Building a Greener Future report quantifies some of the costs and needs of decarbonizing Canada’s building stock. (Cover image courtesy of BuildForce Canada) Retrofitting Canada’s residential, commercial and institutional building stock to incorporate sustainable fuel sources, technologies and materials could require as many as 57,000 additional construction workers and generate more than $81 billion in new construction investments by 2032, says BuildForce Canada in its latest labour report. The paper, Building a Greener Future: Estimating the impact on construction labour demands from trans ..read more

Payroll employment by sector in February. (Source: Statistics Canada, Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours (2612), table 14-10-0220-01.) Canada’s employment figures slipped slightly in February, but the drop was not reflected in the construction sector, reports Statistics Canada in the latest Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours. Overall payroll employment decreased by 17,700, or 0.1 per cent, across the consolidated sectors in February, following an increase of 35,700 in January. On a year-over-year basis, payroll employment was up by 154,700 positions, or just shy of one per cent ..read more

(Image courtesy of Rider Levett Bucknall) Costs for Canadian construction projects are up significantly over last year, and Canada continues to place at the top of the Rider Levett Bucknall (RLB) Crane Index. Those were some of the key findings as the international property and construction consultancy firm released its latest Crane Index and quarterly Construction Cost Report (QCR). The two documents provide an eye-opening perspective on the North American construction industry in 14 key markets, including Toronto and Calgary. The latest RLB quarterly Construction Cost Report (QCR), with da ..read more

(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