🚀 Assisted development

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Good morning! “Hey ChatGPT, finish this building.” That’s the cheeky challenge European recruiting firm IMPACT plastered above one of the Netherlands’ busiest streets. The image has been going viral in the construction industry and IMPACT’s explanation was simple: “Crafts(wo)men are here to stay, and they deserve to be recognized. Their skills are simply irreplaceable.”

⏰ Today's reading time is 5 minutes.

MARKETS

*Stock data as of last market close; currency, oil and crypto data as of 12:20 AM ET June 5th, 2023.

Markets: More and more analysts and investors expect officials to raise interest rates by at least one more quarter-point this summer, which would lift the central-bank’s benchmark rate to 4.75%. Many now expect a rate hike in July. However, it could happen as early as tomorrow.

TECH

Construction tech round-up

🦾 The City of Kelowna is looking to artificial intelligence to speed up its building permitting process. Officials have partnered with Microsoft to develop chat tools that can answer bylaw questions and determine if an application is compliant in real-time. These changes could trim the process by as much as 30% right off the bat.

🚀 How do you mine on the moon? Canada may hold the key. Officials say Canada’s expertise in remote and isolated mining could prove useful for upcoming missions that plan to extract water from the fine lunar dust deposits.

🦺 Calgary-based safety equipment manufacturer Blackline is expanding its manufacturing facilities to increase production capacity by up to 50% due to demand. The company said it has seen a rise in orders for its products that include cloud-based, GPS-enabled safety sensors.

NEED TO KNOW

The week's headlines

🚒 Canada is on track to have one of its worst wildfire seasons in history. There have already been 2,214 fires this year, which have burned an area roughly totalling the size of Belgium. The fires have prompted the evacuations at major projects, including the Site C dam in B.C and industrial sites in Alberta.

🏠 Experts say the country’s two biggest issues — climate change and housing affordability — are on a collision course. They argue that creating this supply while also protecting the planet will require changes to how we design, construct, renovate and heat buildings.

💵 Toronto-based Fairfax Financial Holdings is expecting major returns on a $2-billion deal to fund the construction of multifamily and student housing developments in the United States. Fairfax announced it plans to purchase a collection of 63 loans from Beverly Hills, Calif.-based Kennedy-Wilson Holdings Inc.

🌍 Immigrants with trades skills seeking permanent residency in Canada will be given priority. 2022 legislative changes allowed for the selection of immigrants based on key attributes that support economic priorities, such as specific work experience. Trades and other skills were chosen after consulting with Canadian employers.

🎓 New data from Statistics Canada shows labour shortages differ based on education level. The study found that shortages of job seekers with appropriate education levels have been observed only for job vacancies requiring a high school diploma or less. Meanwhile, there was no shortage of job seekers for positions requiring a bachelor’s degree or more.

👷 Global consulting firm Linesite says Canada's construction industry is expected to contract by 0.9% in 2023 due to reduced residential output, elevated construction costs, and a shortage of skilled labor.

TOGETHER WITH BM GROUP

Meet ‘25 Innovators’ judge Bill Black

SiteNews is proud to have Calgary Construction Association President Bill Black as a judge for our inaugural 25 Innovators in Construction Awards. For decades, Black has been a prominent voice for industry change in Alberta and beyond. This February he was presented with the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal for his work on behalf of the construction industry. He is also a founding member of the Mindshift consortium created to develop leadership in project delivery. Don’t forget: Applications for the awards close July 14th and winners will be announced September 7th.

The inaugural awards are possible thanks to presenting sponsor Procore Technologies and supporting sponsors including BM Group, among others.

Learn more about the awards and apply online here.

PROJECT SPOTLIGHT

Tower designed with 16-sided exterior

Sweet 16: One Delisle is looking to turn Toronto heads in 16 directions. The unique residential tower is the first building in Canada designed by architect Jeanne Gang, founder of Studio Gang. The 44-storey project is Located in the heart of midtown-Toronto’s Yonge & St. Clair neighborhood. The building’s design begins as a square podium and spirals upward to become a 16-sided structure. The rhythmic exterior is meant to maximize natural light, views, and outdoor living for residents. It is expected to be completed in 2026.

PROJECT UPDATES

Flatiron Construction has been awarded a $160M airport upgrade project in the Yukon

Crews filmed major tunnelling breakthrough for Vancouver’s Broadway Subway project

SaskPower selects a Graham/Black & Veatch joint venture to complete gas turbine projects 

Work begins on St. Alberta, Alta. community that will house 8,000

The City of Port Moody is rebuilding its popular boardwalk due to climate change

Demand for self-storage warehouse projects is booming in Calgary

Snuneymuxw First Nation blesses new Nanaimo hotel following a decade of planning

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

PHOTOS: 📸 Dogs, donkeys and denim say ‘cheese’ in this month’s SiteViews

READ: ⚓ Canada is building its first polar icebreaker in 60 years

GRAPH: 📈 Is Quebec really Canada’s last ‘healthy’ housing market?

READ: 🏅 PCL is the only general contractor who made this prestigious list

PHOTOS: 🪩 Rope experts repair Science World’s iconic dome  

HOT JOBS

🔥 Check out the hottest senior-level construction jobs up for grabs in construction right now:

• Director of Finance - (Victoria, B.C. - Aryze)

• Operations Manager, Civil - (Toronto, Ont. - Ledcor)

• Director, Estimating - (Vancouver, B.C. - Fluor)

• Director, Brand Strategy - (Various locations - Stantec)

• Cloud Operations Manager - Vancouver, B.C. - Wenco)

• Chief Operating Officer (Point Edward, Ont. - Federal Bridge Corporation)

• Director, Highways/Roads/Bridges - (Vancouver, B.C. - GHD)

• Construction Integration Director - (Bowmanville, Ont. - Aecon)

• Commercial Director - (Vancouver, B.C. - Carlson Group)

• Building Envelope Engineer - (Vancouver, B.C. - Intelligent City)

Check out all roles at SiteNews Jobs or put your job post in front of tens of thousands of construction professionals by signing up here. Hurry up before our free trial ends!

Here’s to a great rest of the week!