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Editorial: Hooray for 2021!

Here at Glass Canada we’re looking forward to 2021 with great enthusiasm. There are a lot of exciting things on the horizon for this industry and this magazine.

It all starts with our next online edition of Top Glass, which will be hosted on our brand-new Pheedloop platform. We think you’ll appreciate the easy navigation and nifty chat functions that allow you to not only view a plethora of exclusive content but also participate in live sessions and ask questions of the presenters. And those presenters will be well worth attending. We’re still ironing out some of the details, but we know we’ll be able to offer a sample of one of the Architectural Glass and Metal Certification Council’s workshops designed to hone your businesses quality and professional procedures. We’ll be taking a look at the future of building design in the post-pandemic era – which of the changes we’ve seen will be permanent? Top Glass will also feature a session of special interest to glazing contractors with experts from WinSafe offering the latest tips on swing stage configuration, technology and safety. Finally, Will Nash of WSP will educate us about low-carbon building products that will help us meet the cradle-to-grave environmental standards of the future.

There’s quite a bit new with the magazine, too. Our long-time back page columnist, Frank Fulton, has decided to hang up the keyboard after 10 years writing You Bet Your Glass. While we’re sad to see Frank go, we are fired up to welcome Rich Porayko, a familiar voice in these pages, as our new final word with his column, That’s Rich. Rich has been writing articles in Glass Canada for longer than I’ve been with the magazine. He’s a marketing consultant working mainly with Hartung Glass but also freelancing for a number of other companies in the industry. He’ll bring a deep knowledge of the glass industry to the page, and entertain at the same time.

Another change for 2021 is Glass Canada’s position inside its parent company, Annex Business Media. Due to some internal realignments, Glass Canada is now part of a new Light Construction Group headed by myself and our publisher, Danielle Labrie. The group includes Fenestration Review, our channel for residential window and door manufacturers; Canadian Rental Service, our channel for the equipment rental industry; and Canadian Contractor, our channel for home renovation contractors and custom home builders. We think there are some intriguing synergies across these markets that will help us to bring some fresh perspectives to all our readers. For instance, many of you reading this take contracts for high-end custom homes and recreational properties that demand commercial-grade solutions to get the architectural features they want. Some of your knowledge would be very helpful to our readers in Contractor, and those readers would probably want to know about your company as a possible subcontractor. Along with the new group come two great new faces: Sukanya Ray Ghosh, our new associate editor, and Amanda McCracken, our new national sales manager. Their contact information is on the masthead and they are both available to take your inquiries and feedback on the channels.

Another reason for optimism going into 2021 is the high level of demand and activity we continue to see in ICI construction across Canada. Most of you are busier than you want to be. Governments at all levels are planning to direct a lot their post-COVID stimulus thorough infrastructure projects – music to our ears. While it’s not always easy to get the supplies we need as fast as we need them, these are familiar problems that you are good at solving, as Sukanya’s cover story reveals.

Yes, the only thing better than leaving 2020 behind is welcoming the opportunities we see ahead in 2021. •