Voices
Canadian radio and TV contractor legend Shell Busey calls “BS” on Ontario College of Trades
by canadiancontractorWhatever happened to valuing “know-how learned from our teachers, parents and mentors,” old school Shell wants to know…
Full HVAC license versus gas fitters license: Veteran of 5-year apprenticeship defends Ontario College of Trades
by canadiancontractorSteve Brown argues that a simple gas license is nowhere near enough to do proper HVAC installations.
“Soft tax collectors”
by canadiancontractor“The MoL, MTO, OCOT, WSIB, etc. enforce unnecessary laws and regulations to insulate large, unionized corporations from smaller, hungrier, highly-skilled trades.”
Another veteran HVAC contractor feels his livelihood is under attack by Ontario College of Trades
by canadiancontractor“I learned the trade hands on, so I have my gas fitters ticket only… Now I am being threatened that I will get big fines… unless I hire 1-2 licensed guys
Would you spend $450,000 to buy project that may never go ahead?
by Steve PayneWell, the Trudeau government just spent $4.5-billion for the now-frozen (by the courts) Trans Mountain Pipeline Project
Which type of circ saw do you prefer: sidewinders or worm drives?
by canadiancontractorMark Bernier’s 1980s worm drive is still going strong. “It cuts rings around the little saws.”
More observations on Thermal Mass and ICFs
by canadiancontractorGreat comments on how ICFs work from residential energy-efficiency expert Harold Orr
The Inner Life of a Contractor, Part 1: Are you just molecules or more?
by Steve Maxwell“The extent to which you thrive or wither as a contractor ultimately comes down to who you are inside. Nobody talks much about this, but some of us think about it, at least from time to time.”
“Many consumers do more due diligence shopping for a $20 toaster than for a $200,000 renovation”
by canadiancontractorProbably because they buy multiple toasters during their lives and have less experience with renovations
Insulated building blocks: Cambridge, ON manufacturer has something really cool
by canadiancontractorBen Polley, one of Canada’s leading sustainable/green builders, gives us the lowdown on a Canadian-made insulated block option
What IS this mold-preventing product that Mike Holmes used?
by canadiancontractor“It was an all-in-one product to paint basement blocks to prevent mold.”
Comment on the contractor who got cash from homeowner’s wife – after homeowner refused to do cash deal
by canadiancontractor“There is SO much wrong with his scenario,” says veteran contractor Darryl Labay
I’m not paying you cash, he tells the contractor, firmly. So the contractor collects the cash from his wife while he’s out…
by canadiancontractorLeft hand didn’t know what the right hand was doing?
Apprenticeship ratio stupidity in Ontario: Comment number 5,033
by canadiancontractorWell, probably not five thousand comments, but it sure feels like it. So many young people want to work in the trades in Ontario but the ratios system prevents them.
Comments about the Alberta homeowner who won two judgments against fly-by-night ‘contractor’
by canadiancontractorA lesson to young contractors from a veteran: Listen To Your Gut!
Quebec, unions and construction ‘volunteers’
by canadiancontractor“Job sites without power tools… might be a good opportunity for positive community activism,” says Neil Damackine
Dispensing with GreenOn rebate program in Ontario, without a replacement plan, was unwise
by canadiancontractorWhatever you may think about the paperwork and bureaucracy of government subsidized renovation programs, they DO keep the cash operators out of the game
Why doesn’t Ottawa seek industry sponsors so that National Building Code can be FREE for EVERYONE to read?
by Steve PayneContractor Randy Elliott asks a good question: If the Criminal Code is available free online, why isn’t the National Building Code of Canada?