NORTHEAST HENDAY CLOSES THE LOOP
Official Publication of the Edmonton Construction Association
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BREAKING GROUND TABLE OF CONTENTS
WINTER 2016
8 Contributors
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10215 - 176 Street Edmonton, AB T5S 1M1 Alberta, Canada
Executive Director’s Message
Phone: (780) 483-1130 Fax: (780) 484-0299
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Email: Contact@edmca.com
Committee Chair’s Message
Website: www.edmca.com
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2016 ECA EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Industry News Northeast Anthony Henday now open to traffic
14 Night at the Races ECA’s 36th year hosting
15 Blackhawk Golf Tournament
16 Around the World Splashy new hotel under construction in China
Dave Bentley President
ON THE COVER
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26 Cool in Kennedale New ECO station collects trash – with taste
30 Lunchpail with Scott Benoit A kitchen with a conscience
Next Stop: Mill Woods
EllisDon’s Michael Kazda talks light rail
Alan Kuysters Vice-President Don Barr Treasurer John McNicoll Executive Director Chris Ambrozic Chairman 2016 ECA DIRECTORS
Membership Benefits Strength in numbers – and diversity – at ECA
Chris Ambrozic Shaun Arnault Jayson Barclay Don Barr Dave Bentley Jason Collins Trevor Doucette Rob Grant Alan Kuysters Jillene Lakevold Jason Mercier Trevor Panas Sean Rayner Tom Redl Andrew Ross WWW.EDMCA.COM
32 Professional Opinion Keep lawsuits chugging along 6
EDMONTON CONSTRUCTION ASSOCIATION
COVER PHOTO BY ADAM GOUDREAU
CONTRIBUTORS
Paul V. Stocco Ben Freeland Ben Freeland is a writer, blogger, spoken word poet, PR generalist, and #yegdt development fanboy. He is a regular contributor to Business in Edmonton, Metro News, and Alberta Venture, and a familiar face in Edmonton’s spoken word and interdisciplinary arts scene. You can read more of his writings on medium.com/@benfreeland
Scott Benoit Scott Benoit has been building things all his life. At work, he builds exciting projects for Clark Builders. At home, he built the house his family lives in. Everywhere, he tries to leave things better than he found them.
Paul is a Partner and the Construction and Procurement Group Leader with the Alberta based law firm Brownlee LLP. Paul’s practice involves drafting construction procurement documents, including tendering and RFP documents, construction contracts, consulting contracts and P3 agreements as well as construction litigation. He has represented construction stakeholders at all levels of Court in both Alberta and Ontario. Paul is a frequent lecturer and writer on topics relevant to the construction industry.
Laura Gass A graduate of the University of Edinburgh, Laura Gass has worked on communications teams for the Fields Institute and the University of Toronto, writing about research discoveries made possible through community support. She is recipient of the Rosemary Shipton Award for Editing Excellence from Ryerson University, and was assistant editor of U of T’s award-winning idea&s magazine. Laura lives in north Edmonton with her husband and two daughters.
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David Ryning David Ryning is an Edmonton-based writer, editor and researcher. He has spent time as a journalist, a historian, a construction worker and a farmer. In his spare time he reads, plays enthusiastically loud electric guitar, oversees a pair of delinquent cats and provides questionable goaltending for his local hockey squad.
Adam Goudreau Adam Goudreau takes photos of stuff that’s a lot cooler than he is. When not lying awkwardly on the floor squinting through a camera, Adam is standing in front of a classroom at MacEwan University, where he teaches students about composition, lighting, and other stuff a prof might talk about.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE
I invite you to save the date of February 10, 2017 for our upcoming Infrastructure Productivity Forum, our Annual General Meeting, and our Builders Connect Luncheon. Registration will open the first week of January, and I hope you can join us for a great day of connecting, engaging, and celebrating our achievements in 2016. We are also building our ECA volunteer rosters. The ECA currently has over 250 volunteers on 19 working groups who are committed to strengthening the “common good” and making our industry better. Some opportunities for your input includes:
John McNicoll, Executive Director Edmonton Construction Association
We have no doubt that most of our members are facing great challenges in this economic downturn, but I would like to assure you that the ECA will stand with you in these times—just as we have for the last 85 years of economic cycles. The ECA exists only for, and because of, our members. Today the ECA has 1,343 member firms. This is an 85-year high, and we are thrilled with this milestone. To serve you better, we have revitalized and renovated our office space to consolidate and connect our staff team, enabling work flow and stronger service. Our 14 staff are more specialized than ever, giving pinpoint attention to our key functions. Our pillars continue to grow, but I’d like to highlight some of the growth that has happened for our Board of Directors. Over the course of 2016, we enrolled 11 of our 15 Board Directors in a University of Alberta Board training program in order to keep improving our processes to best serve the interests of our members. The Governance Program for Small-and Medium-Sized Enterprises focuses on strategic Board skills, structures, and best practices. After the completion of this program, our Board has inspected and redefined some elements in our Board’s governance. They are proposing adjustment to our committee structures, and some bylaws. To inform you about our new Board structure; to connect you to your fellow ECA members and key stakeholders; and to pass on other critical information that you need –
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
YBG (Young Builders Group) Document Quality Contract Review Procurement Collaboration with design, owner, and industry stakeholders City of Edmonton Relations Alberta Infrastructure Relations Permitting Education Golf Tournaments Curling Bonspiels Design Build Assist Networking Risk Management Leadership Development Trade Definitions Construction Financial Managers
We are always looking for volunteers! I urge you to look into joining one of our committees. If you are passionate about a particular topic and think that it could benefit the ECA membership, we are happy to work with you to make that a reality! Your contribution and involvement in our industry are vital to ensure that we continue to grow and be successful. Our building belongs to you. I welcome you to visit our newly renovated space—meet our staff, see your boardroom, and all that has been refreshed. The ECA staff and I are committed to providing exceptional service to you and your firm. I hope that you enjoy this issue of Breaking Ground, our “Membership” issue. Warmest regards,
John
ECA BREAKING GROUND | WINTER 2016
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MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE MESSAGE
Caroline Bowen, Director of Membership
Since 2013, the Edmonton Construction Association (ECA) has focused on being the “hub of construction excellence.” At the ECA, we ensure that our members are informed about current industry data and best practices, network with industry leaders and peers within the local construction community, and engage in the procurement process. In order to achieve all of this, we continue to develop and grow our four pillars – Procurement, Networking, Education and Collaboration. In procurement, we understand that construction is not your hobby, but your business. So finding work is crucial. The ECA’s electronic plan room, COOLNet Alberta, gives you access to more than 5,500 publicly and privately tendered construction projects every year. We now have many general contractors using COOLNet On Demand for their private bid invitations with members of the ECA prominently advertised on the public directory. On Demand is bringing private bidding opportunities to COOLNet and the members of the ECA, helping to make COOLNet Alberta your one-stop shop for construction opportunities. At the ECA, we understand the importance of networking and the building of mutually beneficial relationships. Not everyone is a golfer, and we recognize that people network in different ways, just as they join the ECA for different reasons. With more than 30 networking events annually, from barbecues to site visits to, yes, our famous golf tournaments, we provide our members with a variety of opportunities to connect with others within the industry.
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More than ever, construction firms are under pressure to deliver higher quality projects, on tighter schedules, and for lower cost. Only high-performance teams can hit those kinds of targets – and training is the key to unlocking your team’s potential. ECA’s education calendar has grown to more than 50 courses per year, leading in critical areas like profitability, leadership, construction law, and project management. Whether you’re a construction newcomer or executive, there’s an ECA course that can change the trajectory of your 2017. When it comes to collaboration, we believe that the connections you create over your careers are just as important as the construction work you do. It is our goal to make your voice heard at the provincial and national association level, as well as through a variety of industry partners. This collaborative work creates opportunities for all members as we seek to elevate the industry for us all. The ECA advocates and collaborates on behalf of members with the City of Edmonton, Grant MacEwan University, NAIT, other local construction associations, the CCA, the ACA, AAA, the CEA, and APEGA. Our industry’s future lies with networking groups like our YBG. Building on the cornerstones laid down by the generations and companies before them, the YBG promotes the growth and development of construction leaders in the first half of their careers through deepening industry connections, developing industry leadership skills and community activity, with the end goal of strengthening the next generation of the construction industry in Edmonton. In the last two years, the YBG has grown to more than 1,000 members with a multitude of unique and impactful events. The ECA exists to ensure that everyone in Edmonton’s construction industry is on a level playing field – that anyone can find something of value to their company and career. Our members experience greater business success as a result of the ECA’s collective and focused portfolio of highly valued services and programs. Being an ECA member is imperative for success within the local construction community, because ECA members are equipped and supported by the ECA, and their companies are better positioned than their competitors to benefit from industry opportunities. I am always available to chat, and look forward to meeting you.
Caroline Director of Membership at the ECA. She can be reached by phone at 780.483.1216, or by email at caroline.bowen@edmca.com
Odvod Publishing Inc 10221 123 Street Edmonton, AB, Canada T5N 1N3 T 780.451.1379 F 780.482.5417 odvodpublishing.com info@odvodpublishing.com
Publisher Orville Chubb
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Associate Art Director Breanne Lozinski
Editor Eliza Barlow
Production Art Odvod Media
Contributors Scott Benoit, Ben Freeland, Laura Gass, Adam Goudreau, David Ryning, Paul V. Stocco Key Account and Marketing Manager Chelsey Swankhuizen Accounting Lana Luchianova Sales and Traffic Assistant Adrienne Vanderheyden Advertising Consultants Elsa Amorim Printing Transcontinental Inc. Submissions Breaking Ground accepts queries via email for editorial submissions. We do not accept unsolicited manuscripts. Published 4 times/year by Odvod Publishing Inc. Copyright (2016) by Odvod Publishing Inc. Odvod Publishing Inc. is a partnership between Odvod Media Corp. and RedPoint Media Group Inc. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher. The views and opinions herein do not necessarily represent those of Odvod Publishing, the publisher, Orville Chubb or the editor, Eliza Barlow. Canadian Publications Mail Product Agreement No. 40934510. Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: Edmonton Construction Association 10215 - 176 Street Edmonton, AB, Canada T5S 1M1 www.edmca.com | Contact@edmca.com
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RING IN THE NEW ROAD Final leg of Henday now open PHOTOGRAPHY BY FLATIRON-DRAGADOS-AECON-LAFARGE
After more than four years of construction, the $1.8-billion Northeast Anthony Henday Drive opened to traffic Oct. 1, closing the loop on Edmonton’s long-awaited ring road. “The contractual term is traffic availability – all lanes, all directions, all movements will be open to traffic, full speed,” Rob Richardson, project manager for the joint-venture design-build contractor, told Breaking Ground prior to the opening. Under the P3 contract, the design-build group, comprised of Flatiron, Dragados, Aecon and Lafarge, is still allowed to work
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EDMONTON CONSTRUCTION ASSOCIATION
on construction deficiencies now that the Oct. 1 deadline has passed, though “anything that’s left to be done that impacts traffic will be done at night as much as possible,” said Richardson. The next big contractual deadline is Oct. 1, 2017, for construction completion. Construction on the road is under a two-year warranty from the traffic availability date, and the P3 will maintain the road for the next 30 years. As anyone who’s driven through the construction zone can appreciate, the Northeast Anthony Henday project is road-building on a massive scale – the 27-kilometre stretch of six- and eight-lane divided roadway includes nine interchanges, two road flyovers, 47 highway bridges, eight rail bridges and two river bridges. That’s taken more than a million tonnes of paving, said Richardson. What the road doesn’t include are traffic lights – it’s entirely free-flow. Richardson calls the new road’s benefit to the city “huge” and singles out two major crossings that are going to have a positive economic impact – one is the river crossing,
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the other is the crossing just north of Yellowhead Trail over the CN Rail switchyard. Sherwood Park residents, too, will benefit from the dedicated ramp at the Sherwood Park Freeway interchange, he added.
“This is the biggest contract ever let by Alberta Transportation – and we’re on time.” – Rob Richardson The fact that the road has been built within the contract performance period is a significant accomplishment and a testament to the value of doing it all under one P3 contract, said Richardson. “This is the biggest contract ever let by Alberta Transportation – and we’re on time,” he said. “The scale of what we’ve built and the fact that we’re going to finish on time … Everybody who worked on this project should be proud. That’s a big deal.”
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NIGHT AT THE RACES This summer’s Night at the Races was the 36th year the ECA hosted this event. It included a networking cocktail reception, a prime rib dinner, and an evening of horse racing. Given that it was the final year of the event in this form, we also arranged a pre-event stable tour for the first 50 registrants, and had Tim Reid, President & CEO of Northlands at the event to address the guests, and provide some details of the upcoming plans for Northlands and the entire ground. The event sold out, and we look forward to what the future will bring for Northlands, and for our members.
Wayne Murphy, Sheli Murphy, Lynda Nimilowich and Past President Henry Nimilowich
Tim Reid, President and CEO of Northlands Board member Trevor Panas and Past President John Moquin
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Jadon Rempel, Mike Bole, John Eslinger and Ali Gillani enjoying the sun on the course Kyle Telke, Jim Ramsden, Carman Pridham and Craig Dory celebrating a birdie
Kevin West enjoying a massage from Holly Gibson with James Pelech, Ian Munroe and Dave Menard Past President Ric Francoeur awards teammates Wes Cunningham, Craig Scholette and Jeremy Langevine for Most Honest Golfers Award
BLACKHAWK GOLF TOURNAMENT 144 members joined us at Blackhawk Golf Club on September 1 for our last golf tournament of the 2016 season.
ECA BREAKING GROUND | WINTER 2016
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GLOBAL CONSTRUCTION PERSPECTIVES Quarry hotel splashy addition to China hotel scene PHOTOGRAPHY BY ATKINS
You can’t breathe underwater – as an old children’s song goes – but you’ll be able to sleep there once a spectacular new hotel opens in China. The Songjiang InterContinental Hotel, a five-star, 383-room resort, is being built into the side of an abandoned, 90-metre deep quarry – and two of its levels will be “underwater,” according to design and engineering consultancy Atkins, which won an international competition in 2006 to design the hotel. About 35 kilometres from Shanghai city centre, the region’s rocky cliffs, waterfalls and surrounding hills inspired Atkins’ winning concept. The resort is to feature a waterfall cascading from the top of the quarry into a pool below, as well as wave-form architecture. The “underwater” levels of the 49,000 square-metre hotel will include public areas, a restaurant and guestrooms facing a 10-metre deep aquarium. The lowest level continues the watery theme, with a swimming pool and water-based sports. But the attractions don’t stop there: According to Atkins, an extreme sports centre for such activities as rock climbing and bungee jumping will be cantilevered over the quarry and accessed by lifts from the water level of the hotel. Atkins’ design also includes a transparent glass “waterfall” in the centre of the building. It’s being touted as a “green” hotel, with a
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About 35 kilometres from Shanghai city centre, the region’s rocky cliffs, waterfalls and surrounding hills inspired Atkins’ winning concept.
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green roof, geothermal energy and solar energy. Atkins’ intention is for the quarry hotel to blend into the surrounding landscape as much as possible. The hotel’s design has won a number of awards for Atkins, including Best International Hotel Architecture in the 2013 International Hotel Awards. Chinese developer Shimao has undertaken the project, and InterContinental will operate it as a leisure-based spa resort. Earlier this year, British newspaper Daily Mail pegged the cost of the 19-storey complex at 345 million pounds, or about $578 million (CAD). The hotel is tentatively scheduled for completion in 2018, an Atkins official said in an email to Breaking Ground. When construction began in 2012, the Shanghaiist reported it was slated to open by late 2014 to early 2015.
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Steve Nasholm: territory manager, Partition Systems, Leanne Wierenga: marketing and communications manager, Arrow Engineering and Lisa Real: sales, At-Pac
HONOURABLE MEMBERSHIP Belonging to the ECA brings ‘immeasurable’ benefits in the construction world By Laura Gass PHOTOGRAPHY BY ADAM GOUDREAU
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After 14 years as a journeyman scaffolder, Lisa Real was ready for a new challenge. She did some soul-searching and made the transition to sales with At-Pac, an industrial scaffolding manufacturer with offices across North America – and one of the newest members of the Edmonton Construction Association. Real knew that in order to succeed, she needed to learn the language of her industry. Fortunately, her new employer was committed to equipping its employees with the tools for success. At-Pac took advantage of its ECA membership by sending Real and her colleagues to some of the leadership and industry skills development events held by the association’s Young Builders Group (YBG). Real credits YBG with providing her with a supportive environment in which to practice her networking skills in a group of her peers, and to gain exposure to Edmonton’s infrastructure community. “What I have gained through attending these events is exponential,” says Real. “It has given me the confidence to approach peers, competitors and clients, to make truly meaningful connections, and to build a whole new network of contacts. It has made me a better salesperson.” And it shows; Real was recently named one of At-Pac’s top performing salespeople. Since it was founded in 1931, the Edmonton Construction Association has upheld its mandate to support its member firms – who now number more than 1,300 – by promoting the highest possible standards through its four pillars: Procurement, Collaboration, Networking and Education. Face-to-face networking and the ability to build meaningful relationships with industry partners are particularly valuable to emerging construction leaders, and the ECA understands this. The association offers many events under the YBG umbrella, and ECA member companies – who appreciate the educational and mentorship opportunities on offer – are sending their
junior staff to these events. Indeed, YBG membership is up to 1,100 – and growing. One of the association’s greatest strengths lies in the diversity of its membership, including professional constructors across all disciplines, as well as owners, architects, engineers, lawyers, brokers, suppliers, manufacturers, and other industry service providers. Such diversity ensures there is always a deep pool of knowledge from which to draw. As such, the association significantly benefits its membership by bringing these groups together, and plays host at a plethora of social events, seminars, meet & greets, committee meetings and lunch box talks.
“It has given me the confidence to approach peers, competitors and clients, to make truly meaningful connections, and to build a whole new network of contacts.” – Lisa Real
Lisa Real: sales, At-Pac
“It’s tough to measure the dollar value of participation in these broader educational events hosted by the association,” says Trevor Doucette, Manager, Edmonton Buildings with Graham Construction, an ECA member for more than 25 years. “Whether it’s the ‘Ed Talks’ or site tours, or a panel of speakers on a certain topic, » ECA BREAKING GROUND | WINTER 2016
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“In the last 10 years we’ve gained a lot of business from large organizations and government, and our involvement with the ECA has helped immeasurably.” – Steve Nasholm
or a curling bonspiel: If you are sending your employees, they are forming synergies, keeping current with what’s happening in the build community, expanding their horizons, building relationships with their peers in industry. Getting that opportunity to get in front of somebody is so key in the infrastructure world,” adds Doucette, a two-term ECA elected Board member. Long-term members of the ECA can attest to the value of staying connected. Partition Systems, an Edmonton-based manufacturer with a 40-year history of providing wall system solutions on a national scale, has belonged to the ECA for more than 35 years and is a Corporate Life Member. “Through ups and downs, we’ve grown together,” says Steve Nasholm, territory manager at Partition. “The construction industry is fluid, it’s vital to keep on top of what’s new – in the design community, in construction, or project management within government.” Especially for mid-sized companies like Partition, Nasholm sees the value in the kind of exposure to be gained from ECA
membership. “It’s critical for us – not being the biggest player on the block – to make sure we know every step of the industry, what we do differently, and how we can meet the clients’ needs, whether they want two to three offices, 200 to 300 offices or several buildings. In the last 10 years we’ve gained a lot of business from large organizations and government, and our involvement with the ECA has helped immeasurably.” Leanne Wierenga, marketing and communications manager with Arrow Engineering, has attended many YBG events since Arrow joined the ECA as Associate Members in March of this year. “ECA does an amazing job of reinforcing how important relationships are in this industry. Hearing the older generation talk about the relationships they’ve formed over many years and the trust built up after decades of collaboration – it’s invaluable to the next generation of building professionals.” But the benefits of ECA membership go beyond relationship-building. Through COOLNet, ECA’s electronic plan room for tender management, the association has
Leanne Wierenga: marketing and communications manager, Arrow Engineering
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Steve Nasholm: territory manager, Partition Systems
a direct impact on a company’s bottom line by streamlining the procurement process and helping its members stay on top of all major construction projects in the region. For Partition Systems, this versatile tool is a primary driver for its business. “Our entire team uses COOLNet,” says Nasholm. “Being mid-sized, Partition likes to stay as efficient as possible. Especially with the dip in Alberta’s economy, we are committed to keeping our staff, some of whom have been with us for 25 to 30 years. So, our employees wear more than one hat, and do things that in larger scale operations are done by four to five other people.” COOLNet has dramatically improved the procurement process by levelling the field and giving all stakeholders the opportunity to bid fairly. “In days of old, the wild west days,” explains Doucette, “suppliers interested in putting up a price would have to physically go to that plan room, and depending on where they are located, possibly at great expense and distance. Nowadays, everything you need is available at the click of a button.” COOLNet is a one-stop-shop where users can log on and know the source of that information is accurate and timely. It’s more economical, more efficient, more environmentally friendly, and, most importantly for businesses, it’s the number one online source for construction tendering in the province.
With Edmonton’s construction market becoming increasingly complex, the buyers of construction have ever-changing requirements. So it’s a constant challenge to stay on top of industry needs through skills upgrading – in the latest technology (BIM, Bluebeam), LEED certification, using sustainable materials, legal requirements and navigating new bidding requirements. The ECA provides several educational seminars, training and courses at its learning facility at a much lower cost for members than bringing a trainer to a company’s own office. Wierenga can’t say enough about the calibre of ECA’s education component. “Their educational opportunities are second to none, largely because of Jay (Summach) and his willingness to chase down opportunities.” Summach, ECA’s Director of Education, works to identify critical skills gaps in the industry and find qualified instructors to develop relevant programming to fill those gaps. “They really do their due diligence to find out specifically what their audience is looking for and then connect the right parties,” says Wierenga. Along with technical and legal course offerings, ECA runs courses in leadership, project management, finance, and field supervision. If you haven’t done so, it’s worth making a visit to the newly renovated ECA headquarters with office partitions supplied by Partition Systems. Now more open concept, it’s an inviting space for members to come and get information. “The facility really does belong to the members at large,” says Doucette. “This is their space, and the reason for the renovations was to provide a modern facility with their needs in mind.” Adding value to its members’ businesses and providing return on their investment – especially in challenging economic times – are the association’s utmost priorities. Doucette sums it up: “If you’re going to deliver construction services in Edmonton or Alberta, being a member of the Edmonton Construction Association will absolutely increase your bottom line, your efficiency, your exposure to projects, help market your company, and just make your firm accessible to industry.” To learn more about the ECA, its upcoming events and other opportunities, visit www.edmca.com.
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Four years ago, Michael Kazda was the new kid in town, and the caution he received from some quarters wasn’t unlike what one might give a child starting at a new school where relationships are already long-established.
MAKING TRACKS Four years into his role at the helm of EllisDon’s Edmonton office, Michael Kazda is embarking on the biggest project of his career By Ben Freeland PHOTOGRAPHY BY ADAM GOUDREAU
“I was warned at the start that Edmonton is a hard scene to break into,” says the EllisDon vice president and Alberta and Saskatchewan area manager. To some extent, the advice rang true. Carving out a niche in Edmonton’s densely populated construction scene has been a rewarding challenge, he says, but a challenge nonetheless. “They say you need to know at least 200 people here before you’re truly ‘in.’ But I’ve been truly fortunate that in this landscape you’re always mixing with great people from all corners of the industry, and that you have great organizations like the Edmonton Construction Association that give you opportunities to network and build relationships. “I’ve also been fortunate that EllisDon has long had a firm foothold in this region, and while it may not be regarded as a truly ‘Edmonton’ company because its head office is in Ontario, we’re a de facto Edmonton company in terms of our project footprint and our presence in the community. At the end of the day where you have your head office is largely irrelevant. About a third of our total business is done here in Alberta, where we’re a major employer, and the money stays here.” EllisDon comes by its Alberta roots honestly. Its co-founder, Don Smith, was born in Provost, Alberta in 1924. Founded in 1951, EllisDon grew rapidly and achieved widespread acclaim in 1989 with the completion of Toronto’s iconic Rogers Centre (then known as the SkyDome), the world’s first fully retractable. In recent years, the company has made major forays into light rail, starting in 2012 when it was selected as general contractor for Ottawa’s Confederation Line, the city’s largest ever infrastructure project, scheduled to open in 2018. This was quickly followed by the awarding of Toronto’s massive, $5.3-billion Eglinton Crosstown LRT project to an EllisDon P3. Yes, that’s a big list of Ontario projects. But EllisDon has long maintained an outsized presence in Alberta’s capital city. With Edmonton as its secondary corporate home since the mid-1970s, the company has quietly carved out an impressive niche in the city, with structures like Commonwealth Stadium,
Canada Place, Edmonton International Airport’s combined office and control tower, and most recently the new Mill Woods Library. Now, the company is poised to undertake its biggest local construction project ever as one of the lead players in the Valley Line LRT project. And Kazda, 55, is thrilled to see EllisDon as a key partner in TransEd. A native of the greater Ottawa area, he grew up in the construction business thanks to his father’s general contracting business. Upon completing his engineering degree at the University of Waterloo, he went to work for PCL Construction in Toronto before joining EllisDon at their Ottawa office in 2003, where he served as project manager for the company’s $128-million Royal Ottawa Hospital project and $180-million Montfort Hospital Redevelopment project.
“We’re a de facto Edmonton company in terms of our project footprint and our presence in the community.” – Michael Kazda
After a four-year sojourn on the west coast as manager of construction for Surrey, B.C.’s Lark Group, he opted to return to EllisDon in 2012 as area manager for the company’s Alberta and Saskatchewan operations, based in Edmonton. Kazda contends that while the company is a relative newcomer to the civil and transportation sector, » ECA BREAKING GROUND | WINTER 2016
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its long track record for successful public-private partnerships makes it uniquely well suited to the Valley Line project. “We’re still generally seen as a ‘buildings’ contractor, but we have more P3 experience than anybody else out there. This has allowed us to forge into massive civil engineering projects like these and get great results.” Kazda himself has more than a decade of P3 experience under his belt. “When it comes to the public-private partnership model, we couldn’t ask for a better partner on the construction side than Michael,” says Scott McGeachy, CEO of TransEd Partners, a consortium consisting of EllisDon, engineering and construction giant (and leading partner) Bechtel, rolling stock provider Bombardier, and equity partner Fengate Capital Management Ltd., to which the city awarded the LRT contract in February. “He has more P3 experience than just about anybody out there, and his track record for leading projects bodes well for the project and the region.” Phase one of the Valley Line, which will connect downtown Edmonton with Mill Woods, is set to open by the end of 2020. As project manager for the construction of Edmonton’s latest light rail extension, Kazda is acutely aware of the controversy that has surrounded the Metro Line, and is determined
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to ensure the mistakes made during that phase of LRT expansion are not repeated. “The process of marrying different, incompatible systems is extremely difficult, and in the case of the Metro Line you probably had too many proverbial cooks in the kitchen. But construction isn’t like manufacturing inasmuch as you’re not making the same thing over and over again. Every project is different and poses new challenges, some of which are difficult to foresee. All we can do is try to be smarter and more efficient with every new project we take on and learn from the past.” While the project will take five years to complete, some of the most challenging work, namely the river valley bridge and associated earthworks, will be tackled early on. “The biggest challenges to working in Edmonton are geographic, most notably the river valley,” Kazda explains, and he’s also sensitive to Edmontonians’ emotional connection to the river valley. “Nobody wants to see it defaced by too many bridges and other structures. We also have to contend with fish spawning windows, as well as the clay soil in this region that’s hard to build on and winters that cut into your construction season. But we’re expecting to start work in the river this fall and we’re
“When it comes to the public-private partnership model, we couldn’t ask for a better partner on the construction side than Michael” – Scott McGeachy
confident that we’ll meet our targets. Light rail is a tough business to be in, for all we know we could find ourselves at the butt end of some unflattering news stories three years down the road, but we’re confident in our ability to get the job done right.” The scale of this project also means major opportunities for Edmonton construction firms, and the Edmonton Construction Association has served as an important connector in this capacity. “Having Bechtel and Bombardier enter our market in partnership with EllisDon is a tremendous boon to our industry, particularly in a dipping economic climate. We were very pleased to host a TransEd group presentation at the ECA to clarify all of the significant project opportunities for our members,” explains ECA Executive Director John McNicoll. “Our role is to help TransEd create direct contact with our 43,000 registered COOLNet users in Alberta who constantly search for construction opportunities that match their companies. This is exactly the role that construction associations are designed to play, and we’re very thankful that TransEd values such services.” McNicoll further adds that the partnership model exemplified by TransEd bodes well both for the success of the Valley LRT Line and the city’s construction sector as a whole. “Large-scale projects like this bring with them the largest risks and the strongest need for solid financial underpinning. TransEd represents a collaboration between three great companies equipped to navigate this high-risk territory and ensure stability. Our industry thrives when there is effective collaboration.” For Kazda, EllisDon’s involvement in this megaproject speaks volumes to his company’s enduring dedication to a city it considers every bit as much home as its official base of Mississauga. “I’ve very much enjoyed all the moving around I’ve done, but Edmonton is home and I have no desire to leave. There’s an edginess to this city that I haven’t found anywhere else — you feel it in everything from its entrepreneurial spirit to its artistic streak. And the construction community here is absolutely outstanding. It may have felt like a bit of a closed community at first, but after four years I feel very much at home within it, and I’m not going anywhere.”
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INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION A waste-management facility has to be drab, ugly and boring, right? Wrong. The Kennedale Eco Station at 5523 127 Ave. in Edmonton’s northeast demonstrates that an industrial facility can still be eye-catching. On top of that, it can incorporate cutting-edge design ideas and technology to reduce its environmental impact, as evidenced by Kennedale’s LEED Gold designation. “It shows what you can do with an industrial building — the colours, the design, the landscaping, the way the light comes in,” says Carol Belanger, City of Edmonton architect. “It’s an unassuming program, but you can bring high design to it. It’s about bringing that level of design to everything we have in the city, including eco stations. It’s not just for libraries and rec centres.” That philosophy underscored the creation of the $9-million eco station, built by general contractor Chandos and designed by DIALOG in collaboration with Al-Terra Engineering and Carlyle & Associates. Completed in March 2015,
“It was awesome, because we got to work in such an integrated way.” – David James
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High design takes new eco station far beyond the drab By David Ryning PHOTOGRAPHY BY DIALOG
it covers 10.26 acres and combines utility, low-impact development and visual appeal. The Kennedale facility, in contrast to some of the city’s older eco stations, was purpose-built on a revitalized brownfield site, rather than centred on a repurposed pre-existing building. That allowed designers and builders to make maximum use of the site to build a facility that functions well for patrons and staff, is environmentally friendly and aesthetically pleasing. David James of DIALOG was the lead architect on the Kennedale Eco Station, working on the project from its inception in 2012. He says the long, narrow site presented challenges.
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“The shape of the site demanded a unique approach to the site and building designs,” says James. A key strategy was incorporating the landscaping as an integral part of planning from the outset, which allowed for collaboration between DIALOG, the landscaping consultants and the City. “It was awesome, because we got to work in such an integrated way,” says James. “We were able to talk and say, ‘Can we do this? Can we do that?’ even before the buildings were conceived.” Entering from 127 Avenue, patrons find an attractive, accessible site with detailed landscaping that belies the facility’s utilitarian nature. »
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Trees, bushes and grass run alongside the route to the cash kiosks, and a stormwater retention pond reinforces the sense of connection with nature. Patrons in the queue for the kiosks see the facility’s bioswale — an area of vegetation which catches and filters stormwater — to their left. On their right sits the main building, a combination of vibrant green and dark grey, and boasting recycling-themed artwork by Brandon Blommaert. Once patrons are through the kiosks, workers direct them to the outdoor bins to drop off items such as wood, refuse, metal on the west part of the facility, or to the main building to drop off items like electronics, old paint and household chemicals. Patrons can also use the Reuse Centre, where unwanted items that might still have some life in them can be left. It’s a trading post, of sorts, and occupies a prominent place in the facility lot. There is no charge to drop off or pick up items from the Reuse Centre, which is part of the City’s strategy to keep items out of landfill. Among the more distinctive features of the Kennedale facility are Blommaert’s works. The murals depict creatures made of recycled and waste materials pictured
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“Every little piece contributes to the identity of a city.” – Carol Belanger
against backdrops of Canadian landscape. The artist’s work was featured at the Ambleside Eco Station, and proved so popular that he was selected to create works for the Kennedale station. According to James, that provided a head start on incorporating the art into the overall design. “We already knew who the artist was, so right from Day 1, we were able to strategically place the art,” he says. “So while you are pausing on site, or whipping past on the Yellowhead, or travelling along 127 Avenue, there are large pieces of art you can see.” And while the site is attractive, careful thought was given to how landscaping and building design could make the eco station function in as efficient and ecologically friendly a manner as possible. “There is a bioswale running east-west along the entire south face of the site, running into two retention ponds,” says James. “The whole site slopes to the south, so rainwater is captured.” As much as 75 per cent of rainwater is filtered through the bioswale, and the landscaping absorbs much of the remainder, he adds. Inside the main building, green design and technology is the unsung hero.
Site supervisor Hal Whitford says around 21 people work at the Kennedale facility, and much of the design is focused on providing them a safe and comfortable workspace. The building’s high clerestory windows admit a great deal of natural light, and air curtains help maintain comfortable working temperatures. In addition, low-flow fixtures and LED lighting help reduce the building’s environmental footprint. A geothermal system provides climate control, using ground temperature to regulate air temperature inside the building, both for cooling and heating. Solar panels augment this system by powering water heaters for radiant heat floors during colder weather. “That was one of the items that helped us to achieve LEED Gold without actually adding any cost to the project,” says James. The designers say the Kennedale Eco Station provides a benchmark for other City-owned industrial sites. “The industrial parts of our city speak to who we are and what we do,” says James. That sentiment was echoed by Belanger. “Every little piece contributes to the identity of a city,” he says. “If we’re going to demand better from private builders, then we need to demand better from ourselves. We have to lead by example.”
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CAFÉ LINNEA’S RESPONSIBLE FARE New eatery part of larger trend Fresh from a sojourn in Tokyo, By Scott Benoit PHOTOGRAPHY BY SCOTT BENOIT
a group of entrepreneurs launched a grand experiment on 124 Street: They introduced Edmonton to the ethos of basing our food decisions on quality and responsibility. They called it Duchess Bake Shop. As a city, we fell in love and have never looked back. Seven years later, while Duchess thrives, her founders and partners are forging ahead with a series of ambitious new ventures, all of which keep the needle on what we now know works – for the land, for employees and partners, and for patrons. One of these new ventures, Café Linnea, recently opened in the dramatically reimagined Great Western Garment Factory in Queen Mary Park. The Parisian and Scandinavian-influenced café is a stunning spot for breakfast or lunch with your favourite architect, engineer, owner, financier or other construction professional. Just back from my own summer sojourn in Italy’s Puglia region – a magical agricultural realm where 60 million olive trees, many of which are thousands of years old, quietly produce bounty for the world – I sat down with Café Linnea owner Garner Beggs to dig into some of Linnea’s fresh fare and chat about Italy, slow food, and his desires and ambitions for Edmonton’s food scene. In Rome, I had visited a shop near Fontana Di Trevi that sold nothing but absinthe,
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Beggs is acting from the understanding that people are everything, and how we treat each other is directly correlated with success in business and in life.
a mystical botanical spirit popular with 19th century Parisian artists and writers. In a stroke of serendipity, absinthe is the star of a most unusual Linnea menu item: A pairing of white and red watermelons infused with the spirit and reconstituted via vacuum pressure. On purveying the unexpected, Beggs offers: “(Chef and cofounder Kelsey Johnson and I) believe it’s possible to execute things on par with what’s going on in the world capitals. It doesn’t have to be expensive either, but it does take a lot more work and creativity and problem-solving.” They approach more familiar fare – from tartine and salad to granola and galette, sourced from local ingredients – with equal originality and delight. As Beggs and I trade stories about shared all-evening slow food experiences in the centro storicos of Italian towns like Ostuni or Amalfi, or Tokyo, he talks about his attempt to capture some of that lightning in a bottle. “In a weird way, selfishness drives me,”
he says. “All of the projects are things that I want to be able to access. Returning to Canada, we realized that so many of the amazing things there that we had access to and sort of took for granted were about to be out of reach. While we couldn’t replicate everything, we knew we could create a pastry shop as good as what we had there. The same goes for Café Linnea.” Laughing about – but also inspired by – some absurdities of European food culture, our conversation turns to the culture that Café Linnea is experimenting with. The big one is no tips: Instead, servers are paid a living wage, well above industry average, which removes pressure and barriers to good honest service. Chefs and back of house staff are on salaries with benefits, which fosters strong stable teams, elevating the conviction with which they approach their craft and the larger business. Like many of us in the construction industry, Beggs is acting from the
understanding that people are everything, and how we treat each other is directly correlated with success in business and in life. The journey toward becoming a responsible company begins with leading an examined life and bringing curiosity and leadership to every aspect of our businesses – never settling, always pushing forward. Café Linnea is raising a bar that Beggs describes thus: “People are becoming more discerning in their tastes and demanding a better product, and we are just a small part of a larger trend towards that. I’m hopeful we can inspire other people to open places of their own that are great, again selfishly, so I can go and enjoy them myself.” Construction industry, take note. If we want a better world, we all play a significant and unique role in building it. As we do so, I’m thankful for another great place to sustain us along the way. Café Linnea is located at 10932 119 Street, Holland Plaza www.cafelinnea.ca. ECA BREAKING GROUND | WINTER 2016
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MOVE IT OR LOSE IT: ALBERTA’S DROP DEAD RULE Keep lawsuits moving to avoid severe consequences By Paul V. Stocco
Parties enter into construction contracts hoping to achieve, at the very least, the fruits of each of their individual efforts. Achieving this goal is contingent on a number of factors – one of which is time. All construction projects have a schedule. No party to a construction project genuinely wants a project to drag on forever. If a party delays a project, severe legal and financial consequences can arise. Lawsuits work in a similar way. Starting a lawsuit is relatively straightforward. Parties to a lawsuit each have their own goals that they hope to achieve at the end of the lawsuit. However, getting a lawsuit to the finish line can be challenging. Typically, no one wants a lawsuit to drag on forever. Prolonged litigation can negatively impact any person or business. For this reason, lawsuits in Alberta generally have to move along, either towards resolution or trial, with some dispatch. Otherwise, severe consequences can arise. A party that starts a lawsuit in Alberta needs to be mindful of the Drop Dead Rule found in the Alberta Rules of Court.
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The Drop Dead Rule essentially compels the plaintiff (i.e. the party that starts the lawsuit) to move the lawsuit along by ensuring that steps are taken to significantly advance the lawsuit, either towards a resolution or to trial. If, during the life of the lawsuit, no such step is taken for a continuous period of three years, then a court, subject to very few exceptions, can be asked to dismiss the lawsuit. The purpose behind the Drop Dead Rule is to prevent a claim from languishing for an indeterminate period of time with no meaningful activity. What constitutes a “thing that significantly advances a lawsuit” has been the subject of much judicial consideration. Recently, the Alberta Court of Appeal has provided some guidance when dealing with the Drop Dead Rule and the determination of what constitutes a “significant advance” of a lawsuit. In the XS Technologies Inc. case, a lower court dismissed the plaintiff’s lawsuit on the grounds that the plaintiff had failed to significantly advance the action. The plaintiff appealed to the Alberta Court of Appeal. In determining what constituted a step that significantly advanced the lawsuit, the Court of Appeal looked at the procedural
The Drop Dead Rule essentially compels the plaintiff to move the lawsuit along by ensuring that steps are taken to significantly advance the lawsuit, either towards a resolution or to trial.
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Tel: (800) 665-2456, history of the lawsuit and all of the steps Naylor(20 (C MECHANICAL CONTRACTORS Fax: (800) 709-5551, (20 100 taken in it. The Court of Appeal applied a ASSOCIATION OF AB,SK,MB AND B.C. Winn number of factors in its consideration of the Advertiser: Plumbers & Pipefitters Union Tel: (800) 6 “steps” in the lawsuit, namely, the nature, AD ID: 311704 Docket: AD SPECIFICATIONS CO7 8872 Fax:AD (800) quality, genuineness, timing and outcome Shape: Width: 4.583 Depth: 2.166 Horizontal Plumbers & Pipefitters Union of the step(s) taken by Size: the plaintiff.1/6 In Page doing Advertiser: Position: 2nd Quarter AD SPECIFICATIONS AD ID: Docket: 311704 8872 so, the Court of Appeal made it clear that Color: Black & White Size: Shape: Horizontal Width: 4.583 Depth 1/6 Page it is not enough to simply take any step in Match #: PMS #: Use Exact Ad Copy Position: 2nd Quarter a lawsuit in order to avoid the Drop Dead Blackissues: & White I approve thishad ad copy for use Color: in the following Authorized Signature: MAB-A0009 Rule. The Court held that the step Match #: PMS #: Use Exact Ad Copy to actually move the lawsuit closer to a I approve this ad copy for use in the following issues: Authorized Signature: MAB-A0009 resolution, or a trial, in a meaningful way. Date: That is an important distinction that parties would do well to remember. In the end, Pull (exact) fromDate: MAB-A0008 (AdID: 311704) Index Listings: the Court of Appeal upheld the lower court Pull (exact) from MAB-A0008 (A Index Listings: decision dismissing theUNIONS lawsuit for delay. UNIONS Just as every construction project requires an achievable schedule, so too do Now booking into the Spring 2017 issue and onward. lawsuits. Starting a lawsuit and letting it sit Contact Odvod Publishing isn’t acceptable. While some lawsuits do for more information. inevitably experience periods of little or no T 780.451.1379 activity for various reasons, those periods E ads@odvodpublishing.com should not exceed three years. Similarly, some lawsuits just require more time to arrive at a resolution or a trial. The Drop 311704_Plumbers.qxd311704_Plumbers.qxd 2/21/07 11:15 AM2/21/07 Page 111:15 AM Page 1 Dead Rule doesn’t put an end date on the life of a lawsuit. However, the Drop Dead Rule does place a large responsibility on the party who initiates a lawsuit. When dealing with a Drop Dead Rule application, a Court will examine all of the factors noted in the XS Technologies Inc. case (and possibly Local 488 others) to determine whether the “step” Committed to Quality, Safety & Education taken actually moved the lawsuit closer to Committed to Quality,Phone Safety (780) & Education 452-7080 Fax (780) 452-1291 a resolution, or a trial, in a meaningful way. 16214 - 118th Avenue, Edmonton, Alberta Phone (780) 452-7080 Fax (780) 452-1291 The Drop Dead Rule is a caution to 16214 - 118th Avenue, Alberta BusinessEdmonton, Manager - Larry Matychuk parties involved in a lawsuit. Therefore, a
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plaintiff needs to conscientiously move its lawsuit forward in a timely way. Fail to move it, and the plaintiff will lose it.
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