A 3-D printer is simply a type of industrial robot. The relationship between robotics and 3-D printing had been there all along. Most of us simply never noticed it. Now, though, that relationship is what’s behind a project that would let flying robots —drones — fly into disaster areas and build shelters for survivors using 3-D printing technology. Read more.
The construction industry is going back to school. At this year’s Canadian Apprenticeship Forum conference in Vancouver, speakers from Alberta and Nova Scotia shared a variety of methods to reach teens in high school and expose them to a career in the trades. Read more.
EllisDon, in partnership with six other companies, have developed an industry-led action plan in support of Canada’s international climate change commitments. Read more.
The world today invests some $2.5 trillion a year on transportation, power, water, and telecommunications systems. Yet it’s not enough—and needs are only growing steeper. In a follow-up to its comprehensive 2013 report Infrastructure productivity: How to save $1 trillion a year, the McKinsey Global Institute finds that the world needs to invest an average of $3.3 trillion annually just to support currently expected rates of growth. Read more.
The Fort McMurray Construction Association (FMCA) is urging its members to contact a property appraisal consultant called SPECS Ltd. to bid for subcontract work on the post-wildfire cleanup contract, after an emotional meeting revealed the company is looking for a prime contractor. Read more.
A group of scientists at MIT are taking cues from nature to develop a new type of concrete that may be stronger and more durable than traditional cement. In a recent paper published in the journal Construction and Building Materials, researchers compared cement paste with the structure of natural materials like bones, shells, and sea sponges. Researchers noted that naturally occurring structures like shells are exceptionally strong because of the way they are arranged at both the microscopic level as well as the ‘macro’ (visual) level. Read more.
Surrounded by 300 deserted man-made islands, Dubai’s newest real-estate wonder has all the amenities of a luxury hotel — plus views of the bottom of the sea. Read more.
The federal Competition Bureau is warning governments to be on the lookout for signs of bid-rigging and other shady activity as Ottawa opens the floodgates to spend billions on infrastructure projects across the country. Read more.
Currently, the Contract Security Program (CSP) conducts criminal record checks using criminal record name checks with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). The RCMP, as the lead agency responsible for law enforcement inquiries, is retiring the name-based criminal record check process in favour of mandatory electronic fingerprinting.
The use of mandatory fingerprinting will eliminate the chances of mistaken identity resulting from variances in spelling of names, common surnames, the use of nicknames and name changes. This change is already in place for employees of most government departments including Public Services and Procurement Canada but has not yet been implemented for industry clearances. The CSP expects the new process to be launched in fall 2016.
The federal government is setting tight deadlines for an expanded infrastructure program aimed at marking Canada’s 150th birthday with new bike paths, arena upgrades and other small projects across the country. Read more.