Sunday, May 5, 2024 
Canadian housing starts remained elevated in April
The trend in housing starts was 279,055 units in April 2021, up from 272,164 units in March 2021, according to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). This trend measure is a six-month moving average of the monthly seasonally adjusted annual rates (SAAR) of…
Parking lot to park: Construction signals fresh start to controversial Fort McMurray project
The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo has broken ground on a controversial park being built on land it originally acquired to be turned into an arena. The Franklin and Main Park Project will take up the majority of a block in…
New direct access to free electronic codes and user’s guides
The National Research Council of Canada (NRC) first offered free electronic access to the National Model Codes in April 2019, through funding from the Government of Canada in support of freely available and harmonized building codes. In the last 2 years,…
New Victoria bylaw requires old buildings to be salvaged instead of demolished to reduce waste
Victoria has penned a new bylaw which will require buildings to be deconstructed, not demolished, in an effort to reduce construction waste in the municipality. The city says that Victoria creates between 10,000 and 20,000 tonnes of waste through construction and…
IAPMO R&T’s Supply Chain Services hires Nicolas Bouvier
IAPMO R&T’s Supply Chain Services (SCS) has significantly bolstered its management team with the hiring of Nicolas Bouvier as director. Bouvier brings 20-plus years’ experience operating inspection management programs in more than 30 countries worldwide. “We are thrilled to bring Nicolas’…
Construction industry leaders recognized for best practices in equity, diversity and inclusion
Two years ago, sixteen leaders from community, labour and industry came together to brainstorm strategies for how to incentivize and recognize the different construction industry leaders, champions and initiatives that we were starting to witness as the community benefits movement gained…
OPG’s Indigenous Opportunities Network partners with UBC Millwrights to Power Bright Futures
The Indigenous Opportunities Network (ION) is OPG’s community-centred program that recruits job-ready Indigenous people and provides opportunities in skilled trades, project management, and administrative jobs, within the energy sector. Working closely with Kagita Mikam Aboriginal Employment and Training and UBC Millwright Local…
Wainfleet ready to pre-qualify contractors for new centralized fire station
Wainfleet Township will begin the process of pre-qualifying contractors vying to build the township’s planned new central fire station, after township politicians received a new report pegging the preliminary cost estimates of the long-awaited project at about $4.64 million. Fire Chief…
How a contractor is making the grade and profit with a Laser-Guided 2D System
According to Ryan Goodfellow, owner and operator of Rock Structures Utility & Excavating in Ogden, Utah, one of the disadvantages to being a “small guy” in the construction business is the additional manpower it takes to get jobs dug to grade,…
Registration opens for ACI 24 Hours of Concrete Knowledge Conference
The American Concrete Institute (ACI) along with ACI international chapters and partners will host “24 Hours of Concrete Knowledge,” a free conference that will bring the worldwide concrete community together. The conference is for everyone interested in learning more about concrete,…
5 stunning examples of green architecture around the world
Not only has it been scientifically proven that urban gardens, woodlands, and parks reduce depression, in a study by the University of Leeds for example, they are immensely valuable for preserving the environment. Urban gardens and vertical farms are starting to…
Developers wrestle with COVID-19 outbreaks on construction sites
Amid signs that Ontario’s emergency public health measures are set to be extended into June, a number of COVID-19 outbreaks at residential construction sites has highlighted the debate over what kind of work should be considered essential. On May 4, an outbreak of 11…
A new hurricane-resistant floating solar farm could help replace fossil fuels
A new solar power platform is making waves in the way we think about renewable energy, advancing a novel form of offshore floating arrays. Called the “Demonstrator,” the platform was recently towed upriver in the Netherlands to simulate some of the wind…
New construction codes act coming to Saskatchewan
The Government of Saskatchewan recently passed The Construction Codes Act (Bill 4) in the Legislative Assembly. The new Act will allow better alignment between construction codes and accessibility standards, including how they are applied to buildings, ensuring people with disabilities can better access…
Six Trends Driving the Architecture, Engineering and Construction Industry
In order to minimize change orders, increase efficiency, improve their return on investment and enhance the quality of their projects, infrastructure engineers and designers have turned to several new trends and technologies. Digital twins, for example, are creating a buzz in…
