Demolition, Blasting and Removal Projects

Demolition Portfolio

Showcasing Success

With our breadth of experience and expertise, Rakowski Cartage & Wrecking is capable of fulfilling any size project, wherever it’s located. We’ve worked with clients in a variety of industries, including mining, pulp and paper, oil and gas, commercial construction and civic infrastructure.

Over the years, we’ve worked on some of Canada’s largest demolition projects and we’ve learned that no job is too big. Have a look at our success:

2008

Pine Ridge Building – Interior Demolition
Brandon, Manitoba
Manitoba Infrastructure, Transportation and Government Services
A. Akman & Sons Ltd.

The project involved the selective interior demolition of the historical Pine Ridge Building in Brandon, Manitoba. Over 300 tons of brick, concrete and steel were removed by hand. The basement area was heavily contaminated with mould and the work was completed under containment. The project was LEED accredited and achieved a 75 per cent recycling rate.
 

2008

Cargill-Pool – Multiple Grain Elevator Demolition
Various Locations in Manitoba and Saskatchewan
Wilson Excavating; Cargill-Pool

During the summer months, Rakowski and Wilson Excavating demolished five elevators across Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Four of the elevators were of wood construction, standing roughly 100 feet in height. The last elevator was a combination of wood construction and concrete, with the silo standing over 120 feet.
 

2008

Abitibi Bowater Paper Mill – Multiple Structure Blasting
Stephenville, Newfoundland
Del San; AIM Environmental Services Inc.

Delsan contracted Rakowski and DST Consulting Engineers to handle the implosion of several structures during the demolition of the Abitibi Bowater paper mill. The project included a 250 foot smokestack, 200 foot recovery boiler and three concrete silos, all in sequence.
 

2008

Atomic Energy of Canada (AECL) – Multiple Building Demolition
Pinawa, Manitoba
Atomic Energy of Canada

AECL had planned to decommission its nuclear facility in Pinawa, Manitoba, over a 10-year period but sped up plans significantly and in the summer of 2008, Rakowski demolished the first set of buildings. The project went extremely well, with 90 per cent of the buildings being recycled. Five thousand metres of rubble was recycled on-site by
utilizing our mobile crusher.
 

2007-08

New Britannia Mill Building – Asbestos Abatement and Demolition
Snow Lake, Manitoba
Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting

The project involved the demolition of the original mine mill in Snow Lake, Manitoba. Built in 1948, it was clad with 350,000 square feet of asbestos hardboard. All the asbestos was removed mechanically with our high-reach excavator and swept from the ground before advancing with the demolition. The project included removing 60,000 tons of contaminated soil and processing over 3,000 tons of scrap metal.
 

2007

Coal Plant - Demolition
Blasting Winch House Structure
Sydney, Nova Scotia
Public Works and Government Services; B. Curry and Sons

B. Curry and Sons retained Rakowski to topple the winch house with explosives. Over 180 feet tall and 300 feet long, the building consisted of a steel structure and heavy concrete piers. After two weeks of preparation the building was brought down safely.

2007    

South Perimeter – Bridge Deck Removal
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Manitoba Highways and Transportation; MD Steel

The project involved removing 800 feet of the concrete bridge deck that spans 1,200 feet over the Red River. Using cranes, our crew saw-cut 30,000 pound slabs of concrete from the bridge, leaving only the steel girders.
 

2007

Farley Head Frame – Asbestos Abatement and Demolition
Lynn Lake, Manitoba
Black Hawk Mining
Manitoba Mines

The abandoned head frame in Lynn Lake, Manitoba, stood 250 feet tall and was clad in asbestos hardboard. Over 200,000 pounds of scaffolding was required to access and remove the sprayed-on ACM, which took five months to complete. Using linear shaped charges, the 250 foot structure took less than three seconds to come down.
 

2005-06

Winnipeg Arena – Demolition
Winnipeg, Manitoba
City of Winnipeg; Jeff Dibley, Project Manager

The arena, once home to the Winnipeg Jets NHL team, took five months to demolish with the main arena section of the building coming down with explosives. Over 5,000 tons of scrap was processed on-site and hauled away.
 

2005-06

Black Hawk Mining - Mill and Crusher Building Demolition
Lynn Lake Manitoba
Claude Resources, Project Manager

The demolition involved the recovery of several mill assets, including strip vessels and ball mills that could only be recovered as the demolition progressed. The final phase included the explosive demolition of ore bins. Over 4,000 tons of scrap was removed from the site.