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Thousands flock to Moncton for AHES
The first post-Covid edition of the Atlantic Heavy Equipment Show was a resounding success. Almost 10,000 industry professionals filled the halls of the Moncton Coliseum for the April event, including key decision makers and purchasers looking to upgrade their fleets and view the many pieces of equipment on the show floor.
“The Atlantic Heavy Equipment Show remains one of the biggest heavy equipment events in Atlantic Canada,” said Mark Cusack, national show manager. “It was a pleasure to welcome everyone back to the show after a two-year hiatus.”
The show, which attracted a mix of industry professionals including leaders from the construction, road building, forestry, land improvement, and infrastructure industries, along with delegates from both the Canadian Public Works and Canadian Woodlands Forum’s Spring Conferences which were held nearby, may have been positively impacted by pent up
Infrastructure Ontario (IO) and the Ministry of the Solicitor General have awarded a fixed-price contract of $1.2 billion to EllisDon Infrastructure Justice to design, build, finance and maintain a new Thunder Bay Correctional Complex. The contract includes payments during construction, a completion payment and monthly service payments during the 30-year operations and maintenance period.
EllisDon Infrastructure Justice includes EllisDon Capital Inc. as the developer; EllisDon Corporation as the design-builder; the design team of Zeidler Architecture Inc. and DLR Group Inc.; facilities managers EllisDon Facilities Services Inc.; and financial advisor EllisDon Capital Inc.
In addition to awarding the correctional facility contract, the Ontario government also announced $96 million to fund expansion projects at the Thunder Bay Correctional Centre and Kenora Jail, and up to $5 million for a new Northern Attraction Incentive Program pilot to attract and retain corrections staff in the North.
The Thunder Bay Correctional Complex project will be a 345-bed multi-purpose facility that will replace the outdated existing jail and correctional centre in Thunder Bay. Construction is expected to start this fall and be completed by fall 2026.
“A new correctional facility for Thunder Bay is a very important investment to enhance the facility’s living conditions, security, technology, and space,” stated Joey Comeau, COO and executive vice-president, Capital, at EllisDon. “We are honoured to be selected to design, build, finance and maintain the new demand and a desire to gather at a live event.
“We heard many positive accolades from both exhibitors and attendees, which goes to show, everyone was happy to be able to reconnect again in person,” added Cusack.
The dates for the next edition of Atlantic Heavy Equipment Show will be released in the coming months.
Artist’s concept of the new Thunder Bay Correctional Complex.
Thunder Bay Correctional Complex project.”
Bird Construction Inc. is scheduled to complete the announced infrastructure expansion projects at the existing Thunder Bay Correctional Centre and Kenora Jail in late summer 2022.
Built rapidly using innovative modular construction, these expansions will add beds to alleviate capacity pressures and create more space for effective programming such as literacy and skills development that support safe community reintegration. The Thunder Bay build will eventually be connected to the new Thunder Bay Correctional Complex.
“Bird is proud to play a part in the important infrastructure developments in Northern Ontario and work with communities to enable rapid delivery solutions through the unique value offering of Bird and our partnership with Stack Modular,” said company president and CEO Teri McKibbon.
Toronto’s unofficial symbol continues to be the crane Wildlife overpass will improve highway safety
As it has since 2015, Toronto continues to lead the crane count in North America, according to the Rider Levett Bucknall Crane Index for North America. The city posted a 12 per cent increase in cranes across the city in the Q1 2022 survey, even as project completions took away 18 cranes from the previous edition.
The commercial sector leads the change in the numbers, with an increase of 18 cranes. Residential and mixed-use projects also experienced growth, with a combined increase of seven cranes.
The other Canadian city in the index, Calgary, stayed consistent, losing only a single crane on its skyline. While the $634 million Calgary Event Centre has been put on hold because of concerns about cost escalation, the number of building permits is up 29 per cent year-over-year with residential projects driving the construction industry.
Across North America, there has been a 4.5 per cent increase in cranes from the previous edition of the index. Of the 14 cities surveyed: five experienced an increase; six are holding steady; and three have decreased.
The report authors say that they expect the crane count to remain steady, as many projects are experiencing delays in their schedules due to supply chain issues and construction costs continue to climb up, giving some developers hesitancy to break ground at this time.
Published twice each year, the Rider Levett Bucknall Crane Index tracks the number of operating tower cranes in 14 major cities across Canada and the U.S. A wildlife overpass crossing on the Trans-Canada Highway in the Bow Valley area, near Banff National Park in Alberta, is expected to reduce the risk of wildlife-vehicle collisions and improve safety for drivers and wildlife.
Currently being built by PME EllisDon, the wildlife crossing will be located east of Canmore near Lac Des Arcs and is the first wildlife overpass to be built outside of Banff National Park.
“This overpass will drastically reduce the chances of wildlife-vehicle collisions,” said Rajan Sawhney, Alberta’s Minister of Transportation. “The overpass will not only increase safety for the travelling public and wildlife, it will save thousands of dollars each year in property damage caused by collisions.”
Construction of the wildlife crossing is expected to be complete by fall 2023. The overpass includes 12 kilometres of wildlife fencing along the highway to help guide wildlife toward safe crossing points.
“The wildlife overpass announced today will create a safe, natural route for wildlife crossing in the Bow Valley area, preserving their well-being and protecting the lives of Albertans as they travel Highway 1,” said Jason Nixon, Minister of Environment and Parks.
Cost of the project is estimated at $17.5 million, and it will support 102 direct and indirect jobs. Roughly 30,000 vehicles travel this stretch of the Trans-Canada Highway every day, with an average of 69 vehicle-wildlife collisions annually on the highway between Banff National Park and Highway 40.
Montreal condos feature highest residential skybridge in Quebec
Graham wins contract to replace Yukon’s Nisutlin Bay Bridge
The Maestria Condominiums, being built by Groupe Devimco and its partners the Fonds immobilier de solidarite FTQand Fiera Real Estate, have reached a milestone as the developer successfully completed hoisting and installing the highest suspended skybridge ever built for a residential project in Quebec.
The skybridge will connect the two towers of the province’s largest-ever mixeduse residential megaproject, reaching across the 26th and 27th floors of 58- and 61-storey towers in Montreal.
The hoisting operation tested the limits of engineering as cranes hoisted the nearly 125,000-pound walkway structure roughly 100 metres above the ground. Executed in collaboration with NCK, Lemay, RJC Ingen-
The Yukon government’s Nisutlin Bay Bridge replacement project has been awarded to Graham Infrastructure LP for $160 million.
The new Nisutlin Bay Bridge will be the largest capital project in Yukon history. An important crossing to the community, the bridge serves as a critical transportation link for the territory. An important landmark for the community of Teslin, the bridge is a key gateway to the Yukon and a critical transportation link along the Alaska Highway.
In 2019, the Government of Yukon and the Teslin Tlingit Council signed a project charter for the bridge replacement. Originally designed in 1953, the bridge is nearing the end of its lifespan and needs to be replaced.
The new structure was designed with input from the community and in collaboration with the Teslin Tlingit Council, and is expected to create many local and First Nations jobs during its construction, which ierie, Sofab and Edyfic Construction, the lift took 1,500 person-hours to complete over a two-week period and involved more than 100 workers.
Work was painstakingly planned and implemented by specialized professionals and contractors who addressed multiple site logistics coordination issues, while also ensuring traffic safety and flow in the surrounding Quartier des Spectacles.
The skybridge will connect more than 40,000 sq. ft. of common areas in the towers, including 2,915 sq. ft. on the 26th floor, and will offer stunning panoramas of downtown Montreal and the St. Lawrence River, as well as an unparalleled view onto Place des Festivals. The $730-million megaproject, which is being built in two phases, will include 700 rental apartments and 1,042 condominium units.
will begin in the coming weeks and be complete in 2026.
In addition to being safer for drivers and pedestrians, it will accommodate increased traffic volumes and can also handle larger loads of commercial and strategic goods to supply the Yukon and Alaska.
“This project is an excellent example of the benefits provided by the Yukon First Nations Procurement Policy and will create jobs for Teslin Tlinglit community members and Yukoners,” stated Nils Clarke, Minister of Highways and Public Works for the territory. “I look forward to seeing this new bridge constructed to continue allowing travellers and goods to enter the territory while better protecting the safety of drivers and pedestrians for years to come.”
“Replacing the iconic Nisutlin Bay Bridge is a major project for our community, the largest in recent memory,” added Eric Morris, Naa Shaáde Háni of Teslin Tlingit Council. “We look forward to continuing to work with Yukon government and Graham Infrastructure LP to maximize the economic benefits for the community while minimizing the social impacts of the project.”
