NEWS
SASKATCHEWAN CONSTRUCTION CODES ACT ADDS ACCESSIBILITY The Saskatchewan Government Relations Minister Don McMorris has introduced legislation to repeal and replace The Uniform Building and Accessibility Standards Act (UBAS) with The Construction Codes Act (CCA). “The new CCA will support a better quality of life for Saskatchewan people by allowing our government to develop regulations specific to construction standards and building accessibility for persons with disabilities,” McMorris said in a statement. The new act allows for independent judgments of construction codes where there are disagreements in interpretation, which supports Saskatchewan’s 20 Actions for 2020 to reduce government red tape for business. The CCA provides Saskatchewan the opportunity to fulfill its commitments under the Canadian Free Trade Agreement by harmonizing construction codes and Don McMorris allowing for the timely adoption of new editions of construction codes. The CCA also modernizes permitting and inspection programs for large industrial investments. DISTRIKT BREAKS GROUND ON OAKVILLE RESIDENCES Distrikt and Fiera Real Estate of Toronto have broken ground on the Trailside and Trailside 2.0 developments in Oakville, Ont., beginning construction on a new master-planned community in the town. The community offers a range of offerings in two mid-rise condo buildings plus several blocks of two-storey townhomes, designed by Toronto-based Kirkor Architect + Planners. The projects are more than 80 per cent pre-sold. Between both buildings, Distrikt Trailside offers a total of 700 residences and townhomes. All units come with standard 9 to 10 ft. ceilings, and each building offers over 15,000 sq. ft. of indoor and
outdoor amenity space. Residents will have a fitness studio and private terraces equipped for outdoor cooking. On the ground floor, spaces for cafés, galleries and work-live studios will be integrated. CLARIANT APPOINTS CONRAD KEIJZER AS CEO Specialty chemical company Clariant of Muttenz, Switzerland, has announced Conrad Keijzer has become its new CEO. Keijzer has a long and successful track record in the chemical industry, the company says, most notably his 24 years with leading global paints and coatings manufacturer AkzoNobel. At AkzoNobel, he last held the position of CEO of the Conrad Keijzer performance coatings division and was a member of the executive committee. Most recently, Keijzer was CEO at Imerys, the French supplier of mineral-based specialty solutions. LATICRETE U ROLLS OUT FLOORING TUTORIALS Laticrete University, the online training branch of Bethany, Conn.-based Laticrete, has announced a series of tutorials and a webinar. Tutorial topics include Cold Weather Tile Installations, Grout Colours and Sound Control Ratings. The webinar topic is Design and Installation Considerations for Tile Applications in Swimming Pools. The programs are accessible at https://bit.ly/3qUx0vl. NEW DUTY RATES SET FOR CHINESE FLOORING EXPORTERS The U.S. Department of Commerce has completed its review of 2017 Chinese countervailing duty rates for multilayered wood flooring. Offending companies are Baroque Timber, 14.09 per cent; Jiangsu Guyu, 122.92 per cent; and all other non-examined companies, 20.75 per cent, which will apply to most Chinese producers. The new rates will go into effect shortly and retroactively cover shipments during the 2017 review period. More than 150 Chinese companies are covered by the higher countervailing duty rate. STUDY TACKLES APPRENTICESHIP TRAINING IN CANADA A new study, Factors associated with the completion of apprenticeship training in Canada, uses data from the Canadian government Education and Labour Market Longitudinal Platform to
Canada’s floorcovering magazine
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