Manitoba aims to empower and increase women in the trades

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Manitoba is hoping to increase representation of women in the trades, aided by the launch a trades-focused Women’s Equality Week.

“Women in Manitoba continue to be underrepresented in many areas of training including the trades,” said Sustainable Development Minister Rochelle Squires during an announcement at the Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology (MITT). “We know that when people are empowered with skills and training, all kinds of doors open to good jobs, financial stability and better opportunities.  This project will help teach prospective students about non-traditional career options and create support networks to enable careers in the trades.”

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Paper examines risks associated with infrastructure projects in Canada

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The Lawrence National Centre (LNC) for Policy and Management has identified six categories of risk to economic infrastructure investment and development in Canada which, if not addressed, could have consequences for the country’s economic competitiveness.

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Infrastructure bank narrows gaze to more than a dozen projects, CEO says

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he federal agency built to find new ways to pay for new Canadian infrastructure says it is deep in talks on over a dozen projects.

In the fall, officials with the Canada Infrastructure Bank had more than 120 meetings about more than 60 projects across the country, including some that came unsolicited from the private sector. The bank’s mission is to find ways to get private money to pay for public projects that will produce revenue, such as toll roads and transit systems and trade portals.

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Non-Residential Capital Stock Remaining Service Life, 2016

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Statistics Canada released data on the age of the non-residential capital stock in the provinces. The assets are measured by the “remaining useful service life of non-residential capital stock” which is estimated as a percentage of service life remaining relative to the total service life of the asset. It is measured as the ratio of the average asset age to its expected service life. Changes to the remaining useful service life can come from changes in the investment level or in the investment mix.

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Construction AI negotiating licensing deal

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Construction AI, one of the winners in the recent Sprint Competition in Nova Scotia, is negotiating with two major software companies to adopt its technology.

Based in Mosquodoboit Harbour and in Alberta, Construction AI has developed artificial intelligence software that helps the construction industry plan the excavation of a work site.

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Register for the NSAA’s Carpenter Consultation on Feb. 26 hosted at CANS Dartmouth Office

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Register for the Nova Scotia Apprenticeship Agency’s Carpenter Consultation on Feb. 26 hosted at CANS Dartmouth Office. Click HERE for more information. 

Op-Ed: Why Nova Scotia Needs Prompt Payment Legislation

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Imagine for a moment you check your bank account on pay day and notice your pay hasn’t been deposited. You go to your boss and ask what’s going on? In response your boss tells you that instead of paying you for your work, the company has arbitrarily decided not to pay you. My guess is that wouldn’t work for you, not to mention is illegal because we have legislation to protect workers from such practices. Why then, does the government feel it is OK to let this go on in the world of construction?

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Published in allNovaScotia on February 23, 2019
Submitted by Duncan Williams, President & CEO, Construction Association of Nova Scotia

Technological innovation changing range and type of on-site services

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Technological innovation is taking the construction industry by storm. Everywhere you look, digital devices of some kind are changing the way construction gets done, both on-site and behind the scenes. Read more.

Her clothes are keeping female construction workers, firefighters and paramedics safe

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When Hurricane Harvey struck Houston in August 2017, Jane Henry, her husband and two young daughters were left stranded in their flooded home.

“Our house was wrecked. We lost our clothes and our cars,” recalls Henry.
Volunteers helped them in the immediate aftermath of the storm. “But after that we were on our own,” she said.
So for the next four months, Henry donned a pair of construction gloves and started filling up dumpsters with debris from inside and around the house.

Mike Holmes: Trends worth building on in 2019.

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When we get to the beginning of a new year, I always like to take some time to think and reflect, not only on my personal life, but on what I see happening in the building industry. As there always are, last year brought lots of changes and developments to the way we approach building. Some of these trends I hope will continue throughout 2019, but admittedly there are a few that I hope stay in 2018. Read more.