Pandemic response expert Suzanne Bernier rejoins Fenestration Conversations to tell us what we’ve learned in six months of pandemic about the virus, how it spreads and what businesses should do to combat it. We touch on some of the controversies around masks and lockdowns and whether surfaces are primary vectors for COVID-19. Suzanne looks ahead to the winter and the prospects for a vaccine – and the news is not all good.

North America’s largest trade event for the fenestration and glass industries, GlassBuild, moved online in September and that created a unique opportunity for international involvement. Fenestration Review editor Patrick Flannery was invited to host a panel discussion discussing the business in Canada and explaining the bizarre world of northern fenestration to our American friends. Terry Adamson of Westeck Windows, Angelo Cairo of Stouffville Glass, Nathalie Thibault of LePage Millwork and Rick Pries of Fenestration Pro joined Flannery for a lively and informative discussion. Here’s the audio.

How do we get young people interested in the trades? Ian Howcroft has some ideas and the organization he leads, Skills Ontario, is working hard in schools and through its Skills Challenge competition to seed the ground for our future workforce. In this episode, Fenestration Review editor Patrick Flannery talks to Howcroft about how they’ve modified their programs to operate in the pandemic, possible future directions for apprenticeships, what draws kids to the trades and more.

For decades, fabricators, standards writers and code authorities have preferred prescriptive rules: here are the minimum characteristics your product must have in order to comply. That may be about to change as code writers look for ways to introduce energy efficiency standards into building codes. The energy efficiency of what you supply may not matter as long as the whole building achieves its efficiency targets. Ben Francis and Nick Schock of Red Pelican Building Science are experts in building energy modelling and they join Fenestration Review editor Patrick Flannery to discuss how these new paths to compliance might impact your approach to design and testing.

After 35 years in the industry, Phil Lewin is still deeply curious about what works and doesn’t in fenestration. In this wide-ranging episode, Phil and Patrick Flannery get into the weeds on air infiltration/exfiltration, vacuum insulating glass, low-E, condensation and more.

We’re changing how we do things on jobsites: keeping workers apart, providing PPE and installing handwashing stations. But one of the big ways that coronavirus gets spread is just through people moving around. And with curbside deliveries only, the lineups and delays at the store can be significant. Luckily, there are site delivery services that can keep your crew on the job and away from the general public. Eamonn O’Rourke is the founder of one of these, and he told Fenestration Conversations how it works and how it helps.

Pandemic response expert Suzanne Bernier joins Fenestration Review editor Patrick Flannery to look back at the chaotic last couple months, assess our response to the coronavirus and forecast where the health authorities will go from here. Bernier has helped craft Ontario and the U.N.’s response to previous epidemics – there is no better person to educate us about this crazy time.

Government funding guru Bonny Koabel updates listeners on the most recent announcements from Ottawa about federal support for small businesses. Changes and clarifications to the Canadian Emergency Wage Subsidy, including when it will become available and how to apply. Also, discussion of the Canada Emergency Student Benefit, the Canada Student Service Grant and the Canada Summer Jobs program – all new or changed programs to help you take on summer students or help the ones you can’t.

Bonny Koabel joins Fenestration Conversations again with the latest update on new government relief programs announced for small businesses affected by COVID-19. The news is changing daily – Bonny tells you what you need to know about who can access what funding and where to find it.

The grim fact is some of our customers’ businesses will not survive this pandemic. Credit insurance is one way to protect your receivables and, no, it’s not too late to buy it. Veteran brokers Carl Pickett and Roch Simard explain the ins and outs of an insurance product that is sure to be getting more popular.

Bonny Koabel, our government funding expert, returns to update listeners on the latest announcements from federal and provincial governments of new financial assistance available to small and medium-sized businesses. Wage relief, cheap credit, deferred payments, tax breaks – you’ll need it all to survive the pandemic and Bonny tells you how.

Government funding guru Bonny Koabel returns to update you on recently announced details of the Canadian federal government’s attempts to support small businesses through the pandemic. In this episode: wage subsidies, payment deferrals, tax deferrals, loan guarantees, CERB and more.

Al Dueck, Owner of Duxton Windows and Doors in Winnipeg, has done more thinking than most about his staff. He’s put extra effort into finding, developing and retaining people to work in his company, with great results. From Saturday morning breakfasts served by the hand of the boss, to pick-up soccer matches behind the shop, Duxton has benefited from a family-style atmosphere nurtured by Dueck. Here, he explains his approach and some of the non-linear thinking that went into it.

In this special coronavirus episode of Fenestration Conversations, Bonny Koabel of AKR Consulting tells you what government assistance is being offered to companies impacted by the pandemic. There’s help with wages, tax relief, credit, direct grants and more, with more to come on the horizon. Bonny has been getting companies access to government services for a long time and knows the ropes when it comes to cutting red tape.  

In 2006, Suzanne Bernier developed the Ontario WSIB’s first pandemic plan in response to the SARS outbreak, which was globally recognized as the best of its time. She then led her employer’s internal response to the H1N1 pandemic after several outbreaks in their workplace. She was invited to address the UN in Switzerland to educate on pandemic response and commissioned by its New York headquarters to deliver their first-ever pandemic tabletop workshop to evaluate the effectiveness of UN pandemic action plans. Suzanne joins host Patrick Flannery in this special episode of Fenestration Conversations to tell you how our industry should protect staff and customers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Give me an F!…give me a G!…The Insulating Glass Manufacturers Alliance (IGMA) and the American Architectural Manufacturers Association (AAMA) have merged into one organization called the Fenestration Industry and Glazing Alliance. FGIA executive director, Janice Yglesias, and FGIA director of glass products and Canadian affairs, Margaret Webb, explain the new association, talk about some industry issues and discuss how a big organization for all of North America’s residential and commercial fenestration providers might serve the market better.

Software expert Mitch Lewandowski talks about the capabilities of the latest production and ERP systems, with tips on cost and how to choose the right one for your business. We address implementation, mobile optimization, platform compatibility, cloud services and more. Things you need to think about in the ever-evolving world of data management.