DCN ARCHIVES

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Professional Development/Skills Training

July 7, 2008

Social service clients find they can cut it in trades

In Toronto, the city’s 14 social service agency offices carry a caseload of almost 70,000 and of those, 39,000 are aged 16-30, the prime working years.

July 4, 2008

High-school construction teacher fined after dispute with Ministry of Labour inspector

A high school construction co-op teacher has been fined after pleading guilty to an occupational health and safety charge.

July 4, 2008

Enforcement key to protecting road crews, says Ontario Road Builders’ Association

New work zone safety concepts being considered by the Ontario Road Builders’ Association (ORBA) require the teeth of law enforcement to play a central role.

July 3, 2008

Aboriginal workforce offers solution to looming Canadian labour crisis

Encouraging aboriginals to enter the trades was a topical and crucial aspect of the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum’s 2008 Conference recently held in Victoria.

July 3, 2008

Major engineering projects will stress Atlantic Canada’s labour supply, CSC report says

Major engineering and industrial construction projects in New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador will stretch Atlantic Canada’s workforce to the limit, according to the Construction Sector Council.

July 3, 2008

Sydney Tar Ponds Agency bars Sierra Club from clean-up committee

The Sierra Club of Canada has been barred from having a voice on a Sydney tar ponds cleanup committee because of its constant questioning of the $400-million project, says an official for the environmental group.

July 2, 2008

Saskatechewan construction industry recruiters head overseas

The Saskatchewan government recently led a delegation, including representatives from the construction industry, on a recruitment mission to the Philippines and Ukraine.

July 2, 2008

Apprentice stream still mostly male, says National Apprenticeship Survey

The survey reconfirmed what’s been usually evident at construction sites. Most of those mastering a trade are male Canadians, aged 25-39, pursuing a Red Seal career.

July 2, 2008

Alberta program launches women into construction careers

A bold Alberta program proves that women can do very well in the trades if they have support when they begin their journey to become journeywomen.

July 2, 2008

Immigrant training questioned by Alberta electricians’ union

The electricians’ trade union in Alberta is screening some new immigrants because of concerns over certification.

July 2, 2008

Manitoba sees construction trades pinch ahead

The executive director of the Manitoba Building Trades Council says the province will need 10,000 additional skilled tradespeople to keep up with demand by 2016.

June 30, 2008

Diamond + Schmitt incorporate water stewardship into Cambridge city hall design

When Diamond + Schmitt Architects set out to design Cambridge’s new green city hall, development of a comprehensive water management strategy was a key agenda item.

June 30, 2008

Canadian Construction Association committee suggests owners educate contractors involved in LEED projects

The Canadian Construction Association’s (CCA) chief operating officers’ committee would like to see owners step up to the plate and ensure contractors are up to speed on LEED.

June 30, 2008

Fuel Management: Ten ways for businesses to cut fuel costs

Any business can improve its fuel efficiency. It starts with a commitment from the head office and cooperation to your people on the road and at the job sites. More and more companies are making changes in their operating practices to cut costs now and to be prepared for even higher costs in the future, writes Jack Lee.

June 30, 2008

Alberta unions mount campaign to halt labour-reform Bill 26

The political battle over the passage of controversial changes to Alberta’s labour laws is heating up.

June 27, 2008

Giffels builds Lakeshore Lions Arena

Steel work continues at the site of the new Lakeshore Lions Arena on Kipling Avenue in Etobicoke, Ontario.

June 27, 2008

Funding boost for Algonquin College’s skilled trades training centre earns construction-industry praise

Ontario’s $35 million funding boost for Algonquin College’s new skilled trades training centre is the type of commitment needed to tackle future industry labour shortages, says the Canadian Construction Association (CCA).

June 27, 2008

New RAIC president Paule Boutin preserves the past, plans for the future

Montreal architect Paule Boutin, the incoming president of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC), set her sights on a career in the profession when she was 14 years old.

June 26, 2008

Video Interview: Jeff Morrison prepares to take helm of Association of Canadian Engineering Companies

The Association of Canadian Engineering Companies (ACEC) has chosen Jeff Morrison as its new president and chief operating officer, beginning July 14, 2008. In this video interview, Morrison talks about some of the on-going concerns of the ACEC and the organization’s priorities in the future.

June 23, 2008

Culture of Canada’s design, construction industries turns green, too

Judging from comments at the recent Shifting Into the Mainstream conference in Toronto, the design and construction industries are practising what they preach about sustainable building and care for the environment in general.

June 23, 2008

AGC’s “Building to LEED for New Construction” course wins approval

The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) has announced its Building to LEED for New Construction: Overview and the Impact on Construction Practices course curriculum has been reviewed and approved through the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) Education Provider Program.

June 20, 2008

Aecon keeps focus on Canada’s transportation infrastructure market

Given the state of Canada’s aging civil infrastructure, transportation projects in both Ontario and Alberta are a key area of focus for construction giant Aecon Group Inc.

June 20, 2008

Aecon selected top bidder for Toronto Rehabilitation Institute project

Aecon Group Inc. (TSX: ARE) announced June 12, 2008 that its Buildings Division has been selected by the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute (Toronto Rehab) and Infrastructure Ontario as the highest ranking bidder for the renovation and expansion of Toronto Rehab’s University Centre site on University Avenue in Toronto.

June 19, 2008

Nuclear plant construction could bring 3,500 jobs to Darlington

The first expansion of Ontario’s nuclear supply in almost two decades will generate 3,500 construction jobs, the province estimates.

June 19, 2008

IUOE Local 793 helps raise cash to send D6K bulldozer to Kenya

Local 793 of the International Union of Operating Engineers has raised approximately $170,000 to send a D6K bulldozer and ripper to an organization that helps orphaned street children in Kenya.

June 19, 2008

Canadian concrete-canoe team ready to race

Montreal’s École de technologie supérieure’s (ETS) concrete canoe team finished first at both the 2008 Canadian National Concrete Canoe Competition and the American Regional Concrete Canoe Competition.

June 18, 2008

Trillium Power and First Nations Technical Institute strike training, education agreement

Trillium Power Wind and the First Nations Technical Institute (FNTI) have completed a bilateral agreement which will offer a wide range of training and educational opportunities to First Nations members.

June 18, 2008

CaGBC pilot project proves value of energy-measurement tools for commercial buildings

A recently completed Canada Green Building Council pilot project on the management and operation of commercial buildings proved to be a valuable experience for the owners and managers of those buildings, delegates to the Shifting into the Mainstream onference in Toronto were told.

June 17, 2008