years - Daily Commercial News

Transcription

years - Daily Commercial News
1.866.354.7264
www.lipanigroup.com
[email protected]
SODDING
TERRASEEDING
HYDROSEEDING
SOIL AMENDMENTS
BLOWER TRUCKS SERVICES
50
Y
E
A
R
S
Page D-2
Demolition & Environmental Engineering
Daily Commercial News April 24, 2015
COMPLETE DECOMMISSIONING
Complete & Selective Demolition
Equipment Recovery & Sales
Plant Decommissioning
Site Remediation
Abatement
Recycling
160 Vinyl Court
Woodbridge, ON L4L 4A3
(416) 494-9898
www.delsan-aim.com
Daily Commercial News April 24, 2015
Demolition & Environmental Engineering
Page D-3
Demolition & Soil Remediation – Caravelle
Mississauga, Ontario
Delsan-AIM was contracted to demolish a Former Xerox
Building in Mississauga Ontario. This on-going project
requires the abatement of asbestos, hazardous building
materials and the removal of contaminated soils.
Dow Chemical – Petromont Inc.,
Varennes & Montreal East, Quebec
Delsan-AIM was awarded a contract with Pétromont Inc. (a
subsidiary of Dow Chemical Canada Inc.) to perform the turn-key
decommissioning and demolition of two petrochemical plants in
Québec – one located in Varennes and the second in Montréal East.
Bruce Nuclear Generation Station
Tiverton, Ontario
Delsan-AIM was contracted to undertake the transportation and
demolition of heavy equipment – which includes steam turbine and
overhead crane components – that are being removed from one of the
operating units of the Bruce Nuclear Generating Station.
160 Vinyl Court
Woodbridge, ON L4L 4A3
(416) 494-9898
www.delsan-aim.com
Page D-4
Demolition & Environmental Engineering
Daily Commercial News April 24, 2015
Assessments
Archaeology a necessary preconstruction tool
DAN O’REILLY
W
CORRESPONDENT
ith approximately 22,000 documented archaeological sites in Ontario, archaeological assessments are an
important and mandated preconstruction activity.
Legislated by the province for the past 30 years, they help
preserve remnants of both pre-European contact and early
Euro-Canadian history, says Ron Williamson, managing
partner of Archaeological Services Inc. (ASI).
“What right do we have to destroy their heritage,” says Wil-
liamson, explaining that most of those sites are indigenous ones.
Assessments are required when land that is to be developed either has an archaeological site or the potential to have
one. Under the Planning Act, municipalities have the authority to require them when a developer submits a housing subdivision or other development application.
But they can also be triggered by power projects, highway
or road construction, or sewer installation. Renewable energy
projects such as wind farms and solar farms may also require
assessments in order to obtain a Renewable Energy Approval
Economic Snapshot
Despite lower energy prices, western
provinces to increase infrastructure spending
Given the sharp (50%) drop in oil prices since
plans to boost spending on highway rehabilitation
mid-2014, attention has been focussed on the
from $193 in the fiscal year just ended to $213 milpotential impact of a significant decline in energylion a year through 2018.
derived tax revenues and corporate profits on both
In addition, spending on transit infrastructure is
public and private investment primarily in Alberta
projected to rise from $163 million in fiscal 2014-15
and to a much lesser extent in Saskatchewan over
to over $200 million per year in 2015/16 and 2016/17,
the near term.
largely due to Evergreen Line Rapid Transit work which
At the same time, there is growing evidence that
will link Coquitlam to Vancouver via Port Moody.
the impact of low energy prices is having a positive
There is no doubt that lower oil prices will exert
John Clinkard
impact on activity in British Columbia as well as
a drag on the Saskatchewan economy over the near
in Manitoba.
term. Nevertheless, we expect that the combination of
Turning first to Alberta, against the headwind of a prostronger global demand for potash and a rebound in agriculjected 11.4% drop in consolidated revenues in fiscal 2015-16
tural output will cause the province’s economy to grow by 2.0%
stemming primarily from a 21% drop in future corporate
to 2.5% in 2015 compared to an estimated gain of 1.1% in 2014.
income tax revenues, the province announced plans, in the
Factoring in the impact of lower energy revenues, the
2015-16 Budget, to spend $29.5 billion on capital projects
provincial government scaled back its forecast of total revover the next five years.
enues and expenses in fiscal 2015/16 and 2016/17. HowIn the previous 2014-15 Budget, the government planned
ever, despite this scaling back of growth of total spending,
to spend $19.2 billion over the ensuing three year period.
the government announced plans to boost its core capital
Comparing the previous capital plan to the current one,
spending by 50% to $1.3 billion.
on average, the government now projects that it will invest
According to the provincial budget, $581 million is coma total of $6.3 billion per year in fiscal 2015-16 and fiscal
mitted to transportation projects including the next phase of
2016-17 — essentially the same amount that it projected in
the Regina Bypass (estimated at $221 million) and the twinthe final two years of the 2014-15 fiscal plan.
ning of Highway 16 east of Saskatoon. Also, the government
However, it is worth noting that over the next three years
plans to spend $74.5 million on new schools and education
the Alberta government plans to spend slightly more on capand $74.5 million on municipal infrastructure.
ital projects than it has since 2009. Major projects scheduled
After posting relatively modest growth of 1.8% in 2014,
include $2.9 billion on the Calgary/Edmonton Ring Roads;
we expect that the impact of stronger exports, due to the
$926 million on planning and increasing the capacity of
combined impact of the weaker Canadian dollar and a
metro centre; $3.8 billion on the municipal sustainably inistrengthening U.S. economy, will cause growth in Manitoba
tiative; $526 million for water and waster management projto accelerate from 1.8% in 2014 to between 2.8% and 3.2% in
ects; and $4.1 billion on building and modernizing schools.
2015, its strongest showing since 2012.
Against the background of a relative improvement in
Consistent with the stronger pattern of overall growth
British Columbia’s economic health in 2014 and the prosand the concomitant rise in government revenues, the Manpect for above national-average growth in 2015, the provinitoba government recently announced plans to invest $78
cial government’s 2015-16 budget projects that total capital
to upgrade its roads and bridges which are, according to a
spending over the next three years will remain close to the
recent planning and performance report, among the oldest
$6.2 billion it planned to spend in fiscal 2014-15.
in the country.
According to the report, Manitoba has 110 bridges on
Although the size of the total spending envelope is prothe national highway system and 67% of them are over
jected to remain roughly constant, spending on primary and
40 years old and close to the end of their 50-year design life.
secondary school construction is projected to increase from
In light of the province’s heightened concern about the age of
$405 million in fiscal 2014-15 to $550 million per year over
its transportation infrastructure, we anticipate the province
the next three years.
will continue to increase its spending on bridge and road
Planned projects over the next three years include a New
repair in the near term.
Clayton North Secondary School in North Surrey, BC, the
replacement of the Oak Bay High School in Victoria and a
seismic upgrade to Lord Strathcona Elementary School in
Vancouver. Although the government plans to hold its total
John Clinkard has over 30 years’ experience as an economist in international,
spending on transportation projects over the next three years
national and regional research and analysis with leading financial institutions
and media outlets in Canada.
at close to the $1.01 billion it spent in 2014-15, it announced
©2015 CanaData. All rights reserved.
Vol. 13, Issue 8
from the Ministry of the Environment, he says.
Most assessments are a three-stage process combining both
mental and physical effort. Using geographic, land use, and historical information—such as old maps and documents—archeologists inspects the property and contacts the Ontario Ministry
of Culture, Tourism and Sport to find out whether or not there
are any known archaeological sites on or near the property.
If the review determines that might be the case, the archaeologists, move literally and figuratively into the field for Stage Two.
“For a ploughed field, they will walk back and forth over it
looking for artifacts on the surface. In forests, overgrown pasture
areas or any other places that cannot be ploughed, they will dig
parallel rows of small holes, called test pits, and sift the soil.”
If artifacts of cultural value or interest are discovered, the
assessment moves into a very site-specific third stage which
includes determining the size of the site and an evaluation of
its cultural heritage value or interest, he says.
A fourth stage may be necessary if special strategies are
needed to protect and conserve it, says Williamson.
“Conserving archaeological sites does not mean stopping
development,” says Williamson, explaining it can involve putting long-term measures to protect it while development proceeds around it.
“This is called ‘in situ’ and is always the preferred option
for mitigation of development.”
If that is not possible, the site may have to be excavated
and the artifacts documented and removed before construction begins. An example is the excavation ASI conducted
on behalf of York Region when remnants of a 14th-century
Huron-Wendat settlement were discovered on a section of
Bathurst Street. “The road couldn’t be diverted.”
After an assessment has been completed, a report has to
be submitted to the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Sport.
Founded in 1980 in response to “increasing public awareness of the importance of Ontario’s heritage,” ASI is a Canadian owned multi-disciplinary firm with offices in Toronto
and Burlington and is the largest archaeological consulting
firm in Ontario, he says.
Some of its most complex projects have included the
removal and reinterment of more than 600 graves from the
early 19th century Elmbank Cemetery which was in the middle of Pearson International Airport and the detection and
repatriation of 28 American soldiers from the War of 1812.
Apart from the actual assessments, ASI provides a number of other services including the creation of archaeological
management plans for municipalities. They document where
archaeological sites are located and predict where others may
be. With the exception of Peel Region, most municipalities in
the Greater Toronto Area have such plans.
“We’re very curious why it (Peel) doesn’t.”
“Neither does Simcoe County and it should,” says Williamson, pointing out the county is the home of a number of
Huron villages.
If there was a time archaeological assessments were
resented or hindered by developers or contractors, that time
has passed, says Williamson.
“We rarely run into anyone now in the land development
business who questions it (assessments) and we work with
contractors almost every day, especially in urban environments, recording what they encountering and keeping them
are moving while we document the heritage record,”
The firm has, in fact, received excellent assistance from
excavators and other heavy equipment operators during its
multi-year and multi-phase assessment of Toronto’s Queen’s’
Wharf in advance of redevelopment. Built along the city’s
original shoreline in the 1830s, it was eventually buried when
the area was landfilled.
“Those guys are amazing,” says Williamson, explaining
the operators have to carefully partially lifting the wooden
cribbing so the field archaeologists can document what may
be buried there. After the assessment is completed, the wood
is excavated and sold.
Canada’s most advanced indoor Construction & Demolition Recycling Facility
z Up to 90% recycled
We
want you
r Co n s t r u c t i o n & D e m o l i t i o n M a t
900 Nebo Rd., Hamilton
z We source separate wood, cardboard,
metal, aggregate
z Tipping is inside our 60,000 sq. ft. plant
eri al !!!
Toll Free 1-855-293-7499
905-679-7499
www.countrywiderecycling.ca
Like us on
face book
z 8 min from QEW in Hamilton (off Red Hill
Valley Parkway)
z LEED reporting
z Municipal opportunities
z We can handle any size truck on our clean floors
(no flat tires)
z Competitive pricing
z Construction bins
z Walking floor trailers
Daily Commercial News April 24, 2015
Demolition & Environmental Engineering
Page D-5
Standing Tall
How best to bring down Sudbury’s Superstack?
IAN HARVEY
D
CORRESPONDENT
epending on how you see it, Vale S.A.’s 1,250 foot tall
Sudbury Superstack is either an eyesore or a monumental icon which ties the past to the present.
Both are an accurate depiction but Vale is now mulling
taking it down among its options moving forward. It hasn’t
made a decision yet and there’s no timeframe but a $1 billion
investment in improvements to smelter operations to reduce
and eliminate emissions has vaulted operations into the modern age, leaving the Superstack as an obsolete reminder of different time.
Kelly Strong, Vale vice–president of U.K. and Canadian
operations, broke the news to the Sudbury Chamber of Commerce last November and said the company is studying its
options, including demolishing it.
Should Vale opt to take it down – which seems the most
logical move – there are more than a few challenges ahead,
said experts interviewed by Daily Commercial News.
“There are probably two ways to do it,” said Tristan
Rakowski, who is a third-generation controlled demolitions
and explosives expert working out of Winnipeg in the family
business, Rakowski Cartage and Wrecking, founded in 1964.
“You can set charges or you can build a scaffold and take it
down piece by piece from the top.”
Both come with challenges, he said. The first option will
require careful planning and a clear drop zone to put the millions of tonnes of masonry and steel liners down in a controlled blast.
“It’s certainly the most affordable option but you have to
make sure you have somewhere to put it down and that the
masonry doesn’t fall in the middle and block everything up,”
he said, stressing he hadn’t talked to Vale about the project
and had no detailed knowledge of the materials and structure
involved. However, he’s been blowing stacks across Canada
all his life, whether at his father’s knee or in charge of crews
and while they differ in size, they’re much the same in general.
What’s different about the Sudbury Superstack is the size
and age. It will also be contaminated with heavy metals and
other toxins which will have to be contained and disposed of,
making the planning stage even more challenging.
Built in 1972, it was raised to such heights by the original
owner Inco to disperse sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide emissions, from its Copper Cliff smelter, over a wide area
and to lessen the smelter’s environmental impact. It’s also a
reminder that environmental standards are much different
today and technology has also improved.
Vale has spent $1-billion on its Clean AER Project to cut
sulphur dioxide emissions to 20 kilotonnes per year, well below
the provincial regulatory limit of 66 kilotonnes per year.
P199/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Removal options for the Vale nickel smelter Sudbury
Superstack are currently being considered.
5
DEMOLITION & SITE REMEDIATION
5
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
5
ASBESTOS ABATEMENT
5
EXCAVATION
5
INSURED AND BONDED
5
OVER 90 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE
SPANNING OVER 5 GENERATIONS
P199/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
“I am not familiar with this stack directly or worked on it,
but generally the first thing you’d have to do is test samples
from the inside to see what you’re dealing with,” said Brajesh
Dubey, University of Guelph School of Engineering professor, where his research focuses on hazardous waste management and environmental technologies.
“There are two things. One, the dust which you will have
to be careful with and then what you are going to do with it
afterwards. Certainly there will be sulphur and heavy metals.
These must be contained and a safe disposal plant will have
to be engineered.”
Weather conditions on the day of the demolition could
also be a factor, he said, because if the sulphur residues
include sulphur-dioxide, which mixes with rainwater with
oxygen from the air, a mild form of sulphuric acid could
form which, while not fatal, could cause damage and discomfort.
He added any study and resulting explosive demolition
plan would have to take the geology and the geography of the
area under consideration for environmental impact. There
would also be planning, design and construction of a suitably
engineered landfill site in the frame.
The Superstack was, at one time, the biggest structure in
Ontario until the CN Tower eclipsed it at 1,833 feet when it
was topped off in 1975.
Rakowski said the structure is most likely masonry with
a steel liner. The lower part would be carbon steel while the
upper is probably stainless. Both steel liners can be recovered
and smelted down, despite contamination from 40 years of
use.
The walls at the bottom are probably up to 36 inches thick
he said, so there would have to be staging and disposal plans
in place before anything happens.
“If there’s an issue with a drop point, then you’d have to
build a scaffold and use robots to chip away at it, picking up
the debris falling down daily. It’s expensive and it could take
years to complete.”
He oversaw the demolition of a 650-foot double-walled
stack in Murchochville, Que. and said the visual spectacle is
stunning.
Vale’s Sudbury Superstack, as seen across Ramsey Lake,
dominates the city’s skyline. To some it is an eyesore, to
others it is an icon tying the city’s past to the present.
“The displacement of air alone is worth watching and
experiencing,” he said, noting there would likely be a crowd
on that day at Sudbury.
“You also have to worry about vibrations but with the rock
in that area you should be alright. The stack picks up velocity
as it falls.”
CCI GROUP
SCIENCE˜ENGINEERING˜SOLUTIONS
CCI GROUP COVERS ALL STAGES
OF THE LIFECYCLE OF A BUILDING
‡(QYLURQPHQWDO6LWH$VVHVVPHQWV
‡+D]DUGRXV0DWHULDOV0DQDJHPHQW
‡3UH'HPROLWLRQ6XUYH\V
www.ccigroupinc.ca
1.888.348.8991
[email protected]
280 Commissioners Street
Toronto, ON M4M 1A4
Phone: 416-466-3800
Fax: 416-463-3633
Sean Teperman Consulting Corp.
www.tepermandemo.com
[email protected]
Page D-6
Demolition & Environmental Engineering
Daily Commercial News April 24, 2015
Remediation
Leslie Street Spit transformation set to continue
DAN O’REILLY
A
CORRESPONDENT
popular man-made environmental
landform on Toronto’s waterfront
will be receiving another environmental feature, although it’s not going to happen overnight
In December work began on transforming the second of three confined disposal
facilities at the Leslie Street Spit—officially
known as Tommy Thompson Park—into a
nine-hectare wetland.
There are three such cells and they
were created years ago by the Toronto Port
Authority to safely stored sediment dredged
from the Keating Channel at the bottom of
the city’s Don River.
In 2007 the port authority and the Toronto Region Conservation Authority (TRCA)
completed the conversion of the filled-tocapacity Cell 1 into a wetland which is now
home to marsh birds, including nesting
Common Terns, turtles, amphibians, small
mammals and native fish.
Now, the two agencies are focusing on Cell 2.
It’s an undertaking which requires sealing the 9.3-hectare, two-metre- (6.5-foot)
deep cell—essentially a deep pond—with
approximately 21,000 truckloads of excavated soil and clay.
Staff from both agencies are managing
the project, although there are different
areas of responsibility. Access roads are
now being built through the cell by the
port authority to enable heavy equipment
operators to seal the cell, as well as lifting an array of wetland material such tree
stumps and vegetation on top.
The Toronto Region Conservation
Authority is responsible for the wetland
creation and a number of restoration initiatives, says authority project manager
Karen McDonald.
“Since Cell 2 is so large it has to be
divided into manageable units or phases”
says McDonald, pointing out some capping and wetland work will be concurrent.
After a given area is capped and dewatered, the TRCA adds “structure” to that
area with aggregate and wood materials
-ANUFACTURERAND$ISTRIBUTOR
OFHOTFORGEDBOLTSSPECIALTYTHREADEDPRODUCTSANDFASTENERS
INACCORDANCEWITHTHEHIGHESTQUALITYSTANDARDSn.IAGARA&ASTENERS
/URMANUFACTURINGRANGEISFROMTO
DIAMETERAND-TO-
,ARGERDIAMETERBLANKSANDALLCOMMONGRADES
ARESTOCKEDANDREADYFORTHREADINGTOYOUR
SPECIFICATIONS
!LL-AJOR(EAD#ONFIGURATIONS
(EX(EAVY(EX3QUARE#ARRIAGE'UARD2AIL
3PECIALS
-ATERIALS
3!%'RADES!34-'RADES!"
!""!,!!"#OR"$
!!3TAINLESS
4HREADING
&ULLYTHREADEDRODSANDSTUDSFROMTODIAMETER5.#5.&
!#-%-ETRIC"RITISH2OPE
!NCHOR"OLTS
#USTOMTOYOURSPECIFICATIONSSTRAIGHTBENTREBARMULTIUNIT
)3/
2EGISTERED
433!1!
#3!:
PORTS TORONTO
The Leslie Street Spit Cell 2 perimeter capping has started and access roads have been
built. Cell 2 is so large that it has been divided into manageable phases.
to provide habitat opportunities for both
aquatic and terrestrial wildlife.
“Once the structure is in place water,
water will be slowly allowed back into the
area and it will be planted and seeded with
native vegetation.”
Some of the wetland features will
include spawning shoals and fish cribs to
target fish spawning and fish nurseries,
plus shoreline logs for basking turtles, and
plants such as giant burreed, soft stem bulrush, arrowhead and white water lily, she
says.
“We’re going to be working backwards,”
says McDonald, explaining one of the last
details of the project will be ripping up the
roads and then depositing the road material into the wetland.
In fact, determining the reach of excavators and other pieces of heavy equipment
was one of the factors incorporated into the
design which got underway in 2013, with
the final design being completed in June of
2014, she says. The design was done by inhouse conservation authority personnel.
At various stages of the project, several
specialized professions have and will be
providing input and assistance. Included
in that list are freshwater fisheries biologists, fisheries research scientists, terrestrial biologists, landscape architects, coastal
engineers and land surveyors, she says.
The TRCA will be using a number of
construction firms and some of the tradespeople who will be on site will include
heavy equipment operators, pre-cast concrete trades, and metal fabricators who will
be erecting a pre-built fish and water level
control structure to prevent carp, a nonnative fish, access, while allowing native
fish passage.
It also allows for water levels to be controlled, which is essential during the vegetation establishment phase, she says.
“We estimate that the cap will be completed by the end of 2016,” says McDonald, who
estimates the thickness will range from 0.5
metres to about 1.5 metres (1.6 to 4.9 feet).
Other elements of the project, which
should be wrapped up by the winter of
2017/18, also include a trail system and a
fishing node.
The approximately $2.5 million project is being partially funded by the City of
Toronto, Coca Cola Canada, Fisheries and
Oceans Canada, and Environment Canada.
Raising funds for the project was a
major challenge and a primary reason it
was delayed so long after the Cell 1 wetland
was finished, says McDonald.
The new wetland will be located about
2.5 kilometres into the park. Located at
the foot of Leslie Street just minutes from
downtown Toronto, the park is the culmination of decades long landfilling operations.
Approximately 500 hectares in size, it
has been designated as an environmentally
significant area and was declared a globally
significant Important Bird Area by Birdlife
International in 2000.
Precision Machining
We have CNC lathes with live tooling and bar feeding
capabilities, and a fully equipped machine shop with presses, benders,
saws, drills and mills, welders and conventional lathes. With our in house
capabilities and our standard off the shelf
fasteners we are able to offer a
complete line of structural bolting,
on time and at a competitive price.
6095 Progress Street, P.O. Box148, Niagara Falls, ON Canada L2E 6S8 905.356.6887
www.niagarafasteners.com
1.800.263.3602 fax 905.356.5747 [email protected]
TRCA
Cell 2 perimeter capping with the Toronto skyline in the background at the Leslie Street Spit.
Once work is completed, it will be the second of three disposal areas transformed at the site.
Bringing Life To Land.
Bringing Life To Land.
Bringing Life To Land.
Bringing Life To Land.
FORMERLY METRUS DEVELOPMENT
FORMERLY METRUS DEVELOPMENT
FORMERLY METRUS DEVELOPMENT
FORMERLY METRUS DEVELOPMENT
Daily Commercial News April 24, 2015
Demolition & Environmental Engineering
SKILLS.
TO BUILD ON.
The labour management partnership of the Unionized ICI Construction Industry has invested
$260 million into 95 joint union/employer training centres across Ontario. This investment in
apprenticeship training, skills upgrading and health and safety awareness is a key driver of the superior
quality of work delivered to buyers of construction. That’s why Unionized Construction Works.
Page D-7
Page D-8
Demolition & Environmental Engineering
Daily Commercial News April 24, 2015
Scrappy Idea
Tundra Take-Back targets remediation of northern waste dumps
PETER KENTER
I
CORRESPONDENT
n much of Canada, operators are willing
to pay for the privilege of towing scrap
vehicles to wrecking yards and recyclers.
Not so in the north, where it costs so much
to recycle end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) that
they’re just as likely to be parked at waste
dumps, where they eventually leech toxic
substances into the soil.
Tundra Take-Back is a program designed
to tackle the problem head-on, by de-polluting and recycling ELVs—including abandoned construction vehicles—found in
Canada’s north. The program was devised
by Toronto-based not-for-profit Summerhill Impact (SI), an organization focusing on
projects that create positive environmental
and health impacts.
“In northern Manitoba, for example, people will buy a vehicle further south and drive
it up on ice roads,” says Janet Taylor, account
manager with SI. “There’s no economic value
to ship an ELV back at a huge cost by barge
or sealift, so they’re typically parked at waste
dumps. Compounding the problem is a
large number of total loss vehicles that were
bought at substantially discounted rates and
driven to the north unlicensed and unsafetied before the provinces assumed responsibility for ice roads.”
When ELVs deteriorate, they release a
multitude of toxins, including oil and lubricants, antifreeze, lead from batteries and
wheel weights, windshield washing fluid,
refrigerants and mercury from electrical
switches. Decommissioning the vehicles and
shipping them to recyclers in the south is the
most direct method of ensuring that environmental conditions at northern dump sites
don’t deteriorate further.
While some communities operate excavated garbage pits, SI chose a pilot project
targeting low-hanging fruit by offering to
remove vehicles from two surface dump
sites in Nunavut. The first was located near
the hamlet of Arviat on the western shore of
Hudson Bay and the second near the hamlet
of Gjoa Haven, more than 1,000 kilometres
north.
The pilot took place last August, with
financial support from Environment Canada
and partnerships with businesses, including
recyclers, manufacturers, and transportation
and hospitality service providers.
“Initially, we considered removing the
vehicles by ice road,” says Taylor. “But the
timing of the pilot didn’t allow for that.
Instead, we got an offer from Arctic Cooperatives Limited to fill empty sea cans
that had previously been used to ship
goods north with the material we were collecting.”
In addition to taking part in the cleanup, five citizens from each hamlet received
instruction from representatives of the Automotive Recyclers of Canada on how to properly decommission and recycle ELVs.
“Some of the vehicles dated back to the
1950s, including a construction truck identified as a contractor to the DEW Line defense
initiative,” says Taylor, who took a direct role
in site clean-ups. “We removed tires, batteries, chemicals and mercury switches from
each vehicle, and drained the oil, transmission fluids and antifreeze. We then bashed in
the vehicles using a front end loader so that
we could fit as many as possible into the sea
cans using a forklift.”
In all, the pilot program netted 31 tons
of recyclable material and hazardous waste,
including more than 700 lead-acid batteries,
1,400 tires, 24 drums of automotive fluids
and 20 mercury switches.
The steel was ultimately delivered to the
Whitby, Ont. recycling operations of Gerdau,
a global steel company, where it was shredded and recycled. Chemicals were recycled
or sent for proper disposal.
Recognizing that there are no codes of
practice or resources available on vehicle
decommissioning that translate well into a
northern context, SI also produced its own
guideline: Protecting the Land — A Practical
Guide to ELV Recycling in the North.
SI is looking to secure funding to expand
the program into 2015, including the possible acquisition of a metal shredder and
crusher to allow even more scrap metal to be
packed into sea cans.
“We were successful enough with the
vehicles we decommissioned, and we identified a lot of other items, from ATVs and
snowmobiles to appliances that we could
address to reduce the metal pile,” says Taylor.
“And while our first efforts targeted communities in the far north, there are plenty
of communities south of 60 tied to ice roads
where we expect that dumping problems are
far worse.”
SUMMERHILL IMPACT
Tundra Take-Back is a program designed to tackle the problem of reducing the number
of end-of-life vehicles that are sometimes left as waste dumps in Canada’s north.
Earthworks Archaeological Services
Archaeological assessments are an increasingly common requirement in advance of Ontario development.
We operate anywhere in Ontario, and offer the following services to all development sectors:
Stage 1–4 Archaeological Investigations
Historical Research
|
|
Historic Building Surveys
Cultural Heritage Assessments
|
|
Archaeological Monitoring
First Nations Engagement
2365 Watts Road
Haliburton, ON K0M 1S0
(416) 937-8832
[email protected]
www.earthworksarchaeology.com
We offer free initial consultation and pricing.
Structural Demolition
Asbestos Abatement
Soil Remediation
Mould Remediation
Environmental Managers (Established in 2000)
salandria.com
Tel: 905.707.6568
Fax: 905.707.9095
[email protected]
Daily Commercial News April 24, 2015
Demolition & Environmental Engineering
Page D-9
THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT
FOR THOSE WHO STAND OUT
At Aquatech we strive to be a recognized leader in the industry by upholding superior
environmental standards while embracing Best Management Practices (BMP) in all aspects
of our business, from system design to project management and methodology to client
service. Our business is built on the principle that we can support the growth of industry,
infrastructure and community while protecting the integrity of the natural environment.
FLOW METERS
FILTRATION SOLUTIONS
PUMPING SOLUTIONS
- Easy to install
- Indicates batch,
cumulative totals
& rate of flow
- Displays in
Gallons, Litres &
Cubic Feet
SPILL GUARDS
Aqua-Kleen Self-Cleaning
Filter Unit NEW
Enviro Tanks
- Protect floor &
walls from the tire
abrasion caused
by skidding,
turning & braking
- Custom sizes are
available
RENTALS & SALES
- Layflat discharge
hose
- HDPE pipe
- Fusing Services
- Suction Screens
- Radar Levels
- Sewage Plugs
Sand Media Filters
Oil/Water Separators
Media for Hyrdrocarbon
Treatment
Diesel & Electric Trash Pumps
Submersible Pumps
Heavy Sludge Pumps
Dredges
Pitbull Pumps
APPLICATIONS
Dewatering
Bypass Pumping
APPLICATIONS
Flood Control
Fluid Transfer
Industrial Pumping
Environmental Servies
Filtration/Treatment
HDPE Pipe Fusing Services
Wellpoint Systems
Dredging
Emergency Response
Drilling Services
Full service provider for dewatering, pumping, dredging and filtration with sales across Eastern Canada!
MAPLE l OTTAWA l SUDBURY l THUNDER BAY
1-877-907-7852
Visit www.AquatechDewatering.com for more information.
Page D-10
Demolition & Environmental Engineering
Daily Commercial News April 24, 2015
STATE OF THE ART EQUIPMENT
Gm
As one of Canada’s leading demolition contractors,
Priestly Demolition Inc. is working hard to revitalize
Ontario’s landscape for the future.
Celebrating over 20 years in the industrial, commercial, institutional and private
sectors of the demolition industry, we want to acknowledge our sincere appreciation
and THANKS to our loyal customers, reliable suppliers and dedicated staff.
Women’s College Hospital, Toronto
Priestly Demolition Inc... A force to be wrecking with
Serving private homeowners, real estate developers, multi-national corporations,
general contractors and government agencies throughout Ontario.
Daily Commercial News April 24, 2015
Demolition & Environmental Engineering
Page D-11
. VISIONARY LEADERSHIP . INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS
Safety First at Bay & Adelaide
Plant, Oshawa
PDI at the Bank of Canada, Ottawa
Priestly Demolition Inc. is proud to
provide the following services:
Demolition
Hazardous Material Abatement
Asset Recovery & Salvage
Brownfield Remediation
Concrete Crushing
Emergency Response Services
Bridgepoint Health Network, Toronto
3200 Lloydtown-Aurora Rd., King ON L7B 0G3
Toll Free: 1-800-263-2076 Tel: 905-841-3735 Fax: 905-841-6282
[email protected]
www.priestly.ca
Page D-12
Demolition & Environmental Engineering
Daily Commercial News April 24, 2015
Environmental Excellence
Storm water reduction featured at IMAX parking lot
DAN O’REILLY
A
CORRESPONDENT
long-term initiative to reduce storm
water impact on a local creek, one of
the last coastal marshes in the Greater
Toronto Area, and ultimately Lake Ontario
received a major award earlier this year.
Credit Valley Conservation (CVC) and
IMAX Corporation received a Minister’s
Award for Environmental Excellence from
the Ministry of the Environment and Climate
Change for using innovative approaches and
technologies in retrofitting the parking lot at
IMAX’s Canadian technology headquarters in
Mississauga.
“It’s one of the first commercial parking
lots in Ontario incorporating a variety of low
impact technologies (LID),” says Phil James, the
conservation authority’s manager of watershed
protection and restoration.
The runoff is collected, absorbed and filtered before entering Sheridan Creek which
flows into Rattray Marsh, a provincially significant wetland and “one of the coastal marshes
on the Great Lakes and ultimately into Lake
Ontario.”
Designed by Aquafor Beech and built by
Aecon, those innovative features include permeable pavers and three specialized and different stormwater treatment trains incorporating
some green and leading edge products.
In one of the trains, for example, runoff from
the asphalt parking lot flows into a “Jellyfish Filter” which removes oil and grease before entering into bio-retention units.
Construction was completed in December
2012. However, a five-year monitoring process to measure the performance of the various
technologies has been underway since 2013,
says James.
The roots of the project actually go back to
2007 when the conservation authority completed a sub-watershed study documenting the
impact of sediment and untreated stormwater
on Rattray Marsh.
To help highlight the study’s findings, the
conservation authority organized a bus tour
for a number of stake holders including local
companies to highlight the poor condition of
the creek.
The tour caught the attention of IMAX
officials, especially after the bus stopped at
the parking lot where authority staff explained
impervious pavement directly channels stormwater into drains.
“IMAX is a forward-thinking multi-national
corporation and it is aware of the issues.”
Apart from the fact the poorly functioning
lot would need reconstruction at some point, the
company knew some municipalities have enacted storm water utility charges, which is basically
a levy on the amount of untreated stormwater
flowing from parking lots, roofs, and other hard
surfaces into drains, he points out.
While the approximate $476,000 construction cost was borne by IMAX, the provincial
funding helps cover the cost of the monitoring. A number of manufacturers also provided
products at a discount, he says.
As the project is intended to monitor and
compare the effectiveness of the different retention and filtration technologies, a staged construction schedule was required, says James
After ripping out the asphalt in the back
portion of the parking lot, Aecon installed
the permeable pavers using two different
aggregates. Then the contractor installed the
three specialized treatment trains underneath
asphalt in the front portion of the 300-space
lot.
To cope with the phased construction and
the temporary loss of spaces, IMAX implemented a bus shuttle service from nearby parking lots.
“It (the shuttle) was a fairly seamless,” says
the company’s facilities manager, Lorna Howieson.
“We feel the project is a demonstration of
our corporate responsibility and will produce
result which can be measured.”
At the heart of the project was the company’s willingness to allow conservation authority
staff to come on to its property to inspect how
the systems are performing, says James.
“We were able to obtain a legal agreement
with IMAX which allows the authority to monitor for a five-year period, with the possibility
of a renewal. Not every corporation would do
that.”
Some of the benefits to the company include
a better functioning and less-expensive-to
maintain parking lot.
Besides the environmental benefits, the project is also spurring the growth of Ontario green
jobs through the use and promotion of the specialized stormwater management systems. And
that’s the message the conservation authority
was to spread, especially with the publicity generated by the Minister’s Award, he says.
“We have a good story to tell.”
CREDIT VALLEY CONSERVATION
Top: Credit Valley Conservation’s Phil James demonstrating the performance of permeable pavers. Bottom: Three bioretention cells that absorb and filter runoff before
it enters a nearby creek.
ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERS
For More Information Contact:
Specialists In:
Designated Substances Surveys for Renovation,
Demolition and Construction Projects
Asbestos and Hazardous Materials Surveys and
Abatement Design and Supervision
Mould Investigations and Remedial Design and
Supervision
Air Quality Testing
Phase I and II Environmental Site Assessments,
Site Cleanup and Risk Assessment
Geotechnical Investigations
Sales / Rentals / Installation / Training
Rein Andre or
Kelly Smith
121 Granton Drive, Suite 12
Richmond Hill, Ontario L4B 3N4
Tel: 905.882.5984
Web-Site: www.arcadis.com
E-Mail: [email protected]
[email protected]
.HO¿HOG6WUHHW
7RURQWR210:$
T: (416) 248-6600
Toll Free: 1 (855) 248-6600
Email: [email protected]
ZZZ$&(FRUSFD
Daily Commercial News April 24, 2015
Demolition & Environmental Engineering
We can complete your project
Page D-13
on time
on budget; no matter what size and
no matter how challenging, you can count
on our expertise.
and
Æ
Demolition
Æ
Environmental Services
Æ
Site Services
11 Dansk Court
Toronto, ON
M9W 5N6
Tel: 416.675.2280
Fax: 416.675.2209
www.mgicorp.ca
Page D-14
Demolition & Environmental Engineering
Daily Commercial News April 24, 2015
Regulation
New demo rules look at chemical exposure limits
DON PROCTER
L
CORRESPONDENT
arge demolition contractors that perform industrial/
commercial work in Ontario might be on a search to
hire staff with chemical and industrial hygiene hazard
experience this summer, if a proposed provincial regulation
on allowable exposure limits to chemicals on construction
sites is passed.
Currently construction is the only sector exempt from
Regulation 833 – Control of Exposure to Biological or Chemical Agents.
“Demolition and construction sites have the potential for
overexposure to many hazardous materials, including silica,
lead, welding fumes and chemical residues from prior operations,” says Bruce Stewart, Pinchin Ltd. executive vice-president of technical services.
“They (contractors) have lots of safety people who know
rigging, scaffolding, safe demolition...but the skillsets of their
safety people don’t extend to the kinds of issues presented by
chemicals,” adds Stewart, a certified industrial hygienist who
sits on a subcommittee to the Provincial Labour Management
Health and Safety Committee (PLMHSC) that is behind the
proposed new regulation.
There are sound reasons for legislation. The cost of occupational disease represents about 40 per cent of the total cost
of compensation, says Stewart.
“When someone breaks their ankle, they are back to work
soon, but if someone gets asthma from working with wood,
this can lead to an expensive life-debilitating condition.”
Jonathan Zuber, Priestly Demolition Inc. safety manager,
says removing the exemption “removes the opinion factor of
employers and workers, and provides a definitive measure of
what will be acceptable.”
He adds that enforcement by the Ministry of Labour
should lead to “a market advantage for contractors with good
safety programs.”
Zuber is also a member of the subcommittee to the PLMHSC which is working on implementation guidelines to assist
contractors with compliance of the legislation change.
Zuber says that while Regulation 833 has exempted the
construction sector for exposure limits,
the Occupational Health and Safety Act
has always contained general duties for
employers to protect their workers.
He adds that demolition contractors
require a work culture that puts exposure protection as a priority. Although
many demolition jobs only involve lowlevel hazardous materials such as drywall, fibreglass, brick, concrete and roofing materials, extended exposures can be
harmful if workers are not properly protected.
If passed, the regulation could especially impact the way demolition contractors bid on large projects. Pre-tender
planning could be vital, explains Stewart.
“A demolition project can be done with
hot methods (cutting steel) or cold methods (with shears, for instance) and some
of it can be subcontracted out, so there is
INFRASTRUCTURE HEALTH AND SAFETY ASSOCIATION
going to be a need for a fair bit of investigation and planning before you begin the Proposed provincial legislation in Ontario could require demolition contractors to look at hiring staff with chemical and industrial hygiene experience.
demolition process.”
Zuber points out that building owners
must provide contractors with a Designated Substance sur- which safe work procedure packages are set or standardized
vey detailing where those substances are. The application of for various chemical scenarios.
Regulation 833 to construction sites extends the protection to
“We (the committee) are going to write some industry
about 700 potentially hazardous substances.
practices so contractors don’t have to go through the air samPreliminary investigations could also change the nature pling and assessing on a site by site basis.”
of the demolition so contractors might have to stipulate an
“There are precedents for this,” says Stewart, citing the
open-ended price and schedule to deal with unknowns that asbestos regulation and provincial guidelines for lead, silica
could hamper work.
and other chemicals. These chemicals are categorized at variStewart points out, however, that chemical sampling won’t ous toxic levels so contractors can set best safety practices,
be required on every construction or demolition project rather than deal with testing on every project.
under the regulation. A rigorous safety monitoring program
The Infrastructure Health and Safety Association is workfor workers based on a company’s experience or government ing on training materials to assist in the transition for the
literature on chemicals might preclude the need for air moni- building industry, if the new regulation is passed. Legislation
toring, for example.
could be enacted as soon as June, or it could be phased in,
The idea is to employ a “control banding” formula in says Stewart. Either way, it will be part of the industry’s future.
A partner you can trust
Managing the success of your construction business can be
challenging in today’s evolving marketplace.
When you partner with Aviva for your surety needs, you can
count on us to provide you with:
sExpert advice and consultation for your specific project
sOur commitment to help you meet your business goals
sA stable partnership focused on the long-term
With more than 100 years of expertise behind us, you can
trust Aviva as your valued business partner.
Contact your broker to learn more.
AvivaCanada.com
Home | Auto | Leisure & Lifestyle | Business | Group | Surety
Aviva and the Aviva logo are trademarks used under license by the licensor.
Daily Commercial News April 24, 2015
Demolition & Environmental Engineering
Choose Dymin Steel
plasma cutting for all of
your structural needs.
We offer stitch cutting, plasma cut bolt holes, slots, miters,
notches, copes and bevels, to your specification.
For further information & pricing please call our sales department:
905.840.0808 or 1 800 461.4675
www.dymin-steel.com
Page D-15
Page D-16
Demolition & Environmental Engineering
Daily Commercial News April 24, 2015
Demolition
Overthrowing the Guvernment: Toronto venue demolished
PETER KENTER
T
CORRESPONDENT
he demolition of the Guvernment/
Kool Haus entertainment complex
near Toronto’s waterfront unleashed
30 years of memories — including those of
the employees of ProGreen Demolition Ltd.,
which submitted the successful bid on the
project.
“Many of us attended performances there
over the years,” says Keri Wellhauser, marketing manager with ProGreen. “One of our
operators even performed a guest shot as a
DJ in one of the club rooms at the complex.”
The 67,000-square-foot complex is being
demolished on behalf of Daniels CM Corp.,
which is redeveloping the entire bock into
condominiums.
The clubs started life as a series of former heavy industrial buildings at the foot
of Lower Jarvis Street near the waterfront.
A club named RPM was launched in 1985
and was soon joined by a second venue, The
Warehouse.
Entrepreneur Charles Khabouth purchased the buildings in 1995, rebranding
RPM as Guvernment, and The Warehouse as
Kool Haus. The complex has featured a slate of
top-tier acts over three decades, including the
Rolling Stones, Oasis, Coldplay, Lady Gaga,
The Black Keys, David Bowie, Nine Inch
Nails, Duran Duran, INXS and Justin Bieber.
Although Khabouth submitted an offer to
buy the buildings, he was outbid by the condominium developer.
The demolition project began in early
February, but was subject to some initial
delays because waste services to the buildings
couldn’t be shut down due to the extreme
cold weather.
“This project involves the
demolition of two buildings
including the slab, footings
and foundations,” says Wellhauser. “Neither building has
a basement—they’re both slabon-grade. An asbestos abatement program took place in
The Guvernment prior to any
demolition work and is now
undergoing an interior strip
out. We’re using bobcats and
small excavators to remove
material such as drywall, wood
and finishes.”
One operator noted that
stripping the interior of the
building was like peeling back
history, as the paint job for the
original Orange Room subvenue emerged.
Demolition of the Kool Haus — a metal
structure — is almost complete.
The contractor brought four major pieces
of equipment to the project: a Liebherr 964
excavator with a shear; a 650 Hitachi excavator with shear; and a Liebherr 944 High
Reach excavator and 324 CAT with grapple
to assist with the high reach work at the tops
of the 30-foot buildings.
While the site along Queens Quay East
was once largely undeveloped, construction
in recent years has seen the addition of the
Corus Entertainment headquarters and the
George Brown College Waterfront Campus,
among other projects, which have ramped up
both vehicular and pedestrian traffic.
“The site is now a high-traffic downtown
location,” says Wellhauser. “We’re very conscious of street activity on the west side of the
PETER KENTER
The Guvernment/Kool Haus entertainment complex, an iconic destination for Toronto’s
music and dance lovers is being demolished by ProGreen Demolition Inc.
project along Jarvis across from a Loblaws
shopping centre. Part of the concrete structure is tight to the sidewalk on the south and
west sides, so we installed overhead protection for pedestrians. Neighbouring businesses are a safe distance away from the work,
although we employ a dust suppression program when required.”
Demolition was completed according
to an Ontario Ministry of the Environment Waste Reduction Plan and Audit.
ProGreen is separating, salvaging and
recycling various items such as electrical equipment, wood and metals, with as
much debris as possible diverted from tra-
ditional landfills.
Salvage included sound equipment and
Guvernment’s famous raised wood floor,
which was originally installed to provide
superior acoustics and replaced yearly.
“Typically more than 90 per cent of the
material on any project is recycled or reused,”
says Wellhauser.
“It’s likely that concrete and brick will be
left on site for future use. Once both buildings are demolished above grade, we’ll go in
and remove the footings and foundations
from each facility.”
The project is scheduled for completion
by the end of April.
SERVICES
Asbestos Removal
Infectious Control
Mould Removal
Interior Strip Out
Lead Removal
Full Structural Demolition
PCB Removal
Project Management
Fire Damage Restoration
General Contracting
Water Damage Restoration
(IICRC Certified)
215 Carlingview Drive,
Unit 309/310
Toronto, ON M9W 5E8
Tel 416-848-0508
Fax 416-679-8512
[email protected]
www.alwaysavailable.ca
Daily Commercial News April 24, 2015
Demolition & Environmental Engineering
Page D-17
Negotiate your heavy machinery
purchases with confidence
Secure your financing before it’s time to buy
In the building and construction industry, ongoing equipment purchases can be
a fact of life. Getting the right equipment at the right time – and the right price – is critical.
So imagine:
ƒ Accessing financing whenever you need it.
ƒ Getting the interest rate you deserve.
ƒ Avoiding an application process with every purchase.
Now you can with the RBC Equipment PurchaseLine
Open yours today so you have access to credit any time you need it.
TM
Call 1-855-561-6723 or visit rbc.com/flexiblefinancing
TM
® / Trademark(s) of Royal Bank of Canada. RBC and Royal Bank are registered trademarks of Royal Bank of Canada. Subject to approval and certain conditions apply. VPS89599
TM
108518 (02/2015)
Page D-18
Demolition & Environmental Engineering
Daily Commercial News April 24, 2015
Precision Demo
College Street demo makes way for university housing
PETER KENTER
D
CORRESPONDENT
emolishing a Victorian warehouse and two
smaller mixed-use buildings in downtown
Toronto required surgical precision on the
part of contractor Delsan-Aim, as it prepared the
site for construction of a student housing complex.
The buildings were located near the busy southeast corner of College Street and Spadina Avenue in
the vicinity of a public library, storefront businesses, including a Booster juice franchise and a series
of residential buildings in the rear. Making the job
more complex—the site butted up to the sidewalk
at the front and to existing buildings on the property lines to the east and west.
Brookfield Multiplex plans to build a 28-storey student residence on the land, which is partly
owned by the University of Toronto and leased to
developer Knightstone Capital Management. The
$65-million College & Spadina Student Residences
project is being designed by Diamond & Schmitt Architects
and is scheduled for completion by the beginning of the 2016
academic year.
Site preparation work started in the first week of October as the demolition contractor began asbestos abatement,
bringing in equipment through a residential entrance behind
the buildings.
“The neighbours were more than gracious giving us access
through the first part of the project,” says Carmelo Pastore,
a senior project manager with Delsan-AIM. “But we didn’t
GALLOWAY PHOTOGRAPHY FOR DELSAN-AIM
The demolition of a Victorian warehouse and two smaller
mixed-use buildings in downtown Toronto required precision planning by Delsan-AIM.
want to rock the boat by wearing out our welcome. Once we
completed asbestos abatement and got our permits we moved
in the heavy equipment through a construction entrance we
carved out on College.”
For the heavy work, the contractor mobilized three excavators—a John Deere 450, a Liebherr 944 and a CAT 320.
Street-front scaffolding was installed by Don Fry Scaffold
Service Inc. Delsan-AIM installed its own hoarding panels
and kicker boards to protect pedestrians as interior demolition and salvage commenced.
The smaller two-storey building on the eastern portion
of the site, was constructed on footings shared with a neighbouring historic brick building. Engineering firm CSE Structural Forensics designed an approach that would retain the
structural integrity of the remaining building.
“The footing of the brick wall was built on native material,” says Pastore. “We worked carefully removing the structure along the property line with a Kubota K008 compact
excavator outfitted with a hydraulic breaker. As we worked
along the shared footing, we were almost working by hand
at the lower levels to make sure we preserved the integrity of
the building.”
Demolition crews excavated along the property line, as
GFL Excavating Corp. delivered shale imported from another site for strategic backfilling.
As the site was prepared, Anchor Shoring Group drilled
caissons to bedrock around the site perimeter in preparation for later excavation by GFL and construction of the new
building foundations.
“The most interesting building was the old five-storey storage warehouse in the centre of the site,” says Pastore. “It featured load-bearing brick construction, with steel tension rods
and plates later added to retain the integrity of the brick walls.”
The demolition of the warehouse resulted in a large harvest of reusable wood beams, wood columns and wood floors.
American buyers typically snap up wood salvage, although
the continuing weakness of the US economy has seen that
market soften.
“The beams and columns were really nice quality and the
sub-floor was made up entirely of upright two-by fours nailed
together, with hardwood installed on top of that,” says Pastore. “We were pleased to find people in London who were
interested in this vintage wood.”
Other demolition material was either reused or recycled.
“The project has already been substantially completed,”
says Pastore. “All we have to do now is come back and remove
the small patch of asphalt that the Brookfield construction
trailer is sitting on.”
1600 Major Mackenzie Dr. E., Richmond Hill, ON L4S 1P4
Tel: 905-883-4268 Fax: 905-883-4894
Toll free: 1-877-883-4268 Website: www.506tc.org
Daily Commercial News April 24, 2015
Demolition & Environmental Engineering
Over 65 years…
Atlas
Dewatering Corporation
s #/.3425#4)/.$%7!4%2).'
s %-%2'%.#9"90!3305-0).'
s -).%$%7!4%2).'DESIGNANDINSTALLATION
s !4,!3%.6)2/4!.+3©
s !4,!3!15!"!22)%2
ENVIRONMENTALLYFRIENDLYCOFFERDAMS
s $)%3%,!.$%,%#42)#05-03
s ).#(4(2/5'().#('/$7).05-03
www.atlasdewatering.com
111 Ortona Court
Concord, ON, L4K 3M3
T 905-669-6825
F 905-669-4036
24/7 EMERGENCY SERVICES
1-877-669-6825
Page D-19
Page D-20
Demolition & Environmental Engineering
Daily Commercial News April 24, 2015
Replacement Work
Timiskaming Dam work to get started this summer
IAN HARVEY
W
CORRESPONDENT
ork on the $20.9-million Timiskaming Dam replacement project is
expected to get underway in earnest this summer once the necessary permits
and approvals have been signed off.
Doug Dally, North America Construction project control coordinator, said work
was slated to start last year but was delayed
because of the myriad of regulation and
legislation at both the federal and provincial level governing waterways. Public
Works Canada (PWC) is in the process of
securing the necessary permits from the
other agencies.
“We’re now hoping to get the coffer dam
started downstream of the existing dam
around July this year,” he said.
With the coffer dam in place, crews can
start work on inspecting the apron around
the front of the existing dam to ascertain its
condition.
“We think there’s some water leaking
under the dam so there may have to be some
grouting but that’s one of the unknowns for
us right now. We won’t know until we get in
there.”
The project is funded by the federal
government and Ontario governments and
will replace the original dam section on the
Ontario side built between 1909 and 1913.
The permitting paperwork alone seems to
be a project in itself. PWC’s website shows a
long list of assessments, including archaeological, natural environment, environmental
effects evaluation, a geotechnical investigation and analysis, a hydraulic analysis and
study, a heritage assessment and a designated
substance survey.
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Work on the $20.9-million Timiskaming Dam replacement will get underway this summer once the necessary permits and approvals are in place.
Add in the Navigable Waters Act requirements and delays are hardly surprising.
The project was never going be easy from
the outset given its location and the challenge
of working around the waterway. It’s one of
two dams in the Timiskaming Dam Complex
which maintain water levels to around Lake
Timiskaming upstream and the downstream
Ottawa River.
The project is further complicated by a
roadway which runs across the tops of the
dams between Ontario and Quebec connecting Highway 63 with Highway 101. The road
will also be realigned as part of the project
and there’s also an adjacent pedestrian path-
way and a natural gas pipeline.
The complex is about 65 kilometres northeast of North Bay on the border between
Quebec and Ontario. The two dams are on
either side of Long Sault Island in the Ottawa
River.
The Quebec component is on that province’s side of the border and will be used for
water control while the Ontario side dam is
under construction and will be studied for
future replacement as well.
A proposal to install a hydro-generating
turbine as part of the new dam structure was
rejected when a KPMG study found it would
not be economically viable.
The existing dams are concrete structures featuring sluice bays with removable
stop logs and because of their age need
replacement.
Obviously, the coffer dam is critical to
creating some space to work, said Dally.
The plan is to use commercial dive teams to
install fabric across the coffer dam to trap any
silt being stirred up from the river bed from
spreading downstream.
“There’s also a plan to capture and release
any fish which get caught in the coffer dam
as well,” he said. “After we inspect the apron
and re-grout where needed we’ll look at tying
the new dam into the existing abutments and
looking at how much erosion there is.”
With the new dam in place it is hoped
demolition of the existing dam can start.
“We don’t have the final proposal in place
yet and they are still working on it but it’s
hoped they can start demolition and use
the rubble as a roadway for access and then
scoop it all out,” he said.
“It’s pretty old so we don’t know what
materials are there and how much rebar there
is or isn’t but we’re also hoping to recover
some of that concrete to use as riprap along
the shoreline.”
Access is also somewhat restricted from
March to July because of the high water runoff and the need to control the water flow, he
added. Work will continue as long as possible
over the colder months.
“Whatever we do with the coffer dam it
has to be out before March of next year for
the season,” he said.
The new dam will be built a few metres
south of the existing dam and while construction was slated to wrap up by 2016, the
delayed start will push that back.