Thursday, April 18, 2024 
Qatar World Cup construction workers sue US firm for labor trafficking
Dozens of Filipino workers who helped build stadiums that hosted the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar filed a lawsuit on Thursday claiming U.S. construction firm Jacobs Solutions Inc subjected them to dangerous and inhumane conditions. The nearly 40 plaintiffs in a complaint…
Survey: One-third of Ontario Homeowners Admit To Being Victimized By Renovations Scams
A new survey conducted by Bidmii, highlights a disturbing reality plaguing the home renovation industry in Ontario. A staggering 32 percent of homeowners admit to being victims of renovation scams, while almost half (49.5%) know someone who has been scammed. Almost a quarter…
Legislation to Speed Up Housing Builds in Halifax Regional Municipality
Nova Scotia is taking steps to get more housing built, faster, in Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM). Amendments to the Halifax Regional Municipality Charter and the Housing in the Halifax Regional Municipality Act recently introduced provide legislative authority to speed up development…
Yukon woman says building code has made her planned straw-bale home unaffordable
A woman in Faro, Yukon, says her plan to build her dream home has been crushed by the Yukon Government’s adopted updates to the National Building Code. Sanni Schmidt has lived in Faro for 30 years. For the past six she has been preparing…
Construction employment remains strong on the Prairies
Seasonally adjusted figures show construction employment in Manitoba rose year-on-year and held steady in Saskatchewan as the Prairie provinces continue to enjoy the effects of a commodities and resources boom. Manitoba report 56,000 construction jobs in September, up 10 per cent…
B.C. mega-projects scale back construction employment as they near completion
Since 2019, four energy mega-projects – Site C dam, the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, LNG Canada and Coastal GasLink pipeline – have been under construction, boosting B.C.’s economy with thousands of construction jobs and billions spent on procurement and wages. With…
Deadline to Submit Abstracts for 8th Biennial Emerging Water Technology Symposium Extended
The deadline to submit an abstract for the eighth biennial Emerging Water Technology Symposium (EWTS) has been extended to Nov. 15. Scheduled for May 14-15, 2024, at the Scottsdale Plaza and Villas in Scottsdale, Arizona, the EWTS will be co-convened by…
Geo Week Seeking Nominations for the 2024 Awards Celebration
LIDAR Leader Awards and Younger Geospatial Professional of the Year Award to celebrate excellence in the geospatial market; Nominations accepted through November 10, 2023. Geo Week, the premier event that champions the coming together of geospatial technologies and the built world, is…
Canadian housing starts higher in September
In September, the Canadian housing market saw a positive trend in housing starts, with 254,006 units initiated, marking a 3.9% increase from August’s 244,511 units. These figures, reported by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), are calculated using a six-month…
Toronto’s “Confusing” Procurement Policy Under Fire, Stifles Competition
The City of Toronto is facing criticism for a confusing and seemingly unfair procurement policy that experts argue hinders competition, potentially driving up costs for taxpayers. A recent poll of CEOs and construction industry executives has intensified calls for Mayor Olivia Chow and council to…
New Fanshawe mentorship program to support women in trades
Fanshawe College is launching a mentorship program that aims to support women in their pursuit of a career in the skilled trades. The school’s Corporate Training Solutions (CTS) is leading the development of the “ConnectHER’ mentorship project that will recruit and…
Moncton’s $57M police station under construction too small by 2044, report says
A new report suggests a $57-million police station under construction in Moncton will be too small within 20 years and need a multimillion-dollar expansion, even if the area stays with the RCMP. Consultants reviewed the size of the building as part of a…
A push to build faster – and a contentious call to end design review
Disbanding a review panel of experts responsible for evaluating new developments in London would be “throwing the baby out with the bath water,” says a retired architect who helped conceive the advisory group. Deputy Mayor Shawn Lewis and Ward 8 Coun.…
Nova Scotia company fined $17,500 for use of a professional engineer’s seal
The Ontario Court of Justice at Kingston fined Standard Paving Limited $17,500 for applying a facsimile of a professional engineer’s seal to design drawings without the knowledge or consent of the professional engineer. Standard Paving Limited is a Nova Scotia corporation that purports to perform general contracting and…
Large B.C. construction sites must have flushable toilets, says Premier David Eby
B.C. construction projects with more than 25 workers must have access to a flushable toilet, according to a law to be introduced by Premier David Eby. Speaking at the B.C. Building Trades constitutional convention in Victoria on Monday, Eby said that…
