As the COVID-19 outbreak continues to make its way through the province, CANS staff will continue to work remotely this week. CANS offices in Sydney and Burnside will remain closed and in-person services suspended for the time being.
Dear Premier McNeil,
We would like to bring forward the following considerations as our government contemplates public health, economic and civil policy decisions, specifically relating to the construction industry. The Construction Association of Nova Scotia (CANS) recommends measures for the continuation of construction projects and does not support an industry-wide shutdown for the following reasons:
Based on decisions made by the province of Nova Scotia on Tuesday, all customer service centres and Planning & Development counter services were closed to the public effective March 18, 2020. Staff at the centres will continue to work, focusing on administrative support that does not involve face-to-face customer service.
Premier Stephen McNeil, chief medical officer of health Dr. Robert Strang, and Health and Wellness Minister Randy Delorey provided an update earlier today, March 18. A recording of the news conference is available on the NS Gov Youtube page: https://www.youtube.com/user/nsgov.
To provide information to you and share your concerns with government, CANS will do our very best to provide up-to-date information on the current COVID-19 virus as frequently as necessary through our digital channels.
To that end, we are sharing a survey conducted by the CFIB.
In light of the growing outbreak of COVID-19, CANS is taking proactive measures to reduce the spread of the virus in our area. Out of an abundance of caution – CANS offices (Burnside and Sydney) closed today, Monday, March 16, 2020, at 12:00 PM (noon).
Safety is of the utmost importance to CANS. Our goal is to maintain a safe environment for both CANS staff, members and visitors to our office. We have been monitoring the outbreak for some time and have prepared as best we can to work remotely. That said, this global pandemic marks new territory for all of us. Please understand that there may be delays in CANS services during this time, but we are doing all that we can to keep any issues to a minimum.
During this time, CANS office — including access to CANS Business Centre — will remain closed to all CANS staff, members and guests. Please note that CANS staff WILL be working remotely and all digital services (ie: tender library) will remain active.
CANS Education courses planned for this time period are postponed until a later date. Registered learners will be contacted by CANS staff with next steps. In the meantime, if you have any questions related to the affected courses, please contact, Chantal Arsenault, Manager, Education & Training Development at (902) 817-6246.
CANS printing services, Commissioner of Oaths Services, as well as CCDC & CCA Document sales will be suspended as of noon, Monday, March 16, 2020. New orders made after this time will be printed pending the reopening of CANS offices. For further questions or assistance, please contact, Lesley Whynot, Manager, Projects and Information Services at (902) 880-6046.
For the time being, our office will remain closed until at least Monday, March 23, 2020, at which point we will be reevaluating the situation. Any extension to this closure will communicated before the end of that business day via CANS website and social media networks (Twitter & LinkedIn)
Nova Scotia Health Authority’s most up-to-date information related to the outbreak: https://novascotia.ca/coronavirus/
As you are well aware, the current pandemic is evolving daily. With this in mind, our board of directors and management are carefully monitoring and proactively planning to ensure that we do our part to limit the spread of the virus. To this end, we have made the difficult decision to cancel this year’s De-Icer, which had been planned for April 24, 2020.
The spread of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is impacting operations around the globe. In events such as this outbreak, we must be proactive, monitor the situation and plan accordingly. Preparation and common sense — not panic, is always the best response to deal with global health concerns.
We have been following this project! Have you?
See our Pipeline connection PL18-0632NS about the Chrysalis House Association’s Project Renew for more information, or click the associated trade packages for open tenders.
“The construction industry is one that seems to be lagging in terms of technology adaption. With material costs, increased competition, shrinking margins and the fact that productivity levels have remained stagnate for many years, now is the time that businesses need to investigate adapting technology more than ever. CANSTech gives owners and businesses the ability to understand and see the newest technologies available to enhance productivity and process in their organization, thus giving them a competitive edge.”