A homebuilder once told me Canadians are “the greatest stick-builders in the world.” It’s a good line, and understandable coming from a homebuilder. After all, most Canadian homes are built primarily of wood. Wood is probably the oldest building material in the world unless you count rocks and sod. What’s most amazing to me, is that after thousands of years of history, we are still looking for — and finding — new ways to use wood. Read more.
Tracking progress on any jobsite is extremely important for your schedule and budget. But, as the project grows larger, tracking progress becomes that much more difficult. How do you accurately determine the percentage of work that the subcontractors have completed across 10 stories and hundreds of thousands of square feet?
Vancouver is aiming for zero operational greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2030 from new buildings using high-tech solutions like Building Information Modeling (BIM) and the simplicity of Passive House design. Read more.
A shrinking budget deficit is usually good news, but a drop in federal debt in Canada is raising concerns over delays in government efforts to funnel infrastructure money into projects. The country’s federal deficit is poised to drop by $1.1 billion, mainly due to government delays in keeping up with ambitious infrastructure spending pledges, says a report by the Parliamentary Budget Office. Only about half of the $2.9 billion budgeted for infrastructure in 2016-2017 actually got out the door. Read more.
Construction stakeholders offered cautious praise for the new federal environmental review process unveiled by Environment Minister Catherine McKenna Feb. 8, tempered by doubt and with a general caveat that it was too early for full analysis. Read more.
New legislation has just been introduced supporting increased use of apprentices on infrastructure projects procured by the federal government. Recommended changes to the Department of Public Works and Government Services Act are included in Bill C-227 introduced by Toronto area MP Ahmed Hussen. Read more.
Investment in new housing construction in Nova Scotia (current dollars, unadjusted for seasonality) decreased 9.2 per cent in December 2017 compared to December 2016 to $60.9 million. Investment in new single-detached units decreased by 19.4 per cent to $33.5 million, while investment in apartment units increased by 18.7 per cent to $22.7 million. The relatively smaller semi-detached segment was down 37.1 per cent to $3.1 million with row housing construction rising 12.1 per cent to $1.5 million. In Canada, new housing investment increased by 10.0 per cent over the same period to $4.7 billion. Read more.
Statistics Canada has released estimates of the population by county as of July 1, 2017. Provincial population estimates for July 1, 2017 were released in September and updated to October 1 in December. These population estimates should not be confused with Census counts. Estimates of the population adjust for net undercoverage from the Census as well as incompletely enumerated Indian reserves. The current estimates are still based on the results of the 2011 Census of the population. Read more.
Global Windows and Doors
Global Windows and Doors is a leading manufacturer of residential and light commercial windows and doors in Atlantic Canada. and has been serving customers from it’s 55,000 square foot facility in Richibucto New Brunswick since 1999. Offering a full compliment of products and meeting all code requirements including NAFS, Global is the “Partner of Choice” for projects large and small. Visit our website to view our product offering and to download our architectural specifications.
Bruno Builders
We’re a custom residential and commercial construction company that collaborates with clients and architects to build bold, standout spaces and structures. We are confident, courageous and directed. Our uncompromising work ethic, problem solving agility and outright love for what we do has forged our reputation as a trusted builder of residential, office, retail, mixed-use and multi-unit projects in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Visit our website to learn more.
Consbec Inc.
Consbec was created in 1981 and has since become the largest surface drilling and blasting contractor in North America and the only private Canadian company who manufactures and transports bulk explosives. Visit their website to learn more.
Element Construction Inc.
Based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Element Construction provides industry leading, quality workmanship to a growing list of both commercial and residential clients in general construction, hardscaping, safety surfacing, excavation, and snow/ice control throughout the Maritimes. We are also proud to offer both commercial and residential flooring services via our team of experienced installers specializing in carpet, laminate, hardwood, vinyl and tile. Visit our website to learn more.
Assured Mechanical
What appears to be a partial draft of the White House’s $1 trillion infrastructure plan was leaked Monday, and it points to President Donald Trump’s initial thoughts about paying for infrastructure with private funds. There is talk that Trump will provide an overview of the infrastructure bill during his State of the Union address next Tuesday — which is a measure of just how vital infrastructure is to the U.S. Read more.