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Occupational Health and Safety
March 15, 2010
Chilliwack Cultural Centre project sets tilt-up concrete record
The $22-million Chilliwack Cultural Centre project recently set a Canadian construction record for tilt-up concrete, as massive panels 82 feet (25 metres) in height were erected in January. The panels each weigh an average of 100,000 lbs. (45 tonnes) and represent the tallest ever erected in Canada.
March 11, 2010
Shoddy home construction blamed for Turkey earthquake toll
Homes in eastern areas of Turkey prone to earthquakes must be better built to withstand jolts like the magnitude 6 quake that toppled village houses and killed 51 people, the Turkish government acknowledges.
March 11, 2010
Ontario General Contractors Association applauds plan for WSIB advisory committee
The call for creating permanent stakeholder advisory committees at the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board is a progressive move by the WSIB, says the head of a construction industry task force.
March 11, 2010
Plant Engineering and Maintenance Association establishes Fort McMurray chapter
The newest chapter of a national association for plant and facility maintenance has been established in Fort McMurray, Alta. to meet the needs of the oil and gas industry in the region.
March 9, 2010
Construction industry accounted for most 2009 workplace fatalities in Alberta
The construction industry had the highest number of workplace fatalities of any sector in Alberta in 2009, but this figure is the lowest in the last five years.
March 5, 2010
In wake of toddler death, Calgary task force takes on highrise safety
In the aftermath of a toddler’s death from falling construction debris, the City of Calgary and the local construction industry have formed a committee to study safety.
March 5, 2010
In new Woody Harrelson movie, Hamilton, Ont. construction worker becomes ‘Defendor’ at night
The recent Canadian movie release Defendor pulls off a neat trick by daring to set the tale of an everyday superhero in an undisguised Hamilton, Ont.
March 4, 2010
Full text of Finance Minister Jim Flaherty’s budget speech
As I rise in this House today, our nation is at a crossroads. We have passed through some steep and rocky terrain. Much of the territory was uncharted. We were prepared, and we protected ourselves. We are making our way through, and our compass has not failed us.
March 4, 2010
Report unsafe work sites, Building and Concrete Restoration Association of Ontario says
The Building and Concrete Restoration Association of Ontario (BCRAO) Safety Task Force continues to encourage anyone who sees any health and safety violations at a work site to call the Ministry of Labour.
March 3, 2010
Full text of the throne speech
The following is the unedited text of the speech from the throne delivered by Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean on Wednesday.
March 3, 2010
Workplace Safety and Insurance Board should establish industry advisory committees, chair says
Creation of permanent stakeholder advisory committees at the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board is a progressive agency recommendation, says the head of a construction industry task force.
March 2, 2010
Heavy construction company Sigfusson Northern fined in drilling mishap
Sigfusson Northern Ltd., a Kenora-based heavy construction company, was fined $50,000 on Feb. 12, for a violation of the Occupational Health and Safety Act that caused an injury to a worker.
March 1, 2010
Skilled worker shortage leads to rising construction costs on Truro, Nova Scotia hospital project
Experts say the escalating price of a new hospital in Truro, N.S., is symptomatic of growing cost pressures on public and private projects, brought on partly by a growing shortage of skilled workers.
February 26, 2010
Painters’ union member rescues six from blaze in Texas
The International Union of Painters and Allied Trades has heralded one of its Texas members as a hero thanks to his daring rescue attempt at the site of a recent suicide attack on an Internal Revenue Service building in Austin.
February 26, 2010
ITC Construction manager lends expertise to Winter Olympics
The person in charge of safety with a local construction firm is working as a volunteer safety co-ordinator during the 2010 Winter Olympics.
February 25, 2010
Roofing contractor inducted into Grand Valley Construction Association Hall of Fame
Roofing contractor Dave Walden, a newly minted member of the Grand Valley Construction Association Hall of Fame, is an ardent supporter of education in the skilled trades.
February 25, 2010
B.C. Industry Training Authority retains roadbuilding veteran
Over the past four years, Kent Orrock has made a name for himself in the roadbuilding industry by creating, managing and overseeing the development of training programs for the B.C. Road Builders and Heavy Construction Association.
February 25, 2010
Injured workers file suit over Connecticut plant explosion
Two workers injured in a power plant explosion filed a lawsuit Feb. 22 alleging that proper safety procedures were not followed, and an attorney said that included live electricity running through the site, workers welding and a gas-fueled torch heater running when the blast happened.
February 24, 2010
Trial gets underway in Chinese studio fire
Twenty-three people will go on trial this week for alleged involvement in a deadly fire triggered by an illegal fireworks display that gutted a hotel at the new headquarters of China’s main television network last year, a court official said Feb. 22.
February 22, 2010
Metal forging company IMT Corporation fined $60,000 for safety violation
Metal forging firm IMT Corporation has been fined $60,000 for a violation of the Occupational Health and Safety Act that caused an injury to a worker.
February 19, 2010
Economic diversification paying off during Vale Inco strike in Sudbury
Three decades ago, a nine-month miners’ strike in Sudbury devastated the northern Ontario city’s economy and drove home the perils of being a one-industry town.
February 19, 2010
Concrete-testing company chief convicted of concocting phony results
The president of a concrete testing company that worked on such New York City landmarks as the new Yankee Stadium was convicted Wednesday of concocting phony test results, but a jury acquitted a low-level manager and has yet to reach a verdict on the top racketeering charge against the president and company.
February 19, 2010
No injuries in Pennsylvania arena roof collapse
A large section of the roof of a skating rink collapsed while the ice was being resurfaced during a youth hockey tournament, but no one was injured.
February 19, 2010
Construction worker’s fatal fall didn't involve swing stage
A construction worker is dead after falling as much as six storeys from a building in east Toronto Thursday. Police say a piece of metal may have fallen and hit the worker, knocking him off the building.
February 18, 2010
Haiti to mandate use of specific sand in structural concrete
Haiti’s government is banning a commonly used sand from structural construction in an attempt to improve building safety.
February 17, 2010
Texas Rangers owner sued in construction dispute
A lawsuit accuses the Texas Rangers and companies controlled by owner Tom Hicks of failing to pay US$6.9 million for architectural and construction work.
February 17, 2010
Inquest to be held into Hamilton, Ontario worker’s death
An inquest will be held into the construction work site death of Ryan Herbert in September, 2008.
February 17, 2010
Qualified tradespeople can go in many directions, Algonquin College students told
Qualifying in one of the construction trades can lead to a satisfying career, high school and college students were told recently. But being a tradesman doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll spend your working life on the jobsite.
February 16, 2010
Ontario Electrical League accuses safety councils of union bias
The terms of reference for new Infrastructure Health and Safety Association advisory councils contain a union bias in worker representation, states the Ontario Electrical League (OEL).
February 12, 2010
Challenges abound in rehabilitation of Oakville sewage treatment plant
A three-year $60 million rehabilitation project now underway at the Oakville Southwest Sewage Treatment Plant is not considered an expansion.
February 12, 2010
Alberta budget good news for construction sector
The 2010 Alberta Budget will sustain investment in the construction of basic infrastructure in a tough economic climate, by increasing the government’s deficit and spending initiatives.
| MOST POPULAR STORIES |
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- 20 Most Popular Stories
| TODAY’S TOP CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS |
These projects have been selected from 342 projects with a total value of $2,911,425,288 that Reed Construction Data Building Reports reported on yesterday.
SUBWAY STATIONS, BUS TERMINALS, SUBWAY EXTENSION
$500,000,000 York Reg ON Prebid
$112,000,000 Ottawa ON Prebid
CONDOMINIUM, RETAIL & HOTEL DEVELOPMENT
$100,000,000 Burlington ON Prebid
| CURRENT STORIES |
- Fraud charges laid against former head of Quebec labour union
- Pursuit of LEED could result in professional negligence, insurance executive warns
- Province holding information sessions on new Ontario accessibility standard
- Work continues on Market Wharf condo in Toronto
- Chilliwack Cultural Centre project sets tilt-up concrete record
- WSIB report a clear response to ideas we submitted, Ontario General Contractors Association chief says
- SNC-Lavalin subsidiary Profac under scrutiny over federal contract billing
- As prices surge, China may raise interest rates
- Canadian soldiers repair blown-up bridge in Afghanistan
- Canadian Mechanical Contracting Education Foundation offering Gold Seal course for supervisors
- Slovak construction minister sacked amid corruption scandal
- Historic Kingston Dry Dock restored, enhanced
- Centre for Energy Innovation in Windsor, Ontario built using Termobuild HVAC system
- Canadian Standards Association parking garage standard gets tougher
- Accelerated schedules a challenge for vinyl flooring
- Good materials, shoddy workmanship produces poorly performing floor
- Government takes over Northwest Territories P3 bridge project
- Canadian construction experts visit earthquake-ravaged Haiti
- Winnipeg gets new water treatment plant
- Weighing in on the Tercon Contractors appeal decision
- Construction restarting on hospital in Fort St. John, British Columbia
- In new movie, Hamilton construction worker becomes ‘Defendor’ at night
- ‘Quality product cannot come from cutting corners on safety’
- Shop owner suing VANOC over pre-Olympics road construction disruptions
| ALEX’S ECONOMICS BLOG |

Reed Construction Data Chief Economist Alex Carrick discusses current developments in the North American economic environment with emphasis on the construction industry.
- A dozen incredible measurement sets on Canada’s changing ethnic mix (March 9, 2010)
- How fragile is recovery around the world? (March 3, 2010)
- The world financial crisis goes into extra innings (February 25, 2010)
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