Dutch Contractor BAM Unveils Autonomous Robotic 3-D Printer

International contracting giant Royal BAM Group and developed a freeform 3-D robotic printer that can both navigate a construction site and print on its own, according to Global Construction Review. Read more.

Possible Canada Post Strike and Its Effect on Membership Dues

Due to a possible Canada Post strike and the effect it will have on mail delivery (including cheque payments), CANS members are advised that the due date for 2016-2017 Membership Dues is July 1, and alternate methods of payment are available so as to not encounter a disruption of services from CANS.  All unpaid accounts will have their services, including online access, suspended as of July 31, 2016.

Payment of Membership Dues can be made through a variety of methods other than mail:

Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT)

For more details, contact Rob Lewis by email rlewis@cans.ns.ca or by phone at 902-468-2267 ext. 705.

Online or Phone

We accept VISA, Mastercard, and AMEX either online via www.cans.ns.ca/pay (instructions below) or by contacting us at 902-468-2267.

Instructions to make a payment online:

  1. Visit our website at www.cans.ns.ca
  2. Login using your login details in the top right corner of the home page (your company’s profile admin has access to logins and passwords, and will have access to all invoices under your company ‘umbrella’.  If a user who is not the profile admin logs in to pay, they will only be able to pay the invoices that are tied directly to their individual profile. Contact us if you are unsure who your company’s profile admin is).
  3. After you have logged in, click on “My CANSnet” in the top right corner.
  4. From here, click on the “My Orders” icon
  5. Click on the green “Make a Payment” button
  6. After clicking “Make a Payment” you will see a list of outstanding invoices.  If no invoices are listed, this indicates that all invoices have been paid to date.
  7. Select the invoices you wish to pay by clicking on the green “Pay This Invoice” button next to each invoice
  8. After you have selected all of the invoices that you wish to pay, click on the “Proceed to Payment” button. From here you will be prompted to enter your credit card details.

B.C. Pre-cast Manufacturer Updating Roman Arch for Modern-day Use

Lock-Block Ltd. of Richmond, B.C. has developed the Arch-Lock, a pre-cast piece of concrete in a wedge shape that can be used to build arches and vaults without steel reinforcement. Read more.

UBC Researchers Explore Reducing Fly-ash Use

A significant finding resulting from the work of two University of BC Okanagan campus research engineers who controlled alkali-silica reaction (ASR) when using glass in a mortar mix is the potential for reducing fly-ash content as Canada’s supply of fly-ash is predicted to diminish. Read more.

Windsor Parkway Sets Precedent Protecting Endangered Species

Windsor, Ont.’s $1.4 billion Herb Gray Parkway that opened a year ago and is scheduled to connect to a new bridge to the United States in 2020, was precedent-setting because of how the construction preserved endangered wildlife. Read more.

Swarms of Robots Printing Homes in Disaster Areas

A 3-D printer is simply a type of industrial robot. The relationship between robotics and 3-D printing had been there all along. Most of us simply never noticed it. Now, though, that relationship is what’s behind a project that would let flying robots —drones — fly into disaster areas and build shelters for survivors using 3-D printing technology. Read more.

Youth Programs Give Teens a Taste Of Construction

The construction industry is going back to school. At this year’s Canadian Apprenticeship Forum conference in Vancouver, speakers from Alberta and Nova Scotia shared a variety of methods to reach teens in high school and expose them to a career in the trades. Read more.

Carbon Impact Initiative Launched

EllisDon, in partnership with six other companies, have developed an industry-led action plan in support of Canada’s international climate change commitments. Read more.

Bridging Global Infrastructure Gaps

The world today invests some $2.5 trillion a year on transportation, power, water, and telecommunications systems. Yet it’s not enough—and needs are only growing steeper. In a follow-up to its comprehensive 2013 report Infrastructure productivity: How to save $1 trillion a year, the McKinsey Global Institute finds that the world needs to invest an average of $3.3 trillion annually just to support currently expected rates of growth. Read more.

FMCA Urging Members to Reach Out for Wildfire Rebuild Work

The Fort McMurray Construction Association (FMCA) is urging its members to contact a property appraisal consultant called SPECS Ltd. to bid for subcontract work on the post-wildfire cleanup contract, after an emotional meeting revealed the company is looking for a prime contractor. Read more.