November 5, 2009
CanaData Conference 2009
With BIM and LEED, Canada risks ignoring the future
Though technologies such as BIM and LEED are changing the way things are done in the architecture and construction industries, many Canadian firms are still reluctant to embrace them, owing mainly to the high costs. Are they ignoring the future at their peril?
“The future has a nasty way of rising up and biting you unless you pay attention to it,” said Daily Commercial News columnist Korky Koroluk, one of the speakers at last month’s CanaData Construction Industry Forecasts Conference in Toronto.
“Canadians generally I don’t think do a very good job of paying attention to the future. But maybe they will on this one – I’m not optimistic. I think that ultimately we’re going to get caught and an awful lot of firms are going to wonder, ‘Why didn’t anybody tell us?”“
Koroluk also assessed what he thinks the greatest threat to economic recovery in Canada will be.
“Timidity,” he said. “We have an inherent fear of trying to be leaders.”
Check out the executive summary from the 2009 CanaData Conference.
Comments: Cost of BIM consulting is 'ridiculous'
Commemorative quilt gets permanent home
A quilt commemorating the Hogg’s Hollow tragedy was unveiled in its new permanent home at York Mills subway station in Toronto Wednesday, a moving tribute to the five men who lost their lives in a watermain tunnel 50 years ago.
Pursuit of LEED could result in professional negligence, insurance executive warns
By adhering to a “recipe” or “formula” in order to earn points toward LEED certification, design professionals might be at risk of neglecting their responsibility to clients, says an insurance company executive.
The head of the Ontario General Contractors Association is praising a report from Workers Safety & Insurance Board chair Steven Mahoney that looks at ways to reform the WSIB
‘You don’t create job opportunities by cutting off business:’ Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters CEO
The new Buy America agreement between Canada and the U.S. doesn’t offer Canadian firms access to stimulus contracts that have already “gone out the door,” says the head of the Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters.
WSIB shouldn't rush rate hikes to cover unfunded liability: COCA president
In its effort to eliminate the unfunded liability, the Workers Safety & Insurance Board should not hike premiums too quickly or it could make Ontario an unattractive place to do business, says the president of the Council of Ontario Construction Associations.
Canadian Construction Association strengthening research and innovation efforts
The Canadian Constrruction Association has made progress in the past year in its efforts to nurture connections with educational and research institutions across the country, reports CCA chair Brad Greene.
Construction worker’s fatal fall didn't involve swing stage
A construction worker is dead after falling as much as six storeys from a building in east Toronto Thursday. Police say a piece of metal may have fallen and hit the worker, knocking him off the building.
Is the U.S. recovery sustainable?
The U.S. might be starting to mend its economy, but there are still a number of uncertainties about whether a recovery will be sustainable, says CanaData chief economist Alex Carrick.
Ontario Road Builders’ Association launches green award
The Ontario Road Builders’ Association has announced a new green award to recognize efforts made by the industry to protect the environment.
