Voices
Opinion: Are unions really evil?
by Rob BlackstienOur article in May about carpentry unions cracking down on the underground cash economy was the most commented upon Canadian Contractor post last year, and clearly, the discussion is not done yet. While many view unions as an agent of…
Opinion: We do not need the OCOT
by Rob BlackstienWhile RJ argued that the Ontario College of Trades (OCOT) was a necessary evil, there are others that are as pleased as can be that the government opted to wind down the agency. For instance, Rick Hjelholt offered the following…
Bathroom Reno Surprise
by Rob BlackstienOur 2012 article about ensuring you get paid rings timeline if the endless stream of comments that has ensued from it is any indication. For instance, Ottawa-based Laurent recently filed the following story. Anyone have any advice about how he…
RenoMark has its place
by Rob BlackstienA couple of weeks ago, we wrote about RenoMark, and asked Contractor Nation for its opinion on this program. We received a couple of interesting responses: Richard Northey offered up the following: “RenoMark has its place in large cities. In…
Do it without hesitation
by Rob BlackstienJust over a month ago, we published an article about the top 10 ROI projects you can do for your customers, according to Homestars. Mark Bernier recently offered the following comment in response: “The five listed come under ‘routine maintenance’…
CMHC is an enigma – here’s why
by canadiancontractorBy Casey Edge Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation is an enigma – a puzzling organization. It is in the business of insuring homebuyers’ mortgages that help fund research and affordable housing. Yet at a recent event, the Globe and Mail…
Inquiring minds want to know
by Rob BlackstienIn response to our recent article about the Phoenix contractor that was taken down and bloodied in a highway chase, Quest asked: “What kind of a contractor was he?” To which we responded: “According to the article, he ran a…
Staying in the office
by Rob BlackstienRecently, Canadian Contractor solicited the opinions of our RenoFocus alum from 2015 and 2016 to find out what they paid their project managers. Here’s one of the responses. For context, our PMs are responsible for project scheduling, sub/supplier bid solicitation…
Incentives for project managers
by Rob BlackstienRecently, Canadian Contractor solicited the opinions of our RenoFocus alum from 2015 and 2016 to find out what they paid their project managers. Here’s one of the responses, albeit an anonymous opinion. Our model is that our project managers (the…
I don’t fail at anything
by Rob BlackstienA couple of years ago, Steve Maxwell wrote an article about keeping outside water pipes from freezing, and like many of our advice pieces, there has been plenty of adding on from the professionals. Sam Trolinder recently responded to a…
You got a problem with that?
by Rob BlackstienWell, it may have been over five years since anyone jumped on our article about keeping a clean work site, but Greg recently piped in with the following statement — part agreement, part veiled threat. “You must keep a clean…
Opinion: Montreal can be carbon neutral by 2050
by Rob BlackstienEngineering firm believes Montreal could get there before Canada as a whole
The power of a bad seed
by Rob BlackstienIn case you missed the original article, here it is, but in essence, it’s about a Calgary contractor that has allegedly created a ton of chaos for a variety of clients, and is now facing charges by the city. What…
We finally found a hole in Giannis’ game
by Rob BlackstienAs those of you that follow the NBA know, there’s not a damn thing that Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo can’t do on the court. But it’s obvious, based on this news report, that picking the right contractor for a…
What to do with demanding people
by canadiancontractorSteve Barkhouse of Ottawa-based Amsted Design-Build wrote the following guest editorial in our most recent issue… I think many of us can relate to the comfort of working with the known, the reliable, the predictable, the controllable. It’s a great…
Does Mike Holmes have trades training?
by Rob BlackstienAfter reading our recent article about Mike Holmes’ column in which he finally admitted that maybe, possibly, conceivably, most contractors are actually good guys, Lorne Figley — AKA, the world’s oldest plumber — had some choice words: “Mike apparently never…
Free the Regulations
by Rob BlackstienIn response to Gene’s outrage over having to purchase the Building Code, Paul Denyer adds his two cents (for free!): “I completely agree all government regulations or those that are enforced by a quasi government agency like ESA should be available…
Building codes: Ottawa behaving like Beijing, he says
by canadiancontractorBuilding codes MUST become free, another sensible reader urges. Maybe we can get this done by sometime in the next century.