The Heavy News Weekly April 9, 2015
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The Heavy News Weekly April 9, 2015 Moving Winnipeg's railway lines: Handle with care By Peter Kaufman Previously published in The Winnipeg Free Press April 6, 2014 When the business and political leaders of the 1860s were Make no mistake, the industrial jobs in our city, along with able to convince Donald Smith and the builders of the the transportation jobs (both rail and trucking) that service Canadian Pacific Railway to go through Winnipeg, not Selkirk, these industries, are the main reasons Winnipeg has been Winnipeg's future was guaranteed. able to weather the economic storm that has wracked so many cities. We have a mixed, diversified economy cities in Our city grew and prospered to become the third-largest city oil-rich Alberta wish they had. Winnipeg has no big ups, but in the young country of Canada. We were "the Gateway to no big downs either. the West" and "the Chicago of the North." continued on page 2 The trains pulled into Union Station with thousands of immigrants after both world wars, my family being among In this edition: that group in the early 1950s. Moving Winnipeg's railway lines 1, 2 The station was bustling with young, eager Europeans by themselves or with their families pouring off the trains. CPWA, MB Chapter: Southwest Transitway – One Sweet Ride April 21, 2015 2 The Europeans brought their skills in the trades and quickly The City of Winnipeg Capital Program Presentation: were absorbed into the workforce or created their own Friday, April 17, 2015 3 businesses, machine shops, woodworking, plumbing shops, etc. Breakfast with the Leaders: Mayor Brian Bowman, Friday, May 8, 2015 4 From those early beginnings, we have approximately 60,000 people employed in manufacturing in plants spread MCSC Recruitment & Retention of Aboriginal peoples throughout the various industrial parks in the various to Construction; Thursday, April 30, 2015 6 communities that became Winnipeg. Of circles and cycles 10 In many cases, these plants still need rail transport for raw WORKSAFELY™ Training Schedule 12 materials and finished goods to remain competitive in the marketplace. Weekly Tenders (MHCA members only) 13, 14 Tender Results (MHCA members only) 14, 15 THE Heavy News Weekly 1 Moving Winnipeg's railway lines, continued from page 1 So before we go off on a tangent with an idea to rid the city of rails, let's have a serious look to make sure we are not going to rid the city of much-needed jobs. Manufacturing jobs create five to seven jobs each in the supply and service sector, so we need to be careful what we wish for. That is not to say we cannot make improvements; we can and we are. The railroads built this city and should be included in its future. I see the future with a dedicated rail corridor and marshalling yards shared by our three railroads and an efficient, just-in-time delivery and shipping system. Unless we can get our city and province to be more competitive and have government, education and business work co-operatively to maintain and increase those 60,000 manufacturing jobs, this dedicated rail corridor is just a pipe dream. Making this happen will take real leadership between the rail industry, three levels of government and the business community. We will need someone who has the energy to be the champion for 10 or 15 years to make it go forward. We have to protect the jobs. Manufacturing jobs in Canada are fragile at best. We have seen Canadian manufacturing slip from 18 per cent of the GDP to about 10 per cent. While Manitoba has been able to do better than that, we have lost two plastics plants in the past few weeks, and Canada Wire is now home to the Church of the Rock. Nothing wrong with a church but it does not have hundreds of employees and does not pay taxes. The 11 communities that made up Winnipeg each have centres of employment -- there are industrial parks in Fort Garry, Inkster, St. Boniface and St. James. People tend to buy houses close to their work and schools, and shopping centres were built to accommodate these citizens. We need to consult broadly to make changes with minimal harmful fallout. If we do it right, it can be a win-win for all parties concerned. The railway created the Winnipeg that is, and poor planning in moving the rails could do irreparable harm to the city. If you could dream, it would be high-speed rail east to west -- Winnipeg to Calgary in five hours, with the Mississippi watershed connected to Churchill and Winnipeg as the transportation hub of North America. A lot of forces would have to pull in the same direction to make that happen. Peter Kaufmann, a former city councillor and two-time mayoral candidate, is a commercial real estate broker. The CPWA – Manitoba Chapter PRESENTS A Lunch and Learn Presentation: Southwest Transitway – One Sweet Ride Please join us for a lunch and learn presentation discussing the development of the largest capital works project undertaken by the City of Winnipeg. Stage 1 of the Southwest Transitway opened in April 2012 and is currently in operation from Downtown to Pembina and Jubilee. Stage 2 will extend the Southwest Transitway from Pembina and Jubilee south to the University of Manitoba. Presentation topics • Project Overview, Bill Menzies, Dillon Consulting • Design Challenges, Dave Krahn, Dillon Consulting • Project Delivery, Bjorn Radstrom, City of Winnipeg, Transit Date: Tuesday, April 21, 2015 Location: Best Western Plus (former Greenwood Inn), 1715 Wellington Avenue at Century Time: 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. Cost: $40.00 (includes lunch) Payment Visa, MasterCard, cash or cheque at the door (receipts will be provided) To confirm attendance contact: Minnette Ponce by April 16, 2015 by email at [email protected] or by phone at 204-986-4141 For more information contact: Kas Zurek at 204-986-2025 or Mike Neill at 204-471-5660 THE Heavy News Weekly 2 The Manitoba Heavy Construction Association is pleased to host The City of Winnipeg 2015 Capital Program Presentation from the Public Works and Water & Waste Departments When: Friday, April 17, 2015 Where: Madison Salon B, Holiday Inn Winnipeg Airport Polo Park, located at 1740 Ellice Avenue, Winnipeg, MB Doors Open: 7:30 a.m. Breakfast: 8 a.m., hot breakfast will be served Presentation: 8:15 a.m. Cost: $30.00 +GST/PP RSVP: Contact Christine Miller at 204-947-1379 or [email protected] to reserve your seat. Please be advised that parking is limited. Interested in sponsoring the upcoming City of Winnipeg presentation? Contact Christine Miller, Manager of Events & Membership, at [email protected] or 204-947-1379. THE Heavy News Weekly 3 The Manitoba Heavy Construction Association is pleased to present Breakfast with the Leaders Series A series of current and engaging topics connected to the Heavy Construction Industry Featuring Mayor Brian Bowman Winnipeg, MB When: Friday, May 8, 2015 Where: King Edward Room, Holiday Inn Winnipeg Airport Polo Park, located at 1740 Ellice Avenue, Winnipeg, MB Doors Open: 7:30 a.m. Breakfast: 8 a.m., hot breakfast will be served Presentation: 8:15 a.m. Cost: $30.00 +GST/PP RSVP: Contact Christine Miller at 204-947-1379 or [email protected] to reserve your seat. Please be advised that parking is limited. This Breakfast with the Leaders Series event is sponsored by Aon Reed Stenhouse Inc. THE Heavy News Weekly 4 Paving the way to any location 420 Turenne St. Winnipeg, MB R2J 3W8 Phone: (204) 254-3737 Fax: (204) 257-6111 [email protected] •• NOW OFFERING COLOURED AND IMPRINTED ASPHALT •• •• COLOURED ASPHALT •• •• IMPRINTED ASPHALT •• uperior Asphalt Paving Company is now mprinted asphalt is a decorative paving pleased to offer coloured asphalt options. system that uses specially designed SOur sealer product is a decorative coating Iimprinted asphalt products to create made with acrylic resins to ensure long-term patterns in new and existing asphalt surfaces. protection from the elements in all climatic conditions. The imprinted surfaces can then be coloured and fortified with a sealer product resulting in There are several colours available to a surface that appears like hand laid brick, complement and enhance the pavement and cobblestone, or slate. surroundings. www.superiorasphaltpaving.ca THE Heavy News Weekly 5 proudly presents: Recruitment & Retention of Aboriginal people in Construction Some construction companies recruit and retain Aboriginal employees while others find it difficult to attract this pool of talent to their company. What are the key indicators? Learn how to develop good strategies for hiring and keeping Aboriginal employees in this advanced supervisor course taught by Ron Castel, Aboriginal Liaison, Manitoba Construction Sector Council. Date: Thursday, April 30, 2015 Time: 9 a.m. - noon Location: 1000 Waverley St., Room 104 Cost: $35 (please make payments out to Manitoba Construction Sector Council) RSVP: [email protected] THE Heavy News Weekly 6 WHERE STABILITY MEETS FLEXIBILITY EXCELLENT FOR: CULVERT OUTLETS RIVERBANK STABILIZATION SEWAGE LAGOON SLOPES ACCESS RAMPS/BOAT LAUNCHES LOW-LEVEL CROSSINGS SCOUR PROTECTION AND MORE Titan Environmental Containment 204-878-3955 1-866-327-1957 THE Heavy News Weekly 7 THE Heavy News Weekly 8 We understand Business Immigration and Recruitment Law Pitblado Law is a progressive business law firm offering cost effective solutions and advice to the construction industry. We combine knowledge of immigration and recruitment laws to provide you with practical solutions for the hiring and retention of foreign workers. Whether you are looking for skilled workers for one season, or solutions for hiring experienced managers for years to come, Pitblado Law can support you.