CCA Weekly - January 10, 2012

Topics in this week's edition:

Labour

Government Announces Support for “Helmets to Hard Hats” Program

Green Building

New law bars LEED energy certifications for DoD building projects

Expansion of “green” retrofits expected

Innovation and Technology

A New Year Could Bring New Innovation

Economy

Building Permits Decline in November

Infrastructure funding key to helping economy recover

Canada’s December labour market report encapsulated what’s happening in the economy

Labour

Government Announces Support for “Helmets to Hard Hats” Program

Canadians with military credentials and an interest in the construction industry could soon snag jobs with help from a new training initiative. Prime Minister Stephen announced $150,000 of federal support for the Helmets to Hard hats program, a partnership co-ordinated with building trades unions and the private sector. The federal contribution will help promote the program, which is expected to launch in the spring. Read more

Green Building

New law bars LEED energy certifications for DoD building projects

The Defense Department is barred from using any money to certify its buildings LEED Gold or Platinum, under a law President Obama signed Dec. 31. Read more

Expansion of “green” retrofits expected

Greening of existing “energy-hogging” buildings is expected to gain traction in coming years, says Windmill Development Group founder Jonathan Westeinde. “The existing building stock is aging,” he told a seminar at the Construct Canada conference. “It needs to be updated and renewed. I think retrofits are going to become more and more a part of all our businesses as we move forward.” Read more

Innovation and Technology

A New Year Could Bring New Innovation

With the start of 2012, columnist Kory Koruluk suggests that a new year could bring more innovation, and examines some of the trends that could make an impact over the coming year. Read more

Economy

Building Permits Decline in November

The total value of building permits decreased 3.6% to $6.1 billion in November, following an 11.6% increase in October. A decline in the non-residential sector, particularly in Ontario, more than offset gains in the value of residential permits. Read more

Infrastructure funding key to helping economy recover

Looking back at 2011, infrastructure investment was a significant factor in helping the Canadian economy, and should continue to play an important economic role in the coming year. Read more

Canada’s December labour market report encapsulated what’s happening in the economy

Employment in Canada in December reversed the trend of the two previous months as the total number of jobs in the country increased by 18,000, according to Statistics Canada. Economist Alex Carrick explores what the numbers mean for the Canadian economy and the construction industry. Read more