Residential developers slow to react to resource opportunities A showcase event designed to spotlight
development opportunities in Atikokan has produced one solid lead.
A relatively new entity, Wasaya-Dowland
Contracting, has stepped forward to talk with town officials from the
northwestern Ontario community of 3,300 to discuss ways to solve a
housing cr...
New Timmins hotels a welcome addition Trying to secure a hotel room in Timmins this year will be a bit easier with two new facilities opening their doors.Holiday Inn Express and Suites on Algonquin Avenue and Microtel Inn and Suites on Riverside Drive will be open for business early this year.The Holiday Inn will feature 108 guest room...
Condos, hotel construction begins on Thunder Bay waterfront Construction work at Thunder Bay’s
Marina Park will continue unabated this winter as a next round of
development begins.Contractors were set to pour the
foundations for a hotel and condo project in January at the Prince
Arthur's Landing project at Marina Park. Delta Hotels and Resorts was
chos...
Architecture school embraces wood construction Construction of Sudbury’s Laurentian School of Architecture is providing an opportunity to introduce a new
material, cross-laminated timber (CLT), into Ontario building
practices.In August, the Thunder Bay-based Centre
for Research and Innovation in the Bio-Economy (CRIBE) announced it
is contr...
Hotel, conference centre planned for Sudbury tower When it comes to repurposing the Pearl
Street water tower in downtown Sudbury, Jeff Perreault knows what it
won’t be: a restaurant.“I am not the restaurant guy,” he
laughed during an interview to discuss his plans for the
112-foot-tall behemoth, which was decommissioned in 1998.Instead of takin...
Group wants provincial engineer position The provincial government is being
asked to appoint a provincial engineer, similar to Ontario's chief
medical officer of health.The idea has been proposed by Denis
Dixon, president of Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO), in the wake
of the Elliot Lake mall collapse this summer.In a letter to P...
Builders’ association wants tax reno credit back The Ontario Home Builders’ Association (OHBA) is lobbying the federal government to reinstate a
home renovation tax credit, which it says will protect consumers,
while enhancing industry professionalism.Throughout 2009, the Home Renovation
Tax Credit allowed homeowners to claim up to $10,000 in ...
New building system manufactured in North A company based in Iroquois Falls wants
to revolutionize the way homes and other structures are built. Interlock Structural Panel (ISP), which began manufacturing in
November last year, is the only company that makes steel panels for a
one-step, interlocking, insulated, structural steel building...
SIS Manufacturing steels itself for global expansion SIS Manufacturing in Sault Ste. Marie
is undergoing an expansion that is poised to introduce the steel
fabrication business into new global markets.This spring, the company constructed a
brand-new 36,000-square-foot facility to fabricate locomotive
underframes and work on large welding projects...
Temiskaming company specializes in practical truck accessories New Liskeard truck driver Ray
Berthelette built his own sleeper cab 37 years ago to address the
uncomfortable resting space he and others endured on long hauls.“I built it in a small garage next to
my house,” he said. “I knew what I wanted and then I built one
for my brother.”They attracted att...
Public art is a mainstay behind Thunder Bay's waterfront revitalization Calvin Brook was a teenaged camp
counsellor at Quetico Provincial Park when he first laid eyes on
Thunder Bay.There was something about the majestic
plateaus of the NorWester Mountains overlooking sparkling Lake
Superior that left a lasting impression on the future architect and
urban designer...
Canadore College responds to industry needs Following a pent-up demand over the
past few years for specific graduates, Canadore College in North Bay
has responded by offering a new program. Civil engineering technician,
offered in the fall of 2011, is a two-year course that is filling a
requirement requested by some industries.For Tracie...
Industrial park at airport under construction With North Bay's industrial parks being
full, the city is developing land around the airport to attract new
commercial enterprises.
“There really is a need for
industrial land,” said Rick Evans, manager of the Mayor's Office of
Economic Development.
The industrial park in the Seymour
Stree...
Sudbury architecture firm shifts gears in 24th year When Sudbury-born brothers Jeff and
Chris Perry formed their own architectural firm more than two decades
ago, it was with the intention of providing a holistic, intimate
experience for clients while giving back to the community in which
they grew up.Since 1988, the brotherly duo has
quietly b...
Modular home builder eyes First Nation partnerships A First Nation-declared housing emergency in the Far North community of Attawapiskat may be a watershed event in rethinking social housing on reserves.Steve Marshall, vice-president of the Sudbury-based Morris Group of Companies, watched last month's flurry of media reports of deplorable housing co...
Suspension bridge part of 11/17 four-laning The four-laning of Highway 11/17 between Thunder Bay and Nipigon will include the construction of Ontario's first cable suspension bridge.The project, now in the design stage, is part of the 100-kilometre-long twinning of the vital North Shore highway.In proposing a new bridge spanning the Nipigon ...
Pro-development bylaw clears path for business Old school thinking in Thunder Bay is making way for a new wave of planning.For Eric Zakrewski, president of True Grit Consulting, finding a suitable space to expand was turning out to be a real headache. His growing engineering and environmental firm spent three years scoping out potential sites i...
First Nation group prepares for Far North development The Wasaya Group is bulking up to be a ready service supplier to the Ring of Fire.This fall, the Thunder Bay-based Native venture corporation announced joint ventures with a major Northern contractor and a Sioux Lookout trucking company.Wasaya has struck business partnerships with Dowland Contracti...
Sudbury builder constructing energy efficient homes Kurtis Vanwallegham takes a cerebral approach to building a home in order to offer something different than conventional construction. As owner and CEO of Innovative Green Systems (IGS) in Sudbury, he incorporates the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) system into all his projects...
Newfoundland community needs mine supply expertise The Long Harbour Development Corp. in Newfoundland wants to import the expertise of Sudbury’s mining supply and services companies.The community is the site of Vale’s $3-billion hydromet processing facility, currently under construction, and it will process nickel sulphide concentrate from Vale's V...
Build pilot program emphasizes energy efficiency Phil Monkhouse of Monkhouse Homes in Sudbury is known for emphasizing energy efficiency in his designs, but as part of a new pilot project through the Sudbury & District Home Builders' Association and its partners, he's getting to see first-hand how new technologies will enhance his custom-built ho...
Engineering shortage after recession An aging and retiring workforce, coupled with declining immigration rates, has increased the demand for engineers as the economy picks up speed.There appears to be a gap in several areas, led by civil engineers, according Daniel Young, acting CEO for the Ontario Society of Professional Engineers, a...
New standards for foreign-trained engineers New national standards to quickly recognize the credentials of foreign-trained engineers is being applauded by an Ontario professional licensing and regulatory body. Diane Finley, the federal Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development, said under a new framework, which goes into effect Dec...
Engineering new opportunities in Timmins A change in Xstrata Copper's contracting philosophy is attracting the attention of an international, multidisciplinary engineering firm looking to stretch its reach even further through Northern Ontario.As Xstrata moves away from the use of an alliance relationship with BechTel Engineering for its ...
Designing couple When Matt Ryan explains FAD Architects modern rustic approach to building design, he's drawing on his inspiration from Scandinavian architecture. Both Matt and his wife/business partner, Brenda, studied in Finland and have incorporated those European influences into their design firm's body of wor...
Ionic Engineering's ingenous knack for building By James Neeley It's the dream of most children playing with LEGOs to build innovatively designed pieces that are functional, well, at least those children who have a knack for invention. Turns out the little boy in some men never grows up and for Ionic Engineering, that's a good thing. "We've had...
RoboMap revolutionizing underground mapping By James NeeleyA shopping cart sized robot driven by a video game joystick controller is revolutionizing underground mapping in the mining industry. The Robot Mapping System, known as RoboMap, was developed and tested in partnership between Penguin Automated Systems Inc. and Vale Inco, said Greg Ba...
Debbie Hedsbee elected to PDAC board Debbie Hendsbee, Wardrop's Mining Division Manager for Business Strategy and Development, was recently elected to the board of the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada. "Debbie is an enthusiastic leader within our organization and her knowledge and fortitude will be a great benefit to the...
Sky's the limit for UAV maker These aren't your radio-controlled hobby planes anymore and a Thunder Bay entrepreneur is poised to benefit from an emerging international market. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV's), also known as drones, are catching a lot of attention for their military and surveillance applications in the world's ...
Short-term need for engineers The demand for engineers and technologists is expected to increase more than three per cent over the next two years, before hiring levels off because of the slumping North American economy. That is one of the early findings of a labour market snapshot released by two national professional regulator...
Planting seeds for First Nation growth Working with First Nation communities to build their economies and preserve their culture has been an eye-opening experience for Tony Afonso. The manager of Cook Engineering's First Nations Business Development group has developed a deeper appreciation of Aboriginal people through his relationships...
Short-term need for engineers The demand for engineers and technologists is expected to increase more than three per cent over the next two years, before hiring levels off because of the slumping North American economy. That is one of the early findings of a labour market snapshot released by two national professional regulator...
