Toronto’s Massey Hall Legacy

What's the future; What's the foundation By Marc Paoliello, P.Eng., Deep Foundations Contractors Inc. This article originally appeared in Foundation Drilling magazine, the official publication of ADSC: the International Association of Foundation Drilling. It is reprinted with permission. Is Toronto in the midst of a cultural renaissance? As Canada's largest urban centre at just over 6 million people, the population has grown since 1834, overtaking Chicago to become North America's fourth most populous city. Toronto's longstanding institutions are undergoing massive overhauls to meet the demands of a quickly changing metropolitan area.

The Western Canada Piledrivers Training Centre

The Centre's three-year program is geared to making its graduates knowledgeable about the many different aspects of the pile driving industry By Lisa Kopochinski Although the Western Canada Piledrivers Training Centre is relatively new - it opened in 2009 - the program boasts an impressive success rate with 95 per cent of its students graduating.

Joining Forces for a Stronger Future

The evolution of Northstar Sharp's Foundation Specialists By Deb Smith Two of Alberta's most respected names in deep foundations have amalgamated to form one comprehensive solution to Western Canada's foundation construction industry: Northstar Sharp's Foundation Specialists. For more than 30 years, Sharp's Construction Services Ltd. operated as a specialized sub-contractor out of Leduc, Alta. They provided foundation solutions across Canada specializing in large-diameter drilling and concrete piles. Meanwhile, established in 2005 in Clairmont, Alta., Northstar Energy Services Inc. focused on driven and helical piling,

Precision Positioning

Alva Construction Ltd. streamlines pile driving with new visualization and control system By Judith Powers As Alva Construction Ltd. Of Antigonish, N.S. began the timber pile component of a major project to replace the fishing wharf at Little Dover, N.S., engineering manager Reg Tramble was looking for a machine control system that would streamline the placement of the piles. The job involved driving 180 timber piles - 132 bearing or vertical piles and 48 batter piles in the L-shaped pile work wharf section.

Meet a Piling Professional

Darrell Hawk, Pile Drivers, Divers, Bridge, Dock and Wharf Builders Local 2404 Describe your current job. I'm the financial secretary/business manager for Pile Drivers, Divers Local 2404. My other duties include training the director and chair of our Pension/Health and Welfare Committee.

Fair and Consistent

The duty of good faith in contractual performance By Dean G. Giles, Fillmore Riley LLP A 2014 decision of the Supreme Court of Canada dealing with the question of good faith contractual performance, and a more recent lower court decision that applies its reasoning, could have a significant impact on the way in which contracts created as part of the tendering process are interpreted.

Muscling into the Canadian Market

Filling Canada's need for piling products By Jennifer Paterson American Muscle Docks & Fabrication has its roots in the fabrication business - it was born from an amalgamation between Valley Manufacturing, a metal fabricating and stamping company, and Follansbee Dock Systems, which it purchased in 2012.

Walk the Talk

TEI Rock Drills in committed to quality and performance By Kelly Gray Drilling rock is hard work. Harder still can be making the equipment that has to pass the test in the field. Since 1980, TEI Rock Drills has been passing this test thanks to winning technology, a custom approach and a “get-'er-done” attitude born from founder Bill Patterson's desire to do things better. Today, Patterson's family business is a world-leading manufacturer of drilling attachments, limited access drills and drill rig components.

Piling in a Protected Park

Cyntech Canada uses a specialized technique in Banff National Park By Jon Waldman Working in the piling industry, a company can be faced with a number of projects that are unique. While each job has its own dynamics, there are some that stand out as being different from the “norm” that one might see in a downtown Canadian city or in rural centres across our country.

Saskatoon Civic Operations Centre

Upgrading Saskatoon's transit By Austin Wilson and John Wilson The city of Saskatoon, Sask. has many nicknames, including “The Hub City.” Historically this nickname arose because Canadian farmers brought their year's harvest to Saskatoon for shipping. The city still plays a vital role in the distribution of goods, acting as a hub to connect key highways, railways and the busiest airport in Canada.

Port of Oshawa East Wharf Consolidation Project

Allowing the port to handle more cargo, create new business opportunities and jobs By Lisa Kopochinski After several years of extensive revitalization, the Port of Oshawa is maintaining its spot as the city's shining star. Work has completed on the east wharf consolidation and rail spur projects - both which will provide an additional berth for ships and allow the port to handle more cargo, create new business opportunities and jobs.

Don’t Cry Over Spilled Lubricants

The Impact of environmentally acceptable lubricants in pile driving applications By Matt Houston. RSC Bio Solutions The pile driving industry is at a crossroads. As regulations become more stringent and performance is increasingly paramount, organizations are feeling the pinch to be both compliant and perform at their peak. Equipment failures, spills and leaks are followed by costly fines, cleanup fees and increased downtime - further emphasizing compliance concerns and public scrutiny over environmental impact.

Leaner, Meaner, Greener

Overcoming environmental challenges By Sarah B. Hood Compared to many sectors, pile driving has a relatively light impact on the environment. “For most land-based piling applications, we're installing untreated steel, concrete or timber, so the environmental challenges are limited,” said Colin Kaufmann, project manager with West Shore Constructors Ltd. of North Vancouver. “But when we're working with treated or coated materials, or near watercourses, we have a greater potential to impact the environment. While some of our responses to these challenges are prescribed by the regulatory agencies, at other times we must provide our own solutions to those challenges.”

Packing a Powerful Punch

Liebherr's new piling and drilling rig's size, stability and high performance specifications open a new dimension for deep foundation jobs By Barb Feldman Liebherr's new LRB 355 piling and drilling rig, first introduced this spring in Nenzing, Austria, will be available in Canada later this year through Liebherr-Canada Ltd. The latest model in Liebherr's LRB series (for “Liebherr Ramm- und Bohrgerät,” or, in English, “Liebherr piling and drilling rig”), the LRB 355 has the series' highest performance specifications so far, says Tobias Froehlich, marketing and communication manager at Liebherr Nenzing, and is unique in terms of performance.

Harper Government expands training and skills development opportunities for women

Industry News

Kelly Tractor Co. introduces IMT AF300E hydraulic drilling rig to North America

Industry News

Trade contractors perform more than 80 per cent of construction work in Canada

Industry News

Meet a Piling Professional

Louis Frits, P. Eng., Bermingham Foundation Solutions Describe your current job at Bermingham.Describe your current job at Bermingham.Louis Fritz: I'm a sales engineer - what I do is sell equipment that we engineer and manufacture. The area I cover is all of Canada, and the northeastern and northwestern U.S.