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ATLANTIC CANADA
Atlantic Canada Construction News Briefs
CADCR/ACN staff writer
Memorial University medicine
faculty expansion building
nears completion
Work is nearing completion on an
six-storey building expansion to Me-
morial University’s Faculty of Medi-
cine, including a new genetic research
centre. The project, funded by the Govern-
ment of Newfoundland and Labrador
and Canada Foundation for Innova-
tion, will allow the medical school to
increase enrolment form 64 to more
than 80 students.
The Craig L. Dobbin Genetics Re-
search Centre will occupy the top two
floors of the building, focusing on
identifying genes associated with in-
herited disease.
Newfoundland-based Olympic
Construction Ltd., which has worked
on other Memorial University projects,
is the general contractor.
New Brunswick road builders
show benefits of $50 million
investment The New Brunswick Road Builders
& Heavy Construction Association has
released a Grant Thornton report that
point outs the benefits of the province
spending another $50 million on
roads. The report found that $50 million
would generate 585 new full-time
jobs, increase the province’s GDP by
$36 million, increase salaries and gen-
erate $9.5 million in tax revenues, ac-
cording to the Telegraph Journal.
WorkSafe NB reduces
assessment rates
by 16 per cent
WorkSafe New Brunswick said that
most of the employers in the province
will receive a reduced bill for their as-
sessment rates in 2014.
The average assessment rate will
be reduced by 23¢ from $1.44 in 2013
to $1.21 in 2014 per $100 of payroll.
The rates, effective Jan. 1, 2014, rep-
resent a 16% reduction—the lowest
6 – Fall 2013 — The Canadian Design and Construction Report
in Atlantic Canada.
“Our fully-funded position and de-
creasing claim costs were the major
factors in our decision to decrease the
average assessment rate for 2014,”
said Sharon Tucker.
The WorkSafe board of director’s
chair said the rate decrease will see
premiums for about 13,600 employer
operations drop or remain stable.
A continued decline in accident fre-
quency helped secure WorkSafe NB’s
fully funded 126.7% position. The
provincial accident frequency rate has
continually declined over the past few
years. The rate has dropped from 3.52 per
100 full-time equivalent (FTE) in 2006
to 2.99 in 2012.
Atlantic Developments to build
56-unit condo in Halifax
Atlantic Developments Inc. plans to
build a four-storey, 56-unit condo-
minium at the corner of Harris and
Maynard streets in Halifax, reports The
Chronicle Herald.
The building is designed by
Michael Napier Architecture. It will
feature indoor and outdoor amenity
space, including a rooftop terrace, to
go along with a mix of bachelor, one-
and two-bedroom units.
Construction will begin early next
year, with the project is expected to
be completed in 15 months.
Montague CAO says towns
require resources to examine
construction plans
Andrew Daggett, chief administra-
tive officer (CAO) of Town of Mon-
tague in Prince Edward Island, said
small communities needs the neces-
sary resources to ensure construction
projects are following all the rules, re-
ports The Guardian.
According to Daggett, the town
does not have the expertise on staff
to verify that every rule is being fol-
lowed and it is not something unique
to his town.
Daggett was responding to ques-
tions about a recent court case that
saw Kevan MacLean, who runs South-
ern Kings Construction, plead guilty in
September to a violation of the Archi-
tects Act.
The act required the use of an ar-
chitect in the design of the Riverhouse
Inn he was building in Montague and
MacLean was ordered to pay a $2,575
fine. Daggett said that unlike some of
the other municipalities there is not a
lot of development going on in Mon-
tague.“There isn’t enough work to
keep somebody on staff,” he said.
Southern Kings Construction has
been in operation for about 25 years
and has worked on several large proj-
ects, including the Montague Sobeys,
the Wyman’s blueberry plant in West
St. Peters and the UPEI School of
Nursing. Offshore oil, construction
projects triggers St. John’s
economic boom
The Canadian Press reports that
offshore oil and major construction
projects have sparked an economic
boom in St. John’s and other parts of
Newfoundland and Labrador that has
never been seen here before.
Housing prices have soared,
wages are up, unemployment is down
and restaurants and bars are among
the country’s busiest. Once consid-
ered a fiscal basket case, the province
leads economic growth forecasts this
year as investors flock to the Rock.
“It has a lot to do with the oil boom,
which is continuing,” said Al Stacey,
president of the Newfoundland and
Labrador Association of Realtors.
Houses valued five years ago at
about $150,000 are selling for almost
twice as much, while the typical price
for a three-bedroom bungalow is now
in the neighbourhood of $329,000 or
higher, Stacey said.
In prime ocean-front enclaves just
outside St. John’s, such as Concep-
tion Bay South, custom homes start-
ing at $700,000 are the new normal,
he added.