Hampton mayor concerned about inflation impacts on new recreation centre
CBC
Inflated construction costs and supply chain issues have the mayor of Hampton worried about the town's new recreation centre.
"We're concerned that we might have to scale it back … or do it in phases," said Robert Doucet.
"We're concerned about the pricing of the cost of material, and the cost of labour. The cost of everything is so high and we're trying to keep it under a certain budget."
Funding is already in place for the $15.4 million project, so the town is exploring options to stay within that budget.
Doucet said the dimensions have already been reduced in an effort to cut costs.
The building will now be under 6,000-square-metres, and Doucet is hopeful that the other features will go ahead as planned. They include an ice surface, spectator stands, a three-lane walking track, six dressing rooms, a battery-operated ice-resurfacing machine, a canteen, and a large community room with a full kitchen.
Doucet said the plan also includes several offices, "if we can afford it."
The land on William Bell Drive was purchased years ago and recently cleared and levelled. Doucet said the driveway and septic system will be installed as soon as the ground is dry enough, and he's hopeful the project will go to tender in the fall.
Doucet said the town is waiting for the architect to report back on the estimated costs "and we'll go from there."
He said they've checked with similar projects currently underway "and they're struggling to get iron, steel and whatever."
The executive director of the New Brunswick Construction Association said anyone building, or wanting to build, should be prepared to be over budget and over deadline.
John-Ryan Morrison said it's simply supply and demand at work.
"There's a huge increase in demand, and supply is at an all time low because of the pandemic … Some of these projects were approved five years ago, and obviously all the costs have gone up since then. So it wouldn't be surprising that most projects are running over the initial estimates."
He said there are shortages on everything from wood and steel to doors and windows.
Fort William First Nation is opposing a planned redevelopment of the Ontario Power Generation's (OPG) 117 year old Kakabeka Falls Generating Station, which is located in their traditional territory.
A building that sits at the corner of Sussex Street and Brunswick Avenue has had many lives over the last century — being a church, a school and offices. Now it's set to become housing, at a time when the city sorely needs it.
A Waterloo, Ont., elementary school principal will be sentenced in the new year after pleading guilty to child sexual exploitation charges following a joint investigation that involved the London, Toronto and Waterloo police services.
Students at UPEI have let their student union know what they want from the province this fiscal year, and those priorities are reflected in a 2024-2025 advocacy document brought to the legislature on Wednesday.
Larger communities in the N.W.T. will soon see a boost in their territorial funding to maintain infrastructure and deliver services — like water and waste management — but the increase still falls short of what communities need.
The toxic drug crisis has taken more than 47,000 lives in Canada since 2016 and the synthetic opioid fentanyl has become a household name. But now, what's believed to be an even more potent class of synthetic drugs is showing up in drug busts across the country: nitazenes.
The Liberal government and the NDP have agreed to introduce a two-month GST vacation on certain items before the holiday season, Radio-Canada has learned.
Veterinarians are warning Londoners to make sure their dogs are vaccinated and keeping clean after a deadly virus outbreak was declared in London this week.
Registered nurses rallied in St. John's Wednesday as part of a week-long convention, again calling on the Newfoundland and Labrador government to create permanent solutions to staff shortages and workplace violence.
New poll results released by Narrative Research suggest the Progressive Conservatives are heading into Tuesday's provincial election with a commanding lead over their political rivals.
A measles outbreak in New Brunswick is set to push Canada's annual case count to the highest it's been in five years, highlighting how infectious the disease is and how low vaccination rates have allowed it to take hold, says an immunologist.