Canadian industries warn tariff battle will raise costs, hit supply chains

“This trade war could cause significant delays with projects, escalating costs, all leading to high risk and lower productivity for the industry, and depriving these communities of their necessary infrastructure improvements,” CCA president Mary Van Buren said in an interview. Read more (Globe and Mail subscribed content)

Photo software creates virtual record of project progress

Silicon Valley-based startup OpenSpace launched this week a product that it claims will dramatically cut the time it takes contractors to photograph a jobsite and share progress with key project stakeholders. Read more

After a tunnel construction triumph in Japan, all eyes are on CIM (not BIM)

What’s CIM? For the unfamiliar, Construction Information Modeling/Management is a localized term used in Japan’s construction industry in place of BIM (Building Information Modeling). The Mikusa Tunnel project on Japan’s Kinki Highway Kisei Line was the first of many projects to use it for the entire building process. The Obayashi Corporation comprehensively used 3D models to build the tunnel, another first in Japan, earning it the country’s first AEC Excellence Award in 2017. Read more

Brickschain co-founders discuss the value of blockchain for construction

Bassem Hamdy and Ron Goldshmidt explain how blockchain can create a comprehensive record of construction and building activity and streamline O&M handover. Read more

Report recommends targeting infrastructure dollars on bottlenecks

The report is a follow-up to Grinding to a Halt, Evaluating Canada’s Worst Bottlenecks, released in 2017, which showed Canada’s worst bottlenecks increase commute times by as much as 50 per cent and cost hundreds of millions of dollars in wasted time and productivity as well as burn an extra 287 million litres of fuel per year. Read more

The future of trades is looking more female than ever

The role of women in the workforce has changed significantly in the last several decades, but while it’s now commonplace to work alongside female doctors and lawyers, one field still lags: the trades. But there are many skilled women out there working to change that. Read more

KickAss Careers aims to give the boot to the skilled trades gap

KickAss Careers is a school and community outreach program whose goal is to engage, educate and encourage young men and women to consider careers in the mechanical, industrial, technology, construction and advanced manufacturing industries. Read more

Respectful workplaces blog: Building a foundation of respect

A major study in the United States that surveyed a large sample of private-sector organizations found that allocating resources to “responsibility structures,” for example, diversity (respectful and inclusive workplace) plans, committees, and staff positions, is associated with significantly higher representation of people with different genders, backgrounds, and circumstances in management. Read more

National associations cautious about Trans Mountain decision

National industry stakeholders hold a common view on the federal government’s purchase of the Trans Mountain project from Kinder Morgan: it’s a good thing it happened but it should never happen again. Read more

New Champlain bridge corridor project receives ENVISION platinum award

The New Champlain Bridge Corridor Project has earned a prestigious EnvisionTM Platinum Award from the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI) for achieving the highest standards of sustainable development and environmental performance on an infrastructure project. This distinction is the first to be awarded in Quebec for infrastructure on the scale of the new Champlain Bridge, and the first in Canada to be awarded for a bridge project. Read more