Our first choice was to hire local workers, but no Canadians applied due to both the massive construction boom under way in preparation for the Winter Olympics and demand for workers in the oil and gas industry.

ECONOMIST: Helping Kenya

But just as most big oil sands projects get going, a serious labor crunch will hit, as construction jobs open for the 2010 Winter Olympics in nearby Vancouver.

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Apartments for 2, 600 athletes and coaches were in various stages of construction, as workers raced to get roofs on them by winter.

WSJ: Menu

Construction starts in the Midwest are 2.5 times higher in June than in January, but in the South, construction starts are only 50% higher at the summer peak than at the winter low.

FORBES: Springtime for Housing

City officials decided late last year to use modular construction to replace the destroyed buildings at the beaches, in part to avoid building outside in the heart of winter.

WSJ: Bathrooms' Long Trek to Replace Sandy-Wrecked Facilities

During the first two years that the dome was under construction, Lanier and his father lived in an unheated canvas Army tent that was stiflingly hot in summer and frigid in winter.

NEWYORKER: The Visionary