We go coast-to-coast in this episode, as ICBA BC’s Jordan Bateman and Merit Nova Scotia’s Paul Dubé discuss the Construction Innovation Summit, housing affordability, and the carbon tax. They explore the potential of AI in the construction industry and the housing crisis in Nova Scotia. The government’s efforts to create more housing and the need for 40,000 more units are also discussed. They touch on the carbon tax and the exemption for homes heated by oil furnaces. The conversation also covers Nova Scotia’s recruitment efforts in the UK and Toronto to address the labor shortage in the construction industry.

“We need to do better, we need to do more, but the labour crunch coupled with increased interest rates and inflation, and difficult procurement of materials, it’s all this molotov cocktail working against you to be able to achieve the goal of affordability,” says Paul.

Lastly, Paul politely discussed the upcoming season of “Curse of Oak Island” in Nova Scotia, mainly because Jordan is a bit of an archaeology nerd.