Michael Atkinson met in late summer with a group of Canada’s top construction leaders to gauge the state of the industry. With another year-end in sight, the now-past president of the Canadian Construction Association recounted a range of concerns —…
With scientists forecasting increasingly turbulent weather, builders developers and governments can expect heightened pressure in 2018 to green their infrastructure. The Ontario Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, for instance, is developing new measures for stormwater run-off volume control. “It…
All eyes are on the year ahead, as a tumultuous 2017 winds down. Oil prices remain low, edging towards a mild recovery but not expected to come close to the highs of 2013-2014. And prospects for pipeline construction remain mixed,…
“When people tell me they don’t believe in climate change. I ask them: ‘Do you believe in gravity? The destructive power of climate change is the same as the strength and reality of gravity,” stated climate change guru Christian Figueres…
The mobile generator you choose for your job site needs to be able to provide the dependable power your job requires, plain and simple. And because applications vary so widely, mobile generator selection should be taken on a case-by-case…
Everyone has seen the graphs that show construction on a downward productivity trend while other industries boast solid productivity gains. The following is a productivity graph that was produced by McKinsey & Co. that compares productivity in construction to that…
Advances in information systems have been cited as a catalyst for higher productivity in many sectors.
Boehmers is a concrete block producer in Cambridge, Ont. with a new, carbon-dioxide (CO2) infused product said to be great for the environment and superior to traditional concrete blocks. The company has been selling the Carboclave block, as the product…
Ask any operator, and they will tell you: everyone has a favourite piece of equipment. There are lots of factors that contribute to one’s fondness for a specific piece of machinery, but its most often related to comfort, familiarity, and…
Rome wasn’t built in a day. A trite expression, perhaps, but one which might comfort builders and other construction sector service and material providers wondering when infrastructure money the federal Liberal government promised in its two most recent budgets might…
How do we prepare the next generation for construction jobs that don’t even exist yet? That’s a tough one. According to a recent report entitled An Apprenticeship Skills Agenda, we had better figure it out soon – 65 per cent…
A recent Ontario court decision illustrates the expected – and unexpected – challenges that arise when one party wishes to end a contractual relationship. In Bombardier Transportation Canada Inc. v. Metrolinx, 2017 ONSC 2372, Bombardier had entered into a $770-million contract…
Every project needs money to move forward. Those funds are made up of equity and debt. The equity is contributed by the owner (or the concessionaire of the project) as a first layer of defense against project failure. The remainder…
Propane has been a fixture on construction sites for years, most often used for power generation and materials handling. Recently, however, site managers are using propane to power a growing number of applications. More construction firms are beginning to recognize…
A lot has changed in 20 years – operators are faster and more accurate than ever
On-Site ranks Top 5 commercial contractors with 50 or under employees by revenue. See infographic for stats on this year’s Top 5.
For the second time in three years, the Rosati Group has earned On-Site’s Top Contractor in the 50 employees or less category. The company’s first win came in 2014, and it should be noted that they didn’t participate last year.…
The construction industry has
a reputation for being slow to
adopt innovative technology. Many
contractors believe this is about
to change.
2016 was not an easy year for the construction industry. Infrastructure spending lagged, there were several high-profile job delays, and a slow down in the oil sands impacted many of the top players. Despite these challenges, I’m happy to report…
If ever there were an industry ripe for disruption, it is construction. Mega-trends like globalization, asset management, and new technology are beginning to turn this long unchanged industry inside out. So, how do industry players stay on the winning side…
