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Demolition/Environmental Engineering

May 16, 2012

Ottawa to proceed with preliminary Lansdowne Park construction work, short-lists PCL, EllisDon and Pomerleau

Ottawa City Council voted in favour of a plan to go ahead with some work to redevelop Lansdowne Park, the former home of the Ottawa Roughriders Canadian Football League Team. PCL Constructors Inc., EllisDon Corp. and Pomerleau Inc of St-Georges, Quebec, have been shortlisted for construction of the stadium, an underground garage and site servicing. The preliminary work will include relocation of contaminated soil, demolition of the Coliseum Building and utility relocation.

May 1, 2012

Detroit pier demolition begins after court rules

Work got underway almost immediately after a Michigan Court of Appeals ruling upheld the right of the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) to complete the so-called $230 million Gateway Project for vehicles entering and exiting the United States at the Ambassador Bridge connecting Windsor and Detroit. Crews from Detroit-based Dan’s Excavating were on site the next day for 24 hours.

April 30, 2012

Das Demo: Edmonton submarines dismantled

Vancouver-based All-Sea Enterprises Ltd. started a project dismantling submarines used at the Deep Sea Adventure Lake at West Edmonton Mall.

April 26, 2012

Construction steps up for Emily’s House in Toronto

Donations of various types have been made by construction firms to Emily’s House, a children’s residential hospice being undertaken by the non-profit Philip Aziz Centre for Hospice Care. Located adjacent to a landscaped park on the grounds of the former Don Jail, the project involves renovation of the 5,200-square-foot, three-storey Governor’s House, which was constructed in 1888.

April 11, 2012

New brick and masonry for Toronto St. James Cathedral hall

A $17 million restoration project at the Cathedral of St. James in Toronto included a masonry Contract, windows and doors to the 1909 Parish Hall. The Dalton Company Ltd. is construction manager; development manager is The Bridgeton Group Inc. ERA Architects Inc. is the heritage consultant and it was designed by architectsAlliance.

April 9, 2012

Deltera continues work on Hullmark Centre in Toronto

Work is on the rise at the Hullmark Centre development in Toronto. Deltera Inc. is general contractor for the two-tower mixed-use Hullmark Centre, owned by Tridel and designed by Kirkor Architects. It is located at Yonge Street and Sheppard Avenue, in what used to be the village of Lansing and later the city of North York.

April 3, 2012

PCL Constructors continues work at Bridgepoint Hospital in Toronto

PCL Constructors Canada Inc. expect to complete the 10-storey Bridgepoint Health Campus of Care at the Bridgepoint Hospital in Toronto in March 2013. The work also includes demolition of the existing Riverdale hospital and Toronto jail with some restoration to the historic Don Jail to become administrative offices. The project aiming for LEED certification was designed by HDR Architecture Associates Inc./Diamond Schmitt Architects Inc.

March 21, 2012

Variations from tender undermine bid validity

The following cases illustrate how a bidder’s insertion of variations in its tender can undermine the compliance of its bid and prove fatal to its subsequent legal challenges. Government procurement law expert Paul Emanuelli discusses the cases of St. Lawrence Cement Inc. versus the Ontario Minister of Transportation, Altoba Development Ltd. versus SaskPower and J. Oviatt Contracting Ltd. versus the Kitimat, British Columbia General Hospital Society

March 2, 2012

Ottawa approves Lansdowne Park redevelopment

Ottawa City Council approved a redevelopment plan for Lansdowne Park, former home of the Ottawa Roughriders Canadian Football League Team, with construction beginning this June. The project includes refurbishment of the stadium and Civic Centre, creation of a park and construction of a mixed-use area that includes shops, offices and residences.

February 29, 2012

PCL Constructors continues work at Bridgepoint Hospital in Toronto

Restoration work continues at the historic Don Jail which is part of the new Bridgepoint Health Campus of Care at the Bridgepoint Hospital in Toronto. It was designed by HDR Architecture Associates Inc./Diamond Schmitt Architects Inc.

April 16, 2010

Kilmer Brownfield aims to preserve history of Guelph, Ontario manufacturing plant

As Priestly Demolition tears down an industrial site in Guelph, Ontario, Kilmer Brownfield Equity Fund has had to work with preservation groups to ensure the heritage components would be saved.

April 16, 2010

Demolition in Newmarket, Ontario is helping build affordable housing

JMX Environmental Inc., Maram, the Cannington Group and Priestly Demolition and tearing down buildings on Davis Drive in Newmarket, Ontario to make way for dedicated bus lanes for York Region Transit. Affordable housing group Habitat for Humanity removed materials such as bathtubs, lumber and cupboards for resale.

April 16, 2010

Wheels Inn now reborn as Chatham, Ontario convention centre

Norlon Builders is general contractor for the Chatham-Kent John D. Bradley Convention Centre, on the site of the Wheels Inn in Chatham, Ontario. The shell of the former entertainment building is being kept intact with the interior walls mostly gutted.

April 16, 2010

Terratechnik Environmental shares details of soil remediation project in Mississauga, Ontario

A former factory in Mississauga, Ontario had contamination across a 1,025-square-metre footprint and ranged in depth from four metres to eight metres below ground surface. How Terratechnik Environmental cleaned it up

April 16, 2010

West Edmonton Mall job requires careful co-ordination for B&B Demolition

Working demolition at West Edmonton Mall is no easy trip but B&B Demolition Ltd., which must do its job with minimal or no disturbance to the surrounding stores and customers. The largest job inside the mall is converting a Zellers to a Winners.

April 16, 2010

Ferro Canada demolishes St. Catharine, Ontario block to make way for arts centre

The 1860s Passfield and McIntyre mortuary was the last building demolished to make way for the City of St. Catharines’ $54-million St. Paul Street performing arts centre. Architects Diamond and Schmitt advised that retaining its features would negatively impact on the new design. The demolition work included asbestos abatement.

April 16, 2010

Tridel builds new North Toronto Collegiate Institute, incorporating features from original 1904 school

In a deal with the Toronto District School Board, Tridel bought land to build The Republic condominium development plus a new North Toronto Collegiate Institute. In consultations with William Greer, designers CS&P Architects Inc. and Burka Varacalli Architects Inc. architectural features of the old school. REC Demolition is tearing down the old school.

April 16, 2010

Finnish researchers work on robot for sorting demolition waste

The demolition industry is using remote-controlled machines more often in an effort to improve productivity in the face of environmental regulations.For example, The Recycler is a robot being developed by Tuomas J. Lukka and a team of researchers in Finland.

April 16, 2010

Progreen Demolition tears down two 14-storey Toronto apartment towers

Another block of Toronto’s Regent Park neighbourhood is vanishing as demolition crews wrap up the takedown of two 14-storey residential towers and nine two- and three-storey townhouses. Ninety per cent of the debris will be recycled.

April 16, 2010

Ryerson University architecture professors present at Canada Green Building Council symposium in Toronto

At the recent Canada Green Building Council’s annual symposium in Toronto, Ryerson University architectural science professors Mark Gorgolewski and Vera Straka offered advice on salvaging components from old buildings and reusing them in new ones.

April 16, 2010

Brokk, Husqvarna and Stanley LaBounty roll out remote-controlled demolition machines

Remote-controlled mechanical demolition is growing in the North American market, spurred by the twin concerns of worker safety and the environment. Vendors include Brokk, Husqvarna AB and Stanley LaBounty. Back injuries and nerve damage are a concern when using jackhammers.