that it has issued a request for tender for the construction of a perimeter ac- cess road, the relocation of utilities and the placement of fill on the site of the Canadian inspection plaza site for the new Gordie Howe International Bridge. The work will prepare the Canadian inspection plaza site for construction by a private-sector partner to be cho- sen later. “Over the past 10 months, the WDBA board of directors has put in place a team of executives, profes- sionals and advisors with the domain expertise required to enable us to launch today’s first construction ten- der,” says bridge authority chair Mark McQueen. “The Canadian inspection plaza is the key first component of the larger procurement process.” “Our team is doing all it can to en- sure the new publicly-owned bridge between Windsor, Ontario and Detroit, Michigan is open as soon as possible,” he said. “The completion of these early works activities will help ensure that the project remains on track.” “The WDBA team has been work- ing closely with the City of Windsor, utility companies and regulatory au- thorities to bring this tender package to the market,” says bridge authority CEO Michael Cautillo. “We are pleased to take this significant step toward ful- filling our mandate of delivering the Gordie Howe International Bridge.” Officials say the WDBA is commit- ted to a fair, open and transparent process for the selection of contrac- tors. The request for tenders is posted on MERX and can be viewed at www.merx.com. QUEBEC Retirement home boom anticipated Canada will soon experience a boom in constructing seniors' retire- ment homes, says Luc Maurice, a Que- bec developer spending $1 billion on new projects. Radio station CJAD reported that Maurice believes there is a need for at least $3 billion a year in investment across the country to build and up- grade retirement homes. Porta Potties to be replaced by running-water toilets on larger construction sites It took 12 years, but the Quebec Labour Federation (FTQ) has finally won its request for a change requiring real toilets with running water and heating on construction sites. Under new rules, workers on sites with more than 25 workers will no longer be forced to use chemical porta- potties. Quebec has been the last North American jurisdiction to adopt the rule. FTQ director general Yves Ouellet told the CBC the union first requested the rule change in 2003. M MAKE E H HERCULES S S SLR R AN N E ESSENTIAL L A K E R C U L E L A S S E N AIT P PART T O OF F YOUR R WORKPLACE. E . A R Y O U W O R K P L AC H Hercules s SLR R i is s a n national a l s supplier eilp r of o f cre elu S L oita n u p s securing, l,g lifting g and d rigging g equipment, ,tn e cu r in tfi in a n r gi g in e q u ip m e a and d a trusted d provider e r of o f s safety tefa y training g n t ur ets p or iv di t niniar h herculesslr.com cre elu ss c.rl om The Canadian Design and Construction Report — July-August 2015 – 13