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Journal of Commerce staff writer Russell Hixson is off this week so it’s a solo show with digital media editor Warren Frey but we still have plenty to talk about, especially the second part of our Cracks in the Foundation series about substance use and mental health in the construction industry.

In addition to part one of Russell’s interview with Trevor Botkin of HeroWork which aired on Friday on the Construction Record podcast, Warren also highlights an article about the recent “Lone Hunter” video put out by Re-Mind which points construction workers at a website where they can access mental health information and services. RE-MIND is a collaboration between the BC Construction Safety Alliance (BCCSA) and Work to Wellness Rehabilitation Ltd. (Work to Wellness).

We also have a series of videos starting this week where Daily Commercial News staff writer Angela Gismondi speaks to Rob Trymbulak about his decades of working in the construction industry while struggling with substance use, and we’ve included a clip from the interview in this episode. Daily Commercial News staff writer Don Wall also has a story coming later in the week about apprentices training to become sheet metal workers at Ottawa’s Smart Local 47 Training Centre who learn not only about the physical demands of the job but also the mental strains of both the job and a construction career.

Angela also attended the Ontario Society of Professional Engineers conference last week and covered a panel called “The Future of the Workplace” where the panelists sought to increase equity and representation post-pandemic. Don also has a story about the recent Ontario Construction Secretariat conference in Niagara-on-the-Lake where BuildForce senior economist Bob Collins had good news and bad news for delegates attending his presentation on labour force issues.

You can listen to The Construction Record and TCR Express on the Daily Commercial News and Journal of Commerce websites as well as on ,�������Ի��� podcast section and you can hear last week’s  episode of TCR Express here. Thanks for listening and we’ll see you next week.