| June 11, 2004 |  |
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Wanted: Placement for Construction Technology Program Grads New Downtown Winnipeg Zoning By-Law Revised MasterFormat Finalized Ontario Construction Fatalities in 2004 |
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*Please note, WCA members
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Summer Hours are currently in effect ... (until September 7, 2004)
Mon-Thu: 7:30am - 4:00pm & Fri: 730am - 1230pm ...
Please take note:
WCA office will be closed on Thursday, July 1 for Canada Day and will reopen on Friday, July 2 at 7:30 am to 12:30 pm. ---------------------------
Upcoming Events...
WCA Spring BBQ
Come One, Come All Tuesday, June 22, 2004
At our office, located at: 290 Burnell Street
For more details, Click here...
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WCA welcomes its newest members:
SBS Projects, Winnipeg, MB
Angle Plumbing & Heating, Winkler, MB . . .
For more information regarding WCA Membership, contact: “Charlie” MacDonald (204)775-8664 or email: membership@wpgca.com
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Remember for any technical difficulties regarding the online planroom, please contact Darcy Baxter at dbaxter@wpgca.com |
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Wanted: Placement for Construction Technology Program Grads
Several of the graduates of the WCA sponsored Construction Technology program are seeking a work experience opportunity, particularly one that could lead to long-term employment. Graduation takes place on June 12, 2004. Sixteen graduates have achieved Level One Carpentry.
Graduating students are available for work on June 14, 2004. Students are available for up to 5 weeks of work experience where they are paid and covered for Workers Compensation by the training program.
If your company is interested in participating in this program, contact Debra Amos (771-7893) or Ben Phillips 782-8857 or email: edgetraining@mts.net.
New Downtown Winnipeg Zoning By-Law
Almost City Council approved
This month, City Council will officially approve a New Downtown Winnipeg Zoning By-Law. Developers will benefit from the fact that under the new by-law a property can only fall under one of four “sectors”; Multi-Use, Character, Downtown Living, and Riverbank, each of which is clearly defined in their individual Intent Statements. In contrast, the current zoning by-law (No.4800/88) requires the application of six layers of regulations to every property where over 9,000 potential combinations of regulations may apply to an individual property.
All development proposals for downtown Winnipeg are evaluated appropriately against the Downtown Winnipeg Zoning By-Law. The legislative framework for zoning regulation in Winnipeg is provided by The City of Winnipeg Charter Act, Bill 39.
Since the current downtown zoning by-law (#4800/88) was adopted by city council in March 1988, the following Downtown Winnipeg policy changes have chronologically developed:
- 1994, endorsement of CentrePlan Vision & Strategies
- 1999, endorsement of CentrePlan Development Framework
- 1999, establishment of CentreVenture Development Corporation
- 2001, Plan Winnipeg 2020 Vision adopted
- 2002, directed preparation of a simpler and clearer downtown zoning by-law by the Downtown Initiatives Committee
The new zoning regulations will ensure future development aligns with the Downtown Winnipeg policies articulated in Plan Winnipeg and CentrePlan. The downtown zoning by-law boundaries will correspond to CentreVenture Development Corporation mandate area boundaries.
Other key components of the New Downtown Zoning By-Law include:
- Land uses organized on the basis of “Use” Categories
- Simplified built form regulations
- Simplified & more explicit sign regulations
- Parking is not required to be provided in conjunction with development
- Enhanced urban design review
The New Downtown Zoning By-Law will be available on the department website with interactive features and appendices that consist of comparative tables, information maps and illustrations. Council is expected to adopt this by-law shortly after the civic election in Spring/Summer 2004.
Background and supplementary information and/or a copy of the final draft zoning by-law itself can be obtained from the Planning, Property & Development Department website at: www.winnipeg.ca/ppd/planning_downtown or from their office location at #15-30 Fort Street .
More information on the new downtown zoning by-law can be obtained by emailing Martin Sandhurst (senior planner) at msandhurst@winnipeg.ca or by phone at 986-5066.
Province accepts facilitator recommendations
On June 8, 2004, the province issued a news release announcing that they had accepted the recommendations of independent facilitator Wally Fox-Decent regarding labour management aspects of the Red River Floodway expansion project.
Essentially, Fox-Decent's recommendations are:
- anyone qualified be allowed to work on the floodway whether they belong to a union or not
- non-union workers would not be required to join a union
- non-union workers would pay a service fee equivalent to a monthly membership fee to the Manitoba Building Trades Council for all the services that the union will be rendering, including negotiating wages and services
- the project should be free of union organizing; no one should be forced to join a union
Steve Ashton, Water Steward Minister, proclaimed that Mr. Fox-Decent's recommendations represented a compromise for all parties and would now be forwarded to the Manitoba Floodway Expansion Authority for implementation.
Revised MasterFormat Finalized
The new MasterFormat specification numbering system has been released. Tender specifications adhering to the new format will now have up to 35 divisions, from the 17 divisions we have been accustomed to.
Major changes:
- "Site and Infrastructure” work moves from “Division 2” to “Divisions 31 through 35"
- Most mechanical and electrical work moves from “Divisions 15 and 16” to “Divisions 21 through 28”
- Divisions 40 through 48 are used for “Process Equipment Subgroup” – such items as “process integration” (div 40), “pollution control equipment” (div 44), “electrical power generation” (div 48), etc.
For more information, follow the link to:
CSINet: All About MasterFormat 2004 Edition.
Ontario Construction Fatalities in 2004
Take note...
Ontario’s Construction Industry has suffered ten fatalities so far this year. The leading cause of death has been attributed to falls. The leading sector is in low-rise residential construction.
(The above information is courtesy of the Kingston Construction Association (KCA), 575 Counter Street, Kingston, ON K7M 3L5, (613) 542-9431, fax (613) 542-2417, email: staff@kca.on.ca, web: www.kca.on.ca.)
CCA Surveys Federal Political Parties for Election '04
Construction Issues are Canada's Issues
The CCA surveyed Canada's leading political parties to uncover their stance on issues that pertain directly to the construction industry. Consider their responses as you make your decision leading up to election day and the fact that as a whole, our industry employs close to 1 million men and women and chalks up volumes of $123 billion annually. Construction also has been accounting for about 12 percent of Canada's GDP - a sizeable chunk for one industry. So your vote does count!
Link to CCA's Construction Industry Survey with answers from the Liberals, Conservatives & Bloc Québecois,
(no response from the NDP has been posted as of today's date.)
Statcan: Building Permits 2004
Manitoba and Winnipeg Stats
According to the "Building Permits, April 2004" report issued by Statistics Canada, nationally, the value of building permits in the non-residential sector increased by 9.5% in April to $1.4 billion. This is thanks to a strong gain in the commercial and institutional sectors that counteracted a plunge in industrial permits in April. Though compared to the average monthly level in 2003, non-residential permits remain 8.7% below last year.
Manitoba's non-residential sector's building permit value fell by 19.1% from March to April 2004. Quarterly stats (Jan-April) from 2003 to 2004 show a decline by 55.6%.
In the city of Winnipeg, non-residential building permit value was up by 2.1% from March to April 2004 but also reflected a quarterly decline of 28.4% from 2003.
Manitoba had several large scale projects like the MTS Centre and the Health Sciences centre which may account for the statistical plunge in activity from last year. Nationally, the decline is attributed to mixed economic indicators in Canada along with strength south of the border.
Edited by Jackie Petrus, WCA Construction News Reporter.
Comments or questions? Email wca@wpgca.com.