Proposed Changes to the Nova Scotia Building Code

/in , /by

Proposed Changes to the Nova Scotia Building Code. See Schedule A and Schedule B proposed public changes to the regulations for consultation until December 14, 2018.

NS Prompt Payment Coalition calling on provincial government to enact prompt payment legislation

/in , /by

Newly formed Nova Scotia Prompt Payment Coalition calling on provincial government to enact prompt payment legislation in Nova Scotia.

Halifax, NS – (09/12/2018) Payment delays are unacceptable in Nova Scotia’s construction industry and the newly formed Nova Scotia Prompt Payment Coalition is calling on the provincial government to enact appropriate legislation.

“Our province needs a prompt payment solution that works for everyone including tradespeople, contractors, government and consumers,” says Tim Houtsma, board member of the Canadian Institute of Steel Construction and a member of the Coalition. “While this serious problem is being felt now in ourindustry, there is a risk to Nova Scotia’s competitiveness long-term if we do not take action to fix theissue.”

“The existing law in Nova Scotia – the Builders Lien Act – is costly, cumbersome, and inaccessible to 65 per cent of the construction industry (small and medium-sized family-owned companies consisting of 50or fewer employees),” says Duncan Williams, president of the Construction Association of Nova Scotia and another member of the Coalition. “It addresses non-payment as opposed to delinquent payment andthe lien rights of many in the industry will expire long before they realize they will not get paid.”

Read more.

This crazy concrete ceiling could revolutionize how we build

/in , /by

Swiss engineers have developed a construction technique that could change how buildings are designed and built. It’s called a “Smart Slab:” A mixture of concrete, rebar, and carbon fiber that form a super-light, super-strong slab ceiling. It’s an entirely new way of building structural elements, and even at less than an inch thick and less than half the weight of a conventional concrete slab, its creators at the Digital Building Technologies group at ETH Zürich claim it can support more weight–surpassing Swiss building code standards. Read more.

Global Hub releases new P3 management tool

/in , /by

The Global Infrastructure Hub has unveiled a public-private partnership (P3) management tool intended to address what the Hub has identified as a significant gap in the process — post-close management. Read more.

Contractors expect more change in next 5 years than past 50

/in , /by

The construction industry has made a huge leap in the technology arena, with the market offering up only one or two apps in 2011 compared to today’s more than 2,100, according to Skanska USA’s Stacy Scopano, vice president of innovation. Read more.

Digitizing the construction industry requires a view from the field

/in , /by

Construction is booming, and with growing population and increasing urbanization requiring new homes and offices to be built, industry momentum shows no signs of slowing down. Despite increasingly sophisticated structures, construction remains one of the least digitized industries. Read more.

Skilled trades among toughest jobs to fill, employer survey finds

/in , /by

According to the recently released ManpowerGroup 2018 Talent Shortage Survey, 41 per cent of Canadian employers report having difficulty filling jobs, with skilled trades being the hardest to fill, followed by sales representatives and drivers. Read more.

Statistics Canada releases first results of Canada’s core public infrastructure survey

/in , /by

Canada’s road network, as reported by this survey, was long enough in 2016 to circle the Earth’s equator more than 19 times. Statistics Canada, in partnership with Infrastructure Canada, has launched its first-ever catalogue of the state of the nation’s infrastructure to provide statistical information on the stock, condition, performance and asset management strategies of Canada’s core public infrastructure assets. Read more.

Why more women need to pick up power tools, according to a female contractor

/in , /by

Kate Campbell remembers her first day on a construction job site like it was yesterday. She walked toward a group of men with her head held high, tool belt on, knees shaking. And it was clear how — being the only woman on site — she stood out. Read more.

‘There is no west coast support’: B.C. builders brace for new steel protections.

/in , /by

Canada’s latest steel tariff proposal has alarmed construction companies, who have warned it could have an outsized impact on the country’s coasts, boosting costs in places like Vancouver, already Canada’s most expensive housing market, while protecting steel producers in central Canada. Read more.