Chrissy McRoberts still calls her favourite
coffee shop by its proper name – Blackwater.
But she could also call it her office, and
even her showroom.
Many mornings she’s perched near the front of
the downtown café, sipping coffee at a 6’6” long table she made from recycled
construction lumber.
She custom-built the table for Blackwater
owner Dave Duguay, designing it to his specifications, sanding the wood,
sealing it with epoxy and adding a bit of whimsy by filling in gaps with coffee
beans.
“Every piece of furniture I make includes
something no one else is going to do,” she says. “That makes me stand
out.”
When Duguay approached McRoberts to build the
table for Blackwater he knew she was already in the business of creating small
household furniture from salvaged materials.
But it was the first time she tried her hand
at furniture for commercial use.
Image. Cathy Dobson.
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From Paul Morden, Sarnia Observer.
The value of building permits Sarnia issued
in the first half of this year is lower than in 2017 but some large projects on
the horizon may boost those numbers by the end of 2018.
As of June, permits for a total of $34.6
million in construction had been issued by the city, down from $51.1 million at
the same point in 2017.
“Last year was the best year we’ve seen for a
number of years,” said Alan Shaw, director of building and planning.
There was a total of $107.7-million in
construction in the city in 2017.
Building activity in the city was also above
average in 2016, Shaw added.
“We’re in a bit of an upward trend.”
While the numbers for the first half of 2018
are down from 2017, the city’s building permit income is still in-line with its
10-year average and on track to meet its budget this year, Shaw said.
“We are expecting some larger projects either
towards the end of this year or early next year,” he added.
BuildForce
Canada says it’s a great time for young people to consider careers in the
trades.
The organization’s latest labour market
forecast is predicting that Ontario’s construction workforce will need to
expand by more than 100,000 workers this decade to keep up with a series of
major projects.
Executive Director Bill Ferreira says up to
87,000 construction workers are expected to retire in the next ten years.
“There will be considerable demand for
construction [jobs] in Ontario,” says Ferreira. “We’re looking at about 20% of
the Ontario construction workforce retiring during that period. So, it really
is a good time for anyone who is considering what their career choice will be.
Certainly take a look at the skilled trades because there are so many
opportunities, even beyond construction, although obviously that’s where we
would like them to come.”
Image. Public Domain.
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