News
Tale of two libraries: Edmonton design backlash morphs into rivalry with Calgary
July 20, 2019 by Daniela Germano, The Canadian PressEDMONTON—The pitched reaction to Edmonton’s remodelled downtown library has morphed into the latest instalment of the city’s rivalry with its southern neighbour Calgary. Renovations on the Stanley A. Milner Library have been going on for months, but this week Edmontonians…
Ford’s new F-150 diesel built tough
July 19, 2019 by Mario CywinskiYou know you are doing something right when you are the top selling anything for over 50 years. For Ford of Canada, they have had the top selling pickup truck in Canada for 53 years, with the F-Series. If that…
Toronto remains unrivalled in North American construction crane count
July 17, 2019 by David KennedyThe seemingly endless list of new residential, office and mix-use projects have helped elevate the city’s building industry to one of the busiest on the continent
PCL signs deal with drone firm 3DR in push to make use of flyers on more job sites
July 17, 2019 by On-Site StaffTORONTO—PCL job sites worldwide are poised to have more buzzing drones flying overhead as a result of a new corporate licensing agreement the contractor has signed with software firm 3DR. The builder said July 17 it’s signed a three-year partnership…
CN Rail to rebuild ‘vital’ northern Alberta rail bridge destroyed by wildfires this spring
July 17, 2019 by On-Site StaffCALGARY—CN Rail is planning to rebuild a key rail bridge linking Northwest Territories to Alberta after it was destroyed this spring during a particularly harsh fire season. The railway said July 16 it will replace the steel deck of the…
Study makes case for high-speed rail from Vancouver to Seattle and Portland; building it could cost US$42B
July 16, 2019 by Laura Kane, The Canadian PressVANCOUVER—A proposed high-speed rail link connecting Vancouver, Seattle and Portland would cut the travel time between each city to under an hour and dramatically boost the economy of the entire region, a new report concludes. The Washington State Department of…
Canada Infrastructure Bank pitching in $20M to pilot P3 on small-scale Ontario municipal wastewater project
July 15, 2019 by David KennedyTORONTO—Several weeks after making its third-ever investment, the two-year-old Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB) is opening its chequebook for a wastewater project in rural southern Ontario. The crown corporation, which has focused until now on large-scale transit projects, said July 15…
Controversial Chateau Laurier expansion not good enough, McKenna says
July 15, 2019 by David Reevely, The Canadian PressOTTAWA—Environment Minister Catherine McKenna wants the owners of the iconic Chateau Laurier by Parliament Hill to come up with another plan for an addition to the historic hotel even after Ottawa’s city council approved the controversial expansion. McKenna is the…
Shotcrete firm fined after worker killed falling into hopper on Toronto job site
July 10, 2019 by On-Site StaffTORONTO—A British Columbia-based shotcrete service company is facing a $130,000 fine for an incident that left one worker dead on a Toronto condo construction site in January 2017. While there were no eyewitnesses to the incident in the city’s Beaches…
New Trans Mountain legal challenge claims Canada’s bias led to improper consultations
July 10, 2019 by Camille Bains, The Canadian PressVANCOUVER—Six First Nations that have filed another legal challenge against the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion say Canada’s ownership of the corporation behind the project created a bias that prevented full consultations as ordered by the Federal Court of Appeal. Chief…
New CCA mentorship program connects innovators with contractors looking to test novel solutions
July 9, 2019 by David KennedyWithout the direct input of end users, innovations are often little more than solutions in search of problems
Brook Restoration acquires Wall-Tech, a Toronto-area contractor specializing in building envelope restoration
July 8, 2019 by On-Site StaffTORONTO—A pair of contractors that focus on the building restoration market in Toronto and several other major Ontario cities are joining forces. Brook Restoration Ltd. announced July 7 it has agreed to buy Ajax, Ont.-based Wall-Tech Restoration Inc. for an…
Construction company fined for worker injured in fall off second-floor townhouse balcony
July 8, 2019 by On-Site StaffOAKVILLE, Ont.—An Ottawa-based construction company has been fined for a worker injury on a job site in the Toronto suburbs last year. MC Oakvillage GP Inc. will pay a $60,000 fine, plus the province’s standard 25 per cent victim surcharge,…
Top Canadian climate risks are infrastructure, coastlines, northerners
July 6, 2019 by Bob Weber, The Canadian PressNew research for the federal Treasury Board has concluded that buildings, coastlines and northern communities face the biggest risks from climate change in Canada. In a report released July 4, the Council of Canadian Academies has narrowed down a myriad…
Construction jobs dry up in June as industry posts another decline in employment
July 5, 2019 by On-Site StaffOTTAWA—Aside from a big April gain, there’s been little to brag about in the Canadian construction industry’s labour market this year. And the negative news shows few signs of abating. Statistics Canada released its June Labour Force survey July 5,…
PCL wins $48.7M contract to overhaul campground in Jasper National Park
July 5, 2019 by On-Site StaffEDMONTON—The contract for a major construction project in one of Canada’s busiest National Parks has been awarded to PCL Constructors Inc. Parks Canada announced last week the Edmonton-based contractor will head the $48.7 million project to overhaul Jasper National Park’s…
Feds invest $185M in six highway widening, upgrade projects in B.C.
July 5, 2019 by David KennedyTAPPEN, B.C.—Three major construction projects along the Trans-Canada Highway in British Columbia, as well as three other roadwork jobs on three other routes, are getting a combined $185 million from Ottawa. The federal government said July 3 it has set…
N.L. premier defends decision to trudge forward on Muskrat Falls megaproject
July 4, 2019 by Holly McKenzie-Sutter, The Canadian PressST. JOHN’S, N.L.—Newfoundland and Labrador’s premier says the joy of his 2015 election victory was short-lived as he began to realize the dire financial situation brought on by the Muskrat Falls hydro megaproject’s runaway costs. Liberal Premier Dwight Ball took…
Trudeau pledges $1.3B in federal funds for five-stop Montreal metro extension
July 4, 2019 by Giuseppe Valiante, The Canadian PressThe funds will help pay for an extension to the blue line on the city’s east end
PCL among consortium picked to build new $750M hospital in Corner Brook, N.L.
July 3, 2019 by On-Site StaffCORNER BROOK, N.L.—A seven-firm consortium has been picked to take on a major new hospital project on the west end of Newfoundland. Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Dwight Ball announced late last week the government has selected the Corner Brook Health…