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FEBRUARY 2011 VOL. 7 NO. 2

CONSTRUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2EDUCATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 + 7NEW PRODUCTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6LANDSCAPING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10TRANSPORTATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11ROAD BUILDERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

DEPARTMENTS

By ASHLEY THOMPSON •Hants JournalThe Canadian Gypsum Company’sWindsor (Nova Scotia) plant, knownto locals as Fundy Gypsum, is throw-ing in the towel — for now.

Story on page 2

WINDSORGYPSUM PLANTMOTHBALLED

HIRING OF LOCALTRADES PEOPLE

HOUSE AD??

New roads are supposed to last for 15 yearsbefore they need repaving and recap projectshave an expected lifespan of 10-12 years.But if the temperature of the asphalt varies

toomanydegreeswhen themat is laid the roadwill deteriorate faster. If the asphalt is too coldits viscosity increases and the layers do notcompact properly. This temperature segrega-tion creates porous and vulnerable sectionsthat allow water to infiltrate the pavedmat.And repaving is expensive.For quality control contractors generally

rely on analog thermometers thatmeasure thetemperature in one spot. But some provinces

are using Infrared Thermal Imaging.Infrared cameras take photographs that

measure the temperature of the asphaltthroughout the entire paving train. The tech-nology can determine temperatures from -20ºC to 2000ºC and detect changes of close to0.2ºC.New Brunswick Department of Trans-

portation Paving Engineer Terry Hughes had“considered using infrared technology to im-prove the quality of asphalt concretewhich re-sults in longer lasting pavement.” One of hisresponsibilities is to“check out jobswith qual-ity issues. I have to look at the segregation andsee howbad it is—minor,major or severe.Thiscamera could do that for us.”

He explained, “Temperature segregation ismore of an issue in colderweather. In summersome coarse areas in the stone separate fromthe sand. Generally we have lower tempera-tures in the coarse areas versus a homogeneousmix. I think we can identify them with thecamera.”The Paving Engineer was very interested

whenGordonMelvin ofMeltechThermal Im-aging Inc. in Moncton proposed the use of athermal imaging camera to improve the qual-ity of asphalt mats. “The department wasaware of other jurisdictions using the technol-ogy and decided to implement a province-wide trial project to evaluate the effectivenessof the camera.”

Continued on page 14

By HEATHER JONES

Improving asphalt concrete quality inNew Brunswick with infrared imaging

PAVINGTRAIN

A paving train works on a New Brunswick road. Last year the NB Department of Transportation implemented a province-wide trial project to evaluate the effectiveness of in-frared technology to improve the quality of asphalt concrete. (Photo: New Brunswick Department of Transportation)

Truro Daily News[Truro, NS]—Truro council is hoping localtrades people will be given more consid-eration for any future infrastructure proj-ects conducted within the town.

Story on page 2

By DIANE CROCKER •The Western Star[Corner Brook, NL]—The City of CornerBrook (Newfoundland & Labrador) is re-viewing its residential, commercial and sub-division construction procedures and isseeking input on the process.

Story on page 3

CITY WANTS INPUTON PROCEDURES

By AETHNE HINCHLIFFE •The Gulf News[Port Aux Basques, NL]— Many peoplethroughout Port aux Basques (Newfound-land & Labrador) stood gazing out to seaJan. 5 watching the MV Blue Putteesmake its first arrival.

Story on page 11

MV BLUE PUTTEESDRAWS RAVE REVIEWS

2 February 2011 | THE AC&TJ | Construction

The Canadian Gypsum Company’sWindsor (Nova Scotia) plant, known tolocals as Fundy Gypsum, is throwing in

the towel — for now.Mike Bishop, plant manager at the CGC

Windsor Plant, said operations at the plantare “idling… indefinitely,” until the marketsreturn. This, he says, means about 45 em-ployees will be laid off effective Feb. 28.“There will be a small crew left behind for

security and minor maintenance,” saidBishop, adding that about 10 people will beneeded to fulfill these duties.The affected employees learned of CGC’s

decision to cease operations at the Windsorplant Friday, Jan. 21.“We’re not abandoning the property; we’re

leaving the assets in place,” Bishop said.“We remain optimistic that there will be a

recovery in the North American constructionmarket and we will be able to participate inthat.”Bishop says the employees reacted to the

news of the closure as one would expect.“Nothing that’s happening here has any-

thing to do with their abilities, nor the workthey put in,” he said.

“It’s simply a case of having no marketright now.”Bishop says CGC is losing a skilled work-

force. He says if operations resume, the laidoff employees will certainly be consideredwhen, and if, they start recruiting employeesagain.“We’ve been here a long time. This was a

difficult decision and one we didn’t takelightly,” Bishop said.CGC’sWindsor plant is spread throughout

three locations. TheWentworth Road quarry,Miller Creek quarry and ship-loading opera-tions in Hantsport will all be idle as of Feb.28.HantsportMayorWayne Folker said he be-

lieves the plants’ closure is in response to anunpredictable housing market in the UnitedStates.“We’ve seen very (few) ships in here, al-

though there was one Jan. 2.”Folker said the company contributes a sig-

nificant amount of tax dollars to Hantsportand he is anxious to learn more about theshort-range effects of the plant remaining idlefor an unknown period of time.Folker said he, and Hantsport’s CAO Jeff

Lawrence, will be meeting with representa-tives from the company soon.He said he can’t

By ASHLEY THOMPSON Hants Journal

Windsor gypsum plant ceasing operations

Forty-five Fundy Gypsum employees will be out of work at the end of February due to lay-offs. (Photo: The Hants Jour-nal)

[Truro,NS]—Truro council is hoping localtrades people will be given more considera-tion for any future infrastructure projectsconducted within the town.A resolution approved at council this week

"encourages (that) local hire provisions be en-trenched in provincial infrastructure projectcontracts to ensure the most benefit for Truroand other Nova Scotia communities.""What is means is that you are encouraging

people doing work to look to the area for localpeople," Councillor Ray Tynes said, duringthis week's (Jan. 14) council meeting. "A lotof business we do is with outside companiesand where we can supply locally we do. Andthat is the intent of this."During discussion on the issue, council

heard from Kathy Pike, the president of the

Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island Re-gional Council of Carpenters, regarding aQuebec company that had a long-term con-tract to do bridge work in the Antigonisharea.After learning that no local trades peoplewere working on the project, the companywas approached to see if they if any local peo-ple could be hired. The company declined thesuggestion.Given that federal/provincial infrastruc-

ture money is also supposed to used for localjob creation,Hynes began exploring the issuemore than a year ago with the aim of addingsome type of provision to encourage localhires.Tynes said he would ultimately like to see

such provisions adopted by all Nova Scotiamunicipalities and eventually brought to thefederal level by the Union of Nova ScotiaMu-nicipalities.

Truro Daily News

Resolution 'encourages' hiring of localtrades people on infrastructure projects

really speak to how the plant’s closure will di-rectly impact the Town of Hantsport untilafter the meeting, but he says the company’sdecision to hang on to their assets is signifi-cant.

“As long as the equipment and all that ishere, it’s not as bleak as one would think,” saidFolker, adding that it is a sign the companyfeels it is possible operations at the plantcould one day resume.

[Summerside, PEI]—New housing took ajump in Summerside (Prince Edward Island)last month (December), but some local devel-opers say the figuresmay give some false hope.The city saw a significant increase in multi-

ple-unit construction in December 2010, ac-cording to a recent report from the CanadianMortgage and Housing Corporation(CMHC).Ten units were started in Summerside last

month, compared to no starts in December2009.But while the outlook for rental properties

is strong, local developer Peter Brown is moreconcerned with a lack of single-family homeconstruction."The rental market indicates transitional

people and,while that's very strong, economic-wise it may not be a good indicator of growthin the city," said Brown."To some degree,we're replacing older stock

with newer options for the renters and mov-ing people around, but I'm suspicious thatwe're not getting any new growth or job cre-ation."Both Summerside and Charlottetown saw

an increase in new development in December,however year-to-date housing starts were still14.6 per cent below 2009 numbers.StevenMalayny, owner of Royal LePage real

estate in Summerside, said seniors have beenselling their houses and moving into apart-ments. The poor economy,however,meant notmany people were in the market to buy thosehomes."We need new younger people and new jobscoming to the area to fill that need," Malaynysaid. "We need somemore immigration to getsome fresh blood here. The majority of whatwe see is people retiring here for a better way oflife and they're attracted by the lower cost ofliving and the quieter way of life in a town-house or a senior type of home."

Continued on page 7

By STEPHEN BRUN Journal Pioneer

Construction trends may be cause for worry

3Construction | THE AC&TJ | February 2011

The Atlantic Construction & Transportation Journal is published quarterly by Transcontinental Specialty Publications/Holiday Media (Atlantic Region),a division of Transcontinental Media Inc. The opinions expressed in the Atlantic Construction & Transportation Journal are those of the authors anddo not represent the official views of Transcontinental Specialty Publications/Holiday Media or its management. The Atlantic Construction &Transportation Journal and its contributors can accept no legal responsibility for loss through any error in information contained herein. Contentsof the Atlantic Construction & Transportation Journal may not be reproduced without written consent of the publisher, who accepts no responsibil-ity for unsolicited manuscripts, transparencies and other material. The publisher is not responsible for statements or claims by advertisers.

Mailed under Canada Post Publications Mail Agreement No. 40064924

Transcontinental Specialty PublicationsPublished by . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Transcontinental Inc.Produced by . . . . . . . . Transcontinental Specialty Publications/Holiday MediaVice President Local Community Group. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Stephane GagnePublisher/General Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jeff NearingACTJ Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Heather JonesSales Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Henry FlowersSales Executive . . . . . . . . . . . .Scott Higgins (scott.higgins@transcontinental.ca)ACTJ Graphic Designer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dave Schaffner

The Atlantic Construction & Transportation Journal1888 Brunswick Street, Suite 609, Halifax, NS, B3J 3J8Phone: (902) 468-8027 Fax: (902) 468-2425Return undeliverable addresses to:Transcontinental Specialty Publications/Holiday Media1888 Brunswick Street, Suite 609, Halifax, NS, B3J 3J8Publications Mail Reg # 7145

www.transcontinental-media.com

ACTJ Traffic Coordinator. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Maureen Hickey

[Corner Brook, NL]—The City of CornerBrook (Newfoundland & Labrador) is re-viewing its residential, commercial and sub-division construction procedures and isseeking input on the process.The city has scheduled a forum for Feb. 16

to hear from construction professionals, de-velopers, consultants, engineers and otherinterested parties.Paul Barnable said this is the fourth year

the city has reviewed its procedures, andconsulting with those involved in the indus-try is an important part of the process.Barnable is the city’s director of commu-

nity services. The residential, commercialand subdivision construction procedures fallunder his department’s development and in-spection section.“While there are some changes that we

will propose to our subdivision standards, atthe same time we want to consult with peo-ple in the business to get some feedback fromthem about changes that we propose, butalso changes that they would like to see goingforward.”Barnable said this is the perfect time for

the consultation, just ahead of the start of thenew construction season.Darren Brake, is the president of K.S.A.B.

Group.His company deals in not only in new

home construction but also real estate andhe plans to have representation at the meet-ing. Brake said he’d like to see some changesin the way business is done when it comes tonew developments in the city.“They just got to start approving some de-

velopments, they just turn down too manydevelopments.“Why is it we only build 40 houses a year

and a municipality that is 50 kilometres awayfrom us, a quarter the size of us,” he said re-ferring to Deer Lake “is building more thanCorner Brook. There’s something wrong.”Brake’s voice is filled with frustration

when he talks of the numerous applicationsfor developments that he has had turneddown. One in particular, a 150 affordablehome development.“They turned it down flat, said the city is

not ready for it.”But Brake said we’re now in a prime buy-

ing time with interest rates at their lowestand wonders what will happen in the future.“What’s going to happen when interest

rates creep up to 9, 10, 12 per cent,” he said.“I mean there’s going to be no relief aroundthe city for affordable housing, for peoplethat can’t afford their existing houses.”He blames the management of the city for

the problems.“The seem to find ways to turn things

down rather than find ways to approve them.

They’re not a proactive bunch.“You write whatever procedures you want,

if management says they don’t want a devel-opment it goes nowhere,” said Brake.“There’s no development, there’s not

enough, the city should be doing 100, 150houses a year, the demand is there.”He said there is a lack of available land in

the city and wonders why that is so as the de-mand is there.He said the time it takes to get construc-

tion permits is also a problem, noting it re-cently took a month from the time hedropped off an application to the time he re-ceived the call to say the permit was ready.He questions how things can change.On the agendaOne topic the city plans to discuss at the

forum is lot grading.About four years ago the city brought in

new requirements on lot grading and therehave been some problems with the type ofdocumentation required before a lot can beapproved for construction.Barnable said developers know about the

criteria that has to be met, but there’s not alot of clarity on what it is they have to submitto satisfy those requirements.He said the city wants to clarify that and

plans to offer some templates to demonstratethe proper documentation.The department also wants to get some

feedback on its landscaping standards fornew properties and to discuss proposed stan-dards for existing properties.Barnable said if you were to build in the

Sunnyslope area today you would be re-quired to have landscaping done in the frontand rear of your property prior to occu-pancy.This requirement was brought in last year

and the city wants to get some feedback onhow that’s been working.Ten years ago there was no requirement,

and Barnable said there are still propertiesout there that do not have landscaping in thefront and rear and that includes residentialand commercial properties.He said the city “is looking at the possi-

bility of bringing in a standard that all resi-dential and commercial properties in the citymust be landscaped front and rear.”Barnable said there are a lot of properties

out there with drainage issues because theyaren’t landscaped and they are causing prob-lems for the city and for adjacent properties.He said the requirements wouldn’t be the

same as for a new lot in terms of grading, butwould require property owners to providecover in the form or seed or sod. If this stan-dard goes through, Barnable said it would bephased in to give people time to comply.The Feb. 16 meeting will be held from 7

p.m.-9 p.m. at the Pepsi Centre.

By DIANE CROCKER The Western Star

City wants input on construction procedures

A crane stands the first concrete wall panel of a new high school in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia into place on Jan. 5.Within two weeks it was expected that all of exterior walls of the building would be standing. (Photo: TinaComeau/The Vanguard)

A 165-ton crawler crane toppled over the morning of Jan. 28 during construction of the new high school at thetop of Forest Street in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. No injuries were reported. (Photo: Carla Allen/The Vanguard)

February 2011| THE AC&TJ | Construction | Education44

Agroup of female students at Charlot-tetown Rural High School are partic-ipating in a unique program aimed at

increasing the number of girls learningskilled trades.“The all-female carpentry class is a pilot

project designed to address the shortage offemale students choosing to engage in Ca-reer and Technical Education (CTE) pro-grams,” said Prince Edward IslandEducation and Early Childhood Develop-

ment Minister Doug Currie.The department is working with the

Eastern School District and the school topilot an all-female 701A-Introduction toCarpentry. 701A is the prerequisite for thenext five carpentry courses at the highschool level.The new curriculum, open to all PEI stu-

dents, contains information and ideas forteachers to make their programs gender eq-uitable. CTE programs have historically

been designed to meet the needs of malestudents. There are also very few femaleCTE teachers or role models for girls, andfemales are under-represented in industry.The objective of the course is to expose

students to occupations available in theskilled trades. The department’s goal is toeventually offer this program at other Islandhigh schools and increase the number ofgirls who enroll in high school carpentrycourses.

“Females are one of the largest untappeddemographics in the skilled trades,” said IanHogg, CTE teacher at Charlottetown Rural.“Research indicates that when female stu-dents are part of a mixed, skilled-trade classand the instructor asks the student to en-gage in hands-on activity, girls tend to takea step back and the boys step up.”For further information, contact the CTE

specialists at 902-438-4130 or visit:www.gov.pe.ca/eecd/CareerEducation.

PEI school introduces all-female carpentry class

Agroupof unemployed Islandershave anopportunity to develop construction skillswhile redeveloping Summerside propertiesunder a new SkillsPEI program.Up to 10 people will be hired for a 14-

week work term and given the chance towork on important business projects in-cluding theHolmanBuilding and theWaterStreet incubatormall.Theywill be employedunder a job experience partnership betweenthe Summerside Regional DevelopmentCorporation (SRDC) and the Departmentof Innovation andAdvanced Learning.“By working with experienced supervi-

sors from the construction industry, theseprogramparticipantswill have the chance toacquire construction skills including car-pentry, electricalwork andbricklaying,”saidInnovation and Advanced Learning Minis-

ter Allan Campbell. “We expect that formanyof theprogramparticipants this expe-rience could be the beginning of a career inthe construction industry.”“Theprojectwill provideparticipants real

hands-on experience in their selected tradeof choicewhile at the same timedemonstratetheir interest, desire and skill to future po-tential trades employers,” said SRDC Gen-eralManager Arnold Croken.The expected cost of the project is

$255,000 ($225,000 from SkillsPEI and$30,000 from SRDC) and it is open to un-employed persons who are not eligible foremployment insurance. Support for theproject is beingprovidedby SkillsPEI,underthe Labour Market Agreement – a joint ef-fort of the federal and provincial govern-ments.

Workers gain skills while renovatingSummerside landmarks

Prince Edward Island Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Doug Currie and Career and Tech-nical Education teacher Ian Hogg meet with Lyndsay Clow (left) and Monique MacLeod (right), two of the studentsparticipating in the new all-female carpentry class at Charlottetown Rural High School. (Photo: Brian Simpson,Provincial Photographer)

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Construction | THE AC&TJ | February 2011 55

AmidDecember stormthatdumpedasmuchas138mmof rain inparts of CapeBretoncausedan estimated $3.9 million in damages to road-way infrastructure.The weather bomb impacted roads and

bridges throughout Inverness andVictoria coun-ties in the Cape Breton highlands.Numerous roads and bridges were closed be-

cause of storm surges and flooding. After thefloodwaters subsided, it was determined that 21bridges had “sustained varying levels of damagerequiring repairs,”saidCathyMacIssac,commu-nications director for the Nova Scotia Depart-ment of Transportation and InfrastructureRenewal.“There were also “numerous shoulder and

gravel roadwashouts in both Inverness andVic-toria counties,” saidMacIsaac.Over 75 sites sus-tained damage.Theprovincehaspegged the cost of the storm

at$3.9million,MacIsaac said,not countingdam-ages to the federal portion of the Cabot Trail be-

tweenNeilsHarbour andCapeNorth.Aprovin-cial section inMargaree also required repairsduetomudslide and flooding.“Repairs areongoing throughwinterwithap-

proximately60per centnowcomplete,”MacIsaacsaidFeb.4.“The remainderwill be completed thisspring.”Shenoted the“vastmajorityof the repairwork

to date has been contracted.”Upcoming tendersinclude “some of the non critical repairs likegravel patching, ditching and armour stonework.”The province is currently “working through

theprocess”todeterminewhether theDecemberstormqualifies for federal disaster assistance andis working with Environment Canada to estab-lish the disaster area.“Based on the early damage estimates it is

likely that some disaster assistance from the fed-eral government will be needed,”MacIsaac said.All roadsaffectedby theDecember stormhave

since re-opened.The ThirdChapel Bridge is stillclosed and requires replacement. The work isscheduled to be completed by early spring.

By KATHY JOHNSON

Cape Breton washed outby mid-December storm

After 32 years in service, the Codroy Valley’s Bailey Bridge in Newfoundland & Labrador has been closed. Resi-dents of the region recently formed a committee to have the bridge restored. (Photo: Gordon Cormier/The West-ern Star)

Numerous bridges in Cape Breton were damaged when a mid-December storm dumped 138 mm of rain on the re-gion. (Photo: Nova Scotia Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal)

The bridge between Clair, New Brunswick and Fort Kent, Maine will be replaced by the provincial and state gov-ernments. NB Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Claude Williams (left) is shown with and Madawaska-les-Lacs MLA Yvon Bonenfant at the existing Clair-Fort Kent bridge. (Photo: Communications New Brunswick.)

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6 February 2011 | THE AC&TJ | Construction | New Products

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The next time you see a bulldozer on a con-struction site, look a little closer and you mightsee some subtle, but significant changes.But youwill have to lift up the Cab of the Cat

D7E to notice the differences.“It still looks like a bulldozer,” smiles Pierre

Poulain, Product Support Operations ManagerforAtlantic Cat.“It just runs a little differently.”As theworld’s first electric dozer, themachine

is ahybridof sorts,combiningadiesel engineandan electric generator to produce propulsion.Unlike other “green” vehicles, however, the

D7Edoesn’t require abattery togatheror expendenergy. Instead, it is based on a process called adiesel-electric hybrid power train.“It makes for significant improvements in

overall productivity, efficiency, stability and sus-tainability,” explains Poulain,“particularly whenit comes to directional shifting.”To that end,henotes that thenewunitwasde-

signed primarily for use in construction envi-ronments.“These jobs are often in close-quarterconditions and require both power andmaneu-verability.”Poulain points to the use of a single lift cylin-

der instead of a traditional dual-cylinder systemas being the big difference. “The single-cylindersystemuses less thanhalf of thecomponents thanthe traditional units. Those pieces are larger,stronger and showgreater resistance towear andtherefore require less maintenance and servicecosts over the lifetime of the vehicle.”The machine’s electric components—a gen-

erator, power inverter, and electric propulsionmodule—are fully sealed foruse inwet,damporsubmerged conditions.Although the Halifax location has only one

unit in stock fornow,Poulain says it isonlyamat-ter of time before themarketplace catches on.“Like anything new, it will take some getting

used to.We expect it to be in high-demand overthe coming years.”

By STEPHEN PATRICK CLARE

New Cat in townPanasonicCanada Inc., a recognized leader in

cordlesspower tool technology,recently launcheda new line of Tough IP™ Li-Ion Cordless PowerTools featuring dust andwater resistant technol-ogy recognizedunder international standardsad-ministered by International ElectrotechnicalCommission (IEC).The IEC is the internationalstandards and conformity assessment body forall fields of electro technology.Each of Panasonic Tough IP Cordless Power

Tools were awarded a rating of IP56 by the IEC(according to IEC60529) classifying them“Dust-Protected” and “Protected against powerfulwater”.The twonumbers in the ratingare fordustresistance and water resistance respectively. Toachieve an IP rating, each of the Tough IP toolsunderwentdust andwater resistance testing.TheIEC testing protocol put the tools in an environ-mentwhere theywere exposed separately tobothheavy dust andwater jets.After each separate test, the tool is checked to

ensure it still continues to functionproperly.Thehigher the IP rating the stronger the tool is to re-sist dust andwater.“We recently conducted a survey of profes-

sionals asking them the top issues they face on aregularbasiswith their cordlesspower tools,”saidEdCini,Panasonic'snationalmarketingmanagerfor power tools in the US.“Among the top threeconcerns were the effects of dust and water ontheir valuable equipment. Our Tough IP line ofcordless power tools is designed to address theseconcerns and provide professionals, across abroad range of construction disciplines, withtools that can withstand the rigors of outdoorwork under extreme conditions. We are veryproud thatourTough IPproductsmeet the strictstandards for dust and water resistance set forthby the IEC.”The Tough IP line features 13 cordless power

tools, including a range of drills and drivers, im-pact driver andwrench, jig saw, circular saw andagrinder.The line-up is ideally suited for abroadrange of construction industry professionals.AllPanasonic Tough IP kits include two Li-Ion bat-teries, a charger and a carrying case.Formore informationon the complete lineof

Panasonic Tough IP Cordless Power Tools andTough IPCordlessPowerTooldealers,pleasevisitwww.panasonic.ca or call 1-800-669-5165.

Panasonic dust and water resistant tools

Whether you’re on the job or working onsmall home improvement projects, using anoscillating tool just got easier. Dremel has in-troduced the first-of-its-kindMulti-MaxUni-versal Oscillating Adapter to simplify liveseverywhere.Thenewadapter allows owners of any type

of oscillating tool toutilize theDremel brand’spatented Quick Fit™ oscillating accessories.This means faster, firmer accessory changesthat ensureoscillatingusers spend less timeset-

ting up their tool and more getting thingsdone.The Dremel Multi-Max Universal Adapter

allows all Dremel Multi-Max™ accessories tobe usedwith all of the current oscillating toolson the market including brands from Fein,Rockwell, Bosch, Craftsman, Rigid and Mas-terforce, givingconsumers increased function-ality from their power tools.For more information, visit the Dremel

website: www.dremel.com/.

Dremel Multi-Max Universal Oscillating Adapter

SENCO has revolutionized the power fastening categorywith its introduction of the F-15 Finish Nailer that featuresthe company’s groundbreaking FusionTechnology.The F-15is the first cordless pneumatic finish nailer that provides thepower and consistency of an air tool with the added conven-ience and portability of a cordless tool. No gas.No hoses.Nobattery ramp-up times. Justmaximum job-site performanceand portability.The SENCOF-15 includes an on-board 18V Lithium Ion

(LiFePo4) battery that can attain an 80% charge in just 15minutes. The tool’s patented design provides an instant trig-ger response and delivers up to 500 drives between charges.Utilizing 130psi of self-contained compressed air as the

driving method, when the trigger is pulled the F-15 deliversthe power and feel associated with pneumatic nailers. Thebattery, assisted by a gear box and lifter, returns the piston anddriver blade to the ‘ready’ position to drive the next fastener.

It’s capable of driving 15-gauge finish nails powerfully andconsistently, even into hardwoods.The air pressure is pre-setat the factory,permanently sealed andnever needs recharging.Among the F-15 tool’smany features,users can choose be-

tween sequential or contact actuation, depending on the job.The tool-free, adjustable depth-of-drive feature combinedwith the nose mounted ED work surface light ensures accu-rate fastener placement and counter sinks. The EZ-Clear re-movable magazinemakes fastener removal a breeze.The F-15 also features a robust ¼”aluminumdrive cylin-

der and durable over molding.At 6 pounds, the ergonomically balanced nailer is nearly

2.5 pounds lighter than competitivemodels (thanks in part tothe Lithium IronPhosphate battery), and canbe comfortablyoperated with one hand.Formore information call 1-877-280-0243or visit theCID

website at www.cid.ca .

SENCO cordless pneumatic F-15 Finish Nailer

LENOX®,a leadingmanufacturer of premiumpower toolaccessories, hand tools, torches, solder and band saw blades,has expanded its T2 Technology to Demolition &Wood re-ciprocating saw blades. The patent-pending T2 Technologyblades deliver 100% longer blade life and 25% faster cuttingcompared to the previous generation of saw blades.In addition to delivering unsurpassed blade life, LENOX

T2DemolitionBlades are thewidest blades in the demolitioncategory andprovidemaximumdurability and controlwhencutting through the toughest constructionmaterials.T2Tech-nology blades also have optimized tooth geometry for eachTooth Per Inch (TPI) blade specification. Each TPI has aunique tooth shape and set pattern tominimize friction andcut more efficiently. Less friction prevents excessive heatbuild-upwhich in-turn eliminates the conditions that lead to

rapid toothwear andpremature blade failure.Ultimately, thepatent-pending T2 design leads to higher levels of produc-tivity by allowing tradesmen to spendmore time cutting andless time changing blades.T2 Wood Blades have also been upgraded with the T2

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Education | Construction | THE AC&TJ | February 2011 77

[North Sydney, NS]—Students in thetrades programs at Memorial High (NorthSydney, Nova Scotia) have been getting acloser look at the working world during sev-eral tours of the Civic Centre constructionsite.“There are so many benefits to having our

students visit an actual work site and under-stand that what they are learning is what isbeing used in industry,” said Memorial voca-tional consultant Kenny Collier. “The stu-dents can see for themselves that we areteaching them the standards that are re-spected in the industry— that they are usingthe same tools and equipment used on an ac-tual job site.”Collier added that things such as safety are

stressed on a regular basis, noting that attimes students may not see them as impor-tant.“But, seeing what goes on at a job site and

the care that is given to such concerns assafety and respect, gives a whole new expo-sure to the subject they are learning.”He said students are able to learn that the

practical application is as important as thetheory, and what they are learning is relevantto the industry.“This job site in particular is an important

part of our community. We’ve been waitingfor this for such a long time, the anticipationand excitement of this facility opening in thespring is being felt by everybody,”Collier said.

“Giving the students the opportunity to tourthis site helps give them a sense of ownershipof what is taking place in their own commu-nity. It is testament to what can happen whenpeople pull together.”Last year, vocational students fromMemo-

rial visited Ferrisview Elementary, which wasbuilt by Maxim Construction, and were alsogive tours of the new water treatment plant inNorth Sydney as it was being built.“Every year we try to incorporate field trips

to buildings being constructed in the localarea; just to see the progression of a project isa great learning experience for the students,”

Collier said.“We stood in an area of the CivicCentre that was just an open space a fewweeks ago and now there are walls — it is re-ally starting to take shape.”The new Civic Centre includes a state-of-

the-art geothermal ice-making and heatingsystem, in-floor heating throughout thebuilding and a 1,000-seat capacity with seat-ing on both sides of the ice surface.

The facility will also feature a walkingtrack,multipurpose room overlooking the icesurface, canteen and kitchen facilities, minorhockey office, seven dressing rooms and askate sharpening shop.

The Northside Civic Centre Society is intoits second phase of fundraising and responseis growing, according to society vice-chairWayne Ryan.

Because of time and inflation, the societyis looking at an additional $700,000 that thecommunity will have to raise to pay for fur-nishings and equipment for the new centre,bringing the total to $2.2 million.“Things are picking up,” Ryan said. “Now

people can see for themselves just what thisstructure is going tomean for the community.The whole area will benefit, which is why wewould like to see everyone get on board.”

Staff ~ The Cape Breton Post

Vocational students tour job site

Continued from page 2Although Summerside has had success in

townhouse development, condo construc-tion hasn't worked as well here as it has inCharlottetown, Brown said."Charlottetown certainly has some seri-

ous growth in new homes, townhouses andcondominiums.The real growth has to startto happen here (in Summerside) to create areal demand, especially for individualhomes," he said. "We, as developers, have tar-geted the condominium market, but we'rehaving limited success at best on that. Theexecutive rental market pays the bills, butwe're not making any money as a developerhaving (condos) rented."Brown, who's also the president of

Downtown Summerside Inc., is cautiouslyoptimistic when it comes to the city's eco-nomic growth.He said the city needs the dual approach

of development and job creation to makethat happen."My argument is to invite the people here

and they'll create their own jobs, but there'scertainly the argument to be made to createthe jobs through attracting business, and thepeople will buy the houses," said Brown. "Iwouldmuch rather have 100 new people re-locate from Calgary, Vancouver or down-town Toronto to get out of the rat race andcome here to create their own business."

Construction trendsmay be cause for worry

88 February 2011| THE AC&TJ | Construction

[Corner Brook,NL]—Clad in stone and imposingin its scale, the city’s (Corner Brook,Newfoundland &Labrador) new courthouse has quickly become ahighly-visiblepart of the community’s otherwisemod-est skyline.Harder to spot yet there for all to see are echoes of

the city’s past, all shaped carefully under the watchfuleye of Richard Symonds.An architect with Sheppard Case Architects in St.

John’s,Symonds spent fouryears in thecitybeforegrad-uating with a bachelor of fine arts from the former SirWilfred Grenfell College in 2001. He later earned hismasters in architecture from theUniversity of Torontoin 2005.While his firmwas responsible for the entire design

of the building, from site selection to concept develop-ment, Symondswas the leaddesigneron theproject andactually built the scale model of the building once ondisplay at the Sir Richard Squires Building.As someonewhoas a studentwas struckby thework

of architect Andrew Cobb in developing the Townsitearea of the city, going so far as to write a paper on thesubject for an art history class, the St. John’s native saidit was natural for him to take the lead once his firmlanded the project.Amemberof theArts andCraftsmovement,Cobb’s

work in the1920’s servedas inspiration for thebuilding.Symonds said such elements as pitched roofs, largecolumns and natural materials, all found in houses inTownsite,each foundtheirway into the final courthousedesign.“Right from the start I wanted to incorporate ele-

ments like that,”Symonds said.“You can see in the end,there’s a lot of naturalwood in there ... andwe specifiedbirch,which is indicative of thewest coast of the island.“Weused stone on the outside of the building and it

came fromPynn’s Brook.The aimwith doing that is sothat it would fit into the Corner Brook environment.”Throughout construction and the grandopening in

May, Symonds said he’s heard plenty of positive feed-back from the building’s users. He admits he too ispleased with the finished product, and thankful theprovincial government had the vision to invest in qual-itymaterials like stone and slate for the building’s exte-rior.“It makes a big difference to how well the building

blends into the town,”he said.“Iwanted it to be a qual-ity building that peoplenotice and in someways standsout,but at the same time Iwant it to look like it belongsthere.”While history was important, he said he was sure to

incorporatemodern features— such as the large win-dows on the back of the building — which echo andcomplement the esthetics of the Sir Richard Squiresbuilding.Symonds said his desire to create a building which

fits perfectly into its environmentmeant a tremendouseffort to save the trees which lineMount BernardAve.,with one stately old tree to the rear of the courthouseproving particularly challenging.“Youwouldn’t believehowmucheffort itwasduring

construction to have the contractor not destroy thattree,” he said. “That comes directly from someone likemewanting it to stay that way. If you had another per-son doing it who didn’t care, it would have been totallydestroyed.”

By JAMIE BENNETT The Western Star

Architect blendedhistory with vision

Architect Richard Symonds stands in front of the new courthouse on Mt. Bernard Avenue in CornerBrook, Newfoundland & Labrador. Symonds, a fine arts grad from the former Sir Wilfred GrenfellCollege, was the lead designer of the new building. (Photo: The Western Star)

9Construction | THE AC&TJ | February 2011

Residents inLabradorhavebeen speakingoutabout the conditionof theTransLabradorHigh-way.Onepersonwhohasaparticularly lengthypri-

vate and public history with the issue is DannyDumaresque.From1989-96,he held public office as Liberal

MHA for the district of Eagle River (nowCartwright-L'AnseauClair)when theagreementwithOttawawas first signed to fund thebuildingof the highway. As owner of the property whichhouses the ferry ticket office operated byLabrador Marine in Blanc Sablon, Mr. Du-maresquehasheardmany first-handaccountsofthebone-rattling tripmadeby those traveling thesouth coast.Mr. Dumaresque recalled the original deal as

“oneof thehighlights”of his years inpolitics,butnowstrongly feels theprovincial governmenthaslet the people of Labrador down.“We have reached a point in Labrador where

finally the roadhasbeenconnected,but it hasnotbeendone to the standard that it shouldbedone,”he said.“Wedonothaveaplan fromthis govern-ment on how it’s going to be brought up to thepre-pavement standard and indeed we haven’tseen themoney, and that’s what this is all about.”The way Mr. Dumaresque perceives things,

“because Labrador is out of sight, [it] is also outof mind”when it comes to intra-provincial rela-tions.An earnest push by the two provincial minis-

ters from Labrador for new expenditure musthappen in order to provide the necessary trans-portation link thatLabradoriansdeserve,he said.Thebusinessman isnot alone inhis lineof ar-

gument.Roxanne Notley, the executive director of the

SoutheasternAuroraDevelopmentCorporation,painted a similar picture when she spoke withThe Labradorian.“I actuallyhavea staff personwhocomesback

and forth from Mary’s Harbour and there wasdays I had to call her and say don’t bother,”Ms.Notley explained.“It was taking her an hour anda half to come andusually takes 35minutes, so itwas terrible.“You couldn’t spin your tires without going

into a pothole. It was just coming out of one andgoing into another, and that’s no exaggeration.”While the recent snowfall hashelpedmake for

a smoother rideof late,Ms.Notleynoted that res-idents are“dreading”the springtimebecause“it’sgoing to be ten timesworse.”Meanwhile, she suggested the government

could be doing things now to help rectify theproblemswith the road.“They don’t have to wait for 2014 to get it

widened,” she said. “I think for most people, aslong as they see that there’s effort being put intogettinga solution to this,but justwaitingonyourhands until 2014, that’s what people are reallyfrustrated about.Ms. Notley said more of an effort has to be

made by government to bring about an appro-priate solution to this issue.Transportation and Works Minister Tom

Heddersonsaid that if theweather cooperates, thecontracted road workers should be able to keepthe road at an acceptable standard with the fleetof equipment currently available to them.However, given that the highway is a gravel

surface,he noted it is quite susceptible to the un-usual weather patterns seen in December andearly parts of January.“We’re hell-bent on getting this done as

quicklyaswecan,”theminister said.“But thispar-

ticularwinterhasbeenunlikeanythingwe’veeverexperienced and we’re just going to have to tryand deal with it as best we can.”Minister Hedderson acknowledged that all

parts of theTransLabradorHighway are aprior-ity, but stated that things arenot going tohappenovernight and said choosingone sectionover an-other was not part of the government’s strategy.“The choices that were made was that we got

to take each section at a time, in the order whichwe’ve done them and follow along,” he said. “Itwouldn’t make much sense now for me to leaveoff where we are up there because you’re onlytransferring the grief I suppose.“We’vegot aplan inplace andknockingoff us

that plan is going to be impossible because, like Isay, it’s planned out.”

By LUKE BARRY The Labradorian

South coast residents pushing for highway upgrades

Springtime is the time drivers on the Trans-Labrador Highway have come to dread. Last year the road was not carworthy until June and potholes and washouts sometimes turned a 5-hour drive into a 10-hour one. This photo wastaken in December 2010. (Photo: Charlotte Dyson/The Labradorian)

10 February 2011 | THE AC&TJ | Construction

The 2010 National Building Code andPlumbing Code will become effective inNova Scotia on June 1, 2011.The Construction Association of Nova

Scotia says copies of the amendments can be

found on the Labour andWorkforce Devel-opment website: (www.gov.ns.ca/lwd/build-ingcode/NSBuildingCodeChanges.asp) orby phoning 1-800-559-3473 or (902) 424-5721.

Plumbing code

The official opening of the Fredericton Convention Centre took place Jan. 12. New Brunswick Premier David Al-ward, National Revenue Minister Keith Ashfield and Fredericton Mayor Brad Woodside attended the opening. Inthe photo are, from left: Ashfield; Woodside; ADI Group Inc. President and CEO Hollis Cole and Alward. (Com-munications New Brunswick)

After four years of discussion and consul-tations, Nova Scotia will implement a Tech-nical Safety Act on April 1, 2011.The Construction Association of Nova

Scotia says the new Technical Safety Act con-

solidates a number of acts into one updatedpiece of legislation.The act and the regulations can be found at

www.gov.ns.ca/lwd/ .

Technical Safety Act

At first glance, pesticides would appear tohave little in commonwith sidewalks or roadmeridians.AndrewWheelock said the connectioncan

only be discovered deepwithin the soil in theweed’s root system.Theco-ownerof theWeedMan location in the Burnside Industrial Parkis worried the pesticide ban now in place inNova Scotia could allow those roots to grow,cracking asphalt and concrete as they spreadtheir sphere of influence.Most of the organic based pesticides al-

lowed under the ban are designed essentiallyto“topkill”theweeds. Theyhave little impacton the root system and Wheelock said thatputs theweeds inbetterposition tocomebackbigger the following year.“Most of the pesticides we had been using

were systemic,meaning theyattacked the rootsystem,”he explained.“Weeds tend to be veryopportunistic and sidewalks and meridians

are aperfect environment for themto thrive.”He said therehasbeena cosmeticpesticide

ban in Toronto for over five years, and thepublic infrastructure is already feeling the im-pact. “As the roots grow, they push upwardand that causes cracks especially in asphaltand concrete.”Wheelock said there couldbe a safety issue

if the weeds are allowed to grow too high inmeridians.Henotedmany communities alsoplant flowers or shrubs in themeridians and“with no systemic treatment of the weeds,they will take over other plantsmuch faster.”He said provincial andmunicipal govern-

ments will have to come to grips with theissue.“It is going to bemore labour intensiveandmore expensive to look after.”The businessman added, “I can’t say

whether thiswas anunintendedconsequenceof thebanbecause Iwasn’t part of thediscus-sions before it was put in place but it is cer-tainly something that will have to be dealtwith.”

By ANDY WALKER

Pesticide ban could have severenegative impact on NS infrastructure

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11Transportation | THE AC&TJ | February 2011

[Sydney, NS]—A general election in Canadamay be imminent if a recent round of heatedspeculation by political pundits is correct, but itwouldhaveno impacton funding for theSydneyharbour dredging project.PrimeMinister Stephen Harper put the final

pieceof the fundingpuzzle inplace for thedredg-ingproject inDecemberwhenheannounced thefederal government will commit $19 million tothe $38-million project.Nova Scotia committed$15.2 million to the project in June, contingenton Ottawa coming in with its requested contri-bution, the Cape Breton Regional Municipalityis in for $2 million on the same basis and NovaScotia Power will contribute $1million.Federal dollars will be provided through En-

terprise Cape BretonCorp.SpokesmanD.A.Landry said inanemail reply

to the Cape Breton Post, that an election wouldhaveno impacton the federal contribution to thedredging project.“While it is a longstandingpractice for federal

institutions not to ‘announce’ projects during afederal election, this does not impact ECBC’snormal course of business,” Landry said. “Thefunding for the dredge is already committed.”Landry said the applicant for the funding and

the proponent responsible for the execution of

the dredge is the Sydney Ports Corp. and whilediscussions are ongoing with the applicant, thecontract has not yet been issued.“Thecontract shouldbe issued in thenear fu-

ture. Funding will flow to the ports corporationon a cash requirement basis based on eligible in-curred costs,”he said.He said ECBC proposed and the other fund-

ing partners agreed to set up a project manage-mentoversight committee tooversee,reviewandmanageaspectsof thedredgingproject,althoughthe ports corporation and its board of directorshave ultimate responsibility.“This is a sensible andappropriate step to take

to mitigate risk and to oversee contractor per-formance,” he said.Federal election speculation among Parlia-

ment Hill watchers has zeroed in on the Harpergovernment’s forthcoming budget which is ex-pected inMarchandwhichcould trigger anelec-tion if it is defeated by the opposition parties.The Liberals have said they can’t support a

budget that does not repeal planned cuts to cor-porate tax rates and the Bloc Quebecois has saidit won’t support a budget that does not includebillions of dollars in compensation for imple-menting a harmonized sales tax in Quebec, ac-cording to Canadian Press reports which alsonote theNDPhas taken amore conciliatory po-sition, saying its not making any demands butwants to see action on several fronts.

By CHRIS HAYES Cape Breton Post

Federal election will haveno impact on harbourdredging project: ECBC

[Boisdale, NS]—Leaseholders andlandowners are still waiting for a meeting todiscuss details of a rail subsidy extensiongiven to the owner of the Cape Breton andCentral Nova Scotia Railway.Ken Jardine, chair of the Cape Breton Rail-

way Victims’ Association, says in Novemberhe requested a meeting with deputy premierandMLA for Cape Breton Centre Frank Cor-bett to discuss a negotiated subsidy extension.The agreement with railway owner Rail

America deals with issues of crossing fees,property leases and development near railwaylands.The provincial subsidy, which has pro-

vided the railway with $10 million over fiveyears, expired on March 31, 2010.In October, the province announced a

$3.5-million extension, which is retroactive towhen the previous agreement expired.Of thatamount, $500,000 is available to continueservice if a transition period is needed at theend of the term.“Our group just wants to meet Frank,” said

Jardine. “Frank wants us to meet with himand the railway, the minister of transporta-tion and the minister of economic renewal.

To tell you the truth, none of those people areour local MLA, and none of those people arethe deputy premier, and none of those peo-ple made commitments to us at a publicmeeting in Georges River last year.”Jardine said the group wants to sit down

with Corbett to ensure their concerns over therailway subsidy have been addressed as prom-ised.“We were told we’d get a meeting some-

time before Christmas,” said Jardine. “Thenwe were told it would be sometime afterChristmas.”The Cape Breton Post tried unsuccessfully

to contact Corbett on Tuesday (Jan. 25).The railway victims group has been re-

questing Rail America drop its crossing fees,which are charged to landowners for utilitiesand driveways. He says fees were increasedfrom a $25 base rate to $500 annually. Sincethe subsidy extension, the annual fee wasdropped to $300.Leaseholders also argue they should be able

to buy the properties from the railway at 1993market values, the year Rail America obtainedthe line.Since then, the company has held off on

the land sales while having the deedsmigratedinto the provincial land registry.

Staff ~ The Cape Breton Post

Railway group waiting for subsidy meeting

[Port Aux Basques, NL]— Many peoplethroughout Port aux Basques (Newfoundland&Labrador) stoodgazingout to sea Jan.5watchingtheMVBlue Putteesmake its first arrival.The air was crisp, but still people got out of

their cars by the coast guard station to take pho-tos and video of the vessel as it sailed past theAt-lanticVision and into port.Following a major refit, the Blue Puttees left

Germany and took approximately six days to sailto Port auxBasques.Wayne Follett, president and CEO of Marine

Atlantic, and Rob Crosbie, chairman of MarineAtlantic’s board of directors, were among thosewhowent on board.“Wow,”is thewordCrosbieusedwhenhe sent

a note to the board of directors via his smartphone.Crosbie was impressed with the size, capacity

and variety of entertainment. Follett said he wason the ship in Germany before Christmas so heknew it well.“She’sprobablymore thanwecouldhaveasked

for in concept design,”Follett said.HeexplainedtheBluePutteeswasa freightves-

sel whichwas retrofitted.Crosbie said thecaptaindescribedherasavery

firm vessel.“The captain was impressed with her ma-

noeuvrability,” Follett said.

With response to concerns about the vessel’sperformance in wind, Crosbie said she shouldhave equal sea keeping ability to the Atlantic Vi-sion.“Issues around the wind in Port aux Basques

are always a concern,”he said.“TheVision can’t quite handle the samewind

as the Smallwood orCaribou.”He added the boat has a smaller profile than

theAtlanticVision andmore horsepower.“Iwould expect, fromwhat I understand, that

her capability of leavingport inPort auxBasqueswhichseems tobe the focalpoint, is asgoodas theCaribou and Smallwood if not better once thecrews get used to her,”Crosbie said.Potentialproblemswithmanoeuvrabilitywere

addressed.Follett explained the ferryhasanaddi-tionalbowthruster,whichcanpush theboat side-ways.“She already had two large bow thrusters, and

we added a third,”Follett said.“So she has an abundance of thruster power.”Crosbie emphasized it would take time for

crews to get used to handling the Blue Puttees inport. Follett said she has the ability to perform aswell as former vessels.OnJan.5,theBluePuttees sailed toNorthSyd-

ney, where the crew will board. Crosbie said thevessel is expected to enter service in lateFebruary.“Everyone seems pretty excited, and we can’t

wait for her to enter service and get some feed-back as to how she’s doing,”Crosbie said.

By AETHNE HINCHLIFFE The Gulf News

MV Blue Puttees draws rave reviewsMarine Atlantic’s newest ferry the MV Blue Puttees.

12 February 2011 | THE AC&TJ | Transportation | Roadbuilders

As recently as a decade ago, the term“stormsurge” rarely entered the lexicon of any Is-lander and that included those involved in theroad building industry.Those days are long gone. Andrew Sprague

views the damage done to Prince Edward Is-land’s transportation infrastructure during aseries of storms just before Christmas (2010)as a sign of things to come. The communica-tion officer with the provincial Department ofTransportation and Infrastructure Renewalsaid it is a reality both road builders and de-signers will have to take into consideration.“We have to be prepared to do whatever we

can to protect our existing transportation in-frastructure and try to build future roads andbridges that hopefully will withstand thesetypes of conditions a little better,”Sprague said.The general manager of the PEI Road

Builders and Heavy Construction Associationagrees. Joe Murphy said several of his mem-bers were busy in the days before the Christ-mas holidays repairing the damage from thehigh tides and winds approaching 120 km/hthat pounded the north shore of the province.Sprague said minor flooding damage oc-

curred in a number of coastal areas. Privatecontractors joined provincial and municipalworkers replacing and repairing culverts over-

whelmed with the amount of water they wereforced to handle.A number of bridges were closed for several

hours following the storm as departmentalcrews inspected them to ensure they were safe.Bridges in Corran Ban and Oyster Bed Bridgeon Route 6 in the central part of the Island hadto be closed for almost a week.“There was no structural damage to the

bridge itself but there was considerable erosionon the approaches,”Sprague said.“They had tobe shored up before we could re-open them totraffic and that happened during the week be-tween Christmas and NewYears. “The storms flooded the North Rustico

wharf, a popular tourist attraction and one ofthe busiest fishing ports in the province. Thewharf at Covehead was knocked off its moor-ings and moved 15 feet inland. In Beach Pointin the eastern part of the province, a centuryold lighthouse was lifted from its mooringsand moved 200 feet.“Dealing with that kind of power is some-

thing that we are just getting used to now,”Sprague said. “Welcome to the future.”Murphy added, “It is certainly something

that is not going to go away and it is definitelysomething that our members are trying theirbest to deal with.”Sprague said the final tally from the dam-

age has yet to be calculated.

By ANDY WALKER

Storm surges a reality for PEI road builders and designers

A storm surge in December left sections of roads along Grand River, Prince Edward Island underwater. (Photo: PEIDepartment of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal)

Crews from the Prince Edward Island Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal were busy Dec. 30completing repairs to the storm-damaged Oyster Bed Bridge near Cymbria. The surge caused significant erosiondamages to the approaches to the Oyster Bed Bridge. (Photo: The Guardian)

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13Roadbuilders | Transportation | THE AC&TJ | February 2011

Floodwaters in December covered roads in St. Stephen, New Brunswick. . (Photo: Communications New Brunswick)

Floodwaters in December swept a car off a road at Burtts Corner, New Brunswick. (Photo: Communications NewBrunswick)

Damage to New Brunswick’s highway infra-structure fromstormsurges and flooding inDe-cember is still being tallied.Three major weather events impacted virtu-

ally every area of the province—fromCharlotteCounty in the southwest to Restigouche in thesoutheast and all points in between.“Repair work is on-going from what I’ve

heard,” said TomMcGinn executive director ofthe New Brunswick Road Builder’s Association.While the provincial Department of Trans-

portation “has been doing most of the repairwork themselves, in some areas of CharlotteCounty some contractors have landed con-tracts,” saidMcGinn.“There’s a ton of bridges on secondary and

logging roads that have gone out.” He addedtherewas also a lot of damage in the Frederictonarea.“No time is a good time for this tohappenbut

when it happens in the winter it’s that muchworse,” saidMcGinn.

In some cases the repair work that has beencarried out is temporary, he explained, withplans for more permanent repairs once theweather improves.“In speaking with Transportation, they are

still compiling information anddata”on the ex-tent of the damages, said McGinn. Early esti-mates putdamages in the$50million range.Theprovince will be applying to the federal govern-ment for financial assistance to repair the high-ways andbywaysbutwhether that translates intowork for members of the road builders associa-tion “remains to be seen,” said McGinn. “We’rehoping there will for work formembers.”NBwas slammedwithmajor stormsurges on

the north shore in early December (Dec. 5 and6), followed by severe flooding throughout theprovince a week later (Dec. 13 and 14), with athird major storm on Dec 20 and 21 wreckinghavoc along the eastern coast. More than 1,700people have already applied for Disaster Finan-cial Assistance through Service New Brunswickfor damages sustained as a result of the threestorms.

By KATHY JOHNSON

Highway infrastructure damaged

Road construction in Saint John, NewBrunswick has been cut.According to CBC, 60 per cent of the city’s

$42 million capital budget will go toward PeelPlaza, the$18mproject that includes apolice sta-

tion and a parking garage.Municipal Operations Commissioner Paul

Groody said very little of the 220kmsof roads inthe city will get the reconstruction it needs.The budget was approved Feb. 7

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14 February 2011 | THE AC&TJ | Transportation | Roadbuilders

Continued from page 1Hughes looked at the scheduled paving

projects for 2010 and selected nine of themthat would provide him with diverse infor-mation. “We did the trials on large pavingprojects. We selected them randomly in dif-ferent areas with different contractors anddifferent equipment from different manufac-turers.”He said some of the contractors used Ma-

terial Transfer Vehicles (MTVs)—a require-ment on paving projects that involve over5000 tonnes of asphalt. “Contractors haveusedMTV’s since 96-97 and we all realize thebenefits from using them. It’s a muchsmoother mat, more uniform mat.“That was one of the things we wanted to

check, the temperature difference in pavingprojects when an MTV was being used andwhen it wasn’t.”Hughes said eight projects involved

repaving existing roads—some on arterialhighways and some on secondary roads—that included a variety of road structure.Melvin was very comfortable with the

project. He began his career working onroads, and for six years was employed by amaterial engineering firm that inspected andtested asphalt and concrete and providedquality control and analysis services forbridge and road construction.And he’s very comfortable using a Flir in-

frared camera. Melvin is a Certified Engi-

neering Technologist, Gold Seal CertifiedProject Manager and a Level 2 Certified Ther-mographer.“The ideal image is taken within 10metres

(30 feet) of the spreader. When I take a pic-ture (digital and thermal) the temperature ofeverything is on the image.”Melvin usually concentrates on the tem-

perature in four spots in the image, three ofthem across the width of the mat. “Typically,the problem is either in the center or on theside of the slat conveyors that’s where theaugers are.“One important purpose of using anMTV

in paving is not to stop the spreader. Everytime it stops there’s a cold joint or a transi-tion point,”Melvin explained.“Also, if a trucksits for an hour the top of the Hot Mixed As-phalt (HMA) becomes crusted over. Whenthe truck dumps the HMA into an MTV itremixes the load and uses the hot asphalt towarm up the cold.”He said, “Every spreader is different. The

camera will show if something is out ofwhack. If the screed is not vibrating properlystreaking, segregation or cold spots will showon the infrared camera and the screed incli-nation, height, etc. can be changed.”While there was initial skepticism, the In-

frared Thermal Imaging technology was wel-comed at all nine paving projects.“The foremen absolutely loved the cam-

era,” Melvin said. “And the crews did too.

When they see another way to do a better jobthey want it. They were amazed at how accu-rate the camera was. I was amazed at howwellreceived everything was.“Everyone wanted to look at the pictures.

Yeah, it was a new toy and everybody wantedto hold it. But every contractor wants to do agood job. Every one of the foremen knows hismachines very well and they know how tomake the required adjustments.”The thermographer said, “At one job they

were so curious they put the analog ther-mometer in and compared its temperaturereading to the cameras and we had the exactsame temperature.”Alain Martin was surprised at “how easy it

was for some contractors to just fix the prob-

lem” especially when“the surface temperaturein photos, some varied 30º others only 5º.”The Regional Asphalt Technicien with the

New Brunswick DOT Construction Branchaccompanied Melvin on all the paving proj-ects. “Every time we showed up within anhour we could see a major change in the tem-perature behind the paver.Within 15minutessome had a 50 per cent improvement.”Martin said the others had the changes

made in an hour-and-a-half.“In 30 per cent of the projects—within 15

minutes the temperature difference was 5º.“One contractor had a 5º difference when

we got there. But he was using a fine mix thathad less segregation.”

Continued on page 15

Improving asphalt concrete quality in New Brunswick

The photograph on the left is a thermal image of the asphalt mat being laid in the photograph on the right. Thecolder asphalt is purple. The ``vertical temperature range bar`` on the right-hand side of each thermal image ex-plains what areas of the image are hotter or colder. (Photos: Gordon Melvin)

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15Roadbuilders | Transportation | THE AC&TJ | February 2011

Continued from page 14The ninth project was a new job done late

in the year.Martin said, “The end result qual-ity wasn’t the best or the worst. They werepaving in December in the snow with a longhaul.Under those conditions (really cool tem-peratures) it would be harder to meet (highand low temperature) specifications.”The Regional Asphalt Technicien agreed

that the foremen at the paving sites werehappy with the camera.“It’s a good tool that’sgoing to change pavement quality. I can see inthe future everyone’s going to use it.”Hughes also thinks “it’s a good consistency

tool, it does what we’re looking for.”The next step is to determine the tempera-

ture specifications—the allowable tempera-ture difference between the highest and lowestpoints across the paved mat.“If they’re too stringent contractors won’t

be able to meet them,”Hughes explained.Martin added, “We have to put in specifi-

cations that won’t increase our price for as-phalt. We are looking for a good balance ofquality versus cost.We want the specificationsto be feasible and not too expensive for thecontractor.”Hughes said, “We’ll evaluate Quebec’s

(specification) bonus and penalty system tothe contractor and come up with our own.”Another factor the DOT has to decide is

when (how often) thermal images should betaken. Martin said one example would beevery 200 tonnes.

He is presently going throughMelvin’s im-ages working on possible specifications.But neither the Infrared Thermal Imaging

nor its specifications will be implemented inNew Brunswick in 2011. Hughes explainedthat this year the DOT’s programs “will bedown with cuts in budgets.We’ll do more tri-als this year.”MELTECHTHERMAL IMAGING INC.Meltech Thermal Imaging Inc. of Moncton

is now beginning its fifth year of operations.Melvin describes thermography as“the first

defense in preventativemaintenance, buildingrestoration, remediation projects and con-struction verification. It detects temperaturerelated faults that are invisible to the naked eyewithout interrupting service.”Meltech Thermal Imaging Inc. also uses

thermography on walls, roofs, floors andfoundations to detect air or water leaks, infes-tations, insulation loss,mould or energy defi-ciencies. The company also utilizes it toevaluate foundations, buildings and bridgesfor subsurface deterioration. And on electri-cal equipment (including transformers);HVAC operating systems; ventilation duct-work; heating systems; steam lines; stacks; andon mechanical components (motors, gears,pulleys, etc.).Melvin stressed the importance of having a

trained and certified operator behind the in-frared camera“to ensure proper techniques ofthermography are used and to ensure the ac-curacy of the temperatures and images ob-

Improving asphalt concrete qualitytained.Ambient temperatures, reflective tem-peratures, and humidity are some of the fac-tors that play a part in thermography. This isanother reason that all types of thermographyshould only be performed by properly trainedand certified technicians/engineers, so as toensure the accuracy of the information ob-tained and used to make the very importantand correct decisions.”Melvin is Certified Engineering Technolo-

gist (NB Society of Certified EngineeringTechnicians & Technologists—NBCETT); is aGold Seal Cert. Project Manager (CanadianConstruction Association), and a Certified

Level 2 Thermographer (ITCCanada).He hasan Engineering Diploma in Structural Engi-neering Technology from NBCC Monctonand is a Certified Radon Measurement Pro-fessional with the American Association ofRadon Scientists and Technologists (AARST).Heather Beal, who co-owns Meltech Ther-

mal Imaging Inc., is a Certified Level 1 Ther-mographer and is working towards hercertification as an engineering technician.For more information, contact Melvin at:

(506) 857-2199 or visit: www.MeltechTher-mal.com.

Outstanding road issues in PEIThere are a number of outstanding issues

between the Prince Edward Island RoadBuilders andHeavy ConstructionAssociationand the provincial Department of Trans-portation and Infrastructure Renewal.The price of maintenance mix asphalt

(MMA) was one issue raised at the recentPEIRBHCA annual.Brian Proffitt reported that at an April 19

meeting, the department said no price in-crease was needed because MMA rates hadbeen fully adjusted in 2009.(The Asphalt Producers) “Committee

members stressed that things were balancedout last year, but going forward the industryneeded to be able to recover the material andlabour increases, year by year. The idea of no

increases was unacceptable,” Profitt said.Some of the decisions made at the meeting

were that DOT will continue to tender earlyseasonMMA; the base price for supply asphaltwill increase 20¢ from last year’s price, and therate for placement/laydown will not increase.The Equipment Rental Rates & Negotiated

Prices Committee told the annual meetingthat it had provided the DOT with compari-son rates from Atlantic highway departmentsthat indicated PEI’s rates were “in most casesmuch below”New Brunswick’s. The Commit-tee requested that PEI rates be brought intoline with NB’s.It also pointed out the HST factor that pro-

vides“a 10.5% advantage to contractors in theother Atlantic provinces.”

16 February 2011 | THE AC&TJ | Transportation | Roadbuilders

NewBrunswick road builders are bracing fora lean construction season in 2011.“We’ve been told to expect a lot less work,”

saidTomMcGinn,executivedirector of theNewBrunswick Road Builders Association.The province has slashed almost one-third

from its transportation capital budget for2011/12, which was bolstered in recent years bythe Build Canada fund.The $313.2 million capital budget allows

$104.1million for ongoing projects, $191.6mil-lion for maintenance of existing infrastructure

and equipment, and $17.5 million for the reha-bilitation of the Saint JohnHarbour bridge.“There is a lot of carry forwardwork from last

year thatwill keepa fewguysbusy,”saidMcGinn,“but we’ve been told not to expect any newwork”Included in the transportation capital budget

cuts compared to last year is a decrease to $62mfrom $136.9m for provincial highways, $24.5mless for national highways and a 21 per cent de-crease in spending for rural roads.“They were talking a couple of years ago

about twinning Route 11,” saidMcGinn.“It ap-pears that won’t be happening in the next year

or two.Weknow the transportationdepartmentis in a scrape.Their hands are tied and they havetopick and choose.Butwe’re saying you can’t ig-nore your infrastructure. It won’t get better onits own.”McGinnnoted there are“a fewpaving tenders

starting to trickle out,”which is“nice to see.”According to a Dec. 15 announcement by

Transportation and Infrastructure MinisterClaudeWilliams, $26mwill be spent in pavingarterial, collector and local roads and an addi-tional $26m in chipsealing.More than $81m will be spent on various

bridge and ferry construction and rehabilitation

projects, including thePrincessMargaret Bridgein Fredericton ($29 million), the Hugh JohnFlemming Bridge in Hartland ($8m) and theCentennial Bridge in Miramichi (more than$3.6m).Major projects that will receive funding

through federal-provincial cost-shared agree-ments include the Route 1 OneMile House in-terchange ($17.7m); rehabilitation of the SaintJohn Harbour Bridge ($17.5m); the Route 8Nashwaak-Marysville bypass ($23.2m); and theRoute 7Welsford bypass ($11m).The province has also earmarked $4m to

complete fencing and construction of a wildlifeunderpass along Route 2 from the Route 7 un-derpass to Burpee Brook and continuation offencing alongRoute 2 in the areaof Route 122 toCharlie Lake Road.The transportation capital budget is 56 per

cent of NB’s total capital budget of $592.9m.

By KATHY JOHNSON

New Brunswick road builders bracing for budget cuts

The Nova Scotia government’s plan to savetaxpayersmoneybypurchasing andoperating amobile asphalt plant has raised concerns.On Feb. 3 Transportation Minister Bill Es-

tabrooks said there wasn’t enough competitionwhen it came to thebidprocess for pavinghigh-ways and roads in parts of Cape Breton and thesouthwestern section of the province.Estabrooks said a $6millionplantwould save

taxpayers $2.5m a year and the $2.5m pavingcrewwould save $2.9m annually.But on Feb. 11 the numbers that backed up

the government’s decision had still not beenmade public.That worried Progressive Conservative

Transportation critic Allan MacMaster. Hepointed out that on Feb. 2, a tender was issuedfor a request for expression of interest for qual-ifications for an asphalt concrete paving plant.(The tender is to close on Feb. 17.) “On Feb. 7,a tender was issued for a truck asphalt paver.Unusually, the tender closed two days later, onFeb. 9.“I do not know why the government would

have been on such a tight time frame to acquirean asphalt paver since theproposedplantwouldnot start production until 2012,” MacMastersaid.TheNSRoadBuildersAssociationwas“mys-

tified” by the government decision to buy aplant.NSRBA Executive Director Grant Feltmate

toldMetroHalifax the“private-sectorpaving in-dustry is quite competitive and stands to geteven more so in the near future” because someNew Brunswick pavers are looking at the NSmarket.Feltmate told Metro that timing was vital to

ensuring competitive bids.He said that the five-year road plan the province issued last fallshouldorganize its tendering schedule and real-ize better bids.The NSRBA executive director told the

Chronicle-Herald that taxpayer’s money couldbe saved if tenders for several projects in more“isolated”areas were issued at the same time.Feltmate also raised concerns that if the

province got into the paving business it wouldnot have to follow the contract rules that arecompulsory for the private sector.

Plant concernsBy HEATHER JONES