新さっぽろの街が若返ろうとしている。商業、宿泊、公共施設などが集積する「副都心」として栄えてきた厚別区だが、高齢化と人口減少を背景に年々その勢いを失いつつある。にぎわいを取り戻すため、医療と教育を核とする500億円の大規模再開発が本格化してきた。計画が生まれるいきさつとともに街の展望を探る。(経済産業部　武山勝宣、宮崎嵩大)

　今日和(本社・札幌)は、道路整備に不可欠な路面切削の専門工事会社。全長10ｍ超の大型切削機を操り、舗装の前工程として既設のアスファルト表面に連続した凸凹を作る。仕事は道南や道東を中心に全道各地に及ぶ。デザイン性に富んだ企業ロゴを採用するほか、ファッショナブルな作業着を取り入れたり最新鋭の機械を積極的に導入するなど、業界のトップランナーになっている。

　コロナ禍でウェブ会議が爆発的に広まった一方、社内の会議室を廃止し、必要なときだけ社外のスペースを借りる動きが出ている。全国で貸会議室を運営するティーケーピー(本社・東京)は、ウィズコロナ時代を見据えた会議需要のさらなる取り込みを狙う。盛本毅司札幌支店長(46)に事業拡大の戦略を聞いた。

More than two and a half years have passed since the enforcement of the Technical Intern Training Act in November 2017, which sets the training period for foreign technical intern trainees to a maximum of five years, and many trainees who have reached their fifth year are taking a test equivalent to the second grade of the technical skills test before finishing their training. Reinforcing bar construction trainees in Hokkaido have also taken the technical skills test (2nd grade) in various places. By early August, nine trainees had taken the test and five Vietnamese had passed the test. For the trainees, the academic test, which requires Japanese reading comprehension, were a big barrier, but with the support of their host companies, they were able to overcome it successfully.

The Lake Mashu Environmental Conservation Liaison Council, which consists of five towns neighboring Lake Mashu, the Government of Japan, the Hokkaido Government, and research institutes, conducted a monitoring survey of the Lake Mashu’s water on August 25 and 26. This crowdfunded initiative that reaches across administrative boundaries was intended to protect the lake’s high transparency and mysteriousness. I accompanied the survey team. (Reporter: Ikumi Miura, Kushiro Branch Office)