Engineering firms help improve cement industry, lessen impact of Oil Sands

Several engineering companies have band together to conduct environmental research into the operations of Canada’s oil sands. One of the engineering firms that helped Lafarge Canada upgrade a cement kiln located in Exshaw, Alberta was WorleyParsonsKomex. The company was also responsible for obtaining environmental permits and giving geotechnical services for Lafarge’s expansion plan to bring up the facility’s manufacturing capacity by 60 percent. The upgrade, which costs $20 million, substantially minimized emissions of sulphur dioxide by 60 percent and reduced nitrogen oxide emissions by 40 percent. It also included equipment that reduced the plant’s dust and noise levels.

 

On the other hand, AECOM Technology is currently undertaking three environmental research projects on the use and recycling of water for Canada’s oil sands projects. The study is being done for Canada’s Oil Sands Innovation Alliance (COSIA), an organization composed of oil sands producers. COSIA’s goal is for the producers to work together in looking for new technologies and seeking new methods to reduce the industry’s impacts to the environment. So far, its member firms have already come up with 560 technologies worth $900 million.

 

Meanwhile, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded a $23 million contract to engineering firm Tetra Tech. The single-award contract covers five years and will use field work, laboratory analysis, modeling and data interpretation in order to evaluate and lessen the effects that contaminated fish, microbes and toxins, among others. Through this contract, Tetra Tech will be supporting ways to address issues related to water pollution.

 

In a related development, Henry Lang of Golder Associates based in the U.K. has also written an article for the 111^th Issue of European Oil & Gas Magazine 2014 on how firms involved in the extraction of shale gas can conduct hydraulic fracturing, popularly known as fracking, in a responsible manner. Lang gave an in-depth examination of the matter and wrote that the best practices must involve thorough scrutiny of the reservoirs and comprehensive water management.

Ontario sets up Ring of Fire Infrastructure Development Corporation

The province of Ontario has established the Ring of Fire Infrastructure Development Corporation within the promised window of 60 days. The not-for-profit corporation was set after Ontario pledged on July 3, 2014 to put up the company in just two months.


The ROF Infrastructure Development Corporation is integral to the promotion of progress in the Ring of Fire, a region believed to have a mineral potential worth $60 billion. Located 540 kilometers northeast of Thunder Bay, the Ring of Fire’s mineral potential includes the largest chromite deposit ever found in North America to date. The said corporation, which currently has four of the province’s public servants on its interim board, will focus on the First Nations as well as public and private sectors to form partnerships. Ultimately making decisions regarding transportation infrastructure.


The role of the current four-member Board of Directors will be to put in place the necessary structures so that the partners can decide on their level of participation in the development firm. When the corporation becomes fully-formed, it will be capable of giving advice regarding critical investment on the province’s infrastructure. It will also determine how the province’s $1 billion commitment to infrastructure development in the Ring of Fire can be used best.

Ontario is investing in the Ring of Fire as part of its economic plan that puts primary importance in constructing modern infrastructures, investing in people and promoting a business climate that is modern and vibrant.

British Columbia reveals plans for separate reviews after Mount Polley mine spill

In a bid to bring back the people’s trust in British Columbia’s mining industry, two different reviews will be conducted by the government of British Columbia after the Mount Polley mine spill last August.

A dam located at the waste pond of Mount Polley’s open-pit mine burst and let loose 10 million cubic meters of water and 4.5 million cubic meters of what could possibly be toxic slurry into what were once pristine forests, lakes and rivers. Indigenous First Nations live in the areas where the water and potentially toxic waste flowed.

According to the Minister of Energy and Mines, Bill Bennett, three independent experts composed of consulting engineers have been appointed to review why the tailings dam broke at the Mount Polley Mine.  These advisors consist of Norbert Morgenstern, Colorado-based geotechnical engineer Steven Vick and University of British Columbia professor Dirk Van Zyl. Their evaluation of the matter is set to be finished by January 31, 2015 with the report provided to the government in addition to the Soda Creek and Williams Lake Indian Bands.

Meanwhile, the second review which will be led by the chief inspector of mines in British Columbia will ask all mines with tailings dams operating in the province to let independent experts evaluate their plants and submit a report to the government. The safety inspection must be complied with by December 1st of this year. There are 60 mines with 98 tailings ponds permitted to operate in B.C.

To date authorities are still investigating the reason for the dam failure.  The provincial government has reassured that the water in the surrounding area will be safe to be consumed and that wildlife will not suffer substantial impact from the event. However, experts have warned that it could take years for the true extent of the devastation to become apparent since the toxins could possibly accumulate in the environment over time. 

Communication Infrastructure to Link Toronto Pan Am Games

A massive communications network is currently being established for the Toronto 2015 Pan Am and Parapan Games. The high-capacity communications infrastructure is being developed by Cisco and other sponsors. According to Cisco chief technology officer Jeff Siefert, the 200-kilometer radius that will be covered by the network is much larger compared to the recently-held Commonwealth Games in Glasgow whose radius only spanned 20 kilometers.

In addition to linking the venues, the communications infrastructure is also going to connect other critical areas. These include the main operations and logistics centre, the technology operations centre and the Pearson International Airport. Services by Cisco will include bringing timing and scoring data systems to the Cisco International Broadcast Centre, two-way teleconferencing and security and accreditation information of the 20,000 volunteers of the Games.

Cisco and the other technology providers are also collaborating with engineering firms to set up their wireless network. Siefert stated the amount of concrete in the competition venues which will be filled with a large number of people will need specialized designs for wireless to work. He added that the endeavor combines knowledge of both technology engineering and structural engineering and showcases how engineering, architecture and technology come together.

B.C.’s Lower Mainland Flood Strategy Gains Support

British Columbia’s Lower Mainland Flood Strategy initiated by the Fraser Basin Council has gained sizable support from public and private sector organizations. The BC Agriculture Council, CN, CP Port Metro Vancouver and Simon Fraser University are among the industry’s organizations that have supported the multi-year initiative aimed at preventing disaster that would damage important infrastructure on the Fraser River floodplain. 

The strategy, which was made public on July 15, acknowledges the insufficiency of the present flood protection measures, most of which were put in place from 1968 to 1995. According to a study conducted by the province, climate change and rising sea levels will result in high water levels and more frequent floods along the Fraser River. The risks faced by the region includes heavy rainfall and snowmelt, river flooding and ocean tsunami. When major disaster strikes, it can potentially destroy public infrastructure like ports, airports, highways and ferry terminals; waste and wastewater infrastructures; hydroelectric telecommunications and oil and gas pipelines. 

Phase I of the flood management strategy, which is set to commence this year and next year, seeks to look at the region’s hazards and risks and review its practices and policies on flood management. Various studies have already been conducted as part of the project’s first phase. Phase 2 is set to take place in 2016 and will focus on funding and implementation. An important component of the plan is to ensure that flood protections in one area of the region won't create problems in another. 

Professional Licensing Struggles Facing Immigrant Engineers

Professional engineering associations in Canada are facing thorny issues in the licensing of immigrant engineers. They are now torn between adhering to their registration procedures while at the same time making sure there is no　 discrimination towards immigrant engineering applicants. The issue of discrimination was highlighted in the case between Mr. Mihaly and The Association of Professional Engineers, Geologists and Geophysicists of Alberta. The Alberta Human Rights Tribunal decided that Mihaly was discriminated against by the association when it assessed his educational qualifications using its Examination Standard and Experience Standard without giving any individualized assessment. The decision is now being challenged in court.

 

Immigrant engineers wishing to practice in Canada undergo a rigorous process before getting licensed as engineers. The procedure is put in place to ensure that public safety is protected by licensing only engineers who are competent and have the professional knowledge of codes and standards followed by their Canadian counterparts.

 

Before immigrant engineers can obtain their license, they have to prove that their educational credentials are equivalent to Canadian credentials. This can sometimes be done by taking a technical exam. Then, they also need to gain at least one year of supervised experience in Canada in addition to proving that they have worked as an engineer for three years abroad. Finally, they also need to take a professional practice exam to show that they are knowledgeable on the ethics and applicable laws when it comes to being an engineer in Canada.

 

It has been argued that the issue of discrimination and licensing of immigrant engineers is something that needs to be addressed. The federal government of Canada is in the process of reforming the immigration system. It is now offering what is called "express entry" to skilled immigrants—civil engineers, mechanical engineers, electrical and electronics engineers and petroleum engineers included—who want to live and work in Canada as permanent residents. Express entry, slated to be launched on January next year, is part of immigration reforms hoping to achieve access to skilled workers to fill the needs in our current labor market.

  





 

Water channels to Front Street win “Overall Vision Winner” in Urban Ideas Competition

The Young Leaders Initiative of the Urban Land Institute Toronto awarded the concept of the Dillon Consulting team entitled "Inundation" as the "Overall Vision Winner" in the Urban Ideas Competition this year. The team envisaged seven wide water channels leading north to Front Street. It also paints a radically different picture of the developed Toronto that we know of today. "Inundation" takes out large sections of the Gardiner Expressway and turns the elevated monuments into public downtown spaces. The rail corridor now serves as the foundation of a park system that links east and west "with local and regional transit flowing beneath." The "Inundation" team is composed of Merrilees Willemse, Martina Braunstein, Kiran Chhiba, Mark Hillmer and Jay Leasa.

"Green Deck City," a scheme proposed by Line Architecture Group was the "People’s Choice Winner." The design assumes that in the future, there may be a need to build "self-sustaining cities ready to withstand all perils." Meanwhile, Carolyn Rowan and Robyn Whitwham’s "ReVamp" was awarded as the "Site Specific Winner." It rethinks the Gardiner Expressway as a network of links which Rowan describes as "like a synapse between the City and its Waterfront" and a "draft outlining the potential repurposing of orphaned or decommissioned infrastructure."

While it did not get any acclaim, the "Shoreline Skyway" by University of Toronto’s Kyle Miller and Matthew Kelling was interesting in its own right. They conceptualized a cable car to run above the Gardiner Expressway. The cable car, which would bring passengers from Ontario Place in the west to the Don River in the East, would be six kilometers long and would travel at a speed of 16 kilometers per hour. It is set to make 11 stops throughout its route.

Edmonton’s Rogers Place Arena Construction Underway

The city of Edmonton has started building the new home of the Edmonton Oilers. Construction of Rogers Place started in March this year and is expected to open its doors for the 2016 hockey season. Located between 104 Street and 102 Street, the new NHL arena is expected to have a seating capacity of more than 18,500 seats. It is set to be a landmark building in the city and is forecasted to be "the most technologically enabled sports facility in all of North America."

The architecture draws its inspiration from Edmonton’s energy, oil and steel industries and as such, it will be made of stainless steel. Don Iveson, the Mayor of Edmonton, said the structure is "forward-looking" just like the province.

The project is a joint effort by the city and Katz Group. The land and arena is owned by the city while the operating costs will be paid for by the Katz Group. The arena itself cost $480 million to build. However, the entire project will cost $606.5 million because it will also have a community rink, a Wintergarden, a pedestrian way and an LRT transit connection.

The design for the project came from 360 Architecture, a US-based firm, who worked together with local subconsultant companies Architecture ATB, AMEC, BTY Group, CDML, Bunt & Associates, Stantec, Hemisphere Engineering and DIALOG. The project manager for Roger’s Place is ICON Venue Group while the construction manager is PCL. 

Canada-based SNC-Lavalin purchases Kentz Corporation

Montreal-based engineering firm SNC-Lavalin announced its purchase of Kentz Corporation. Kentz Corporation operates in the oil and gas, petrochemical and mining and metals sectors, providing engineering, construction and technical support services worldwide.

 

The acquisition of the London Stock Exchange-listed international engineering company is set to be finalized in the third quarter of this year. After SNC completes the acquisition of Kentz, the two oil and gas teams of both companies will be fused together and led by Kentz Chief Executive Officer Christian Brown. Kentz current oil and gas team has 14,500 employees in 36 countries. Brown will then be reporting to SNC-Lavalin’s President of Resources, Environment and Water Neil Bruce.

 

In a press release, SNC-Lavalin said the purchase is in line with its thrust towards becoming a Tier-1 engineering and construction firm. SNC strives for a leading footprint in oil and gas, two sectors known for producing high margins. As a result of the purchase, the Montreal-based firm expects to increase the percentage of its yearly oil and gas revenue to about 24 percent from its present 7 percent. Because Kentz bought Valerus Field Solutions in January this year, the merger will also improve SNC-Lavalin’s LNG expertise. It also expects revenue increase in its operations in the Middle East, Asia Pacific and Australia.

 

The transaction was approved by both companies board of directors. Under the terms of the deal, SNC-Lavalin will buy the ordinary share capital of Kentz. Each shareholder of Kentz will be receiving £9.35 (C$17.13) in cash for every share they own in the company. A $2.55 billion asset sale bridge loan and a $200 million term loan will finance the purchase. 

New Gold jumpstarts development of Rainy River project in Ontario

New Gold, the mining firm headed by Executive Chairman Randall Oliphant and Chief Executive Officer Robert Gallagher, has the ball rolling on the Rainy River project in Ontario. For this year, it has already allocated $105 million in capital expenditures for the development of the mine which came with its acquisition of Rainy River Resources last year. Of this amount, more than half will be spent for the development of property, plant and equipment. The remainder will be spent for engineering, environmental monitoring and procurement of the necessary permits.

The Rainy River project is intended to combine open-pit and underground mining operations. In its projected 14- year life, the first nine years of the mine is expected to produce 325,000 ounces of gold annually. The cost to sustain the mine is set at $736 per ounce which is seen to provide a lot of margin for New Gold.

However, building a mine of this size from the ground up requires capital. The pre-development capital of the project is pegged at around $840 million. Thankfully, New Gold’s recent year filing showed that it had a working capital of $588 million. The very promising outlook of Rainy River will hopefully be able to shoulder the balance.

New Gold intends to get the needed permits for Rainy River by the first half of next year. If financing proceeds as scheduled, it is set to be commissioned late in 2016.

Given the huge potential of Rainy River, Oliphant and his team acquired the project for a bargain. A few years ago, Rainy River’s worth was more than $1 billion. However, last year’s slump gave a window of opportunity for New Gold. Buying it for only $310 million.

“Retirement Tsunami” Plagues Canada’s Oil Industry

A “retirement tsunami” is going to be a major problem in the oil industry of Canada. According to Graham Dodd, a principal at Mercer LLC, The “retirement tsunami” refers to the shortage of workers experienced by the country’s oil sector brought about by its aging workforce.

Dodd’s conclusions were drawn from the results of Mercer’s recent survey which illustrated that the “technical skills gap” was seen as a very serious issue by Canadian oil and gas firms. The data further showed that although more than half (56 percent) of these companies have put in place a process that is able to pinpoint the gaps, only 27 percent of them were able to give solutions to address these problems.

Apparently the shortage is taking place at the top levels of leadership. Fifty-five percent of the firms that participated in the survey said they were having problems hiring individuals that could take on management and leadership posts. The companies estimate that if these labor shortages are met, they could expect an increase of anywhere from 5 to 10 percent in their investment returns.

To address the current labor challenge, companies are poaching from each other. The survey showed that 70 percent of the new posts were filled by luring workers from other companies. Only 10 percent of new recruits were hired from colleges and universities. What makes the situation worse is that Canadian firms are also facing competition from firms in the US, Asia and Africa that are also looking for Canadian workers. 
Incidentally, Canada’s oil sector is not the only one beset with labor shortages. The liquefied natural gas (LNG), mining and power industries are also in need of new workers.

St. Paul Wastewater Treatment Facility Finished

The wastewater treatment plant in St. Paul, Alberta was completed last month with the assistance received from the federal Gas Tax Fund. The fund provided $180,000 for the upgrade. The project focused on the installation of another wastewater fine screening unit that would effectively prevent rags, paper, plastic and other non-biodegradable solids from getting mixed into the treatment systems. As a result, the treated wastewater effluent that would flow through the Upper Therien Lake will only have a minimal effect on the water.

Member of Parliament for Westlock-St. Paul, Brian Storseth , said in a statement that proper management of wastewater is important both for those who live in St. Paul as well as for the health of the rivers, streams and lakes in Alberta. He added that the federal Gas Tax Fund provides municipalities the long-term infrastructure funding they need for wastewater projects. His views were seconded by St. Paul Mayor Glenn Andersen who said that the upgrade for their wastewater treatment infrastructure was made possible through the capital obtained from the fund.

So far, Alberta has received annual funding of $199,503,000 geared for municipal infrastructure from the federal Gas Tax Fund. For its part, St. Paul’s total Gas Tax Fund allocation from 2006 to 2014 has reached about $1.9 million.

The renewed federal Gas Tax Fund is part of the New Building Canada Plan. It seeks to give municipalities in Canada long-term and predictable funding for local public infrastructure such as public transit, wastewater infrastructure, drinking water, solid waste management, community energy systems, local roads and bridges and capacity building.

The Building Canada Plan

The New Building Canada Plan is a ten-year plan geared towards providing support for infrastructure projects that will encourage economic growth, generate jobs and provide prosperity for the residents over the long term.

The New Building Canada Plan is a ten-year $53 billion project, representing the biggest and longest federal infrastructure plan in the history of Canada. Its components are the Community Improvement Fund, the New Building Canada Fund and the P3 Canada Fund.

The Community Improvement Fund is geared towards projects that will improve infrastructure in the municipalities, such as roads, public transit and amenities for recreation. The $32 billion dollar Fund is composed of the Gas Tax Fund and the Goods and Services Tax Rebate for Municipalities.

The $14 billion dollar New Building Canada Fund was recently launched. Of this amount, $4 billion will go towards financing projects that will have national importance such as highways, public transit and those related to trade infrastructure under the National Infrastructure Component. Meanwhile, $10 billion will be deployed for projects that will be relevant nationally, locally or regionally under the Provincial-Territorial Infrastructure Component. Projects like highways, public transit, drinking water, wastewater, Internet connectivity and the like are covered under the Provincial-Territorial Infrastructure Component. $1 billion of the $10 billion is allocated specifically to communities with residents of less than 100,000. Applications are already accepted for the fund.

Funding amounting to $1.25 billion will go to the P3 (Public-Private Partnerships) Canada Fund. This is in addition to the $6 billion in funding that is already going into Canadian projects from separate infrastructure programs already in place.

Canada Needs US Commitment for Detroit River International Crossing to Proceed

Canada is still awaiting the action of Washington on whether it will commit to funding its share of the Detroit River International Crossing between Windsor and Detroit. The US is expected to contribute towards the construction of the Customs Plaza in the American portion of the Crossing which is expected to cost $250 million.

However, Canada is now unsure if the US will commit. In January this year, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder told the editorial board of Detroit Free Press that Washington strongly believes against spending money for this facility. Until the US will pledge to fund the US Customs Plaza, the project will not be able to move forward. Even if engineering studies are in the process of being undertaken and the assembling of the land in the US portion is slated to begin in the first part of 2014, calling potential partners in the private sector to bid for the project cannot be done.

This six-lane bridge that connects Windsor, Ontario and Detroit, Michigan, is a 4 billion dollar project that will create a new border crossing answering the growing demand for international trade and travel between the neighboring countries.

The Government of Canada, which expects trade to increase with the project, has pledged to shoulder a major portion of the cost. Last year, Canada’s federal government said it shelled out $35 million to purchase a Windsor property where the bridge and plaza will be constructed. It is also expected to allocate $300 million to build traffic plazas and other necessary supporting border infrastructure for the project.

Energy and Transportation part of Canada's Biggest Infrastructure Projects

In ReNew Canada’s yearly report on the " Top 100: Canada’s Biggest Infrastructure Projects," public mega projects in the energy and transportation sectors dominated the list.  http://top100projects.ca/update-2014s-top-100-projects-updated/
It can be argued that publicly funded projects are gaining attention this year when it comes to Canada’s infrastructure industry. Investments in the energy sector, specifically publicly funded non oil and gas projects comprise 42 percent of the report. Of the total infrastructure value of $140.5 billion, energy investments had a value of $58.66 billion. This was an increase from the previous year’s $57.66 billion. Of the seventeen new players in the 2014 list, seven undertook projects in the energy sector. Examples include the Western Alberta Transmission Line which was valued at $1.65 billion and British Columbia’s Thunder Mountain Wind Project which cost $1 billion.

Transportation projects, which included road and bridge developments, comprised 23 percent of the projects with a total value of $32.80 billion while the transit sector made up 20 percent of the infrastructure undertakings at $27.72 billion. Eleven percent of the projects with a value of $15.71 billion were focused on public buildings like hospitals, schools and government facilities while water or wastewater-related projects made up two percent or $2.81 billion of the projects.

According to the report, the top five projects in Canada are: 1) Site C Clean Energy Project in British Columbia which cost $7.9 billion, 2) Romaine Complex in Quebec with a cost of $6.5 billion, 3) Keeyask Hydroelectric Project in Manitoba with a cost of $6.2 billion, 4) New Bridge for St. Lawrence in Quebec costing $5 billion and 5) Eglinton Crosstown LRT in Toronto which costs $4.9 billion.  

Ontario's Ring of Fire Could Generate Tens of Billions of Dollars in Economic Activity in the Province

A new report from the Ontario Chamber of Commerce reveals that Ontario's Ring of Fire, the mineral resource-rich region in the James Bay Lowlands, will generate up to $9.4 billion in new economic activity over the first 10 years of operation and sustain 5,500 jobs annually.

According to the study, Beneath the Surface: Uncovering the Economic Potential of Ontario's Ring of Fire, the mining development could generate more than $25 billion across numerous sectors in Ontario by 2047, including $2.7 billion in revenues for the financial services sector and $1.2 billion for the wholesale and retail trade sectors.

"Our study makes it clear that the short-and long-term economic impacts of the Ring of Fire extend far beyond mining," says Allan O'Dette, President and CEO of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce. "It's time to broaden the Ring of Fire conversation to include all of Ontario, not just the Far North." 

The study shows that the Ring of Fire will generate significant revenue for governments, to the tune of $1.95 billionwithin the first 10 years of its development. The authors call on the provincial and federal governments to design and fund a plan to address inadequate transportation infrastructure in the Ring of Fire, which is cited as a significant barrier to development.

"Real progress on the Ring of Fire is very important to the people of Ontario," says Doug Morrison, President and CEO of the Centre for Excellence in Mining Innovation. "And there is a strong business case for governments to invest in this economic opportunity. We think the federal government has an obligation to be actively involved in this development, as it has for other transformative projects including the oil sands, the St. Lawrence Seaway, andChurchill Falls."

Additional highlights from study include:

Within the first 10 years of its development, the Ring of Fire will:

• generate up to $9.4 billion in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Ontario
• generate up to $6.2 billion for Ontario's mining industry
• sustain up to 5,500 jobs annually (full time equivalents) in Ontario
• generate nearly $2 billion in government revenue, divided between the federal, provincial, and municipal governments.

Within the first 32 years of its development, the Ring of Fire will generate more than $25 billion in economic activity across numerous sectors in Ontario, of which mining is just one:

• $2.7 billion in revenues for the financial services sector
• $1.2 billion for the wholesale and retail trade sectors
• $600 million for the manufacturing sector
• $500 million for the utilities sector
• 
  

Read Beneath the Surface: Uncovering the Economic Potential of Ontario's Ring of Fire for more information

This post is a reproduction of a Newswire report.

Construction of three bridges connects core downtown to the rest of Fort McMurray

Three parallel bridges now operational in Fort McMurray gives better access to downtown

Three bridges spanning the Athabasca River were built and the last one close to Fort McMurray in Alberta, Canada became operational a few weeks earlier. These new bridges have been made in the past few years in order to facilitate smoother flow of traffic on Highway 63 going towards and around the city of oil sands. The purpose of these bridges is to give residents better access to the downtown area in Fort McMurray by creating a tripartite network to split the bigger commercial vehicles from local commuter traffic seeking to go downtown.

The Grant MacEwan Bridge and the Franklin Tunnel will handle the traffic headed southbound across the river straight to the downtown area. There are two lanes in the newly-opened Grant MacEwan Bridge which has a clear span length of 456 meters. The new structure serves to take the place of the first bridge constructed in 1965.

Earlier in 2013, the Steinhauer Bridge, which runs parallel to the north, was also opened. The three lanes of the bridge transmit traffic that is bound for the south.

On the northern portion, the Athabasca River Bridge boasts of five lanes handling northbound traffic. This is the larger, heavy-duty bridge finished in 2011 that is capable of carrying vehicles that weigh 12 times over the standard weight. These are meant to bring the large equipment headed for the oil sands. With a bridge deck of 15,500 square meters, this bridge possesses the biggest bridge deck in Alberta. There were more than 500 superloads that weigh at least 180 metric tonnes in 2012 that utilized the Athabasca Bridge.
 

The three bridges cost $236 million.

Canadian Nuclear Waste Management Organization selecting locations in Ontario to host nuclear waste storage site

Many sites in Ontario are in the process of evaluation to become Canada’s nuclear storage site. The project, worth between $16 billion to $24 billion, would be an underground plant that will contain used nuclear fuel from the reactors located in Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick.

As of now, there is no nuclear waste facility in Canada and country’s individual nuclear plants keep the waste on site. As a result, around two million bundles of nuclear waste have already accumulated in various locations and need to be disposed in a proper nuclear waste facility.

According to Canada’s Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO), the site will have a surface area of 100 hectares. The NWMO was formed in 2002 under the mandate of the Nuclear Fuel Waste Act to take care of managing the country’s used nuclear fuel for the long term.

By 2015, the NWMO will be short listing two municipalities. The final site will be selected in 2020. However, the facility will only be operational—that is, it will only accept waste—in 2035.

The proposed nuclear waste facility is different from the Deep Geological Repository that will be located in Kincardine, Ontario. That $1 billion project will only host low-level nuclear waste like clothing and rags. It will not store spent fuel which is considered a high-level nuclear waste.

Recently, the NWMO has scrapped two Bruce communities under consideration for the nuclear waste storage site. According to the organization, Saugeen Shores and its neighbor Arran-Elderslie do not possess the physical characteristics to become a storage site for high-level nuclear waste.

Brockton, South Bruce and Huron Kinloss as well as another town in Saskatchewan and other locations in Northern Ontario are still being considered for he site.

According to the World Nuclear Association, Canada generates 15 per cent of its electricity from nuclear power. The 19 reactors in the country are located mostly in Ontario, providing a power capacity of 13.5 GWe. 

Canadian government's measures for greener coal energy to be implemented in 2015

Stricter federal government rules governing the emissions of electricity plants powered by coal will be implemented next year. The rules, which will be applied to newly-built coal-fired plants that will produce power after July 1, 2015, will require the new units to equal the reduced greenhouse gas emissions from plants powered by natural gas. An estimated 11 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions in Canada come from coal.

Estimates show that in the first 21 years of the implementation of new rules, the green house gases emissions in coal fired electricity production will be reduced by 214 mega tonnes . This will greatly help government achieve its aim of lowering emissions by 2020 to 17 per cent below the levels experienced in 2005. Even though, it is a substantial decrease, it still does not meet the agreement set forth at the Kyoto Protocol which sought for 6 per cent below the levels in 1990.

In an August 19, 2011 report that appeared on the Leader Post, former Environment Minister Peter Kent was quoted as saying that the new policies will not translate to substantial increases in the power bills of Canadian consumers. He said that by 2020, the average electricity bill of Canadian residents will go up by about $5 every year.

That report also said that decisions about existing coal-powered plants that will not be covered by the new rules will still need to be taken as soon as they come to the end of their 45-year lifespan. If their operations are to continue, they would need to meet a fresh set of performance criteria which will control and reduce their carbon emissions. 

Calgary International Airport’s expansion plans anticipate the needs of a growing population

Two major infrastructure projects are under construction at the Calgary International Airport. The first is known as the “Airport Trail” tunnel and the second is the runway expansion program of the Calgary Airport Authority. Both are undertaken by CH2M HILL’s Transportation Business Group.

The Airport Trail is a $295 million project that gives vehicles arriving at the airport from south or east a more convenient access. It is 620 metres long and is quite unique because it will be constructed under the expanded runway. Thus, those en route to the airport will not have to go through Deerfoot Trail which is operating over its intended capacity. Monstrous traffic can be encountered in this inner-city expressway during peak hours—something that the Airport Trail can alleviate.

Calgary Airport Authority’s runway expansion project will be constructed over the top of the Airport Trail. Its existing runway is only 12,670 feet but the new runway will be much longer at 14,000 feet. Once constructed, it will be the country’s longest civil aviation runway. Since air traffic controllers can operate both runways at the same time, air traffic will increase. The completion will also usher in fewer flight delays and lesser cancellations because of foggy weather conditions. Construction of the new runway also improve business for courier companies , as they are assured that they can make their deliveries on time.

The projects are set for completion in May 2014. The benefits may not immediately be felt, but as Calgary grows and expands, the people will be thankful that the administration foresaw its utility.