THE INCOMING PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT, THE POTENTIAL impact of international competitors, the need to address looming labour shortages, and the arrival of new tech- nologies were among the many topics on everyone’s mind at a recent seminar organized by the Young Construction Leaders (YCL). Titled The Present and Future of Construction, the well-attended roundtable took place October 31 at Toronto’s Globe and Mail Centre. In trying to look into the future of construction in Toronto, the first thought on everyone’s mind was the recent switch in the provincial leader- ship, and it was this topic that started things off at the morning seminar. “The most obvious question is the new govern- ment and where they’re going,” said panelist John McKendrick, executive vice president of project delivery with Infrastructure Ontario. “So far, the signs are quite good.” YCL SEMINAR ON THE CUSP OF CHANGE A YCL seminar looks at the present and future of construction in Ontario McKendrick pointed to the govern- ment’s continuing support for projects like OPP Modernization, which involves the construction of 27 new Ontario Provincial Police detachments, and the Orléans Health Hub, a 96,000-square- foot facility in eastern Ontario, as positive indicators. He noted, however, that “we’re now talking P3s (public-private partnerships) instead of AFPs (alterna- tive financing and procurement).” Fellow participant Jenny Coco, CEO of the Coco Group, predicted more interest in vertical rather than horizontal projects, while Geoff Smith, president and CEO of EllisDon, said he expects fewer projects coming out of Infrastruc- ture Ontario, with “maybe some bumps in the road.” As for the potential for significant competition from global players, panel- ists reassured everyone, explaining that the strong Canadian talent pool provides the local industry with a definite advantage. “About 15 years ago, all the multinationals came in, and what we found was that the Canadians could compete very well against them,” said Smith. “Now the internationals still want to play in this market, but they don’t want to compete – they want to buy.” McKendrick commented that there are also downsides to global companies coming into a new market they have never operated in, especially when they fail to do their research to understand how things function. “Some of the worst projects I’ve had to live through were with multinational corporations that couldn’t deliver,” said McKendrick. “Even if you’re from Western Canada coming into Ontario: get ready; it’s not the same!” Another area of concern is the province’s ongoing labour shortage, BY SARAH B. HOOD 24 | Builders' Digest Quarter 4 2018