NEWS BRIEFS BRITISH COLUMBIA BC Hydro selects contractor for $1.5 billion Site C project CONSTRUCTION ACROSS CANADA are primarily represented by the Chris- tian Labour Association of Canada (CLAC). “We have encouraged BC Hydro to take the ‘open managed site’ approach to this project and today they con- firmed their commitment to ensuring that British Columbians, regardless of labour model, will be able to work on Site C,” B.C. Finance Minister Mike de Jong said. VRCA closes Abbotsford office BC Hydro has selected Peace River Hydro Partners as the preferred propo- nent for the Site C main civil works contract. Peace River Hydro Partners include ACCIONA Infrastructure Canada Inc., Petrowest Corporation and Samsung C&T Canada Ltd. The $1.5 billion main civil works contract is largest Site C construction component, and includes the con- struction of an earthfill dam, two diver- sion tunnels and a concrete foundation for the generating station and spill- ways near Fort St. John. Hydro says in a news release that the proposal is within its budget, and is included in the $8.335 billion overall cost estimate. Work under this contract is ex- pected to create approximately 8,000 person years of employment over eight years, along with business op- portunities for local, regional and Abo- riginal businesses. Approximately 1,500 people will be working on main civil works at the peak of construction, Hydro says in a news release. While main civil works is the largest Site C contract, other upcoming major construction contracts include tur- bines and generators, generating sta- tion and spillways, Highway 29 realignment, and substation and trans- mission lines. The Progressive Contractors Asso- ciation of Canada (PCA) says it sup- ports the contractor’s selection. PCA says its member companies’ workers The Vancouver Regional Construc- tion Association (VRCA) has closed its Abbotsford sub-office. “The decision follows a detailed re- view of both the volume of pedestrian traffic to the office and participation levels in programs and services of- fered at the office that confirms the majority of our members in the area derive limited value from the physical office space,” said VRCA president Fiona Famulak. “The decision to close the office has been carefully consid- ered by our board of directors and my- self and represents one that weighs the cost of the commercial space against its value to members and al- lows VRCA to reallocate resources to enhance its services to members.” VRCA says most services will be provided from the association’s Van- couver office at 3635 East 4th Ave. Some training programs and commis- sioner of oaths services will continue to be offered in KPMG’s Langley and Abbotsford offices. ALBERTA Architects explore Lacey Court revisioning and repurposing The Design Talks Institute in Calgary has discussed the future of Lacey Court, a two-storey Modern block built in 1956 in Calgary. The single-storey portion facing Central Memorial Park has already been returned to its original glory by MoDA — Modern Office Design + Ar- chitecture — that recently relocated there from Varsity Drive N.W, the Cal- 24 – January 2016 — The Canadian Design and Construction Report gary Herald reports. Named after owner John Lacey, an oil and gas consultant, arts philanthro- pist and for many years, honorary con- sul for the Kingdom of Thailand, it was designed by and was the home of Cal- gary architect J. Stevenson & Associ- ates. MoDA founders and architects Dustin Couzens and Ben Klumper say they were delighted to discover Lacey Court and are interested in restoring the structure. Edmonton artists’ high rise delayed as price tag increases to $62 million The construction of a unique down- town high rise to provide both living and working space to local artists is still at least a year away, project organ- izers have told the Edmonton Journal. The proposed Artists Quarters building would cost $62 million, an in- crease of $32 million from the original estimates. Organizers said more de- tailed designs for the structure have been completed since the concept’s first announcement in 2013. As well, an added parkade has increased the projected cost. Linda Huffman, executive director of Arts Habitat Edmonton, told the