Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Boomtime for Canada's civils sector

With the smell of recession in the air the Canadian government has moved to stave off a downturn by committing more funding to capital and municipal construction projects.
At a meeting in Ottawa at the beginning of November, the federal Canadian government and provinces said it would accelerate infrastructure spending to remedy the country's ailing economy. At the First Ministers' meeting, Prime Minister Stephen Harper agreed to push for quicker action on the construction front as a means of stimulating job creation. And with an array of major construction schemes already through the planning stages, the prospects for construction jobs in Canada, particularly jobs in Canada’s civils industry look relatively bright.

A recent study released by the Canadian municipalities claims that $1bn dollars spent infrastructure, "would produce more jobs and a greater economic stimulus than a combined $2-billion tax reduction." The fact that country's bridges, roads, sewage and water pipes are in bad shape and need the investment also means the government’s commitment is very timely.

Hundreds of municipal infrastructure projects are already set to go in to construction phase and they can be financed by a fund of $3bn in the federal Building Canada Fund.

Key projects that will drive the infrastructure boom include plans to further develop transit networks in several Canadian cities. These are all ready to go to site, once funding is approved. Ottawa’s city council has also just approved $1.7 billion transit plans that include a 12-kilometre light rail line east-west across the city, with a tunnel under a section of downtown.

Unlike other countries that have cut back on their capital spending, the Canadian government’s decision to spend, spend and spend should be a welcome boost for those considering emigrating and seeking construction jobs in Canada.

Find the Latest and Top Construction Jobs in Canada

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