News
Podcast: The job site ‘isn’t what it used to be’
March 26, 2020 by On-Site StaffWomen are making up a larger percentage of the Canadian construction workforce each year. As companies, governments and industry groups focus on inclusivity, job sites that have been stuck in the past are evolving. On-Site recently sat down with Alexandra…
Construction on Woodfibre LNG project in B.C. delayed a year as virus slows component deliveries
March 25, 2020 by The Canadian PressCALGARY—Construction on the Woodfibre LNG project southwest of Squamish, B.C., on the West Coast has been delayed for a year due in part to affects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Project spokeswoman Rebecca Scott says substantial construction expected to start this…
Construction industry answers call from hospitals to donate in-demand protective gear
March 25, 2020 by On-Site Staff, with files from The Canadian PressThe construction industry is stepping up to donate much-needed protective gear to hospitals as frontline health care staff coast to coast work to detect and treat thousands of cases of COVID-19. Though hospitals and health departments have generally downplayed concerns…
Alberta commits $50M to improvements along Hwy. 881
March 25, 2020 by On-Site StaffAlberta has set aside $50 million for a road improvement project on a stretch of highway between Edmonton and Fort McMurray, Alta. The province said the construction work will add passing lanes, a new rest area and improve intersections on…
Construction labour groups raise concerns over job site safety amid outbreak
March 24, 2020 by Ian Bickis, The Canadian PressTORONTO—Construction labour groups are raising concerns about working conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic as companies and governments respond with a range of strategies. The Ontario Construction Consortium, a group that advocates for construction workers, called on the Ontario government March…
‘No time for half measures’: Ontario, Quebec order shutdown of non-essential businesses
March 23, 2020 by David KennedyWhile both provinces vowed to shut down all but “essential” businesses, exemptions create far different situations for construction in Ontario and Quebec
Not so subtle words — Women in construction
March 23, 2020 by Marie Foley, MRICSI’ve been a construction finance consultant (quantity surveyor) for nearly 20 years. My career began as a co-op placement student at Helyar & Associates in Toronto with a focus on construction cost and risks for healthcare projects, and 20 years…
Husky Energy pauses construction on West White Rose Project in Newfoundland in response to coronavirus
March 23, 2020 by On-Site StaffHusky Energy is suspending construction on a new offshore platform in response to the COVID-19, or coronavirus, pandemic. The Calgary-based energy firm said March 22 it will start a “systematic and orderly suspension” of construction activities for its West White…
PCL to partner with Eddy Solutions on water damage detection software
March 23, 2020 by On-Site StaffPCL Construction is stepping up its water damage prevention capabilities through a new partnership with Toronto-based Eddy Solutions. Earlier this month, the Canadian contractor said it will merge its in-house Job Site Insights smart construction platform with the water monitoring…
Job sites stay open across country, though pair of Quebec unions call for halt to construction
March 20, 2020 by David KennedyA flood of ordinary workers and industry groups have committed to carrying on, others have broken ranks and called for construction to stop
No precedents put construction in ‘uncharted waters’ on force majeure clauses, coronavirus
March 19, 2020 by David KennedyThe Canadian construction industry is entering “unchartered waters” as provincial governments declare states of emergency and Ottawa closes the country’s borders to all but vital supplies to limit the spread of COVID-19, or coronavirus. Currently, job sites remain active, but…
Contractors, governments formulate coronavirus response, but construction sites remain open, for now
March 17, 2020 by David KennedyConstruction companies have begun implementing crisis response plans focused on keeping staff safe. Some sites have closed or are reducing staff
Ontario looking for build teams to dig tunnels for two new Toronto transit projects
March 17, 2020 by On-Site StaffInfrastructure Ontario and Metrolinx took a first step toward construction earlier this month on both the Scarborough Subway Extension and Eglinton Crosstown West Extension. Two new Toronto transit tunnels — together, more than a dozen kilometres long — are needed…
Kitchener, Ont.-based contractor fined for pair of fall-related injuries on industrial job site
March 17, 2020 by On-Site StaffAn Ontario contractor taking on a renovation project at an industrial plant in Kitchener, Ont. has been fined $55,000 for an incident that left two workers with fall-related injures in July 2018. Ball Construction Inc. pleaded guilty to falling short…
List of construction events cancelled or postponed due to coronavirus
March 17, 2020 by On-Site StaffGovernments have responded to the pandemic by severely limiting the size of gatherings and encouraging Canadians to work from home
New initiative equips women in construction with properly fitting safety harnesses
March 17, 2020 by On-Site StaffMore than 300 women at nearly two dozen construction companies across the U.S. will be working at heights more safely thanks to a new initiative led by tech firm Autodesk Inc. and the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC). Officially…
Grocery chain Metro to invest $420M to build new high-tech distribution centre outside Montreal
March 16, 2020 by On-Site StaffOntario and Quebec grocery chain Metro Inc. has set aside $420 million to put toward construction of a new distribution centre on the outskirts of Montreal, as well as an expansion to an existing facility in Laval, Que. The company…
AHES postponed due to coronavirus
March 16, 2020 by On-Site StaffThe Atlantic Heavy Equipment Show will not take place April 2-3 as originally planned. The high-profile East Coast event has been postponed as Canadian governments ramp up their responses to COVID-19, commonly called coronavirus. In a note to exhibitors March…
Coronavirus and its impact on Canadian construction
March 14, 2020 by On-Site StaffCOVID-19, or coronavirus, was first identified in Wuhan, China late last year. The virus has since spread around the globe, with the World Health Organization officially declaring it a pandemic March 11. Governments across Canada have taken extreme steps to…
CONEXPO-CON/AGG to close a day early as coronavirus concerns mount
March 13, 2020 by On-Site StaffThe move comes after the WHO officially classified the outbreak as a pandemic and Trump implemented travel restrictions