TORONTO—The scarcity of skilled workers across Ontario is no secret. Construction employers, among others, often face a serious challenge finding tradespersons to fill roles, resulting in project delays and higher costs. The 2019 Ontario budget, the first released under Premier…
Sprawling construction sites, swarming with workers during the day, but abundant in valuable tools and unguarded equipment once crews clock out, are ripe for pilfering. Unlike picking a lock or breaking a window, prowling a vacant construction site after-hours hoping…
You may have noticed that a number of articles I’ve penned in the last year have had a strong technology leaning. It isn’t a coincidence. There’s absolutely no doubt that over the last few years Silicon Valley has discovered the…
It may be time to rethink working at heights from the ground up. Though some provinces have welcomed a marginal decline in accidents, falls remain a leading cause of injury for tradespeople of all stripes across the country. The most…
With hundreds of thousands of industry veterans set to hang up their hard hats, construction firms need to step up their recruitment efforts
Downtime for a construction operation can cause significant disruption and have a real impact on a company’s bottom line. It’s therefore essential to ensure that equipment is running smoothly — even in the most difficult and extreme conditions. There are…
Toronto’s Humber River Hospital, completed in 2015, is an award-winning facility featuring fully integrated digital infrastructure, compliance with LEED, a natural people-friendly environment and floor layouts that support Lean workflows. What’s not immediately obvious is the project’s diverse input from…
The Canadian engineering and construction industries often insist on using only written change orders when agreeing to alterations to a project’s scope. Other means of communication, such as verbal direction, are often seen as inadequate and non-binding. But this nearly…
Many of the province’s nearly 2,000 crane operators walked off the job earlier this week, disrupting work at job sites across Quebec
The term “innovation” conjures up images of drones, virtual reality, state-of-the-art sensing technology and leading-edge building materials. These products, however, are only enablers—the real innovation is in the changes companies have to make to adopt them. Unlike manufacturers, contractors don’t…
On-Site’s 2018 Top Contractors by revenue. To see how this year’s list stacks up against previous top performers, click here. Meanwhile, the survey for Top Contractors 2019 is now live. And as always, having your company listed is entirely free.…
MONTREAL—Crane operators drove their rigs through the streets of Montreal over the weekend to protest new regulations that govern how workers are trained. About 10 cranes and several hundred union members joined the march and protest that ended in front…
The Canadian Construction Documents Committee (CCDC) is launching a series of cross-country seminars between April and May 2018. The seminars will introduce new and updated documents, with a focus on project delivery methods as well as procurement and contracting requirements.…
Alberta has introduced a new bidding policy for contractors to utilize apprentices in construction-related trades on large-scale, public infrastructure projects. The policy requires apprentices in the 11 trades to participate on major public projects valued over $15 million, or those…
Over 250,000 construction workers are expected to retire this decade, according to the latest labour market forecast from BuildForce Canada. Those workers account for 21 per cent of Canada’s construction workforce. To meet labour requirements, 277,000 construction workers will need…
For the fifth consecutive year, PCL Construction was the title sponsor of the 44th Great Northern Concrete Toboggan Race (GNCTR) in support of young engineers. Hosted by the University of Waterloo in Waterloo, Ont., the race took place from Jan.…
Ontario will invest $240,000 in job training for Indigenous people near Thunder Bay, Ont. In partnership with SuperCom Industries (Supercom), a First Nation-owned business, the investment will support training for up to 244 people. The project aims to prepare for…
Canada’s unemployment rate fell to its lowest in four decades in 2017, with 51,000 jobs added to the construction industry. The Statistics Canada monthly labour force survey reported a year of growth across all industries. Unemployment rates landed at 5.7…
EllisDon, a major contributor to the Middle East landscape for over 14 years, has implemented a new program that provides international students from the UAE with work experience. Initiated by the company’s Middle East vice-presidents, Daniel Murphy and Wissam Ayoub,…
Business owners will face an employee retention crisis in the new year, warns Hays Canada. The recruiting agency’s eighth annual salary guide, released on Nov. 30, paints an unfavourable picture of the Canadian labour force – overworked and underpaid as…
