February 26, 2004OTTAWA, ONTARIO -- An $18,483,180 competitive contract has been awarded to PCL Constructors Northern Inc. to undertake the construction of the new Government of Canada Building in downtown Yellowknife, NWT. The project will creaate approximately 30 jobs ove the duration of the project, including subcontractors, and create continuous employment for 4 to 6 persons after project completion. The announcement was made today by the Honourable Stephen Owen, Minister of Public Works and Government Services."This is an important contract for the local company, the Government of Canada, and most importantly, the community of Yellowknife," said Minister Owen. "Not only will this building enhance the delivery of federal programs and services to the citizens of Yellowknife, it will become an environmental legacy for the community. The federal building is expected to achieve approximately $70,000 per year in energy savings and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by some 372 tonnes per year."The 4-storey, 7,000-square-metre building was designed through a broad consultative process with the territorial, city and community stakeholders. The building will house approximately 200 employees from several Government of Canada departments. Due to the many innovative features incorporated into its design, Public Works and Government Services Canada is aiming to achieve a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver rating for this new building. The LEED rating system is a voluntary, consensus-based national standard for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings. Construction of the building is expected to take about one year to complete. Funding for this contract was provided for in the February 2003 Federal Budget. For information on contracting possibilities with the Government of Canada, visit www.merx.com, Canada's official, public electronic tendering service. -30-For further information please contact:Public Works and Government Services CanadaDonna KinleyA/Regional Communications Manager, Western Region(780) 497-3575orPublic Works and Government Services CanadaPierre TéotonioSenior Media Relations Advisor(819) 956-2310PWGSC News Releases are also available on our Internet site at www.pwgsc.gc.ca/text/generic/sub_infocentre_newsrel-e.html
