Articles
Location, location
March 12, 2018 Jacob StollerOne 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…
Roadside construction safety: understand the hazards
March 12, 2018 Anita DeiterThis 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…
Innovation vs. Mother Nature
March 12, 2018 Nate HendleyThere 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…
AHES 2018 preview
March 12, 2018 by On-Site MagazineFor 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…
Crowchild Bridge keeps traffic flowing in Calgary
March 12, 2018 Saul ChernosKey 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…
From the editor: do what you know needs doing
February 20, 2018 Corinne LyndsNine 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…
Don’t make these 5 mistakes about performance bonds
February 20, 2018 Lindsey von Bloedau and Krista JohansonPerformance 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…
Take a step back for strategy
February 20, 2018 David BowcottLate 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…
Excavators that suck
February 20, 2018 Nate HendleySince 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…
Digging deep
February 20, 2018 Corinne Lynds with files from MetrolinxOriginally 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…
Ahead of the curve
February 20, 2018 Jacob StollerNational 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, Alberta trade dispute risks investor uncertainty
February 20, 2018 by Jillian MorganSaskatchewan 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…
Canadian Concrete Expo: letter from the president
December 15, 2017 Stuart GallowayWe 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…
First annual Canadian Concrete Expo is coming to Toronto February 2018
December 15, 2017 by On-Site MagazineThe 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…
Anticipation builds for World of Concrete 2018
December 15, 2017 by On-Site MagazineThe 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…
2018 pickup trucks report: the right truck
December 15, 2017 Jill McIntoshYou 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 value of disciplined project contingency development
December 15, 2017 David BowcottThe 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.…
What is the holdback anyway?
December 15, 2017 Dirk LaudanOne of the basic elements in builders lien law in British Columbia is the 10 per cent mandatory holdback. Anyone making a payment on account of a construction contract or subcontract is entitled to retain, from those payments, 10 per…
How safe is your data?
December 15, 2017 Jacob StollerIn late October, just in time for Halloween, a Finnish security company, F-Secure, released a study involving the CEOs of 200 of the world’s largest corporations. Results show that 30 per cent have had their log-in credentials exposed, and 81…
Anatomy of a tax fight
December 15, 2017 Dan KellyYou can’t blame business owners for feeling like they’re being bombarded by government. Increased EI premiums, new environmental levies, minimum wage hikes: announcements about new taxes and regulations became a common occurrence in 2017. But perhaps the most significant tax…