As a I dragged my butt out of bed at 2:40 in the morning last month to watch an Olympic hockey game taking place on the other side of the planet, my mind drifted… as it is wont to do…
What are the most important tools for a contractor to bring to a jobsite? Hammers? Wrenches? A sturdy pickup truck? … What about builders liens? Builders liens give contractors the leverage they need to turn a job done into a…
There is no doubt about it, the construction industry has globalized quite significantly over the past 20 years and there are both advantages and disadvantages to the world’s biggest players creating a global service footprint. Not to be a downer,…
One of the most palpable signs of the digital area is the growing frequency of requests to “rate your experience” at venues you happened to pass. The availability of information indicating where you are, or, to be precise, where your…
This article provides information on traffic and vehicle hazards in roadside work zones. You will also need to consider hazards associated with your specific work activities. Working close to traffic is dangerous. Each roadside work site has its own unique…
There have been many innovations in asphalt pavement and road surface technology over the past few years. While some of these innovations have been embraced by municipalities and private companies, others have fared poorly when faced with the reality of…
For 32 years running, the Atlantic Heavy Equipment Show has been a true pillar of the heavy equipment industry. On April 5 and 6, 2018, the latest products, services and – of course – big iron will once again take…
Key Cowtown bridge, originally built in the mid-’60s, is getting a much-needed makeover to help handle growing population, but environmental concerns necessitated a unique approach to the work. Commuter chaos might seem unavoidable when rebuilding a series of overpasses on…
Nine years, one month, six days, and I think roughly two hours, is how long I have been the editor of On-Site. And, this, my 63rd editorial, is proving to be the trickiest one I have had to write so…
Performance bonds are common on construction projects, and so are misconceptions about them. Don’t make the five mistakes listed below. 1. “A bond is an insurance policy” While a bond has some similarities to an insurance policy, they are two…
Late last year I was asked to speak at a Cities conference that was put on by Builtworlds, a network and community that links key stakeholders of the construction and asset management industry, with those in the tech sector. Matt…
Since 1995, Ontario Excavac has offered vacuum excavating services, primarily for municipalities and hydro companies. Much of the Vaughan, Ont.-based company’s work involves “potholing”— that is, locating underground utilities then removing enough soil in non-destructive fashion to expose pipes and…
Originally conceived as the Line 5 Eglinton by Toronto Mayor David Miller and TTC chair Adam Giambrone back in 2007, the $6.6-billion Eglinton Crosstown LRT is one of the largest transit infrastructure projects underway in North America, and it’s progressing…
National Research Council Canada (NRC) released a paper in 2008 titled Systems Integration and Collaboration in Construction: A Review. Its authors, Weiming Shen and colleagues, concluded “systems integration and collaboration are believed to be the key enabling technologies to help…
Saskatchewan has lifted its ban on Alberta license plates from government road and building project sites in the province. The decision came 12 hours before an independent panel under the New West Partnership Trade Agreement would strike a rule on…
We started researching this project back in the summer of 2016 and reserved the Hall space at the International Centre the following September. From there, many customer survey calls were made to potential exhibitors and companies that might attend the…
The Canadian Concrete Expo (CCE) is an industry only trade show that will feature more than 250 exhibiting companies on 200,000 sq. ft. of exhibition space. CCE will foster commerce, partnerships, education, and face-to-face meetings. Exhibitors from across the country will be able to…
The most important annual international event of the year for concrete and masonry professionals, WOC 2018 expects to attract 60,000 professional registrants and 1,500 leading suppliers from around the world. Taking over the Las Vegas Convention Centre from January 22…
You always want “the right tool for the job,” and that includes one of a contractor’s most important tools, the work vehicle. It can be hard to choose with so many on the market, but that also gives you a…
The primary defense against margin erosion is the project contingency. Construction is not a predictable business, and the project contingency is that all encompassing pool of capital dedicated to each project, which provides much needed funding when the unexpected happens.…
