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February 13, 2012

Ontario College of Trades will drive up infrastructure costs: Conservative leader Tim Hudak

At the Ontario Road Builders’ Association’s (ORBA) 85th annual convention, provincial Conservative leader Tim Hudak reiterated his calls to disband the College of Trades and establish one-to-one apprentice ratios

February 10, 2012

Toronto employer fined over worker using metal pliers in electrical panel

An Ontario court has fined the Sheraton Toronto Airport Hotel and Conference Centre $70,000 for violating the Occupational Health and Safety Act over a May, 2010 incident. A maintenance worker attempted to use metal pliers to remove a fuse from an electrical panel, resulting in an explosion and the worker suffered first, second and third-degree burns.

February 7, 2012

U.S. construction employment increases: Associated General Contractors of America

Construction employment in the United States increased in 148 out of 337 metropolitan areas between December 2010 and December 2011, decreased in 128 and stayed level in 61, according to a new analysis of federal employment data released by the Associated General Contractors of America.

February 7, 2012

York Region, Ontario approves subway construction expenditures

The Regional Municipality of York, which is the upper level of municipal government for cities and towns immediately north of Toronto, recently approved a capital budget that includes $332.2 million for rapid transit construction projects.

February 6, 2012

Knowing the bid rules essential for contractor success

Government buyers make sure they follow the rules that apply when dealing with non-compliant bids. In both tenders and Request for Proposals (RFP), bids or proposals may be accepted only if they are compliant. It follows that the first step in reviewing the bids that have been submitted is to determine whether they are compliant with the terms and conditions of the tender.

February 3, 2012

Ontario Road Builders’ Association focused on partnerships at convention

The theme of this year’s convention, “Partners in Progress: Keeping Ontario Moving Together” is an important one, said Rob Bradford, ORBA executive director. The convention will break new ground this year with the involvement of Metrolinx, a government of Ontario agency, created to improve the coordination and integration of all modes of transportation in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area.

February 2, 2012

Banff, Alberta gets $4.4 million from Green Municipal Fund for recreation centre expansion

The Town of Banff, Alberta used $4.4 million in funding from the Green Municipal Fund (GMF) loan and grant contributions towards a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver-certified expansion of its recreation centre.

February 2, 2012

National Building Trades support federal regulatory reform

The Canadian Building Trades, which is affiliated with unions representing construction and manufacturing workers, announced Jan. 26 it is “encouraged” by remarks made by Prime Minister Stephen Harper about regulatory approval for construction projects.

February 1, 2012

Structal-Bridges inks $12-million agreement with Archer Western for lift bridge

Canam Group Inc. of Quebec City announced its Structal-Bridges division has been awarded a contract by Archer Western Contractors of truss spans and towers for the Memorial Bridge over the Piscataqua River between Kittery, Maine, and Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The structure is a lift bridge on U.S. Highway 1.

January 30, 2012

Harley Davidson to roar into Quebec, with $15-million franchise headquarters under construction

A 23,000-square-metre structure will house the new Premont Harley Davidson franchise headquarters on Pierre-Bertrand Boulevard in Quebec City. The design team includes DMG Architects, Axys Consultants for structural/civil engineering and Genecor Experts-Conseils for mechanical/electrical engineering. Les constructions Y. Gagnon & fils inc. are the acting project managers.

January 26, 2012

Construction continues on Queenston Lewiston Bridge plaza near Niagara Falls

Work on the third phase of the Queenston Lewiston Bridge plaza redevelopment project continues in Niagara-on-the-Lake, north of Niagara Falls, Ontario. Scott Builders Inc. is the general contractor.

January 26, 2012

United States construction firms expect fewer 2012 layoffs

Significantly fewer construction firms in the United States are planning to make layoffs in 2012 than at any point in the past few years, according to survey results released by the Associated General Contractors of America and Computer Guidance Corporation.

January 26, 2012

Ottawa launches environmental assessment for new Montreal bridge

The federal environmental assessment phase of the project to build a new bridge over the St. Lawrence River in Montreal, led by Transport Canada, has officially been launched. The government said it will continue to invest in the safety and security of the federally-run Champlain Bridge.

January 25, 2012

How British Columbia Supreme Court decided when low bidders sued over construction contracts

In its decision in Tercon Contractors Ltd. v. the province of British Columbia involving a highway construction project on Vancouver Island, the B.C. Supreme Court held that preferences for factors other than price were acceptable as long as those preferences were disclosed in the tender call. But in its decision in W.I.B. Co. Construction versus Central Okanagan School District No. 23, the court found that the owner was entitled to bypass the low bidder due to concerns with that bidder’s proposed site supervisor.

January 25, 2012

How the Calgary construction industry is improving its understanding of wind

High winds have always been a constant challenge facing construction workers in Calgary, particularly for those erecting high-rise buildings. They now employ a new early warning weather system, dubbed Envision, that can be so precise as to predict wind gusts within a city block. It was created by RWDI of Guelph, Ontario.

January 24, 2012

Toronto council approves $1.1 billion in capital projects

Toronto City Council has approved a capital budget that was essentially unchanged from that recommended by the executive and budget committees recently.

January 24, 2012

Outlook strong for Windsor, Ontario construction industry

Jim Lyons, executive director of the Windsor Construction Association, says projects such as the Windsor-Essex Parkway and aquatic centre bode well for the industry in Windsor, Ontario.

January 23, 2012

Niagara Region completes preliminary design, environmental study for bridge construction

The Regional Municipality of Niagara has completed an environmental assessment and preliminary design study for the Burgoyne Bridge in St. Catharines, Ontario. The region has decided to replace the existing Burgoyne Bridge, built in 1915 and carries traffic on St. Paul Street, also known as Regional Road 81, over Twelve Mile Creek and Highway 406, with a single steel truss-arch span supporting two steel box girders from inclined hangers on a hybrid alignment of the existing central and eastern alignments.

January 23, 2012

Deltera works on Ventus at Metrogate in Toronto

Glass work moves upwards at Tridel Corp.’s Ventus at Metrogate condominium towers in Toronto. General contractor for the two 30-storey towers, located near Kennedy Road and Highway 401 in the former City of Scarborough, is Deltera Inc.

January 20, 2012

Bolton, Ontario Sneath Road Bridge rehabilitation project required careful work

When compared to the numerous multi-million dollar construction projects currently underway in Ontario the $230,000-restoration of the historic Sneath Road Bridge in Bolton might be considered somewhat minor.

January 20, 2012

Hamilton, Ontario bridge funded by gas tax

Construction was recently completed on a new bridge on Parkdale Avenue over Lawrence Road, thanks to the Gas Tax Fund, in Hamilton, Ontario.

January 19, 2012

Windsor-Essex Parkway on track: Ontario Ministry of Transportation

Construction of the Windsor-Essex Parkway is on track, says the Ontario Ministry of Transportation. The project is an 11-kilometre addition to Highway 401, connecting to the Windsor- Detroit border.

January 16, 2012

Cornwall, Ontario invites bids for wastewater plant construction

The City of Cornwall, Ontario is taking bids for a construction project at its wastewater treatment facility. Bids are due February 14 and an information session is scheduled Jan. 18.

January 16, 2012

PCL expands into Australian market with Grocon, Plenary Health

The PCL family of companies and its Australian joint venture partner Grocon are part of a consortium headed by Plenary Health Australia that will deliver the $1 billion (AUD) Victorian comprehensive cancer centre in the city of Melbourne.

January 16, 2012

U.S. construction November 2011 spending hit $807 billion

Construction spending in the United States totaled $807 billion in November 2011, the highest level since June 2010, as homebuilding, private nonresidential construction and public construction all increased compared to October, the Associated General Contractors of America reported in an analysis of new Census Bureau data.

January 13, 2012

Recycling aggregates focus of new advocacy group

Recycling aggregates removed from demolition sites and road construction projects are the immediate focus of a new Ontario organization.

January 13, 2012

Alternative Financing and Procurement key for Ontario government construction

Infrastructure Ontario’s principle method for most project management has been Alternative Financing and Procurement (AFP), which allows IO to transfer risk to the private sector and thus deliver value for money. Since its merger with the Ontario Realty Corporation, IO manages one of the largest real estate portfolios in the country and requires a strategic focus to manage it.