Smartpark

Development of Parcel E

The University of Manitoba's Smartpark Research and Technology Park has been steadily expanding for the past two years.  With a capital development budget of over $100 million, the rapid expansion has created almost a dozen multi-million dollar projects for the province's construction industry thus far.

Situated on 120 acres of land, there are currently ten tenants occupying building space while negotiations remain ongoing for the remainder of the designated land.  Parcel "E" is composed of a total of eight acres of land situated in the southwest corner of Smartpark. It is the latest section to undergo development for the construction of a research facility for Innovative Magnetic Resonance Imaging Systems Inc (IMRIS).  There are 3 remaining building lots in Parcel E that are currently vacant. 

A $25 million facility that is soon to see construction get underway is the Richardson Centre for Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals.  It will be built in the northeast corner of the park, across from Cangene.  That still leaves One Research Road on the market for future development.

For the latest news and information regarding Smartpark, visit their website at www.umanitoba.ca/research/smartpark.

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Non-Residential Building Construction

Second quarter 2004, Released by Statcan

Nationally, investment in non-residential building construction rose slightly by 0.5% for its second consecutive quarter, standing at $6.7 billion. Investment in this sector set a mid-year record of $13.3 billion, an increase from last year by 2.2%. Manitoba saw a decline of 3.5% in investment in non-residential construction from the first quarter to the second quarter of 2004.

The overall increase is attributed to growth in the construction of health care facilities which has surpassed educational buildings as the leader in institutional investment.  As well, the commercial sector has rebounded with more investment in retail and entertainment establishments. The only sector to have investment decline was seen in industrial construction investment. Manitoba closed the second quarter of non-residential building construction investment at $248 million.

(Statistics courtesy of Statistics Canada, Investment in non-residential building construction, Second quarter 2004, published July 12, 2004.)

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CCA News:

Labour Relations Conference Set for November in Montreal

The Canadian Construction Association’s biennial Labour Relations Conference is in the final planning stages. The 2004 Conference is scheduled for Montreal’s downtown Sheraton Hotel on November 4-5th, 2004. The program at this point is still tentative only; however, it is shaping up to be a very full program. Key sessions include a review of the Apprenticeship Promotion activities being undertaken by the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum, the ongoing Labour Market Information (LMI) project which is expected to fill the void with respect to both the supply and demand sides of human resource projections for the pan-Canadian construction industry. The keynote speaker for the conference will allow for a presentation from the International President of either the Labourer’s Union or the United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters. A session on developments in the British Columbia training culture will be highlighted with the Chairwoman of the provincial Industrial Training Authority leading off a panel discussion on the BC approach to training. Also expected on the panel will be contractors representing the union and non-union views, the building trades perspective and a commentary from a former chair of the Alberta Apprenticeship Board. Other sessions include an informative presentation on the system of industrial relations system in Quebec; Safety issues; Personal Information Protection and electronic documents Act; and
regular sessions as well.

Please mark the above dates on your calendar so you won’t miss this key industry labour relations event.

Gold Seal Considering On-going Education Requirement

Arising from the Gold Seal Information Session at the 2004 CCA Annual General Meeting was a request that the Committee implement an ongoing education requirement for GSC’s. It was reported that the lack of a continuing education requirement is a growing concern in the industry, and the Gold Seal Program will be perceived to be of even greater value if there is a mandatory annual education requirement of construction management professionals.

An ongoing educational component will assist in reaffirming the professionalism of the designation and help ensure

that Gold Seal Certification is synonymous with life-long
learning. In order to implement such a requirement for certificate holders, there must be available educational courses to which GSC’s have access. To that end, the Committee will investigate the availability of seminar type courses and events that can be used in this instance. The e-learning delivery platform will provide an excellent vehicle by which future short-term programs can be offered.

(Information courtesy of CCA National Newsletter, July 2004)

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Edited by Jackie Petrus, WCA Construction News Reporter. 

Comments or questions?  Email wca@wpgca.com.

Copyright of Winnipeg Construction Association © 2004.

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