March 12, 2010

Carrick: Canada’s net job loss of 250,000 versus U.S. decline of 8.4 million

For the fifth time in the past seven months, total employment in Canada increased, according to February’s labour market report from Statistics Canada. The latest month-over-month gain was 21,000 net new jobs.

March 12, 2010

Canem Systems awarded electrical contract for Edmonton Clinic

Seacliff Construction Corp.’s electrical and data communications contracting arm, Canem Systems, has been awarded a contract to manage electrical construction services at the Edmonton Clinic North (ECN).

March 12, 2010

New York agrees to payout for Ground Zero toxic dust victims

After years of fighting in court, lawyers representing New York City, construction companies and more than 10,000 ground zero rescue and recovery workers have agreed to a settlement that could pay up to $657.5 million to responders sickened by dust from the destroyed World Trade Center.

March 11, 2010

Carrick: Persistently high initial jobless claims in U.S. in early March

Initial jobless claims in the U.S. in the latest week, ending March 6, remained at a relatively high number: 462,000. This was a decline of only 6,000 versus the previous week’s level of 468,000.

March 10, 2010

38 states see double-digit drops in construction employment

The American construction workforce was smaller in every state in January 2010 than only 12 months earlier, according to an analysis of federal data by the Associated General Contractors of America.

March 10, 2010

SNC-Lavalin wins Venezuela engineering services contract

SNC-Lavalin has been awarded an engineering services contract for the Empresa Mixta Petromacareo Project by PDVSA Engineering & Construction, a subsidiary of Venezuela’s state-owned oil company, Petroleos de Venezuela S.A (PDVSA).

March 10, 2010

Carrick: Huge gains for North American stock markets in past year

It was a little less than a year ago (March 9, 2009) that the four major North American stock market indices sank to their low points in the recession.

March 9, 2010

Carrick: The ethno-cultural make-up of Canada, 2031 versus 2006

It’s a good idea to keep checking the Statistics Canada web site. You never know what you’ll find. Included among today’s releases by the national statistical agency is a report: Projections of the Diversity of the Canadian Population.

March 9, 2010

SNC-Lavalin awarded contract for South Africa calcium ammonium nitrate plant

SNC-Lavalin has been awarded a contract by Sasol Nitro to provide engineering, procurement and construction management services for a new calcium ammonium nitrate production plant in an existing chemical complex in Secunda, South Africa.

March 8, 2010

Carrick: Canada’s housing starts in February just under 200,000 units

Housing starts in Canada have made a remarkable recovery, according to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. The February starts level was just under 200,000 units, at 196,700 seasonally adjusted and annualized.

March 5, 2010

U.S. construction employment hits 14-year low

The U.S. construction unemployment rate jumped to 27.1 per cent and construction employment dropped to a 14-year low as another 64,000 construction workers lost jobs in February, according to new labour numbers.

March 5, 2010

RFQ issued for new courthouse in St. Thomas, Ontario

Infrastructure Ontario has issued a request for qualifications to design, build, finance and maintain a new consolidated courthouse in St. Thomas, Ont.

March 5, 2010

Carrick: Two sectors account for more than half of U.S. job losses since 2007

U.S. employment declined again in February 2010, but by only 36,000 jobs. In the worst month for employment in the recession, January of last year, the jobs decline was 780,000.

March 4, 2010

SNC-Lavalin awarded Saskatchewan carbon capture contract

SNC-Lavalin has been awarded a contract to provide engineering, procurement and construction services for SaskPower’s Boundary Dam Integrated Carbon Capture and Sequestration Demonstration Project.

March 4, 2010

Carrick: U.S. initial jobless claims report mildly encouraging

Today’s initial jobless claims report issued by the U.S. Department of Labor was mildly encouraging. The level for the latest week ending February 27th was 469,000, a decline of 29,000 from the previous Thursday.

March 3, 2010

Dominion Construction awarded two institutional construction contracts in B.C.

Seacliff Construction Corp.’s general contracting division, Dominion Construction, has been awarded two institutional construction management contracts in British Columbia worth a combined $61.8 million.

March 3, 2010

envision Group awarded contract with Buffalo Lake Metis Settlement

The envision Group’s wholly owned subsidiary, Western Construction and Combustion Service Inc., has been awarded a $2.5 million contract with the Buffalo Lake M’etis Settlement in Alberta.

March 3, 2010

Aecon posts $15.4-million profit in fourth quarter

Aecon Group Inc. earned $15.4 million in its latest quarter, weighed down by a loss on foreign exchange and a charge related to its South Rock and Lockerbie acquisitions.

March 3, 2010

U.S. construction spending dropped by $5.5 billion in January

U.S. construction spending in January fell by $5.5 billion to $884 billion, the lowest level since June 2003, according to an analysis of federal data by the Associated General Contractors of America.

March 3, 2010

Ritchie Bros. holding unreserved public equipment auction March 10-12

Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers will be conducting an unreserved public equipment auction at its permanent auction site in Edmonton from March 10 to 12.