Buying a pre-construction home is an exciting step that requires careful decision-making. It helps to know how your new home warranty protects your purchase.

Choosing a newly-built house or condo as your first home can be a good way to avoid bidding wars and to personalize your home with finishes that suit your style. In Ontario, new homes are protected by a warranty that’s provided by the builder and backstopped by Tarion, a not-for-profit consumer protection organization.

Here are five key protections that your warranty provides:

Your deposit

Freehold home deposits (including upgrades and extras) are covered for up to $60,000 on homes with a purchase price of $600,000 or less, and up to $100,000 on homes over $600,000. Condo deposits are protected under Ontario’s Condominium Act and have warranty coverage up to $20,000.

Delayed closing

Delays to your closing or occupancy date can lead to extra storage or moving costs. Your warranty ensures that you’ll be compensated if your builder provides short notice of a delay, or if the delay extends beyond a certain date.

Unauthorized substitutions

In most cases, the builder is required to get your written approval before substituting any interior or exterior finishes that the builder has agreed to provide. If changes are made without your consent, the builder is required to provide either your original selections or a cash settlement.

Defects in your home

Your home comes with one-, two-, and seven-year warranties for a total of $300,000 of warranty coverage for work and materials, Ontario Building Code violations, structural defects, and more.

Condominium common elements

When you buy a condo, there are separate warranties for your unit and the building’s shared areas, known as common elements. Tarion’s website provides a full breakdown of what’s covered.

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The Solstex^® Solar Façade System enables building owners to generate clean energy, save on electricity costs, and provide community benefits.

We tend to think of traditional solar systems as ground mounted or rooftop mounted projects. However, there’s an argument to be made for integrating them with building facades. “If you’re looking at a high-rise building, for example, you have more opportunity to put solar panels on a façade than you do on the rooftop just due to space constraints,” says Hugh Lowry, Special Projects Engineer at Elemex Architectural Façade Systems, a London, Ontario based company specializing in photovoltaic façade systems.

Solar facades can bring economic, environmental, and community paybacks to a project. They yield cost savings and a return on investment by capturing and turning solar rays into clean energy in the building space. “Along with that, you’re offsetting the possible carbon emissions and providing a benefit to both the environment and the surrounding community,” says Lowry.

While using standard shapes, sizes, and colours is the most economical way to build a solar wall, there may be the odd finicky corner or tricky area that requires something more flexible and customizable. That’s one important consideration when looking into solar facades. Another is the fact that here in the northern hemisphere the south-facing walls are more economical than north-facing walls.

Solstex^® building-integrated photovoltaic façade system offers economical, custom solutions

Elemex’s Solstex^® building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) façade system lets designers and architects incorporate lightweight, large format panels onto a façade and is ideal for new construction and retrofits. The panel surface resembles black glass and integrates well with other surfaces like aluminium plates, sintered ceramic, and natural stone, and works seamlessly with the entire family of Elemex^® façade systems using our Unity^® Attachment Technology.

Solstex^® façade systems are also built to withstand the harshest elements and will soon be available in a new array of coloured panels to include dark grey, light grey, bluish-green, bronze, brass, gold, and orange.  

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Community health care services and innovation are urgently needed in Canada, especially as the pandemic persists. Our federal government aims to double the size of the health and biosciences sector and become a top-three global hub by 2025.

To this end, the City of Vaughan is creating a health innovation hub, anchored by Canada’s first smart hospital. The Vaughan Healthcare Centre Precinct (VHCP) is a ground-breaking public-private partnership between the City of Vaughan, Mackenzie Health, ventureLAB, and York University designed to improve the health and health care of citizens in the York Region and GTA through research and innovations in public policy, services, technology, clinical practices, processes, and treatments, and to train the next generation of world-class health professionals.

A smart hospital for the future

The $1.7 billion Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital opened in July 2021, marking the first new hospital to open in Ontario in over 30 years and the first hospital in Vaughan. The hospital is vital as an anchor for the VHCP’s development of the remaining lands.

“The remarkable technological innovations make this hospital stand apart from the rest,” says Vaughan Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua. “It’ll generate over 1,000 jobs in the community and has the ability to adapt over time as new technologies and industry standards emerge.”

The hospital is home to specialized programs including Mackenzie Health’s Woman and Child and Inpatient Mental Health programs and the Inpatient Integrated Stroke unit. It also offers a full-service emergency department, core services such as critical care and medicine, modern surgical services, and advanced diagnostic imaging capabilities.

“Through fully integrated systems and medical technology that share information, we are ultimately improving the patient experience to provide the best possible care to our patients,” says Mackenzie Health President and CEO Altaf Stationwala.

The VCHP represents an unprecedented partnership that will transform health care delivery for Ontarians while developing talent, increasing jobs, and powering economic prosperity.

The next generation of health talent

In May 2021, it was announced that partner York University is moving forward with plans to establish a School of Medicine, which will be an important part of the VHCP project.

As a research-intensive university, York is also home to centres of research excellence in global health, healthy aging, muscle health, anti-microbial resistance, disease modelling, health informatics, vision research, neuroscience, data visualization and advanced robotics, among others.

“York University has long been committed to establishing a community-focused medical school to help address Ontario’s unmet health care needs,” says Rhonda Lenton, President and Vice-Chancellor of York University. “We look forward to continuing to build on our partnership with the City of Vaughan and our collaboration on the VHCP to expand access to modern medical education that considers the social and economic determinants of health to enhance prevention and rehabilitation.”

Entrepreneurs create transformative solutions for health care

Commercialization partner ventureLAB is a leading global founder community for hardware technology and enterprise software startups and scaleups. Its growth-oriented initiatives focus on raising capital, commercializing technology and IP, talent retention, and customer acquisition, enabling founders to scale quickly.

Through the VHCP, ventureLAB will leverage the success of its Hardware Catalyst Initiative to enable founders to build innovative medtech solutions. “Vaughan is a leader in health care innovation,” says Melissa Chee, ventureLAB’s President and CEO. “We look forward to working with scale-ready tech founders building a new generation of anchor Canadian companies with transformational hardware and enterprise solutions.”

Innovation York, York University’s innovation unit, will also partner with ventureLAB to foster collaborative innovation and entrepreneurship opportunities in Vaughan.

The VCHP represents an unprecedented partnership that will transform health care delivery for Ontarians while developing talent, increasing jobs, and powering economic prosperity.

The post Vaughan Emerges as an Epicentre of Health Care Excellence in Canada appeared first on HiveInnovates.

The momentum in Markham continues to build as it stakes its claim as a leading hub for high-tech innovation. Located in York Region at the heart of the Greater Toronto Area, Markham is Canada’s most diverse city and is home to Canada’s second-largest tech­nology cluster with more than 650 corporate head offices, 1,500-plus high-tech and life science companies and 240 international companies. With that success, and its sterling reputation as a business-friendly city as a foundation, plans are underway to grow with a renewed vision of what’s next.

What’s in the MiX?

The Markham Innovation Exchange (also called MiX) will play a key role in that future. It will be Ontario’s first innovation cluster connecting the dots between knowledge and production centres of varying scales all in the same place. It’s unlike any other industrial park in the country because of its expansive size (1,920 acres), scope and location in the core of Canada’s biggest economic region.

Despite pressure to use these lands for residential housing and other commercial uses, the City of Markham, is committed to fostering and attracting high-quality businesses. By staying true to its original vision, it will attract essential, high-value employment to the area.

A project like MiX has never been more important. As Canada leans into COVID recovery, it’s clear that gaps in the supply chain were exacerbated during the pandemic and need to be solved now. The MiX is part of the solution, as Joe Berridge, a highly regarded urban planner and partner with Urban Strategies Inc., confirmed in his July 2021 presentation, Where Innovation Is Realized. In it, he revisited Markham’s initial objectives and shared his findings before Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti and City Council.

To ensure the MiX meets real-world innovation needs, more than 30 key innovation leaders were consulted, including those from sectors such as information and communications technology, automotive, medtech, real estate, , academia, and accelerators. “Based on the feedback, we confirmed the validity of the MiX concept and that it was indeed necessary,” Berridge concluded. “It’s an extremely viable project for Markham to undertake, based on the broad support from the sectors we canvassed about the need for a new tech district.” 

He also added that market conditions for the MiX are more favourable now than a few years ago. He asserted that the MiX not only plays a critical role for Markham but for the province, too. Mayor Scarpitti agrees and adds: “I actually think this is a Canadian play. The fact that we are seen in such high regard in relations to political stability, corporate reputation, all the ingredients and the companies that are here. This positions us well not only just locally and provincially, but for Canada.”

Future-proofing development and innovation

It’s clear the MiX can optimize Markham’s established innovation and tech ecosystem to create critical mass innovation. Made-in-Ontario productions can be supported where businesses can scale up quickly and test domestically to shore up supply chains. Here, modern facilities and innovation are designed to enhance connections, allowing like-minded disruptors to collaborate serving as a living laboratory to help ideas take flight.

Looking further ahead, Markham has struck an interdepartmental team to advance the MiX and its staff will report back to the committee on the next steps in fall 2021. It will also look at leveraging the green elements as an asset to attract impact-focused firms and sustainability as part of corporate policies, along with green energy zones that could be developed in the future. In Markham, the quest for innovation never rests.

The post Markham’s Innovation District Set to Expand Its Leadership Position Globally appeared first on HiveInnovates.

Why is sustainability important to you as a carpenter and renovator?

As a carpenter, a contractor, and someone who has a great appreciation for the environment, sustainability is extremely important to me. I see a lot of waste in my industry. From houses being poorly built to furniture being cheaply made and not built to last, I see a lot of “flavour of the year” attitude. Too many people get caught up in current trends that fade and then want to grab on to the next one, thinking of building material as disposable. We need to start thinking more in terms of longevity and sustainability. We have the knowledge and ability to build healthy homes that last longer, but a lot of people only focus on the finishes of their home. As someone who appreciates the outdoors and has seen a change in the state of the environment in my lifetime, it’s integral that we start thinking more sustainably.

What advice would you give to woodworkers who are looking to be more sustainable?

To any woodworker who wants to be more sustainable, I’d suggest trying to upcycle materials where you can. If you see a tree that has recently died, consider having it milled up and dried by a local sawmill. If you can keep your shopping for wood locally, support your local trades, and follow the natural life cycle of trees around you, you’ll certainly be a part of a greater impact.

What steps can people take to be more environmentally conscious when renovating their homes?

The most environmentally-conscious thing you can do when renovating your home is to work from the outside in. If you build an energy-efficient home that won’t mould and is structurally sound with proper mechanical, then you won’t have to renovate it as much over the years. The idea is to build a home that you can be born in, grow old in, and pass on to the next generation. Another thing we need to do is steer away from design trends and put some thought into a design that you want to live in for a longer period of time. Paint is easy to change, but when you start getting into moving walls, mechanical, and cabinets, then you get into a lot more waste and money.

Why do you believe it is so important to support sustainable Canadian wood and forestry?

We need to think sustainably in everything we do. As our population continues to grow, we require more resources from the earth. When we start to take more than the earth can reproduce, then we have a real problem. Personally, I think we’re already past that point, which is why I think it’s even more essential that we think sustainably in everything we do.

The post Mike Holmes Jr.’s Advice on Sustainable Construction and Renovations appeared first on HiveInnovates.

Alison Carden

North American Practice Director, Digital Citizen Experience, GHD Digital

Data is often the key to making smart and effective decisions for projects. But understanding all the data available can be difficult for many organizations. It’s about knowing the right data points to make the most effective decisions.

“Clients need actionable insights from their data. Recent advances in data science and digital technology enable us to draw accurate and relevant conclusions,” says Nipa Basu, Global Practice Director, Digital Intelligence, GHD Digital. “We can collect and digitize data, potentially build or customize an existing platform to optimize resource allocation, track and mitigate cost overruns, and even calculate and predict ROI accurately. It’s about insight-based decision making and benefiting from the correct decisions.”

It’s about insight-based decision making and benefiting from the correct decisions.

Through business and location intelligence, for example, GHD Digital can create city-wide visualizations, conceptualize zoning and land use updates, and assess the impact of new infrastructure projects. Using scenario analyses or predictive cost modelling, budgets can be built with fewer uncertainties. Project teams might also be able to construct their assets digitally using Building Information Modelling (BIM) and other tools to understand specific components. With each data-driven insight, infrastructure cost prediction improves throughout the entire lifecycle.

Finally, communicating with impacted communities is a crucial part of any infrastructure project but is often overlooked. Citizens expect the same level of service they receive from other industries and infrastructure project owners need to find new ways to connect with their communities.

GHD Digital’s Digital Citizen Experience team works with municipalities, police and private sector clients to build digital communication channels and help connect them with their stakeholders, save money, and ultimately be more effective in their operations. GHD Digital recently worked with a large Southeastern Ontario municipality to completely rethink how they make city services available to citizens. Through a customer service portal, they can now offer all their services online while also understanding how citizens engage and interact with municipal-led projects on a completely new scale.

“Adopting a digital-first mindset, leveraging data to provide actionable insights and putting the citizen experience first will make a huge difference to Canada’s infrastructure,” says Ali Carden, North American Practice Director, Digital Citizen Experience, GHD Digital. “We can use digital technologies to completely reinvent how we understand important projects, big or small.”

The post How Data-Driven Strategies Are Pushing Innovation appeared first on HiveInnovates.

David Fox

Principal, Entuitive

Entuitive’s work begins with design and continues through construction, maintenance, and renewal. We work with contractors and owners to ensure the best balance of constructability, cost, and performance requirements. By integrating temporary works into permanent structure design, a host of efficiencies can be unlocked that otherwise wouldn’t have been possible.

Integrating construction engineering with permanent structure design exemplifies our philosophy of continuously seeking to provide additional value to our clients. By integrating the temporary works into the permanent structure, we can find efficiencies in the lengthy construction process, eliminate the need to do things twice, reduce materials, and ensure the design is constructible.

The value in integrating construction engineering with permanent structure design

Depending on the delivery model, such as design-build or public-private partnership, it’s often possible to integrate temporary works into permanent structure design, thereby saving time and money and creating a safer construction sequence. By engaging our team early in the project process, contractors and owners gain the benefit of having their construction sequence accommodated in the structural design. When we know how contractors intend to construct a structure, we can collaborate with them to identify opportunities for efficiencies that will enable them to complete their work on time and on budget. We don’t believe in “setting it and forgetting it.” We work with contractors throughout the process, collaborating with them every step of the way, asking questions, and listening to the answers.

We don’t believe in ‘setting it and forgetting it’. We work with contractors throughout the process, collaborating with them every step of the way, asking questions, and listening to the answers.

What does this approach look like?

An example would be designing a base structure to account for temporary loading, such as construction traffic or equipment. By understanding how the contractor is going to complete their work, we can build that capacity into the base design, eliminating the need for and cost of temporarily shoring the slab if that’s the cost-effective option. Similarly, if we know that the contractor is going to use a tower crane or material hoist restraint, we can design space in the base build to accommodate this connection, ultimately saving time and money. Both Calgary’s New Central Library and Platform Innovation Centre and Parkade, for example, were constructed directly overtop an active light rail transit line. The design of the building required an innovative sequence of construction considerations to enable the installation of very heavy long-span structural elements across the corridor. Both projects had their unique challenges, but one thing in common was the constructability sequencing and temporary bracing elements that were incorporated in the building design. Other examples of this work include New York’s Manhattan West Platform and the Finch LRT in Toronto. If you’re interested in learning more about our projects, or how Entuitive can support contractors, reach out to Stephen Brown or David Fox.

The post Our 1+1=3 Approach to Construction Engineering and Permanent Structure Design appeared first on HiveInnovates.

Investing in well-designed, constructed, and maintained infrastructure that meets the needs of today — and is resilient enough to meet the challenges of tomorrow — has never been of greater importance.

The events of the past 18 months, from the devastation of the pandemic to the extreme heat, wildfires, and flooding caused by climate change, have amply demonstrated that waiting to repair, upgrade, or build new infrastructure is a recipe for disaster, causing greater economic and social hardships for governments and citizens alike over the long term.

Investing in infrastructure is also a proven way to quickly jumpstart economic activity and to enable greater opportunities for job and economic growth in the future to ensure our communities thrive.

Approaching infrastructure with a mindset open to innovation, like in a P3 project, can also lead to amazing results that benefit the public.

Across Canada, governments at all levels have responded to this crisis with commitments to invest tens of billions of dollars in critical infrastructure projects, from new hospitals and long-term care homes to transformative urban transit, innovative energy, and high-speed internet access for Canadians in communities large and small.

But beyond helping governments achieve their ambitious goals to get shovels in the ground quickly, we also need to examine how we can better harness cutting-edge technology, embed inclusiveness and diversity, and think sustainably in our projects.

A big part of this is considering how to stretch taxpayer dollars further given mounting government deficits and a lack of public appetite for increased taxes, and how to install more rigour in understanding, planning, and budgeting for life cycle maintenance of our infrastructure so it can reliably function for decades to come.

The public-private partnership (P3) approach is particularly well-positioned to rise to the challenge. A significant portion of the infrastructure built in Canada over the past 30 years has been through the country’s globally-recognized P3 model. These partnerships, which most often involve long-term private investment, fuel government procurement efficiency, enabling better use of public funds. Research has also shown that, when used for the appropriate projects, they’re less likely to suffer cost and schedule overruns because of increased accountability and oversight.

Approaching infrastructure with a mindset open to innovation, like in a P3 project, can also lead to amazing results that benefit the public. This includes such things as innovative financing, using drones and robotics, different building materials, and greener technology. Already as a result of the pandemic, infrastructure experts are looking at how to integrate new solutions and flexibility into building hospitals, for example, to make the Canadian health care system more resilient and adaptable in future pandemics. The investments — and innovations — we make now will have a profound impact on enabling the future of Canadian communities from coast to coast to coast to thrive and prosper.

This article was sponsored by The Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships (CCPPP).

The post Canada Has the Will, Talent to Build More Innovative Infrastructure appeared first on HiveInnovates.

Where collaboration meets innovation

Founded in 1926, Graham Construction is one of Canada’s most experienced construction companies and a leader in innovative infrastructure development. “Innovation and collaboration are at the center of how we operate — we have a true partner culture,” says Cecil Dawe, Graham’s Executive Vice President of Industrial and Infrastructure. “We recruit, train, and develop our people to foster a collaborative environment. This results in more successful project outcomes for Graham and our clients, and for all stakeholders.” 

Graham invests in its people through purpose-built learning and development programs that strengthen employees’ commitment to Graham’s culture and core values. These internally-developed programs ensure the business has highly qualified and progressive project teams and is part of Graham’s long-term devotion to innovation, collaboration, and future industry leaders.

This approach generates innovative solutions to complex challenges. During the recent Groat Road Bridge Rehabilitation project in Edmonton, Graham worked closely with its engineering partner to develop a unique overhead gantry crane system to revitalize the 70-year-old bridge. This enabled the structure to remain open to traffic throughout construction while protecting the marine habitat in the river below. Despite its aggressive schedule, the project was successfully delivered on time.

“Innovation is not new to Graham, it’s something we do daily,” says Tom Cole, Graham’s Vice President of Infrastructure in Western Canada. “Our clients recognize and appreciate our abilities to collaborate and innovate, to meet the needs of demanding projects.”

Collaborative contract models are reshaping the industry

Graham is an advocate for more collaborative contracting models. These efforts have included discussions with national and provincial construction associations and meetings with capital project staff at over 80 provincial and municipal governments. Graham provides clients with suggestions for improved public procurement of infrastructure projects, from a constructor’s point of view. This includes recommendations for optimizing Canada’s standard model for P3 (public-private partnership) projects.

“Innovation should never be an afterthought,” says Cole. “We believe collaboration is essential in the early stages of a project because that’s when we discover where everyone’s strengths are, and therefore able to develop innovative solutions together.”

Graham endorses early contractor involvement because it allows for optimal designs to emerge, and early planning to de-risk the construction phase before building commences. Putting these project partners together early in a project’s lifecycle, allows that fusion of knowledge and experience to generate impressive results.

Graham’s track record of collaborative project delivery is extensive. In 2013, the company began working on the first project in Canada to leverage the integrated project delivery model — the Dr. F.H. Wigmore Regional Hospital in Saskatchewan — and is currently working on the first progressive design-build contracts in Canada at the Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Plant also in Saskatchewan and the Stuart Lake Hospital Redevelopment (BC). Graham partners closely with its clients, designers, sub-contractors, suppliers, Indigenous communities, and all other stakeholders involved in a project.

Ongoing innovation in technology

“In addition to hiring and developing our people to be collaborators and innovators, we also invest in technology to give our people great tools and systems to help them manage projects,” says Matt Gramblicka, Vice President of Information Technology and Enterprise Applications at Graham.

Graham is currently investing $20 million to integrate industry-leading software into its existing project management system, ensuring project stakeholders have the most recent iteration of technology at their disposal.

This continual investment in improving on-site technology, in combination with its recruitment and training programs, true partner approach, and leadership in emerging contracting models, has positioned Graham as the contractor of choice for clients across Canada. Graham is delivering the solutions to successfully build and replace Canada’s infrastructure.

The post Innovating from Within to Deliver Canada’s Infrastructure appeared first on HiveInnovates.

Start with green thinking

Morrison Hershfield believes that creative green design at the outset of a project is good for the environment and can create significant operational efficiencies for owners and operators. Edmonton Transit Service’s (ETS) Centennial Garage, for example, is a LEED Silver-certified state-of-the-art transit facility that delivered on ambitious energy efficiency goals, showcasing the firm’s sustainable design capabilities and resulting in streamlined operations and energy savings for their client.

The energy-efficient building envelope minimizes thermal loss and capitalizes on alternate power sources, such as a solar wall to preheat make-up air. The design and engineering features lean heavily on the use of natural light and high-tech systems, which has led to increased productivity and a reduction in reported absenteeism. In short, employees want to work here.

Designing with the community in mind

It’s good business to support the communities in which organizations, such as transit providers, operate. Transit facilities are industrial in nature, operate 24/7 and occupy significant acreage. Due to their potential impact on surrounding communities and the environment, early and active community engagement is needed to address concerns related to new transit facility infrastructure investments.

Morrison Hershfield worked with the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) on the design and build of the McNicoll Bus Garage. This facility was built to Toronto Green Standard requirements and has set a benchmark for future TTC facilities. The primary goals of the project were to develop a community-sensitive and energy-efficient design. Community input impacted the facility’s striking design and site landscaping and contributed to alleviating additional concerns like traffic, air quality, noise, and vibration.

An underground stormwater retention system was built on-site to retain up to three million litres of water, reducing the strain on local municipal infrastructure. The building boasts the largest green roof in Toronto, and the low-maintenance landscaping includes over 350 planted trees and a preserved, historically significant Vimy Oak. The facility’s strategic location reduces the distance buses travel for maintenance and storage, resulting in operational efficiencies and reduced emissions.

The future of transportation is now

Governments and transit authorities across Canada are committed to zero-emission strategies and the electrification of bus fleets. The Edmonton Transit Service’s 40 electric buses were one of the largest purchases of electric buses in Canada. Electrification of our transportation system will reap significant benefits. Each traditional bus replaced with an electric bus produces 40 percent less greenhouse gas emissions and reduces maintenance costs by 30 percent.

To accommodate the future of public transit, Morrison Hershfield worked with ETS to develop innovative in-depot overhead charging stations, the largest of its kind in Canada. These stations provide a quicker charge, which, combined with the buses’ larger charge storage capacity, means customers can enjoy a better experience with fewer stops to recharge.

The move to the electrification of transportation fleets is an ever-present reality in the world of public transportation — with forward-thinking solutions and expert advice, the transition from diesel to electric is an attainable and realistic next step for transportation systems in Canada.

With forward-thinking solutions and expert advice, the transition from diesel to electric is an attainable and realistic next step for transportation systems in Canada.

As a leader in the transportation industry, Morrison Hershfield seeks to advance public transportation. Don’t miss an opportunity to learn, connect and share ideas with other transit industry professionals during Morrison Hershfield’s interactive Transit Facilities Webinar series.

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