Episodes
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Langley, B.C.,-based Cascadia has published its first environmental product declarations for its fibreglass fenestration systems and its happy it did. Marketing manager Chris Guelpa joined the Conversation to talk about the process; the help they got; the markets and opportunities the EPDs are opening up; and how fibreglass stacks up in the embodied carbon discussion.
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Movember is back with an added focus. The popular fundraising drive for men’s health has added support for mental health to its efforts along with prostate and testicular cancer. Mitch Hermansen joined Annex Business Media publisher/editor, Patrick Flannery, to talk about why these issues are important and what we in the construction community can do to help the guys who work for us.
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Those of us who ship product across provincial borders have probably noticed that it can be easier to ship to the United States than inside our own country. Recently, the federal Committee on Internal Trade has announced a pilot program that would see any province’s trucking regulations acknowledged in all the others’. Duncan Robertson, senior policy analyst for Nova Scotia, joins the podcast to talk about this small step toward actual free trade within Canada.
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Natural Resources Canada is working on a new label that will be required to be displayed on manufactured window products that are shipped across provincial borders or imported into Canada. The label would display the same energy efficiency information as NFRC, CSA and Energy Star labels, and could act to replace them if the manufacturer desired. Adam Buist is helping to develop the new label and joins Fenestration Conversations to explain the work, explore the benefits and challenges, and update us on the status of the project.
Adam invites questions and outreach at [email protected].
Fenestration Review’s article about the program here: https://www.fenestrationreview.com/one-label-to-rule-them-all/
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New standards for energy efficiency and low carbon impact in construction are demanding new skills in the trades – skills your young workers might be more familiar with than you are. Chad Flinn, associate vice-president of academics at Red Deer Polytechnic, and Judi Varga-Toth, manager of the ImpAct-Climate program at Colleges and Institutes Canada, are working to educate today’s construction industry in how to design and install the elements of net zero buildings. Learning needs to be ongoing in this time of rapid change, and Flinn and Varga-Toth share insights and free online resources in this episode of Fenestration Conversations.
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The steadily rising concern with environmental protection has brought concerns about the amount of plastic we put into landfills and oceans. Durable plastic products, such as vinyl window frames, are in danger of being swept up in government efforts to mitigage these risks. Tony Vella of Vision Extrusions Group and chair of the Vinyl Insitute of Canada has been working hard to educate decision-makers about the difference between durable PVC and single-use plastics. He joins the Conversation to let us know about the proposed federal Plastics Registry, the state of play with the issue generally and his efforts to bring some sanity to the public discussion.
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By Anton Van Dyk’s count, there are now up to 15 separate areas where fenestration products have to demonstrate compliance to one regulatory regime or another. Embodied carbon will soon become another, yet both end users and manufacturers have been slow to understand things like Environmental Product Declarations and how they will affect product development. Van Dyk and Layton think the approach to lowering the carbon cost of our buildings has created confusion. They join the podcast to outline their vision for how we should go forward.
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When information technology is the topic, media outlets across the country turn to Carmi Levy to explain what is going on and give them the deep background on the issues. So we invited him to the Conversation to share some very practical advice on how to think about your IT department and personnel and how to source and vet providers that will make your life and business better, not worse. Choosing the right people, in-house versus outsourcing, common pitfalls to avoid, how to choose the right product, what to expect from a vendor – Levy has seen it all and we discuss it all.
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Terry Adamson, technical director for Fenestration Canada, joins The Conversation 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.
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Cornerstone, owner of Ply Gem and Northstar, has made some significant investments to double capacity in several key manufacturing areas including insulating glass and extrusions. Marketing manager Richard Hill joins the Conversation to tell us what they did, why they did it and where they hope it takes the company in the future.
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As executive director of the Canadian Association of Consulting Energy Advisors, Cindy Gareau has been intimately involved with the federal Greener Homes Initiative rebate program for energy-efficient home upgrades and other rebate programs across the country. She joins Fenestration Conversations to update us on the status of the program and what led to its sooner-than-expected demise at the start of this year. She also has many valuable perspectives on rebate programs in general and the role of energy advisors in Canada’s ongoing project to upgrade the energy performance of housing. Plus some breaking news about the possibility of a Greener Homes 2.0!
Note: A correction has been added to this podcast at the end. Please note the deadline for energy advisor pre-audit submissions to Greener Homes Grants through Enbridge in Ontario was Feb. 5. Fenestration Review regrets the error.
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Our fast-changing world of tightening energy standards and embodied carbon is challenging us all to look at different design approaches and different materials. Enter a true Canadian glass innovator – Advanced Glazings in Sydney, N.S., and their Solera and SoleraWall products that use an aerogel fill to make translucent architectural glass products with energy performance similar to vacuum insulated glass. CEO Satterwhite and founder and president Milburn join the podcast to explain aerogel; discuss the performance characteristics; talk about how daylighting can meet esthetic, health and energy conservation needs; and reveal how they have found success with a product few glass companies in the world have the expertise to make.
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Another year has gone by and it’s time for a high-level view of our business conditions and results in 2023. Marvin Cruz, research director, and Christina Santini, national affairs director, for the Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses join Fenestration Conversations to tell us what they are hearing from small and medium-sized businesses across the country. We hit inflation, labour shortages, regulations and red tape, credit card fees, housing and more. Happy holidays to everyone and all the best for 2024!
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Fenestration Review columnist Anton Van Dyk – The Window Geek – has recently left window manufacturer Centra to join Layton Consulting, a Surrey, B.C,-based building engineering firm. He joins the Conversation to give us the view on the consulting business and the issues he’ll be addressing from the perspective of a guy who has had to design and sell the products that architects, governments and project owners specify. The big topic: how fast things are changing and the challenges and opportunities that are popping up for us all.
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Fenestration Canada is offering scholarships to members to encourage continuing education in the window and door industry and to encourage young people to take up their parent’s trade. It’s part of the ongoing search for talent that’s challenging all of us to find the people to fuel growth and take our industry into the next generation. Former FenCan president, Allan Doyle, is leading the scholarship program and joins the Conversation to tell us all about it then to share his perspectives and opinions on the labour supply, immigration, training, public schools and what is and is not working when it comes to labour force development. They’re good talkers out in Richibuto, N.B., so you’ll enjoy your time with Allan in this podcast.
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WinDoor 2023 is coming Nov. 15-16 in Toronto and Fenestration Canada operations manager Laine Atkins joins the Conversation to tell us all about it. WinDoor has been Canada’s largest and only national show for window and door manufacturers and dealers for decades, but now it’s expanding its focus to take in the commercial “aluminum” side of the industry. Join us to get Laine’s sneak peek at the show then make your plans to join us at WinDoor!
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Fenestra Purchasing Co-Op leverages the combined buying power of its 42 window and door manufacturer members to obtain rebates on purchases from selected suppliers, yes. But as Frederick Gauthier, Fenestra general manger, explains in this episode of Conversations, the group delivers much more to its members. At two meetings a year, Fenestra members get together to share knowledge and build relationships that float everyone’s boats. Gauthier explains the group, what it does and its future plans, then we move on to pick his brain about what Fenestra members are seeing in the market and in the days and years ahead. Find out more at fenestra.coop.
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Suhel Kachwala’s last name means “glass man” in Parsi. It doesn’t get a lot more fitting than that, because Kachwala is the second-generation managing director of FG Glass, one of India’s largest glass fabricators. His father and uncle started the business in 1976, the year he was born, and now he runs it alongside his brother and two cousins – all engineers. Kachwala’s business brings him to North America several times each year, so he is in a perfect position to tell us about the Indian glass industry, what is trending in Asian façade design and how the North American and Indian businesses are different. It was a fascinating conversation…enjoy!
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Amy Roberts, Canadian operations and glass technical director for the Fenestration and Glazing Industry Alliance, has been looking into where we might find the skilled and unskilled labour we are all lacking in our operations. Roberts’ research has revealed that there are several provincial and federal programs – some with hundreds of millions of dollars in funding – aimed at helping you recruit, train and pay new entrants into your workforce. Especially if those workers are from under-represented groups. She joins the podcast to discuss what that challenges are in finding the staff we need; what the barriers might be to our system generating those workers; and how the present system works and could work better. Immigration, apprenticeship and inclusion are all on the table.
Federal resources for recruiting and training
Construction Career Pathways – BuildForce Canada
Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot – Immigration and Citizenship Canada
Temporary Foreign Worker Program – Ministry of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion
Skilled Trades Awareness and Readiness Program – Employment and Social Development Canada
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President and COO of ODL, David Klein, joins the Conversation to discuss the company’s recent spate of acquisitions in Canada, including well-known door manufacturer, Tru Tech. Klein brings perspective from his time in the automotive and appliance industries to the discussion and goes over the strategy behind the acquisitions; the trends in the door business now; the unique nature of the Canadian market; and the thinking behind regional manufacturing. It’s a fascinating look inside one of the industry’s biggest suppliers as it moves into a wider portfolio of products and services.
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