industry news

Nova Scotia plans $1.9 billion road building investment

Nova Scotia will invest $1.9 billion over the next three years in infrastructure, one of the largest such commitments in the province’s history.

Funds will be channeled through the Building for Growth plan, the premier’s office announced. Investment and jobcreation initiatives will be matched with strategic priorities, including energy conservation, roads, bridges, highways and schools.

The news was welcomed by both the Construction Association of Nova Scotia (CANS) and the Nova Scotia Road Builders Association.

Highway projects make up the lion’s share of the stimulus package. “We are very concerned about a slowdown in private-sector investment at a time when the industry has been taking on apprentices and beginning to address our long-term demographic challenge,” said CANS President Carol MacCulloch.

“We believe investment that creates jobs around the province as well as in a range of construction from roads and bridges to buildings and energy consumption is appropriate and welcomed by the industry at this critical time.”

The $1.9 billion investment is estimated to create or maintain about 20,000 direct jobs.

Projects will be spread out over three years so workers can be hired and benefits felt provincewide, the government said.

The announcement was also good news for the province’s road building industry. Highway projects make up about $1 billion of the three-year stimulus package. The highway capital budget in year one will be about $345 million.

“This is a large increase in spending over the next three years that will lead to significant shorter-term job creation and capital investment within our industry,” said Grant Feltmate, Executive Director of the road builders’ association. “The long-term result of this investment will be tangible assets that benefit Nova Scotians for many years to come.”

Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal Minister Brooke Taylor said the province is embarking on one of the most ambitious road improvement plans in its history. “We are working hard to get tenders released so we can begin work as soon as the construction season starts.”

The total value of highway projects announced to date this year is almost $100 million.

By Patricia Williams

British Columbia announces $800 million infrastructure plan

The B.C. government has pledged to spend almost $800 million on more than 113 infrastructure projects across the province.

“We are creating jobs, we are also creating new homes for the homeless here in Vancouver and in other communities, and we are building other critical infrastructure such as schools and correc tional centres,” said Premier Gordon Campbell.

The announcement includes funding for six social housing projects in Vancouver that will cost $172 million and will create 569 housing units. The Vancouver housing projects alone are expected to create 1,100 direct construction jobs. Another 11 social housing projects are planned for the province at a cost of $130 million for an additional 478 units.

The government claims that the initiative will create 4,800 jobs, starting this summer. The announcement is part of the province’s three-year $14 billion capital infrastructure program.

Other notable infrastructure projects include: • $424 million for 30 projects on new construction and renovation of elementary and high schools. • $59 million for 57 projects to improve courthouses, correctional facilities and other public safety facilities. • $8 million for nine projects for the Ministry of Children and Family Development.

Oilsands upgrader up & running

Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. announced that its Horizon Project oilsands development produced synthetic crude oil for the first time.

The first phase of the project was designed, engineered and built in a volatile business environment, with final construction costs totaling about $9.7 billion. Although more than the 2005 initial estimate of $6.8 billion, it is well below the industry average. This will make it a low-cost oilsands producer.

Tougher Canadian energy-code standards could change building design, construction

Tough energy standards are coming that could throw wrinkles into how buildings are designed and constructed in Canada.

“In 2010 or 2011, I anticipate that the energy codes will become quite a bit more stringent,” explained Blair McCarry, a project engineer with Stantec Consulting Inc. of Vancouver.

EnerGuide 80 for homes and possibly the 2010 version of ASHRAE 90.1 will require 30% less energy use than the current energy code model in British Columbia. Other provinces will also be in line for tougher codes.

McCarry is Stantec’s project engineer for a number of high-profile jobs, including Vancouver’s new convention centre and the Olympic Skating Oval.

In September, British Columbia introduced a new energy code and although it will not have a big impact on how buildings are constructed, it is a sign of changing times. McCarry said stricter energy codes could start a significant design shift away from the current standard ‘all-air’ system model for cooling and heating commercial buildings. More waterbased systems, similar to systems commonly specified across Europe, could become the new standard. For pipefitters and insulators, it would mean more piping and, in turn, more pipe insulation, he said.

McCarry warned that sheet metal contractors, who have been doing installations on the cheap, should expect a bigger workload with the new B.C. energy code. However, he added that meeting the code’s requirements will not be a stretch for most contractors in the field.

“As this is the introduction of an energy code in B.C., the (code) officials did not want to rock the boat too much. There will be a couple of years for the contractors, engineers, architects and code officials to get up to speed with the new requirements and procedures,” he said.

In fact, there may be less work for some contractors in the sheet metal industry because architects, engineers and designers are exploring innovative ways of reducing energy requirements (think reduced window size, for instance). Consequently, allair systems could become smaller.

If water-based cooling/heating systems take off in the next few years, zone systems that only require local office area fan coils to move air, rather than huge central air ducts, could become a standard.

“Your sheet metal volume might go down, but your insulation thickness might go up,” he pointed out.

The new B.C. code is based on the ASHRAE 90.1 standard implemented in 2004.It will not impact industry contractors in Vancouver and Ontario because both jurisdictions have had energy policies in place that meet the ASHRAE standards. In other regions and municipalities around B.C. and Canada, however, there are no parallel energy bylaws or codes, pointed out McCarry. Basing the code on ASHRAE 90.1 is logical because it updates its standards every three years.

However, the B.C. government supports a switch to the Model National Energy Code for Buildings because it will reflect Canadian conditions. It will be implemented in 2012, said Andrew Pape-Salmon, acting Director, energy efficiency, of the B.C. government’s Electricity and Alternative Energy Division.

To understand the changes in HVAC designs, check out ASHRAE’s website (www.ashrae.org) for free downloads of several energy design guides including small offices, schools and warehouses. The guides cover data tables for different climatic regions and examine ways to achieve 30% energy reductions over the 2004 code standards.

Contractors, who do not take energy design issues seriously, could find themselves with less work in the next few years. The next ASHRAE design guides will feature data on 50% energy reductions and three years later the revised guides will deal with a 77% reduction in energy usage, he said.

According to McCarry, Canada is behind the United States where about 40 states and many cities have adopted energy codes that meet ASHRAE 90.1 standards. New York City has set the highest building energy efficiency standards in North America. Its ambitious PLANYC 2030 program incorporates a number of green initiatives, including a mandatory energy renovation requirement within 10 years for all buildings more than 50,000 square feet.

By Don Proctor

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CANADIAN INSTITUTE OF QUANTITY SURVEYORS And VANCOUVER REGIONAL CONSTRUCTION ASSOCIATION And QUANTITY SURVEYORS OF BRITISH COLUMBIA And SCHOOL OF CONSTRUCTION AND THE ENVIRONMENT AT BRITISH COLUMBIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

Whereas Canadian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (hereafter referred to as CIQS), Vancouver Regional Construction Association (hereafter referred to as VRCA) and Quantity Surveyors of British Columbia (hereafter referred to as QSBC) and School of Construction and the Environment at British Columbia Institute of Technology (hereafter referred to as BCIT) have expressed their interest in working together towards a long term relationship to pursue collaborative initiatives in education and research that supports the quantity surveying and construction estimating professions within British Columbia.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Memorandum of Understanding to be executed as of the date of signing.

Orest Stachniak, President

Canadian Institute of Quantity Surveyors 90 Nolan Court, Unit 19 Markham, ON L3R 4L9 Date: March 6, 2009

Keith Sashaw, President

Vancouver Regional Construction Association 3636 East 4th Avenue Vancouver, BC V5M 1M3 Date: March 6, 2009 Mike Garrett, President

Quantity Surveyors of British Columbia 102-211 Columbia Street Vancouver, BC V6A 2R5 Date: March 6, 2009

John English, Dean

School of Construction and the Environment British Columbia Institute of Technology 3700 Willingdon Avenue Burnaby, BC V5G 3H2 Date: March 6, 2009

8BAd

wOrk hABItS

[AND HOW TO BREAK THEM]

When you are considering goals for yourself, do not forget to examine your work life. What changes could you make to become a more productive and pleasant colleague?

Experts offer this list of common bad habits at work - and how to break them: Planning poorly. Do you spend your first hour at work wondering what you should work on today? “So many people, when they leave their office at 4 to 6 p.m., really have no clue what they are going to do first thing the following morning,” said Glenn Davis, president of the Next Step Group, which recruits sales and sales management professionals for software and other companies. It is more efficient to plan your next day before you leave work.

2Spending the day in ‘email reaction mode.’ Answering every email message as it comes in may make you seem responsive, but it is not productive. “You feel like you are being a hero because you are dealing with all your email,” said Valerie Frederickson, CEO & founder of Valerie Frederickson & Co., an HR executive search and consulting firm. “But it has nothing to do with achieving your goals.”

4

Abusing work-from-home

privileges. Yes, you save time when you work from home by not commuting. But too many people are easily sidetracked by the laundry, their kids, a quick errand, etc. “People like to say ‘I get so much more done’ working from home,” Davis says. “And some do -- but not everyone. If you work from home, make sure you are putting in a full day’s work -- and that you are accessible to your colleagues during the workday.”

Putting personal life

before work. Everyone has emergencies from time to time. But it is annoying to have to repeatedly fill in for the colleague who is late every morning because he is checking on his home remodeling project, or who misses an entire afternoon because she scheduled a routine dentist appointment for 1:30 p.m.

Being late for meetings.

People who show up five or 10 minutes late for a meeting cause a ‘domino effect,’ says Davis. Meetings later that day may be thrown off schedule because the earlier ones ran late. And people who show up on time feel their time is being wasted.

6Not taking care of health and hygiene. Leslie G. Griffen, an HR consultant and career coach, is sometimes hired by companies to approach an employee who does not bathe and ask them to improve their hygiene. “The problem is twofold,” said Griffen, 1 principal of The Griffen Group. A sloppy appearance will cause a poor first impression. Also, “if your hygiene is bad, your health is probably bad,” Griffen said. An added benefit of eating well and exercising: you will have more energy.

Using inappropriate

humour. Your coworkers may not appreciate your sense of humour. “Skip the off-color or ‘racially targeted’ jokes,” Griffen says. Be careful about sensitive subjects such as politics and religion.

Not caring about your work.

People like coworkers who are enthusiastic about what they do. Show that you take pride in your job by presenting yourself well, communicating clearly and doing your best work.

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By:

Margaret Steen,

Yahoo Hotjobs writer