b'RCABC UPDATEFor reasons ranging from COVID-19 to backlogs due to late summer fires at the Port of Vancouver (pictured), supply shortages have been a challenge for the roofing industry in recent months.INDUSTRY UPDATEGiven the challenges to supply chains across North America, RCABC has developed this industry update to help building owners and the design community understand how shortages and delays in procurement are impacting our industry. Ifyou have questions, please call your contact at RCABC for more details and to determine options that may be BRYAN WALLNER Chief Executive Officer,available on projects impacted by material shortages.RCABCR oofing in British Columbia is facing unprec- enclosure(envelope).Butthoseshortages,like edented shortages in materials that directlyothers, eventually find their roots in a global supply impactallprojectsdeliveredbyRCABCissueforresins,steel,fibreglass,polymers,and member companies. This Industry Update bulletinother basic ingredients that most roofing materials is issued to help our members and their customersare either fabricated from or incorporate as a key understand the reasons for shortages, and to adaptcomponent in the final product.totheever-changinglandscapeofsupplyandIn 2020, hints of an impending material shortage demand. droveupcertaincosts,suchaslumber.The The issue of material supply is not unique toCOVID-19 virus pandemic lay at the root of short-Canada. Roofing contractors in the United Statesages, in part because mills closed in response to and elsewhere are also scrambling to source spec- public health orders, or because employees became ifiedmaterialsordevisesubstituteassembliestoill. At the same time, a sudden rise in consumer meet their obligations and customer expectations.interest in home renovations drove up demand for Some of the material shortage issues are driven bynearly every building material as homeowners with a higher demand for certain materials, such as rigidtime on their hands turned to home improvements panelinsulation;thepushtobuildthickerinsu- andexpansion.Furtherpublicsectorprojects, lation assemblies is largely a result of changes totendered to take advantage of available stimulus the British Columbia Building Code, which nowspending by governments, taxed the inventory of emphasizes an air-tight, thermally efficient buildingconstruction materials, including roofing products.10lROOFINGBC l FALL 2021'