Regina Construction IV

[djforsberg]

Originally Posted by one_brick_at_a_time

The new Sobey’s on 13th is looking great! I wish the 13th and Elphinstone 3 floor mess had a comparable exterior quality.

Thanks for the photos, Udon’tknow.

That building is actually uglier than the coffee shop/art gallery/cross-fit building across the street. It truly is an abomination.

[jigglysquishy]

Do we know what's going into the retail space there? Anything is better than a vape shop

[one_brick_at_a_time]

Brandt says new CNIB building delayed due to pandemic
The president and CEO of the Brandt Group of Companies says construction on the new CNIB building has been delayed due to COVID-19, but hopes to move forward as restrictions ease.

https://leaderpost.com/news/local-ne...ue-to-pandemic

[TechnicalRecession]

Originally Posted by djforsberg

You are wrong. Everyone has their own anecdotal evidence but as I said before, I have seen the numbers myself and heard it straight from mangers and executives and have been following industry trends. Workers who are happy are productive. Some may be happier in the office but overall, WFH has been a success where I am and in a lot more other places than not. I’m not sure what industries you naysayers work in but I guarantee that people who want to work from home in IT will be able to negotiate that moving forward. This pandemic revealed a lot of employment bullshit from this office stuff to showing just how meaningless a lot of low paid work is and it’s not going to be easy to take these things away from workers and make people go back to the way things were.

How am I wrong? I've stated an opinion that differs from yours and you are convinced that working from home is more productive because you've seen some mystery numbers? What numbers, share them with the group. And yes my opinion is based on antidotal evidence and common sense. What specifically makes working from home more productive, convince me cause I don't see it?

By the way, I work in the exact same industry as you do, IT, and I have seen industry trends come and go, they are just that industry trends, perhaps this one will stick, I make no predictions on that one. And for the record I am not saying businesses shouldn't allow working from home, for some companies that will work and others will choose not to do that. I personally don't care either way, I just don't agree with the argument working from home makes you more productive. I am also not saying you can't do your job from home, people have been doing their jobs from home successfully for over the past year, I agree with you there.

If I interpret what you are saying correctly you may be referring to developers who like to work from home. And that makes sense, these guys basically want to cut code all day, many of them aren't particularly social or enjoy working in groups so yeah I can see how a developer likes it but that is a small portion of a work force. For an IT start up, makes sense but bigger organizations maybe not.

[djforsberg]

You’re wrong because you are wrong. I’m sure you are familiar with velocity and work completed. Both up over the past year. As is revenue. Even my job at SaskTel in between my current one, where management actively tried to sabotage WFH, work was being done at a similar or faster pace than before the pandemic. After I left there, and got back on at where I am now, I applied and interviewed at several different places, a few which would be permanent remote. Seems like WFH works for them. I don’t know what else to tell you all. You all seem to have it imprinted in your brain that you need to have someone watching over you for you to get anything done. I’d hope you would think better of yourself and of other adults. These jobs are typically the more privileged ones and if someone needs supervision like that then maybe it’s not the job for them. Besides, individual productivity can easily be monitored as it was before the pandemic. And I already agreed some in person work may still be valuable for team building and collaboration but the technology is available to accomplish most of that. For my own social needs, despite me loving my job and coworkers, I’d rather get that from friends and family than my work. From not having to commute, to being able to be closer to your kids, to not having unnecessary distractions (which I think is actually easier to accomplish at home if you have dedicated space during work hours), to overall having more control of your own life, these are all general reasons why I think it has led to increased productivity. I also think it will stay up as we learn how to work in this flexible environment going forward. People crave autonomy and when given the opportunity to thrive, they do. I can’t believe how little the people here think of themselves and of others. This is literally my first time seeing anyone disagreeing with what I’m saying except for one friend who works in office furniture (go figure). This whole conversation has been quite shocking actually and it has me wondering about you guys lol.

Edit: my company has returned 1.5 floors of office space already yet we aren’t lowering our workforce. There isn’t much stronger evidence than that.

Edit 2: I’d really like to know where you all work. I’m willing to bet the Sask provincial government or a Crown. I'm also willing to bet at least some of you are people managers justifying your own jobs. You might want to step outside of your bubble tho and see what other companies and governments are doing in Canada and United States. You might find that the prevailing opinion of this thread does not reflect that of the overall market. I was just speaking to a friend that works for the BC government and he mentioned that the private forestry sector is moving their office jobs to mostly WFH and in order to compete for talent, the government is having to be more flexible. I wonder why the Sask government wouldn’t want to be competitive with private industry or put office space back on the market...

[djforsberg]

Originally Posted by one_brick_at_a_time

Brandt says new CNIB building delayed due to pandemic
The president and CEO of the Brandt Group of Companies says construction on the new CNIB building has been delayed due to COVID-19, but hopes to move forward as restrictions ease.

https://leaderpost.com/news/local-ne...ue-to-pandemic

Unbelievable but also not. The Semples really are shameless.

[The mayor]

Originally Posted by one_brick_at_a_time

Brandt says new CNIB building delayed due to pandemic
The president and CEO of the Brandt Group of Companies says construction on the new CNIB building has been delayed due to COVID-19, but hopes to move forward as restrictions ease.

https://leaderpost.com/news/local-ne...ue-to-pandemic

They most likely are gathering their thoughts on not building on the Wascana Park lands and are looking to build downtown

[djforsberg]

Originally Posted by The mayor

They most likely are gathering their thoughts on not building on the Wascana Park lands and are looking to build downtown

Is this based on anything substantive? Or is that your hope? Cuz it's my hope too but I can't see it happening.

[BrannyMuffin]

Originally Posted by djforsberg

No shit. So what are we even arguing about lol. Just because I feel a certain way about people doesn’t mean I don’t think they should have a choice to work in the office again if they want. Geez there’s a lot of sensitive people on here.

Btw it’s not just friends. It’s people I work with too. Things are going to change. Anyone would be naive to not think so.

No one said things won’t change. There are a lot of people who work well from home and a lot who don’t. That is all I am saying. A lot of companies have strict requirements for WFH, particularly those with sensitive personal information. You insinuated that those who have difficulty separating work and home aren’t disciplined. I provided examples from my own life that have nothing to do with discipline. You said it was sad that some people need a barrier between work and home. There is nothing sad about it, that’s the way some (a lot) of people are. You keep telling people their opinions are wrong then wonder why they get defensive.

Things like this (and there is a lot of it from a lot of people, I am not pointing my finger at you) make it difficult to have discussions here. It’s why I don’t post often.

[djforsberg]

Originally Posted by BrannyMuffin

No one said things won’t change. There are a lot of people who work well from home and a lot who don’t. That is all I am saying. A lot of companies have strict requirements for WFH, particularly those with sensitive personal information. You insinuated that those who have difficulty separating work and home aren’t disciplined. I provided examples from my own life that have nothing to do with discipline. You said it was sad that some people need a barrier between work and home. There is nothing sad about it, that’s the way some (a lot) of people are. You keep telling people their opinions are wrong then wonder why they get defensive.

Things like this (and there is a lot of it from a lot of people, I am not pointing my finger at you) make it difficult to have discussions here. It’s why I don’t post often.

Fair enough. If it means anything, I'm the same in person lol. But I'm just one stranger online so I wouldn't put much stock in what I say on a personal level. I'm a lot harder on myself, if that means anything as well.

[LittleBoy]

Originally Posted by The mayor

They most likely are gathering their thoughts on not building on the Wascana Park lands and are looking to build downtown

I’ve actually heard that Brandt has no intention of building downtown, and the building in the park was the most central that they would go. The reasoning that I’ve heard is that they want to appease their consumer base, and building a fancy downtown tower makes them appear as if they’re no longer “humble” (LOL).

I had heard a rumour that if the building in the park got shut down, their plan was to just expand their current office on the edge of the city. Again, the above is just rumours that I’ve heard so nobody should put too much stock in what I said.

I really wish that the 1800 Rose tower would’ve gone ahead, and especially in a time like this, a new Brandt tower downtown is likely to be the only development we will see. But I also despise them for their shady tactics trying to get Wascana project pushed through and in my eyes they’ve lost any sort of goodwill that they may have had in our community.

[jigglysquishy]

Brandt not wanting to build downtown has nothing to do with that. Like 90% of it is because they want to avoid City taxes. It's why all of their buildings are in the RM.

[BrannyMuffin]

Originally Posted by LittleBoy

I’ve actually heard that Brandt has no intention of building downtown, and the building in the park was the most central that they would go. The reasoning that I’ve heard is that they want to appease their consumer base, and building a fancy downtown tower makes them appear as if they’re no longer “humble” (LOL).

I had heard a rumour that if the building in the park got shut down, their plan was to just expand their current office on the edge of the city. Again, the above is just rumours that I’ve heard so nobody should put too much stock in what I said.

I really wish that the 1800 Rose tower would’ve gone ahead, and especially in a time like this, a new Brandt tower downtown is likely to be the only development we will see. But I also despise them for their shady tactics trying to get Wascana project pushed through and in my eyes they’ve lost any sort of goodwill that they may have had in our community.

Lol we’ve all seen Semple’s house and there’s nothing humble about it. I don’t know if there’s any truth to that rumour you heard, but using your influence and friends to bypass the rules is anything but humble. They’re out to lunch if they think people will buy it. Everyone knows Brandt is a huge company. Investing in your community (and not being shady and greedy about it) is the best way to create goodwill. Some humble pie is just what they need.

[BrannyMuffin]

Originally Posted by djforsberg

Fair enough. If it means anything, I'm the same in person lol. But I'm just one stranger online so I wouldn't put much stock in what I say on a personal level. I'm a lot harder on myself, if that means anything as well.

Already over it. 👌

[djforsberg]

Originally Posted by BrannyMuffin

Already over it. 👌

[one_brick_at_a_time]

To be honest, I want Brandt to puke all over downtown with a giant in your face office tower. We all know how big they are and how much money they make.

[The mayor]

Originally Posted by one_brick_at_a_time

To be honest, I want Brandt to puke all over downtown with a giant in your face office tower. We all know how big they are and how much money they make.

With Any luck they will build a new office building attached to their new arena wouldn’t that be grand one never knows downtown needs all the help I can get

[TechnicalRecession]

So I think you've complicated this debate. I will state again that I don't see any issues with companies allowing working from home and yes I understand that it is a trend and I agree with you it will likely continue and some companies will move more strongly in that direction, not all companies but some will. So I think we can agree on that point. I also agree that the technology is there to support this and that people can effectively function working from a home office space.

My point of contention is that working from home makes individuals more productive than working from within an office building. There is nothing unique in my home office that makes me or my colleagues more productive. I still have the same meetings and do the same work, the tools and mediums are different but the productivity is not. You've indicated that velocity and work completed has risen at your place of work. Ok fair enough I'll take that point, but it hasn't where I work. I also know of individuals who totally take advantage or working from home. In any event, I think we can agree to disagree about the productivity piece of this and leave it at that.

Edit: You indicated your company has reduced floor space, which will reduce expenses, a valid WFH benefit for the company, but that is not productivity induced that is cost reduction. Again I agree with you on this, companies can save money with WFH.

Edit 2: The problem with your second edit is your condescending approach, you're right because you know better, others are wrong because they are wrong, living in a bubble and trying to justify their lazy government jobs where distrust and spying on employees is required, everyone on this blog but you are a bunch of luddites. I can't speak for others but in my case none of your statements are true. I'm very good at what I do, have been a top performer at various places of work and take accountability and producing high quality work very seriously. So I suggest you save the condescending for people you actually know. I believe you've accused Brutally Dishonest for posting in a similar manner and yet here you are doing the same.

I am sure the blog is getting tired of this discussion so this will be my last post on this topic.

[djforsberg]

Edit: just wanted to repeat that the gist of my argument comes down to happier employees = more productive employees. Flexibility and autonomy usually results in happier employees and I've witnessed it myself with my vast experience in the IT industry. If it means you're happier working mostly in the office, then great! If people are happier at home but less productive, those specific people need to be better set up to succeed but it shouldn't be applied to all as BrutallyDishonest2 suggested. I am against any kind of irrational, punitive measures to control grown adults, like I experienced at SaskTel, including forcing people who can work effectively at home back in the office, and if I seem condescending, that's the source of my emotions. So, I apologize to all for making things personal.

[Drofmab]

Originally Posted by Draftsman

From CBC today:

"The City of Regina has given Brandt Construction until the end of the month to fill in and clean up the site of the former CNIB building in Regina's Wascana Park."

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saska...site-1.6061371

I'm sure they will be asking for another extension after all this rain we are presently receiving

FTR: the City handles permits & the like on Wascana's behalf... but the PCC doesn't need any permits/approval from the City. The PCC Act (nee Wascana Centre Authority Act) has legislative authority to supercede (or ignore) all municipal bylaws & requirements.

Of course, it makes sense to align, and to leave permitting & inspections to the City - but if the PCC/Brandt chose to ignore the City's request to clean-up/fill... or even if the PCC chose to green-light construction, the City has no hammer in this situation. Doubly-so because this parcel is owned by the Province.