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Professional Services

August 6, 2008

Quebec mandates quality-based selection for provincial

In a groundbreaking move, Quebec has introduced a regulation that will require provincial agencies to use qualifications-based selection (QBS) to retain consulting engineers and architects.

July 23, 2008

TransCanada Corp. begins construction plans for $320-million Kibby wind-power project

TransCanada Corporation announced on July 9, 2008, that the $320 million Kibby Wind Power Project has received final development plan approval from Maine’s Land Use Regulation Commission (LURC).

July 21, 2008

Supreme Court sides with owners in three construction contract disputes

Glenn W. Ackerley, a partner with legal firm WeirFoulds LLP of Toronto, says three recent cases stand to have an impact on Canadian construction contract law: Double N Earthmovers Ltd. v. Edmonton (City); Design Services Ltd. v. Canada; and Tercon Contractors Ltd. v. British Columbia (Transportation and Highways).

July 16, 2008

Korky Koroluk: GPS-based telematics drive fleet-management plans

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 9, 2008

Cement industry appeals for carbon tax relief

The new carbon tax in B.C. may be revenue neutral for taxpayers, but representatives of the concrete and cement industries say the tax threatens domestic producers

July 2, 2008

Widow of worker killed in Alberta finally gets compensation

The widow of a Chinese temporary foreign worker killed at an oilsands project in Alberta is finally receiving her death benefits.

June 25, 2008

Labour unions strike back at Alberta’s Bill 26, the Labour Relations Amendment Act 2008

The political battle over the passage of controversial changes to Alberta’s labour laws is heating up.

June 25, 2008

CCA sets up P3 task force

The Canadian Construction Association (CCA) is setting up a task force to ensure its members are up to speed on public-private partnerships, also known as P3s.

June 9, 2008

Rising costs of financing and construction put plans for $260-million racetrack on hold

A proposed $260-million horse racing track near Calgary has been delayed again.

June 4, 2008

Alberta government quickly passes controversial changes to labour laws

The Alberta legislature ended the spring session early on June 5 with the passage of controversial changes to the province’s labour laws.

January 22, 2007

Calgary construction companies collaborate

PCL, Graham, EllisDon, Ledcor, Cana, Stuart Olson and Revay and Associates have joined forces with the Calgary Construction Association and the Canadian Construction Research Board to fund a $1.1 million Construction Productivity Improvement research project at the University of Calgary.

January 22, 2007

Non-compliance a sticking point

In 1981, the Supreme Court of Canada’s decision in Ontario v. Ron Engineering changed the legal landscape of invitations to tender.

January 22, 2007

APEGBC issues second set of earthquake guidelines

The Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of British Columbia (APEGBC) has issued in November 2006 its second set of Bridging Guidelines for earthquake-proofing British Columbia schools, an initiative that has been set forward by the British Columbia government.

January 22, 2007

Architects still want solution to liability issues

The professional liability insurance (PLI) issue that posed a crisis for British Columbia architects only a few years ago has eased but it is far from over, says Barry Weih, chairman of the Architectural Institute of British Columbia’s (AIBC) insurance committee.

January 22, 2007

Industry welcomes changes

Representatives of industry groups are welcoming the latest version of the B.C. Building Code, though they acknowledge the transition to the new objective-based approach will take time.

January 22, 2007

Rainscreen requirement tops building code changes

A change in its basis and a new format are complicating the transition to B.C.’s new building code.

January 22, 2007

Business isn't done on a handshake any more

When is a letter not a letter? In some construction industry contracts, a letter is not deemed to be a communication if it’s an e-mail and in today’s digital realm that’s a puzzle for lawyer Lori Roth, of Cassells Brocks who specializes in construction law.

January 22, 2007

Finding insurance coverage

What insurance coverage does a contractor really have under a standard policy?

January 22, 2007

Calgary's Deerfoot Trail to have Alberta's first post-and-cable barrier safety system

Imagine the pressure. You have to design the first post and cable barrier system in Alberta—the first significant installation in Canada—while the media howls for blood because of the blood being spilled on Calgary’s Deerfoot Trail.