It is reported that a major new subsidiary of Bird Construction has been awarded a USD 100 million contract to remove waste rock from ArcelorMittal Mount Wright iron mine near Fermont, Que.

The contract was awarded to HJO Connell Ltd which Bird acquired this summer for USD 77.5 million. The deal nearly doubled the size of Bird's staff workforce and helped the Toronto based company expand into new geographic territories and market segments.

Mr Tim Talbott Bird president and chief executive said "This contract award is an early indication that our investment in HJ. O'Connell will produce the results that we anticipated when evaluating the acquisition."

He said that "With this project, O'Connell continues to demonstrate their capabilities as a leading surface mining contractor."

HJ O'Connell which has 600 craft and staff employees is involved in heavy construction, civil construction and surface mining. It has operations in Newfoundland and Labrador, Quebec and Manitoba.

Prior to the acquisition, Bird had 700 employees on staff and offices in Alberta, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Ontario, Vancouver and Manitoba.

(Sourced from www.canadianbusiness.com)