Tag Archives: National

How new climate change policy could impact design/construction companies

From Paris to provincial legislatures, big changes are coming in Canada’s greenhouse gas (GHG) regime, with Canadian companies—and large carbon-emitters across a range of industries—still determining what the impacts will be on their bottom lines. This includes design/construction companies. At the same time, the renewed public and private-sector focus on climate change will lead to increased opportunities for Canadian design professionals to implement and improve industry-leading solutions.

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Growth of colour printing devices in construction

With the advancement of technology and more stringent building regulations, today’s building product manufacturers and design/construction professionals require increasingly detailed schematics and blueprints. As a result, printing for the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industries has been growing for several consecutive quarters, and based on the International Reprographic Association (IRgA) index it is expected to continue.

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Self-employed design professionals and tax returns: Dollars and sense

For design/construction professionals new to being self-employed, tax time can be particularly daunting. Whether an independent specifier-for-hire or a freelance building product marketing consultant, one must balance the books and fulfil tax obligations with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). Even those with the best of entrepreneurial spirit and mastery of building science, can have trouble getting the most of their income tax and benefit return.

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Exploring some of the potential risks of the trans-pacific partnership

Last October, 12 countries—Canada, Australia, Brunei, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States, and Vietnam—concluded negotiations with respect to the draft text of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). In February, each of these countries signed the legally verified text of the agreement. TPP is generally considered to be the most comprehensive regional trade agreement presently in existence. When it is eventually implemented into Canadian law and ratified, it may present significant benefits for Canada’s construction sector. Stakeholders, however, should be cognizant of some potential risks.

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