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June 13, 2008 |
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*Please note , WCA members
already on the list to receive this newsletter*
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WCA summer hours are: Monday to Thursday 7:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Friday 7:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. __________________
Upcoming Industry Events ............... WCA Summer BBQ - Tuesday, June 24, 2008 REGISTER HERE! __________________ WCA Education News ............... ............... Follow the above link for full schedule details or call Kelly Thiessen
at *Most courses can be used toward the Gold Seal Program* __________________ WCA Membership News ............... WCA Welcomes its Newest Members: Pinchin Environmental --- Edwin Wooster PETRO CANADA FUEL PLAN * All WCA members currently enrolled in the Petro Canada Fuel Plan will receive an additional 10% discount on car wash purchases with the purchase of fuel at all Petro Canada tunnel car wash sites. * To enroll in the program, call Doug Sargeant at 989-4405. For more information regarding WCA membership, contact: Kelly Thiessen 775-8664 x 2225 or email: __________________ Planroom News ............... For technical difficulties regarding the online planroom, please contact: Eric Sigurdson
Online Planroom Training Sessions Dates: 9:00 - 10:30 a.m. June 26, 2008 |
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Please join WCA Board Members, staff, fellow members and guests of the construction industry for good food and great entertainment at our annual Summer BBQ lunch on Tuesday, June 24, 2008.
Recently, the City of Winnipeg, along with representatives from the construction industry met to discuss the progress of the Permit X-Press project – a joint initiative designed to speed up and improve the building permit application process.
WCA is active on the Permits X-Press Industry Advisory Group and continues to work closely with the City to speed up the issuance of commercial building permits. While there have been some incremental improvements made to the permit application process in the past two years, the average approval length remains unacceptably long.
According to permit statistics released, over the course of January to May, 2008, 187 Commercial (Occupy Only) permits were applied for. Of this number, 158 permits were obtained in one day.
During this same time, 32 Commercial Addition permits (full permits) were applied for. Almost 22 per cent of these permits were issued within 31-60 working days, while a whopping 47 per cent were issued in 90-180 working days.
Of 69 Commercial New Building permits (full permits) applied for during January to May, 2008, 30 were issued 91-180 days after receipt, while 19 of these permits took over 181 days to approve. On the positive side, in the Commercial Alterations and Demolitions category, of 449 full permits applied for, 67 per cent of these permits were issued within 30 days.
Contractors on many projects have been seeking “Foundation Only” permits in order to get projects underway more quickly. During the period in question, the average length of time to issue a foundation permit was 12.5 weeks – a duration that is of great concern to WCA.
Despite initiatives designed to speed up the permit approval system, it is difficult to see any marked improvement in the timeliness of issuance. While this might partially be contributed to the strength of the industry and an increase in permit volume, there is still much room for improvement.
WCA remains active and committed to finding lasting solutions to commercial permit delays in Winnipeg and will continue to work with the City of Winnipeg to complete this process.
Online Planroom Tip of the Week: Build a Search
When building your search you can choose more than one option at a time by holding down the "Ctrl" key on your keyboard.
Example: After choosing the "Type" search criteria, hold down "Ctrl" and click Addition, Civil and Development followed by a click on the "Save" button. You will now see all three listed under the current selection.
Gold Seal Online Training
for Managers, Supervisors & Estimators
(5 Gold Seal Credits for each course)
Communication, Negotiation and Conflict Resolution
Objectives: This course is designed to help improve the written, oral and negotiating skills for estimators, superintendents and project managers who must deal effectively and professionally with employees, sub-trades, owners, clients, engineers and their employees. This course is self-paced and is approximately 8 hours in length.
WCA Member Fee: $90.00 + GST
Construction Project Management
Objectives: This course is designed for project managers, superintendents and estimators. The course covers business case development, procurement, contracting, risk management and project close-out.
WCA Member Fee: $90.00 + GST
Construction Law
Objectives: This course will provide managers with the tools to help them understand
construction contracts, write contracts, identify simple errors in construction contracts,
understand the process claim and learn to solve construction disputes effectively. A final
mark of 75 per cent is required in order to receive a certificate of completion.
WCA Member Fee: $90.00 + GST
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E-mail: wca@wpgca.com
Visit our full Web site at www.wpgca.com
Winnipeg Construction Association is located at
290 Burnell Street, Winnipeg, MB R3G 2A7
(204)775-8664
Copyright of Winnipeg Construction Association © 2007.
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