The new year is bringing exciting new changes to the Canadian drone industry.

The Alberta Sand & Gravel Association (ASGA) kicked of its annual general meeting and trade show held Jan. 9 and 10 with a record registration of approximately 265 attendees flocking to the River Cree Resort & Casino in Enoch, Alta.

The agendas are officially set for Rock to Road’s Quarry Tech Vancouver and Quarry Tech Moncton educational forums.

A collaborative effort was launched between the National Research Councilof Canada (NRC), the Government of Quebec and Université Laval to find a solution to the problems stemming from the presence of pyrrhotite in concrete.

The Cornerstone Standards Council (CSC) announces the release of its Responsible Aggregate Standard (V4) and changes to CSC's role moving forward. This announcement comes following a pilot period of CSC's Standard (V3) to evaluate the effectiveness of the standard.

Researchers at the University of Cambridge are using microencapsulation technologies developed by Dolomite Microfluidics to develop self-healing construction materials.

At 15 tonnes, Alberta uses more tonnes of aggregate per capita than any other province. Despite the province’s needs for stone, sand and gravel products, industry still has its challenges starting up and operating pits and quarries in many communities, due to concerns from residents related to groundwater quality, increased truck traffic, and potential dust and noise. In areas where residents are especially concerned, community outreach and regular communication between producers and residents are keys to creating positive relationships between municipalities and aggregate companies.

Land reclamation is of great importance to sand and gravel producers in Alberta, and from smaller operators to larger ones, all of them realize the value of being good stewards to the environment in which they operate. The Alberta Sand & Gravel Association’s (ASGA) very roots go back to ensuring that players in the aggregate industry in Alberta go about their work in an ecologically responsible way; which ensures that land is reclaimed to a state which makes it usable once more.

Lafarge Canada was awarded the 2018 ESAA Industry Award for Environmental Innovation.

The results are in from the 10-week field test of the Electric Site research project in Sweden, and the results are even better than anticipated.

Check out the highlights from Lafarge's Habitat for Humanity Partnership Carter Work Project in 2017.

LafargeHolcim has been awarded infrastructure contracts worth over CAD 100 million as part of a major highway improvement project in Vancouver, Canada. The Highway 1 area is a vital local, regional and provincial corridor for people, services and goods. 

Manitoba Infrastructure advises the westbound lanes on the Red River Bridge along the south Perimeter Highway (PTH 100) have reopened.  The lane was closed in November after a detailed inspection and assessment found cracking in the bridge deck concrete.

The original George Massey Tunnel Replacement Project pushed the 10-lane bridge option without fully considering feasible alternatives or local opinions on the best path forward. Those are the key findings of a technical review of the replacement project, which has been released by Claire Trevena, B.C. Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure.

Alberta Premier Rachel Notley recently announced two infrastructure projects designed to improve travel in the Grande Prairie region.

In the past 50 years there have been huge advancements in the automobile industry but the roads we drive on remain nearly unchanged. As cars get smarter so too should the infrastructure that supports them.

Anyone who has ever spent anytime in Gander, Nfld. will tell you: this is an aviation town. Being my first trip to this part of The Rock, I was unfamiliar with the aviation industry’s impact. As I drove around the town of 11,000-plus residents, I passed by entire neighbourhoods that honoured the pioneers of aviation. In most cases, I would have had no idea. Fortunately for me, I was driving alongside long-time Gander resident Jerry White.

The Highway 97 six-laning project is complete, making it easier for people to travel through the area by widening the highway and upgrading several busy intersections.

Improvements will soon get underway on a number of busy intersections along the Haney Bypass corridor in Maple Ridge, B.C., which will significantly improve safety for people travelling through this area.

The Government of Canada has announced it will spend $23.1 million for four contracts awarded for maintenance and construction work on the Alaska Highway.

The government of Manitoba will proceed with $20 million in infrastructure projects for the remainder of the 2018-19 fiscal year, Infrastructure Minister Ron Schuler announced this morning at an event hosted by the Manitoba Heavy Construction Association.

Strategic investments in safe and efficient transportation infrastructure help northern businesses better compete in local, national and international markets. These investments support economic sustainability and provide a better quality of life for those living and working in the North.

In an industry-first move, Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE) has announced that in 2020 it will start the launch of an electric range of Volvo branded compact wheel loaders and compact excavators.

Excavators, cranes, and other construction machinery must be ready for use in any weather. Perfect thermal management ensures this. At bauma 2019 in Munich, Eberspaecher (Hall A4, Booth 249) and its newest subsidiary Eberspaecher Kalori (Hall A5, Booth 351) will present their comprehensive product portfolio for construction machinery.

In 2017, McLanahan Corporation began a partnership with Anaconda Equipment of Northern Ireland to distribute and sell Anaconda’s line of mobile track equipment. As the relationship between the two companies progressed, it became clear that their values and business styles were closely aligned. Today, the two companies are proud to announce that Anaconda Equipment will officially join McLanahan Corporation’s family of companies upon legal closing within the next 30 to 60 days.

After much anticipation and countless hours of product development, John Deere unveils three powerful and productive L-Series utility wheel loaders. The 524L, 544L and 624L offer customers an intuitive solution, ideal for projects that require agility and versatility on the job site or farm. Designed with the operator in mind, the L-Series machines incorporate several new features, including improved cabs for more comfort and visibility, electrohydraulic (EH) loader controls for easier operation and redesigned near-parallel linkage, and enhanced performance buckets.

A global innovator in dust and odour control technology has updated its family of self-powered dust suppression equipment with Tier IV Final-compliant generators. BossTek made the announcement with the debut of the new DustBoss DB-60 Fusion, a field-proven suppression system driven by a high-reliability 25-hp electric motor and paired with a gen set powered by a heavy-duty 4-cycle indirect injection diesel engine. Designed, engineered and assembled in the U.S., the generator features a dual-containment fuel cell, heavy gauge lockable enclosure and oversized brushless alternator for easy starting.

A1A Software LLC continues to expand features of iCraneTrax, making the fleet and personnel management software more robust for the needs of equipment rental companies.

Motion Industries, Inc., a leading distributor of maintenance, repair, and operation replacement parts and a wholly owned subsidiary of Genuine Parts Company, announced today the promotion of N. Joe Limbaugh to the position of senior vice-president of supply chain, operations support and marketing, effective January 1, 2019. Limbaugh will report directly to the president of Motion Industries.

Establishing a strategic tire management plan is crucial for companies with large fleets of equipment. Throughout the life span of a piece of equipment, tires need to be replaced more frequently than any other component, and as such, their efficient life-cycle management offers arguably the greatest opportunity to control costs.

Continuously striving to produce world-class equipment that delivers customers with the highest value possible, John Deere added Final Tier 4 engine technology to the 944K hybrid wheel loader, providing customers an increase in fuel economy from the Interim Tier 4 model. Other machine updates include improving operator comfort and increasing uptime, while lowering daily operating costs.

GSSI will be highlighting its latest GPR technology at the 2019 World of Concrete conference, to be held January 21 to 25, 2019 at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, Booth # N1864.

Doosan Infracore North America, LLC, a leading manufacturer of heavy construction equipment, is proud to announce it is opening a new 100,000-square-foot parts distribution centre, serving its dealers and Doosan customers in the United States and Canada.

From paving and plant performance best practices to safety and sustainability to the latest technology and workforce development strategies, the 2019 World of Asphalt Show & Conference brings it all together with education to help asphalt industry professionals grow their businesses and their careers.

The upcoming 2019 World of Asphalt Show & Conference is officially the largest World of Asphalt ever. The exhibition kicks off Feb. 12 to 14 at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, Ind.

For asphalt contractors to be successful in today’s competitive paving market, paver and roller operators must acquire a deep knowledge of the equipment’s features and put this knowledge into practice at the job site. With long-time equipment operators retiring at a high rate, the next generation of operators must receive extensive in-depth training on the equipment in order to meet project specifications without costly rework, so companies can maximize equipment return on investment.

The ASGA AGM and Tradeshow is our biggest event of the year, and we are excited to show you a sneak peek at our planned speaker/session list for the event. Please note that our speaker/session line-up is subject to change and the below list includes only what we have confirmed thus far. A full agenda of the AGM with time slots will be distributed in mid-December. 

The 2019 edition of the National Heavy Equipment Show is approaching this March 28 and 29 at the International Centre in Mississauga, Ont. With event preparation in full force, visitor registration is now live and the expanded exhibit floor is closing in on sold-out status.

PaveTech’s call for proposals is officially open!

Canada’s largest trade event for the heavy equipment industry is making its return to Mississauga’s International Centre this March 28 and 29, 2019. As part of its 22nd year, the event is planning a variety of special pavilions and activities for all corners of the industry.

It is official: recreational marijuana is legal in Canada with effect from October 17. With that comes a patchwork of jurisdictional laws establishing where and how marijuana products will be sold and used by consumers.

General registration for the Alberta Sand & Gravel Association’s 2019 Annual General Meeting is now open.

Topcon Positioning Group announces its representatives’ participation in the Strategic Partner Panel and Alliance Partner Sessions during the upcoming Bentley Systems Year in Infrastructure 2018 Conference in London.

From the Baltimore Opera to QVC shopping channel, Executive Producer and TV Host Mike Rowe has had hundreds of jobs and relished his role as a chronic freelancer. He's best known as the "dirtiest man on TV," a title he earned on the hit TV series Dirty Jobs. He has narrated hundreds of documentaries about space, nature, dinosaurs, and how stuff works. He has also forged a handful of partnerships with iconic brands and filmed a boatload of Ford commercials.