Working in BC Construction
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Submittals in Canadian Construction — It Says Approved, But It Means Reviewed
In the last post I called an RFI “the record of asking,” and said the next one would cover submittals — “the record of getting approved.” That preview was already wrong. A submittal is not a document you get approved. People work for years without knowing this, because Procore clearly stamps Approved on the screen.…
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RFI in Canadian Construction — How a Question Becomes a Change Order
You are standing over a drawing set and it does not work. The detail cannot physically be installed the way it is drawn, or two sheets are telling you different things. What you send at that moment is an RFI — a Request for Information. The name makes it sound like a question. That framing…
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When the Progress Bill and AP Disagree — Catching Overbilling
The previous article was about cost getting locked in before revenue. This one is about the other place the numbers quietly drift apart — the monthly bill you send the client, and what accounting has actually paid out. The bill closes on the 25th. That is the whole runway. How the bill gets built, and…
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Cost Commits First, Revenue Commits Later — the CMiC Gap
The first article covered what CMiC is. This one is about the single mechanic that costs real money when nobody is watching it. It is not complicated. Cost gets locked in before revenue does. If you have not read why CMiC is the ledger rather than another field tool, that is the starting point. Everything…
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CMiC Is Not Another Procore — It Is the Ledger
If you learned Procore before applying for construction work in Canada, you did the right thing. It is the tool most job postings name, the training is free, and you can finish a certificate in a weekend. Then you get hired, and on the second week someone says the change order has to go into…
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What Is MPDA? BC’s Commercial Painting Standards Body Explained
Work on a BC commercial construction site long enough and MPDA starts showing up everywhere — in spec documents, bid packages, and conversations with subtrades. What is harder to find is a clear explanation of what the organization actually is and why it matters to you. MPDA stands for the Master Painters and Decorators Association,…
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How to Read a Finish Division Painting Spec — A BC Field Guide
Before you bid a job or start on site, there is one document you have to read: the specification. It is in dense technical English with its own formatting conventions, and the first time you open one it is genuinely hard to know where to look. This guide covers how to read the Finish Division…
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Safety Tickets for Canadian Construction Jobs (Must-Have vs Nice-to-Have)
When you prepare for a Canadian construction job, it is easy to worry that you must collect every certificate first. You do not. What you actually need is easier to sort out than the long lists online suggest. I work as a construction APM (Assistant Project Manager) in BC and have lived through what tickets…
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Canadian Construction Interview Questions and Answers (Real Examples)
Once your resume gets through, the interview is next. Many people panic at the idea of an interview in English, but the questions Canadian construction interviews ask are fairly predictable. Know the patterns and you can pass even if your English is not perfect. I work as an APM (Assistant Project Manager) in BC and…
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How to Write a Canadian Construction Resume (3 Things Newcomers Miss)
In Canadian construction hiring, the first gate is your resume. Translate a Korean resume word for word and you often get no response, no matter how good your experience is. That happened to me. I only started getting interview requests after I rebuilt mine as a trades-style resume. I work as a construction APM (Assistant…