NEWS BRIEFS
“All these projects were planned
ahead of time, and when things were
a little bit rosier,” Mwale said, noting
that while there is optimism about an
economic recovery in 2017, “a little bit
of apprehension” remains among the
city’s builders.

Slowing construction across Saska-
toon - the number of housing starts
recorded so far in 2017 trails last year’s
total by 46 per cent, while building per-
mits are down 52 per cent — has likely
been felt by the city’s residential con-
struction sector as well, Mwale said.

Statistics Canada reported last
month that Saskatchewan’s construc-
tion industry lost 4,300 of its roughly
50,000 jobs over the previous 12
months - the single biggest year over
year decline recorded by any industry
in the province.

MANITOBA Endenshaw Developments
to co-develop Winnipeg’s
SkyCity with Fortress Real
Developments Fortress Real Developments says
that the company has signed on Eden-
shaw Developments Ltd. as a co-devel-
oper on SkyCity Centre Winnipeg.

With a groundbreaking slated for
later this spring, the team has been
working behind the scenes to move
the project towards construction.

“We have been excited about this
project right out of the gates,” Fortress
chief operating officer Vince Petrozza
said in a statement. “With such a large
CONSTRUCTION ACROSS CANADA
and complex tower, we always antici-
pated the need to add a co-developer
for this project, to bring it across the
finish line. After meeting with Eden-
shaw we knew right away they were
the perfect fit for this task.”
Edenshaw, based in Toronto, is a
multi-faceted real estate company with
Winnipeg ties of its own.

“When Fortress came to us with the
proposal to work together on this proj-
ect, I was excited,” Edenshaw presi-
dent and CEO David McComb said. “I
have been in the industry for years and
developed projects in Canada’s two
major markets, Toronto and Vancouver,
but this was a unique opportunity for
me to be a part of something iconic in
a place I used to call home.”
McComb, born in Winnipeg, will
lead the consultant teams on the proj-
ect and will work with all municipal de-
partments to bring this development
through to construction and then com-
pletion. “We are thrilled to have such a pas-
sionate, experienced team join us in
this endeavour to create what we be-
lieve will become the landmark of the
city,” said Fortress president and CEO
Jawad Rathore. “The team has already
hit the ground running, and together
we are focused on delivering this
iconic tower which will add to the fab-
ric of the newly revitalized downtown.”
The 45-storey tower was brought to
market in the fall of 2015 and currently
has achieved more than 50 per cent of
the residential sales.

Red River College
announces new program
to train newcomers for
construction jobs
52 – Spring 2017 — The Canadian Design and Construction Report
A new Red River College program in
Winnipeg is providing essential lan-
guage and construction skills training
to refugees and newcomers to Mani-
toba who arrived in the past year, Man-
itoba education and training minister
Ian Wishart has announced.

“As we’ve seen in recent months,
there’s a growing need to provide sup-
port for refugees in a variety of ways
including direct employment and
labour market programming,” said
Wishart. “We commend Red River Col-
lege for its vision in developing this im-
portant program, which will link
newcomers with employment opportu-
nities and allow them to develop the
skills they need to succeed in the work-
force.” The new, four-month Pathway Pro-
gram to Construction Skills will focus
on developing essential language
skills, safety training and basic con-
struction skills training in the areas of
drywalling, masonry and flat-top roof-
ing. Following the completion of the
program, students will participate in a
paid month long, full-time work place-
ment to further refine their skills and
gain essential on the job experience,
with the goal to support long-term em-
ployment, Wishart said.

Twenty students are currently en-
rolled in the first intake of the program
from countries including Syria, Sudan
and the Democratic Republic of
Congo. A second intake is being
planned for September with similar op-
portunities in Manitoba’s construction
sector, Wishart said in a news release.

ONTARIO OCS Construction
Confidence Index
anticipates growth in 2017
The economic outlook for Ontario’s
construction industry is positive and
confidence has increased across the
province, according to findings from
the 2017 Construction Confidence Indi-
cator, an annual survey of construction
contractors conducted by the Ontario
Construction Secretariat (OCS).

With a score of 60 out of 100, the
confidence indicator reveals a majority