COMPANY NEWS Contracts, new geotechnical company, and a death

COMPANY NEWS ROUND-UP

GHD was commissioned by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources to develop a consistent format for the GIS mapping of more than 250,000 lakes as well as numerous rivers and streams. The Ministry gathers data from 36 conservation authorities in the province and uses the information for watershed management and flood control.

LVM inc., a subsidiary of Dessau, has been awarded the contract to carry out geotechnical studies and laboratory services for the construction of the new bridge across the St. Lawrence River in Montreal. Public Works and Government Services Canada awarded the contract, which includes boring in soils and rocks, and investigations of the quality and properties of materials at the approaches to the new bridge and along existing roadways.

A new four-lane, two-span structure is about to begin construction on the Trans Canada highway in Nipigon, east of Thunder Bay, Ontario. Hatch Mott MacDonald has been awarded the contract for construction contract administration services for the bridge, which will be the first cable-stayed bridge constructed in Ontario..

The Metro Group of Companies based in Surrey, B.C. has created a new geotechnical services company: Western Geotechnical Consultants (WesternGeo). The company will have offices in Surrey, Abbotsford, Burnaby and Sechelt in B.C., and Calgary. Matthew Yip will be director of WesternGeo. The Calgary office will be managed by Dr. Chris Holt.

Don Smith, one of two brothers who founded the Canadian construction giant company EllisDon, has died at the age of 89. Born in Provost, Alberta, Don began his construction career with the Foundation Company, and moved to London, Ontario. He and his brother David started the company on April Fool’s Day, 1951 and won their first contract for a small garage. They expanded to schools, universities, health care and office buildings, eventually opening offices in Nova Scotia and Alberta. One of the company’s most notable projects was the Toronto SkyDome stadium (now Rogers Centre) with its retractable roof built in 1985. Today EllisDon has 1,600 employees and has built projects around the world. Don was a philanthropist, he helped rebuild the Ontario Liberal Party under David Peterson, and he was given a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Canadian Council of Christians and Jews for his work in forcing the London Club to admit its first Jewish member. An obituary was published in the Globe and Mail on July 17.