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Occupational Health and Safety
August 2, 2010
Construction firms learn to get ‘Bear Smart’
Residents of a Canadian city debated whether police correctly handled a call reporting that a bear was shot and killed in April.
August 2, 2010
Rigger acquitted in New York crane collapse
A crane rigger has been acquitted of manslaughter charges stemming from the collapse of a New York City crane in 2008 in which six construction workers were killed in midtown Manhattan.
August 2, 2010
Worker survives crane rollover in Victoria
A construction worker is lucky to be alive after the crane he was operating rolled over into an excavated hole in Victoria, B.C. last week.
July 28, 2010
Underground utilities disaster looms
It seems that we only learn once a disaster has occurred. The massive BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is the latest example of government and industry ignoring a potential problem until the worst-case scenario unfolds.
July 28, 2010
Mike Holmes partners with First Nations on community-building pilot project
Assembly of First Nations National Chief, Shawn A-in-chut Atleo, and Mike Holmes have partnered on a pilot project to assist in building homes, enhancing community design, and planning and utilizing appropriate green technologies and clean energy sources to improve health and living conditions in First Nations communities.
July 28, 2010
Georgian College expansion goes green in Collingwood, Ontario
Construction is expected to get under way early next month on Georgian College’s permanent home in Collingwood Ont., a 20,000-square-foot facility to house nine classrooms as well as a student lounge.
July 28, 2010
City of Vancouver report slams botched demolition
A report into a botched demolition at a downtown Vancouver construction site found several problems with the operation.
July 26, 2010
BC Construction Safety Alliance merger complete
The paperwork has gone through and the BC Construction Safety Alliance (BCCSA) has officially been created.
July 26, 2010
Highrise tool toss lands Calgary contractor in hot water
An online video that appears to show a Calgary construction worker tossing a tool to another worker on scaffolding high above the street is being investigated by the Alberta government and the city.
July 21, 2010
Driver who hit road crew gets two years in prison
A Calgary driver has been sentenced to two years in prison for slamming into a road maintenance crew at high speed in the middle of the night and injuring three workers.
July 21, 2010
Over-compensation issue has nothing to do with false claims
The article on the over-compensation of apprentices and COCA’s (Council of Construction Associations) campaign to stop this over-payment has drawn responses from two B.C. labour leaders.
July 21, 2010
Warehouse roof collapses during storm in Edmonton
The roof of a warehouse for a building material supply company in Edmonton partially collapsed during a storm last week and investigators are trying to figure out why it happened.
July 21, 2010
Investigation launched after flag person killed in Mission, British Columbia
An investigation is underway into the death of a 49-year Langley resident, who was struck and killed by a car last week while controlling traffic at a construction site on the Lougheed Highway in Mission, B.C.
July 19, 2010
Manitoba worker rescued after slab falls
A construction worker was pinned under a slab of concrete at the bottom of a narrow trench in Winnipeg last week and was freed by firefighters with the help of bystanders.
July 19, 2010
Mayfair hotel demolition goes wrong in Edmonton
An investigation is underway after the demolition of a building sent construction debris falling into downtown Edmonton’s main street last week.
July 14, 2010
Ontario General Contractors Association leaves construction association
The Ontario General Contractors Association (OGCA) has left the Council of Ontario Construction Associations (COCA) and both organizations stand by their recent track records through their parting of ways.
July 14, 2010
Calgary procurement code puts ethical onus on suppliers
Environment-friendly criteria have long been a part of the landscape in government procurement policies. but the City of Calgary, however, is going one step further with its Sustainable, Environmental and Ethical Procurement Policy (SEEPP).
July 14, 2010
Calgary firefighters dig out worker trapped in collapsed trench
Calgary firefighters had to dig a construction worker out of a trench by hand after he was partially buried in a cave in and could not free himself.
July 12, 2010
Over-compensation for injured apprentices a concern in British Columbia
The pay for an apprentice in B.C. gets a lot better if they’re injured and this concerns some construction employers. After an apprentice has been injured on the job and has received temporary wage-loss benefits for 10 weeks, he or she is eligible for compensation at a rate of 90 per cent of a beginner journeyman’s wage.
July 12, 2010
Alberta’s auditor general criticizes immigration ministry’s occupational safety record
Alberta employers with open Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) Act non-compliance orders for more than a year, originally mentioned in April’s auditor general’s report, may not be as numerous as originally reported.
July 7, 2010
Ledcor Construction employee injured working on Epcor Tower elevator
A man was injured and taken to hospital last week while working on an elevator at the Epcor Tower construction site in downtown Edmonton.
| MOST POPULAR STORIES |
- Sinkhole threatens Calgary building’s stability
- Highrise tool toss lands Calgary contractor in hot water
- Mike Holmes partners with First Nations on community-building pilot project
- Pine beetle spurs infrastructure construction in British Columbia
- City of Vancouver report slams botched demolition
- 20 Most Popular Stories
| TODAY’S TOP CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS |
These projects have been selected from 372 projects with a total value of $3,335,585,749 that Reed Construction Data Building Reports reported on yesterday.
$1,200,000,000 Calgary AB Negotiated
$520,000,000 Grande Prairie AB Prebid
$75,000,000 Edmonton AB Negotiated
| CURRENT STORIES |
- Lack of local workers on Wuskwatim Dam project riles Manitoba union
- Roadwork continues in Burnaby, British Columbia
- Contractor default insurance catches on in Canada
- Construction firms learn to get ‘Bear Smart’
- Qualifications-based selection gains traction with Defence Construction Canada
- Hamilton ready to work with all general contractors, union-affiliated or not
- Worker survives crane rollover in Victoria
- Encana negotiates with China National Petroleum
- Rigger acquitted in New York crane collapse
- Work begins on Lynn Creek Rail Bridge project in Vancouver
- Archaeological assessments an integral part of pre-construction
- Outland Camps offers flexibility from coast to coast
- City of Vancouver report slams botched demolition
- VIDEO: Canada’s economy is slowing down
- Australian Labor government defends stimulus after allegations of political bias
- Western Construction wins contract for Bonnybrook Waste Treatment Facility
- Stimulus spending on U.S. national parks a major job creator
- Fences provide first line of defence
- Directional drilling less disruptive for locals
- Ontario Brownfield Act to change remediation rules next year
- High-tech surveillance protects construction sites from thieves
- Market grows for energy efficient construction trailers
- Site photographers focus on staying in the picture
- Fast Wrap asset protection firm coming to Canada
| ALEX’S ECONOMICS BLOG |

Reed Construction Data Chief Economist Alex Carrick discusses current developments in the North American economic environment with emphasis on the construction industry.
- Canadian railway freight traffic on a better track (July 28, 2010)
- Waiting to see if the other shoe drops in Canada (July 16, 2010)
- Who wants Canada’s oil? (July 7, 2010)
- More



















