A torrential downpour transforms into a months-long nightmare when Garrett's Calgary townhouse floods during roof repairs, leaving him battling property managers, mold remediation, and "livable" conditions in a half-wrecked home. But this construction worker's story runs deeper than personal housing woes – it offers a fascinating window into Alberta's explosive building boom.
From his vantage point on construction sites across Calgary and Edmonton, Garrett reveals the scale of development reshaping the province. Hundreds of homes, multi-story apartment complexes, and commercial spaces are sprouting across the landscape, transforming the "Blue Sky City" that paradoxically experienced a "Vancouver summer" of near-constant rainfall this year.
The conversation ventures into the engineering marvels hidden within modern buildings as Garrett explains the complex mechanics of "transfer slabs" – specialized structures designed to distribute weight and accommodate seismic activity between commercial and residential sections. With 18,000 "hairpins" connecting top and bottom mats in a single building, these unseen elements exemplify the overengineering principle Garrett describes: "We build stuff in Canada to 100 times its capacity."
Looking northward, Garrett shares his applications for mining projects in Ontario's "Ring of Fire" and potential gold operations in Canada's territories, where soaring prices are making previously unprofitable deposits economically viable. The unpredictable nature of his profession means opportunity could call at any moment, sending him to a remote diamond mine in Nunavut with little notice.
Join us for this revealing glimpse into the construction frontlines, where personal resilience meets professional expertise, and where Canada's future is being built one transfer slab at a time.