BUILDEX returns to Vancouver on February 14, 2024!

Bryce Choquer, Founder Penni Payments, February 2, 2023 

Payment processing in the construction and trades sectors is significantly changing. Manual checks and cash transactions have been supplanted by digital payment systems. Companies now provide customers with a range of options, including credit cards, smartphone apps, and online bill payment portals. Better client experiences and faster, more secure transactions result from this. To simplify financial processes, many construction and trades organizations are integrating payment processing with invoicing and accounting systems. This post will look at the condition of payment processing right now, the advantages of digital payments, and how to pick the best option.

Vancouver Sun, January 20, 2023

The extension will allow another 1,000 to get permanent residency and address a labour shortage. The program only gives amnesty for people who have overstayed visas or permits. 

The government is extending a program allowing construction workers who have overstayed work permits or visas to become permanent residents, as labour shortages continue to mount.In 2019, the Liberals launched a pilot program that allows out of status construction workers in the Greater Toronto Area to apply to stay as permanent residents. The opportunity to become permanent residents applies to their families as well, and almost all of the 500 spots in the program have now been filled.

CBC, January 12, 2023- Property Management

Fund will provide grants to non-profits to preserve affordable housing units

The provincial government has announced plans to create a $500-million fund that will enable non-profits to buy older rental buildings in B.C., rather than allowing those buildings to be sold to developers. The announcement Thursday was billed as a move to help protect tenants from rising rents across the province. "We're taking action to protect renters who found an affordable place to live, but are worried their building will be bought out from underneath them," read a statement from Premier David Eby.

Daily Hive, Kenneth Chan, January 5, 2023

Some of Metro Vancouver’s largest and most notable building and infrastructure projects currently under construction will reach completion in 2023. 

In 2022, the first wave of the pre-pandemic office tower construction boom reached completion, including major projects such as Westbank’s Deloitte Summit, GWL Realty Advisors’ Vancouver Centre II, and Oxford Properties’ The Stack, which is now Metro Vancouver’s new tallest office building with a height of 530 ft — containing 37 storeys and 550,000 sq ft of AAA office space.The first two buildings of Burrard Place also reached completion in 2022, including One Burrard Place — Vancouver’s new third tallest building, reaching a height of 550 ft with 54 storeys with residential uses.

Derrick Penner, Vancouver Sun, December 4, 2022 

The association launched the $21-million program that has drawn lots of potential employees, but not enough employers. British Columbia’s construction sector is forecast to be short 6,000 skilled tradespeople by 2025, yet employers have been slow to sign on to a program to recruit apprentices, despite payments of up to $10,000 per apprentice that comes with participation.

Derrick Penner, Vancouver Sun, November 2, 2022 

Nexii, a green building startup that is valued at over $1 billion, is being sued by a subsidiary of Burnaby headquartered Symphony Group after an attempt to crack the Ontario market