Parliament’s crane operators face unique challenges at lofty heights

OTTAWA — Andrée-Anne Pare is one of the handful of Canadian female construction crane operators on Parliament Hill during the second phase of the estimated $4.5 billion to $5 billion renovation of the buildings.

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In this video she tells us of the unique challenges of operating one of the five cranes labouring over Parliament Hill.

The first phase of this massive Parliamentary project, the deconstruction, which included both demolition and excavation, is now complete. The second phase, the rebuilding, is currently in progress. This phase is the creation of the new parliamentary welcome centre and upgrades to the historic Centre Block, including restoring all of the heritage elements while modernizing the old structure and its facilities. The third phase, the “fit-out,” has not yet begun, and involves putting in the final finishes and restored heritage elements.

Main construction will be complete between 2030 and 2031. The Centre Block will reopen about one year later.

The video includes some stunning high aerial footage provided to Postmedia by Public Services and Procurement Canada, who for safety reasons don’t allow media to film on their active construction site.

As of March of this year, up to 800 workers are on site daily (this number will peak at over 1,500). Approximately 95 per cent of the companies that have worked on the project are Canadian owned, with involvement from over 400 companies across eight provinces, including some direct Indigenous participation.

Crane operators bring home some of the biggest paycheques on big construction sites but that’s partly because they work 10 to 11 hour shifts. Becoming a crane operator requires both in-class study and an apprenticeship. Most programs require a high school diploma (Grade 12), a clean driver’s record, and often a specific commercial driver’s license (like a Class 3 or Class 1 with air brake endorsement) especially for mobile cranes.

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