IO Unveils Vendor Performance Program for RFQ Phase

Infrastructure Ontario (IO) chose the recent Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships (CCPPP) conference in Toronto to unveil a new vendor performance program that could result in penalties that would affect contractors’ rankings at the RFQ stage of IO projects. Read more

Emerging Drone Applications in Heavy/Highway Construction

As industries across the United States and Canada rush to seize the exciting potential benefits provided by commercial drones, the construction sector appears poised to take advantage of drones to reduce costs, improve accuracy and drive efficiency. Read more

Seattle Bridge Designed to Bounce Back After Earthquakes

Infrastructure design imperatives have evolved from survivability to resilience as part of the Alaskan Way Viaduct project in Seattle, where a bridge at the south end of the tunnel is being touted as nearly earthquake-proof, according to KING 5.Read more

Dispelling Myths About Lean Construction

When I met John Shook, one of the world’s leading lean management experts in Boston at the Lean Construction Institute Congress in 2015, a colleague asked him how far the construction industry in the U.S. has come with lean construction after 17 years. He responded, “We’re still crawling.” Read more

Prepare for Cyber Threats to Infrastructure, Ridge Urges

Former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge issued a stern warning to delegates at the recent Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships (CCPPP) conference in Toronto that cyber attacks could have profound consequences on critical infrastructure and urged them to consider cyber security as an integral part of builds rather than an afterthought. Read more

Sohi Tries to Dispel Fears About Private Investment In Public Infrastructure

The Trudeau government is trying to dispel fears about its plan to tap some of the world’s wealthiest institutional investors to help fund infrastructure projects in Canada. Read more

Canadian P3s Deliver Economic Boost, Finds CANCEA Report

Canadian public-private partnerships (P3) have generated an economic boost of nearly $12 billion from their current portfolio of projects indicates a report by the Canadian Centre for Economic Analysis (CANCEA). Read more

Trump Could Be Good for Canadian Construction: Stakeholders

Michael Atkinson, president of the CCA, said reopening NAFTA could be an opportunity to look at how it can be improved. “If president-elect Trump wants to renegotiate NAFTA, having the procurement provisions apply more broadly, I think it would be a positive thing,” said Atkinson. “It would be one way to modernize that agreement, but certainly CETA (Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement), Trans-Pacific (Partnership), any of these newer, international trade agreements, the procurements apply more than just to national procurement, it applies to subnational procurement as well. That is where all international trade agreements are going now.” That is important, he said, because Canadians felt shut out during President Barack Obama’s infrastructure stimulus program when Buy American provisions were imposed on federal projects which meant Canadian products couldn’t be used. Read more

ConTechTrio Podcast – Photogrammetry Uses

Every week, thousands of listeners tune in to the construction industry’s leading tech podcast – ConTechTrio. This week, along with updates on the latest tech to hit the market, the Trio interview Jason Waddell from Batson-Cook Construction on photogrammetry uses in construction. Listen Now