Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/1408886
Construction at Gilmour Place, Burnaby B.C. S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 1 | 43 Reinforcing Steel P H OTO G R A P H Y CO U RT E SY L M S G RO U P Reinforcing steel experts carefully tackle increasing prices and skilled labour shortage by ROBIN BRUNET T he post-pandemic development boom in so many areas across Canada requires enormous quantities of construction material, with reinforced concrete achieving prominence for all types of buildings, especially high-rises, due to its fast-track abilities, structural advantages, and cost savings. Unsurprisingly, the Reinforcing Steel Institute of Canada (RSIC) promotes rebar as the most efficient construction method and cites as examples everything from the York University TTC Subway Station (whose massive scale required enormous HSS steel hollowcore V columns reinforced with rebar, among other elements), to Ottawa's National Holocaust Monument, whose six walls with complex geometries required over 3,000 cubic metres of concrete and over 290 tonnes of custom detailed steel. But like any other material, rebar is only as effective as the skill with which it is employed, and that's why the RSIC continues to promote its First Edition of the Placing Reinforcing Bars guide, tailored for Canadian construction standards and full of forensic detail about unloading and storage, placing, splicing and tying, inspection, corrosion protection, and much more. As an accompaniment, the RSIC's Manual of Standard Practice has been prepared by the institute's technical division to reflect current codes, standards, and practices. Some rebar companies are providing education and training to newcomers too, none more successfully than LMS Reinforcing Steel Group, whose LMS Academy offers ongoing safety training for all personnel; entry level training for new hires; intermediate training; Red Seal Exam preparation; and special courses such as rigging and train-the-train for foreman, who are responsible for the development of their crews. Ron McNeil, CEO and co-founder of LMS, says of the academy, "We launched it three years ago and it's working out incredibly well under the expert guidance of Amanda Lucke. Ours is not the easiest profession from a physical viewpoint, and we've always believed that training and ongoing education is the key to people advancing their careers. Courses offered through our Academy coupled with the work on our sites ensure that apprentices are positioned for the success- ful achievement of their NAME designation." McNeil adds, "We promote from within, and our detailers, managers, and other leaders all began as raw recruits." This includes Lucke, who joined LMS in 2014 as an entry-level installer, pursued her Red Seal and NCSO designations, and progressed quickly from installer, to journeyman ironworker, to foreman. Recruiting new blood and career advancement is crucial, considering the sheer volume of new projects now underway. "We were fortunate to be in an industry mostly unaffected by COVID," says McNeil. "However, we've been hit hard by commodity price increases over the past six months, and the difference between our industry and lumber, which suffers similar increases, is that we commit to fixed price contracts of one year or longer – so it's a task to manage these increases that occur seemingly bi-weekly." Compensating somewhat for the prices is work volume. "In B.C. we're involved in several major projects," says McNeil. "On behalf of Onni we're work- ing on the multiple towers that comprise the Oakridge Centre redevelopment." McNeil is referring to the $1.5-billion reimagining of the famous Vancouver shopping mall as a 4.3-million square foot sustainable micro-community of retail, office, and residential space. Also, LMS is busy with Bosa's three-tower Dockside Green residential project in Victoria. "Additionally, we've also just gotten underway on the Pattullo Bridge replacement," says McNeil. The new $1.4-billion bridge will consist of two in- river piers, a single 170-metre tall suspension tower, and four wide travel lanes. In Alberta, Sherwood Steel is busy in Edmonton fabricating and installing rebar for a variety of projects, and Duane Kotun, director of administration, concedes that a 50 percent increase in steel prices since December of 2020 "has caused at least one project to go significantly over budget and stall." However, Kotun doesn't blame COVID exclusively for the price rises. "A per- fect storm of different factors is to blame," he says. "Input costs into steel is one, and less availability of scrap that goes into manufacturing is another. Also, last November Ottawa began levying tariffs on imported steel before the product even landed on our shores, and this has caused our mills to raise their prices due to the new benchmark." But the overall economic recovery is worth the hardship, as far as Kotun is concerned. "I suspect prices will peak at the end of this year, and some of the stalled projects will resume," he says. "In the meantime, while there aren't many big jobs out here yet, there are lots of smaller jobs whose developers have been better able to adjust to the high prices. For us, detailers setting up for doz- ens of small jobs is far more complicated than setting up for a few big ones, but it all works out in the end. Plus, we carry a significant amount of rebar, which will see us through plenty of jobs before we have to worry about restocking and at what price." The old adage that providing quality work will go a long way in enabling any company to prevail applies to A&H Steel, which maintains rigorous control standards and as-ordered supply and delivery on every job it undertakes. A&H also benefits from experienced in-house detailers and logistical planning with timelines that help developers keep within budget and deadline. One of A&H's more notable recent projects is the 400 West Georgia office tower in Vancouver, designed by the Japan's OSO and Merrick Architecture. Stand YOUR GROUND