(Photo courtesy of NHES/Master Promotions Ltd.) The crowds were out in full force for the 26th edition of the National Heavy Equipment Show. More than 13,400 heavy equipment industry professionals made the trip to the International Centre in Mississauga, Ont., in mid-April for the two-day, sold-out event. “To say this edition surpassed our expectations would be an understatement,” stated national show manager, Mark Cusack. “Our exhibitors really set the bar high, and we can’t thank everyone enough for coming out.” The 2024 event expanded to include the addition of another hall in the exposit ..read more

(Photo courtesy of Allen Engineering Corporation) Allen Engineering Corporation (AEC) celebrated the company’s past, present, and future during its 60th anniversary celebrations, held last week at its head office in Arkansas. The family-owned manufacturer specializes in innovative equipment for concrete placement, finishing, polishing and paving. AEC started in 1964 as a small concrete business in Arkansas, growing to have five plants before launching the Allen Razorback Truss Screed in 1977 and shifting its focus to design, manufacturing and distribution of concrete equipment. Allen Enginee ..read more

WSP in Canada chief innovation officer Jazz Pabla. (Photo courtesy of WSP) WSP in Canada, a professional services firm providing strategic advisory, engineering and design services to clients in the transportation, infrastructure, environment, building, energy, water and mining sectors, has hired Jazz Pabla to be the company’s chief innovation officer. In this role, Pabla will focus on the creation and execution of the company’s innovation strategy driving efficiency, excellence and quality for WSP’s clients across Canada. “Jazz possesses a proven track record of identifying how innovation c ..read more

Bobcat Material Handling equipment, parts, and service are now available at Brandt locations across Canada, aside from British Columbia. With the Bobcat brand, Brandt delivers a full range of Class 1 through 5 forklifts powered by internal combustion, liquid propane or electric drivetrains, with capacities ranging from 3,000 to 55,000 pounds. Previously available at Brandt locations in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Atlantic Canada, material handling products are now available in the company’s Ontario, Quebec and Manitoba locations as well, making Brandt the largest Bobcat material handling dealer ..read more

Investment in non-residential building construction, February 2024. (Source: Statistics Canada, Table 34-10-0286-01 – Investment in Building Construction.) Investment in building construction declined by a little over one per cent in February, reports Statistics Canada. The 1.1 per cent drop from January brought the monthly figure to $19.3 billion. Declines were felt in both the residential and non-residential sectors. Investment in residential building construction decreased by 1.2 per cent, or $157 million, to come in at $13.4 billion. February was a second consecutive monthly decline ..read more

The Great Rebuild: Seven ways to fix Canada’s housing shortage. (Source: RBC) Solutions to Canada’s housing crisis can’t come fast enough. More than half of the 1.9 million new households that will be created by 2030, approximately one million families, will not be able to buy a home if affordability remains close to where it is today, according to research from Royal Bank of Canada. Perhaps even more troubling is that more than 40 per cent of the new households that can’t buy a home will also not earn enough to afford rent at the market price. To help address the issue, RBC Economics and Th ..read more

Sean Penn named CEO of Chandos Construction. (CNW Group/Chandos Construction) Chandos Construction recently announced the appointment of Sean Penn as its new chief executive officer. With a career at Chandos that spans over 20 years, Penn started with the company as a carpenter, working his way up to chief operating officer prior to this latest promotion. The company said his leadership and an unwavering commitment to Chandos’ core values of inclusion, collaboration, innovation and courage were key factors in choosing him to lead the company. “Our board’s decision to appoint Sean as CEO refl ..read more

(Image courtesy of TYLin) TYLin, a globally recognized full-service infrastructure consulting firm, in partnership with AtkinsRéalis, has been selected to provide detailed design services and construction phase services for the Île d’Orléans Bridge. The new signature cable-stayed bridge will cross the heart of the St. Lawrence River and span close to 2.1 kilometres to connect Quebec City to Île d’Orléans. According to TYLin, the bridge’s design is a balance between innovation, aesthetics and sustainability, and is the result of a collaboration between local and international partners forming ..read more

Jim Giannopoulos. (Photo courtesy of GHD) GHD has appointed Jim Giannopoulos as its new chief executive officer, succeeding Ashley Wright who has been CEO since 2016. The planned transition process, announced to shareholders and employees in December, continues the employee-owned company’s history of succession from within its operations. Giannopoulos was most recently CEO – Americas, having led the Canadian and then all operations for GHD’s Americas region including Canada, the United States and Chile over the past four years. Having joined the company as a graduate chemical engin ..read more

(Image courtesy of Arcadis) Despite struggles to make headway in 2023, Canada’s construction market remains resilient, with promising prospects on the horizon for certain segments in 2024, reports Arcadis in its 2024 International Construction Costs Index. According to the company’s latest findings, Canada’s construction landscape is set for a nuanced journey amid evolving market conditions. In 2023, Canada experienced modest economic growth, with GDP rising by 1.1 per cent, marking a third consecutive year of expansion. While growth is good, the rate was the slowest since 2016, aside from t ..read more