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Company spokesman Bob Carter says the project is on schedule for completion in 2013 and contract awards are proceeding as planned, with 55 per cent of the contracts awarded so far having gone to Newfoundland and Labrador companies. “We have in excess of 100 packages out for bid and by the end of 2010 we expect that about 80 per cent of our procurement will be committed,” says Carter. Though employment at the site varies depending on the work schedule, Carter says about 1-million person hours of employment have been generated since work began in April 2009. Construction priorities for 2010 include: completion of site development work; installing the construction camp, offices and temporary power; construction of a Roll On-Roll Off facility; and dredging at the wharf.
The community of Long Harbour has a long history as a center for big industry. It was the site of the ERCO (Electric Reduction Company of Canada Industries Limited) phosphorus plant, which operated from 1968 to 1989. When that plant closed, the community lost 290 jobs. The processing plant is the first major investment in the community since the ERCO plant was shuttered.
Meanwhile, as of press time, the United Steelworkers are continuing their strike in Voisey’s Bay, Labrador as well as Port Colborne and Sudbury, Ontario. Workers in Sudbury walked out of talks on July 13, 2009 and the workers in Voisey’s Bay followed suit on August 1. Two hundred and fifty non-striking workers are supporting the company’s Voisey’s Bay mining operations. The main issues are proposed pension changes, benefits and bonuses. Carter reports that while there are no talks scheduled with the United Steelworkers, the company is available to meet at anytime if the union is “prepared to have a comprehensive discussion of all issues.” By Martin Connelly & ABM staff
Surreal Reality
Imagine passing a large video screen in a store window, and you suddenly see yourself in the screen. Nothing new right? It’s just a video camera capturing images of passersby. Now imagine that you not only see yourself on the screen, but you’re suddenly doing something you aren’t doing in real life. Such as some sort of extreme sport. Or, there’s thought bubbles popping up around you, showing what life would be like if you won the lottery. Now, that’s something to talk about.
Ad-Dispatch, a Nova Scotia-based web video production boutique, certainly thought so and they’re making moves to corner the global market for “Augmented Reality” technology (it merges real and virtual worlds together in real time). Their April purchase of Volt Media brings them one step closer. It gives Ad-Dispatch the ability to build all elements of marker-less tracking Augmented Reality, widely considered to be the hottest new consumer interactive technology to hit the mainstream market. ABM Staff
