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Professional and Environmental Engineering

July 21, 2008

Liberal “Green Shift” plan fails to address transit woes, industry officials say

Liberal leader Stéphane Dion’s Green Shift plan does not address the woes plaguing Canadian transit and infrastructure, say some industry officials.

July 21, 2008

Detailed designs underway for Circle Drive bridge over South Saskatchewan River

The federal and provincial governments are planning to make a multi-million dollar investment to improve the flow of traffic in Saskatoon by building a new bridge over the South Saskatchewan River.

July 21, 2008

Master Builders Queensland calls for Australian safety blitz after scaffolding deaths

Master Builders Queensland (MBQ) has labelled a recent fatal scaffolding collapse a “catastrophic failure” and has called on all its members to undertake urgent safety checks.

July 21, 2008

Bosa Construction builds high-rise Claremont condo in Westwood Village

A high-rise condominium tower is under construction in Westwood Village, a development located in the heart of Coquitlam.

July 16, 2008

Korky Koroluk: GPS-based telematics drive fleet-management plans

Fleet-management systems have been around for a while: handy software programs that help with such things as scheduling routine maintenance and managing lease/purchase payments and insurance. Now GPS-based telematics are providing a new tool to help companies manage their fuel consumption.

July 16, 2008

EllisDon’s South Health Campus project sets record as largest contract in company history

On July 17, 2008, EllisDon announced that the company recently signed a $1.076-billion contract with Calgary Health Region to construct Phase 1 of the new South Health Campus in Calgary.

July 16, 2008

Preliminary design for Strathcona Dam upgrade proposes underwater seismic isolation

The design calls for the use of a method known as seismic isolation of a structure that is partially underwater, says John Sherstobitoff of Sandwell Engineering Inc.

July 14, 2008

Municipalities want cable, phone firms to share road repair costs

The more money municipalities spend on repairs to roads caused by private phone and cable companies such as Rogers, Bell and Shaw, the less money there is ultimately for construction opportunities, industry officials say.

July 14, 2008

UBC engineering students go to great lengths to “bug” outgoing dean

Professor Michael Isaacson arrived for his last official day as Dean of Applied Science at the University of British Columbia to find a red Volkswagen beetle parked in front of his desk.

July 14, 2008

Aecon Group wins contract to twin Highway 21 near Edmonton

Aecon Group Inc. has been awarded a contract by Alberta Transportation to twin a 13-kilometre section of Highway 21 near Edmonton.

July 14, 2008

Royal Architectural Institute of Canada launches wiki on carbon-neutral building

The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) has launched a wiki site to enable architects to exchange information on making buildings carbon-neutral by 2030.

July 14, 2008

Vancouver sees large increase in building-permit values in May 2008

Vancouver had the largest increase in the value of building permits of all Canadian cities in May, while Alberta and Saskatchewan experienced the largest provincial declines in construction intentions, according to a Statistics Canada report released this month.

July 14, 2008

ATCO wins contract to build massive worker village in United Arab Emirates

ATCO Ltd. has signed a contract to build a construction village to house workers in the United Arab Emirates. The workforce housing project is the largest in the 60-year old company’s history.

July 9, 2008

Korky Koroluk: Oil conspiracies don’t hold water

Today’s high fuel prices are being felt everywhere. Airlines are levying fuel surcharges, truckers are raising their rates because of fuel prices, farmers are hurting every time they refuel a tractor or plant a crop.

July 9, 2008

SNC-Lavalin wins contract to design Highway 99 bus-only lane

Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon announced on June 5 that SNC-Lavalin has been awarded a $649,000 design and engineering contract for the northbound lane, which will extend from Westminster Highway to Bridgeport Road.

July 9, 2008

GDP up slightly, but construction still on the decline

The Canadian economy showed signs of recovery in April, while the construction industry experienced a second consecutive month of decline.

July 9, 2008

Armtec Infrastructure acquires A.E. Concrete Precast Products

Armtec Infrastructure Income Fund has acquired a British Columbia-based company in order to expand their presence in the market for precast concrete in Western Canada.

July 7, 2008

Donovan reaches for downtown Vancouver sky

The 152-unit Donovan condominium tower was designed by Rafii Architects Inc. for owner/general contractor Cressey Development Corp.

July 7, 2008

Open-pit Ruby Creek mine gets approval from British Columbia government

The development of a $750-million mine at Ruby Creek in British Columbia’s northwestern corner is on track.

July 7, 2008

SNC-Lavalin acquires Nova Scotia engineering firm C.J. MacLellan

SNC-Lavalin has agreed to purchase all shares of C.J. MacLellan & Associates in Antigonish, Nova Scotia.

July 7, 2008

Contractors need to be up to speed on LEED, says expert

So you think “green buildings” are something only architects and engineers have to really understand? Dan Roberts begs to differ and he explained why during an intensive four-hour introductory course at the Vancouver Regional Construction Association.

July 7, 2008

Earthfirst increases capital cost estimate for Dokie I wind project

On July 4, 2008, EarthFirst Canada Inc. announced that the company has increased the total capital cost estimate for its Dokie I wind project from $325 million to $360 million.

July 2, 2008

Widow of worker killed in Alberta finally gets compensation

The widow of a Chinese temporary foreign worker killed at an oilsands project in Alberta is finally receiving her death benefits.

July 2, 2008

2010 Winter Olympics construction nearly done

The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games released its third quarter financial statements confirming that venue construction is nearing completion.

July 2, 2008

Why work for bad clients?

The Consulting Engineers of Ontario president John Gamble has some advice for firms saddled with lousy clients: tell them to take a hike.

July 2, 2008

Export Development Canada plans to map construction supply chain

Export Development Canada plans to map the construction industry’s supply chain in order to help Canadian construction find new business efficiencies.

July 2, 2008

IFD Library Partners work to establish standards for BIM software

In April 2008, four groups collectively called the “IFD Library Partners” — along with buildingSMART Alliance and International Code Council (ICC)— co-sponsored a North American workshop in Washington, D.C. Construction Specifications Canada (CSC) was among the groups participating in the effort to promote standards that will help to bring BIM into wider use

July 2, 2008

Video Interview: Jeff Morrison prepares to take helm of Association of Canadian Engineering Companies

The Association of Canadian Engineering Companies (ACEC) has chosen Jeff Morrison as its new president and chief operating officer, beginning July 14, 2008. In this video interview, Morrison talks about some of the on-going concerns of the ACEC and the organization’s priorities in the future.

June 30, 2008

Alberta unions call for public enquiry into treatment of Chinese workers

Representatives from some of Alberta’s construction unions say the case of Chinese temporary foreign workers having their paycheques siphoned by their employer reveals huge flaws with the federal government program that need to be addressed by a public enquiry.

June 30, 2008

Onni Group keeps crews busy at Living condominium and townhouse project

Workers are busy building the 1022 Living condominium and townhouse development on Seymour Street in Vancouver.

June 30, 2008

Association of Canadian Engineering Companies (ACEC) plans video to promote consulting engineering careers

The Association of Canadian Engineering Companies (ACEC) will spend more than $300,000 to produce a video illustrating that consulting engineering is “an exciting and rewarding” career choice and to implement a communications plan to deliver that message to students.

June 30, 2008

Darlington nuclear plant construction could create 3,500 new jobs for Ontario

The first expansion of Ontario’s nuclear supply in almost two decades will generate 3,500 construction jobs, the province estimates.

June 30, 2008

Ultra high-performance concrete formulation extends material’s limits

When I first wrote about ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) almost seven years ago, it was a new product that had grown out of a concept that was, itself, little more than a decade old.

June 30, 2008

Alberta union challenges credentials of some foreign industrial electricians

The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) 424 in Alberta is checking the references and the work histories of Chinese and Indian immigrants before they obtain jobs in the Alberta oilsands.

June 29, 2008

Fuel Management: Ten ways for businesses to cut fuel costs

Any business can improve its fuel efficiency. It starts with a commitment from the head office and cooperation to your people on the road and at the job sites. More and more companies are making changes in their operating practices to cut costs now and to be prepared for even higher costs in the future, writes Jack Lee.

June 25, 2008

Labour groups oppose WorkSafeBC’s proposed changes to tunnel safety regulations

Two groups representing unionized construction workers in British Columbia are voicing their opposition to proposed changes to safety regulations for tunneling.

June 25, 2008

CCA’s Morrison moves to Association of Canadian Engineering Companies

The Association of Canadian Engineering Companies (ACEC) has chosen Jeff Morrison as its new president and chief operating officer, beginning July 14, 2008.

June 25, 2008

CCA sets up P3 task force

The Canadian Construction Association (CCA) is setting up a task force to ensure its members are up to speed on public-private partnerships, also known as P3s.

June 23, 2008

Work progresses on Seymour-Capilano filtration plant

The Seymour-Capilano Filtration Plant will treat water from both the Seymour and Capilano rivers, and will include the world’s largest ultraviolet disinfection works.

June 23, 2008

Construction and engineering firms Verreault and Dessau join forces

Dessau President and Chief Executive Officer Jean-Pierre Sauriol and the President of Verreault, Michel Verreault, announced on June 19, 2008, that they are uniting their companies to create one of Canada’s largest engineering-construction groups.

June 23, 2008

Skilled trades workers return home to Saskatchewan

More skilled trades workers are moving back to Saskatchewan to help the construction industry keep pace with record construction activity, according to the latest forecast by the Construction Sector Council.

June 23, 2008

Ferrous metallurgy takes leap forward

As the concept of sustainability has grown in importance in the construction industry, more and more scientists are working in fields that seem pretty esoteric to most of us, writes Daily Commercial News columnist Korky Koroluk.