BC Ready Mixed Concrete Association (BCRMCA) represents diverse interests as it advocates for balanced building materials policies Canadian Design and Construction Report special feature is growing its campus.” He says lower mainland region communities are ex- The BC Ready Mixed Concrete Association's periencing strong growth but in a very competitive mar- (BCRMCA) 129 members represent a diversity of busi- ket. Companies are busier but at the same time, not nesses and regional interests, supported by the associ- making money as they once did. He notes high-rise de- ation's 17-member board of directors. velopment around the former Olympic Vil- Together, they are taking on challenges includ- lage in Vancouver. This intensification is also ing environmental certification standards and obvious along the Cambie Line linking Rich- intensive lobbying against policies such as mond to the city centre. Wood First. Meanwhile, “in south Surrey the con- Association president Charles Kelly says struction of an office complex on top of a the board includes ready mix and cement in- shopping centre has created a stunning dustries as well as supplier group representa- building and the Surrey Library is the most tives. It also recognizes the province's cultural, imaginative use of concrete I’ve seen,” Kelly political and economic diversities through re- says. The new Surrey City Hall is now com- gional representation. pleted and work has started on a 51 storey Across Canada and in BC especially, mar- Charles Kelly hotel/office and condo project. keting campaigns like Wood First have made While other industries are experiencing headlines. Kelly says the province was responding to a labour shortages, Kelly says the BC concrete industry's wood industry that was in a major slump. labour market is relatively healthy. “People seem to get He says the wood industry campaign has been more into this industry and stay. We have a bit of an aging about demonstrating empathy than changing domestic workforce because people love what they do and stay markets. “Circumstances have changed and the North as long as they can.” American demand for wood is growing and the industry He says enough young people are interested in ca- and the province have done a good job of growing Asian reers to replace retirees and the association has not markets.” needed to go to great lengths to attract new employees. Kelly says the time has come to re-evaluate these The association has put effort into EPDs (environmen- policies and priorities. tal product declarations). Similar to a nutrient label, it “We took a leadership role, along with other materials quantifies the environmental impact of a product. Kelly industry segments at the Converge Conference in Octo- says these will provide greater transparency and will ber. We want to change the conversation about material meet the requirements of LEED v4 which should be ap- choices, as we share common goals about achieving a proved by the Canadian Green Building Council later this more sustainable built environment,” he says. year. Kelly says industry needs to realize that engineers, “The challenge in meeting these new information re- contractors and designers choose the best material quirements is organizing to find ways to help the smaller combinations for durability and energy efficiencies and producers achieve these requirements, which cus- the goal is finding out what materials have in common tomers will be asking for,” Kelly says. and how they can best work together. The association has led the country in developing a “The construction sector is so segmented,” he says. concrete pump safety program, with about 400 pump “There are 184 organizations in BC alone working to rep- operators receiving safety training. “We are also working resent the interests of some segment of the construc- on innovative approaches to achieve operating compe- tion industry. Things are changing. Materials today are tency standards and testing,” he said. not the same old wood or the same old concrete they “Safety of course is everyone’s concern,” Kelly says. once were. Client expectations and design demands are “Pumps are getting bigger and more sophisticated and changing and the industry needs to change the way it the market is moving to booms of up to 60 meters. Con- sees itself to meet those higher demands.” crete pumps are high pressure, complex machines that He also observed that the BC economy has regional require specific training and knowledge.” differences. The association’s pump operators’ committee is “We have the north and the mid-north that are boom- working to develop competency standards. However, ing with projects in Kitimat and Fort St. John,” he says. Kelly says it will take time for WorkSafeBC and other “Kootenay has a growing tourist sector and the Okana- provincial agencies to act so in the meantime the indus- gan is another sub-economy where there is a lot of de- try will need to self-regulate to ensure site safety. velopment and the UBC (University of British Columbia) For more information about BCRMCA visit bcrmca.ca. The Canadian Design and Construction Report — Spring 2014 – 37