The Federation of Master Builders has overhauled its builder contract templates to reflect the Building Safety Act 2022, explicitly allocating duty holder roles and clarifying who carries design, construction management and compliance responsibilities where architects and engineers decline principal designer duties due to insurance limits. Authored by contract specialist Sarah Fox, the new forms run to just 14–15 pages versus typical 80+ page industry contracts and are free for FMB members. For contractors on small to mid‑scale projects, this offers a practical route to documenting liability, reducing disputes and aligning site practice with the new safety regime.

British Columbia’s Court of Appeal has ruled in Gitxaala v. British Columbia that the province’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA) incorporates UNDRIP and creates legally enforceable obligations, overturning a 2023 Supreme Court finding that DRIPA was not justiciable. The court held that B.C.’s automatic online mineral claim-staking system under the Mineral Tenure Act, used to grant claims on Banks Island between 2018 and 2020, is inconsistent with UNDRIP because it provides no opportunity for prior consultation. All B.C. mining-related statutes and regulations must now be interpreted as consistent with UNDRIP, signalling tighter consultation requirements at the mineral claims stage.

UK net zero building targets for 2030 and 2050 are at risk, with a House of Commons energy security and net zero committee report warning of a shortfall of at least 250,000 construction workers for new housing alone, plus large numbers for retrofit. MPs call for a nationally recognised, industry-backed construction and retrofit skills programme, expanded “try-before-you-buy” training, and targeted public funding to support SMEs in taking on inexperienced trainees. The report also flags likely short‑term reliance on importing specialist skills unless domestic completion and retention rates in construction FE improve sharply.