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Professional and Environmental Engineering

September 1, 2008

Offshore oil platform expected to create Newfoundland job windfall

Development of the Hebron offshore oil project is expected to pay significant dividends for Newfoundland’s construction and engineering industries.

August 27, 2008

Warm summer days and legal risk

As we approach the final stretch of summer, and with another long weekend around the corner, many people are planning parties and barbecues. In a seminal decision released in 2006, the Supreme Court of Canada determined that social hosts do not, as a general rule, have any responsibilities regarding their guests’ alcohol consumption.

August 27, 2008

Work at Vancouver’s Vita at Symphony Place continues

Vita at Symphony Place will include 29 stories above grade and five below. Construction started in May 2007 and is expected to be complete by early 2009.

August 25, 2008

Number, value of major British Columbia construction projects increases

The value of current and proposed major construction projects in B.C. shot up $39.5 billion in the second quarter of 2008, reaching a record high of $169.7 billion, according to the B.C. government’s Major Projects Inventory.

August 25, 2008

New Thunder Bay-to-Alberta shipping route handles cargo bound for oilsands

A new Canadian shipping route will allow cargo to flow to oilsands construction sites in Northern Alberta from Thunder Bay, Ontario.

August 25, 2008

Scott Construction’s Opal condo project promises to add sparkle to Richmond’s skyline

General contractor Scott Construction Group is building the Opal condominium for developer Kamdo Tower Inc.

August 25, 2008

For a profitable crop, try harvesting the wind

With energy prices soaring and environmental concerns mounting, people everywhere are looking for alternatives to fossil fuels.

August 20, 2008

Twelve Algerian employees of SNC-Lavalin die in bus bombing

Twelve Algerian employees of SNC-Lavalin were killed in a terrorist attack on August 20, 2008, while riding on a bus to work on the Koudiat Acerdoune water treatment plant and distribution project in Algeria. Another 15 employees were wounded in the bombing.

August 20, 2008

Infrastructure Solutions Project aims for better planning and management

Better planned and managed infrastructure is the goal of the Infrastructure Solutions Project established in an agreement between the federal government and the Canadian Standards Association (CSA).

August 18, 2008

Canadian construction industry steels against rising rebar prices

Steel prices generally are being driven by demand for construction materials as China, India and Russia ramp up building of infrastructure and productive capacity.

August 18, 2008

British Columbia government invests $12 million in Highway 99 improvements

Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Kevin Falcon announced on August 1, 2008 that the government will spend $5.2-million for the construction of a new two-lane concrete bridge 13 kilometres south of Lillooet and $7.1-million for paving north of Pemberton.

August 18, 2008

Engineering consultant raises concerns over Porteau Bluff

Additional rockslides are possible on the Sea-to-Sky Highway and more work needs to be done to reduce the risk of future incidents, says an international engineering consultant.

August 13, 2008

TransCanada’s Alaskan pipeline proposal wins license to build

Lawmakers in Alaska have awarded a license to Calgary-based TransCanada Corporation to start building the US$26-billion Alaska Pipeline Project.

August 13, 2008

Association seeks support for national deconstruction standard for existing buildings

The Canadian Standards Association (CSA) is seeking support from industry stakeholders to kick-start development of a national standard on “deconstruction” of existing buildings.

August 13, 2008

Copper Mountain Mining plans to revive to Princeton-area mine

Copper Mountain Mining Corp. plans to revive its Copper Mountain mine by investing millions of dollars in the construction of basic infrastructure and buildings. The mine is located 15 kilometres south of Princeton, British Columbia.

August 11, 2008

Armtec Infrastructure Income Fund acquires Burnco Concrete Products

Ontario-based Armtec Infrastructure Income Fund has made a move into Alberta’s concrete products market with its purchase of Burnco Concrete Products Ltd. (BCPL).

August 11, 2008

Economic activity in Canada’s construction sector continues to shrink

Economic activity in Canada continued to fluctuate between monthly periods of moderate economic growth and decline in May. All components of the construction sector declined, including residential buildings, non-residential buildings and engineering and repair work.

August 11, 2008

Korky Koroluk: Prospects for concentrated solar power burn bright

Advocates are calling a new concept called “concentrating solar power” — the use of mirrors to increase the amount of power sunlight generates — the most important form of carbon-free power in the 21st Century, writes Daily Commercial News columnist Korky Koroluk.

August 11, 2008

McMaster study looks at link between diesel fumes and diabetes

The operating engineers’ union supports a study looking at possible connections between diesel fume exposure and diabetes among its members.

August 6, 2008

British Columbia and Alberta see rapid increases in number of temporary foreign workers

Alberta and B.C. are experiencing the most rapid increases in the number of temporary foreign workers (TFWs) of any province in Canada, according to federal government statistics

August 6, 2008

Road crews work round the clock to reopen Sea-to-Sky Highway ahead of schedule

The Sea-to-Sky Highway reopened ahead of schedule after clean-up crews worked around the clock to clear the landslide debris. Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Kevin Falcon announced the road was once again open to traffic on August 2, 2008.

August 6, 2008

KWH Contractors of British Columbia win Suncor contract

KWH Contractors of Delta, B.C. have been awarded a contract for a structural steel modular construction project at Suncor’s Voyageur expansion program in Fort McMurray, Alberta.

August 6, 2008

Enbridge begins early planning of $5-billion Gateway pipeline project

The largest private infrastructure project in the history of British Columbia is in the early planning stages.

August 6, 2008

Ledcor Construction reaches skyward at Centro Towers project

Hotson Bakker Boniface Haden architects + urbanistes designed the building for owner Rize Alliance Properties Ltd. The project includes a parkade with green roof, exercise facilities, garden space, play area and space for outdoor dining.

August 6, 2008

Northland Properties builds new home for the Sandman Signature Hotel

The owner/general contractor on the Sandman Signature Hotel project is Northland Properties Corp.

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.

August 4, 2008

Bilfinger Berger Canada files suit against Metro Vancouver over Capilano-Seymour project

Metro Vancouver hired Bilfinger Berger Canada (BBC) Inc. in 2004 to construct twin tunnels with a combined length of 14.2 kilometres for the Capilano-Seymour water filtration project. BBC suspended work on the $100 million project in January 2008, due to concerns about the safety of underground workers.

August 4, 2008

Fort Edmonton Park’s Welcome Centre aims for LEED Gold

Long known for its view of the past, Edmonton’s historic Fort Edmonton Park now has its eyes set on the future, as it prepares to greet visitors with a new, green Welcome Centre.

July 30, 2008

Stolen road construction equipment left on tracks derails CN train

A train derailment occurred east of Edmonton after a piece of road construction equipment was deliberately placed on railway tracks.

July 30, 2008

Korean workers embark on new careers as heavy-equipment operators in Alberta

Hunt International, a world wide recruitment and human resources firm, is providing workers in Korea with training in heavy equipment operation, so they can obtain employment in B.C. and Alberta.

July 30, 2008

Alter NRG plans Canada’s first coal-to-liquid fuel plant

A Public Disclosure document shows that Alter NRG Corp. proposes to mine a reserve of about 301 million tonnes of coal using established surface mining technology, and then through gasification and other processes, to produce diesel fuel and other flammable liquids.