News in Brief

Residents in the town of Shannon, Quebec have been given permission to proceed with a class-action lawsuit over a contaminated water table. Judge Bernard Godbout of the Quebec Superior Court ruled on March 23 that the lawsuit against the Department of National Defence and SNC-Tech could proceed.
Residents of Shannon, a town 20 kilometres northwest of Quebec City, are claiming $200 million in damages for health problems.
During the 1950s, an underground water table was contaminated with Trichloroethylene, or TCE, which was used at the adjacent Canadian Forces Base of Valcartier. TCE is listed as a potential carcinogen by Health Canada. The Department of National Defence has spent more than $38 million on studies and tests, including $19 million spent in 2004 to develop a new potable water supply.

Cohos Evamy’s structural engineering group known as “integrateddesign” was recently awarded the Canadian Institute of Steel Construction’s Alberta Design Award in the engineering category. The company won the award for the rehabilitation of Edmonton’s Low Level Bridge North Bound.
The awards were held March 21 at Edmonton’s Shaw Conference Centre.
The historical Low Level Bridge Northbound over the North Saskatchewan River is 100 years old and is the first railway bridge to cross the river. It was later converted to carry vehicular traffic and today carries approximately 23,000 vehicles per day.
The rehabilitation included strengthening of the steel truss members, a new protective coating and a wider pedestrian sidewalk.

Researchers at the National Research Council of Canada’s Institute for Research in Construction are tackling the issue of mould in buildings. The institute is seeking partners from both the private and public sectors to help in three areas: (a) mould-detection techniques, (b) the likelihood of mould growth on building materials and components, and (c) remediation methods.
The research is a five-year program. See Construction Innovation or contact Dr. Hans Schleibinger at NRC-IRC, http://irc.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca

Aviva Canada is joining the pool of insurers that underwrite Encon Group’s professional liability and construction insurance programs. Aviva will expand Encon’s offerings with property and crime coverage, and will increase Encon’s capacity for construction risks. Aviva Canada is a wholly owned subsidiary of Aviva plc of the U.K., the world’s fifth largest insurance group.