Topic
Construction Materials
Non-permanent construction materials and rental equipment: To lien or not to lien
September 30, 2019 Tim SportschuetzA number of construction industry participants subscribe to the principle that contractors (and subcontractors) who provide to a construction site non-permanent rental equipment or materials do not have builders’ lien rights. In this article, I discuss whether the British Columbia…
Adding to the mix: Using admixtures to get your concrete to do what you want it to
August 19, 2019 David KennedyLooking up at the coffered dome of the Roman Pantheon, several thousand tonnes of ancient concrete overhead, the majesty of the nearly 2,000-year-old temple is lost on few. The building’s dome, still the largest unreinforced concrete dome in the world,…
Sidewalk releases grand vision for controversial Toronto development
June 25, 2019 Ian Bickis, The Canadian PressExpanding on the project’s initial scope, the subsidiary of Google parent company Alphabet has mapped out an elaborate urban development project that could cost $38 billion over the next 20 years
From the editor… The tariffs are gone, but don’t hold out for cheaper steel and aluminum
June 12, 2019 by David KennedyPrime Minister Justin Trudeau, with several cabinet ministers in tow, took a victory lap through the Hamilton, Ont. Stelco plant May 17, hours after news of the tariffs being lifted first surfaced last month. Predictably, Trudeau credited his government’s countermeasures…
It’s not easy going green: For contractors, embracing the sustainable building ‘paradigm shift’ isn’t optional
June 10, 2019 David KennedyWith exposed concrete on all sides and piping from mechanical systems overhead, a compact drilling rig bores slowly into the ground beneath the Arthur Meighen Building in Toronto. The rig takes about a day to drill a 13-centimetre (five-inch) borehole…
Long awaited end to Canada’s tariff standoff with U.S. finally at hand
May 17, 2019 Mike Blanchfield and James McCarten, The Canadian PressThe U.S. imposed the tariffs nearly a year ago, souring relations with Ottawa, which has blasted them as illegal and absurd
Freeland leaves D.C. with no tariff deal, despite early optimism from U.S.
May 15, 2019 Mike Blanchfield, The Canadian PressOTTAWA—Close, maybe, but no cigar. Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland came and went from Washington May 15, shifting diplomatic gears and jetting to Havana on a day that saw early hope that the end of the Canada-U.S. tariff dispute was…
Taking shape: 3D printing revolution on the horizon
April 24, 2019 Jillian MorganAt Sika AG’s research facility in Widen, Switzerland, the nozzle of a 3D printer pumps out billowy concrete at one metre per second. The material cures almost instantly, just in time for the machine’s printing arm to deposit the next…
Breaking it down: Crusher evolution prompts contractors to rethink aggregates
April 22, 2019 Jillian MorganThe steep cost of hauling off and disposing of rubble from job sites, only to purchase and truck in virgin aggregate from far-off quarries, has motivated the construction industry to turn its garbage into gold. Geoffrey Faber, territory manager West…
Canadian construction costs balloon as steel and aluminum tariffs exact a heavy price
April 12, 2019 by David KennedyThe trade battle was expected to be brief, but nearly a year after the U.S. imposed duties on Canadian steel and aluminum, the tariffs remain firmly in place
Engineered wood to be put to use in two B.C. megaprojects, Horgan says
April 8, 2019 Hina Alam, The Canadian PressVANCOUER, B.C.—British Columbia is moving to help revive the provincial forest industry by requiring the use of engineered wood on the new St. Paul’s Hospital and the upgrade to the Royal B.C. Museum. Premier John Horgan told the Council of…
Wood construction renaissance may not be quite all it’s built up to be, report says
April 4, 2019 On-Site StaffWINNIPEG—Sustainability has taken on an increasingly important role in Canadian construction in recent years. The energy-intensive processes required to manufacture concrete and steel have, at least in part, propelled another age-old building material back to the fore. In numerous projects…
B.C. building code adjusted upwards to allow 12 storey wood buildings
March 14, 2019 Dirk Meissner, The Canadian PressOKANAGAN FALLS, B.C.—The height limit for wood buildings in British Columbia is rising to 12 from six storeys in a move that Premier John Horgan expects to spur development using timber and give the province a headstart on other parts…
Under lock and key: Guarding job sites from thieves and thrill-seekers saves contractors down the line
March 13, 2019 Jillian MorganSprawling 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…
Feds dismiss Ontario’s call to drop retaliatory U.S. steel, aluminum tariffs as ‘unilateral surrender’
February 5, 2019 Allison Jones, The Canadian PressOttawa said Canada’s reciprocal tariffs are “critical” in pressuring the U.S. to call an end to the trade dispute “once and for all”
Almost non-existent a decade ago, tall timber towers taking root across Canada
January 21, 2019 Ian Bickis, The Canadian PressDefying the skeptics, towers that use cross-laminated timber are digging in in cities such as Vancouver and Toronto, with more to come
U.S. steel, aluminum tariffs ‘contradict’ new NAFTA deal and have to go, Freeland says
December 19, 2018 Mike Blanchfield, The Canadian PressOTTAWA—Donald Trump’s steel and aluminum tariffs contradict a key component of the new North American trade agreement — the pivotal section on autos — which will ultimately lead to their demise, Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland says. U.S. businesses are…
Canada signs onto new NAFTA despite lack of detente on steel, aluminum tariffs
November 30, 2018 Kristy Kirkup, The Canadian PressCanadian officials had insisted Ottawa would not sign the deal unless the punitive tariffs were lifted, but ultimately Trudeau put pen to paper in a decision that could have long-term implications for construction
Steel relief? U.S. ‘might’ lift tariffs once new trade deal is signed, incoming Mexican minister says
October 24, 2018 Andy Blatchford, The Canadian PressOTTAWA—Mexico’s future foreign minister says he thinks biting U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs slapped on his country and Canada could be lifted once the three continental partners sign a newly negotiated free trade agreement. But Marcelo Ebrard, who will assume…
Ottawa’s new tariffs on foreign steel put Canadian construction industry in ‘dire position’
October 15, 2018 Christopher Reynolds, The Canadian PressThe surtax on products such as rebar, steel plate and wire rod will increase construction costs for a long list of projects across the country