Ottawa Still Pledging to Double Construction Pace Despite Homebuilding Headwinds
The Liberal government reaffirmed its 2025 election promise to double Canada’s homebuilding pace over the next decade, even as recent data show a slowdown in housing starts. A Parliamentary Budget Officer report highlighted the absence of concrete metrics and a decline in starts since September 2025, while the new Build Canada Homes agency is expected to deliver only about 26,000 units—far short of the target. Ottawa is leaning on measures such as the Build Communities Strong Fund and a GST rebate for new‑home buyers on properties under $1.3 million CAD (≈$950,000 USD). Although the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. noted a modest 3.2% rise in starts in April, the outlook predicts a drop to roughly 216,000 starts by 2028, with Ontario’s condo oversupply posing a particular drag.
Discussion Paper Floats Ways Ottawa Can Help Fund Giant Electrical Grid Buildout
Ottawa released a discussion paper outlining how the federal government could share the cost of doubling Canada’s electricity grid by 2050. The plan proposes tax credits, loan guarantees and financing through the Canada Infrastructure Bank, Canada Growth Fund and Indigenous...
AFN Chief Warns Against Changes to Major Projects Development Rules, Calls for Debate
The federal government plans to move review authority for inter‑provincial pipelines, transmission lines and offshore renewable projects from the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada to the Canada Energy Regulator, undoing a Liberal reform from eight years ago. Assembly of First...
Data Centre Construction Excitement Needs a Dash of Caution
The data‑centre construction market is booming, but its hyper‑scale trajectory faces mounting headwinds. Builders must grapple with soaring land demands—average sites grew 144% to 224 acres since 2022—and escalating power, water and environmental concerns, exemplified by Utah’s Stratos campus that...
CMHC Expands Mortgage Loan Insurance Options for Prefabricated, Modular Homes
The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHD) unveiled the Prefab Plus program, extending its mortgage‑loan‑insurance to prefabricated and modular homes. Homebuyers can secure CMHC‑insured financing with as little as a 5% down payment and receive mortgage disbursements in up to four...
AtkinsRéalis Bets on Nuclear-Powered AI Factories Amid Data Centre Surge
AtkinsRéalis Group’s nuclear division propelled a 34% profit surge in Q1, now representing a quarter of the firm’s revenue. The company secured multibillion‑dollar life‑extension contracts for reactors at Ontario’s Pickering plant and Romania’s Cernavoda site. In March it teamed with...
Carney, Smith Sign Carbon Price Deal, Suggest Fall 2027 Pipeline Approval
Prime Minister Justin Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announced a joint deal that sets a fall 2027 target for starting construction of a new bitumen pipeline to the West Coast, contingent on the Pathways carbon‑capture project and Indigenous consultations. The agreement introduces...
Apprenticeship Bottlenecks Are Worsening Ontario Labour Shortage
Ontario’s apprenticeship system is buckling under a record influx of registrations, yet fewer than half of entrants complete their programs and only 44.5% pass the final certification exam. The province projects a shortfall of 52,000 construction workers by 2034, a...
Transit-Linked Office Demand Lifts Parts of Toronto Market: JLL Canada Report
JLL Canada’s latest Toronto Office Market Dynamics report links the newly opened Eglinton Crosstown LRT to a sharp drop in office availability, which fell from 26.9% in 2024 to 21.9% in early 2026. The transit corridor is spurring demand for...
$15B Wisconsin AI Data Centre Campus Signals a New Building Era
Vantage Data Centers is building the $15 billion Lighthouse campus on 672 acres near Milwaukee, designed as a gigawatt‑scale AI data‑centre complex. Phase 1 will deliver roughly 2.5 million sq ft of single‑storey data‑hall space, a 50,000‑sq ft warehouse and a visitor centre, with completion slated...
U.S. Home Sales Flat in April as Lackluster Spring Homebuying Season Lurches Forward
U.S. existing home sales were essentially flat in April, holding at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.02 million units, matching the prior year and missing the 4.12 million forecast. The median sales price rose 0.9% year‑over‑year to $417,700, the highest April...
INDUSTRY OP-ED AI SPECIAL — Closing the Gap: Helping Construction Businesses Do More with Less
Simpro’s Lightning platform introduces AI‑first agents that automate the administrative backbone of construction firms, from scheduling and dispatch to invoicing and collections. The move comes as Western Canada’s builders grapple with a new hierarchy of challenges—project competition (46%), shrinking margins...
Indications of Massive Welland Residential Development Moving Forward, without Requested Grant
Burlington‑based LIV Communities has made a $10.6 million (≈$7.7 M USD) payment toward its $35 million (≈$25.5 M USD) purchase of 61.2 hectares from the City of Welland. The developer plans the Lock and Quay community, featuring roughly 4,500 townhouses and mid‑rise condos across...
‘Final Touches’ Underway at FIFA World Cup Venues in Vancouver, Toronto
Construction crews are putting the finishing touches on Vancouver's B.C. Place as the 2026 FIFA World Cup approaches, with a new grass playing surface and a $146 million CAD (~$108 million USD) renovation now essentially complete. Toronto's BMO Field, renamed Toronto Stadium...
Drafting One-of-a-Kind Material Specifications Are Crucial to the Tender Process
The article emphasizes that precise, well‑crafted material specifications are the linchpin of successful public procurement. Overly vague or overly detailed specs can stall tenders, waste time, and spark disputes, while standardized, competitive specifications streamline the process. It advises involving end‑users,...