News
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ASHRAE adds new courses to 2020 winter conference
The ASHRAE Learning Institute (ALI) will offer 21 educational courses—including 17 half-day and four full-day seminars—during the 2020 ASHRAE Winter Conference and the AHR Expo in Orlando, Fla. The lineup will include new ALI courses on such topics as building…
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Edmonton cement plant seeks engineering support for carbon capture and storage
In what is reportedly a North American first, Lehigh Cement has launched a feasibility study of a full-scale carbon capture and storage (CCS) project, working with the International CCS Knowledge Centre, to reduce the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of its…
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‘Solving Water’ podcast dives into clean and efficient plumbing, HVAC
Xylem has launched ‘Solving Water,’ a new podcast series intended to help plumbing and HVAC professionals learn more about clean water access and efficient use in commercial buildings, utilities, residential communities and elsewhere. Known for products and services relating to…
Updates coming to BC Energy Step Code
British Columbia’s Office of Housing and Construction Standards is revising the province’s building code. Among the changes are three updates to the BC Energy Step Code that will take effect on Dec. 12. First, there will be two options for demonstrating…
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Is road pricing needed to fund infrastructure?
A new report recommends Ontario’s government look into road pricing, among other new revenue tools, to make up for shortfalls in gas and diesel taxes. In the report—”Ontario’s Downward Trend for Fuel Tax Revenue: Will Road Pricing Fill the Gap?”—Harry…
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HVACR community forecasts positive economic outlook for 2020
According to the latest AHR Expo and ASHRAE Economic Outlook Survey, most members of the heating, ventilation, air-conditioning and refrigeration (HVACR) community feel positive about their business heading into 2020. The results of the survey—which was distributed to past and…
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RFP closes for Halton’s consolidated courthouse project
The request for proposals (RFP) stage has closed for teams to submit their bids to design, build, finance and maintain the new Halton Region consolidated courthouse in Oakville, Ont. Following a request for qualifications (RFQ) process, three teams—EllisDon Infrastructure Justice,…
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CISC’s Quebec Region celebrates excellence in steel construction
On Nov. 11, the Canadian Institute of Steel Construction’s (CISC’s) Quebec Region handed out its 21st annual Steel Awards for Excellence in Steel Construction at Montreal’s Windsor Hotel. Organized by Quebec Region manager Hellen Christodoulou, the event highlighted projects that…
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University of Lethbridge’s Science Commons uses passive energy design
Stantec and KPMB Architects recently completed the Science Commons, a new academic building for Alberta’s University of Lethbridge, which uses light harvesting systems and passive energy design to achieve a projected energy use reduction of 53%. The $280-million, 413,000-sf Science…
LEED v4 tops 1,000 projects in Canada
The Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) is celebrating a new milestone as the total number of Canadian project registrations for the fourth version of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification surpasses 1,000. LEED is already the world’s most…
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Canada’s P3 conference showcases transportation
Transportation infrastructure was in special focus when the Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships (CCPPP) held its 27th annual conference earlier this week at the Sheraton Centre Toronto hotel. On Nov. 18, the first of the conference’s two days, CCPPP handed…
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MRA revamps corporate identity and mission statement
Martin Roy et Associés (MRA), a consulting engineering firm headquartered in Deux-Montagnes, Que., has revamped its corporate identity and mission statement to focus on ‘carbon-neutral’ buildings and transportation. The announcement follows Justin Trudeau’s pledge in September to make Canada carbon-neutral…
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Canada’s first large-scale multi-storey distribution centre planned for Burnaby
Oxford Properties Group plans to develop Canada’s first large-bay multi-level industrial property at Riverbend Business Park in Burnaby, B.C., transforming a former brownfield site. The business park, previously the site of a paperboard milling operation and a landfill, offers 1.35…
CEO and MEA update standard agreement for consulting engineers
Consulting Engineers of Ontario (CEO) and the Municipal Engineers Association (MEA) are issuing an updated version of their client/engineer standard agreement for professional consulting services. The agreement is a pro forma contract for professional services between consulting engineering firms and…
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Engineering design work to increase capacity of B.C.’s Cathedral Grove
British Columbia’s ministry of transportation and infrastructure is moving forward with detailed engineering efforts to improve safety and capacity for visitors at Cathedral Grove in MacMillan Provincial Park, while protecting the environmental, social and cultural values associated with the site.…
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Guelph promotes Terry Gayman to city engineer
The municipal government of Guelph, Ont., has chosen Terry Gayman, P.Eng., to fill the position of city engineer. He is also general manager (GM) of engineering and transportation services. Gayman began his career as a project manager with environmental engineering…
TMP announces new associates
The Mitchell Partnership (TMP), a Toronto-based mechanical engineering firm, has welcomed five new associates. Sabah Al-Hussein joins with more than 18 years of experience leading the design development of mechanical engineering services for building projects. He provides oversight, planning, engineering…
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Quebec’s GSR automates and standardizes decontamination work
GSR Construction Decontamination of Sorel, Que., has brought over established technology from Europe that it explains is new to the local market. Specifically, it says it is the first company in Quebec to acquire a Brokk robot and BCP 250…
Halifax’s Tribute Tower, built to resist progressive collapse, earns LEED Silver
The Royal Canadian Navy’s (RCN’s) new Tribute Tower project for Stadacona at Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Halifax received Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification earlier this year. The project, which combines 12 storeys of accommodations with three…
Toronto endorses ambitious parks and rec facility development
Last week, Toronto’s council endorsed what it calls the most ambitious plan for developing parks and recreation facilities in the city’s history. The implementation of the new program will see $2.2 billion invested across Toronto over the next 20 years.…
FNX-INNOV merges with AXOR Experts-Conseils
Montreal-based engineering firms FNX-INNOV and AXOR Experts-Conseils announced a merger on Oct. 31, creating a single company set to operate under the FNX-INNOV banner. The merger brings together nearly 1,000 employees and a portfolio of multidisciplinary services across several sectors…
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Belleville names new director of engineering and development services
Stephen Ashton has been appointed director of engineering and development services for the city of Belleville, Ont. He began his new position today (Nov. 4). Ashton first joined the city’s government as manager of policy planning in June 2018 and…
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Lawrence Lukey named chair of ACEC’s board
The Association of Consulting Engineering Companies – Canada (ACEC) has named Lawrence Lukey, P.Eng., partner and president of Saskatoon-based BCL Engineering, to chair its board of directors for the 2019-2020 term. The announcement was made at the ACEC national leadership…
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Point of view: Perspectives gap
Bruce Matthews, P.Eng., chief executive of Consulting Engineers of Ontario (CEO), has been a professional engineer since 1990. Matthews took on the leadership role at CEO in late February 2018 and during his brief tenure with the organization, he has…
How BIM and IPD can work
Building Information Modelling (BIM) is an intelligent 3-D virtual modelling process for the design of buildings and infrastructure which is rapidly becoming the main tool for project realization used by architects, engineers and other construction professionals. The key challenge to…
Consulting engineers address need to adapt to changing times
In today’s dynamic business environment, an organization’s dynamic capabilities are the source of its competitive advantage. In a paper published in the Strategic Management Journal, researchers from Stanford University define dynamic capability as a “firm’s ability to integrate, build, and…
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WSP wins Schreyer at 51st annual Canadian Consulting Engineering Awards
The 51st annual Canadian Consulting Engineering Awards Gala took place on Tuesday, Oct. 29 at the Delta Ottawa City Centre hotel, with the top prize—the Schreyer Award—going to WSP for its Solving Small Community Drinking Water Challenge project. The awards…
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RFQ released to enhance Toronto’s Union Station
Infrastructure Ontario (IO) and transportation agency Metrolinx have released a request for qualifications (RFQ) to prequalify project teams for a project to enhance downtown Toronto’s Union Station. The project will involve designing and building transit infrastructure and implementing upgrades at…
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University of Guelph to renew and expand performing arts facilities
Ontario’s University of Guelph broke ground yesterday for the renewal and expansion of its performing arts program’s facilities. Diamond Schmitt Architects has designed the 45,000-sf project to reimagine the north wing of the MacKinnon Building, which was built in 1967…
Lucy Casacia named VP of WSP’s smart solutions
Consulting engineering firm WSP Canada has hired Lucy Casacia to serve as vice-president (VP) of its ‘smart solutions’ business. Casacia’s experience includes eight years of senior roles with Siemens Canada, most recently leading business development for its ‘smart cities’ practice…
