A collaborative effort was launched between the National Research Councilof Canada (NRC), the Government of Quebec and Université Laval to find a solution to the problems stemming from the presence of pyrrhotite in concrete. Read more.
A recent report says tradespeople are among the happiest workers in the country. About one-thousand skilled trade workers took part in the survey. More than 60 per cent them said they believe they have “really accomplished something worthwhile” through their work — and their work gives them a “sense of success and achievement.” Jon Callegher is the report’s director. He says the findings are important, given the amount of time we spend at our jobs and our individual desire for meaning in life. Here he is in conversation with Up North’s Wendy Bird.
Canada’s construction sector is seriously lagging in exploiting social media analytics and mining other data sources to improve projects, a Buildings Show workshop audience was told recently. Read more.
With high-capacity gantry cranes overhead, 65,000 sq. ft. of well-lit floor space and products at various stages of completion strung out along a tidy assembly line, PCL Constructors Inc.’s Agile operation in the Toronto suburbs looks more like it’s run by a manufacturer than by one of the country’s largest construction contractors. Read more.
Disruption? Evolution? Either of these two words could describe the changes in the construction industry landscape in 2018. Which word it actually is likely depends where one stakes their claim within the industry itself. Read more.
The Canadian construction industry is encouraged by the Canadian government’s decision to provide relief on specific aluminum and steel products.
“Our industry has been hit hard over the last few months, and this relief will bring some much needed good news as we are working hard at building the infrastructure that Canadians need,” said Mary Van Buren, Canadian Construction Association (CCA) president.
Canada’s infrastructure minister says an overhaul of how the government approves funding for projects should solve concerns about construction delays and escalating costs. Read more.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau built a successful 2015 election platform around a core promise: Short-term deficits will boost the economy through a massive increase in infrastructure spending.
With less than a year to go before voters cast their judgment in the next federal election, the deficits have materialized. The promised return to balance by 2019 has not. Whether the Liberal government fully delivered on the infrastructure front remains an open question.
When flood waters recede and hurricane-force winds die down, Canadians can expect it will take longer for their homes to be rebuilt or their power to be restored if the country’s labour market doesn’t soon catch up to the realities of climate change. Read more.
There is no shortage of changes, both positive and negative, the industry faces as 2018 comes to a close.
On-Site caught up with Mary Van Buren, the president of the Canadian Construction Association, to discuss the trends the industry association will be watching closest over the next 12 months.