Volume 9 Issue 4
JULY/AUGUST 2018 $5.00
D E V E LO PM E N T
T E C H N O LO G Y
Major crane work wraps up at new Winnipeg towers
Are helicopters leaving cranes up in the air?
Two hoisting machines co-operate in Ontario
Huge Liebherr mobile crane may have been tallest ever seen in city B Y M AT T J O N E S
n May, the skyline of downtown Winnipeg was changed significantly with the removal of the last tower crane on site at True North Square. Phase 1 of the project, involving Tower 1 at 242 Hargrave St. and Tower 2 at 225 Carlton St., began in January 2016. The substantial construction effort required significant crane work, with construction handled by PCL Constructors Canada Inc. and the dismantling subcontracted to Sterling Crane. “Tower 1 topped off its structural building form in December 2017, reaching its final height of 17 storeys, and subsequently its tower crane was removed in January 2018,” says True North Real Estate Development president Jim Ludlow. “Tower 2 topped off in March 2018 at 25 storeys and its tower crane was removed in May 2018. These milestones have had a visible impact on the skyline of downtown Winnipeg, so they have been very exciting and rewarding to observe as we progress towards a new cityscape.”
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A helicopter can offer flexibility at a job site. Loading and unloading can take place pretty well anywhere with limited disruption. Photos: Saul Chernos
B Y S AU L C H E R N O S The enormous Liebherr LTM 1500 8.1 used by Sterling Crane to dismantle the tower cranes at True North Square in Winnipeg may have been the tallest crane ever seen in the city. Photo: True North Real Estate Development
CRAC NEWS
CRAC celebrates 20 years in Winnipeg BY ANDREW SNOOK
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The Crane Rental Association of Canada hosted its 20th anniversary Annual Conference from June 6 to 9 in Winnipeg. Crane professionals from across the country descended upon The Fort Garry Hotel with 179 people attending the milestone event. During the annual general meeting, CRAC members offered highlights of the association’s activities over the past 12 months, which included: an update of the boom dolly research committee; continued on page 12 < CRAC members stop to check out the remnants of the former Saint Boniface Cathedral, as well as the rebuilt church, during a tour of the Winnipeg area.
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t was thumbs-up as the Sikorsky S58T lifted off from the Brampton, Ont. hangar Sprint Mechanical shares through a partnership with Four Seasons Aviation. Were it not for their radio communication headsets, the eight crew members would have relied fully on hand signals and yelling as the twin-engine helicopter whirred deafeningly towards Cambridge Centre shopping mall in Cambridge, Ont. “We’re flying at about 115 miles per hour and we’re at about 500 feet above ground level, so we’ll have to watch out for cell towers,” explained Ian Bergeron, Sprint’s vice-president of safety and legal affairs. A half-hour later, about the time it took the sun to rise into full view, we had passed over small woodlots, ponds and farm fields and landed onto a parking lot that was empty; save for a fuel truck, 19 large HVAC units and two dozen crew members.
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