company’s success, and RooFix has consistently turned to the RCABC training centre programs.

“All of our service staff are either Red Seal certified or in the apprentice program. Once they complete the roofing [training] then we register them for the [RCABC] architectural sheet metal training. Education is a priority with us.

Even when we weren’t RCABC members, we used the RCABC training,” Pepin said.

As Roofing BC spoke to Pepin, his crews were replacing 130 squares of builtup roofing tar-and-gravel with fully adhered TPO on a Burnaby commercial building flat roof. In recognition that all replacement work is on older buildings,

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Rolling out vapour barrier on a re-roofing contract

many RooFix contracts are for single-ply roofing, but “RooFix crews are factorytrained and certified to install multiple systems, including modified bitumen or any system the client has a preference for”, Pepin said.

Environmentally aware, RooFix recycles as much tear-off material as they ROOFING BC

can. On one giant project for Neptune Terminals, RooFix recycled more than 800 squares of asphalt shingles. “We try to recycle as much as possible,” he said.

Pepin believes that the company’s experience, expertise and RCABC membership will result in new roofing and warranty contracts. For now, he is concentrating on the breadand-butter work that has kept RooFix at the top of the replacement market this century.

The company uses an array of modern technology, including thermal imaging. With smart phones linked to secure online cloud storage, RooFix crews can photograph any roof problems and track repairs – and costs – as they are being done. The information is collated with roofing material and invoice data and is fully accessible to the client through a secure Internet link. This information not only keeps a building owner up to the minute on the condition of the roof, but can also be used in any warranty and insurance claims, Pepin explained.

“We are best known for repair and maintenance, but we have been replacing roofs from day one,” he said, noting that their unique history gives RooFix crews an excellent understanding of where roofs leak and why – and that translates into full system

ROOFING BC

RooFix applied SBS on this McDonald’s restaurant re-roof in North Vancouver.

installations.

RooFix runs 11 service crews and has worked as far as Vancouver Island and the

southern interior, though their primary contracts are in the Lower Mainland. Pepin was quick to credit the leadership of

superintendent Alex Nagel, who has recently become a partner in RooFix. “Our goal is world

domination,” jokes Pepin, a father of four, “but right now we are growing one crew and one job at a time.” ■

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NRC tests green roof mats Establishing national wind resistance standard for vegetated roof assembly OTTAWA – The National Research Council of Canada (NRC), in collaboration with members of the Canadian roofing industry and vegetated system manufacturers, has initiated a standard development study, to evaluate the coherent wind uplift performance of Vegetated Roof Assemblies (VRAs – a.ka. green roofs).

The main objective of this collaboration is to develop a national wind uplift standard for VRAs, for possible inclusion into the building codes.

The consortium was formulated by the Canadian Roofing Contractors

Association (CRCA) with partners AirIns, Armtec, Bioroof, City of Toronto, City of Ottawa, LiveRoof, Soprema Canada, Vitaroofs and Xeroflor, with testing led by NRC wind expert Bas Baskaran.

To address the objective, data were collected based on two sets of experiments; wind uplift resistance and wind flow resistance.

In wind uplift resistance, the VRA is subjected to dynamic wind induced suctions. It quantifies the uplift deformation of the above deck components and the uplift resistance of the VRA. The wind uplift tests are

being conducted at the NRC’s Dynamic Roofing Facility in Ottawa, using a chamber fan mechanism that simulates the dynamic effects of wind.

In wind flow resistance, the emphasis is on the flow dynamics impact on the VRA. In controlled wind flow conditions, the uplift and lateral sliding of the components are measured.

After lab testing, the results are being benchmarked against real-world conditions.

“The next phase is to monitor VRA on some actual buildings in the Greater Toronto area,” said Baskaran. ■

The Local on Lonsdale in North Vancouver: a 40,000-square-foot inverted green roof by Villa Roofing, with Etera sedum tiles supplied by Soprema and installed by Architek. Photo: Architek

Port extension could boost big warehouse construction VANCOUVER – Roofing contractors may find themselves working on more large flat-roofed projects in Metro Vancouver due to increased demand for big-space distribution warehouses.

It relates to changes at the Port Metro Vancouver (PMV), which is moving to a 24-7 operation.

For example, TSI Terminal Systems Inc. and DP World (Canada) Inc. are extending hours at their Port container terminals.

TSI operates PMV’s Deltaport and Vanterm container terminals and handles more than 75 percent of the containers shipped through the ports. Container traffic through the ports is projected to more than double over the next 10 to 15 years.

Currently, much of Metro Vancouver’s goods transportation system is based on a standard day shift and only a few warehouses and off-dock facilities are open after 5:00 p.m. That is changing, but more space is needed to handle the flow.

As a 2013 Drayage OwnerOperators report found, “Some

Tiovost is expanding this Delta industrial complex to create a new 277,000-square-foot distribution warehouse. Larger warehouses are being planned to capture increased traffic from Port Metro Vancouver.

Photo: Tiovost

containers hold valuable cargoes and must be secured; they cannot be left on the street.”

Bottom line: more warehouse space will be needed as Port Metro Vancouver joins other world ports in running full time, all the time.

Bigger warehouses are being built or planned. Wesgroup Properties is building Pacific Link, a distribution complex on 70 acres that includes big-shipping brands such as FedEx Freight and Texcan.

Construction of large warehouse

space is also underway in Delta, served by the new South Fraser Perimeter Road that links Delta Port with the Trans Canada Highway.

According to Avison Young, there is such demand for large

distribution warehouses that the vacancy rate for sites of 100,000 square feet or more is just 1.7 percent. “The pressure to build more [large distribution space] is reaching critical mass,” Avison Young said. ■

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COR certification mandatory for LNG contracts

Bird lands Kamloops hospital contract KAMLOOPS – Bird Construction has been named to design and build the BC government’s new Clinical Services Building at Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops, BC. As part of the design-build agreement, Bird is responsible for completing the final designs of the Clinical Services Building and for overseeing the subsequent construction of the new facility.

The project includes improved site access, expanded space for medical outpatient services, a clinical education program space, the UBC medical school, additional parking stalls and a pedestrian bridge link connecting the new building to the main hospital.

The project will cost about $79.8 million. Construction is underway and is expected to complete in 2016. ■

VANCOUVER – Roofing contractors planning to bid on liquefied natural gas projects in northern BC will be required to have a solid safety record with WorkSafeBC. “If you are not COR (Certificate of Recognition] certified and do not have an average or above-average safety record, don’t even think about applying,” said Mike McKenna, executive director of the BC Construction Safety Alliance (BCCSA).

The COR is “essentially the base requirement” according to Renalta King, director of business development for the Northern Development Initiative Trust, which is providing guidance for companies hoping to bid on LNG contracts.

According to the provincial government, it is anticipated that $1 trillion in economic activity and as many as 100,000 jobs in BC could flow from LNG expansion over the next 30 years. An estimated 15 LNG projects have been proposed, but it is likely that no more than seven will be built, still representing huge construction contracts.

King urged contractors to register with ISNetworld (www.isnetworld.com) a website where companies can register their safety compliance documents. ISNetworld then verifies the information and provides a score, which indicates the company’s safety record and practices.

“I have been told that if you are not pre-qualified with ISNetworld, the chance to bid on a project is nil,” King told the Vancouver Regional Construction Association.

All RCABC members are COR certified and offer the RoofStar guarantee, which should place them in good stead to bid on LNG contracts. ■

Innovative roof has operating panels

A 200,000-square-foot addition to the Florida’s State University System, which opened this August, sports a very innovative roof. Designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, the new Florida Polytechnic University has an operable roof made of two sets of 46 aluminum louvers, which use hydraulic pistons to move in relationship to the sun, and which can be fitted with solar panels. The operable roof helps to shade the skylight of the building from direct sunlight and to maximize daylight into the space, according to the architect. Photos: Santiago Calatrava, architects

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Artist rendering from W.T. Leung Architects shows the fifth-floor plaza at Quintet in Richmond.

The waterproofed plaza ponds, waterfalls and features plantings on top of a rubberized asphalt waterproofing membrane.

Photo: W.T. Leung Architects Inc.

Wet and waterproo Quintet complex in Richmond stretches waterproofing challenge

By Frank O’Brien

The giant $165 million Quintet project in Richmond,

by Canada Sunrise Corporation and being built under the direction of Ledcor Construction, has proved a

challenge for roofing contractor Pacific Waterproofing Ltd. of Burnaby.

Quintet will be comprised of five towers and townhomes in downtown Richmond on the Skytrain line. It will also future home of Trinity be the Western University (a private university) and a new 30,000 square foot City of

f

Richmond Community Centre.

The primarily residential development has proved a huge hit with buyers. The first phase, with 295 units and to be completed in 2013, sold out in just two weeks.

Some people camped out for two days as they waited to purchase what some see as Richmond’s premier residential development.

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FEATURES: Quintet: wet and waterproof ....1 Profile: Pacific Waterproofing .. 8 Roofing and the new BC Building Code .....................

11 Architectural metal “bulb seam” roofing .................12 HST switching back to PST .....17 ASSOCIATION: President’s message .................. 3 RCABC AGM report ...................

Prompt payment lobby............. 5 7 Training programs require changes............ ............ 10 INDUSTRY NEWS: Safety blitz may repeat.............

5 Waterproofing: more than the membrane ........................... .6 Underlayment UV warranty doubles .......................

Outlook 2013 .......................... 9 14 VRCA Awards of Excellence ....15 Vancouver’s green plan .......... 16 BC’s Energy Efficiency Building Strategy............ ...........16 Green roof demand on rise.....16 Roof moved in one piece ........18 Building permits ramp up.......18 Construction trade shows: Expo, RCI, Buildex ...................

19 Tower design wins award ...... 20 Roofing nailers recalled ......... 20 Copper price rise forecast......

20 Shop yards worth money........21 NRCA repair manual out ...... 21 CRCA releases spec manual .. 21 COLUMN Legal Affairs: Computers at work – and privacy ................. 22

ASM ‘bulb seam’ roofing

Gaining popularity in Canada See page 12 Construction of the first phase, which represents two of the projected five 14-16 storey towers, began in April 2011.

The phase of three additional second is planned for completion buildings The total square footage in 2015. entire complex is 762,000of the square feet.

QUINTET continued

page 4

Trade shows on horizon

February and March offer up three events. See page 19

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Taking ownership of safety RCABC, BCCSA develop COR tool for roofers

by Paddy Tennant

It’s no secret that roofing, especially steep slope, is considered a high risk industry. That reality is reflected in Workers Compensation premiums; of the general construction trades, steep slope roofing has higher rates than almost any other sector.

The challenge of improving safety and reducing its associated costs doesn’t have to be an onerous prospect; between WorkSafeBC and the BC Construction Safety Alliance (BCCSA) alone, there are numerous resources available for both individuals and groups.

WorkSafeBC offers Supervising for Safety, a free online course for supervisors (www.supervisingforsafety.com); and Certificate of Recognition (COR), a voluntary incentive program which recognizes companies that develop and implement health and safety and injury management systems. COR certification is delivered through the BCCSA for employers in the construction industry.

There are plenty of reasons to

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have occupational health and safety programs in place, not the least of which is that down time due to injuries is reduced or eliminated, and employee retention is increased. Safetyconscious employers may enjoy direct financial benefits as well, with the potential for reduced WorkSafeBC premiums for claim-free companies, and incentive payments for those that achieve and maintain COR. In addition, many general contractors require subcontractors to have a recognized safety program (like COR) in place as a prequalification to bid on projects.

Despite these incentives and advantages, comparatively few companies are investing in the safety of their employees.

According to Urvi Ramsoondar, Assistant Director of Operations for BCCSA, there are 39,249 construction firms registered with WorkSafeBC. Of those, 1,387 are roofing companies and fewer than 15 percent (88) of them are participating in the COR program.

The vast majority (66) of COR roofing companies belong to the Roofing Contractors Association of BC (one of the conditions of RCABC membership is COR certification).

The BCCSA recognizes that the

process of developing a customized health and safety program can be both costly and time-consuming – a challenging combination, particularly for small companies or those in remote locations.

In July 2013, safety advisors from the BCCSA and RCABC struck a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC*) to address the problem and explore ideas to make COR certification more accessible, regardless of company size or location.

The collaboration resulted in the development of a roofing OH&S manual tool and accompanying workshop, specially designed to help roofing companies create their own OH&S manual.

“The workshop is the essential component in helping create a meaningful OH&S program that fits the values and practices of a company,” says Candice Brown,

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BCCSA Safety and Injury Management Advisor. “[The manual tool] is geared towards those whose duties involve the development, maintenance and administration of their company’s OH&S functions.”

A custom fit “Through modification of the manual components during the workshop, participants are supported in developing a practical and effective health and safety system within their companies, which will more likely be utilized when the content is ‘owned’ by the company,” says Brown.

Every roofing company is different, acknowledges Roger Sové, RCABC Risk Manager, so a universal cookie-cutter approach to safety isn’t realistic. The purpose of the tool and workshop is to enable each participant to develop a safety program geared specifically for their circumstances, he says.

Brown agrees. “The tool will assist companies in developing their own approaches that can be practically applied in their business.”

The manual (in Word format) and workshop will be available free to all roofing contractors in the province. They will be promoted through the RCABC and BCCSA networks, Brown notes, adding that an online registration system is being developed.

Lui Garcea, BCCSA Assistant Director of Marketing, Communications and Strategic Partnerships, notes that workshops will be set up in four locations throughout the province: Vancouver Island, the Lower Mainland, the Interior (Kelowna) and in the north, likely Prince George. They will be run by Cameron Hacault, a qualified external auditor.

The manual is set to release early in 2015, with workshops commencing across BC as demand necessitates. For more information, contact Brown at cbrown@bccsa.ca or 1-877-860-3675. ■ *The TAC was comprised of Candice Brown (BCCSA) Brown and Roger Sové (RCABC) along with Shaun Swift (Raven Roofing Ltd.); Jason MacDonald (Pacific Waterproofing Ltd.); Michael Danielson (Nelson Roofing & Sheet Metal Ltd.); Moe Quinn (Cambie Roofing Contractors Ltd.) and Rob Zygmunksi (Action Safety/BCCSA).

11

Alfred Maple (Sam) Sinclair: 100 years of [worry-free] life

Man of the century

by Paddy Tennant

Readers of Roofing BC magazine have become increasingly familiar with the life and work of Al Sinclair since he was first profiled in these pages over four years ago. A tireless advocate of apprenticeship training and roofing education programs, Sinclair has been front and centre in BC’s roofing community for decades.

In addition to his work with the Provincial Apprenticeship Board, Sinclair is perhaps just as well known for the secret to his longevity – “don’t worry”– a philosophy that has seen him though a full century with verve and clarity of mind that belies his true age.

The youngest of five children, Sinclair was the first member of his family born in Canada, so was given the middle name Maple. Over the years his initials evolved into ‘Sam’ – a nickname now used by most of the Sinclair family.

On September 1, Alfred ‘Sammy’ Sinclair turned 100 years young. The occasion was marked with a party at the Fort Langley Golf Club, attended by over 50 friends and family members. Sinclair’s niece Jody Atkinson of Vancouver, who organized the event with husband Nick, introduced the west-coast families to their east-coast cousins. “Some of these

Al Sinclair’s 82-year-old nephew Gary (left) was Master of Ceremonies for his uncle’s 100th birthday party.

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From the very youngest, at just 18 days old... to the 100-year-old birthday boy himself, family and friends from far and wide joined in the celebration.

people are meeting each other for the first time,” she said.

Four generations of the extended Sinclair family came from across North America to

honour the centenarian. Two great nephews with young families traveled the farthest – Dan Sinclair from Fort Myers, Florida; and Andrew Sinclair of Thunder Bay, Ontario, first via a wedding in

Green Bay, Wisconsin followed by a side trip to Minneapolis before flying to Vancouver.

The youngest attendee was a great, great, grand-niece – 18-dayold Eloise Wooldridge – who slept

through much of the festivities.

Among the more senior family members in attendance was Sinclair’s 82-year-old nephew Gary, who acted as Master of Ceremonies.

Some of the 100th birthday

L-R: Al Sinclair shared the podium with special friends including RCABC Risk Manager Roger Sové, Cliff Adkins of Adkins Consulting, and Brian Hofler, former Executive Vice-President of the RCABC

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greetings originated from outside Sinclair’s circle of friends and family; formal messages were on display from His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, and Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. After cocktails and dinner, Sinclair was regaled with a rousing verse of “Happy Birthday” before taking the podium to share humorous anecdotes from his decades in the roofing industry.

Other speakers included Brian Hofler, former Executive Vice President of the RCABC; Roger Sové, RCABC Risk Manager; and Cliff Adkins, retired, of Adkins Consulting.

Throughout it all, Sinclair greeted each of his guests with a broad grin and a story from times gone by.

“This is the best day of my life.” he beamed. All things considered, that’s saying something. ■

13

BC Wood aims at Asia WHISTLER – The recent trend toward construction of taller and larger wood structures in British Columbia was the focus during a special tour for 25 visiting Japanese and Korean wood products specifiers and buyers. They were among 250 buyers from around the globe who arrived in Whistler this September for BC Wood’s 11th annual Global Buyers Mission trade show.

The Japanese and Korean buyers visited Structurlam in Penticton, which manufactures crosslaminated construction timber, and later toured a community centre under construction at the University of BC. The trade show aim is to build support for having the tall wood building trend expand to Asia, using BC-made wood materials.

The best known of these kinds of projects is the showcase six-storey Wood Innovation Design Centre in Prince George, the tallest modern all-wood building in the world.

“This is BC Wood’s 25th anniversary, and when Six-storey tower in Prince George the highest wood building in the world. we started in 1989, our main mandate was to Photo: BC Wood increase sales of BC wood products to importing countries like the U.S.,” said Brian Hawrysh, CEO of BC Wood. “Today, about three-quarters of the buyers visiting GBM come from Asian countries.” He expected $35 million in sales at this year’s event. ■

Safety conference on horizon WorkSafeBC is preparing for its 9th annual Bridging the Gap construction safety conference and trade show. The popular event is being held at the Sheraton Vancouver Airport Hotel on Friday and Saturday, November 14 and 15.

The conference will cover a variety of topics of concern to construction trades, including site safety responsibilities and supervision, occupational disease prevention (asbestos WorkSafeBC Occupational Safety Officer Jaret Swanson discussing fall and silica), alternatives to ladders, injury management, protection at a Bridging the Gap Conference traffic control, mobile equipment and conflict resolution.

Organizers have also added new WorkSafeBC videos as well as a pre-conference course, The Fundamentals of Rigging, in WorkSafeBC’s Richmond office complex on Thursday November 13th.

For more information email bridgingthegap@worksafebc.com. ■

Architectural rendering of the Okanagan Correctional Centre

Okanagan prison given green light VICTORIA – The BC government has signed a $192.9 million fixed-price, performance-based contract to build the new high-security Okanagan Correctional Centre in the south Okanagan.

Plenary Justice was named as the preferred proponent for the project.

The Plenary Justice consortium includes Plenary Group (Canada) Ltd., PCL Constructors Westcoast Inc., Honeywell Ltd. (Canada) and Jug Island Consulting Ltd. The new prison will have 378 high-security cells, organized within 11 separate units.

As part of the BC government’s commitment to a green and energy efficient building strategy, the OCC will be designed to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification and will use wood in accordance with the BC Building Code and in keeping with the government’s Wood First Act. The construction cost of the project is estimated to be approximately $200 million. The OCC will generate significant economic benefits for the region, including the creation of up to 500 direct and 500 indirect construction jobs, as well as new full-time correctional positions when the centre opens in the fall of 2016. ■

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Roofing contracts: weighing the options Building owners consider quality and reputation among other factors Seventy-four percent of building owners surveyed ranked reputation as more important than price in choosing a roofing material, but price trumped everything else when it came to hiring a contractor, according to a U.S. poll done for Roofing Contractor magazine with BNP Media Market Research and GAF. Many building owners also

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chose a contractor for a new roof based on the quality of the contractor’s work when doing maintenance and repairs.

The survey asked respondents to cite the primary reason for selecting a roofing contractor besides the price. The contractor’s reputation was the top response, cited by 29 percent of survey participants.

Quality of work was the second most popular response at 18 percent. The contractor’s experience/knowledge was cited by 13 percent of respondents, references/referrals by 7 percent, and past personal experience with the contractor by 7 percent.

While focused on the U.S., the scale of the survey, which included all regions of the country and all types of nonresidential

21 percent of respondents’ roofs, contractors was highly important. construction, should parallel the metal 13 percent, tile 4 percent, Respondents were asked who roofing industry in British Columbia. spray polyurethane foam 2 percent makes the final decision when it All of those surveyed were either and slate 1 percent. Half of all comes to choosing both the roofing building owners or high-ranking contractors and which materials will respondents indicated they were respondents actively involved in likely to consider installation of be used. The results showed that purchasing decisions. The research solar panels in the next five years. building owners study was a revised More than half of the properties typically decide and updated Sixty-three percent in the survey (53 percent) have which contractor version of the study of respondents said some sort of scheduled maintenance will be used for conducted in 2001, the contractor who program, and professional roofing roof replacements, 2004 and 2007. The handles their roof contractors were hired to do this while facility web-based survey repairs is more likely managers are more work 43 percent of the time. was completed to get upcoming Roofing contractors were also far likely to make the between May 6 to re-roofing projects. more likely to handle unscheduled decision on which 20, 2014, and it maintenance, accounting for 60 contractor will be targeted qualified percent of this type of work. hired. When it comes to roof subscribers from two industry Maintenance key to replacement, 46 percent of the publications; Environmental Design future contracts decisions are made by the building + Construction and Architectural Sixty-three percent of owner, while the facility managers Roofing & Waterproofing.

More than half of those surveyed make the decision 29 percent of the respondents also agreed that the contractor who time. When it comes had total roofing assets of 500,000 handles their roof square feet or less, while 34 percent to repairs, facility Half of all repairs is more managers make the had more than 1,000,000 square respondents likely to get decision 44 percent feet. The average roof size per indicated they were upcoming reof the time, and property managed was 78,634 likely to consider roofing projects. owners 36 percent. square feet. While these numbers installation of Respondents The building owner are likely higher than the BC solar panels in the were also asked to is the most likely average, they do reflect the caliber next five years. rate the importance person to make the of clients that RCABC members of a variety of decision about the often work with. other factors when selecting a Decision makers materials used for roof replacement roofing solution. The factors that When choosing a contractor, projects (42 percent), while facility respondents rated the most more than half of the respondents managers are most likely to decide important included conforming with (53 percent) rated being able to on the materials used for repairs codes (78 percent), life cycle cost research a contractor online as (40 percent). analysis (69 percent), energy BUR leads materials highly important. savings (67 percent), sustainability As for materials, the built-up or Similarly, almost half (67 percent) and UL fire rated roof modified bitumen roofs accounted (49 percent) felt assemblies (64 percent). for 29 percent of the total, while being able to For the complete survey results single-ply roofs represented 27 read peer visit www.roofingcontractor.com. ■ percent. Asphalt shingles covered reviews of

FALL 2014

15

Shedding light on solar shingles Solar technology refines to capture the look – and ease – of installing shingles

By Filipp Eretnev

Have you ever thought that solar technology was a new concept? Its history actually spans over two millennia, from the 7th century BC to the present.

Man started out concentrating the sun’s energy with glass and mirrors to light fires. Today, with the advances in technology and demand for renewable energy, the world’s architects, builders, consultants and other science professionals have been collaborating to deliver everything from solar-powered buildings to solar-powered cars.

Awkward-looking rack-mounted solar panels the size of conference tables on roofs have become ubiquitous in the ensuing decades, but aesthetics have recently pushed the market to develop a more appealing alternative: solar shingles.

It wasn’t until the 1990s that Subhendu Guha’s pioneering work in the field of amorphous silicon led to the development of a flexible, lightweight photovoltaic panel that could take the place of asphalt shingles.

Since then, the race has been on. It took some time to achieve a higher rate of electrical conversion in order to make shingles commercially viable in comparison with separate panels. On the market since 2005, the solar shingle has developed and become widely available and more affordable.

The new systems use building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) and combine cells – also known as thin film – with metal, slate, fiber-cement and asphalt roofing.

Two of the leaders in solar shingles are CertainTeed, with the Apollo line; and DOW Chemical Company, with its Powerhouse line.

DOW offers a thin-film solar product made from flexible copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS). The electrical circuitry is integrated into each shingle. The product touts ease of installation, with no on-roof wiring required. The array nails directly to the roof deck, just like a traditional asphalt roof. The shingles have a ‘reveal height’ of 10 inches, a reveal width of 22.8 inches, and a ½-inch thickness. They are wireless and snap together. Once installation is completed, a certified electrician connects the system to the solar inverter, which converts DC (direct current) into AC (alternating current) to power the home.

The ability to use these systems over existing metal or asphalt shingles is basically like placing a large sticker directly on the roof. Wires are then

A technician installs solar shingles on a roof, nailing them just like asphalt shingles. Photo courtesy of Dow

The makeup of the Apollo II shingle system can be seen with its various elements. Photo courtesy of Saint-Gobain

The Apollo II shingle is integrated with CertainTeed’s LandMark Solaris shingles on a NetZero energy demonstration structure. Photo: Saint-Gobain

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Apollo II shingles on the roof. Photo courtesy of Saint-Gobain

connected to the thin-film PV, daisychained together, connected to the inverter and battery back-up system, and tied to the existing electrical grid. Dow states that a typical cluster of 350 solar shingles can cut a homeowner’s electric costs by 40 to 60 percent.

CertainTeed’s Apollo line offers both a shingle “module� and a concrete tile. It uses a grid-tied monocrystalline silicon technology that offers efficiency and price similar to larger bolt-on arrays but with less bulk. Each Apollo II shingle module weighs only 12 pounds – about as heavy per square foot as typical asphalt shingles. They integrate with, replace, or are laid on top of existing asphalt shingles or tiles.

The Apollo II tile is integrated with flat concrete products. Photo courtesy of Saint-Gobain

CertainTeed claims its Apollo II tiles produce 13 watts of power per square foot and are designed to integrate with flat concrete-roof products without the need for rack mounting or structural reinforcement. CertainTeed’s power statement is similar to Dow’s, claiming electric cost savings of 40 to 70 percent.

These solar savings vary by geographical location and directional orientation, as well as individual surroundings and meteorological circumstances. Some larger cities will have a better rebate and savings program than some rural areas.

Solar shingles should be installed by certified and authorized roofing contractors.

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In addition to the more attractive flush look these products achieve, they have passed the standard safety, durability and performance tests.

While effectiveness and cost benefits vary widely and power companies are beginning to balk over the concept of net metering buy-back power arrangements, at this time it is estimated that for every dollar invested in a solar shingle roof, the owner can potentially realize up to four dollars back in energy savings over a 20year period.

We as a society have come a long way since the 7th century BC in understanding how to harness the sunâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s energy to better our standard of living. Solar technology

will continue to evolve, and manufacturers, architects, builders and other industry professionals will increasingly adopt the great benefits solar technology can offer to the built environment. â&#x2013;

Filipp Eretnev is an estimator for The Roofing Company in Grand County, CO. An active member of the Home Builders Association, Eretnev has a background in finance and construction. This article first appeared in Interface, the Journal of the RCI.

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17

Turning old to gold

Rooftop includes a green roof fringe around a 728-square-foot deck and amenity space

Award-winning heritage makeover includes greened amenity roof

By Frank O’Brien

The redevelopment of a 105-year-old heritage office building at 564 Beatty Street, which captured an award from the Vancouver Regional Construction Association, has turned Class B space into 50,000 square feet of Class A premises with the help of an innovative roof treatment.

The six-storey brick and beam building was completely refurbished and four storeys of contemporary offices were added above in the unique project by Reliance Properties Ltd. The project has been closely watched because it holds the potential for transforming older and underused Vancouver office buildings into high-value commercial space. Levels two through six are fully restored heritage brick and beam, and levels seven through 10 are new concrete and glass construction.

“The finished result is a LEED Gold building in a contemporary simple cubic form made of glass and steel atop the restored heritage façade,” said Reliance president Jon Stovell.

“What makes this project unique is the extent to which we preserved the original building: we did not gut the inside and rebuild; rather we maintained the old building – floors, columns, ceilings, walls – while performing the seismic upgrade, reinforcing the building footings, and constructing the new floors on top,” explained David Bowyer, construction manager with ITC Construction Group.

A key highlight of the project is the accessible rooftop that incorporates a complete kitchen, a patio and a green roof.

The rooftop is the building’s amenity space for all tenants to use. It is designed as a functional outdoor space that makes use of the footprint on the roof, much like newer residential towers are doing, according to Stovell.

The amenity space comes with a complete functioning kitchen with oven, stovetop, dishwasher, etc. as well as a washroom and patio area for tenant functions and meetings. The green roof extends around the patio and kitchen area as well as over the kitchen roof and above the water tank and elevator extrusions.

A green roof was utilized in order to help pursue the LEED Gold accreditation of the building.

The project took the Gold Heritage Restoration Award in this year’s Vancouver Regional Construction Association Awards of Excellence. ■ 18

Four floors of contemporary office space was added to the totally renovated 564 Beatty Street, originally built in 1909. Photos: Rob Leshgold FALL 2014

ROOFING BC

Metro commercial construction outlook solid VANCOUVER – Lower Mainland commercial building permits outpaced the residential sector through the first half of this year and are expected to retain the lead as home building heads for a “soft landing.”

Total building permit values in the region were 3 percent lower at $3.39 billion in the first six months of 2014 compared to $3.49 billion in the first six months of 2013, according to Statistics Canada. Nonresidential permits were 21 percent higher at $1 billion from $874 million last year. Residential permit values fell 11 percent to $2.3 billion, down from $2.6 billion in the first half of last year.

Commercial permits, fuelled by retail and office construction, are leading the construction curve.

“We expect the outlook for commercial permits to continue to be positive with the major [retail] projects underway in Tsawwassen and at YVR [Vancouver International Airport], as well as a number of proposed office building projects

that are expected to commence construction soon,” said Fiona Famulak, president of the Vancouver Regional Construction Association (VRCA).

The residential outlook is less bullish, with Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) projecting a flatlining of home starts through 2015 across all of British Columbia. BC housing starts are forecast to total 27,500 homes in 2014 and increase by just 400 units next year, CMHC says, adding that the Lower Mainland will account for 18,400 of the 27,900 BC housing starts in 2015.

About 18 percent of the 8,825 new condos under construction in the Lower Mainland remained unsold and there is at least a 10month inventory of new and unsold condominiums on the local market, CMHC suggests.

BC, as the rest of Canada, will experience a “soft landing” in the housing market over the next year, CMHC states in its recent Housing Market Outlook. ■

Green roof costs could come down WASHINGTON, DC – Building-integrated vegetation (BIV) – the use of green roofs and green walls to improve air quality, manage storm-water and generate energy savings – is experiencing a burst of innovation that will lower costs, according to Lux Research.

The cost of building green roofs could drop from US$38 per square foot to US$23 per square foot by 2017 as a result.

According to Aditya Ranade of Lux, there are many untapped opportunities to make BIV a better investment and reduce its dependence on subsidies and incentives. Further reduction in external irrigation and weeding can cut the 40-year operation and maintenance cost in half. In addition, waterproofing, drainage and insulation costs can be cut 60 percent.

Lux analysts examined costs and benefits in the BIV industry as well as the critical part played by policy measures. Among their findings: • Civic incentives, such as tax breaks for green roofs, are increasing and can reduce payback period.

• New technology from leading companies, such as Soprema and Icopal, are making green roofs and walls less expensive. ■

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19

Western style breakfast roundup marks successful first year Photos: Jimmy Jeong

The Wild West came to Coquitlam on the morning of October 9th as Convoy Supply celebrated its first anniversary at the Golden Drive location. Convoy Coquitlam employees teamed up to transform the site into a Western town where they rounded up customers, suppliers and Convoy staff to serve a breakfast “worthy of a hardworking cowhand (or roofing professional).”

The Western theme is popular at the Convoy Coquitlam branch, as indicated by the life-sized John Wayne cutout standing in the office.

Ric Harrison, long-time Manager at Convoy, initially sparked the idea of a Western breakfast, and his team took off with it – complete with bales of hay and live chickens. “It was amazing to watch the team pull this together in the middle of a busy fall season,” said Harrison, ”but most of all it was a lot of fun.”

Forty of Convoy’s leading suppliers donned cowboy hats and set up in a tented area packed with information, product demos and give-aways. It was a good opportunity to put faces to names and to develop some new relationships. “This is great!” was the comment most frequently heard from both suppliers and customers.

With draws running every 15 minutes, staff and suppliers thought of everything to make sure their customers felt appreciated.

Entertainment was supplied by magician/card shark Rod Boss, with fiddle and guitar duo The Casablanca Cowboys crooning Western tunes.

Sales Manager Dave Godmaire and the Convoy Sales team joined the Coquitlam crew in a ‘grill off’ for fastest flapjack flipping and best bacon. With a beautiful sunny day as backdrop, contractors and crews stopped for a bite to eat while their trucks were being loaded. Some took a little more time to visit with suppliers or try their hand at the horseshoe pit.

The setting for the anniversary celebration was the expanded Coquitlam yard and warehouse. This development gives Convoy the capacity to carry a larger range of commercial and residential construction materials, for improved service and delivery throughout BC and Alberta. “Our goal is always to exceed our customers’ expectations” noted Alma Garnett, President of Convoy. “This facility, together with the Surrey, Delta and Abbotsford stores, improves our ability to serve Lower Mainland customers with more convenient and efficient access to our products.”

For more information about Convoy Supply Ltd. visit www.convoy-supply.com. ■

The hard-working staff of Convoy’s Coquitlam branch.

Sunny Goel, Lower Mainland Residential Sales Manager, and the Tapered Team cooking up a storm.

Left: Convoy’s suppliers gave away products and supplied thousands of dollars worth of draw prizes. Abbotsford Concrete Products, AL13, AR EPS Foam, Atlas, BASF, Boral, BP, Duraflo / Canplas, Carlisle SynTec, CertainTeed, CGC, Columbia Skylights, Convoy Supply Safety, Dow, Dupont Tyvec, Easy Trim Reveals, Fomo Products, GAF, Georgia-Pacific, HAL Industries, Henkel, Hunter Panels, Innovative Manufacturing, InterWrap, James Hardie, Johns Manville, Lomanco, Menzies Metal Products, Mutual Materials, NorWesCo, PABCO Roofing Products, Primeline Tools, Roxul, Royal Building Products, Soprema, Tech-Crete, Tremco Commercial Sealants and Waterproofing, Velux, Western Concord, Western Louiseville Fiberboard and Westman Steel Industries were all represented.

Convoy’s Lower Mainland sales team: Back row, L-R: Ric Harrison (Coquitlam Branch Manager), Ryan Friesen, Rick Reynolds, Alma Garnett, Ryan Myers, Corrie Morrison, Don Utsunomiya, Maryna Phommarath, Derek Dixon, Andrew Murray, Raj Dosanjh; Front row, L-R: Scott Biggs, Dave Godmaire, Sunny Goel, Jim Matsuo, Jag Jhajj, Hussain Kheatani. Missing from photo: Joey Duplantis, Tom McGregor and Rolly Payment

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L-R: Rick Reynolds and Scott Biggs (Lower Mainland Sales), Alma Garnett (President) and Dave Godmaire (Lower Mainland Commercial Sales Manager) share a laugh at the Western-themed anniversary event.

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Federal government leans towards green roofs About 1,000 older homes are demolished each year in Vancouver alone. Photo: LA Demolition

Asbestos inspectors touring demolition sites In a project that runs to year-end, WorkSafeBC prevention officers have been conducting planned inspections of single-family demolition worksites to ensure homeowners, prime contractors, hazardous material survey contractors, asbestos abatement contractors and consultants are informed and equipped to safely remove asbestos-containing materials and are complying with the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation.

In Vancouver alone last year, demolition permits were issued for more than 1,000 homes, many of them dating to the 1940s and 1950s when asbestos was commonly used.

Among the requirements is that a report must be submitted to WorkSafeBC at least 24 hours before asbestos removal begins. Written confirmation of the asbestos removal must also be provided. If asbestos is discovered during a demolition, work must stop immediately and qualified workers must be called in to remove the asbestos.

WorkSafeBC Senior Regional Officer Steve Penner will provide an update on the Asbestos Be Aware initiative at the Bridging the Gap conference on November 14 (see page 14). More information is available at worksafebc.com. ■

Cool roof savings miniscule in cool climate BERKELEY, CA – A recent study on cool roofs – that is roofs with a lightcoloured membrane – by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) simulated the potential impact of substituting cool roofs for conventional dark-coloured roofs on commercial buildings in 236 U.S. cities. The simulations modeled new (post-1980) and old (pre-1980) office and retail buildings. The roof insulations in each generation of structure were assigned thermal resistances of R-7 and R-19 for old and new respectively.

The findings show that cool/white roofs are a net benefit to building owners in areas that require air conditioning, but provide miniscule energy savings in colder states that are close to the Canadian border.

According to the LBNL simulations, Hawaii benefits the most from cool roofs, saving an average of $1.14 in energy costs annually for every square metre (m2) of roof, followed by California ($0.70/m2 per year).

At the low end, average annual savings in the order of $0.13/m2 were calculated for northern mainland states such as Minnesota and North Dakota.

There are some advantages to cool white roofs, according to proponents.

Reducing the heat load on a roof surface is believed to slow down the aging process of membranes and underlying materials. ■

OTTAWA – Since a green roof was installed on the C.D. Howe Building in Ottawa, the federal government has specified another green roof and plans a third in the capital. It is a signal that more federal building contracts across Canada could include roofs planted with vegetation.

The latest in Ottawa is the new annex to the Sir John A MacDonald building, just across from Parliament Hill.

Stonecrop, a low-growing, low-maintenance ground cover was used on the annex roof.

There will be more rooftop greenery planted atop the historic Wellington Building, which is undergoing extensive renovations.

Until now, there were only six federally owned buildings across the country with green roofs.

“Green roofs reflect a general trend in green or sustainable architecture,” says Sebastien Bois, spokesman for Public Works and Government Services Canada. “They serve several purposes for buildings, including absorbing rainwater, providing insulation and A green roof installed on the C.D. Howe Building in saving energy – while helping to lower urban air temperatures.”

Ottawa is a signal that federal government contracts are beginning to embrace the technology. Photos show Once established, Bois said the plants will require minimal water, the latest federal building with a green roof: an annex needing no sprinkler or irrigation system. to the Sir John A MacDonald complex across from The annex was specially designed to accommodate the roof garden, Parliament Hill. equipped with a waterproof membrane, special insulation, a leak detection system and a drainage system, Bois said.

The Wellington Building is intended to be a model of environmental sustainability, so it will be equipped with both a green roof and rooftop solar panels. ■

Lower Mainland building permits top $4 billion VANCOUVER – Total building permits in the Lower Mainland through the first seven months of this year reached $4.21 billion, up from $4.08 billion in the same period last year, according to the Vancouver Regional Construction Association (VRCA).

Non-residential permits were 22 percent higher at $1.277 billion from $1.05 billion last year. Residential permit values were 3 percent lower at $2.93 billion from $3.032 billion a year earlier. “[In July] building permits were driven to their highest levels since July of 2012, mainly due to a large increase in Metro Vancouver multi-unit residential permits, as well as large gains in the smaller industrial and institutional-government sectors,” said VRCA president Fiona Famulak.

“Commercial permits was the only sector to see a small decrease this month.”

“The outlook for commercial permits continues to be positive in the Lower Mainland-Southwest region, due to the Tsawwassen Mills and Tsawwassen Commons projects commencing building construction this year,” said Famulak. “However, a market-wide investment resurgence is not likely until after the economy has grown at a faster pace for at least a couple of years.” ■

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21

LEGAL AFFAIRS

Remembering the Second Narrows collapse With workplace safety so paramount today, a look back at one of the worst disasters in BC construction history

by Robert Smithson

Having grown up in a household with the sounds of Bud The Spud and Sudbury Saturday Night by Stompin’ Tom Connors twanging away in the background, I’d long known of the collapse of Vancouver’s Second Narrows Bridge. But I had never researched it until recently and I tucked that story away thinking perhaps at some point I would have a reason to write about it.

The death of Stompin’ Tom gave me that opportunity.

June 17, 1958

The Vancouver Police Museum website tells the story of June 17th, 1958: “This date probably doesn’t mean anything to you. Even if you live and work in Vancouver, and perhaps unknowingly pass the memorial plaque where this date is emblazoned in bronze.

Even if you’ve heard about it, maybe vaguely remember a

Collapse of the Second Narrows Bridge June 17, 1958 Courtesy: Jewish Museum and Archives of British Columbia/ Otto Landauer

story or two, you probably do memoir, How Come I’m Dead?, not remember the date the “But there it was.” Though it Second Narrows Bridge seemed impossible that such a collapsed. huge structure could fall so But it is a date completely, it was a that will never be reality which the forgotten by the Coroner had to men and women quickly accept, and working in the to even more Coroner’s Court quickly respond. that afternoon.

The Second Glen McDonald, Narrows Bridge Chief Coroner for was in full-swing the city of construction mode Vancouver, was at a when it fell – 18 restaurant when he people were heard the news. He crushed or Robert Smithson looked out the drowned, 20 were window, across the city, to grievously injured, and a total of witness the devastation firstseventy-nine workers plunged hand. “It was an unbelievable the two-hundred and ten feet sight,” he remembers in his into the freezing waters below.

There was no room at the hospital morgue for so many bodies, so they were sent instead to the Vancouver City Morgue, which now houses our own museum. There was room in the morgue for only ten or twelve bodies at a time, but they had extra space in the basement, and bodies were kept there until they could be identified.

The process of identification was challenging. Many of the workers had been crushed under huge steel beams.

McDonald remembers, “Some were no longer human. They looked like abstract Picasso paintings. Twisted, garish, unreal… The memories of that night still haunt me.” The morgue attendants had to resort to creative means to identify the bodies – from dental records to the brand of cigarettes left in their cover-all pockets.

Many people questioned what failure in oversight had led to this terrible tragedy. Could the bridge’s collapse have been prevented? An inquest was held, in our own Coroner’s Court, now the main gallery of our museum. It was there that the jury learned that a company engineer had been on the bridge at the time of the collapse; he

had been taking measurements because someone had raised concerns that the bridge had shifted – he was trying to ascertain if there was any danger. He died that day, as the bridge fell.

Ironworkers Memorial

Thanks to that inquest, recommendations were adopted that changed the way steel truss bridges were built, and those same rules help to protect our modern bridgeworkers. And so, in 1994, the Second Narrows Bridge was renamed The Ironworkers Memorial Bridge, to honour those who lost their lives.”

Stompin’ Tom Connors preserved the story of June 17, 1958 in his song, The Bridge Came Tumbling Down. As a kid who grew up in Ottawa, and for whom Vancouver seemed a distant outpost, I have no idea how I would ever have learned about this tragedy but for that song.

So, today, I’m taking a moment to thank the workers who put their lives on the line every day to make ours that much more enjoyable and convenient. And to recognize a fellow named Tom who believed it was important to keep Canadians’ stories alive. ■ Robert Smithson is a labour and employment lawyer, and operates Smithson Employment Law in Kelowna. For more information about his practice, visit http://www.smithsonlaw.ca. This subject matter is provided for general informational purposes only and is not intended as legal advice.

Labour cited as costs soar for Kitimat smelter KITIMAT – Labour costs are being cited as Rio Tinto Alcan’s multibillion smelter in Kitimat has hit huge cost overruns.

When approved in 2011, the smelter modernization project was budgeted at $3.3 billion. It has since ballooned to $4.8 billion.

The overrun was caused largely by increased labour costs – a result of competition for skilled workers from a nascent liquefied natural gas (LNG) industry – according to Rio Tinto Alcan corporate affairs manager Colleen Nyce.

“We didn’t envision that we would be competing with the LNG companies,” she said. “[But] for every 100 people that we hired, we lost 20.”

A global recession also prompted the London-headquartered company to slow the project down, which added costs.

The 60-year old Kitimat smelter is being replaced with a cleaner, more efficient smelter. The new smelter is nearly 75 percent complete and expected to start producing aluminum in the first half of 2015. Roughly 3,000 workers are employed on the project. ■ 22

3,000 workers, including roofing contractors, are completing the now $4.8 billion Rio Tinto Alcan smelter in Kitimat. Photo: Rio Tinto FALL 2014

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