Pundits who have been complaining that federal phase 1 infrastructure spending promised in the 2016 budget has not worked its way through the system were largely right. The budget document released by Finance Minister Bill Morneau on March 22 revealed that only 50 to 75 per cent of infrastructure allocations from Budget 2016 have been spent. Read more.
Industry stakeholders were hoping for news on the Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB) in the 2017 federal budget but what they got instead is a commitment that it will be up and running later this year and that more will be announced in the coming months. Read more.
More high school students will have access to hands-on learning opportunities to help them prepare for careers with the expansion of Skilled Trades Centres. Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Karen Casey announced today, April 3, that seven additional high schools will benefit from the centres. Read more.
Members of the Canadian Construction Association’s (CCA) Civil Infrastructure Council (CIC) were given a demonstration of the British Columbia Construction Safety Alliance’s (BCCSA) mobile silica exposure mitigation application on March 18. The application will be released at the end of the month for B.C. safety regulators. Read more.
Paradoxically, Virtual Reality (VR) technologies are still lagging behind the visions that people have for their use. However, VR has already demonstrated its capacity to change the ways we design, make decisions about, and produce built environments. Read more.
Todd Evans, a principal economist with EDC Economics, Mark Casaletto, the president of ConstructConnect Canada, and Buildforce Canada economist Bob Collins all gave their views on the future of the Canadian construction economy at the International & Construction Economic Situation and Outlook session held March 21 at the Canadian Construction Association’s annual conference in Mexico. Read more.
Warren Everson of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Canadian Electricity Association CEO Sergio Marchi, Mining Association of Canada vice-president of economic and northern affairs Brendan Marshall and Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) CEO Tim McMillan all participated in the “The future of energy and natural resource development in Canada” panel on March 22 at the Canadian Construction Association’s annual conference in Mexico. Read more.
It’s no secret U.S. President Donald Trump’s Buy America plan could be costly for Canada’s construction industry, but how various levels of government react closer to home may also be cause for concern. Read more.
Construction may be one of the first industries created by the human race, but an unprecedented wave of technological innovation means fundamental and profound change for the industry. Read more.
The Trump administration has issued a presidential permit to pipeline builder TransCanada to build the Keystone XL pipeline, ending years of delay for a project that has served as a flashpoint in the national debate about climate change. Read more.