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General and Trade Contracting

July 4, 2008

Treatment of Chinese workers brings union disputes and calls for public inquiry

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

Alberta unions mount campaign to halt labour-reform Bill 26

The political battle over the passage of controversial changes to Alberta’s labour laws is heating up.

June 19, 2008

IUOE Local 793 helps raise cash to send D6K bulldozer to Kenya

Local 793 of the International Union of Operating Engineers has raised approximately $170,000 to send a D6K bulldozer and ripper to an organization that helps orphaned street children in Kenya.

June 16, 2008

Labour law changes thrill Merit Alberta, but leave unions crying foul

The Alberta legislature ended the spring session with the passage of controversial changes to the province’s labour laws.

June 5, 2008

Alberta government braces for union reaction to labour code changes

The Alberta government is bracing for protests after introducing what critics are calling “anti-union” changes to the province’s labour code.

June 4, 2008

EllisDon’s Shops At Don Mills project combines living, working and shopping

Construction is progressing for the Shops At Don Mills, a new community of residential/work space, and retail in Toronto, Ont. General contractor EllisDon Corp. began the work in September 2006 and completion is scheduled for October 2008.

May 29, 2008

Aecon Buildings makes the connection at Bell’s Creekbank office

Work is ongoing at the Bell Creekbank Phase III Class “A” office in Mississauga, Ont.

May 16, 2008

Cape Breton trades council urges members to reject contract offer

“It is the council’s recommendation that members turn down the latest offer,” said Cliff Murphy, president of the Cape Breton Building and Construction Trades Council which represents 12 union groups

April 21, 2008

Kingston’s Ravensview wastewater project keeps to construction schedule

Kingston’s $115-million Ravensview water treatment plant upgrade is well over half done as project managers anticipate looking forward to meeting their original September 2009 completion date.

April 14, 2008

Western Canadian unions make presentation to federal immigration committee

A number of unions in British Columbia and Alberta were given little or no notice about sharing their opinions with the government on the federal temporary worker (TFW) program. However, some groups were called upon to give a short presentation before a House of Commons Committee examining problems with the program.

May 25, 2007

Standards program eases geographical limits for welders

Since development and implementation of a Standard Provincial Welding Procedures Program (SPWPP), welders are showing up certified work ready, ensuring the Mechanical Contractors Association of Ontario (MCAO) is meeting is goals “to promote and maintain improved methods of business”.

May 25, 2007

Green plumbing gaining popularity in green builds

Plumbing systems are the latest specialty group to forge their way into the LEED process.

May 25, 2007

Driving home demanding foundations

Hamilton contractor Bermingham Construction Ltd. is not only one of the world’s leading suppliers of pile drivers, but has the expertise in using them to engineer some of the most demanding foundation construction jobs around.

May 25, 2007

$6M roadway reconstruction designed as a tourist draw

After a regulatory approval process that took three years to obtain, a $6-million two-year reconstruction of one the Greater Toronto Area’s most scenic and environmentally-sensitive tourist roads is now in full swing.

May 25, 2007

Variety of finishes adds complexity to art centre

The $2 million wall and ceiling contract Toronto’s Select Drywall & Acoustics recently completed at the Brampton Performing Arts Centre hardly ranks in comparison with some of the contractor’s work at Toronto’s $4.4 billion international airport makeover.

May 25, 2007

Contractors rely on frozen tundra base

Use of Ice Platforms for Bridge Construction

May 25, 2007

Mill given second chance as regional arts centre

After years of neglect and abandonment, a remnant of Ontario’s once proud 19th Century industrial mill heritage is being given a new life.

May 25, 2007

Awareness campaign makes a difference

One of the off-shoots of the collective bargaining process between the Mechanical Contractors Association of Ontario (MCAO) and the Ontario Pipe Trades Council (OPTC) has been the creation of a joint Labour-Management Committee that addresses matters of mutual concern affecting the mechanical industry in the ICI construction sector.

May 25, 2007

Turning a new leaf towards green roofs

Over the last two-and-a-half years, Toronto-based Gardens in the Sky Inc. has designed and created about 20 extensive green roofs in Ontario.