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General and Trade Contracting

March 17, 2010

Deaths of five immigrant workers changed jobsites forever

Dusty, dirty and tired, the construction workers sit, swaying side to side with each lurch and stop of the College Steet streetcar. The late day sun streams in through the windows.

March 12, 2010

Fraud charges laid against former head of Quebec labour union

Criminal charges against a former high-ranking union official and allegations of intimidation of workers vaulted Quebec’s much-maligned construction industry back into the spotlight Thursday.

March 1, 2010

Nova Scotia NDP fined for taking union cash

Nova Scotia’s ruling New Democratic Party has been fined $10,000 for accepting an illegal election campaign contribution from a trade union group.

February 17, 2010

Ontario electrical industry reaches agreement for labour peace

Ontario electrical employers and employees have strongly supported a joint proposal that ensures the renewal of upcoming collective bargaining negotiations procedures without a work stoppage.

February 16, 2010

Saskatchewan gets new natural gas trades training centre

A new natural gas trades training centre has been established through a unique partnership between the Mechanical Contractors Association of Saskatchewan (MCAS) and SaskEnergy.

February 16, 2010

Ontario Electrical League accuses safety councils of union bias

The terms of reference for new Infrastructure Health and Safety Association advisory councils contain a union bias in worker representation, states the Ontario Electrical League (OEL).

January 29, 2010

Carpenters union in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario forced into merger

The United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America in Sault Ste. Marie will retain its office and training centre despite a forced merger with the Sudbury local.

January 26, 2010

Hamilton-Halton Construction Association hall of fame inductee helped launch group

Industry veteran Don Stewart, who played a pivotal role in establishment of the Mechanical Contractors Association of Hamilton (MCAH), is being inducted into the Hamilton-Halton Construction Association’s (HHCA) construction hall of fame.

January 8, 2010

Swing-stage tragedy hits home for Labourers' International Union of North America

With hundreds of its workers on swing stages daily, one of North America’s largest unions has numerous concerns about the Christmas Eve incident that claimed four worker lives in Toronto.

January 6, 2010

Windsor, Ontario’s St. Clair College opens Centre for Construction, Innovation and Production

Electrical students will no longer have to share storage cradles with heating, ventilation and air conditioning students. Those studying to become plumbing apprentices won’t have to “imagine” certain construction scenarios and pretend to do hook-ups.

May 25, 2007

Contractors rely on frozen tundra base

Use of Ice Platforms for Bridge Construction

May 25, 2007

Variety of finishes adds complexity to art centre

The $2 million wall and ceiling contract Toronto’s Select Drywall & Acoustics recently completed at the Brampton Performing Arts Centre hardly ranks in comparison with some of the contractor’s work at Toronto’s $4.4 billion international airport makeover.

May 25, 2007

Turning a new leaf towards green roofs

Over the last two-and-a-half years, Toronto-based Gardens in the Sky Inc. has designed and created about 20 extensive green roofs in Ontario.

May 25, 2007

Driving home demanding foundations

Hamilton contractor Bermingham Construction Ltd. is not only one of the world’s leading suppliers of pile drivers, but has the expertise in using them to engineer some of the most demanding foundation construction jobs around.

May 25, 2007

Awareness campaign makes a difference

One of the off-shoots of the collective bargaining process between the Mechanical Contractors Association of Ontario (MCAO) and the Ontario Pipe Trades Council (OPTC) has been the creation of a joint Labour-Management Committee that addresses matters of mutual concern affecting the mechanical industry in the ICI construction sector.

May 25, 2007

Standards program eases geographical limits for welders

Since development and implementation of a Standard Provincial Welding Procedures Program (SPWPP), welders are showing up certified work ready, ensuring the Mechanical Contractors Association of Ontario (MCAO) is meeting is goals “to promote and maintain improved methods of business”.

May 25, 2007

Green plumbing gaining popularity in green builds

Plumbing systems are the latest specialty group to forge their way into the LEED process.

May 25, 2007

Mill given second chance as regional arts centre

After years of neglect and abandonment, a remnant of Ontario’s once proud 19th Century industrial mill heritage is being given a new life.

May 25, 2007

$6M roadway reconstruction designed as a tourist draw

After a regulatory approval process that took three years to obtain, a $6-million two-year reconstruction of one the Greater Toronto Area’s most scenic and environmentally-sensitive tourist roads is now in full swing.