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LATEST NEWS
Occupational Health and Safety
August 29, 2008
Guelph, Ontario firm fined $200,000 in worker's death
Cox Construction Ltd. of Guelph, Ontario was fined $200,000 on Aug. 20, 2008 in connection with the death of a worker at a road construction project in Cambridge.
August 29, 2008
Aecon wins $31.5 million Smiths Falls, Ontario hospital contract
Aecon Group Inc. has been awarded a contract worth about $31.5 million for the re-development of the Perth and Smiths Falls District Hospital in Smiths Falls, Ont.
August 28, 2008
Integrated Team Solutions is the preferred proponent for Woodstock, Ontario hospital
Woodstock General Hospital will be a new 178 bed facility, providing patients and staff with a high quality healing environment and the latest technology in bedside services and communications.
August 27, 2008
Oilsands equipment for Northern Alberta will move via Thunder Bay, Ontario
A new Canadian shipping route will allow cargo to flow to oilsands construction sites in Northern Alberta from Thunder Bay, Ontario.
August 25, 2008
Deaths of SNC-Lavalin workers in Algeria highlight risks of overseas operations
The deaths of a dozen SNC-Lavalin Algerian employees in a North African bus bombing point to the increasing risk that Canadian companies face as they expand their international operations in war-torn or politically troubled regions.
August 25, 2008
Construction industry benefits from drop in WorkSafeBC’s base assessment rates
For the third year in a row, most WorkSafeBC base assessment rates will drop for employers in B.C.’s construction industry.
August 25, 2008
Professional Engineers Ontario unveils new performance standards for demolition
As a response to the 2003 Uptown Theatre collapse in Toronto, Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO) has unveiled new performance standards governing preparation of a demolition plan and general review of demolition.
August 22, 2008
Four Sault-area mechanical contracting firms get approval to hire foreign workers
Four local companies — Venshore Mechanical, McLeod Bros. Mechanical, R.F. Contracting and Superior Industrial Services — have been granted approval by Human Resources and Social Development Canada to bring in foreign plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters.
August 21, 2008
Twelve Algerian employees of SNC-Lavalin die in bus bombing
Twelve Algerian employees of SNC-Lavalin were killed in a terrorist attack on August 20, 2008, while riding on a bus to work on the Koudiat Acerdoune water treatment plant and distribution project in Algeria. Another 15 employees were wounded in the bombing.
August 21, 2008
Vanbots makes smooth progress on Southlake Regional Cancer Centre project
General contractor Vanbots Construction Corp. began the Southlake Regional Cancer Centre project in June 2007. Completion has been scheduled for fall 2009.
August 21, 2008
Construction worker injured in Lindsay warehouse collapse
A 24-year-old worker was in serious condition in hospital after part of a warehouse building under construction in Lindsay collapsed Monday.
August 20, 2008
Construction worker escapes serious injury in Toronto crane accident
Police say a construction worker is lucky to be alive, after a recent accident on a downtown Toronto work site.
August 19, 2008
Committee begins draft of Canadian building-commissioning standard
A committee that includes representation from Canadian building owners, government agencies and the design and contracting communities is gearing up to draft a long-awaited national standard on building commissioning.
August 19, 2008
Iowa worker dies after being struck by crane’s counter-weight
Authorities say a construction worker has died after he was struck by a crane near a bridge project along Interstate 80 in western Iowa.
August 19, 2008
Date set for inquest into death of Rodney Bedell
An inquest into the death of roofer Rodney Bedell will be held November 12, 2008 at the Best Western Inn in Milton. About 10 witnesses are expected to appear over three days.quest will be held into the death of Rodney Bedell.
August 19, 2008
Canadian and Saskatchewan governments team up to improve Temporary Foreign Worker program
The federal government and province of Saskatchewan are teaming up on several fronts to improve the Temporary Foreign Worker Program.
August 19, 2008
Bulgarian construction safety blitz uncovers numerous violations
After inspecting 14 construction sites in Bansko, Bulgaria’s Labour and Social Policy Ministry suspended work on four sites and ordered various building equipment to cease operating because of safety concerns, Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) reported.
August 13, 2008
Relic of Niagara River rescue remains
On August 6, 1918, a fully loaded scow was being pulled upstream by the tugboat Hassayampa when the tug hit another sand bar. The scow breasted the waves and snapped the cable connecting it to the tug.
August 13, 2008
Number of temporary foreign workers in Alberta, B.C. rises dramatically
Alberta and B.C. are experiencing the most rapid increases in the number of temporary foreign workers (TFWs) of any province in Canada, according to federal government statistics.
August 13, 2008
Canadian Demolition Safety Manual ready for distribution
The Canadian demolition industry’s first-ever safety manual has been published and industry representatives continue to make further inroads with the National Demolition Association (NDA) in the United States.
August 13, 2008
Interpretations of WorkSafeBC’s 2007 injury-claims statistics vary
WorkSafeBC 2007 statistics indicate there were fewer claims for injury accidents and survival benefits per 1,000 employees than ever recorded in the history of the construction industry. But is that because job sites are safer, or because more accidents are going unreported?
August 13, 2008
Lutherwood project helps Waterloo youth gain skills needed for construction jobs
Young people from the Waterloo area struggling with barriers to employment will receive assistance to develop skills needed to find quality jobs in the construction trades.
August 12, 2008
Road builders train Korean workers to operate heavy equipment in Canada
Hunt International, a recruitment and human resources firm, is providing workers in Korea with training in heavy equipment operation, so they can obtain employment in B.C. and Alberta.
August 12, 2008
Gallagher returns for fourth term as Local 793 business manager
Mike Gallagher of Oakville has been re-elected to a fourth term as business manager of Local 793 of the International Union of Operating Engineers.
August 11, 2008
Girls GETT hands-on experience at trades workshop
Thirteen-year-olds Lauren Tonello (left) and Mikayla Wong worked together recently to build a go-kart at BCIT’s Girls Exploring Trades and Technology (GETT) program.
August 11, 2008
U.S. bridge report offers warnings that Ontario should heed, association says
The province of Ontario should look at the findings of a recent study on the challenges facing American bridges, says Andy Manahan, executive director of the Residential and Civil Construction Alliance of Ontario.
August 8, 2008
Roadside worker dies at Mississauga job site
A Brampton man working with a road resurfacing crew on Dixie Road suffered fatal injuries at a Mississauga project site, Peel police report.
August 8, 2008
Work moves along quickly at Vanbots’ Sunnybook Hospital project
Construction is moving along on the M-Wing Shell/P&G Fit-Up at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto.
August 7, 2008
VIA plans to invest $25 million to modernize Ottawa-Montreal railway infrastructure
VIA Rail Canada has announced it plans to invest more than $25 million on a multi-phase, multi-year program to modernize key parts of its rail infrastructure between Ottawa and Montréal.
August 7, 2008
Bilfinger Berger Canada sues Metro Vancouver over Capilano-Seymour tunnel project
The German company hired to construct twin tunnels for a water filtration project in North Vancouver is launching a lawsuit against Metro Vancouver and placing a lien against the project.
August 6, 2008
Ontario labour ministry inspectors conduct health and safety blitz at work sites
Ontario inspectors are now blitzing work sites and locations across the province in order to make an immediate impact on improving health and safety, says Ontario’s labour minister.
August 6, 2008
Accidents prompt meeting of British Columbia’s construction-crane industry
Representatives of British Columbia’s construction-crane industry will be meeting with WorksafeBC in September to discuss safety procedures.
August 5, 2008
McMaster study looks at link between diesel fumes and diabetes
International Union of Operating Engineers Local 793 supports a McMaster University study looking at possible connections between diesel fume exposure and diabetes among its members.
August 1, 2008
TransAlta plans new dyke wall for lagoon at Keephills power plant
A dyke wall holding back a pond full of ash slurry from TransAlta Corp.’s coal-fired Keephills power plant is in danger of breaching, so tompany will build a second dyke wall to redirect slurry into another lagoon on site.
August 1, 2008
Monte Creek-to-Pritchard section of TransCanada highway earns an upgrade
The governments of Canada and British Columbia have announced $42.8 million in funding for a highway project near Kamloops under the Building Canada infrastructure plan.
July 31, 2008
200-ton tunnel boring machine completes Manhattan rail tubes
A huge, granite-eating machine that spent the past eight months chewing a mile (1.6 kilometre)-long tunnel beneath a busy Manhattan office district is getting a rest, of sorts, after completing its journey to the city’s Grand Central Terminal train station.
July 30, 2008
Manitoba boy, 15, dies after being buried under hot asphalt
A 15-year-old working on a construction site just north of Winnipeg has died after being buried in hot asphalt.
July 30, 2008
Alberta beefs up support for temporary foreign workers
The government of Alberta has quietly launched a new initiative to provide immigration support services to temporary foreign workers (TFWs) in the province.
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| ALEX’S BLOG |

Reed Construction Data Chief Economist Alex Carrick discusses current developments in Canada's economic environment. He also shares light-hearted reflections on life and current events.
Economics Blog More 
- Industrial Construction is Resource-related (August 28, 2008)
- Construction Starts are Down about One-quarter So Far this Year (August 22, 2008)
- Canada’s Slide in Housing Starts Begins (August 21, 2008)
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| PROJECT NEWS BRIEFS |
Updates on Canadian construction projects from Reed Construction Data’s research team. More 
- Salter Pilon Architecture Inc. wins contract to design Bradford recreation centre (Aug 22, 2008)
- Shore Tilbe Irwin & Partners begin designs for LEED Silver-compliant community centre (Aug 22, 2008)
- Salter Pilon Architecture nears completion of Georgian Manor working drawings (Aug 22, 2008)
- Town of Markham proposes new LEED-compliant Cathedral Town firehall (Aug 22, 2008)
- Townline Group plans redevelopment of former Fantasy Garden World property (Aug 18, 2008)


