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July 18, 2008

Korky Koroluk: Ottawa approves construction of high-density Longfields subdivision

The need for greater population density is proving to be a hard sell in Ottawa — so hard, in fact, that the city’s planning committee has approved construction of its own model subdivision, a sort of object lesson for the local development community.

July 18, 2008

EllisDon’s South Health Campus project sets record as largest contract in company history

On July 17, 2008, EllisDon announced that the company recently signed a $1.076 billion dollar contract with Calgary Health Region to construct Phase 1 of the new South Health Campus in Calgary.

July 17, 2008

GreenPix curtainwall showcases digital media art in Beijing

A “zero energy” media wall that applies sustainable and digital media technology to the curtainwall of an entertainment complex near the site of the 2008 Olympics is up and running.

July 17, 2008

Green roof over Yonkers reservoir could be world’s largest

An environmentally friendly “green roof” would be the world’s largest if built over a Yonkers reservoir.

July 17, 2008

Ontario coalition seeks director to promote careers in civil construction

Operating under the umbrella of the Civil Construction Careers Institute (CCCI), a coalition of Ontario associations has stepped up to the plate to promote careers in civil construction to high school students across the province, both in terms of skilled trades and professionals.

July 15, 2008

‘Red-Dead’ canal promises life for Dead Sea desert

It is hard to predict how the proposed artificial waterway from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea, popularly known as the Red-Dead canal, will turn out.

July 15, 2008

GM to build rooftop power plant in Spain

Solar energy product maker Energy Conversion Devices Inc. said it will supply solar cell laminates to General Motors Corp. for the world’s largest rooftop power generation system.

July 14, 2008

Customers will help pay for green corporate headquarters for Halifax electric utility

Nova Scotia’s electric utility will look to its customers to help pay for a multimillion-dollar conversion of an old power plant into a “green” corporate headquarters in Halifax, the company’s president says.

July 14, 2008

Vanbots builds Allstream conference centre within Automotive Building facade

MTS Allstream has forged a 10-year sponsorship agreement with the Board of Governors of Exhibition Place and the City of Toronto, the owners of Toronto’s future conference and convention centre.

July 14, 2008

B.C. campaign promotes wood for environment-friendly building

The British Columbia government has launched a campaign to convince the public that its forest industry is an asset when it comes to fighting climate change.

July 11, 2008

“Green Shift” plan comes up short on transit, industry officials say

There is not enough transit infrastructure in place to accommodate Liberal leader Stéphane Dion’s Green Shift plan, says Frank Zechner, executive director, Ontario Sewer and Watermain Construction Association.

July 11, 2008

Korky Koroluk: Global Positioning System-based telematics drive fleet management

Fleet-management systems have been around for a while: handy software programs that help with such things as scheduling routine maintenance and managing lease/purchase payments and insurance. Now GPS-based telematics are providing a new tool to help companies manage their fuel consumption.

July 11, 2008

Building Canada funds flow in New Brunswick

Through the Communities Component of the Building Canada Fund, the federal and New Brunswick governments together will invest $66 million between now and 2014, which will help meet the local infrastructure needs and priorities of New Brunswick villages and towns.

July 10, 2008

Board aims to educate Alberta’s temporary foreign workers

The Alberta Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB) is in the early stages of launching a campaign to educate temporary foreign workers about their rights, wages and benefits.

July 10, 2008

Supermetal Structures wins structural steel contract for Penny Lane Towers

Structural steel manufacturer Supermétal Structures Inc. of Saint-Romuald, Quebec will manufacture and install the structure of Eight Avenue Place in Calgary, better known as Penny Lane Towers, for EllisDon Construction.

July 10, 2008

Miller says Toronto will move ahead with more LEED-H building

Moments after he dug the first ceremonial shovelful on Canada’s “largest green low-rise residential development” Toronto Mayor David Miller took a dig at the province for not moving quickly enough to incorporate LEED standards into the Ontario Building Code.

July 9, 2008

Canadians agree to build ‘Great Wall of Kandahar’ around university

The Canadian government struck a deal last week with officials at Kandahar University to build a three-kilometre perimeter of stone, brick and iron around the school campus.

July 9, 2008

Regent Park Community Energy System features centralized power plant

Phase One of the Toronto Community Housing (TCH) project includes the creation of The Regent Park Community Energy System, an environmentally-conscious plan to provide competitively-priced heating, cooling and hot water to all of the buildings in the community while slashing carbon dioxide emissions.

July 8, 2008

Wyndansea resort offers sanctuary — for both people and wildlife

The Wyndansea Oceanfront Golf Resort hotel and condominium project is under construction near Ucluelet, on Vancouver Island’s west coast. The development will offer 180 condo/hotel suites and 95 beach and golf villas.

July 3, 2008

IFD Library Partners work to establish standards for BIM software

In April 2008, four groups collectively called the “IFD Library Partners” — along with buildingSMART Alliance and International Code Council (ICC)— co-sponsored a North American workshop in Washington, D.C. Construction Specifications Canada (CSC) was among the groups participating in the effort to promote standards that will help to bring BIM into wider use

July 3, 2008

RAIC supports 2030 Challenge with carbon-neutral building wiki

The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) has launched a “wiki” site to enable architects to exchange information on making buildings carbon-neutral by 2030.

July 3, 2008

Communities still waiting for Building Canada Fund to disperse infrastructure money

The Toronto Star is reporting that many Canadian cities have yet to see a dime of the billions of dollars in federal funding that Finance Minister Jim Flaherty set aside for infrastructure projects last year.

July 3, 2008

Sydney Tar Ponds Agency bars Sierra Club from clean-up committee

The Sierra Club of Canada has been barred from having a voice on a Sydney tar ponds cleanup committee because of its constant questioning of the $400-million project, says an official for the environmental group.

July 2, 2008

Saskatechewan construction industry recruiters head overseas

The Saskatchewan government recently led a delegation, including representatives from the construction industry, on a recruitment mission to the Philippines and Ukraine.

July 2, 2008

Analysts call end to housing boom in Canada

The Canadian housing market has ceased to be a sellers’ market in both the residential and the recreational sectors, meaning the boom experienced over the past few years is over, analysts say.

June 30, 2008

Diamond + Schmitt incorporate water stewardship into Cambridge city hall design

When Diamond + Schmitt Architects set out to design Cambridge’s new green city hall, development of a comprehensive water management strategy was a key agenda item.

June 30, 2008

Canadian Construction Association committee suggests owners educate contractors involved in LEED projects

The Canadian Construction Association’s (CCA) chief operating officers’ committee would like to see owners step up to the plate and ensure contractors are up to speed on LEED.

June 27, 2008

Funding boost for Algonquin College’s skilled trades training centre earns construction-industry praise

Ontario’s $35 million funding boost for Algonquin College’s new skilled trades training centre is the type of commitment needed to tackle future industry labour shortages, says the Canadian Construction Association (CCA).

June 26, 2008

Durham Consolidated Courthouse project team targets LEED Silver

The Durham Consolidated Courthouse project, currently under construction in Oshawa, will be the government of Ontario’s first building to receive the Canada Green Building Council's (CaGBC's) LEED Silver certification for incorporating environmentally-sustainable construction practices and energy-efficient design.

June 26, 2008

RCCAO calls for Lake Simcoe infrastructure plan consistent with provincial growth strategy

The way growth in the Lake Simcoe area proceeds is important to the construction industry because planned and diverse growth will provide more project opportunities, one association says.

June 26, 2008

Video Interview: Jeff Morrison prepares to take helm of Association of Canadian Engineering Companies

The Association of Canadian Engineering Companies (ACEC) has chosen Jeff Morrison as its new president and chief operating officer, beginning July 14, 2008. In this video interview, Morrison talks about some of the on-going concerns of the ACEC and the organization’s priorities in the future.

June 25, 2008

Wind power offers long-term potential for Ontario jobs

The launching of the TAI WIND Consortium to help push the offshore wind-power manufacturing agenda in Ontario can result in thousands of jobs.

June 25, 2008

TAI WIND Consortium aims to build wind-power turbines and equipment in Canada

The creation of an offshore wind-power consortium to develop capacity for this green technology in North America will make Ontario a leader in the sector, says John Kourtoff, president and CEO of Trillium Power.

June 24, 2008

British Columbia housing minister explains province’s “green” building code

The government of British Columbia is taking a leading role in Canada to reduce greenhouse gases with the “greening” of its building code, the province’s housing minister Rich Coleman says.

June 24, 2008

Saskatchewan opens door to nuclear power

A “bonanza” of uranium and a government keen on opening the door to nuclear power has energy companies circulating Saskatchewan in hopes of flipping the switch on a reactor.

June 23, 2008

Consulting Engineers of Ontario to become Association of Canadian Engineering Companies of Ontario

The board of Consulting Engineers of Ontario (CEO) has been given a mandate to proceed with changing the organization’s name to the Association of Canadian Engineering Companies of Ontario (ACEC Ontario).

June 23, 2008

AGC’s “Building to LEED for New Construction” course wins approval

The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) has announced its Building to LEED for New Construction: Overview and the Impact on Construction Practices course curriculum has been reviewed and approved through the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) Education Provider Program.

June 23, 2008

Culture of Canada’s design, construction industries turns green, too

Judging from comments at the recent Shifting Into the Mainstream conference in Toronto, the design and construction industries are practising what they preach about sustainable building and care for the environment in general.