RCCAO starts podcast series to raise “awareness about vital issues”

Ontario Construction News staff writer

The Residential and Civil Construction Alliance of Ontario (RCCAO) says it has launched the first of nine podcasts, which the organization says are “aimed at raising awareness about vital issues that affect the building industry and society.”

The podcasts, entitled “Conversations About Construction,” cover topics related to the province’s residential and civil construction sectors. Dave Trafford, host of the Weekend Morning Show on Newstalk 1010 in Toronto, leads the half-hour discussions.

“We produced these podcasts to inform people about a cross-section of issues that pertain to the residential and civil construction sectors,” RCCAO executive director Andy Manahan said in a statement. 

“Sometimes critical issues are not addressed by the mainstream media, but they are important to ensure the long-term well-being of Ontarians. For example, one of the discussions sheds light on why tall mass timber buildings are a cost-effective method of construction which also has environmental benefits.”

The first podcast, entitled Hallway Medicine – Cures for a Pending Crisis, features StrategyCorp senior advisor Michael Fenn, former deputy minister for Ontario and founding CEO of the Mississauga Halton Local Health Integration Network, and RCCAO board chairman and builder/developer Phil Rubinoff discussing more practical ways to deal with overcrowding in hospitals.

Fenn is the author of the report “℞ to Cure Hallway Medicine: Building Targeted Housing for Ontario’s Seniors” that had been commissioned by the RCCAO. With Ontario experiencing crowded conditions in many hospitals, Fenn and Rubinoff discuss how building more seniors’ housing could alleviate that pressure.

“The coronavirus pandemic has reinforced the basic message in our report,” Fenn said. “Given the size of the Baby Boom generation, we need to find viable alternatives to relying on more long-term care and expanding hospitals. Investing in a wider range of housing options for seniors would be both good health care policy and good fiscal policy.”

RCCAO says it is an alliance of construction labour and management groups whose members build the homes, transportation networks and water systems that are of critical importance to the living standards of Ontario residents and businesses. 

“We have an excellent track record of working with governments of all political stripes and at all levels to help guide them towards innovative solutions to critical issues around Ontario’s infrastructure,” says Rubinoff. “Our approach is to have robust debates and to use evidence to guide decision-making.”

Eight more podcasts are scheduled to be released on a weekly basis on Mondays over the coming weeks. Here is the schedule:

  • July 6 – Talking Trades – How to Attract Young People into Construction: A look at how to get more young people into the trades.
  • July 13 – Infrastructure Ideas – Priorities for Ontario: What projects should the province be funding?
  • July 20 – Aggregate Reuse and Recycling: How to expand the reuse and recycling of aggregate.
  • July 27 – The Big Pipe – Project Plans for the Future: A look at proposed stormwater infrastructure projects.
  • Aug. 3 – Talking Toronto Transit: How did we get where we are and where should we be going?
  • Aug. 10 – Timber Talk: The benefits of mass timber.
  • Aug. 17 – Infrastructure Beyond Investment: How to kick-start the economy after COVID.
  • Aug. 24 – Sidewalk Labs – What’s Next?: What happened to the project and where do we go from here?

Click here to listen to the podcast or visit www.rccao.com.

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