It has been a tough year for the HVACR construction industry.

According to a survey by Heating, Refrigeration, and Air Conditioning Institute of Canada (HRAI) 67% of HVACR companies in Canada have seen a reduction of more than 30% in year-over-year revenues since March 15th and about 27% have experienced a greater than 60% decline. The question now is, as we enter Stage 3, are the worst of the economic impacts behind us?

The Planning, Infrastructure and Economic Development Department (PIED) recently laid out what reaching Stage 3 within many provinces COVID-19 emergency controls means to the industry.

It has reported a return to more normal progress on construction building inspections and building permit approvals as extreme restrictions imposed at the pandemic’s height are eased.

PIED general manager Stephen Willis said in a memo to developers and contractors that the department is “beginning to return to the processes which were in place prior to the pandemic.”

“Construction projects are proceeding and are complying with public health measures to operate safely during the COVID-19 outbreak,” Willis writes. “This is critical to keeping our staff, and the community we serve, safe. The situation around COVID-19 continues to evolve quickly.”

The HRAI stated that it is engaged with the government on how best to re-ignite the economy in a way that balances public health concerns while ensuring a strong recovery for the industry.

“The HVACR industry has been deemed an essential service by both the federal government and provincial governments across the country,” said Sandy MacLeod, President and CEO of HRAI, “and the sector has been responding as needed to the COVID-19 pandemic by continuing to service important equipment in both residential and commercial buildings.”

“The majority of companies in the sector have kept their employees on board, despite losing a significant portion of their revenues. This is due in part to the need for companies to continue servicing Canadians and businesses and also due to the availability of federal government programs that have helped companies make ends meet, for which the sector is grateful.”

“HVACR industry members have been using the downtime created by the pandemic to train workers and to prepare their businesses to be part of the economic recovery that will come, ensuring that Canadians come out of this crisis stronger than ever.”

DCL Supply are closely watching industry developments as they happen. “We are ready to rapidly meet what we hope are the increasing HVAC product needs of the industry as the economy reopens” said James Politeski, Owner and President of DCL Supply. “Our team are ready to stock our distributors and help all our customers as demand for industrial and commercial HVAC products increases over the coming months.”