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In February, SHCA sent a package to the respective Members of the Legislature on both sides of the house, regarding our continued concerns over delayed project tenders and slow awards. Along with this letter is a proposed timeline as well as economic information that support a continued need for a strategic, long-term plan for the government’s most important asset – our highway and transportation system.

We are asking all of our member companies to endorse our letter to strengthen the association’s position that the health of the heavy construction sector in Saskatchewan is critical to our province’s wellbeing. You can do that by contacting your local MLA, sharing this information with them and adding your voice and/or signature to our letter. 

Download the Microsoft Word version of the letter here; we ask you to add your signature and company name to the bottom and send it in to your MLA.

Tell them that Good Governments Invest in Good Roads because Good Roads build the economy, Good Roads save money, Good Roads save lives, Good Roads create jobs, Good Governments don’t cut corners. We need a procurement process with defined timelines, one that is transparent and doesn’t offload risk onto the businesses that lift up our economy and support local communities.

SHCA wants to be part of the solution when it comes to fixing the procurement process so it can save our members and taxpayers money. Please support our fight by sharing this information with your local MLA.

On behalf of the SHCA Board of Directors, we thank you for your interest in adding your voice to ours so that we can speak louder!

View the letter that was sent out to Saskatchewan MLAs here, and again, download the Microsoft Word version here so that you can add your signature and send it to your local MLA.

Think BIG – Q1, 2020 – A Worthy Cause

Sask 1^st Call is excited to announce that it joined the Western Before You Dig consortia and transitioned to a new software platform on March 1, 2020 for all new locate requests. We expect that by joining this partnership and moving to the OneCallAccess platform, Sask 1^st Call users will benefit through:

Collaborating and unifying of “One Call” services across Western Canada to improve damage prevention processes and promote public safety.

Leveraging best- in-class technology, and best practices, to improve and standardize the line locate request experience for our users and members. 

What is changing?

Sask 1^st Call web portal will be updated with new functionality to make it more user-friendly and intuitive. The portal will be a mobile-friendly platform meaning there is no separate App for phone or tablet. All users will need to re-register their information with Sask 1^st Call to request tickets with the new software. Online chat support is available to assist the user during the process.

Mandatory dig site mapping will be required on every request with no ability to add additional attachments. With the mapping, you control the shape, size and location of your dig area so facility owners get their information directly from the source. New ticket options are available to help determine the size of the work area and will assist our member companies in allocating locating resources. More online use means reduced phone wait times when you need to speak to an agent.

The list of companies being notified on your request will be available as soon as you submit your request. No processing delays.

Online ticket editing: Correct or renew your existing tickets online.

Sask 1^st Call is moving from two-day notification to three-day notification period for regular tickets. Locates may be completed prior to the three days depending on member company response. Emergency locate requests will continue with 24-hour service.

What do I need to do?

Attend Sask 1^st Call webinars to learn more about new software/new ticket request process.

The webinar will review the locate submission process and help you understand the ticket fields and software features. The host will go through the web portal step-by-step and attendees can pose questions. These webinars are being held twice weekly, every Wednesday at 10:30 AM – 12 PM and Friday at 12 PM to 1:30 PM until the end of March 2020.

Please encourage your employees, colleagues, and contractors to take this training. Once training is completed, contractors can register with the software to create an account and receive their new Customer ID.

Registration is required, to sign up for an online webinar,

Click: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/rt/4410211912203365900

Questions/Comments?

For more information, visit www.sask1stcall.com or email: beforeyoudig@sask1stcall.com 

With the help of the Work Zone Signing Committee (WZSC), several updates have been made to the Traffic Control Devices Manual For Work Zones (TCDMWZ).

Most of these changes are to help clarify existing traffic accommodation policies. A summary of these changes can be found in the attached Record of Amendments.

The revised manual (including this Record of Amendments) can be found at:  http://www.highways.gov.sk.ca/business → Ministry Manuals → Traffic Control Devices Manual For Work Zones.

The Heavy Construction Safety Association of Saskatchewan is hosting its AGM Awards Banquet on March 27, 2020 in Regina.

Register here.

As the weather warms and the daylight-hours increase, truckers and shippers are being reminded to begin reducing truck loads on some provincial highways. During this time of year, secondary highways revert back to regulation weights, which will prevent damage to these roads.

“Weight restrictions are put in place at various times of the year on provincial highways as a measure to prevent damage to the surface or road bed,” Highways and Infrastructure Minister Greg Ottenbreit said. “As the weather warms up, some roads in the province can become vulnerable to soft spots and surface cracks as the frost comes out of the roadbed.”

During the cold, dark, winter months of December, January and February, the road bed freezes and becomes stronger which supports heavier truck loads.

Due to mild temperatures in the forecast, winter weights are being removed. Effective Monday, March 9 at 12:01 a.m., existing winter weights are removed across southern Saskatchewan and revert back to normal regulation weight. Typically, winter weights are removed province-wide on March 15, weather permitting.

 

Spring road bans

Spring road restrictions are used by the province and rural municipalities to mitigate damage to infrastructure. Typically, these road restrictions start in March in southwest Saskatchewan and remain over a two to three-week period.

“Preserving Saskatchewan’s road network is vital for transporting goods to market,” Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities President Ray Orb said.  “By reducing weights during the spring, we can reduce maintenance costs and ensure our roadways remain intact.”

The road bans reduce allowable weights on RM roads and secondary weight provincial highways by 10 to 15 per cent and typically last about six weeks.

Nine-month primary weights

Originally, the nine-month primary highways are designed and constructed to carry only lower secondary weight loads.

Weights are reverted back to the design loads (secondary weight) during spring to reduce damage from the spring-thaw.

As a large province with considerable difference in climate in the north and the south, there are different dates for when the primary weights are in effect.  In the north of the province, the annual weight increase on the nine-month primary highways are from July 1 to March 31 of the following year.  In the south of the province, the annual weight increase on the nine-month primary highways will occur earlier, from June 15 to March 15 of the following year.  This change will help to sustain road conditions in the south, where spring thaw occurs earlier.

To check which highways are impacted by weight restrictions, please visit truck weight classifications and restrictions at www.saskatchewan.ca/trucking.  Spring road bans will be posted as necessary under the “New Spring Order” link.

To view the interactive map showing winter weight restrictions and spring road bans, visit www.saskatchewan.ca/highwayhotline and scroll down to restrictions.  Information is also available by contacting the Highway Hotline at 511.

The industry is working hard to create a better environment for women in construction. Organizations across North America are cognizant of the impending labour gap and the construction industry needs to coax more than 300,000 Canadians to choose a construction career in order to keep pace with demand, according to On-Site magazine. Ensuring that women view construction as a viable career choice is paramount to filling those labour requirements.

To stay up to date about what different organizations are doing when it comes to attracting women to the trades, visit www.women-in-construction.ca.

Being the grandson of ELRUS founder Roland Russell makes being the national technical lead for the company a family affair. Although Spencer began working for the company when it opened its Saskatoon branch in 2013, he was introduced to the business at a far earlier age.

“Essentially growing up, I would spend every Saturday and Sunday with my grandfather,” Spencer recalls. “His idea of the weekend was being at the office. I was introduced and surrounded by our equipment at a very young age. It was always kind of in my blood through family, but it was introduced to me and sparked in me right out of the gate. It was a no-brainer.”

ELRUS CEO Carollyne Coulson recalls Spencer spending endless hours with his grandfather around the company’s shops and touring western Canada with him, going to conventions and customer sites.

“Spencer started working summer jobs focused on equipment environments about the age of 14,” Carollyne says. “This focused area of interest continued throughout school and his first job out of high school was working for Russell Redi-Mix, one of Canada’s premier contractors, where he got first-hand exposure to the challenges of the Canadian crushing environment. He started with ELRUS in our Saskatoon branch when it opened in 2013, under the mentorship of Jared Medlang, assisted by ELRUS’ most experienced mechanical guru, Brent Martens. Between Roland, Brent and Jared, Spencer has been mentored by real industry pros and he soaked it up, blending this into his natural curiosity and eye for all things mechanical.”

Spencer has gone on and became the first person to be factory trained by Sandvik in Sweden with the new certification standards.

He has been a key person and technical lead on some key projects for ELRUS, including most recently, the installation of three Sandvik CH660 500-hp cone crushers at the Martin Marietta installation in Wyoming, along with many other installations across Canada and the United States.

Spencer’s favourite aspects of the business are the opportunity to take things apart and solve problems, while creating great relationships with people in the industry.

“I’ve got a lot of close friends out of it,” he says.

Carollyne says his big energy, enthusiasm and genuine impulse to be of service to ELRUS’ customers, combined with his curiosity and mechanical savvy, bring a big contribution to the ELRUS team.

“Currently stationed in Calgary with the mechanical and technical services team, Spencer brings a well-rounded expertise and experience well beyond his years and balanced perspective to solving problems for our customers – including forays into product development, effective field service process solutions, and mechanical that is well needed in our industry,” she says.