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Posted on December 4, 2013
The majority of companies in the global engineering and construction sectors have fresh optimism and anticipate further growth across the industry, according to KPMG’s Global Construction Survey. After prolonged economic uncertainty, companies are experiencing a general increase in backlogs and margins, showing an overall positive outlook in the industry.
“Canadian respondents see stability, leading to cautious optimism,” said Augusto Patmore, a partner with KPMG in Toronto. “The survey results suggest that growth is going to be slow, but there [...]
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Posted on December 2, 2013
Saskatchewan has announced three shortlisted teams to participate in the next stage of the process for finding a preferred partner to build the new 225-bed long-term care facility in Swift Current. Integrated Team Solutions, Plenary Group, and Willow Healthcare Partners all advanced from the request for qualifications issued by Cypress Regional Health Authority, which closed in October.
Construction on the new facility—a design-build-finance-maintain P3—is expected to begin in summer 2014, to be completed by spring 2016.
“We are impressed by the [...]
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Posted on December 2, 2013
The Manitoba government announced a $200-million, five-year plan to rebuild the southwest quadrant of Winnipeg’s Perimeter Highway. The project will improve the province’s trade connection to the continent’s highway system, and will support growth in southwest Winnipeg. The announcement was made by Premier Greg Selinger, and Minister of Infrastructure and Transportation, Steve Ashton.
“The Perimeter has served Winnipeggers well the last 50 years and as our population and economy grows, we will take this highway to the next level to make the most [...]
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Posted on November 26, 2013
The Government of Ontario is proposing the Infrastructure for Jobs and Prosperity Act that, if passed, would support long-term strategic infrastructure planning to build a stronger economy that supports more jobs and apprenticeship opportunities.
If passed, the act would require the province to regularly table a long-term infrastructure plan in the legislature covering a period of at least 10 years. The proposed act also includes guiding principles to help planning align with demographic and economic trends to maximize the value of provincial infrastructure [...]
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Posted on November 21, 2013
There will be enough supply to meet Canada's growing energy needs for the foreseeable future, according to a National Energy Board (NEB) report. Over the next 20 years, the NEB projects energy production levels to exceed domestic requirements, resulting in growing amounts of energy available for export.
"Canada has vast energy resources-more than enough to meet Canada's growing energy demand," said Gaétan Caron, chair and CEO of the NEB. "Canada also has one of the highest standards of living in the world, in part due to our energy resources, which [...]
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Posted on November 15, 2013
BC Hydro announced that SNC-Lavalin was chosen as the preferred contractor to design and construct the John Hart Generating Station Replacement Project. The billion-dollar project will include constructing a replacement water intake at the John Hart Spillway Dam, replacing the three 1.8-kilometre long penstocks with a 2.1-kilometre long tunnel, constructing a replacement generating station beside the existing station, and building a new water bypass facility.
The procurement process began in March 2012, and a contract is likely to be signed in early 2014 [...]
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Posted on November 15, 2013
Funding was announced this week for an evaluation of the effects of climate change and permafrost degradation on transportation in Yukon.
“Investments in our transportation infrastructure are crucial for the development and growth of Yukon,” Minister of Economic Development of the Government of Yukon Currie Dixon said. “The impacts of climate change mean additional resources are required to help ensure the sustainability of our northern transportation network and we are thrilled to sign this agreement with the Government of Canada.”
The work [...]
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Posted on November 12, 2013
To maintain public engagement for transit P3s, speakers at the “Building Support: Getting Community Engagement Right for Transit P3s” panel at the Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships’ (CCPPP) 21st annual conference November 7 stressed that there should be “no surprises.”
Mike Murray, chief administrative officer at the Region of Waterloo, emphasized the importance of clearly defined roles and responsibilities in P3 contracts. “We have to define who’s playing the lead and supporting roles. Our hope and expectations for our partner [...]
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Posted on November 12, 2013
Among the many unique challenges that First Nations communities face when adopting P3 models is the fear of the unknown.
“One of the main challenges we face in our projects is getting communities to understand the process and what P3 means,” Jeffrey Frank, president of Quilcene Consulting, said at the “Models for Success in Aboriginal P3s” panel at the Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships’ (CCPPP) 21st annual conference on November 7.
“There’s a lot of education required because it is such a different approach. For example [...]
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Posted on November 12, 2013
Politicians and key players participated in a groundbreaking ceremony November 12 for the next phase of Brampton’s bus rapid transit (BRT) project known as Brampton Züm. The $285-million project is being delivered in two phases. Phase II of the project expands service along Queen Street and Steeles Avenue, and will introduce service on Bovaird Drive. Completion is expected by the end of 2017.
Phase II will see Züm service launch along Bovaird Drive from the Mount Pleasant GO station to Airport Road in 2014. In 2015, Züm service will launch on Steeles [...]
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November/December 2013
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