Crane Rental Association of Canada celebrates first in-person annual conference since 2019.
The power of partnership takes centre stage at Forward Summit 2022.
Cranes build modular apartments in P.E.I. for CMHA.
A crane operator from Langley, B.C. has become a cast member of History TV Canada series, Lost Car Rescue. Lee Brandt plays a key role, carefully lifting and moving classic cars in various states of disrepair and fragility.
Police investigating theft of diesel fuel from a crane that was out of service at the Port of Argentia.
With space becoming increasingly tight even in areas outside Toronto’s rapidly densifying downtown, these cranes are finding their niche.
BY DON HORNE
First things first… hello!
My name is Don Horne, and I’m the new editor of Crane & Hoist Canada.
I’ve come over from writing for manufacturing readers, but also have a background in writing for the electrical utility audience and am familiar with the crane sector.
Having joined the publication early in May, one of the first stories I encountered was that of Danielle Pritchett, who was mourning the needless death of her son on the Day of Mourning on April 28.
The tears have long since dried for Danielle Pritchett, but the pain remains.
It was back on July 12, 2021, when a construction crane came crashing down on her son, 24-year-old Cailen Vilness, killing the young man at a high-rise construction site in downtown Kelowna, B.C.
It was during the Day of Mourning ceremony at Ben Lee Park in Kelowna that Thursday afternoon that Pritchett uttered these stark and heartfelt words as the keynote speaker:
“I died that day,” she said. “When I lost my son, I died. A piece of me died that day.”
After learning of the loss of her son that July day, it prompted Pritchett to share some troubling stories that he had told her about the various worksites he’d worked on over the years.
“He would tell me of the infractions he would see, of the pressure he received, even from his foreman, to do the work unsafely,” she told the crowd back in April.
The response to his concerns was not just a refusal to acknowledge the very real fears for the safety of others, but much more.
“He began to be ostracized by his coworkers. He was ostracized by his bosses, by the foreman, and by the company. He was even demoted in his duties on the job because he was pointing out unsafe work,” said Pritchett. “I’m not pointing fingers at anybody, but I am opening Pandora’s box so we can take a real hard look.”
She went on to call for changes to workplace culture, making safety a top priority without repercussions.
While the culture needs to be changed, much has changed regarding improving safety within the industry.
Take overhead cranes.
Years ago, operators were basically limited to the manufacturer’s instructions for operation of the equipment. There have been significant changes over the past 10 years to improve safety when operating these types of equipment. Industries across Canada got together approximately 15 years ago and formed committees through occupational health and safety (OH&S) to develop legislation to improve the safety for operating, inspecting and maintenance of this equipment.
This is about the same time that the Daily Operator Logbooks became mandatory, requiring operators to perform preoperational, operational and shut-down, dated and signed off by the operator and supervisor at end of every shift. Over the years, the legislated requirements have been revised to meet applicable recognized CSA B167-2016 Overhead Crane standards, as well as other applicable standards.
All steps in the right direction.
The introduction and lowered cost of radio remote controls and wireless systems have created a much safer working environment in and around overhead cranes.
BC Crane Safety, established in 2005, paved the way for a valid certificate to show that crane operators were properly qualified for the job.
“British Columbia’s crane owners, operators and employers came together in a big way to develop a unique certification program that has had a very positive impact on crane safety in the province,” stated Clinton Connell, BC Crane Safety’s executive director. “The program was developed by and for people directly involved with crane operations and was designed to be maintained and revised in light of industrial changes, new equipment and emerging technology.”
Much can be done to improve safety when both the industry and safety organizations work together.
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Industry meets face to face in Niagara Region
CRAC host first in-person annual conference since start of pandemic By Andrew Snook
The Crane Rental Association of Canada (CRAC) hosted its first in-person annual conference since the start of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic at Queen’s Landing in Niagara-On-The-Lake, Ont. in May.
The biggest news at the conference was a successful vote by CRAC members to re-define Class B non-voting members to now include people and companies from a wide variety of industries These include crane managers from the mining, general construction and petroleum industries, as well as port operations. It will also allow for colleges and universities that are involved in research that supports the crane industry to become Class B members.
“We took the opportunity the last two years to have multiple meetings about re-defining Class B,” says Claire Bélanger-Parker, executive director for CRAC. “This allows me to say to companies, ‘Here’s what we can do and here’s what we can’t do together,’ but now have a place for them within the organization and invite them to do committee work.”
Class B members are non-voting members and do not qualify to sit on the CRAC board of directors, but will be welcome to participate in a wide variety of committees.
“It’s going to be a game changer, we know it. But we want to maintain the integrity of the association,” Bélanger-Parker says.
Other CRAC board of director news includes the announcement of Trevor Eckert as the association’s new chairman. Eckert has more than 25 years of industry experience and is the director of shutdowns at Sterling Crane.
Shannon Moir-Riendeau was named vice-chair for the CRAC board of directors. Moir-Riendeau is the vice-president of operations at Moir Crane Service.
Trevor Eckert, chairman for CRAC.
Shannon Moir-Riendeau was named vice-chair for the CRAC.
A.W. Leil Cranes & Equipment was one of 12 companies that were awarded the CRAC Safety Award for outstanding health safety standards in 2021.
Awarding lifts
Mammoet Canada Western Ltd. swept the inaugural Canadian Lift of the Year awards taking home awards in Under 20 Tonnes & Over 20 Tonnes.
The CRAC also announced the recipients of the Safety Awards for their outstanding health safety standards in 2021.
• Capacity Truck & Crane Service Inc. (Abbotsford, B.C.);
• Irving Equipment Ltd. (Saint-John, N.B.);
• Mammoet Canada (Edmonton, Alta.);
• Myshak Group (Acheson, Alta.);
• NCSG Crane & Heavy Haul Services Ltd. (Acheson, Alta.);
• Radius Crane & Rigging Inc. (Niksu, Alta.);
• RKM Services Ltd. (Langley, B.C.); and
• Sterling Crane (Edmonton, Alta.).
“The Crane Rental Association of Canada is dedicated to improving the safety of the Canadian crane industry and it is more important than ever to celebrate health and safety among our membership. We congratulate these companies on their performance,” stated Michel Riverin, Chair of the Board.
The CRAC’s 2023 annual conference will take place at the Vancouver Westin Bayshore in Vancouver.
Mammoet Canada Western Ltd. swept the inaugural Canadian Lift of the Year awards taking home awards in Under 20 Tonnes & Over 20 Tonnes. From left: Curtis Barnett, Mammoet, Michel Riverin, chair 2021-22, Gijs Verdeijen, Mammoet, Trevor Eckert, chair 2022-23.
TNT Crane & Rigging Canada was awarded a CRAC Longevity Award during the CRAC annual conference.
BENCHMARK ON 7 AXLES.
THE NEW AC 7.450-1
The new Tadano AC 7.450-1 is in a class of its own: With a carrier length of 52.5 feet and an outrigger base of 27.7 feet, it is as compact as a six-axle crane, and yet is as powerful as some eight-axle cranes. In fact, the AC 7.450-1 can reach lifting capacities of up to 26.1 tons when its 262.5 foot main boom is fully extended, and that is without even using the Sideways Superlift system. Bring in SSL, and the lifting capacity goes up to an unbeatable 41.1 tons. In addition, Tadano is using a new SSL design for the first time ever in the AC 7.450-1 – one that makes handling and setup easier. The system can be extended with a 265.7 foot luffing jib, and the sections of this jib can also be used to assemble fixed extensions.
The power of partnership takes centre stage at Forward Summit 2022
By Andrew Snook
The Forward Summit 2022, in association with the Canadian Council of Aboriginal Business, featured a panel that focused on the value of true partnerships between industry and Indigenous communities.
The panel, “The Power of Partnership Beyond the Project,” focused on the longterm partnerships involved in two projects: a collaboration between Whitecap Dakota First Nation and SaskTel to bring access to fibre-optic broadband service to the community of Whitecap Dakota First Nation in Whitecap, Sask.; and the Taza development project, a massive First Nations redevelopment project on 1,200 acres of Tsuut’ina Nation land in the Calgary area involving a partnership between the Nation and real estate developer Canderel to build a major commercial development.
The session was moderated by Tim Coldwell of Chandos Construction. The speakers were Councillor Frank Royal of Whitecap Dakota First Nation; Colleen Cameron, Indigenous business development, Sasktel; Dan Van Leeuwen, managing director of development for Taza Development Corp; and Bryce Starlight, vice-president of development, Taza Development Corp.
The first questions posed by Coldwell were, “How did you develop a vision for what you want it to achieve for the project, and what checks and balances or governance did you put in place?”
The first speaker to answer was Starlight, the Tsuut’ina Nation’s representative leading the long-term economic development mandate for the Taza development project.
“When we first went out to the market looking for partners for land development, we were focused mostly on true partnership, genuine partnership,” he said. “What we didn’t want to do was engage with a developer who was going to have us sit in the backseat while they did all the driving and gave all the directions. We wanted to actually actively participate in the design, the development, the creation of that vision, and then also the ownership on a long-term basis.”
Starlight added that one of the major impediments for many First Nations looking to take on larger infrastructure projects is a lack of access to free capital.
“So, the partner that we brought to the table had to realize that, and had to be willing to put up that that risk, while we put up the land as our own equity investment,” he said. “Being able to have that type of partnership where we both equally took on the risk, and we really took on the rewards was extremely important.”
The Tsuut’ina Nation also wanted to ensure that the development wasn’t a typical development you would see in Calgary or Edmonton or downtown Toronto.
“We wanted it to really speak that you’re on Nation land. This is a First Nation de-
velopment and it’s not just about painting beads and feathers on the side of the building, but it actually integrates the culture, the tradition, and the ability for the Nation to have that ownership and have its members working there, both on a short- and long-term basis.”
Van Leeuwen says too often developers look at developing on First Nations land come in with the wrong approach.
“I think a lot of other developers look at developing on First Nations as we’ll come in, show you what to do, tell you what to do, and if we make money, we’ll share some. I think that’s a flawed beginning and a flawed start,” he said.
Van Leeuwen says Canderel took the approach from the very beginning that things had to be set up equally.
“And then from that point forward, you start to say to yourself, ‘Well, what does equal vision and equal opportunity mean?’ You know, the Nation has a tremendous value in their land. We, as a company, have a tremendous access to capital. How can you bring those things together to create an equal benefit?” he said.
Van Leeuwen said the benefits from the project need to come back to the Nation for a long-term reward.
“The idea is to make sure that this partnership truly is an inclusion,” he said. “We have a saying together at Tsuut’ina, and it’s more than just together in terms of Tsuut’ina and Canderel. We want to see everybody locally, regionally and further, not only come to get a benefit from being on the Nation, but also benefit back to the Nation for the long term. Our partnership, its first term is 40 years. I think if there’s any developers in the room, they would call us crazy. But we said, let’s set this out to have a long-term vision. That is what is making the partnership run well. It’s governed by a board of equal Tsuut’ina and Canderel.”
Councillor Royal said the collaboration between Whitecap Dakota First Nation and SaskTel was vital for the future development of the Nation for the casino and resort, residential development, as well as the development of new twin arenas. He added that having a strong internet infrastructure for business, and community was needed throughout the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
SaskTel’s Cameron said that the company’s executive supporting the project acknowledged early on that it needed to have a core group of people who are Indigenous and who understood Indigenous and First Nations communities.
“As a result, we’ve been able to create and develop some amazing partnerships and have that long-term vision and that strategy together with our customers and the communities,” she said.
The relationship between Sasktel and Whitecap Dakota First Nation has been developing over the past 20 years. About 15 years ago, the Nation built a cell tower with Sasktel as part of its long-term vision for economic growth. The internet infrastructure was another major step for achieving the Nation’s long-term growth, which also includes a golf course, hotel and a sub-development.
The recent developments at the Nation have resulted in about 800 jobs between the casino, golf course and hotel, and more potential jobs could be created through the development of the twin arenas, a spa resort and future residential projects.
Coldwell also asked the panel about risk management.
“Any partnership has risks that are inherent to the partnership. How did you get them out on the table and start to have
adult conversations about them?” he asked the speakers.
Starlight said ensuring that the Tsuut’ina Nation was directly involved in the project was key for mitigating risk while removing politics from the overall business decisions.
“Not to say that we don’t work with Chief and Council on a regular basis, but when it comes to the actual investment decisions, the way that we’re actually developing, and the speed of how we’re developing, we really had to ensure that it was moving at the speed of business,” he said. “What I’ve seen killed more deals than not is time. You delay too long, or the market changes, and all of a sudden, the project just goes out the window because you just weren’t quick enough. So, for us being able to have that transparency, where Chief and Council representatives sit on the board, but at the same time aren’t bound by the overall Chief and Council body to make that decision is extremely beneficial.”
Starlight added that updates were regularly offered to the community to ensure
SAFE · SMART · STRONG
the project remains aligned with the community’s vision.
“What this helps us to do is survive leadership changes. Changes in Chief and Council, changes in administration even, where it can be very individually based a lot of times. Where someone’s mandate or priority may kibosh an entire development project, if you’re not careful,” he said.
While the fibre-optic broadband service collaboration between Whitecap Dakota First Nation and SaskTel experienced a few “hiccups,” the Nation had someone in place that communicated with the community and Council about any concerns and questions that came up.
“People wanted to know when they were going to be hooked up, so we had that person communicate, and as of last year, everybody is hooked up. And, of course, manage the problems and expectations, and it went pretty smooth. So, that was a good project for us,” said Councillor Royal.
For more information on this session and others from the 2022 Forward Summit, visit: www.forwardsummit.ca.
REMOTE CONTROL
Creating shelter in Charlottetown
Cranes build modular apartments in P.E.I. for CMHA. By Matt Jones
Volunteers with the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) were thrilled to see how quickly cranes were able to erect a modular apartment building to be used by clients of the association in downtown Charlottetown, P.E.I. While the final “stitching together” of the modules is still in process, those associated with the project have said that it came together shockingly quickly.
“Modular is going to play an important role in trying to meet the challenges over our housing supply in this country, and our labour supply and material supplies, and so on,” says John Horrelt, volunteer project manager and board member of the CMHA. “It’s certainly a method that opened many more people’s eyes as an alternative, seeing this project.”
Horrelt says that the project was driven by the ongoing challenges with housing
supply in Canada, particularly as it relates to affordable housing. When the federal government introduced the Rapid Housing Initiative (RHI) in response to those challenges, the CMHA applied. Though they missed out on the first round of funding, when the RHI was renewed they were awarded $7.8 million in funding from the federal government, in addition to provincial contributions and their own fundraising. One of the requirements of the funding was that the building was modular.
“It had to be either panelized or modular in construction because they saw that as a quicker way to get housing together,” says Horrelt.
In a quintessentially Canadian moment of networking, Horrelt’s son-in-law’s boss played in a recreational hockey league with the owner of one of the few modular construction companies in the country, 720 Solutions. 720 Solutions provided the modular design, offsite manufacturing, transport and installation of the modules, subcontracting the crane operations to Irving Equipment.
“We’re so proud to be working with CMHA in P.E.I. to help deliver affordable modular housing for their clients,” says 720 Solutions president Troy Ferguson. “CMHA’s team, their consultants, and general contractor in Charlottetown have been incredibly professional and welcoming from day one. Support from federal and provincial governments has been overwhelming, and I speak for all of us
A mobile crane lowers a module into place for the construction of the apartment building on Fitzroy Street in Charlottetown.
here at 720 in saying this has been an awesome experience in the Maritimes.”
720 Solutions allowed for a 10-day window for the crane work and erection of the building, but it was actually completed in five. Each module averaged around 34,000 lb. and were lifted by a 250-tonne mobile crane.
“We had a staging yard about a kilometre away where all the modules came in ahead of time,” Horrelt says. “They were stripped in that yard and the crane would lift the unit off and put it on temporary blocks and a truck would pull out and go to get the next unit. By the time the module was on the roof, the next one was ready. It was an extremely smooth and professional process.”
Horrelt says he was impressed by how everyone working on different facets of the project came together to support this good cause. The truckers transporting the modules would help strip them. The crane operator was working to help the workers doing the installation of the modules. This is typical of a project that was a major collaborative ef-
A LONG WAY TOGETHER
fort – while the crane operations were completed in a very efficient fashion, Horrelt notes that much of the “heavy lifting” was done in preparation of the actual installation.
“We worked for a year with a team of people right across the country to come up with the building design and coordinate everything,” says Horrelt. “It’s exciting to see a whole group of individuals and organizations can get stuff done. Sometimes there’s a lot of red tape and all that, but this is one where everybody pushed through and persevered and there’s been some really strong relationships built.”
The modules themselves are plug and play, essentially finished on the inside with mechanical, plumbing and electrical components all ready to go. The current task for the general contractor is to connect those units up to the building’s infrastructure to make them functional. The end result will be a 28-unit apartment building with approximately 4,000 square feet of commercial space through which the CMHA will run peer support and housing programs.
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The finishing touches are currently being applied to this modular apartment building, which will be used for clients of the Canadian Mental Health Association.
is the lifting process of the tree. I had a city project which was like a big debut for me, we had the trees all prepared, everything was going smooth up until the point when I hired a crane guy off Craigslist. It was a nightmare. It was a lesson for me – I can’t just be putting the onus of a lift on somebody that I don’t know.”
The experience left Brandt wanting a greater degree of control over this important facet of his business and he was happy to find a good deal on a 1994 Western Star truck with a 20-foot flat deck with a Hiab 290-AW crane installed on the back.
“It was a great crane to learn on,” says Brandt. “It had more than enough power for everything I needed at the time. From there it was baby steps, lifting little things here and there and getting my certificate and going through the process.”
Offering a lift
B.C. crane operator featured in Lost Car Rescue. By Matt Jones
Acrane operator from Langley, B.C. has become a cast member of a History TV Canada series. Lost Car Rescue follows the adventures of a team led by car hunter Matt Sager that locates and recovers vintage automobiles. Crane operator Lee Brandt plays a key role, carefully lifting and moving classic cars in various states of disrepair and fragility.
To cranes via trees
Much like his career in television, a career in cranes was not necessarily what Brandt set out for. He originally started in tree service, working first with his father’s company and then transitioning into his own company, Lee’s Trees & Excavating Services.
“One of the challenges that we would have was finding a good crane guy,” says Brandt. “One of the most important things
Now having a crane at his disposal, Brandt wanted to get the most out of his purchase and he started taking on lifts for others in addition to his own tree service work. He took on jobs such as lifting yacht engines, airplanes and helicopters and delivering crates of glass. Soon, he decided he needed a larger truck and purchased a Tridrive with an Amco Veba 950 articulated crane installed.
“In the crane industry, there’s so many different things I’ve had to do and every job is different, which is what I love about it,” says Brandt.
From lifting trees to history TV
His foray into television came by complete happenstance – Sager, the leader of Lost Car Rescue, responded to an online ad Brandt
Lee Brandt (at crane controls) uses his crane to recover abandoned and lost vehicles, such as this Volkswagen Type 2 Microbus.
had posted looking to sell the Western Star with the Hiab 290AW. The two got to talking and Brandt was very interested in Sager’s work recovering and restoring classic vehicles.
“I was already somebody that would watch the History channel a lot, I watch Pawn Stars and Rust Valley Restorers ,” says Brandt. “I said, ‘that ought to be a show on the History channel,’ and he said, ‘actually, it’s going to be.’ I was like, ‘Wow, that is incredible.’”
The two kept in touch and later in the year Sager let Brandt know they were looking for a crane operator for the show and asked if he’d be interested in coming in for an interview. As Brandt joked while speaking with the Aldergrove Star newspaper, “Sager later bought the crane and I came along with it.”
The logistics of recovering classics
The challenge of Brandt’s role on the show is to lift the cars with minimal damage and to save already rusted parts from becoming even more damaged. While obviously drawing upon his experience lifting fragile cargo like glass crates, Brandt says that one of the keys to his work is the tactile feedback that comes with the use of manual controls.
“When you’re running manual controls, you can actually feel the crane,” says Brandt. “It’s almost like you become part of the piece of machinery. With a wireless remote, you’re listening but you’re not feeling it with your hands. Running it manually, I can actually know when the crane is going to move, like little movements that could potentially damage the car that we’re lifting. I have time to make a quick decision, maybe on a wireless remote, I would not have as quick of a reaction.”
That tactile feedback does come with a trade off – a wireless remote control helps keep operators away from danger, but with manual controls Brandt needs to be right in the middle of the action, so to speak.
“You have to always be paying attention to details, you don’t want to be between the trailer and the ground if something were to happen. So that’s always in the back of my mind when I’m running it.”
Brandt’s other challenge is the locations from which the vehicles are being recovered. Often the cars have been abandoned or lost in the woods or in other rural areas which are not ideal for a large truck or crane operations. This makes pre-lift planning a crucial step.
“A lot goes into the planning of the lift, making sure that the ground is stable where you’ve got the truck parked,” says Brandt. “We’re out in the bush, we don’t have to worry about too many power lines, but you have to make sure you’re on a stable platform. Some of the places aren’t ideal, you have to build up your stabilizers and make sure you’re on stable ground. That’s why having more than just my eyes on the truck when we’re doing a lift is important.”
The first season of Lost Car Rescue is currently available to stream on STACKTV on Amazon Prime Video. History TV Canada recently picked up the series for a second season.
Already a big fan of shows like Rust Valley Restorers, when the opportunity came for crane operator Lee Brandt to join Lost Car Rescue he jumped on it.
While cranes at the Port of Argentia in Newfoundland laid dormant due to the suspension of work on the West White Rose oil project, approximately $9,000 in diesel fuel was stolen from an on-site crane.
Newfoundland RCMP investigating theft of fuel from crane
RCMP in the town of Placentia, Newfoundland, are investigating the theft of approximately $9,000 dollars worth of diesel fuel from a crane that was out of service at the Port of Argentia.
Police have not announced any headway into the case – the crane had been out of service since November 2021 meaning the theft could have occurred at any point between then and when it was discovered in March 2022. Newfoundland RCMP did not respond to requests for comment.
Numerous cranes at the port have stood over the site of the West White Rose oil project, which was suspended in March 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic caused economic impacts such as a significant drop in the price of oil.
In May 2022, Cenovus Energy and partners announced that work on the $3.2-billion project would resume after finalizing an agreement with the province that adjusted the royalty structure to protect the project during times of lower commodity prices but will increase revenue to the province when prices are higher.
PHOTO: JAMES JONES
SCAN HERE TO LEARN MORE
Two Raimondi LR273 luffing jib cranes for one of Toronto’s most contemporary residential developments
Luffing jib cranes rule roost at Toronto condo site
By Saul Chernos
Drive around Toronto, and traditional hammerhead tower cranes pretty much dot the landscape. But, with growth unabated the last few decades and space becoming increasingly tight even in areas outside the city’s rapidly densifying downtown, luffing jib cranes are finding their niche.
Nordic Condos, three 12-storey towers at 500 Wilson Ave. in uptown Toronto, is a case in point. Fronting on a major thoroughfare and surrounded by subdivision-style single family houses, project planners have brought in a trio of luffers to get the job done.
Sam Pidlubny, project manager with Toronto-based developer CollecDev, said the 589-unit mixed condominium and rental housing complex will consist of two buildings connected through a second-storey podium, and a third standalone building that’s connected to the others through two levels of underground parking.
“It’s three towers but technically two buildings,” Pidlubny said, describing plans for concrete structures with window wall envelopes and EIFS (Exterior Insulation and Finish System) panels.
One challenge has been the project’s relative close proximity to Downsview
Airport. The former military base was most recently a testing facility for Bombardier Aerospace and could arguably be billed as one of Canada’s quietest airports. Still, with even just a handful of flights daily, the airport holds unfettered air rights and the Nordic Condos site lies underneath the airport’s zone of influence. While CollecDev needs to ensure the airspace above remains unobstructed both during and after construction, the project’s 12-storey height will accommodate that easily enough. But this ties into another, more pressing matter — Nordic Condos also needs to respect the space over-top both the adjacent housing and
Wilson Avenue, a high volume thoroughfare leading to Yorkdale Mall, one of Canada’s busiest shopping centres.
While luffer cranes, at rest, tend to be slightly taller than hammerhead cranes, they also enable a shorter reach than hammerheads do for comparable lifts.
Nordic Condos project planners thus decided three luffing jib cranes, one for each tower, would be best suited to navigate the various constraints.
“We were just being problem solvers,” Pidlubny said. “If there’s something we couldn’t do, then we needed to find a solution, and that solution was to explore luffing jib cranes.”
The project started in late 2020 with demolition, and crews from Total Crane erected the three luffers in April, June and August of 2021. Construction is now in midstream, with work proceeding as planned. Whether installing formwork on the road-facing south side, or handling materials on the north side, the cranes’ jib movements are sufficiently vertical that
We really need the cranes to be efficient and able to move materials from one spot to another for staging purposes, for receiving deliveries, and for receiving concrete at all three building.
the required swings and manoeuvres can easily be accomplished without any extremity leaving the property.
The luffers are also expected to help crews keep a steady pace to keep the project on schedule. Take the ground floor slab, for instance. Nearly a metre thick, it required a substantial amount of concrete, rebar and reinforcing steel, and Pidlubny said the cranes have proven adept at handling materials from the moment they’re delivered.
“We really need the cranes to be efficient and able to move materials from one spot to another for staging purposes, for receiving deliveries, and for receiving concrete at all three buildings,” Pidlubny said. “A delivery of steel comes in, and a crane will pick up bundles and stage it somewhere on the site within the building footprint. But concrete might be delivered at the same time, and the crane has to pivot quickly, pick up the concrete and take it to a different level. And then maybe a plumber has to get a stack of pipes up to the third floor. So there’s a tremendous amount of logistical planning to support all this, and having cranes that are flexible and able to work in tight areas is critical.”
All three luffers have been supplied by the project’s formwork contractor, Vaughan, Ontario-based Applewood Forming. While one machine is a slightly older rental, two are brand new Raimondi LR273 units Applewood obtained through Jess Equipment, a sister company that manages fleet related assets.
Raimondi LR273 luffing jib cranes for one of Toronto’s most contemporary residential developments Providing
Providing
Jerry Paglia, contracts manager with The Straw Construction Group, which owns Applewood Forming and Jess Equipment, said the two LR273 units are freestanding, 56 metres high, and come with 45-metre jibs and 6.6-tonne tip load capacities.
With urban areas becoming increasingly built-up, Paglia said, luffing jib cranes are gaining traction in the company’s fleet. Jess Equipment has a third Raimondi LR273, though that unit was already hoisting in downtown Toronto, and four additional luffers complement a suite of 15 hammerheads.
“Luffer cranes are becoming a big deal because of air rights,” Paglia said, noting that large greenfield parcels of land are becoming short in supply, and project proponents in general are turning more and more to luffers rather than more traditional hammerheads.
Cristian Badin, commercial director with Raimondi, said the Milanese manufacturer has sold LR273 units to users in venues as far flung as Australia and South Korea, and luffing jib cranes have proven especially popular in the United Kingdom because regulations require payment to property owners whose air rights are needed. “It’s quite expensive,” Badin said. “So they use luffing jib cranes, because they can stay within a job site’s own boundaries.”
In highly built-up cities like Toronto, where adjacent buildings are often in close proximity to one another, a luffer crane pretty much eliminates the risk of a long jib hitting a neighbour, Badin added.
From his perch north of Toronto, Jerry Paglia said one feature he particularly appreciates is a function that lets Raimondi technicians access the machines remotely from Milan. “That’s a great feature for us because these cranes are automated and technically advanced, and if something happens Raimondi has the ability to remotely monitor and troubleshoot the cranes,” Paglia said.
Cristian Badin said the feature lets Raimondi technicians access a crane’s software, spot problems, implement programming upgrades, and make other adjustments. “This has been extremely useful, especially during Covid, because we couldn’t send our technicians to Canada. But we could connect from here to see in real time what the crane was doing and assist their local technicians remotely,” Badin said.
Remote monitoring also works locally. Through an online portal, owners and managers can connect to a crane and see in real time what it’s doing. “They can check the wind speed, the load that’s being lifted at a particular moment, the position of the jib, all the angles,” Badin said. “And they can do all that from their home or office, from their iPad or their iPhone, wherever they happen to be.”
Of course, initial default access is read-only. And, even for Raimondi to gain access, a crane’s operator needs to grant permission. Furthermore, Badin said, work is generally done overnight or on weekends when an operator can be present but the job site is otherwise inactive.
The three luffers will likely remain at the Nordic Condos site until at least mid2023. Jerry Paglia said their final lifts will include boilers and other HVAC equipment for the building rooftops. “We’ll leave the cranes in for about two months after we’ve completed our work so that they can use them for the envelope and other finishing work.”
Crane activity picks up in Moncton
Housing crisis driving increase in crane demand
By Matt Jones
The skyline of Moncton, N.B. has been busier as of late. Driven by a housing crisis in the region, construction companies have been building new apartment buildings at a rapid pace. And with that increase in activity comes an increased demand for crane work that has led at least one crane company in the area to purchase more cranes to meet that demand.
Record setting demand
In 2021, Moncton issued a record-breaking $296.5 million in building permits, with neighbouring Dieppe issuing just over $100 million, breaking a previous record from 2019. Demand is so high that buildings are filling up before construction is even complete – in October, Multi-Unit Property Management president Pierre Collette told Maritime business journal
In New Brunswick, and particularly in Moncton, a housing crisis is driving construction and has led to an increase in crane activity in the region.
Huddle that the first tower of a new residential development was already at 65-per-cent capacity within a month of a “soft opening,” and that they were having to limit how many people could move in per week in order to minimize COVID-19 exposures.
“You’ve got a lot of new construction of these apartment high-rises,” says Darren Nason, business manager for the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 946. “People seem to be building up instead of out. Before you seemed to have a lot of three-level buildings. There just seems to be a shortage of apartments all of a sudden. People can’t afford to live in Ontario and they like our lifestyle. There’s an influx.”
“Right now, we’re in a housing crisis,” says Josh Lirette, operations manager of Craneco Atlantic Crane Rentals. “We’re having a big influx of people moving from Quebec and Ontario, pretty much all the provinces. And also, people migrating from other countries. We have to create density and create more apartment buildings and that has been driving the demand for tower cranes because there’s a lot more construction projects for apartments.”
While this increase in demand and crane activity has been felt across the province and into nearby markets such as Halifax, it has been most pronounced in Moncton.
“Moncton is the epicenter,” says Nason. “There’s a lot of them up in the area, there might be a dozen of them at a time.”
It would also be tempting to partially attribute this increased demand to the COVID-19 pandemic. Even if the sentiment is not necessarily supported by case numbers, there is a palpable feeling that many people are attempting to move past the pandemic and return to “normal.” Lirette acknowledges that may be a factor, but not a major one.
“The construction industry really didn’t stop during COVID,” says Lirette. “But I know, obviously, a lot more people are building apartment buildings. There was a lot of factors like lower interest, and it’s currently increasing. But I think it’s more people moving into the province. The vacancy rate is very low.”
With the increased crane activity, there has been a renewed call from the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 946 for the
Craneco had previously been running a Terex CBR 40H self-erecting tower crane and an ENG Cranes ETT90. Now with the increased demand, the company has also added a Terex EGT 332 16-ton tower crane to be used for the construction of concrete buildings up to 20 storeys. He is also considering adding a fourth Terex or ENG model. Lirette says that he appreciates the reliability of those brands.
“We started with one and our crane operator loves them, they’re really reliable and easy to maintain so we keep buying from them,” says Lirette. “If you like a
product, you might as well buy some more instead of trying something different, especially at the cost they are.”
Limiting factors
Lirette says that he feels this increased demand and construction activity are going to be present in the province for the foreseeable future. But there are other factors that are restraining the full extent of this boom in activity, without which he might be looking at purchasing four or five new cranes rather than just one or two.
“The housing crisis is here to stay and
the demand for apartment buildings as well as for houses,” says Lirette. “But the thing is the increase in prices for equipment and materials has been swaying building owners to really question if they want to go ahead or not.”
Lirette also noted that many building owners have cited New Brunswick’s doubletax – the practice of imposing both provincial and municipal property tax on apartment buildings – as a reason for being hesitant to move forward with some construction projects. However, while those tax rates are higher than in other jurisdictions, it does not necessarily equate to higher tax bills when typically lower property assessments are taken into consideration.
Safety concerns
With this increased crane activity also comes an increased concern for safety issues. New Brunswick is the only province in Canada that does not require licencing for tower crane operators. Nason says that he has lobbied the province in the past to enact such requirements but at the time there were only two or three tower cranes in operation, so it was not seen as a priority.
“It’s very difficult when somebody comes to town looking for a tower crane operator,” says Nason. “If they didn’t get certification from another province, there’s no certification to be had here. A few years ago, there wasn’t enough demand, but there is enough demand now.”
Nason also notes that industry is largely in support of a certification requirement. A recent survey of stakeholders in the industry showed that 12 of 12 employers and 37 of 41 employees who responded all supported a certification requirement of some type.
A representative of the Department of Post-Secondary Training and Labour noted that the department has been working with industry on the request to have tower crane operation become a designated occupation under the Apprenticeship and Occupational Certification Act.
“This designation is proposed as a voluntary option for existing and future employees, which would help provide employers with certified operators, but it also means that the occupation would not require a person to be an apprentice or certified to be employed in the occupation,” stated a department representative.
An application to add this designation is currently before the New Brunswick Apprenticeship and Occupational Certification Board.
province to require licences for tower crane operators.
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CRANE ROPE CENTRES
National Crane marks its 75th anniversary
National Crane is celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2022, highlighting its legacy of boom trucks.
In 1947, National Crane was founded as Burg Manufacturing by Marlo Burg in Nebraska. The company’s first products were agricultural weed sprayers. However, Burg changed its name in 1963 to National Crane Corp., to reflect its expansion into the boom truck industry.
Grove acquired the company in 1978, and it became part of the Manitowoc portfolio in 2002.
Today, National Crane is a globally recognized crane brand. The company has patented numerous lifting technologies and produced best-in-class boom trucks across numerous crane generations.
Several National Crane models have the highest capacities in their range, and new technolo-
gies, such as hydraulically removable counterweight systems, are making lifting work easier and more efficient. Since 2012, the company has operated its popular National Crane Truck Mod Center, where customers’ tailor-made, engineered solutions ensure each truck and crane are matched for their applications.
“We’re extremely proud to celebrate National Crane’s 75th anniversary with the brand’s loyal customer base,” said Aaron Ravenscroft, president and CEO of The Manitowoc Company. “It has been an incredible journey for National Crane, and we are confident that the future will bring continued success. We would like to thank all the employees, customers and crane operators that have contributed to the business over the years and look forward to the next 75 years and beyond.”
Burg Manufacturing was founded in 1947. The company would evolve to become National Crane in 1963. PHOTO: MANITOWOC
Liebherr’s Customer
Day draws people from around the world
Liebherr USA, Co. hosted visitors from across the globe at their first Customer Day recently, highlighting and demonstrating a diverse range of products across all 10 segments including earthmoving, material handling technology, deep foundation machines, tower cranes, mining, mobile and crawler cranes, maritime cranes, concrete technology, components as well as refrigerators and freezers.
Liebherr USA, Co. unveiled various new products to the U.S. market including the TA230 articulated dump truck, LTM 1110-5.2 all-terrain crane, LTM 1300-6.3 all-terrain crane, LR 1700 crawler crane, LR 1400 SX crawler crane, LR 1250.1 unplugged crawler crane, LRB 23 piling and drilling rig, 36 XXT truck mounted concrete pump, 80-LP line pump, and PR 776 dozer.
“The investment in our new Liebherr USA headquarters and facilities represents our strong commitment to the U.S. market. The new state of the art repair and training facilities as well as the new central warehouse are, in terms of size and technical standards, advanced and comply with current and future requirements of our customers, covering all ten product segments. This in combination with our highly qualified and motivated workforce perfectly serves and supports our customers in the USA,” said managing director Kai Friedrich.
Having formally moved into the expanded campus in April 2020, Customer Day provided the opportunity to reveal the $60-million enhancement to the facilities: They are comprised of a 60,000-sq.-ft. administrative building, an 82,000-sq.-ft. workshop and training facility, a 92,000-sq.-ft. parts distribution
warehouse including retail operations, a one-story 7,500-sq.-ft. wash bay building, and a guard house.
The new campus will help Liebherr serve customers across various product segments. It significantly increases production operations for concrete pumps and repair capacity for mobile and crawler cranes, as well as for construction equipment. The new shop is also equipped to handle the growing numbers of Liebherr earthmoving equipment.
Event for customers, partners and families
The event launch allowed Liebherr customers to join in facility tours and experience product presentations, including a live application show of various new machines. Over 30 exhibits throughout the facility grounds were on display, and product experts were on hand to explain special features of the new machines and give insights on using established machines.
As the first of three events taking course over the weekend, the Customer Day preceded Liebherr’s Recruiter and Counselor Open House.
“After two years of anticipation, we are honoured to present our newly expanded facilities and products on such a momentous day,” noted managing director, Dr. Tim Gerhardt. “This opportunity allows us to showcase Liebherr’s growth and dedication to our U.S. partners and customers.”
Crosby Group, Kito to combine businesses
The Crosby Group and Kito Corporation have entered into a definitive agreement to combine both businesses, expected to be completed in the second half of this year, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory clearances from relevant authorities.
Until close, The Crosby Group and Kito Corporation will continue to operate as separate, independent companies.
The deal is expected to allow the two companies to better serve customers; additional investment in products, people, and facilities; a broader portfolio of products across a global landscape and increased levels of service, support, and training.
Kito Group has expertise in crane applications and Crosby Group has expertise in rigging hardware applications.
The parties believe the combined group can use their complementary geographic presences such as Crosby Group being headquartered in the U.S. and Kito Group being headquartered in Japan, giving the combined group better presence globally to service customers across the globe to add further value to employees, customers, suppliers and communities, and to promote sales of the products across a broader geographic landscape to better serve customers.
THE
CRANE
RENTAL ASSOCIATION OF
CANADA IS PROUD TO ANNOUNCE THE WINNERS OF THE SAFETY AWARDS
A.W. Leil Cranes & Equipment Ltd., Dartmouth, NS
ABCO Crane Services, Nisku, AB
Amherst Crane Rentals Ltd., Scarborough, ON
Canuck Concrete Pumping & Crane Services, Yellowknife, NT
Capacity Truck & Crane Service Inc, Abbotsford BC
Irving Equipment Limited., Saint John, NB
Mammoet Canada Western Ltd., Edmonton, AB
Myshak Group Acheson, AB
NCSG Crane & Heavy Haul Services Ltd., Acheson AB
Radius Crane & Rigging Inc., Niksu, AB
RKM Services Ltd., Langley, BC
Sterling Crane Saskatoon, SK
SUPERIOR LUBRICATION PRODUCTS
OZ Lifting debuts two spark resistant products
OZ Lifting has introduced a spark chain hoist and push beam trolley.
Both new products are available from 0.5-ton to 10-ton capacity.
The Winona, Minn.-based manufacturer has created the products for applications where gas or dust particles could create a spark. Typical markets include oil and gas, wastewater, paper, mining and others where an explosive atmosphere exists.
The products launched as a complete capacity range — 0.5 ton, 1 ton, 2 ton, 3 ton, 5 ton, 10 ton — that covers most applications. As with other manual chain hoists in the catalog, 10 ft., 15 ft., 20 ft., and 30 ft. heights of lift are offered as standard, while custom lengths are available on request.
“The products go hand in hand. We saw a need in the market for spark-resistant manual chain hoists, and if you are going to offer them, you typically will be hanging the equipment from a trolley that also needs to be spark resistant,” said Steve Napieralski, president
at OZ Lifting. “However, the products can work independently of each other. You might have a situation where the manual chain hoist doesn’t need to travel down an I-beam and is fixed in one location. And the trolley can accommodate either one of our manual spark resistant hoists or one that is powered.”
Potentially explosive atmospheres exist in many industries. These explosive zones carry extremely strict guidelines and equipment requirements that standard items cannot meet.
Key features of the hoists include unique hand wheel design; minimal load lifting effort; fully enclosed gearing; stainless steel or copper components; totally enclosed gearing; and suitability to lifting and pulling applications. The push beam trolleys, meanwhile, boast copper-plated trolley wheels and lifting bale; copper riveted identification tags; precision ball bearing trolley wheels; anti-drop plate; and compatibility with most I-, S-, and W-beams. Both products come with individual test certificate and serial number. www.ozliftingproducts.com
Suitable for every requirement – its large selection of boom configurations enables the powerful LR 1800-1.0 to deliver the perfect solution for every job. Whether it is in the industrial, infrastructure or wind sector. On top, it provides economic transport – worldwide. www.liebherr.com
