News
Alberta’s Jaus Neigum wins Cat’s Global Operator Challenge, earning title of world’s best
March 11, 2020 by David KennedyAfter a year of hard-fought competitions around the world, Caterpillar Inc. has crowned the winner of its inaugural Global Operator Challenge. Nine equipment operators from North and South America, Europe and Asia stepped into the dirt March 10 to face…
New shareholder agreement will see EllisDon employees take full control of contractor
March 10, 2020 by On-Site StaffEllisDon will soon be entirely employee-owned. In a move designed to protect company growth, the big-name Canadian contractor said March 2 it’s reached a deal that will see 100 per cent of the company’s equity transferred to its employees. Up…
Four construction teams shortlisted for next stage of Toronto’s Union Station expansion
March 9, 2020 by David KennedyPart of GO Transit’s push to increase capacity and run trains more frequently, the job includes construction of a new platform and concourse at the south end of the station
Op-Ed: We need more women in the trades
March 8, 2020 by Jill Dunlop and Monte McNaughtonLooming shortage of apprentices means lost profits and paycheques for Ontarians
Few approved oilsands projects stand to be built in near term: analysts
March 7, 2020 by Dan Healing, The Canadian PressCALGARY—There are dozens of approved oilsands projects that could be built in the wake of the shelving of the Frontier oilsands mine this week but analysts say they won’t be built until more export pipeline capacity comes online. The application…
Construction sheds 7,900 jobs in February, snapping three-month win streak
March 6, 2020 by On-Site StaffEmployers in Canada’s construction industry pumped the brakes on hiring in February after three-straight months of steady job gains. Statistics Canada reported the industry shed 7,900 jobs, or about 0.5 per cent, last month. This followed an increase of 15,800…
Work on new $60.7M transmission line to link Manitoba, Saskatchewan grids to start this summer
March 6, 2020 by On-Site StaffA major new transmission line designed to transfer up to 215 megawatts of electricity from Manitoba’s power grid to neighbouring Saskatchewan’s is set to get underway this summer. The federal government announced $18.7 million in funding for the 230-kilovolt transmission…
Women made small gains on job sites in 2019, but remain heavily outnumbered throughout construction
March 6, 2020 by David KennedyWomen in construction made significant strides in 2019, particularly in one of the areas they have been most underrepresented traditionally — job sites themselves — but still accounted for little more than 13 per cent of the industry’s total workforce…
Pomerleau, Delsan AIM picked to tear down old Champlain Bridge in Montreal
March 6, 2020 by David KennedyThe bridge will be taken apart piece by piece with a focus on reusing as many components as possible
EllisDon reaches substantial completion on new Ontario hospital just north of Guelph
March 5, 2020 by On-Site StaffA new hospital in Ontario’s Wellington County is set to open in late spring or early summer as the construction team hands over the keys to the new 152,000 sq. ft. facility to the province. Infrastructure Ontario (IO) and Groves…
Work on Coastal GasLink pipeline to resume, but impasse on pipeline remains
March 4, 2020 by Teresa Wright, The Canadian PressOTTAWA—Work has resumed on a natural gas pipeline in British Columbia at the centre of protests that have disrupted both rail and road traffic across the country, but questions remain about how opponents to the project will react to workers…
Aecon raising dividend after posting record 2019 revenue, though fourth quarter numbers slip
March 4, 2020 by Christopher Reynolds, The Canadian PressAecon Group Inc. is forecasting another year of income growth on the heels of record annual revenue, as the construction firm continues to shore up its backlog of infrastructure projects. Chief financial officer David Smales predicted revenue growth “in the…
Ontario, two First Nation groups look to clear logjam on proposed road to Ring of Fire mining region
March 3, 2020 by On-Site StaffA new agreement will spur further study of a set of roads to the remote region, but stops short of committing any funds for construction
SNC-Lavalin shares jump as company puts criminal case behind it, commits to shift from construction
March 2, 2020 by Christopher Reynolds, The Canadian PressMONTREAL—Despite a rout on North American stock markets Feb. 28, SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. shares jumped 11 per cent or $3.08 to close at $31.20 on the Toronto Stock Exchange following the release of its quarterly financial results. CEO Ian Edwards…
Marco Group wraps up work on Newfoundland’s first P3 project, a new long-term care home in Corner Brook
March 2, 2020 by On-Site StaffConstruction has officially wrapped up on new long-term care home in Corner Brook, N.L. The 120-bed facility is Newfoundland and Labrador’s first foray in the public-private partnership market and was built over about an approximately 28-month period starting in late…
One week out: Final prep underway for CONEXPO, special care being taken for coronavirus
March 2, 2020 by On-Site StaffThousands of new registrants signed up to attend CONEXPO-CON/AGG last week, as the approximately 2,500 exhibitors enter the final phase of preparation for the massive trade show that will kick off in Las Vegas March 10. Organizers of the triennial…
EllisDon to take on new $105M mass timber, zero-carbon build at Centennial College
February 29, 2020 by On-Site StaffWith momentum for mass timber buildings continuing to build, Centennial College has announced plans for a new wood campus building in Scarborough, Ont. Contractor EllisDon and design firms Dialog and Smoke Architecture have been chosen to take on the $105…
Canada has pumped nearly 900 billion litres of raw sewage into waterways since 2013
February 28, 2020 by Mia Rabson, The Canadian PressOTTAWA—Canada’s old-fashioned city sewer systems dumped nearly 900 billion litres of raw sewage into this country’s waterways over five years, enough to fill up an Olympic-sized swimming pool more than 355,000 times. Data Environment Canada posted to the federal government’s…
Pomerleau opens new office in downtown Vancouver
February 27, 2020 by On-Site StaffQuebec-based contractor Pomerleau is bolstering its presence in British Columbia’s nerve centre with a new office in downtown Vancouver. The company held a grand opening at the site Feb. 26, hosting a range of partners, clients and other stakeholders. Pierre…
Alberta sets aside $100M to speed up prep work for Red Deer hospital expansion
February 27, 2020 by On-Site StaffThe Alberta government is spending $100 million to get a long-planned expansion project at the Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre off the ground. The latest in a string of provincial health care infrastructure investments will help finalize key project details…