January 30, 2004 - Temperatures in the -30 Celsius to -40 Celsius range with wind chill creating even harsher conditions have resulted in a halt to all outside work at the MTS Centre site several days this week. A total of six days of outside activity have been lost to cold weather in January although most of the 135 workers currently engaged in building the facility are assigned to tasks in the heated and hoarded areas when weather shuts down work outside.

The foremost item on the critical path, weather permitting, is steel work. Two of the eight steel trusses that will support the roof now span the building from east to west. Each of the full 282-foot long roof trusses weighs more than 135 tons. The trusses are put together on the ground and lifted into place by two large mobile cranes situated on the event floor. The two remaining permanent site tower cranes that still stand at the north end of the site along Portage Avenue will be dismantled the first week in February to allow work on the roof structure to progress.

The silhouette of the finished structure is also starting to take shape on all four sides of the exterior of the building as infill steel and glazing support steel is bolted and welded into place. In the next month some of the large windows will be glazed.

The contract for the manufacture of the steel was awarded to Canam Manac with head offices in Quebec where the majority of the steel was manufactured. This was one of the largest tenders of the entire project amounting to in excess of $10 million. The steel is transported to the site on flatbed trucks arriving just in time for assembly.

When the weather returns to more seasonal values the final poured in place concrete work on the ring beam at the very top of the upper concourse, the remaining stair cores, column caps and elevator shafts will be completed. On the inside, protected by portable heating and hoarding, finishing continues at the event level, on the main concourse at street level and on the MTS Centre private suite level.

The entire building envelope including the roof will be in place by March 2004. The $133.5 million sports and entertainment centre construction project is now approximately 60% complete and is expected to open on schedule in mid November 2004.

For more information contact:
Jim Millican
Vice President Marketing and Communications
True North Sports and Entertainment Ltd
(204) 989 - 6813, cell 792 - 4145

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