The Hammer Canadian Contractor Magazine

Leor Marguiles is a partner at commercial real estate firm, Robins Appleby. From there, he watches as larger developers deal with the fallout from high interest rates and skyrocketing home prices: homeowners delaying or cancelling purchases they suddenly find unaffordable. He joins The Hammer to discuss the factors driving a spike in project delays and defaults and suggest ways that small contractors can deal with the uncertain conditions. Bottom line: stay out of court.

Terry Adamson, technical director for Fenestration Canada, joins The Hammer to preview the proposed changes to the National Building Code related to window and doors. Wider door openings for accessibility…tighter air tightness…solar heat gain requirements…upper storey window fall protection…glazing guard loads…it’s all here in an information-dense download.

Explore our 2024 playbook tailored for electrical contractors seeking a competitive edge. Uncover industry-best practices and stay ahead of the curve. 

Vice-Chair Jack Slaughter of the Ontario Labour Relations Board and Jeremy Ambraska, employment and labour lawyer with Sherrard Kuzz (Coos) LLP join this episode of the Hammer to discuss the aging workforce, apprenticeships and training within the construction sector. Vice Chair Slaughter and Ambraska engage in conversation with editor, Kaitlin Secord, about mentorship and knowledge transfer, the importance of diversity and inclusion, how to the construction industry’s status among prospective journeypersons and the importance of being a progressive employer.

Facing a dynamic shift in every facet, the construction industry find itself in need of a revamping when it comes to the future of its workforce. From Support Ontario Youth, interim executive director Melanie Winter and program management lead Lea Valcourt join this episode of the Hammer to chat about their organization and its initiatives in supporting the future of construction labour. Winter and Valcourt touch on the crucial role that relationship building plays in progressing in the industry and share success stories of their boot camps. They also discuss adaptability and the key goals, priorities and future of Support Ontario Youth.

Cyber-attacks in construction are on the rise. Bad actors are finding this an attractive industry to target as they can access data and cause business interruptions, and even demand payment of a ransom. As construction companies and their construction sites become increasingly connected, any device connected to the network presents a potential cybersecurity risk, and a robust approach to reducing this exposure is essential. In this episode of the Hammer, Wayne Dorris, program manager for cyber security at Axis Communications, talks strategies for mitigating security risks on the construction site.