Follow the Pipeline: Bryony House – open for tender!
We have been following this project! Have you? See our Pipeline connection PL17-0253NS about the Halifax Transition House Association – Bryony House and view the Open Tender NS19-2272.
ANSWER OUR SURVEY FOR TWO MORE CHANCES TO WIN A $100 GIFT CARD!
We can’t get enough of your feedback, so, in our excitement, we’re extending the deadline and offering two more chances to win! The results we receive for this survey are invaluable in charting the course for our Association over the next three years, so please take a few minutes to complete our Strategic Planning Survey.
Special Pricing for CANS: CCHF Conference, October 24 & 25
CCHF Offering Special
Pricing to CANS Members
Canadian Centre for Healthcare Facilities (CCHF) is pleased to present Improving the HealthCare Build in Halifax, NS, October 24 – 25, 2019.
Get perspectives from Chief Project Officers and expert advisors from across Canada on managing complex projects and advances in clinical design integration. You will learn about two upcoming projects in Nova Scotia: QEII’s New Generation Project and Cape Breton’s Regional Municipal Redevelopment Project. There will be a Networking Reception and Tours of innovative spaces including, the Assisted Daily Living Suite and Northwood’s Long-Term Care.
Join Us to Connect – Share – Innovate!
Visit www.cchf.net to register now!
SPECIAL OFFER
CANS Members get a special discount of 20% off the conference registration with the following registration code applied:
NovaScotia2019-20P_f1k1x2i7221c2g2amn11252525
ABOUT THE EVENT
This very special eastern seaboard session aims to share both project information as well as key learning in improving care environments through the build drawing on expertise from across the country and highlighting new builds and upcoming projects.
In addition, the conference includes guided tours by clinical and facilities leads on innovative new areas that promote wellness and research to foster care from hospital to facilitating activities of daily living care and specialized equipment for leading edge brain research.
Visit www.cchf.net for more information.
ABOUT CCHF
Canadian Centre for Healthcare Facilities (CCHF) is a national, not-for-profit association. CCHF’s goal is to help the healthcare facility sector achieve higher quality, more patient-focused and lower-cost healthcare environments.
Help raise the voice of the construction industry during this election
#Construction4CDNs
With voting day fast approaching on October 21, Canadian Construction Association (CCA) is renewing their call, asking you to join the campaign, #Construction4CDNs, by clicking on the “take action” button below and sending a letter to your election candidates.
Now is the time to stand up for construction and make sure action is taken on the issues facing our industry as we work to build a better Canada.
Take action! Click here to send your letter now
CCA’s campaign #Construction4CDNs, and its associated website construction4cdns.ca, champion four main issues of national importance for the construction industry. They are:
- Strengthening investor confidence;
- Long-term infrastructure planning;
- Supporting innovation and technology; and
- Attracting a skilled and diverse workforce.
Please visit the website above to read more about these issues and what we are asking the government to do to address our concerns.
CCA is grateful to all those who have participated in this campaign to date and ask you to continue spreading the word to those who may not yet have had the opportunity. CCA also encourages those whose homes and places of work are in separate ridings to send two letters to further extend our reach.
Want to sell to government? Metropolitan Regional Housing Authority & Nova Scotia Procurement offering free seminar!
The Supplier Engagement Team is happy to offer a FREE seminar for all Contractors and Suppliers interested in selling to government.
Hosts: Metropolitan Regional Housing Authority & Nova Scotia Procurement
Date: Tuesday, October 29, 2019
Location: Construction Association of Nova Scotia (CANS), 134 Eileen Stubbs Ave. Unit 103, Dartmouth, NS
Time: 9:30 to 10:30
Learn how to Sell to the Metropolitan Regional Housing Authority & to the Province of Nova Scotia.
All Contractors new to bidding or those looking to learn more about the public sector and its specific tendering processes are welcome.
In this session you will learn:
- Where to find opportunities
- What type of opportunities exists in Metro Housing Authority (Supply of goods, Various services, Construction)
- About the tender opportunity notification service (TONS)
- Tender procedures and processes
Additionally, there will be an opportunity for contractors to provide feedback about their experiences with our current contracting processes and practices.
For questions related to the session listed above, please contact Beth Hartling at Beth.Hartling@novascotia.ca
For more information on Provincial Procurement please visit our website:
https://procurement.novascotia.ca/
Thank YOU for Making Our 2019 Annual General Meeting a Success!
157th CANS ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
HOW DID WE DO?
Attendees are encouraged to provide their feedback on CANS 157th AGM by clicking
HERE and completing the delegate feedback survey.
The Construction Association of Nova Scotia’s 2019 Annual General Meeting, held on October 4-6, 2019 at the Oak Island Resort & Conference Centre in Western Shore, NS was a big success!
Guests kicked off the weekend with two activities: a Golf Tournament held at The Chester Golf Course and an excursion to explore Mahone Bay followed by a tour of Saltbox Brewery with lunch catered by Circa 1860 Kitchen. At the golf tournament, first place went to Shane Sinclair, Dylan Smith, Stephen Gray and Brad Payne, and second place went to Vince Moseley, Doug Brophy, Jeremy Stewart and Michael Crossley.
At Saturday’s business sessions delegates heard from Canadian Construction Association’s Chair John Bockstael and Liam Daly, Manager of Public Affairs at CCA, who presented on the past year’s events and highlighted the Strategic Plan, CCA2023. Delegates also heard from CANS Committee Chairs about the progress that CANS has made over the past twelve months, and looked toward the future with a session to kick off the creation of the next CANS Strategic Plan.
Saturday’s Awards Luncheon recognized David Wilson’s contributions to the construction industry, as the recipient of the 2019 Honourary Life Membership Award. Through the designation of Honourary Life Membership, the Construction Association of Nova Scotia honours individuals who, through their deeds and actions, have significantly contributed to the betterment of the Association, the industry, and attainment of CANS’ goals and visions.
Long-term Member Awards were also presented to member companies that have held membership with the Association for 50 years or more. The following companies received their award at the AGM: Englobe Corp., Gallagher Canada Limited, South Shore Ready Mix Limited and Truefoam Limited. The Long-term Member Award honours companies who have shown their dedication, support, and commitment to the Association throughout the years and is an achievement to be proud of.
CANS also congratulated those members who have achieved 25 years of continuous membership by presenting them with a Bowman Award. G.J. Cahill & Co. (1979) Ltd., The Guarantee Company of North America and Wickwire Holm accepted their Bowman Awards at the AGM this year.
Delegates danced the night away in their Hawaiian shirts, leis and grass skirts, all ready for the Best Dressed Awards, to the musical talents of Big Fish at Saturday evening’s Hawaiian Luau!
FEEDBACK
Attendees: If you attended the 157th AGM, we would love to hear from you! Please submit feedback here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/AGM19Delegate
Sponsors: If you sponsored the 157th AGM, keep your eye out for the sponsor feedback survey from Natalie!
SAVE THE DATE!
CANS 158th Annual General Meeting
When: October 2-4, 2020
Where: Digby Pines Golf Resort & Spa in Digby, Nova Scotia
Theme: The Great Gatsby (Jazz, flappers, glitz, glamour, champagne and decadence)
Register NOW! Click here to register for next year’s AGM, today!
Sponsor NOW! Contact Natalie at 902.210.1720 or nbobbitt@cans.ns.ca!
2019-2020 LONG-TERM MEMBER AWARDS
CANS congratulates those members who have achieved 50 years of continuous membership by presenting them with a Long-term Award.
- Englobe Corp.
- Gallagher Canada Limited
- South Shore Ready Mix Limited
- Truefoam Limited
- V.J. Rice Concrete Ltd.
2019-2020 BOWMAN AWARDS
CANS congratulates those members who have achieved 25 years of continuous membership by presenting them with a Bowman Award.
- Able Electric 2016 Limited
- Advanced Energy Management Ltd.
- Asbestos Abatement Ltd.
- Atlantic Explosives Ltd.
- Blaine F. MacLane Excavation Ltd.
- Fundy Electric Limited
- G.J. Cahill & Co. (1979) Ltd
- John Morrison Contracting Ltd.
- R.D.L. Construction Limited
- Sansom Equipment Ltd.
- Techno Hard Surfaces Limited
- The Guarantee Company of North America
- MacPhail Construction Ltd.
- Waller Agencies Limited
- Wickwire Holm
A BIG THANKS TO ALL OF OUR AGM SPONSORS!
Level Company
Title Sponsor MARSH
App Sponsor Lindsay Construction
Diamond Sponsor Kent Building Supplies
Platinum Plus TD Banking
VIP Sponsor NSCC Foundation
Print Sponsor Halcraft Printers
Platinum AON Construction Services Group
Platinum Conrad Bros Ltd.
Platinum Nova Scotia Power
Gold AW Leil Cranes & Equipment
Gold Bird Stairs
Gold Black & McDonald
Gold BOYNECLARKE LLP
Gold Department of Labour and Advanced Education
Gold dexel
Gold Dexter Construction
Gold Iron Dog Inc.
Gold PCL Constructors Canada Inc.
Gold Pomerleau Inc.
Gold Procore Technologies
Gold SANCTON
Gold Scientext Technical Writing Ltd.
Gold Stanhope Simpson Insurance
Gold Steinhart
Gold Travelers Canada
Silver Arrow Construction Products
Silver Atlantica Contractors
Silver Battlefield Equipment Rentals
Silver BELFOR
Silver Big Bang Promotional
Silver Bird Construction
Silver CBCL Limited
Silver DORA Construction
Silver Eastern Fence
Silver Heritage Gas
Silver Kent Mobile Shelters
Silver L.E. Cruickshanks Sheet Metal Ltd.
Silver MacGregors Industrial Group
Silver Marco Group
Silver Marid Industries
Silver Meridia Recruitment Solutions
Silver Merit Nova Scotia
Silver Ocean Contractors Limited
Silver RKO Steel Ltd.
Silver The Guarantee Company of North America
Silver The Shaw Group
Silver Tirecraft
Silver Trisura Guarantee Insurance Company
Silver WCB Nova Scotia
Water Sponsor Rogers Communications Canada
Golf Hole Sponsor CANS Group Health and Wellness
Golf Hole Sponsor MacFarlands Industrial
Golf Hole Sponsor MCT Insurance a division of BrokerLink
Golf Hole Sponsor NationTek
Golf Hole Sponsor Schooley Mitchell
Golf Hole Sponsor Steinhart Distillery
157th ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING PHOTOS
Want to see what you missed out on at CANS 157th AGM? Catch up on all of our CANS Events on Flickr!
HAVE PHOTOS YOU’D LIKE TO SHARE WITH US?
Please email Alison Clack, Marketing & Communications Lead
CANS Feature: What’s Your Safety Standard? (by McLeod Safety)
Jake Takes On Safety – What’s Your Safety Standard?
Submitted by: Jake Siegner, CRSP (Safety Manager, McLeod Safety)
Looking across the table at me was a pretty intimidating gent who appeared to be the walking definition of “Intimidating Biker.” A big brute of a fellow with tattoos on his knuckles, a beard that the members of ZZ Top would admire, and a voice that could shake the building when he was mad.
We were in a meeting held as a result of several safety incidents that had occurred in quick succession, and I’ll never forget what he said. He was a Site Superintendent working for the Prime Contractor that oversaw my company. What he had noticed was Safety working our collective butts off to prevent incidents, but our Supervision didn’t appear on the surface to be supporting us.
The gist of what he said to our Supervision, in the presence of our Management, was “your lowest standard, is their highest standard.”
What he saw was our field Supervision; definitely, some but not all seeming to pay lip service to safety but not walking the walk. He noted that some field Supervision, (this would be General Foremen, Foremen, and even Site Superintendents) talked a lot about safety in meetings each day, but when it came down to it, production seemed to be top priority. What he was saying is that if you have low standards for safety, then those who work under you will see that low standard as THE standard. I’ll admit that I was kind of surprised to hear this from him but, I guess it once again proves the old adage, you can’t judge a book by its cover.
Managers and Supervisers overseeing projects must be seen and heard talking about safety, supporting the safety person and participating directly in safety. This must be consistent, genuine, and unwavering…even in the face of challenges due to production. Especially in the face of production challenges!
Over the years, I’ve worked with some amazing field supervision that taught me a lot about the different trades, production, processes and safety. During these same years, I’ve worked for some absolutely terrible ones, and there’s something consistent I noticed about the terrible ones — not all of them, but a fair number. Some of the terrible ones have the highest production levels, and high incident rates to match! The goals of completing a construction project on time and on budget while doing it safely are not mutually exclusive; they can exist in the same space.
What do I mean when I say terrible? Backstabbing safety whenever they are not around. You know, the ones that refer to safety as the “Stop Work Department” and take every opportunity to bad mouth safety to anyone who will listen, especially the tradespeople working under them. These are the ones who will disagree with you in safety meetings instead of taking something offline. They will say things in front of their crews like “okay Mr. Safety, how do you want us to do it?” It might not be you, but these folks exist. I know this to be certain because of how many times I and my colleagues have had interactions with them. And when we don’t hear it directly from them, we hear it from the tradespeople onsite. It almost always gets back to us.
Look, let’s face it. Safety and production will always be at odds with each other until we all figure out a way to work together. They should never outpace each other, but rather they need to work as equals and as partners. There needs to be excellent communications both ways and management, and supervision need to get safety involved before something happens, not after or while it’s happening.
Why do safety folks sometimes get the reputation as the “Stop Work Department?” Which of the two scenarios do you think leads to this way of thinking and who do you think is the one perpetuating this way of thinking? In the first scenario, a crew will need to access a roof, so it is brought up to safety a few weeks or days before to develop a plan. In the second scenario, safety is not consulted ahead of time; safety arrives for a site inspection and sees an issue with access to the roof. The job is already underway when they discover the issue, so they bring it to the attention of the Superintendent. The Superintendent gets really upset in front of all the crew; they put you on the spot to immediately come up with a solution on your own because theirs is “the safest way to do it!!” but in the meantime, the task needs to be stopped until the problem is rectified.
Of course, it’s the second scenario. It plays out every day in construction. Lots of planning may have gone into the task, but no one thought to involve safety. The folks in charge went with the lower standard, and that’s what the crew sees first. Then, they get an extra dose of “those safety people don’t have a clue!!” for anyone that will listen. This kind of toxic relationship between safety and supervision leads to a decline in the safety culture of your sites. But it doesn’t have to.
I’ve been around construction long enough to know not everything can be planned for, but I’ve been in plenty of situations in which it wouldn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that clearly planning has gone into the task or job. Safety should be involved in the planning phase of many different tasks, to what degree and how that works can be determined at the Management level.
Take it offline. Now obviously it would be unrealistic to think everyone will get along and be happy working together all the time, but as far as the crew goes, safety and supervision need to appear to be best friends. Fight like crazy behind closed doors all you want, but when you go out solo or together, you’re a team. Back each other up no matter what and if you can’t, then don’t say anything at all. Work it out when the field crew is not around. Never argue, disagree or fight about safety vs. production in front of tradespeople. Neither safety nor supervision will win, but everyone will look bad in someone’s eyes.
The same goes for Management to Supervision when it comes to safety. When it comes to safety, never argue, disagree, or contradict supervision in front of lower ranks. As management, your support for safety must be unwavering, or else as my rather intimidating, burly friend in supervision who drove this point home so eloquently will tell you, a low safety standard will become your field supervision’s high standard. In private, disagree, argue, and whatever else you need to do so that when you leave that room, everyone is on the same message when it comes to safety.
There have been plenty of times in my career that I’ve had to pull someone aside after a meeting and say I disagree with something they’ve said and here’s why. I’ve even had to point out a few times when people in meetings or elsewhere were just given incorrect safety information. Sometimes we correct it on the spot, other times we wait, but it is corrected. Each situation is different. This can be done without making the other person look bad or appear you’re in disagreement.
Ultimately our goal should always be two-fold: high production in conjunction with high standards of safety. This may strike some as a lofty, or even impossible goal, but I wholeheartedly believe that it is an attainable one. When safety and production are in balance, safety can actually help production, but that’s a topic for another day.
About McLeod Safety:
McLeod Safety began as Colchester Security in 1988 and continued to operate under that name until 2001 when Ron McLeod purchased the company and changed the name to McLeod Safety. In 1988 we started with two vehicles and a handful of staff, today we have over 300 employees and a large fleet of fully equipped vehicles and traffic control equipment allowing us to provide our customers throughout Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island with the safety services and products they need at competitive prices.
While our focus has been on providing our customers with exceptional and dependable traffic control services, we have also grown to include an industrial safety supply store, sales and rental division for traffic control products, and a sign shop where we have the capability to service both small and large construction and custom sign orders.
Website: https://www.mcleodsafety.com/
Industry News // Statistics – Monthly permit value for August 2019
Building permits, August 2019
The monthly value of building permits (seasonally adjusted) issued in Nova Scotia decreased 14.0 per cent in August, following a (revised) decrease of 19.8 per cent in July. Nova Scotia’s residential permits decreased 5.9 per cent while non-residential building decreased 29.5 per cent. Monthly results for building permits are highly volatile.
The six-month moving average of residential permits trended modestly upwards through 2017 and then declined in early 2018. Afterwards, residential permits resumed an upward trend before flattening out over the first eight months of 2019. The six-month moving average for non-residential permit values remained relatively flat from mid-2017 to late 2018. In early 2019, non-residential permits have trended downward, but there have been modest gains in recent months.
The trend in Nova Scotia building permit values largely reflects the trends in the Halifax market. The value of Halifax building permits decreased 8.5 per cent in August, reflecting a 0.4 per cent decrease in residential permit values and a 26.7 per cent decline in non-residential permit values.
The six-month moving average for residential permits in Halifax has been rising since mid-2016 except for a decline in the fall of 2017 and early 2018. Since then, Halifax residential permits trended upward before flattening out over the first eight months of 2019. Non-residential permits in Halifax have trended down since June 2017, though there has been a rebound in recent months.
Outside the Halifax market, building permit values declined 21.1 per cent in August 2019, as residential permit values decreased 13.9 per cent and non-residential permit values fell 32.4 per cent. Non-residential permits trended upward outside of Halifax from mid-2017 to mid-2018, but have remained relatively flat since then. Residential permits have trended upward at a modest pace since mid-2017, but growth has been flat over the first eight months of 2019.
In total for January-August 2019, the value of Nova Scotia building permits was up 13.3 per cent compared to the first eight months of 2018. Residential permits are 27.0 per cent higher, and non-residential permits are down 11.3 per cent, year-to-date. The decline in non-residential building permits reflects declines in industrial (-35.1 per cent) and institutional/government (-31.2 per cent) permit values. Commercial permit values were up 0.5 per cent, year-to-date.
Halifax building permits were up 20.2 per cent in the first eight months of 2019 on strong gains in the residential sector (+41.3 per cent), while building permits outside of Halifax were up 3.9 per cent.
Building permits in Nova Scotia’s five economic regions totaled $1.22 billion (unadjusted) in the first eight months of 2019. The largest contributor was the Halifax region, with a combined residential and non-residential permit value of $771.3 million. Year-to-date, the total value of residential and non-residential permits was up in all regions except Southern Nova Scotia and North Shore, with the largest percentage increases in Halifax and Cape Breton.
In the first eight months of 2019, the number of residential dwelling-units created (seasonally adjusted) in Nova Scotia was up by 902 units compared to Jan-Aug 2018. Across the province, the number of multiple units created was up. The number of singles created in Halifax was up while it was down outside of Halifax.
Nationally, residential building permit values (seasonally adjusted) were on an upward trend in 2016 but have levelled off since early 2017. National residential building permits were up 11.7 per cent in August. Non-residential building permit values rose through 2017 and peaked toward the end of the year, remaining relatively flat through 2018. There was a modest rise in non-residential permit values at the beginning of 2019. National non-residential permit values were down 2.7 per cent in August.
National non-residential permits are up 8.0 per cent through the first eight months of 2019 compared with the same period in 2018. British Columbia had the largest gains in non-residential building permits (+33.0 per cent). Newfoundland and Labrador (-39.3 per cent) reported the largest decline, followed by Alberta (-20.0 per cent) and Nova Scotia (-11.3 per cent).
Year-to-date, the national value of total (residential and non-residential) building permits was up 2.3 per cent compared to Jan-Aug 2018. Total building permit values were up in seven provinces in the first eight months of 2019, led by Prince Edward Island (+34.1 per cent) and Nova Scotia (+13.3 per cent). Newfoundland and Labrador reported the largest decline over this period (-34.1 per cent), followed by Alberta (-18.8 per cent).
Source: Statistics Canada. Table 34-10-0066-01 Building permits, by type of structure and type of work (x 1,000)