Topic
Infrastructure
Ottawa’s opens new $2.1B light rail line after six years of construction
September 18, 2019 David KennedyOTTAWA—After half a dozen years of construction and several substantial delays to the original timeline, service launched last weekend on Ottawa’s new Confederation Line. “Today really is the result of years of planning and extremely hard work,” the city’s Mayor…
SNC-Lavalin’s exit from fixed-price construction jobs shakes up shortlists for two big-ticket B.C. projects
September 13, 2019 by David KennedyThe shortlists for Metro Vancouver’s Broadway Subway project and the Pattullo Bridge Replacement project are both now missing a prominent name
Cities urge federal leaders to wade into wastewater debate
September 11, 2019 Mia Rabson, The Canadian PressOTTAWA—In Canada’s largest city, raw sewage flows into Lake Ontario so often, Toronto tells people they should never swim off the city’s beaches for least two days after it rains. Across the country in Mission, B.C., a three-decade-old pipe that…
Alberta asks court whether environmental assessment process for major construction projects is constitutional
September 11, 2019 Rob Drinkwater, The Canadian PressEDMONTON—The Alberta government has asked the province’s Appeal Court to rule on whether Ottawa’s new way of handling environmental assessments for major construction projects such as pipelines is constitutional. The government filed its challenge with the court Sept. 10. It…
Three tiers of government set aside $240M for 15 water infrastructure projects across B.C.
August 30, 2019 On-Site StaffVANCOUVER—Federal, provincial and local governments are prying open their wallets to fund a series of 15 water and wastewater projects across British Columbia. At an announcement in West Vancouver Aug. 27, politicians from all levels of government said they had…
Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan teams up with Alphabet, Sidewalk Labs on infrastructure
August 29, 2019 Ian Bickis, The Canadian PressTORONTO—Google parent company Alphabet Inc. and affiliate Sidewalk Labs are partnering with the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan to launch a new company that invests in North American infrastructure. The spin-out of Sidewalk Labs called Sidewalk Infrastructure Partners, plans to hold,…
Canada’s busiest subway station to get overhaul as feds commit nearly $1.1B to two Toronto transit projects
August 28, 2019 by David KennedyThe complex construction project will add another platform to the lower level of Bloor-Yonge Station to help tackle overcrowding
Ontario picks Mobilinx consortium to build $1.4 billion Hurontario LRT through Mississauga and Brampton
August 26, 2019 On-Site StaffMISSISSAUGA—Infrastructure Ontario and provincial transit agency Metrolinx have picked a P3 partner to take on the Hurontario Light Rail Transit project. The Mobilinx consortium was named the preferred proponent for the transit infrastructure work Aug. 26, though the province and…
Saskatchewan First Nation, province face off over lack of airstrip funding after fatal crash
August 24, 2019 Stephanie Taylor, The Canadian PressThe chief of the Fond du Lac Denesuline First Nation accused the province of abandoning a commitment to improving its airport while funding similar upgrades in Moose Jaw. The province said the First Nation did not complete its application
Getting on track: Urban transit projects roar to life, creating opportunity for Canada’s construction sector
August 21, 2019 Jillian MorganWorking in tandem along a stretch of highway in Montreal, a pair of launching gantry cranes hoist 50-ton concrete segments into the air off flatbeds below. The gantries slide the prefabricated segments into place, steadily forming a single 30-metre span…
With election campaign looming, Trudeau makes $1.2B transit commitment to Quebec City
August 20, 2019 Giuseppe Valiante, The Canadian PressThe infrastructure cash will help the city build a new 23-kilometre tramway line and let it join the ranks of Canadian urban centres modernizing their transit networks
Staying on target: Fall election looms as federal infrastructure plan progresses in fits and starts
August 13, 2019 David KennedyIn the early morning hours of June 24, a few minutes before sunrise, a small convoy of cars drives slowly across the freshly paved asphalt deck of Montreal’s new Samuel de Champlain Bridge. With the deep blue of twilight still…
Ottawa says no formal request made by Saskatchewan over infrastructure dollars
August 8, 2019 The Canadian PressREGINA—The federal government says it has not received a formal request from Saskatchewan’s deputy premier about the need to transfer infrastructure dollars to pay for projects in the province’s two largest cities. Gord Wyant signed a letter addressed to Regina-area…
Richmond, B.C. looks at major scale-up of district energy system with tentative backing of Infrastructure Bank
August 6, 2019 On-Site StaffRICHMOND, B.C.—A district energy system that heats and cools buildings in Richmond, B.C. through a series of underground pipes is poised to undergo a major expansion. Lulu Island Energy Co., the municipally-owned entity in charge of the Metro Vancouver city’s…
Infrastructure Bank looks to avoid distraction from election talk, CEO says
August 6, 2019 Jordan Press and Andy Blatchford, The Canadian PressEarly election rhetoric has raised questions about the new crown corporation’s future
Saskatchewan, Ottawa disagree over timeline for infrastructure dollars
July 30, 2019 The Canadian PressREGINA—Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe and the federal infrastructure minister are in a disagreement over a timeline for approving projects the province says are critically important. Moe is accusing Ottawa of delaying infrastructure projects worth $200 million from starting this construction…
Via’s case for $4.4B rail project better without Montreal-Quebec leg: internal doc
July 29, 2019 Andy Blatchford, The Canadian PressOTTAWA—Via Rail’s business case for a multibillion-dollar high-frequency-rail project between Toronto and Quebec City would receive a boost if it ditched the stretch from Montreal to Quebec City, internal federal documents say. The document, labelled “secret,” was obtained by The…
Feds to spend nearly $150M to bolster infrastructure at Vancouver and Nanaimo, B.C. ports
July 25, 2019 On-Site StaffVANCOUVER—A series of major upgrade and expansion projects at two ports on Canada’s West Coast have secured the backing of the federal government. In separate funding announcements this week, Ottawa said it will spend $102 million to support work at…
B.C. Supreme Court to hear construction groups’ challenge to province’s Community Benefits Agreement
July 24, 2019 by David KennedyThe contentious labour rules have already been to put work on numerous big-ticket jobs, such as a major widening project on the Trans-Canada Highway and the new Pattullo Bridge
Lougheed Highway four-laning project in Maple Ridge, B.C. gets $29M from feds
July 23, 2019 On-Site StaffMAPLE RIDGE, B.C.—The federal government has set aside infrastructure funds to widen a four-kilometre stretch of highway on the north side of the Fraser River in Greater Vancouver. Ottawa announced $29.2 million for the project between Maple Ridge and Mission,…