NEWS BRIEFS As well, home renovation and main- tenance work are also expected to an- other 900 new positions over the forecast period, it adds. Winnipeg – Construction of 19-unit affordable housing building begins with $10 million provincial social enterprises loan Construction of a three-storey, 19-unit affordable housing building commenced in February at a symbolic sod turning event at an empty lot at 150 Austin St. N. in Winnipeg’s North Point Douglas neighbourhood. “This is so exciting. We’re getting 19 new homes for inner city people,” said Sel Burrows, chair of the North Point Douglas Residents Committee. Austin Family Commons is a “dream,” said Burrows, because the project com- bines both beautiful design with input from the local community. Manitoba Housing is paying for the construction of the affordable housing units, CBC reported. At the sod turning event, Minister Saran announced the government has created a new $10 million fund that will help pay for loans to “employment fo- cused social enterprises.” Construction is expected to be com- pleted in early 2017. ONTARIO CMPX 2016 sold out The CMPX (Canadian Mechanical and Plumbing Exposition) 2016 show floor is totally “sold out” to the maximum occu- pancy allowed by the fire marshall’s of- fice, says a show spokesman. The show opens Wednesday March 16 and runs 20 – March 2016 — The Canadian Design and Construction Report CONSTRUCTION ACROSS CANADA through March 17 and 18, totally filling the 200,000 sq. ft. Metro Toronto Con- vention Centre North Building on Front St. “CMPX . . . has consistently been a sold out show, time after time, filling more than 200,000 sq. ft. of display space, hosting more than 550 exhibiting companies, presenting more than 1,000 separate exhibit booths and attracting more than 13,000 attendees,” said show chairman Gerry Cellucci of Yorkland Con- trols. “CMPX continues to be the biggest HVACR and plumbing show in Canada and it has achieved an unmatched track record over the past 40 years,” he said. “The show theme is, ‘one show – the en- tire industry’ and that is a powerful at- traction to exhibitors and attendees alike. CMPX has proven to be the most effective way to meet with the entire mechanical industry, all under one roof, for three exciting days of networking, ed- ucation and new technologies.” The show is jointly presented by The Heating, Refrigeration and Air Condition- ing Institute of Canada (HRAI) and the Canadian Institute of Plumbing and Heat- ing (CIPH). Ottawa Hospital co-ordinating procurement advisory committee with industry leaders The Ottawa Hospital is assembling an advisory committee of architectural, en- gineering and construction community leaders to suggest improvements and changes to prevent a recurrence of the procurement scandal that has resulted in negative publicity for the hospital and civil lawsuits against two former hospital employees. Names suggested for the committee reportedly include John DeVries, presi- dent and general manager of the Ottawa Construction Association (OCA), Robert Merkley of Merkley Supply Ltd., and ar- chitect Barry Hobin. Earlier story: Ottawa Hospital launches lawsuit alleging construction irregularities “It is in Cameron Love’s ‘court’ (no tennis pun intended but I like it) to final- ize and announce,” DeVries said. (Love is the hospital’s executive vice president and chief operating officer.) “I was in- volved in putting together a group of leaders and possibly one or two may not (be) on the final group so at this point I can’t tell you who I suggested as it may embarrass someone if they are not on the final group.” A hospital spokesperson said in a statement that “last month in a memo to our stakeholders and the community we confirmed that we are enhancing our procurement processes, controls and bidding practices.” “As part of our review, we will consult local industry experts and vendors to en- sure even more effective controls and the highest standards of ethical behav- iour in our bidding and procurement pro- cedures,” the hospital statement said. Industry sources report that the prob- lems only came to the surface in the past year when a former hospital em- ployee accelerated his acceptance of hospitality and travel gifts from suppliers and contractors. “It was under the radar for many years when he took, say, two trips a year,” said the observer. Then, in the final year, his expense paid vacations accelerated to the point that red flags were raised, the observer said. QUEBEC Expo Grands Travaux in Montreal April 22 and 23 Montreal’s Olympic Stadium will play host to tons of heavy iron as the massive Expo Grands Travaux returns this spring. The show on April 22 and 23 will have more than 300,000 sq. ft. of space. More than 15,000 visitors attended the last show and most of the major industry players are participating, show organiz- ers say in a news release. Online visitor registration has only been open a short time and registrations are already rolling in, the organizers say. “With exhibit sales nearly sold out and the influx of preregistered visitors to date, Expo Grands Travaux is shaping up to be a banner event,” says a news re- lease. Expo Grands Travaux allows visitors to connect with hundreds of exhibitors showing off heavy equipment at the forefront of the industry. The lineup will also include a focus on winter manage-