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Good morning! 🪓🪖 Crews building a new amphitheatre at Vancouver’s Pacific National Exhibition have unearthed a cache of historic military artifacts, including a First World War-era German howitzer, four German machine-guns, and two 19th-century British-Canadian cannons. Experts believe some of these items were once war trophies displayed at Hastings Park, which has a long-standing military history dating back over a century.

⏰ Today’s read: 5 minutes

MARKETS

Economy:  Ahead of a pivotal meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Trump appeared indifferent about its purpose, suggesting vaguely that Carney "wants to make a deal." While Trump dismissed concerns over his repeated remarks about annexing Canada as the 51st state, Canadian officials view the meeting as critical for resolving trade tensions and addressing U.S. concerns about defence and border security.

EVENTS

Take a hike: SiteSummit offers nature networking

Kick off SiteSummit with fresh air, scenic views, and great company. Join us on Sunday, May 25th at 9 a.m. for a light networking hike to Quarry Rock in Deep Cove—an easygoing trail with incredible views of the forest and ocean. Connect with fellow construction industry leaders in a relaxed, natural setting, and reward yourself afterward with one of Deep Cove’s legendary Honey Doughnuts. All proceeds support Working Gear, helping people overcome barriers to employment.

NEED TO KNOW

The week's headlines

🏗️ Nation building: Ontario Premier Doug Ford has urged Prime Minister Mark Carney to support a range of provincial infrastructure projects he deems “nation-building,” including plans to build a tunnel under Highway 401. In a letter referencing a March 2025 First Ministers’ Meeting, Ford requested federal prioritization of projects such as the Ring of Fire mining development, nuclear energy generation, and the GO 2.0 regional rail expansion.

🌿 LEED by example: LEED version 5, the latest update to the globally recognized green building certification system, emphasizes decarbonization, climate resilience, and occupant health, with half its credits now tied to reducing carbon emissions. Launched on April 28, LEED v5 offers certification streams for building design and construction, interior design, and operations and maintenance, with full reviews beginning this fall.\

💵 Money on the table: Nearly half of Nunavut’s capital budget remains unspent. Officials say many of its major projects have had few good bids, citing the increased cost of construction. It is an ongoing trend. In 2023, Nunavut saw a  62.9% drop in construction permits.

⏳Sand dollars: Vitreo Minerals is proposing a $300-million silica sand mine near Bear Lake, north of Prince George, to supply Canadian-made fracking sand for the growing liquefied natural gas (LNG) industry, which currently relies heavily on imports from Wisconsin. The mine would target the Montney oil and gas basin, aligning with government efforts to boost LNG exports, particularly as the LNG Canada facility in Kitimat nears completion. 

THE BIG STORY

Prefab nation: Carney’s $26B housing bet

Prime Minister Mark Carney has pledged $25-billion in loans and $1-billion in equity to create a prefab housing industry from the ground up — plus bulk government orders to prime the pump. 

It’s an unprecedented push to mass-produce homes and meet the 3.5 million housing target by 2030. Experts call it bold. They also say it could flop without serious policy reform.

Building a new industry: The plan, unveiled just after the election, is meant to speed up construction, cut costs and address Canada’s labour shortage by industrializing homebuilding. A new federal entity, Build Canada Homes, will issue large orders of modular housing to kick-start demand and help manufacturers reach scale.

Why prefab: Building offsite can slash build time by 50% and reduce costs by 20%, according to industry advocates. Countries like Japan and Sweden already rely heavily on prefab for residential builds. In Canada, its use remains under 1 per cent.

Roadblocks ahead: Success hinges on scale, and scale demands certainty. Factories require consistent, high-volume orders to operate efficiently. Carolyn Whitzman, a U of T professor and modular housing researcher, warns: “Even with government subsidies, you can’t build a factory and hire people without a certain level of guaranteed demand.”

Red tape trap: Zoning and building rules vary wildly across Canada, complicating standardized design and deployment. Without national coordination, prefab parts made for one city may not be compliant in another. Experts say pre-approved designs and streamlined permitting will be essential.

High stakes: Carney’s plan could make history — or become another failed prefab push, like those of the 1970s and 2010s. Scaling up will require tight coordination between governments, industry, and lenders. If it works, Canada won’t just build homes — it’ll build a new construction sector.

PROJECT SPOTLIGHT

New habitat

King Toronto Residences is a striking urban development currently under construction along King Street West in Toronto's Fashion District, designed by renowned Danish architecture firm BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group) and developed by Westbank Corp and Allied Properties REIT. Architecturally inspired by Moshe Safdie’s Habitat 67, the project features a terraced, mountain-like formation of stacked concrete cubes arranged around a central courtyard, incorporating and preserving several historic brick buildings on site.

PROJECT UPDATES

Limberlost Place achieves substantial completion

Construction begins on Rocky Ridge Athletic Park

Northstar completes Milestone 2 at shingle recycling facility

Saskatoon’s Broadway Bridge undergoes major repairs

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

LIST: ⛺ Canada’s top work camp builders

READ: 🏗️ Developers react to Carney policies

TECH: California uses AI to speed wildfire reconstruction

VIDEO: 💣 Vulcan’s iconic orange grain elevator demolished

READ: 🔦 Using LiDAR to map Toronto’s underworld

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Here’s to a great rest of the week!

Disclaimer: SiteNews is an independently-operated news website. Views expressed are that of the editorial team and are based on publicly available information unless otherwise noted through sponsored content.