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Construction at St. Paul's Hospital, Vancouver, B.C. 36 | S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 2 Reinforcing Steel and after a week they ask to be dispatched elsewhere. We at A&H spend a lot of time and effort training to develop a good workforce, and we have 150 people in the field on the placing side alone, so the sooner labour disputes end – or are averted – the better." A&H just signed a contract to supply and install rebar for Lake City Way in Burnaby: construction on this new film and production studio campus, said to be the largest such facility in Canada, will commence later this year. "We're also involved in the construction of the new St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver, which is massive, as well as Sanderson Way in Burnaby, which is an expansion of the Electronic Arts campus on 13 acres." Like his colleagues, van Emmenis prefers to maintain an optimistic outlook. "Yes, recruitment is challenging, and the steel prices are painful. But I honestly think cir- cumstances will change for the better. Plus, our order book is full up until the third quarter of next year, so we can't complain about that." In many cases, rebar is being used in projects that would have been rare just decades ago, case in point: AGF Group is enjoying enormous success with wind farm projects in Alberta, with roughly 300 farms in its backlog for 2022. AGF reports that for the Jenner Wind Power Project alone, 55 wind turbines have been built thanks to its teams; 15 out of 55 bases have been built, and 3,628 MT of 500W rebar will have been used when the project is completed next June. AGF is also currently helping to develop The Confederation Line West, one of three major extensions to Ottawa's Light Rail System. The project consists of install- ing covered tunnels for about 15 kilometres of rails and is expected to be completed by next summer. Meanwhile, AGF continues to expand its geographical presence around the globe: in May of this year it opened AGF Aceros de Chile, a plant that has a monthly capacity of up to 3,000 tonnes and was designed to offer customers a full supply service, industrial fabrication, and on-site rebar installation. While keenly appreciating rising costs and other impediments to the smooth flow of business, Anthony El-Araj, principal and project manager at Glotman Simpson with over 20 years of structural design experience, points out that the private sector is still strong. "In Vancouver, Toronto, and even Calgary, the condo market is robust, translating into lots of work for the rebar industry. It's yet to be seen what impact interest rates and external pressures will have on that market, but now, the construction sector is extremely busy." El-Araj views challenges as resulting in positive outcomes. "Lately, because of volatility and increased costs of materials, owners are becom- ing far more cost-conscious, and that results in a far simpler building as far as structure goes." Glotman Simpson of late is excited about the push for mass timber projects in B.C. and elsewhere and believes that permitting challenges notwithstand- ing, proposals for 12-storey buildings and higher will grow. "And even that market will require rebar. These buildings still sit on concrete foundations, often with concrete cores and below-grade concrete park- ing, basement, and podium structures," he says. As always, innovation helps maintain a healthy market. El-Araj explains, "10 years ago, it was rare, but in the past few years we've seen the use of higher- grade reinforcing steel, from 400 to 500 grade, which reduces the amount of rebar required for a project, diminishes transportation, crane time, and construction cycles, as well as provides flexibility against supply chain problems and material costs." El-Araj also cites the increasing use of mechanical couplers, which potentially results in fewer materials required for a job. "These couplers are a great alterna- tive to lapping the bars, particularly in congested regions. The rebar can be used more effectively, and with higher density," he says. A P H OTO G R A P H Y CO U RT E S Y A& H S T EEL WE ELEVATE PEOPLE At A&H Steel we've been meeting the needs of the construction industry in western Canada for over 50 years. From estimating to detailing, fabrication and placement, it's our people that set us apart. Visit ah-steel.com/work-with-us/ to see if your strengths align with ours. AH-STEEL.COM

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