🚀 40 million and beyond

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Good morning! 🇨🇦 We just reached a major milestone. Canada now has more than 40 million people. According to Statistics Canada, our population growth rate is the highest it’s been since 1957. Last year, the population grew by a record 1.05 million and nearly all that growth came from international migration. What does this mean for the built environment? Keep reading to find out!

⏰ Today's reading time is 5 minutes.

MARKETS

*Stock data as of last market close; currency, oil and crypto data as of 10:35 PM ET June 19th, 2023.

Markets: A major work stoppage is brewing that could cause significant supply chain disruptions. A union representing more than 7,000 terminal cargo movers on Canada’s West Coast voted 99.24% in favour of striking if a new collective agreement can’t be reached by June 24. Roughly 16% of Canada’s total traded goods flow through these terminals.

THE BIG STORY

Beyond 40: Canada just crossed a milestone

Last Friday something big happened.

Canada grew to 40 million people. This growth is happening at a rate not seen since the post-war baby boom. While that growth was due to the birth rate, this current boom is almost all from international migration. If this rate of population growth was to stay constant in the years to come, the Canadian population could double in about 26 years.

Too much too fast: Some have criticized the government breaking immigration records in the midst of a housing affordability crisis. In response, Immigration Minister Sean Fraser said it is important that Canada does not start to believe that the solution to housing challenges is to close the door to more newcomers.

“We need to use our immigration policies to help bring in the people who have the skills we need to help build more homes,” he said.

These comments come weeks after Fraser announced officials will prioritize trades experience when selecting immigrants.

Pointing the finger: Andy Yan, the director of Simon Fraser University's City Program, was quick to direct blame off of immigrants and towards the federal government.

"The federal government hasn't necessarily connected the role of immigration with the need to fund infrastructure in this country,” he said. “While we make the promise of the Canadian dream, we seem to be very willing to expose new immigrants to the Canadian housing nightmare."

NEED TO KNOW

The week's headlines

👷 Ontario reported apprenticeship registrations have increased 24% in the last year – from 21,971 to 27,319. Registrations also included a 28% jump among women. The province plans to continue with its skilled trades career fairs by expanding them to more cities in the coming years.

🏗️ International building materials giant Saint-Gobain announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement for the acquisition of Building Products of Canada Corp. (BP Canada) for $994 million in cash. This is one of several major acquisitions the company has made in Canada recently.

🏠 Canada’s real estate market is heating up despite high interest rates. Recent data shows national home sales were up 5.1% month-over-month this May. Sales were up in about 70% of all local markets, including Canada's largest markets: the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), Montreal, Greater Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, and Ottawa.

🚗 A report from the Parliamentary budget officer Yves Giroux says the federal government’s financial commitment to Volkswagen's EV battery plant project in Ontario will cost roughly $16.3 billion over a decade. Giroux noted that they are unable to calculate the full economic spinoff from the factory because the federal government is still bound by confidentiality when it comes to some of the deal’s details.

TOGETHER WITH ASHDOWN CAPITAL

Meet ‘25 Innovators’ judge Shawn Gray

The 25 Innovators in Construction awards is proud to have Shawn Gray as one of its judges. For over 15 years, Gray has been driving digital transformation in construction. He currently serves as digital innovation and customer experience manager at Lafarge Canada.

Applications for the awards close July 14th and winners will be announced September 7th.

The inaugural awards are possible thanks to sponsors like Ashdown Capital.

Learn more about the awards and apply online here.

PROJECT SPOTLIGHT

Centennial College embraces ‘two-eyed seeing’

Net-zero first: Centennial College plans to open the county’s first zero-carbon, mass timber academic facility this fall in Toronto. The six-storey addition will provide 150,000 gross square feet of space, which includes renovations to the existing A-Block building. School officials say the building design reflects Indigenous values and principles, and is based on the concept of “two-eyed seeing" which means viewing the world through the lens of Indigenous knowledge and the lens of Western knowledge. The project team includes EllisDon, DIALOG and Smoke Architecture.

PROJECT UPDATES

Slate revealed its plans for an 800-acre industrial redevelopment on Lake Ontario

Chard tops off six storey purpose-built rental in Vancouver

University of Guelph broke ground on its future honey bee research centre

Indigenous protest to protect trees from Toronto LRT project continues

Concrete work for the Site C Dam’s intakes has been completed

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

READ: 🌲Hybrid mass timber floor system undergoes testing in B.C.

GRAPH: 📉82% fewer people are being killed on construction sites

STUDY: 🧠 Work stress hit an all-time high

READ: 🤝 Construction tech companies team up for Indigenous homebuilding initiative

TWEET: 💳 Mortgage debt slows as credit card balances surge

HOT JOBS

🔥 Check out the best roles up for grabs in construction right now:

Principal Project Control Specialist - Calgary Alta. - Mott MacDonald

Senior Project Manager - Ottawa, Ont. - PCL Construction

Director of People and Culture - Winnipeg, Man. - Sigfusson Northern Ltd.

Director of Preconstruction - Toronto, Ont. - Prodigy

Senior Estimator - Edmonton, Alta. - PCL Construction

Project Director, Major Projects - Richmond, B.C. - Bird Construction

Senior Project Manager - Quebec - Progesys

Engineer Project Manager - Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Que. - BBA Consultants

Construction Risk Manager - Saskatoon, Sask. - PCL Construction

Check out all roles at SiteNews Jobs or put your job post in front of tens of thousands of construction professionals here. . Hurry up before our free trial ends!

Struggling to fill a role? send us an email at [email protected] to connect with one of our specialized recruitment experts.

INTERESTING READ

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Here’s to a great rest of the week!