July 9, 2010

Building Permits - May 2010

Manitoba building permit figures for the month of May were released this week. Total non-residential building permits saw a 42.60 percent spike in May from the previous month of April, ringing in at $55.1 million from $38.6 million in April. All sectors of the non-residential construction industry saw increases across the board, as noted in the chart below.

Manitoba Commercial Institutional Industrial Non-Residential

2010/April 20,701 12,047 5,885 38,633

2010/May 22,506 23,771 8,812 55,089

%Growth 8.72% 97.32% 49.74% 42.60%

Year-to-date statistics in the province as a whole show a 11.94 percent decline from totals at this time in 2009, valued at $194 million--down from $220 million. All sectors have shown moderate declines in activity.

Manitoba Commercial Institutional Industrial Non-Residential

Prior YTD 125,164 67,694 27,525 220,383

YTD 108,764 62,325 22,978 194,067

%Growth -13.10% -7.93% -16.52% -11.94%

Year-to-date building permits within the Winnipeg city limits are down less than one percent when compared to the first five months of 2009, valued at $119 million.

Winnipeg Commercial Institutional Industrial Non-Residential

Prior YTD 75,320 36,333 8,499 120,152

YTD 76,902 35,833 6,566 119,301

%Growth 2.10% -1.38% -22.74% -0.71%

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Annual WCA BBQ Draws a Crowd

WCA board members, staff and fellow members and guests of the construction industry officially kicked off the summer at WCA's annual barbeque lunch on Tuesday, June 29.

The event drew well over 400 people for the second year in a row, and is considered the best-attended barbeque ever.

Members were treated to Pork on a Bun courtesy Manitoba Pork Council, an additional assortment of foods buffet style, and ice cream treats for dessert. The soothing sounds of summer courtesy steel pan musician Clyde Heerah offered the perfect background music to complement the day's festivities.

Thank you to the WCA Entertainment Committee and WCA staff for putting on a fabulous event.

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Winnipeg Neighbourhoods Get Infrastructure Spending Boost

The Manitoba government and the City of Winnipeg are joining forces to improve Winnipeg neighbourhoods with a $10 million infrastructure spending announcement made this week.

Each level of government will contribute $5 million to the cause, as part of a new Building Communities Initiative (BCI).

"Improved recreational centres provide meeting places and healthy opportunities, and we encourage and support the positive social interactions that strengthen communities for years to come," Mayor Sam Katz told reporters at the announcement.

Some projects that have already been approved for the program include Spence Aboriginal Park, Winakwa Community Centre building renovations, and the Maples Community Club basketball courts.

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New Degree In Construction Management at Red River College

The highly anticipated Construction Management degree program at Red River College will officially get underway this fall.

Designed to help those in the skilled trades and engineering or engineering technologies bridge into further post-secondary education, the new RRC offering focuses on heavy construction, industrial/commercial construction, and residential construction. Notably, it is the first degree program approved by the provincial government since Manitoba colleges received degree-granting authority in 2009.

Combining 26 months of academic study with three, six-month, co-operative education work terms, the new program entails 144 credit hours. Students who graduate from the complete four-year program will earn a Bachelor of Technology in Construction Management. There are also three earlier exit points, which enable students to graduate with a related credential and significant applied knowledge: Year 1 (technical foundation) — Civil Technician Certificate, Year 2 (technical expertise) — Building Technician Certificate, and Year 3 (Gold Seal and management focus) — Construction Technology Diploma.

As is the case with all RRC programming, Construction Management training will be delivered by industry-experienced instructors and with a focus on practical application. It will also provide a basis for continued advancement.

“The Construction Management degree program will encompass technical foundation skills, some of the latest construction techniques, relevant work experience through co-operative education placements, and courses that lead to other credentials, such as the Canadian Construction Association Gold Seal certification, “ says Dr. Dale Watts, Dean of RRC’s School of Construction and Engineering Technologies. “With experience, graduates of this program will be well-prepared to provide leadership in the construction industry.”

And according to Jerry Johnstone, Acting Chair of the School’s Civil Engineering Technology department, the new degree program will help graduates with their transition to managerial positions within the building industry: “This program will offer focused and relevant learning that is anticipated to streamline the process of construction manager training. It will prove valuable to students by informing and helping employers to structure subsequent on-site work experience.”

With a September 2010 start date and a limited number of seats available, the program is anticipated to be popular among both recent high school graduates and those seeking to advance within the industry.

The new degree program is being introduced following extensive consultation with industry leaders about current needs. In fact, Construction Management graduates will be prepared — and counted upon — to step into high-skill positions and make an immediate contribution.

“This represents a whole new world of opportunity for students who want to pursue a career in the construction industry,” adds Dr. Watts. “There is now and will be continue to be a significant demand for qualified Construction Managers in Manitoba to address the construction industry’s needs.”

For more information about Red River College’s new Construction Management degree program, please contact:

Jerry Johnstone, Acting Department Chair, Civil Engineering Technology

E-mail: jjohnstone@rrc.mb.ca Tel: 204.632.2221

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Manitoba's Construction Labour Forecast Predicts Shortage

As reported in the June 25 WCA e-News Report, the Construction Sector Council's Construction Looking Forward labour forecast has been released and predicts the need for an additional 6,200 workers to fill new jobs developed over the eight-year period (2010-2018), plus the need for an additional 6,200 due to retirement (5,300) or mortality (900). The study predicts 6,500 new entrants will come from Manitoba's population, leaving a recruitment effort to find 7,800 from other industries or regions.

Read the full report here

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Hand-held Cellphone Ban Takes Effect July 15

Manitoba’s legislation Bill 5: Promoting Safer and Healthier Conditions in Motor Vehicles was passed last summer and will be enforced effective July 15, 2010.

That's the day police will have the power to issue you a $191 ticket for using a hand-held cellphone or texting someone while behind the wheel of a moving vehicle.

This legislation prohibits the use of hand-held cellphones, other devices with a telephone function and text-messaging devices while driving. The use of hands-free cell phones (BlueTooth etc.) while driving will continue to be permitted.

The law also allows use of a hand-held cellphone to call the police, fire or ambulance service in an emergency.

Transportation Minister Steve Ashton said police will use their discretion in how they enforce the law and when they hand out tickets, though drivers who get tickets will not be assigned demerits on their driving records. Saskatchewan and Ontario have similar bans.Under the amendments, motorists may also face a similar fine for smoking in vehicles when children under the age of 16 are present.

Read the official press release here

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WCA Education

ONLINE ORIENTATION SESSION

WCA Online Planroom & Manitoba Construction News Online

Date: Wednesday, July 14, 9-10:30 a.m.

Location: WCA - 290 Burnell St.

REGISTER HERE

Description: This session will introduce you to the new Manitoba Construction News Online pre-bid service, as well as all aspects of the Online Planroom. This includes installation, project lists, plan viewing, specs and addenda, online booking, document searching, running bulletins, keyword search and self bidding.

Also receive instruction on the Plan Viewer, which features measuring and counting tools, printing options and tricks. This session will also show you how to use and edit reports, set up a quick launch button and export information into a spreadsheet.

The Online Planroom gives WCA members access to obtain full plans, specs and addenda for over 1,800 projects per year–24 hours a day, seven days a week.

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May 2010 Building Permits

Municipalities issued building permits worth $6.0 billion in May, a 10.8% decline from April. The decline follows two consecutive monthly increases. The value of permits in May was 13.9% higher than the level in May 2009. In the commercial component, the value of permits fell 35.2% to $988 million in May following a 30.7% increase in April. Lower construction intentions were spread across a wide variety of buildings, such as office buildings, recreational, hotels and warehouses. Commercial building intentions fell in eight provinces. Read more

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Gross Domestic Product by Industry

Real GDP was unchanged in April after seven consecutive monthly increases. A large decline in retail trade and smaller declines in manufacturing and utilities were offset by increases in mining, wholesale trade and, to a lesser extent, the public sector and construction. The finance and insurance sector was unchanged. Construction was up 0.1% in April. Non-residential building construction and engineering and repair works increased, while residential construction dropped. Read more

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Reminder: Don't Forget To "Seal The Deal"

CCDC Copyright Seals are required to be used with the printed electronic versions of CCDC documents. Failing to do so could risk a potential breach of contract later on in the proceedings.

A Copyright Seal’s application is a representation that the document has not been changed from its original form, with the exception only of additions or modifications as may be set forth in supplementary conditions.

A Copyright Seal must be used on all CCDC documents to be executed from printed electronic versions. For example, if there are three copies to be executed, such as one each for the contractor, the owner and the consultant, each copy must first have a Copyright Seal before being signed. A printed electronic CCDC Document with an affixed Copyright Seal is equivalent to an original CCDC hard-copy document.

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