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Professional Development/Skills Training

May 12, 2008

Soaring construction costs may imperil Lundin Mining’s Congo mine project

Vancouver-based company Lundin Mining Corp. says soaring construction costs are increasing the uncertainty around a billion dollar mining project in Central Africa.

May 7, 2008

Port Hardy gets $1.27 million in funding for infrastructure

Port Hardy, British Columbia is in line for $1.27 million in government funding for improvements to its wastewater lift station and construction of the Quatse Salmon Stewardship Centre.

May 7, 2008

Authentic architecture addresses social and economic differences

In a world that has accepted the concept of globalization, it is now necessary to consider whether the notion of authentic architecture continues to be valid.

May 5, 2008

Provincial Nominee Program attracts over 1,800 skilled workers to British Columbia

Colin Hansen, the economic development minister announced on April 16 that the government has exceeded its 2007-2008 target of attracting 1,730 skilled workers and entrepreneurs to B.C. under the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP).

May 5, 2008

News from the job site

A selection of brief stories from construction sites in Canada and Australia.

May 5, 2008

Unions claim provincial statistics underestimate number of employee fatalities

British Columbia and Alberta labour unions commemorated the 13th International Day of Mourning amid claims that provincial government statistics underestimate the numbers of employees killed.

April 30, 2008

Construction and tourism team up in British Columbia

The British Columbia Construction Association (BCCA) and the B.C. tourism industry’s human resources association, go2, have launched a joint initiative to recruit workers from other provinces and countries.

April 30, 2008

Temporary foreign workers see exponential growth in Alberta

Official statistics may underestimate the number of temporary foreign workers in the country according to a new study by the Construction Sector Council.

April 30, 2008

Manitoba gives $3.8 million for apprenticeships

The Ministry of Competitiveness, Training and Trade announced on April 15 that as part of the 2008 Budget, it was launching a $3.8 million initiative to support the creation of 1,100 new apprenticeship training seats, as well as a new apprenticeship tax credit for businesses.

April 23, 2008

Number of workplace fatalities rises in Alberta

Barrie Harrison, communications officer with the Alberta Ministry of Employment, said that 20 of the 47 workplace fatalities were in the construction industry.

April 23, 2008

Manitoba program to improve conditions for temporary foreign workers lacks teeth, labour says

The federal government and the province of Manitoba have launched a new initiative to improve working conditions for Temporary Foreign Workers, but there are no mechanisms in place to monitor or enforce the program.

April 16, 2008

Architects must encourage real progress on green building, not ‘greenwash’

Buildings are the biggest source of emissions and energy consumption in Canada. They play a major role in the environmentally unfriendly trends that project that energy consumption will increase by 37 per cent and greenhouses gases by 36 per cent over the next 20 years in North America alone.

April 16, 2008

Construction Sector Council teams with Canadian colleges to prepare for future labour shortages

The Construction Sector Council (CSC) has signed a partnership agreement with the Association of Canadian Community Colleges (ACCC) so both parties can collaborate to make the right training available to develop the next generation of skilled workers.

April 16, 2008

Report highlights TILMA’s impact on construction industry

The Alberta-B.C. Trade, Investment, and Labour Mobility Agreement (TILMA) is designed to remove inter-provincial trade barriers for goods, capital and labour. Worker certification standards and safety regulation are two areas where TILMA could impact the British Columbia construction industry, says a study recently released by the British Columbia Construction Association (BCCA).

April 16, 2008

Number of temporary foreign workers in construction rises

In response to the industry’s need to know more about temporary labour sources, the Construction Sector Council has just published “Temporary Foreign Workers in the Canadian Construction Industry: An Analysis of Programs and Mechanisms.”

April 14, 2008

British Columbia government offers $1.4 million to Industry Training Authority

The B.C. government is providing $1.4 million in funding to the Industry Training Authority (ITA) to help increase Aboriginal and youth participation in industry training and apprenticeship programs.

April 14, 2008

ASHRAE creates “net zero” energy building tools

The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) is intent on developing tools to help designers create “net zero” energy buildings by 2020.