Hard Hat Fall 2009

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Uniting ARCCAW members across Alberta and the Northwest Territories Fall 200

Canadian Publications Mail Product Sales Agreement #40063788Return undeliverable mail to 200-15210 123 Ave Edmonton,AB T5V 0A3

Meeting of the Millwrights

A prole of CalgarysSouth Health Campus

HealthyOutlook

A report from this

years Canada-wideconference

Saving OurReputationWhy its in dangerand what you cando about it

Skills UpgraderTwo scaffolders reachnew heights thanksto some hands-onexperience

K i d Z o n e D i s c o v e r o u r n e w k i d s s e c t i o nAN D M U C H M O R E


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ON THE COVERThe lay of the land at Calgarys rapidly

rising South Health Campus.Photographed by Joey Podlubny

12

23 Trust FundManagers Report

By Maureen C. Gander

25 Training andApprenticeship Report

By Len J. Bryden

27 MillwrightsLocal 1460 ReportBy Bob Hugh

29 Training + Events

31 Parting Shot

COLUMNS

3 Note From the ExecutiveSecretary Treasurer

By Martyn Piper

5 Site LinesNews and views fromaround the region

FEATURES

10 Meeting of the MillwrightsAlbertas finest were on the internat-ional stage at this years Canada-wideconference

By Ryan Smith

12 Project Profile South Health Campus

The fifth largest hospital in North America is going up in Calgary and ARCCAW members are taking part

By Tricia Radison

17 No Train, No Gain Two greenhorn scaffolding appren-

tices are among those reaching new heights thanks to some hands-on

experience By Jim Veenbaas

20 KidZone Games, quizzes and more By Tricia Radison

17

20

Fall 09Contents

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Edmonton 780-471-3200Fort McMurray 780-743-1442

Calgary 403-283-0747Carpenters Training Centre 780-455-6532

Carpenters Health and Welfare 780-477-9131Carpenters Pension 780-477-9131Industrial Workers 403-283-0747

Millwright Local 1460 780-430-1460ocal Union 1325 and 2103 Dispatch1-888-944-0818

Published For: Alberta Regional Council of Carpenters & Allied Workers

15210 123 AvenueEdmonton, Alberta T5V 0A3

Tel: (780) 474-8599 / Fax: (780) 474-8910 www.albertacarpenters.com

Published by: Venture Publishing Inc.

10259 105 StreetEdmonton, Alberta T5J 1E3Toll-free: 1-866-227-4276Phone: (780) 990-0839

Fax: (780) 425-4921 www.venturepublishing.ca

PublisherRuth Kelly

AssociAte PublisherJoyce Byrne

ArccAW editorMartyn A. Piper

editorCraille Maguire Gillies

coPy chieFKim Tannas

Art directorCharles Burke

AssistAnt Art directorRodrigo Lpez Orozco

Production mAnAger Vanlee Robblee

Production coordinAtor

Betty-Lou Smith

contributing WritersLindsey Norris, Tricia Radison,

Ryan Smith, Jim Veenbaascontributing PhotogrAPhers

Bu y Goodman, Joey Podlubny Vice-President, sAles

Anita McGillisAdVertising rePresentAtiVe

Tara KochansAles AssistAntStefanie Jackson

Contents 2009 by ARCCAW Inc.

No part of this publication should be reproducedwithout written permission.

Important Phone Numbers

Executive SecretaryTreasurers

Martyn A. Piper

o f , a k w p waof organizing or other collective efforts. In response,there is something everyone can do, for themselves, theirfamilies and this union. It is the same old, same old: go to workevery day, be on time, stay on the job until quitting time, and beproductive and free of drugs and alcohol while on shift. It seemsthat all I do lately is attend meetings with owners and contractors who are quick to argue they can get the same product only cheaperfrom the dark side. The damage to our unions reputation may be

irreparable if we dont change our behaviour.Heres an analogy: You want to buy a motorbike. You want the best and you dont mind paying more for quality and reliability.Choosing what labour force to use is no different. Yes, union work-ers cost more, but we promise to provide better quality and reli-ability. We are not living up to our promise. Consider these statsfrom the Shell Scotford project: absenteeism among scaffoldersis eight per cent and six per cent among carpenters. Turnover ishorrible and, on any given day, hundreds of employees are waitingat the gate well before quitting time. I, for one, would be furious if I paid someone an hourly rate to work on my house and he or shequit 30 minutes early each day.

As a 34-year member, I know what being a union member is allabout. I know what true union pride is, and so do most of you. Butthe majority of you who go to work every day and provide supe-rior performance should also be very concerned. I know I am. I amafraid of losing the next job, afraid the competition is eroding ourmarkets, afraid we have accepted these behaviours as norms.

It is time to take aggressive action. Recently, the generalpresident visited to tell me in no uncertain terms to control thissituation before it is too late. Owners and contractors are callinghim to tell him that we must police our members or else.

He has provided directives and left me to carry them out.

sav or p a

REPORT

continues next page

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There are no specifics as we go to print, but expect real action in the near future.

I ask you if you are a member soilingthis unions reputation to either changeto become the union member you com-mitted to be when you joined, or simply pack your bags and go. Our collectivefuture hangs in the balance!

The Work PictureNotwithstanding the beginning of my message, the work picture is strong.Still, its slim pickings if we take theShell Scotford and Keephills projects outof the picture. The Building Trades of Alberta have secured a labour agreementfor the Kearl Lake Project. However, it will be a managed open site and will notrequire the manpower associated withother large sites.

Were working hard to secure the little

bit of work expected in modular con-struction. One only has to visit the mod-ule sites in Edmonton to see how littleactivity there is, so we will be sharpeningour pencils and working with our con-tractors to make sure that as much workas possible will come our way.

Next spring, we will likely see anunparalleled shutdown season in thenorth. Predictions suggest that 10,000to 12,000 tradespeople will be required.Plans are in the works to import tem-porary foreign workers on short noticeto ensure the outages are fully staffedand kept on schedule. The protocol, asalways, will be Alberta workers first,Canada second and then, in our case,U.S. members (and further af ield, if nec-essary). There are concerns about skilledscaffolders, the International is awareof the situation and intends to sendkey training personnel here to identify how best to ramp up scaffold training

Executive Secretary Treasurers REPORT

4 HARDHAT FALL 2009

throughout North America. (Apologiesto the Brothers and Sisters from Sarnia, with respect to my comments in the lastissue of Hard Hat . I did not mean to singlethem out and denigrate their recognizedscaffolding skills and ability. We are gladthey are here.)

Kudos to the scaffolders and carpen-ters keeping Calgary ticking, working

on the skylight project at TD Square andscaffolding the new EnCana tower, theBow, which demonstrates a high degreeof visibility to the public. Along withthe commercial projects, our marketshare is growing. We continue to shinedown in Empress and Burstall, and Sean Watkinson has had some success and isfighting hard to resurrect a tough marketin the Red Deer area.

Bits and Bites

We continue to monitor our shop situa-tion for 2010. Its a laborious process withmany highs and lows, but we are cau-tiously waiting to put our laid-off members back to work. With a well-managedand financed executive and local, they deserve to be back where they were 18months ago.

Finally, delegates to the RegionalCouncil have instructed me to startimplementing the Rapid Site AccessProtocol (RSAP), so I will roll that pro-gram out in the near future at Local 1325and 2103 meetings. I have also begundiscussions to amend the collectiveagreement to allow pensioners in theCarpenter Plan who are 60 or older andcollecting a full pension to receive thecontribution on their paycheque.

I trust the summer provided some timefor you and your family and the winter will allow for continued work activity.Cheers.

continued from page 3


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HARDHAT FALL 2009 5HARDHAT FALL 2009 5

Site Lines

The United Brotherhoods Canadian LeadershipConference back in June might have taken place in the port city of St. John, New Brunswick, but the focus was on Alberta. Leadersof affiliated councils throughout Canada gathered to dis-cuss organizing, pensions, political action and green build-ing, among other issues. ARCCAWs Executive SecretaryTreasurer Martyn Piper attended the conference.A big part was about working together from coast-to-coast to the benefit of union members acrossCanada. For Alberta, its especially importantthat we work with other areas. Right nowAlberta is a hotspot for construction, butit might not always be that way, so itsimportant to forge strong relationshipswith groups so theyll be there whenthe shoe is on the other foot.

A roundup of news and notes fromaround the region

Leadership Lessonsfrom New Brunswick

The fourth annual

Millwrights RetireesSocial was held onJune 2 at Our Lady of Perpetual Help ParishHall in Sherwood Park.Once again we were hon-oured to have two char-

ter members, Bill Bilidaand Herb Huber attend.Other special guestsincluded Ursula Buller,Lothar Sterzik, BernieFilpowicz, Tom Murray and Ed Rogalski. Specialthanks to Guy and PatDunand for organizingsuch a successful event. Bob Hugh, Local 1460

Social Club

Which trade was the first to use theseantique tools?

Answer on page 9

Guess the Tool

From left: ARCCAW members Scott Beaulieu, Greg Wall andSean Watkinson, joined by Walls family, protest the decertifi-cation of Quinn Construction.


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6 HARDHAT FALL 2009

Site Lines

Over 20 years ago, the first Stewards Pocket Manual was published to help stewards of the UBC fulfill theirroles. Now the manual has undergone a redesign, and while the principles of good stewardship are timeless,the guide contains a few notable changes that bring it into the 21st century.

The New Stewards Pocket Manual

Old Manual

Length: 33 pagesFont: Franklin GothicAppendix: Important phone numbersOpening message: [You are] the front lineof representation for our Brotherhood onthe job.Emphasized job duty: If non-union labelparts arrive on the job site, the steward shouldfind out all relevant details about the instal-lation and convey this vital information to thebusiness representative.Legalities: Some things never change, includ-ing the complexities surrounding workersrights to refuse unsafe work, which varied byprovince.

New Manual

Length : 39 pagesFont: HelveticaAppendix: Useful websitesOpening message: It is imperative that you model the very best of behavioursexpected of a UBC member.Emphasized job duty: The steward is themost outspoken critic of shoddy work-manship and frivolous conflicts, all of which hurt the competitiveness of unioncontractors.Legalities: As legislation has becomemore specific, so has the manual; membersare now directed to consult OccupationalHealth and Safety legislation before refus-ing work.

Carpenters, you make good pancakes

Local 2103 hosted another successfulpancake breakfast at the Stampedein July. Held on the second Saturday of the Stampede, about 30 people, fromexecutives to rank-and-file members,put down their hammers and broke outthe spatulas to serve pancakes, sausagesand coffee to over 600 members of thecommunity. Hughie Bruce, an instructorat the Calgary Training Centre, broughthis country band Preferred Guest toentertain the crowd (on a stage of scaf-

folding, of course). Three representativesfrom the community also stopped by:Miss Teen Alberta, Miss Earth Calgaryand Miss Sun and Salsa flipped a few pancakes of their own.

Meanwhile, the parade float built bythe Building Trades of Alberta was pre-paring to embark on its provincial tour.The float won two awards in Calgary(first for a non-profit organization andcelebrity choice) before garnering fur-ther awards at parades in Edmonton,Red Deer, Medicine Hat and Lethbridge.

Theres more to the guide than just an added apostrophe

Stampede

Festivities


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HARDHAT FALL 2009 7

Race to the Finish Line

How do you turn an airport runway into an Indy racecourse? You build seats.Since 1995, Ron Solvey (currently with Tower Scaffold Services Inc.) has been

involved with the construction of the temporary grandstands and luxury suites for the Rexall Edmonton Indy. Time restrictions and weather are

the biggest challenges in this project, he says. While praying for clearskies (working on top of slippery aluminum is beyond a nuisance),

workers from Local 1325 provide the bulk of the manpower tomake the space as habitable for humans as it is for race cars.

Heres how it works.

A month and a half before the July 23-start, 30 scaffolders, from journeymen toapprentices, as well as a few carpenters,reported for duty at the Edmonton CityCentre Airport. The grandstands have a steel structureand aluminum benches for seats. Thematerials weigh about 1.5 million pounds. Design is everything. The 3.2-kilometrecourse has 14-turns and the grandstands

must be placed at key spots: overlookingpit road, turn 1, turn 2 and between turns12 and 13. The four grandstands seat up to28,000 people. The largest luxury suite is about 85- by1,000-feet long and sits 20 feet in the airover Pit Row. Another views turn 13. Theother trades rely on the scaffolders tofinish on time so they can erect tents andfinish the course. The event ends on Sunday, and shortly

after, the scaffolding crew returns tospend the next month taking down theseats so it can be shipped to easternCanada for use in the next event.

9th Annual Barrie Regan Golf Tournament About 150 golfers from across Alberta hit the linksat the Legends Golf and Country Club in SherwoodPark on July 17 to raise money for diabetes research.The event, which was renamed two years ago after thetireless worker and union enthusiast Barrie Regan,garnered over $5,000 for the Juvenile DiabetesResearch Foundation. As one of the ARCCAWs larg-est charity events of the year, members, contractors,owners and other people with a relationship withthe union attend. Green fees, hole sponsorships andholes-in-one all generate money to go towards diabe-tes research. Congratulations to the three winners:Brad Carew, Gary Carew and Mike Dunlop, and ahearty thanks to the legion of volunteers who helpedmake the event happen.

Scaffolders jump to action when Indycomes to town

from left: Sonny Maghoo, Ewald Hert, Brian Konno and Mike Board


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8 HARDHAT FALL 2009

Making the Cut

Site Lines

From Edmonton to Halifax, ARCCAW vied with thebest across Canada at these events

In April, the Alberta Carpenters Training Centre in Edmontonhosted the local carpentry competition that was part of SkillsCanadas Regional Skills Competition. Sixteen high school stu-dents who are interested in a career in carpentry came outand carpentry instructor Wilf Pipke, of the Alberta CarpentersTraining Fund, was among the judges.

Then, in July, 12 ARCCAW carpenters and scaffolders com-peted at the UBCs Alberta Provincial Apprenticeship Contest,which had a Scaffolder Games component. Five carpentercontestants and six scaffolders competed in teams of three.

And the ARCCAW winners wereCarpentryFirst Place: Philip Waters (who went on win first place at theNational Apprenticeship Contest; see page 25 for more details)Second Place: Aaron Dyck

Third Place: Murray KostashenCarpenters Orrin Little and Jacqueline Lega also competed.ScaffoldingFirst Place: Franc Potocnik, Jr., Heath Kai and Amy JohnseyScaffolders Edward Bunce, Michael Pawluk and Zyne Najmeddine also competed.

From left: Thomas Gwilliam (bronze), Derek Kuraliak (silver),Luke Andrukiewicz (gold) and Desiree Skubleny (bronze).


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HARDHAT FALL 2009 9

Answer to Guess the Tool(from page 5)

A wheelwright used this spoke pointer (right) and tenon cutter ( left).

The Epcor/TransAlta Keephills expansionis about 70 kilometres west of Edmonton.The Keephills 3 project will add a third gen-erating unit to the existing power plant. When one unit is shut down for mainte-nance, two others will keep the facility hum-ming. Unlike the two existing generatorson the site, the third generating unit willoperate in its own building, meaning moretrades are required from pipefitters to boilermakers to electricians and sheet metal workers. The new Bag house (essentially an industrial dust collector) is assembledin sections; scaffolding offers temporary access. Carpenters preparing the internalslab in the circular lime silo are using thePERI Rundflex form system to simplify theconcrete-pouring process.

ExpansiveMood


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D oug Banes has packed a lot into his 40-year career as a millwright. Banes, the general vice president of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters (UBC), wasinstrumental in developing the UBCs Carpenters

International Training Center, which is set on a 12-acre campusin southern Las Vegas, that contains a dormitory and features60,000 square feet of shop space offering courses in the lat-est craft and union-building skills. But when Banes visited the Alberta Millwright Training Centre in Edmonton last July, thelarge, contemporary hydrogen compressor in the middle of theshop a $5 million gift from Petro-Canada in 2008 stopped himin his tracks.

Banes craned his neck and surveyed the rest of the tidy shop, which included a dozen or so local millwrights quietly training onthe equipment. This is more than impressive, he said, nodding, before his eyes shifted back to the compressor. We dont have acompressor as modern as this [at the Las Vegas training facility].

Weve got some small stuff, but nothing at all like this.Banes wasnt the only one with wide eyes at the Alberta trai

ing facility. This training facility is truly awesome. To have aowner like Petro-Canada make a donation like this, youve gotto recognize that there is something very worthwhile going onhere, said Michel Sinclair, business manager of Millwright Lo1007, in Niagara Falls.

Banes and Sinclair were in Alberta July 13 to 15 for theCanada-wide Millwright Conference, which included morethan 25 millwright representatives from across Canada. Banand Bill Irwin, director of UBCs Las Vegas train ing centre joined the proceedings.

Conference organizer Bob Hugh said the event provided theopportunity to showcase Albertas new training facility, and itallowed the millwright leaders to develop strategies to overcom barriers to achieve their shared goals.

The whole theme of this conference was to share informatio

Albertas finest were on the international stage at this yearsCanada-wide conference, held in Edmonton

10 HARDHAT FALL 2009

FROM LEFT : Bob Hugh, Doug Banes,Bill Irwin and Jim Smith


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and create opportunities so that if we have something in Albertathat we could offer the other provinces, wed make it happen,and they would do the same for us. I think we definitely achievedthat goal, said Hugh, senior business representative for AlbertaMillwright Local 1460.

The three main issues for conference participants weremobility, training and marketing. Heres a run-down of what was discussed.

MobilityDifferent laws in different provinces make it diff icult for work-ers to follow job opportunities across borders. The industry haschanged. Its now an industry of mega-projects, and the challengeis to figure out how we can get millwrights from other parts of thecountry to come and assist the areas where the mega-projects arehappening. This is important because we have to be able to getour highly-skilled and trained millwrights to different parts of the country at a moments notice, said James E. Smith, UBC VicePresident Canada, who is based in Ontario.

The main barrier to inter-provincial hiring is administering benefit and pension payments. Lets say a worker goes to Albertafrom British Columbia and works there for three months. Well, when he finishes he doesnt always get his benefits put back intohis own plan in B.C., and its not because anyone is holding outon him, its because of the difficulties with the way the differentsystems are set up, and we need to iron that out, Michel Sinclairadded.

Another issue is pre-access drug testing. British Columbia and Alberta are the only provinces that require drug testing before a worker can start a job. This is a problem when workers from out-side of British Columbia and Alberta arrive at these provinces,

and, unaware that they need to be tested before they can begin working, they take the required drug test and then have to wait weeks to receive results. We want them to arrive and get to workright away. We dont want them waiting around for weeks in ahotel room. They are there to work, Hugh said. Were takingsteps at this conference to make sure it is a smooth, f luent processfor everyone.

Training Another big issue for millwrights is ensuring that workers fromall provinces are trained to the same high standards. To addressthis concern, the Alberta local supports the Red Seal Program, aninter-provincial standard of excellence. The program makes itsimple, Hugh explains. If a worker has obtained the Red Seal,he or she has been trained to specific safety and quality standards. Were advocating for this program to be recognized across all jurisdictions.

Streamlining training standards is one of the highest priorities inthe industry. Part of what were doing [at this conference] is to dis-cuss our training needs and try to develop uniform programs andstandards, said Claude Gagnon, business manager for MillwrightLocal 2182 in Montreal. An eighth of an inch in Alberta is an eighthof an inch in Quebec. In most cases, the machines are the same, the work is the same, and the training can be the same, too.

Doug Banes, who also chairs the UBCs International MillwrigCommittee, would like to see more millwrights in Canada takeadvantage of the Las Vegas training centre, for which almost allcosts are already covered. Weve got a $100-million facility thaowned by the union, and its a great opportunity for workers totrain on the best equipment in task oriented programs, he said.

Hanes added that the training goes beyond the technicalaspects of the job.

We try to instill in the workers the importance of maintaining

a professional att itude. I dont care how skilled you are, if you dohave the right attitude, its not going to work, he said. When workers come to Las Vegas, we strive to make sure they get thesort of training that helps them to become the best workers they can be in every way.

MarketingThe millwrights at the 2009 conference felt they were makingprogress in many areas, but they also thought they still had workto do to let people know of the strides theyve made. Our worldclass training facilities and programs, and everything else that we offer, shouldnt be a best-kept secret, Banes said. One of oustrategies to achieve this is to invite contractors and owners to outraining facilities and show them what we do. We want to do thismore and more, because whenever we do it, it wins every time.Marketing and promoting of Millwrights also involves letting cotractors and owners know that managers at training facilities areconstantly seeking feedback in order to create new training pro-grams and improve how they train workers. Were trying to beleaders in the field, and in order to do that we need to tackle issuehead on. When we do that, we not only benefit our workers, but walso benefit the contractors and owners, said Bob Hugh of Loca1460. The trick, of course, is to let everyone know what youredoing, so that everyone can enjoy the full benefits.

HARDHAT FALL 2009 11

INSPECTION: The group tours the Alberta MillwrightTraining Centre


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ByTRICIA RADISON

Photography by JOEY PODLUBNY


SouthHealth

Campus

SouthHealth

Campus

Project PROFILE

The fifth largest hospital in North Americais going up in Calgary and ARCCAW members are a key part of the build


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ust past the southernmost Calgary community on Highway 2, gigantic tower cranes, scores of workers andan ever-expanding concrete structure dominate the

landscape. This is the beginning of the South Health Campusslowly rising on a 44-acre site surrounded by farmland.

On schedule and ahead of budget construction managerEllisDon says tenders are at or below pre-tender estimatesand the project is benefiting from the downturn in marketconditions the South Health Campus is being built in three ormore phases. The $1.4-billion first phase will be completed inDecember 2011.

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Costs for the other two phases have not yet been calculated asthe full spectrum of services included has not been finalized andthe province has not yet given funding approval. Alberta HealthServices are currently in a provincial restructuring process and arealso determining the optimal delivery of health services provincial-ly. This and the current economic situation will be determinants on when funding for the next phases is provided by the government,says South Health Campus project executive director Ken Chiang.

When Phase 1 opens, 293 new beds will be added to the city withanother 351 coming online at full build. The campus is designed toprovide leading-edge healthcare, technology, research and educationin a best-practice environment.

Using EllisDon to manage construction was another way for thehealth region to stay on the leading edge. They are an excellent con-struction management firm with experience in major health careprojects, says Chiang. EllisDon has completed numerous medicalprojects in Calgary, including the Alberta Childrens Hospital.

A hospital is one of the most complex projects because of all thelife safety systems, explains Scott Thompson, project director atEllisDon. Between 30 and 40 systems including fire alarms, securi-ty systems and UPS power must be installed and work together. Asconstruction manager, it is EllisDons job to ensure everything worksas it should before patients are in the building.

This hospital has its own specific challenges too, such as the loca-tion in the deep south of Calgary, at Deerfoot Trail and 196 Ave SE.The biggest challenge for us was getting people there because busesand trains dont go that far, says Mike Cooper, the ARCCAW businessagent organizer looking after the EllisDon file.

An EllisDon bus transports workers between the last bus stop andthe job site. Transport time lengthens the workday but the chance toget three or four years of steady work makes the longer hours worth itfor many, says Cooper.

Building in the DarkThe South Health Campus is much bigger than most hospitals, with155,000 square metres under construction in Phase 1. Phase 1 of the South Health Campus is roughly twice the size of the AlbertaChildrens Hospital, says Thompson, adding that the size is a chal-lenge, even for an experienced contractor.

The design and schedule of this project requires a large team.There are over 100 architects and engineers working on it, saysThompson. The construction schedule and strategy means design isstill underway. For example, while the construction team is current-ly working on interiors for the Intensive Care Unit and Emergency,the design team is working on the final design and documents forthe fifth floor. Were trying to build the campus and we dont have

Project PROFILE


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the complete design, so we need to use new construction contractingstrategies to enable us to engage subcontractors as early as possible,Thompson explains.

Big BirdsBig jobs demand big equipment. EllisDon brought in four of the largesttower cranes in North America from Germany. At 282 feet in length, thePeiner SK575 cranes can pick up 9,000 pounds on the end of the boom.

Going for GoldThe South Health Campus is a Gold Seal-certified project. All our proj-ect managers, superintendents, estimators, everyone from the generalcontractor down to the rebar sub, have to be certified, explains ScottThompson. When I tender a job, that subtrade has to have people avail-able for this project. The Canadian Construction Association givescertification based on education, work experience and knowledge. TheSouth Health Campus is the first major project in the province wherethe owner is also Gold Seal-certified.

Innovation at WorkThe Deflection Compensating System is a unique concrete forming sys-tem designed in Germany by Peri Formwork Systems, Inc. in partner-ship with EllisDon.

ABOVE:Carpenters Michael Burley and apprentice carpenter Trevor DempseyBOTTOM LEFT: Peris column system, the rst in North America, is liftedinto place.BOTTOM RIGHT: EllisDon brought in four of the largest tower cranes fromGermany to do heavy lifting.


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It eliminates the need for reshoring and allows one structural slablevel to be completed every eight weeks instead of every 16 weeks.

Tested in the factory but never before used in production, thesystem was shipped in 58 boxcars to the hospital site and came com-plete with a team of German engineers. In spite of the language bar-rier and an unexpected modification to the ground floor plan, theCanadian crew quickly learned to use the new system and is now ontarget to finish the eighth and final structural slab level by the end of November 2009.

At the end of August 2009, about 125,000 cubic metres of con-crete had been poured; the entire project will use about 200,000cubic metres. An on-site plant capable of producing 22 truckloads of concrete each hour keeps the concrete flowing.

Its been very exciting for everyone, says Al Skalicky, a Peri

sales rep whos been working with EllisDon on the system since theconstruction management company first came up with the idea.The 57 tables are all run hydraulically so there are no legs down tothe floor and its almost like a space-age type system. For these guysto actually build it and see it for the first time, and that it actually worked, was quite a feat.

Why was the South Health Campus a good project to test out thesystem? Its big and we were in early, says Thompson. Early involve-ment meant the structural engineers could design what EllisDonsSam Poskovich, project superintendent, calls typical floor plates. With columns, beam widths and a grid system exactly the same onevery floor, the concrete forming system has worked well, reducing

manpower by an estimated 30 to 40 per cent. Well, every floor except one. A change to the main floor droppedthe slab, making it a challenge. The team worked together to adjust tothe situation as quickly as possible and stayed on schedule.

Building a TeamThis summer, 530 people were hard at work on the site, including 120carpenters and 100 labourers. At peak, expected to happen in spring2010, that number will skyrocket to 1,200 and include 300 electriciansand 300 mechanical trades. This is the biggest commercial project inCalgary, says Cooper. Even the Bow isnt as big.

EllisDon oversees the entire project, including handling Leadershipin Energy and Environmental Design requirements the owner isgoing for LEED Silver as well as arranging for equipment and inte-grating the numerous systems.

Owner: Alberta Health Services and Government of AlbertaPrime consultant: Kasian ArchitectureSubconsultants: RJC / Stantec, structural engineers; Wiebe Forest,mechanical engineers; Stebnicki / Wiebe Forest, electrical engineersMechanical construction manager: Lockerbie & HoleElectrical construction manager: Trotter & MortonExterior envelope construction manager: Ferguson Glass /Pockar Masonry

Project PROFILE

Prime consultant: Subconsultants:

Mechanical construction mana er: Electrical construction mana er: Exterior envelo e construction mana er:

Owner:LEFT TO RIGHT:Roof top core crew Preston Hickey, Mark Curtis,Eric Macdonald


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McMurray alone, an estimated 32,000 construction workers will be needed by 2016, which is more than the number work-ing during the height of the boom in 2008. Theres going to be atremendous demand for skilled people. The older guys are start-ing to retire or go into management and we have to fill the hole,says Len Bryden, director of training and apprenticeship for the Alberta Carpenters Training Fund, which works in conjunction with ARCCAW. To meet that demand, courses are constantly being added in Edmonton, Calgary and Fort McMurray. (Visit www.abcarptc.ab.ca for more information and for a completeschedule of upcoming courses.)

Indeed, since opening the $23-million training facility in thefall of 2008 (see the spring 2009 issue of Hard Hat for a fullprofile on the ACTC), the union has introduced period 1 andperiod 2 Carpentry, along with an increasing number of new programs such as a Hoisting and Rigging course. There is also a wirange of supplemental programs that teach members everythingfrom blueprint reading and construction surveying to arc weld-ing and stair construction available on demand.

These new courses are part of an initiative for new carpen-ters, millwrights and other trades that stretches back at leasta decade. To help its newest and least experienced membersget their start in the industry, ARCCAW started an IndustrialTechnical Training (ITT) program about 6 years ago to teach

Ticket to Success

Tuition at post-secondary institutions isone barrier for many new tradespeople.Fortunately, not only does ACTC trainingmake new union members more employ-able, it also means they start their careerswithout a pile of debt. As a member, youcan start your carpentry career for virtuallyno cost, says scaffolding instructor GeorgePekarchik. The books are given to you; thetools are there. We have a lot of courses thatonly cost our members $10. Similar trainingprograms at community colleges, Pekarchikadds, can cost 50 times that much.

TOUGH JUDGE : Instructor GeorgePekarchik grades students to atolerance of 1/8 of an inch

GOOD NEWS : Scaffold studentKent Tamarik gets his test results


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inexperienced workers the basics of carpentry and scaffolding. The program has been wildly successful. At the time we started the program, contractors hadcreated a labour shortage by not hiring first-year apprentices, Pekarchik recalls.We had more than a thousand first-years looking for work. We knew that in a few years they would become journeymen, but they needed the hours to move on. Westarted talking to contractors, developed this program and now they are hiringapprentices like crazy.

Back on the shop floor, Phil Millburn is a testament to that success. Like Belliveau,he benefited from specialized courses, completing his Level 1 Scaffolding this July.Now hes working at the Shell Scotsford refinery in Fort Saskatchewan. As anapprentice, trying to get out there and get a job is the biggest challenge, but its a loteasier to find work once you go to school, says Millburn. The scaffolding programhelped me smooth out the rough edges and gave me confidence. It makes every day atthe job site a lot easier.

The eco-sector opens up new jobs for skilled tradesSkilled trades may be at the forefront of the green jobs sector, which at 9.1 per cent growthper year over the past 10 years has expanded twice as quickly as other job sectors in Canada.Thanks to more green energy and construction projects, skilled trades will find positions on, forinstance, retrofits, wind-turbine farms and transit projects. It definitely increases the job pros-pects for people in the skilled trades, Shaun Thorseon of Skills Canada told theCalgary Herald recently, explaining that a lot of the skills theyre acquiring in the current process of apprentice-ship programs. are definitely transferable to some of the things that are on the horizon.

GO GREEN

TRAINING BY THE NUMBERS

Since 1998, scores of future carpenters,millwrights, scaffolders and other tradeshave earned their stripes through theAlberta Carpenters Training Centre.

Heres a breakdown.

6,016: Number of members trained inscaffolding ARCCAW shops and facili-ties from 1998 to 2009

957: Number of members completingIndustrial Technical Training between2002 and 2009

102: Number of members completingthe ACTCs Pre-Employment Carpentry

program since 2006 in Alberta

742: Number of carpenters whoreceived tuition reimbursementsbetween 2002 and 2009

33,477: Total number who have takenpart in approved training programs orcourses and have either paid a $10 reg-istration fee, received the training at nocost, or have been reimbursed between1998 and mid-2009 by the AlbertaCarpenters training fund 656 *: Estimated training for 2009 forcombined Scaffolding, Pre-EmploymentCarpentry (Tradewinds to SuccessAboriginal Initiative), Alberta IndustryTraining (AIT) Accredited Period OneCarpentry, Industrial Technical training(ITT), and Scaffold JM Upgrade*For in-house training between January to December 2009.


PRESSURES ON : Kent Tamarik worksto complete the Level One scaffold test


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Quizzes and fun stuff

HammerSlammer


Shoemakers hammer

Millwrights ball peen hammer

Gardeners hammer

Saw doctors dog head hammer

Ferriers horseshoe turning hammer

Carpenters double claw hammer

Coachmakers hammer

Blacksmiths hammer

Watchmakers hammer

Coopers hammer

Tinsmiths riveting hammer

Roofers slate hammer

Ferriers horseshoe nailing hammer

Floor layers tack hammer

C

AB

D E

F

G

H

I

JK

L

MN

Think any old one will work? No way!

Every tradesperson has his or her special tools, andhammers are one of the oldest tools around going backmore than 30,000 years. See if you can match these 100- year-old hammers to the jobs they were made to do.

A n s w e r s :

H , E , J , L , C , D , B A , I , M , G , K , F , N

KidZone

( f r o m t o p o f l i s t t o b o t t o m )


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Guessthe Tool

Tools have changed a lot in the last 100 years. Check theseout and then use the internet to see what these tools looklike today.

This weird contraption (below) might look like some-thing out of a mad scientists laboratory, but its actuallyan old-fashioned plane. Carpenters use planes to smoothand shape wood.

You wont find planes like the antique one (below) on aconstruction site today, but you will find tools that dothe same job. Carpenters and anybody else who wantsto make sure something is smooth and finished will usethis type of plane.

Whos the most famous tradesperson today? It mightbe Bob the Builder. Bob and his crew have been buildingroads, skyscrapers and more since 1998 . According tobobthebuilder.com, the show is aired in 45 languagesand is watched by kids around the world.

The Burj Dubai in the city of Dubai will be the tallestbuilding in the world when it is finished this year. Itwill stand more than 800 metres (2,600 feet) highand will have the worlds fastest elevators. The con-crete used in the tower weighs as much as 100,000elephants! In fact, youll be able to see its spire from95 kilometres away!

Theres another project in our own back yards. Rightnow, the Bow is being built in downtown Calgary. Whenits done, it will be58 storeys and 236 metres (775feet) tall. That makes it the tallest office building in west-ern Canada! The Bow will be made with48,000 tons of structural steel, almost the weight of just 5 elephants .


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Trust Fund Managers

Maureen C. Gander, CEBS, CHRP Manager

Its hard to believe that fall is here.I hope everyone had a great summer. Atthe Trust Funds, each of us has enjoyed alittle vacation time to catch some of the sunny weather. That said, it was a busy summer.

New Health & Welfare BookletThis fall, members of the Health & WelfarePlan will receive our new 2009 booklet

describing topics like what the Plan provides, whos eligible and how to make a claim. ThePlan office and each union office (Calgar y;Edmonton; Fort McMurray) have copies.

Trust Funds Staff OverviewMany staff members have been with us forsome time, and we recently welcomed new faces. Here is an overview:

The Trust Funds office has four areas:Health & Welfare, Pension, Accounting andManagement. Each department has a teamleader. Bette Thompson, our senior claimsofficer, heads Health & Welfare with over28 years service. Bettes team includes fourregular staff. Kathy Germaine and Jenny VanGelderen are claims representatives. They help members at our counter and on the phone with benefit questions and claims. MichellePerrot and Emily Carr are claims assistants who maintain files through the claims pay-ment process. Together the team processedover 28,000 claims in 2008. And, this spring, we celebrated Kathys fifth anniversary.

Mary McGillivray is the supervisor of Pension Services with over 1 years service. Jason Fleury and Terry McCann are pension services representatives, each with three years service. The Pension team answersmember questions, and calculates and processes pension payments forretirees, terminating members and survivors of deceased members.They also prepare and distribute the members Annual Statements over 8,800 this spring!

In June, our accounting department welcomed AccountingSupervisor Bryanna McKay. She has over a decade of financial experien

and is pursuing her designation as a certified general accountant. Herteam works with participating employers to ensure contributions underthe Collective Agreement are received and the corresponding hours arereported to the Pension and Health & Welfare departments. They alsoprocess training and working dues for the Training Centre and RegionalCouncil. Last year, we handled over $118 million of contributions.

That leaves our management group. We take care of the needs of trustees, the Funds records, contracts and investment reporting. TheFunds have grown extensively over the last several years. DeborahSheppard, senior admin assistant helps keep trustees informed of key reports received at our office. In June, we welcomed Liz Lombardo asa pension and benefit specialist. The Plans involve a huge bank of for-mal documents and Lizs assignments include working with our legalcounsel to update our documents as part of the Trustees ongoing gov-ernance. Liz is also on our system project team and gaining exposure toall other aspects of the Plans.

These are simplified descriptions so in an upcoming column Ill elaborate on them and on the complexities of trusteeship. Meanwhile, if youhave questions, heres how to reach us:

Questions? Please direct all questions about benefit and pensioneligibility and entitlements to our office. Each members situation isunique, so your record here is needed to answer your questions.

Call us at 780-477-9131 or 1-800-588-1037. Press 1 for Health & Welfare and 2 for Pensions.

The People Behindthe Scenes


REPORT


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Skills Training

I ts official: We now have bragging rightsas tops in carpentry. Carpenter Philip Waters of Local 1325 won first place over-

all in the UBC National Carpentry Contestheld August 20 to 22 in downtown Halifax,gaining national recognition. We are so proudthat Waters has brought the trophy home to Alberta. To celebrate, we will hang a large banner from the rafters of the carpentersshop at ARCCAW headquarters in Edmonton,so swing by to take a look. I also watched

Andrew Hansen of Local 1460 take homethird place in the millwright competition.Congratulations to both Hansen and Watersfor their achievements.

The contest, held on the beautiful Halifax waterfront, brought together winners of provincial contests along with trades people whoearned top marks in apprenticeship fromeach province. They gathered to compete incarpentry, millwright and dry wall theory and practical skills tests. Local Haligoniansstrolling by got a show, watching carpenters,millwrights and drywallers work away in thesummer heat. Along with the many trades,contractors, dignitaries and trustees frommany funds attended the festivities. (Mark your calendars: next year, the contest trav-els to Ottawa and in 2011 it travels to QuebecCity. Alberta hosts the National Contest inEdmonton in 2012.)

If you want to participate in next yearsProvincial Apprenticeship Contest and havecompleted your apprenticeship training with-in the past 12 months as of June 2010, please

contact us here at the Alberta Carpenters Training Centre. While I was in Halifax, I took part in the two-day National

Apprenticeship and Training Advisory Committee (NATAC) confer-ence. NATACs annual event brings together training co-ordinators,directors, trustees and contractors from across the country to talkabout how we can improve our programs, offer the best services andhelp each other out over the course of the next year. In particular, wediscussed how the recession has affected each of the provinces andour efforts to continue to share materials and best practices. NATACattendees also met about cross-country instructor exchange programs, which help keep our training and quality consistent throughout the

Brotherhood. It was a productive time, so Im looking forward to therest of 2009 and all of 2010.Keep safe and keep up the good work!

Len J. Bryden,Director of Training and Apprenticeship

REPORT


Alberta Wins UBCNational Contest

WINNER: Local 132Philip Waters in Hali


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ack in July, Alberta Millwrights Local 1460hosted the Canada-wide millwrights confer-ence. Training co-ordinators and business rep-

resentatives from every province attended and specialguests included Jim Smith, Vice-President of Canada,Doug Banes, General Vice-President UBC and Bill Irwin,Director of Training UBC Las Vegas Training Center.Topics of discussion included millwright mobility, train-ing and marketing. To read the full story and learn aboutsome of the highlights of this years conference, turn topage 10 for our comprehensive report.

Training Tour As part of the conference, we gave a tour of our new Alberta Millwright Training Centre while an intake was in progress, showcasing our commitment to provide hands-on, task-oriented, value-added training forour clients and contractors. Later, Warren Hall gave usall a tour of NAITs Petro Canada Centre for MillwrightTechnology. Both Doug Banes and Bill Irwin told me how

impressed they were with the concept of a national apprenticeship programand the facility that delivered the training.

Such superior training opportunities and facilities separate us from ourcompetition and ensure a fair market share of work for our members. We offer

courses on everything from gas turbine familiarization to a reciprocating com-pressor course to a primer on how to be a better supervisor. Please check www.albertamillwrights.com for information about upcoming courses, or call Laurelat 780-430-1460, ext. 2166 to register.

Trade Winds Partnership We are pleased to announce that we are partners with Trade Winds toSuccess Training Society that puts aboriginal peoples to work in the trades. As Trade Winds notes, the project gives participants career decision-making,pre-apprenticeship interventions, and personal and academic supports along with hands-on trades skills.

An eight-week millwright pre-employment course was developed using Apprenticeship and Industry Training (AIT) modules. The course takes placethis November and December.

Alberta Employment and Immigration also contribute funding to coveradministration costs and each Aboriginal human resources developmentagreement holders (Treaty 7 Management Corporation, Mtis Nation of Alberta and Oteenow Employment & Training Society) assist clients throughsuch things as training and employment assistance services.

Each of the Local 1460 partners has a commitment to train, mentor andemploy the Trade Winds to Success par ticipants upon successful completionof the pre-apprenticeship course. Its a great program and Im so proud we canparticipate.

Heres to a wonderful fall.

Giving you the tools to

build a safe and healthy future ...in family, work

and play.

SERVICES PROVIDED:> Assessments funded by WCB or

Alberta Health Care> Fully equipped gym> Experienced Physical

> Open before and after work

CONTACT INFO:www.remed.ca#217, 14925 111 Ave780-451-2244

ork Therapists & personal trainers

_ _

REPORTLocal 1460 Millwrights

Bob Hugh, Senior BusinessRepresentative - Millwrights

The Winds of Change

B


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S u n d a y , D e c e m b e

r 6 , 2 0 0 9

11 a m t o 3 : 3 0 p m

M e e t i n g H a l l , P r o v i n c i a l

T r a i n i n g

& Ad m i n i s t r a t i o n C e n t r e

15 2 10 12 3 Av e n

u e , E d m o n t o n

Al l f a m i l y m e m b e r s a r

e w e l c o m e ! C h i l d r e n

12 o r y o u n g e r w i l l

r e c e i v e a g i f t . C o m

e

b e t w e e n 11 a m

a n d 1 p m f o r f a c e p a

i n t i n g

a n d a b a l l o o n a r t i s t ! L u n c h e o n b e t

w e e n 12

n o o n a n d 1 p m , f o l l

o w e d b y a 5 0 - m i n u t e

m a g i c s h o w .

Albe rt a Millwright

s Loca l 1460

2009 Childre ns

Chris t ma s Pa rty!

T o ensur e s pace and

f ood f or ev er y one ,

and a p pr o pr i at e gi f t s

f or chi ldr en a ged 12

and under , pr e-r e gi st

r at i on i s a must !

Re gi st r at i ons not a

cce pt ed

af t er Nov ember 21.

P r e-r e gi st r at i on r equ

i r es t he f ollow i n g i nf

or mat i on:

Member s name

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member s at t endi n g

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f chi ldr en 12 and und

er

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annelle at

7 80-430-1460 , e x t 2

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1-87 7 -250-507 9 no l

at er t han Nov ember 2

1


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Alberta Construction Safety AssociationMaking Safety A Way Of Life

National ConstructionSafety Ofcer Program

N C S O

www.acsa-safety.orgEdmonton 1-800-661-2272 Calgary 1-800-661-0390

Ft. McMurray 780-715-2157

Qualifying Program for Gold Seal ConstructionSafety Coordinator

_

Training + EventsUP COMING

General EventsOctober 17: Millwrights Local 1460 Benefits Trust Fundinformation meetingNovember 13: Local 2010 meetingDecember 4: Regional Council Executive meetingDecember 5: Regional Council Delegate meetingDecember 6: Millwrights Childrens Christmas Party First Wednesday of each month: Local 1325 meetingThird Thursday of each month: Local 2103 meetingFourth Tuesday of each month: Local 1460 meeting

Christmas PartiesDecember 6: Local 1325 (Edmonton). See page 30 for full details,including registration deadlinesDecember 6: Local 1460 (Edmonton). See page 28 for fu ll details,including registration deadlines

December 13: Local 1325 (Fort McMurray). See page 26 for fulldetails, including registration deadlinesDecember 13 : Local 2010, 2103 Childrens Christmas Party (Calgary).See page 24 for full details, including registration deadlines

Training

Many courses taking place in the next few months have already filled up. Here are a few that still have space.Go to www.abcarptc.ab.ca for the full course listing.

Edmonton CentrePre-employment Carpentry from March 1 to April 23, 2010

Calgary CentreScaffolding Level Three from March 15 to April 1, 2010Hosting and Rigging from April 9 to 11, 2010Pre-employment Carpentry from April 12 to June 4, 2010Hosting and Rigging from May 14 to 16, 2010

Note: Period 1 and 2 Carpentry: All classes require government-registered apprentices. To register with us at the ACTC you musthave your blue book and be in good standing.


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2 0 9 i r n r i t m P r t

O N T O N

M B E R S O C AL 1 3 2 5 E D

R E

I T A L I A N C U L T U R A L C E N T E R

1 4 2 3 0 1 3 3 Av e n u e

E d m o n t o n

S u n d a y , D e c e m b e r 6 , 2 0 0 9

1 1 : 3 0 a m 3 : 0 0 p m

R e g i s t r a t i o n d e a d l i n e : F r i d a y , N o v e m b e r 2 0 , 2 0 0 9

Celebration includes entertainment and luncheon.To ensure space for everyone, pre-registration

is required for children receiving gifts and for taking part in the luncheon.

Registration requires the following informatiomembers name, number of family membersattending function, boy or girl and childsage. Please register early.

We will not accept registrations afterNovember 20 2009.

T O P R E - R E G I S T E R , C A L L T H E

E D M O N T O N O F F I C E A T

( 7 8 0 ) 4 7 1 - 3 2 0 0 O R T O L L F R E E

( 8 0 0 ) 2 7 2 - 7 9 0 5

ALL FAMILY MEMBE LCME! Children a ed 12 or oun er will receive a ift.

S a n t a w i

l l b e

t h e r e t o w

i s h

M e r r y C h

r i s t m a s

t o a l l !


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Controlling the downstream flow of the Elbow River, Calgarys Glenmore Dam cost$3.8million when it was built in 1932. It is 320 metres long and 21 metres wide. Using thedownward force of its construction materials weight, the dam is able to resist thehorizontal force of the water it holds.

Glenmore DamParting Shot



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