November 8, 2012

After 85 years, DCN still a leader

KELLY LAPOINTE

staff writer

Since its inception in 1927, the Daily Commercial News has watched Canada being built.

As reported in the DCN’s 50th anniversary edition, the publication has tracked the progress of a young country making its own footprint. That has not changed in the last 35 years with the DCN reporting on construction projects such as the Rogers Centre in Toronto, the Confederation Bridge on Canada’s East Coast, the oilsands in the West and various transportation networks throughout the country.

The policies and trends which shape the construction industry have also been explored in its pages daily.

On this 85th anniversary milestone some of DCN’s editorial advisory board members shared their thoughts on the role the newspaper plays in the construction industry.

“The DCN keeps me up to date on what’s happening in our industry and fills me in on future trends, so I make sure it’s my first read. It’s my single most important source for what’s happening in construction,” said Alex Lolua, director of government and public relations for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Construction Council of Ontario.

Recently the DCN was front and centre covering the Christmas Eve swing stage tragedy where four workers lost their lives in Toronto on Dec. 24, 2009. It has also covered the contention surrounding the Ontario College of Trades and in 2010 reflected on the 50th anniversary of the Hogg’s Hollow tragedy in Toronto where five men were killed by fumes in a watermain tunnel on March 17, 1960.

“There’s a very highly professional staff at the DCN, they’re very conscientious and make great efforts to understand the issues,” said Andy Manahan, executive director of the Residential and Civil Construction Alliance of Ontario.

“I appreciate the fact that they do their homework and their due diligence on the range of issues that they have to cover, which can be quite complex.”

The DCN has a reputation within the Canadian Construction Association (CCA) as being a source of reliable, accurate information, said CCA president Michael Atkinson.

“Not only about project opportunities, but trends in the industry, the current issues and the issues that are important to the future of our industry,” he said.

“It’s something that we regularly use as a check to ensure that our own strategic thinking about where the industry is going is on the right course.”

The Carpenters and Allied Workers Local 27 has over 7,000 members with various levels of experience and president Mike Yorke points them all to the DCN.

“You’re going to find out what’s happening in the industry, who’s driving a project forward, it’s just a great resource for a young man or woman to learn more about our industry and learn about what’s happening in our industry,” he said, adding that it’s also a useful tool for contractors to drive their businesses forward.

Business intelligence such as tenders, building reports and a bidders’ register have made the DCN an automatic read for most in the industry.

“The Daily Commercial News really provides good intelligence and insight into industry issues that are important to the members of the Grand Valley Construction Association,” said Martha George, president of the GVCA.

“Our members benefit from project information, pre-bid awards and tenders, posting of substantial performance and other relevant industry information — job ads and opportunities.”

Igor Delov, executive assistant with the Provincial Building and Construction Trades Council of Ontario, called the DCN “an extraordinary resource” for the industry.

“It gives us an opportunity to look at what’s new in the industry, new technologies, where the emerging markets are,” he said.

As the DCN continues to follow the evolution of construction in Canada, the newspaper continues to evolve too, adopting new elements such as video and social media to ensure that it remains the most respected and leading resource for construction news and building information.

You can follow the DCN online at www.dailycommercialnews.com or on Twitter @RCD_Canada.

You can tell us what the DCN has meant to you at editor@dailycommercialnews.com

WITH FILES FROM GREG MECKBACH

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