Evidence of meeting #130 for Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was industry.
A video is available from Parliament.
Conservative
Tracy Gray Conservative Kelowna—Lake Country, BC
I'm sorry. I have a point of order, Mr. Chair. For clarification, this was five minutes. Is that correct? Yes. Okay.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Bobby Morrissey
Yes, but because the other one went over a little.... You're correct, Mrs. Gray.
Mr. Long, you have five minutes.
Liberal
Wayne Long Liberal Saint John—Rothesay, NB
Thank you, Chair.
Good afternoon, colleagues.
Thank you to our witnesses.
The New Brunswick Roofing Contractors Association is in my riding of Saint John—Rothesay, and Ronnie Hutton—I assume, Mr. Facette, that you know Ronnie—is a good friend of mine. I got to go there a few years back, probably three years ago now, and tour the facility on the Golden Mile with Ronnie. I was blown away by what I saw with the training. To your point, the fact that roofers can be Red Seals.... He was telling me that roofers can make over $100,000 now, and I said, “You're kidding me.” I was totally impressed with it.
In a previous life, when I was a student, I worked at a home renovation place, like the past Home Depot, and I sold roofing. Obviously, in those days, roofing was basically three-in-one shingles and tar paper roofing. I'm dating myself. Now, you're progressing, and you still see asphalt roofing, but you see metal roofing and rubber roofing.
I know I've seen green-roof initiatives and cool-roof initiatives. Green-roof initiatives, I think, weren't spearheaded in the province of Ontario, but they were about controlling rainwater runoff. Cool roofs, obviously, would help reduce carbon, because the houses wouldn't have to work so hard to cool down. Can you just give us your comments on the leading innovative technology you're seeing and comment on green roof and cool roof?
Executive Director, Canadian Roofing Contractors Association
Thank you for the question.
I'm glad to hear that you visited the New Brunswick facility. The trainer there is Edgar. He is one of the most sought-after or the sought-after trainer for Red Seal in the province of New Brunswick. The man's outstanding. I met him myself. He's absolutely a super person.
When it comes to different roofing systems—cool roofs or blue roofs are what they're also referred to as—and green-roof systems, there is a company in Toronto called LiveRoof that does a lot of that kind of work. We're seeing more and more of it on commercial roofing. On residential, you're getting the solar panels and whatnot that get done. There is that kind of work that's out there, and the whole idea is that it's about energy efficiency and about dealing with the water when it comes to—
Liberal
Wayne Long Liberal Saint John—Rothesay, NB
Is the Province of Ontario incentivizing builders to use green roofs and cool roofs? Is it proper...?
October 22nd, 2024 / 12:20 p.m.
Executive Director, Canadian Roofing Contractors Association
I honestly don't know. I think what we are seeing—and we spoke this afternoon about it—is the building code. There is a national effort to harmonize the national building code. That's hopefully going to be done by 2030. We'll see if that actually happens.
Right now, the provinces adopt the building code, and it has no enforceability at the national level from the National Research Council. What we see being put into the building code is more of this kind of thing going forward.
We are seeing those kinds of incentives, and we're also seeing private owners who want to make use of new technologies to reduce their energy costs and to use the rain runoff, to get it away from the roof—
Executive Director, Canadian Roofing Contractors Association
—because I can tell you that with the rain that took place in the course of the weekend, my son was in up to a foot of water on a roof this weekend. He got awfully wet. He was dealing with it in a very real way, so I can attest to that for sure.
There are some incentives, but it's really privately driven...what's out there. Yes, green roofs are there. They're viable. The cool roof is around, but I don't know that we're seeing the cool roofs necessarily, yet, to the extent that maybe some people would like.
Liberal
Wayne Long Liberal Saint John—Rothesay, NB
Thank you.
I'm going to share what time I have left with MP Fragiskatos.
Thank you.
Liberal
Peter Fragiskatos Liberal London North Centre, ON
Thank you.
Chair, it's always a learning opportunity to hear what Wayne Long has done in his life. He owned a hockey team, a fishery and who knows what? The list continues with roofing now.
In any case, thank you very much to the witnesses for being here.
Mr. Silveira, I'll begin with you. I'm interested in the international context and what you know about what's happening abroad with respect to the issues that we've touched on here today. Are there other countries that have put something in place, whether it's incentives or other policies, to really propel this kind of building forward?
Director of Engineering, Printerra 3D Construction Printing
It's specifically about these technologies when it comes to, for example, standards development—is that right?
I can say a bit about the United States, because I'm part of some of the committees there. NIST, the National Institute for Standards and Technology, put together a committee. They are putting together academia, researchers and industry—all of the players around this industry—to develop these standards, because you have multiple levels of these standards.
For example, when it comes to testing, even here in Canada we still use ASTMs. That's the American Society for Testing Materials. Over there, of course, they use ASTMs. When it comes to design guidelines—for example, structural design—you're going to be using CSAs. There's the CSA for concrete and the CSA for steel and all of that.
In the States, they created this group and they identified the gaps that needed to be filled. They have resources being put towards research, which is informing the standards development. They're starting from ASTMs and moving up for the ACI, the ICC and all of those.
Liberal
Bloc
Louise Chabot Bloc Thérèse-De Blainville, QC
I have the floor for three minutes, Mr. Chair. Is that correct?
Bloc
Louise Chabot Bloc Thérèse-De Blainville, QC
I would like to continue on the same topic.
Mr. Silveira, I don't know much about this, but I would imagine that the standards have to change more often in response to changes in the industry. As you said, the current standards may no longer be in effect in 15 years.
In terms of innovation, how can we make sure that research and development support you? What steps should we take to ensure that standards are updated regularly?
Director of Engineering, Printerra 3D Construction Printing
Usually those standards committees are continuous, right? They start before the publication of the first version of the standards and they are going to be in place until that standard is still enforceable. Then, once we find that another version of the standard is needed, we come up with a new publication. That goes on usually on a three-year basis, or maybe five years, depending on the type of technology.
For example, reinforced concrete structures have been around for a little while. That standard is not updated that often. I wouldn't say that there's not much progress, but the progress is not as much as it is in new industries like additive construction, for example.
The process would be that you do your research, and your research findings are going to form the first version of the standard. Then you keep updating that based on ongoing research.
I hope that answers it.
Bloc
Louise Chabot Bloc Thérèse-De Blainville, QC
In Canada, is the process for updating standards satisfactory? Could it be improved? Has your sector been consulted on that?
Director of Engineering, Printerra 3D Construction Printing
Right now, we don't have any committee being undertaken here in Canada—for example, at the CSA level or the NBCC or OBC levels. My short answer is no.
Bloc
Louise Chabot Bloc Thérèse-De Blainville, QC
If you have any recommendations for us in that regard, you may submit them to us.
In your opinion, is there enough research and development?
If the federal government wants to focus on climate change and the environment, among other issues, it should also innovate in the residential construction industry. Any measures taken must address environmental concerns.
Mr. Facette and Mr. Silveira, as an employer and as to calls for tenders, does Canada make sufficient use of the type of industry that you support?
Director of Engineering, Printerra 3D Construction Printing
In terms of R and D effort, yes, we have a large R and D effort in place. The problem is that the research is being conducted independently, meaning that every single researcher is going to have a different approach or is going to be looking at a different problem. Sometimes we miss some gaps; some of the gaps are not being covered, and some of the gaps are being covered two or three times.
I think what we are missing for the rapid development of this technology, for example, is a unified research initiative. For example, as I responded to the other member, NIST in the States put together this committee that they are using to identify the gaps. Based on those gaps, they are creating research efforts in order to solve a real problem.