August 2020 Busiest New Construction Month in 13 Years!

Canadian housing starts in August, led by a heated construction pace in Ontario, climbed to the highest level in 13 years! On a national level, starts reached 262,400 annualized units in August.  This is an increase of a whopping 7%  from July’s reading and marks the fastest pace of home building seen since 2007. Housing […]

Township of Clearview, Ontario – New Subdivision Construction

Canadian Building Permits Up 20.2% in May 2020 to $7.4 Billion

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Canadian Building Permits issued rose to $7.4 Billion in May of this year. That’s up by 20.2% over April 2020. On the flip side, total Canada-wide investment in building construction decreased by 45.9%, or $8.4 billion, in April 2020 (monthly change), largely due to the pandemic shutdowns.(Source: Stats […]

Ductile Iron Watermain Installation

Among ominous clouds!

Developer clears hurdle to build two 30-plus storey residential towers, transforming downtown Barrie

A proposal to build two 30-plus storey residential towers and transform a large section of downtown Barrie jumped a hurdle on Monday. Barrie Waterfront Developments received approval for a zoning-bylaw amendment for several properties located at 39-67 Dunlop St. W. and 35-37 Mary St. – most of the south side of Dunlop Street West, east of Mary Street and […]

Toronto residents want Archdiocese and developer to reconsider Yonge and Eglington condo project

A group of residents want the Archdiocese of Toronto and developer Collecdev to reconsider plans to incorporate a four-storey church building into a 44-storey, 398-unit condo at Yonge Street and Eglinton Avenue in Toronto. Called the Republic Residents’ Association, the group includes residents from 25 Broadway Ave., 70 Roehampton Ave., North Toronto Collegiate Institute (NTCI) students, parents and […]

$110.6 million Newmarket sewage pipe project on track for completion by end of 2021

Ontario Construction News staff writer Work on a $110.6 million, 5.1-kilometre sewage pipe that will twin the existing 36-year-old pipe through Newmarket is on schedule for completion in December 2021. By the end of 2019, drilling should be finished at three locations, including work south of Mulock Drive from Cane Parkway and from Fairy Lake […]

Ontario launches unsolicited infrastructure proposals framework

Ontario’s government has launched a framework for receiving and evaluating infrastructure proposals from the private sector. A new online portal will accept unsolicited proposals (USPs) that were not requested through an existing procurement. The framework marks the first-ever formal process for submitting USPs to the Ontario government. The goal is to consistently and fairly consider private-sector ideas with […]

Canada’s public infrastructure at risk, new report finds

Ontario Construction News staff writer A new report shows that a significant amount of public infrastructure in Canada is aging and in poor condition—reinforcing the urgent need for long-term and sustainable investments in infrastructure renewal to meet the needs of Canadians. “Reliable infrastructure connects our communities, enables our economy and protects our environment – it […]

Experts call on Quebec government to use qualifications-based selection in awarding engineering and architecture contracts

In an open letter published in mid-August by key media outlets in Quebec, more than twenty experts and organizations called on the Quebec government to use qualifications-based selection in awarding public contracts for engineering and architecture projects in the province. “We want to emphasize the importance of selecting professionals based on qualifications, not on the basis […]