B.C. consulting engineers celebrated with awards

Consulting engineers have been honoured for their work to improve transportation in British Columbia, including reconnecting communities on highways damaged in 2021 flooding, improving bus service in Greater Vancouver and improving safety and traffic flow on the Lions Gate Bridge.

The winners were announced at the B.C. Transportation Conference for the Association of Consulting Engineering Companies – British Columbia, held in Vancouver.

Design and contract preparation – structures

There is a tie for this award. One award went to Stantec Consulting for its Highway 8 (photo above) flood response. Working with the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, and other contractors and consultants, Stantec repaired existing bridges, built two temporary bridges, and provided other support. Starting work immediately after the flood, the team reconnected the high-priority route.

Hatch Ltd., Charter Project Delivery Inc., and T.Y. Lin International Canada Ltd. shared the award for repairs to the Taylor Bridge between the north and south Peace regions. Using computer models and inspections of thousands of structural elements, the team detected and repaired a weak gusset plate, while keeping one lane of the bridge open for several consecutive nights during the repair.

Design and contract preparation – roads

For widening more than one kilometre of Highway 97 and making intersection improvements in Quesnel, Urban Systems Ltd. won the design and contract preparation award for roads. This project’s worksite included heavy summer traffic, nearby frontage roads and local businesses, multiple utilities, flat surfaces and environmentally sensitive creek-side slopes. Urban Systems developed innovative closed-drainage designs and worked with the city to repurpose excess materials.

Alternative transportation

R.F. Binnie & Associates won the alternative transportation award for launching RapidBus routes R1 through R5 in the Greater Vancouver area. Working with the ministry, eight municipalities, one health authority and four contractors, it oversaw a complex and fast-paced project that included road widening, intersection improvements and new multi-use pathways, bus stops and bus priority infrastructure.

Construction management and supervision services

The award for construction management and supervision services went to Associated Engineering (B.C.) Ltd. for the resurfacing of nearly 11 kilometres of Highway 14, a primary access road for the Sooke-Port Renfrew area. The project between Otter Point and Woodhaven roads included paved shoulders, slow-moving-vehicle pull-outs, geosynthetic reinforced soil repairs, and drainage systems to minimize road flooding. Clearer sight lines improved safety at Tugwell Creek, where slides and rocks previously affected the road.

Specialized engineering services

PBX Engineering Ltd. won the specialized engineering services award for rehabilitating the Lions Gate Bridge reversible lane-control system. This project resulted in increased safety, highway capacity and reliability, better cybersecurity controls and less traffic congestion. PBX’s work required only a single weekend evening closure, allowing normal traffic to continue during the day.

Concert Properties augments executive roster

Concert Properties has augmented its executive roster at the c-suite and senior vice president levels. Six new appointments were announced in January, including Colleen Anderson as chief marketing officer and Craig Watters as chief development officer.

Anderson has advanced through several roles since joining the company in 1997, most recently serving as senior vice president, sales and marketing. She is based in Toronto, where she is the managing broker for Concert Realty Services, and will oversee sales, marketing and communications across all Concert Properties operations.

Watters has taken on progressively more senior responsibilities for Concert’s development arm over the past 13 years, beginning as vice president and then promoted to senior vice president in 2017. He will oversee Canada-wide development activity in his new position.

The four other newly announced appointments include: Aran Clarke, senior vice president, people experience; Adena Waffle, senior vice president, tapestry; Kelly Wilson, senior vice president, development; and Adrian Kozak, senior vice president, investments.

Anderson and Watters enter the c-suite soon after Andrew Tong, chief investment officer, and Arif Rahemtulla, chief construction officer, who were both promoted to their positions last year. Meanwhile, Danny Difazio, named senior vice president, construction for Canada east in 2022, is recently in place to welcome his new peers.

“The depth of experience of these officers provides a strong foundation for our future growth,” says David Podmore, Concert’s chair, president and chief executive officer. “They also bring clear strategic direction and mentorship of the senior vice presidents, who will operationalize these strategies, with the overall goal of continuing to deliver strong returns for our owners.”

A new national standard for long-term care

Health Standards Organization (HSO) recently published CAN/HSO 21001:2023, Long-Term Care Services, a new national standard that reflects what Canadians expect long-term care to look like. It builds upon evidence-informed practices and is recognized by the Standards Council of Canada as its latest National Standard of Canada.

CAN/HSO 21001:2023, which captures the vision of close to 19,000 long-term care residents, members of the workforce, leaders and governing bodies, will offer guidance on: resident-centred care that values compassion and dignity, team-based work centred on delivering culturally safe and trauma-informed care; creating a healthy and competent LTC workforce and healthy working conditions; and committing to strong governance practices and a culture that is outcome-focused, while valuing continuous learning and quality improvement.

The standard also provides evidence-informed content that can be used in assessment programs and a quality and safety blueprint to guide policy development and requirements for resident-centred care and a competent workforce.

HSO’s Long-Term Care Services Technical Committee, chaired by Dr. Samir Sinha, the NIA’s Director of Health Policy Research and also the Director of Geriatrics at Sinai Health and University Health Network in Toronto, developed the standard over the past two years.

This included extensive nationwide public engagement activities on the draft standard, which resulted in the What We Heard Report #3, prepared by NIA Research Fellow, Dr. Ashley Flanagan. According to participants, the key areas for ensuring the delivery of safe, reliable, and high-quality long-term care include improving care experiences, enhancing communication, supporting the LTC workforce, and enabling good governance.

Many participants want to balance and shift the existing perception of long-term care into a highly sought after, competitive, and specialized career.

Feedback also showcased the rights and quality life of residents and family members, with a range of suggestions, from emphasizing autonomy and choice to creating a home-like environment. Residents desire access to their own window (often limited beyond single-occupancy rooms) companion animals, shelving, more recreational opportunities and meal choice.

Good interpersonal communication was another key consideration informing the standard, and could ultimately lead to proper (and ongoing) assessment of residents’ communication abilities, needs, and preferences. For instance, participants shared their desire for physical environments that are conducive to effective communication (e.g., minimizing loud noises, hallway traffic).

In the coming months, the NIA will further complete a jurisdictional review and comparative analysis of the new standard versus current federal, provincial and territorial long-term care measures to further support the implementation of this important new standard across Canada.

ASHRAE hones decarbonization guidance

ASHRAE has introduced the first of a series of planned decarbonization guidance documents in sync with a new online gateway to a vast range of resources related to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the built environment. ASHRAE’s Task Force on Building Decarbonization is leading the effort, but working with prominent energy management, sustainability and standards setting bodies throughout North America.

Kent Peterson, chair of the eight-member task force, explains that its mission is to help “accelerate the transition from commitment to action” through the development of technical guidance that augments ASHRAE’s widely referenced standards, 90.1 for energy performance and 189.1 for green building design. The first new publication focuses on building performance standards (BPS), offering advice for policymakers who may be adopting targets and building owners, managers and service providers who will need to comply.

“We hope this guide will establish some much needed consistency across the buildings industry to set these types of goals and targets, and then work toward meeting them,” says Harry Bergmann, manager of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Building Technologies Office and a contributor to the guide.

“At a time when we must use every avenue available to us to decarbonize our world, we believe BPS policies are one of the most powerful tools in our toolbox, and one that stands to have the highest impact,” note Adam Hinge and Andrea Mengual, co-chairs of the 21-member working group behind the effort.

Toby Lau, codes and standards principal with B.C. Hydro’s Power Smart division was also a member of the working group, while Vancouver is highlighted within the guidance document as one of a still small number of jurisdictions to have enacted building performance standards.

Pending decarbonization guidance documents will cover topics such as: site energy use; life cycle perspectives, including embodied carbon; heat pumps; decarbonization in health care facilities; and grid-interactive buildings.

MCAC awards largest student scholarships

The winners of the Richard McKeagan Scholarship Series marked the largest amount of financial assistance provided since the inception of the awards by the Mechanical Contractors Association of Canada (MCAC). Close to $30,000 was awarded to students.

“Supporting the future leaders in our industry is paramount, particularly as we grapple with retirements and skilled worker shortages across the country. This year’s financial assistance total is our largest to date, and it showcases the industry’s ongoing commitment to the next generation,” said Derek Ermen, president and chair of the MCA Canada.

The following students received scholarship funding:

Bradford White Canada: Luca DeChellis
EquipCo Ltd.: Emma Powell
Federated Insurance:Kyle Desrochers
Masco/Delta: Tatiana Howard
MCAC associate members: Arleen Kehler
MCA Hamilton/Niagara: Emma Powell
Mitsubishi Electric Heating & Cooling: Mina Ariana
OS&B: Jill Stagg, Kyron Evans
Palser Enterprises: Cory Mueller
Reliance Worldwide Canada (RWC):Emma Powell
ServcoCanada: Arleen Kehler
Taco Comfort Solutions: Tasneem Kham,Marco Meli
Uponor: Mina Ariana, Tang Gilbert, Tatiana Howard, Meghan McLaughlin, Emma Powell
Watts Water Technologies:Brooke Carbino
Women in mechanical construction: Arleen Kehler.

Scholarships were available through partners including Bradford White Canada, EquipCo Ltd., Federated Insurance, Masco/Delta, MCA Hamilton-Niagara, Mitsubishi Electric Heating & Cooling, OS&B, Palser Enterprises, Reliance Worldwide, ServcoCanada, Taco Comfort Solutions, Uponor, Watts Water Technologies, the Women in Mechanical Construction Initiative, and the broader associate membership of MCAC, which funds a single MCAC Associate Member Scholarship.

Named in honour of past CEO Richard McKeagan, the scholarship series is aimed at students in the mechanical field of study and has been broadened to include several new initiatives, including scholarships specifically for women in the mechanical field.

Since its launch in 2006, the scholarship series has awarded more than $100,000 to deserving post-secondary students.

Modest investment returns posted for 2022

Institutional investors realized modest returns on standing real estate assets in Canada last year. Newly released results of the MSCI/REALPAC Canada Property Index peg the total return for 2022 at 1.3 per cent — a significant dip from the 8 per cent total return in 2021.

The 2022 total return breaks down to 4.35 per cent income return against a 2.9 per cent loss in capital value across the entire index, which comprises 2,370 assets in 48 portfolios, encompassing nearly 490 million square feet of space and collectively valued at more than CAD $172 billion. It is just the fourth year in the 21st century that the index experienced negative capital growth, an outcome also seen in 2020, 2008 and 2009.

Office was hardest hit among the property sectors, registering a total return of negative 5.8 per cent and 10.2 per cent negative capital growth. Industrial and multifamily continued their long run as the top two performers, delivering respective total returns of 17.1 per cent and 4.8 per cent. Both property types also registered gains in capital value, at 13.1 per cent for industrial and 1.5 per cent for multifamily. In contrast, retail posted a negative 3.9 per cent total return along with an 8.4 per cent drop in capital value.

Halifax emerged as the top performer among eight Canadian urban centres, with an 8.3 per cent total return breaking down to 2.5 per cent capital growth and 5.7 per cent income return. All other markets sustained loss in capital value, although Ottawa and Winnipeg were the only two to register negative total returns.

After sitting atop the chart for the past several years, Vancouver and Toronto both slipped farther down the rankings — with 2022 total returns of 1.1 per cent and 0.7 per cent respectively — surpassed by Edmonton, Montreal and Calgary in addition to Halifax.

This year’s total return trails both the index’s four-year average (2.9 per cent) and 10-year average (5.7 per cent). However, looking to other asset classes, it outperforms bonds, equities and listed real estate for 2022.

Innovative Calgary Clinic wins WAF award

Deceptively simple in form, Calgary’s 17^th Avenue Clinic’s articulation seeks to bring in light and enhance privacy and transparency.

The clinic earned Winnipeg-based design studio 5468796 Architecture a 2022 World Architecture Festival award. The judges were impressed by its “use of natural daylight, important for diagnosis” and admired its “innovative use of a CLT beam structure”.

Its central light well, flared roofline with high clerestory windows, cutaway corner decks, thick horizontal concrete band, and articulated open glass and concrete bays at grade level all contribute to a highly tuned envelope, resembling the architecture of the standard strip malls populating the neighbouring lots on the same commercial strip.

At street level, the project is scaled to have impact from a distance and leave an impression when the onlooker comes close, with stepped seating and thin, vertically striated columns. Staggered and slim in proportion, when seen from the primary (south side) approach, these vertical columns demarcate retail entrances and support a solid concrete band that wraps the building.

The concrete band, or “veil,” serves several purposes. Primarily designed to provide privacy and a strong visual break, it is also an acoustic barrier from the street and an enclosure for building users.

The wooden undercroft of the roof curves upwards to draw in and modulate natural light. Disappearing behind the second-floor glazing, the four corners are drawn inward in a continuous datum spreading through the interior spaces of the clinic. The effect creates natural, orderly divisions and organic progressions between treatment rooms, circulation space, lobbies, and a luminous, interior courtyard spanning the full height of the two-storey clinic.

The arc of the wood ceiling also draws a wash of warm, natural light to the interior from the edge of the roofline. The light-filled spaces of the top floor are defined by an engineered vertical solid timber system, offering sound separation between rooms, and fulfilling several functional requirements. First, it acts as a roof structure allowing large spans and an uninterrupted floor plate. Secondly, it creates intimacy through the rhythmic repetition of 2.1-m (7-ft) thresholds, experienced every time one passes under the grid-like structure of the ceiling, evoking the divisions of an egg crate. Finally, it provides a natural material against which light is diffused for a warm, tranquil glow.

A high coffered ceiling, combined with the mechanical system and natural air convection, ensures warm air remains in the ceiling space, while conditioned air circulates in the bottom 2.1 m (7-ft )of the space occupied by patients and staff to promote focused and wakeful conditions.

Urban tree canopy linked to preventive health

Denser urban tree canopy is touted as an effective summertime preventive health measure in the findings of a newly released quantitative health impact study. Researchers from the Institute of Global Health in Barcelona led the study — published in the health research and news journal, the Lancet — which estimates how the presence of more trees could affect heat-related deaths.

Combing through mortality data for adults aged 20 or older in 93 European cities between June 1 and August 31, 2015, they attributed 6,700 premature deaths to urban heat island factors. Applying various climatic and geospatial data and modelling, researchers calculated heat intensification within these urban nodes drove temperatures up by an average of 1.5 degrees Celsius, with the highest contribution to premature mortality occurring in southern and eastern Europe. Heat-related causes were deemed responsible for 4.3 per cent of all adult deaths across the total area studied.

Next, researchers modelled the scenario of 30 per cent tree coverage in the urban study areas and determined that could reduce average temperatures by 0.4 degrees C. In the study timeframe, it was estimated that could have prevented 2,644 deaths, equating to 39 per cent of premature heat-related deaths and 1.8 per cent of all adult deaths.

“Our results showed the deleterious effects of UHIs (urban heat islands) on mortality and highlighted the health benefits of increasing tree coverage to cool urban environments, which would also result in more sustainable and climate-resilient cities,” the researchers state in a summary of their work.

“Multiple uncertainties mean that the results could overestimate or underestimate the effectiveness of increasing urban tree coverage in the prevention of heat-related mortality. However, the extent of validation provides sufficient assurance to start incorporating these results into city planning, even as additional research generates more precise local estimates,” the Lancet’s reviewers, from the Center of Health and Global Environment at University of Washington and the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, maintain. “This fine-scale mapping provides opportunities for cities to identify where interventions are urgently needed to protect the most vulnerable as soaring temperatures continue to be felt globally.”

New reg imposes financial penalties on Ontario homebuilders

A newly enacted regulation may impose administrative penalties on Ontario homebuilders or vendors who breach their legal and ethical obligations. Similar to a fine, the new enforcement tool expands upon the Home Construction Regulatory Authority’s (HCRA) existing strategies to crack down on bad behaviour, including revoking and imposing conditions on a licence.

The recent legislative and regulatory changes to the New Home Construction Licensing Act, 2017 (NHCLA) include allowing the HCRA to use the proceeds of administrative penalties to provide funds to negatively impacted consumers, depending on the circumstances. The HCRA may consider whether a licensee benefitted financially from breaking the law and, if so, an additional penalty may be applied reflecting the amount of the benefit, which could be passed on to the impacted consumers.

“Adding financial penalties to the HCRA’s regulatory tool belt will enhance consumer protection and in some cases, provide funds to consumers who have been negatively impacted by a builder’s or vendor’s conduct,” says Wendy Moir, the HCRA’s CEO and Registrar.

Penalties can also be imposed on people or companies who operate without a licence. “These penalties – up to $50,000 per occurrence, depending on the contravention – are a first for the industry and will support an enhanced, fair and safe marketplace,” Moir explained. “They will support the HCRA in quickly taking action against illegal and unethical behaviour, both protecting consumers and ensuring a level playing field in the industry.”

B.C. to install earthquake warning sensors

British Columbia is installing up to 50 earthquake early warning sensors in high seismic risk areas. These sensors will connect to the national Earthquake Early Warning (EEW) system, supplementing and complementing several hundred sensors already installed by Natural Resources Canada.

The system will give seconds to tens of seconds of warning before the strongest shaking arrives at coastal communities in British Columbia and will assist in the protection of critical transportation infrastructure in British Columbia.

When the full system is operational in 2024, more than 10 million people in Canada living in the most earthquake-prone regions of the country will receive Earthquake Early Warning alerts, providing a few precious seconds to take action.

In the spring of 2022, the first sensors for the national EEW system were installed at the BC Ferries’ terminal at Horseshoe Bay as part of a suite of initiatives being brought forward by the Government of Canada to strengthen the safety, security and resilience of Canada’s emergency readiness infrastructure.

There are more than 5,000 earthquakes in Canada every year, most of them along B.C.’s coast, although about 20 per cent of the quakes are along the St. Lawrence River and Ottawa River valleys.

“Being situated in the most earthquake-prone area of Canada, British Columbians know that earthquake preparedness will save lives, protect key infrastructure systems and reduce property damage. Our government will continue to invest in emergency preparedness initiatives like the Earthquake Early Warning system to better protect Canadians and communities across the country from natural hazards,” said Minister of Natural Resources Jonathan Wilkinson.

$5.2M funding boosts B.C. clean technology

The Government of Canada has announced $5.2 million to boost the B.C. clean technology sector.

The federal funding through PacifiCan, together with $2.3 million from the Province of B.C. will support Foresight Canada to establish the BC Net Zero Innovation Network (BCNZIN).

The network will bring together innovators, businesses and stakeholders to accelerate the development of competitive cleantech solutions, and move them to market. Foresight will initially focus on solutions for B.C.’s forestry, mining and water sectors.

Not only will this network accelerate the development and adoption of clean technologies, it will open up new markets and attract world-class talent to the province. This project is expected to spur growth in B.C.’s cleantech sector, creating 240 new jobs and attracting $280 million in investment. In addition to strong economic benefits, the project has a target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 125 kilotonnes.

“Foresight Canada is thrilled to launch the BC Net Zero Innovation Network, made possible through funding contributions from PacifiCan, the Province of British Columbia, and other partners. This project will take cleantech innovation in British Columbia to the next level, allowing climate ventures and industry leaders from key sectors across the province to develop and scale critical climate solutions that attract capital, generate green jobs, drive exports, and accelerate domestic industry sustainability. Initiatives like this will significantly accelerate Canada’s transition to a net-zero economy, and Foresight is excited to demonstrate this model in B.C,” said Jeanette Jackson, CEO, Foresight Canada.

The Government of Canada has committed to net-zero emissions nationwide by 2050. In B.C, PacifiCan is investing in the development and adoption of clean technology solutions to help meet this goal.

Call for volunteers: mental health and violence in condos

In response to the events at Bellaria Residences in Vaughan, Ontario last December, industry associations have issued a call for volunteers to help condo communities more effectively manage safety and security concerns.

The Association of Condominium Managers of Ontario (ACMO), the Canadian Condominium Institute’s (CCI) Toronto Chapter, and the Community Associations Institute (CAI) Canadian Chapter announced two committees:

To review appropriate opportunities for legislative reform to better protect personal safety in condominiums and educate government agencies about how best to minimize risk for condominium communities.
To identify and promote appropriate resources relating to mental health and conflict de-escalation to support condominium corporations in the future. This may include better educating other organizations about the unique challenges in condominiums.

Interested candidates are asked to contact [email protected] no later than February 28, 2023. They should include the nature of their role in the condo industry, a short description of experience working to resolve violence or mental health challenges in condominium communities and a summary of what their expertise may bring to the committee along with any goals.

ACMO, CCI and CAI are particularly interested in participation from individuals with a background in conflict de-escalation, police services, or mental health support.

As they stated in a release this week, “our organizations jointly recognize that this is complicated subject matter, and that many in the condominium industry have personal experiences in navigating safety and mental health concerns in their communities. It is therefore important that we reach out to our memberships to ensure that any interested party has an opportunity to participate where appropriate.”

The importance of relationships in commercial cleaning

In today’s economy, it can be tempting for commercial cleaners to focus more on the bottom line than on the relationships they’ve built along the way. Even though many challenges remain, it’s important to continue to prioritize customer relations as a way to expand your business, along with your margins. The commercial cleaning industry is predicted to surpass 278 billion dollars by 2028, so standing out from your competition is crucial to attract and retain your clients.

Prioritizing services and customers is the way of the past – and the way of the future – according to Jim Pemberton, president of Pembertons. In his recent appearance on ISSA’s Straight Talk, he warns cleaning companies to stay away from what he calls “the new bait and switch.” Traditionally, this concept means offering a low introductory price, only to inflate that price once your client signs on to your service, but Jim is talking about something a little different.

Rather than a dishonest approach, companies may be inadvertently setting themselves up for failure with their clients by overpromising and underdelivering. “It’s not uncommon to sell the value of your service including several steps, or certain key ingredients that make the cleaning process unique,” he says. “But over time, that once 12-step process can get shortened to a 3-step process.” According to Jim, this leaves the customer at an unfair disadvantage.

How does this happen?

Aging and fatigue

Commercial cleaning is a labour-intensive endeavour, and as cleaners can begin to reach an age, it can be more challenging to physically get the work done. When you’re selling a comprehensive service with a multi-step process like vacuuming, using a rotating brush, and finishing with drying fans, “those walks back and forth to the truck get longer when we’re in our older years,” Pemberton says.

We need to take this possibility into account when making promises to customers. Even with good intentions, we need to consider whether our abilities are limiting how we deliver on that promised value.

Communication is key

With the recent attention to cleaning and sanitation, today’s customers are educated and many want to be kept informed about the products and methods you are using.

As commercial cleaners, you are the experts in our field, and that sometimes means educating your customers. Sometimes it even means delivering bad news. Pemberton gives the example of treating odours, explaining that it’s possible that you will have to explain that a different, longer, or more expensive approach will be needed, even after you’ve quoted on the job. This needs to be communicated clearly to customers so that you retain their trust and they are clear on the service you’re providing.

How do you avoid practicing the new bait and switch? Pemberton says it’s simple, “Just do what you promise.”

The importance of relationships

The relationships you make as a commercial cleaner can be career-long, and as time passes, that can take a backseat to what may seem like more pressing matters. “Often cleaners decide to hang up their wands, only to find that their customers don’t want to lose them,” Pemberton says. This can be a step to switching from full-time to part-time, but in order to cut back on the amount of work required, they raise their prices, sometimes significantly. They often find that their services are still in demand.

According to Pemberton, that’s why the integrity of doing what we promise is important. Knowing the value of those relationships allows you to take your time and get paid to do the job right.

If you’ve decided to switch products for a longer-lasting restorative cleaning result, that needs to be explained to the customer. “Just spraying something that smells pretty doesn’t do the trick,” days Pemberton. It’s critical to convey to your customers the limitations of your services, along with your value.

Recognizing how valuable you are to your customers is part of developing that trust and the relationships that may well take commercial cleaners into retirement.

As commercial cleaning continues to evolve, it’s important to remember that your service is your business. Prioritizing value and communication is the secret to long-lasting relationships with your clients and longevity for your business.

Time-saving maintenance tips

Being a facility maintenance manager often involves managing costs, time, safety, and more, so, increasing efficiency can certainly make your job easier. Sometimes it feels like a maintenance manager’s job is never done, but there are steps you can take to boost efficiency, save time, and better manage the maintenance of your building.

Get organized

Accurate recording is one of the best time-saving tips for maintenance managers. Each time you complete a repair or replacement, make sure that all the documentation is properly stored and easy for everyone to find.

Rather than sending someone up to check on things like your HVAC equipment each time, keeping records with easy access with save you time and money in wasted labour. Things like labeled building plans, model numbers, filter and belt sizes, and existing access should all be included in your documentation.

Some companies are using innovations like QR codes for each piece of equipment so that all the history, part numbers, locations, and maintenance are easily accessible for your team and any outside contractors.

Getting more organized with your documentation also helps make the transition time for your new employees shorter as they become part of your team.

Edit your employee training

Do you have a lengthy onboarding process? Cutting down on the time it takes new employees to get acquainted with the job will save you time when you can delegate some of the work.

Allow them access the information they need as soon as they start with your company so they can learn from transitioning employees, get on-the-job experience, and hit the ground running.

Embrace technology

Going mobile with your data will increase efficiency with access at your fingertips. Whether you are on the roof, driving from one building to another, or in the boiler room, mobile access to information saves the time it takes to search for what you need.

Making everything mobile also saves you flipping through binders, looking up spreadsheets, or hunting down an old file while making your recording simpler, more accurate, and easier to update. For example, if you’re on a ladder and you see an undocumented piece of equipment, take a photo and add it to the records right away so nothing stays out of date.

When you’re a busy facility maintenance manager, timesaving tips can increase efficiency, save time, and let you focus on the most important aspects of your job.

New training on the standard for long-term care homes

The global pandemic has shone a light on the unique challenges in Canada’s long-term care (LTC) sector. Recognizing the important role of standards and the guidelines and best practices they provide, in May 2021, CSA Group and Health Standards Organization were called upon by the Standards Council of Canada to develop national standards for LTC homes. Following a 21-month development process, CSA Group has recently published the new standard CSA Z8004:22, Long-term care home operations and infection prevention and control, which aims to help create better and safer LTC homes.

What is covered in the Standard

While the Standard was developed by CSA Group members – experts from different areas representing various stakeholders, it was informed by insights and experiences of LTC homes residents, their families, communities, caregivers, and staff.

The CSA Z8004:22 standard is divided into clauses covering topics such as organizational commitments, operations of LTC homes, their design and building systems, including plumbing and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning, infection prevention and control (IPAC) in LTC homes, or information technology.

Focus on environmental services and IPAC

From the perspective of facility cleaning and maintenance, several sections of the standards include requirements and recommendations to help ensure LTC home premises provide a clean and sanitary environment for their residents, visitors, and staff. For example, LTC homes are guided to develop cleaning policies and procedures, pest control programs, internal and external maintenance of building components and systems or to engage transdisciplinary assessment teams on proper waste management operations.

One of the clauses of the standards is focused specifically on IPAC, encouraging LTC homes to develop and implement IPAC programs based on best practices, guidelines, and recommendations from national and international authorities and the scientific literature. The Standard guides LTC homes through the development and implementation of cleaning and disinfection policies and procedures, as well as the selection of cleaning and disinfection products. The Standard also addresses cleaning and disinfection of residents’ rooms, washrooms in LTC facilities, kitchen and dining areas, and equipment, as well as laundry services.

Helping stakeholders understand the requirements of the Standard

To help LTC homes administrators, staff, and other stakeholders better understand the requirements and recommendations of the Standard and how to apply them in day-to-day activities, CSA Group developed a set of online courses for:

Operations, Management, and Maintenance of Long-term Care Homes

This self-directed course helps participants gain a better understanding of the fundamental policies and procedures for the operations of LTC homes. It also highlights leading practices for transdisciplinary assessment teams and contingency planning in LTC settings.

Infection Prevention and Control in Long-term Care Homes

This instructor-led course discusses the fundamental concepts of IPAC in LTC homes and outlines cleaning and disinfection requirements and appropriate product selection and use. Participants can also learn how to utilize risk assessment methods to determine the hazards associated with LTC homes and the appropriate IPAC measures required to ensure staff and patient safety while balancing the right to live with risk.

Person-centred Care in Long-term Care Homes

This online course aims to help frontline workers, clinical and residential staff in LTC facilities, as well as caregivers and family members build positive relations within and outside of LTC homes and apply the principles of person-centered care in design, operations, and IPAC of LTC homes.

For more information on the new standard CSA Z8004 and training related to LTC homes, visit CSA Group’s website.

CSA Group always strives to provide up-to-date and accurate information. However, no representation or warranty, expressed or implied, is made that this information meets your specific needs, and any reliance on this information is at your own risk. Please contact CSA Group for more information about our services.

Key leadership change set for Allied Properties

Allied Properties REIT has announced the pending turnover of key leadership positions through its board renewal and succession plan. That will see the company’s founder, Michael Emory, step down as president and chief executive officer as of May 2, 2023.

Cecilia Williams, who has served as executive vice president and chief financial officer since 2015, will take on the REIT’s top role, while Emory becomes executive chair and continues in a fulltime capacity.

May 2 will also see Tom Burns, executive vice president and chief operating officer, step down to become a trustee and part-time consultant. Nanthini Mahalingam, the current senior vice president, finance and accounting, will be promoted to CFO.

Jennifer Tory will become lead trustee. Gordon Cunningham, trustee and chair, and Gerald Connor, trustee and chair of the audit committee, will both retire at the end of their terms.

The official changeover is to be implemented at the REIT’s annual general meeting.

“The Board established the parameters of this plan in 2019 and has worked steadily toward implementation since that time,” Cunningham says. “We’re highly confident in the evolution and development of the Allied team and in the team’s ability to manage Allied’s business into the future.”

Economists predict home prices could decline by 10 to 20%

A panel of 17 experts in Finder’s Bank of Canada interest rate forecast report foresee real estate prices trending downward throughout the year, with most believing there will be another 10 to 20 per cent decline from prices seen in November last year.

This past December, the Canadian Real Estate Association reported the average home price was $626,318, a year-over-year decline of more than 12 per cent. According to Finder’s panel of economists, the most effective action the Bank of Canada can take to improve housing affordability greatly depends on interest rates.

“[The Bank can] stay the course through tightened monetary policy in order to dampen inflation by reigning in interest-sensitive sectors like housing,” said Derek Holt, vice-president and head of capital markets economics at Scotiabank. “If it eases up too quickly, then house prices may rip higher again and damage affordability once more.”

“The only thing the Bank can do to help housing affordability is keep interest rates so high that it pushes some Canadian households to default on their mortgages…and other Canadian households into a fire sale as they cash out their remaining equity,” added Moshe Lander, a senior economics lecturer at Concordia University. “The solution to Canada’s “unaffordable” housing situation is looser zoning laws and that is a municipal issue not a provincial or federal issue, and certainly not a Bank issue.”

The Bank of Canada hiked the interest rate by 25 basis points on Monday. Over the next six months, all economists do not foresee another hike April, but 18 per cent project one in March, while 12 per cent see a hike coming in June.

Bryan Yu, chief economist lecturer at Central 1 Credit Union, anticipates a pause through 2023 “as higher rates curb economic performance and inflation.”

The majority of experts (78 per cent) anticipate that Canada would go into recession between now and 2025. One-third believe the country is currently in a recession, or on the verge of one in Q1 2023. Another 6 per cent expect a recession at the end of the year in Q4 2023, while 39 per cent believe a recession will come at some point in the near future.

“The downturn will create slack in the economy and help lower inflation back to the Bank’s 2 per cent target. After averaging 6.8 per cent in 2022, we expect inflation will fall to 3.8 per cent in 2023 and further to 2.3 per cent in 2024,” says Tony Stillo, director of Canada Economics, detailing a forecast Oxford Economics.

The full research report with further statistics and insights can be accessed here.

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