👋🏼 Bye, Gordie

Together with

Good morning!  Two welders are going back to school—but this time it’s to lend a hand to urgent repairs. Gilles Barriault and Craig Gallant of Livingston Steel are working to replace École Évangéline in Abrams Village, a school they both graduated from. It was heavily damaged by post-tropical storm Fiona in 2022 and determined to be beyond repair.

⏰ Today’s read: 6 minutes

MARKETS

Economy: Calgary’s housing market saw a record surge in 2025, with nearly 28,000 new homes—including single-family homes, townhomes, and condos—coming online, more than double a typical year. This high level of construction, part of three consecutive years leading the country in housing starts, has expanded housing choices across the city and improved affordability. As a result, home sales have slowed by nearly 15% and overall benchmark prices have dropped about 5%, with high-density apartment-style homes seeing the steepest decline at 8% due to slower migration and increased supply.

TOGETHER WITH WOODWORKS

Last call: learn why mass timber matters right now

With new codes in place and pressure mounting to build better and faster, mass timber’s big moment has arrived.

Bringing this integral information to the wider industry conversation, WoodWorks BC has partnered with BUILDEX Vancouver 2026, taking over the Vancouver Convention Centre West this week: February 11 and 12. 

The program will spotlight practical solutions — and real lessons learned — from industry leaders shaping the future of wood construction.

Now is your final chance to join the conversation. If you’re looking to understand how wood can help your projects perform, don’t wait to secure your seat.

NEED TO KNOW

The week's headlines

🛑 A bridge too far: U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to block the opening of the $6.4 billion Gordie Howe Bridge, a new six-lane crossing between Windsor, Ontario, and Detroit, claiming the U.S. must be “fully compensated” and treated with “fairness and respect,” despite the bridge being entirely funded by Canada. Construction began in 2018 and was slated for completion in early 2026. 

🪖 Military upgrade: Defence Construction Canada has selected Stantec for a three-year, $180-million source list to support facility upgrades for the Canadian Armed Forces, with the contract extendable to six years and $270 million shared among participating vendors. The work will modernize military accommodations and training facilities nationwide.

🚧 Transit cut: Officials confirmed the federal government will cut $5 billion over 10 years from the Canada Public Transit Fund, reducing its budget from $30 billion to $25 billion, despite earlier promises of $3 billion annually for municipal transit starting in 2026-27. Robertson said cities can instead access funding through a new $51-billion Build Communities Strong Fund.

⚡ Main line: Ontario has designated the proposed Barrie–to–Sudbury transmission line as a priority project and named Hydro One to develop and build the roughly 290-kilometre line. Expected to be in service by 2032, the project will add capacity to deliver up to 1,500 MW northward and 1,000 MW southward, support mining expansion and electrification, and create more than 9,000 jobs.

🔎 Public inquiry: Former Winnipeg mayor Sam Katz is scheduled to testify this week in a provincial public inquiry investigating the controversial construction of the city’s police headquarters. While the project has already endured years of audits, RCMP investigations, and civil lawsuits—one of which confirmed a bribery scheme involving former CAO Phil Sheegl—the inquiry aims to provide public clarity on the procurement process rather than assign legal blame.

THE BIG STORY

Eglinton opens: Lessons for transit’s next project wave

The Eglinton Crosstown LRT isn't just finally carrying passengers. It’s transporting a decade’s worth of procurement scar tissue. While the public celebrates the end of a 15-year wait, the construction industry is performing a post-mortem on what happens when "bundled risk" meets reality.

What happens next: The line is opening in phases, with free rides on day one, and public officials are already pointing to signal priority as a make-or-break factor for above-ground performance. But full implementation is not expected until later. While the public is happy to finally have a new transit line, some of its new riders literally spent their entire lives waiting for it. 

Forgive and forget: Premier Doug Ford has shut the door on calls for a public inquiry, calling it a waste of time, and arguing “we all know the mistakes… and we’ve learned.” He’s pitching the province’s position as forward momentum — “we’re building the largest transit system in North America… there’s going to be bumps in the road” — and pointing to projects like the Ontario Line and Scarborough subway extension as proof the province is already moving ahead.

Why it went sideways: The issues were many, including bundled risk, late-stage deficiencies, and disputes. Experts describe Crosstown as a look-in-the-mirror moment because so many of the delay drivers weren’t “hard construction” so much as the messy edges: hundreds of deficiencies, defective work, leaks, software and signalling issues, and a P3 structure that created overconfidence that the contract would manage risk — until problems mounted and the job became a dispute over who was responsible for fixing what, and when.

The pipeline ahead: Ontario’s full transit buildout is immense. The Ontario Line, Scarborough extension, and more are ahead. A deep examination of Eglinton could help derisk future work and drill down into the root issues. 

Here’s how Murtaza Haider, executive director of the Cities Institute, put it: “When projects go off the rails, as large projects often do, the public deserves clear answers to three simple questions: What went wrong? How long will it take to fix? And how much will it cost? With the Crosstown, none of these questions has been answered consistently or credibly.

EVENTS

The 2026 Site Service Awards are coming up fast — and tickets are going faster

This is your chance to celebrate the people who keep Canada’s construction industry running: the problem-solvers, the innovators, and the leaders who lift everyone around them. Don't miss the chance to join your colleagues on February 26 for an evening of recognition, networking, and celebration.

Seats are extremely limited, so don't wait. Secure your spot today.

PROJECT SPOTLIGHT

Mountain concepts

Conceptual designs have been released for the 200-Block Banff Avenue Redevelopment, a Parks Canada initiative to enhance visitor reception, orientation, and education services. Six multidisciplinary design teams were selected to submit conceptual proposals: Alison Brooks Architects (with collaborators), EVOQ + Ryder, Kengo Kuma & Associates with Paul Raff Studio, KPMB Architects, Revery Architecture, and Stantec Architecture, all of which must reflect Banff National Park’s character, authentically incorporate Indigenous representation, support the local community, and create a welcoming, inclusive space.

PROJECT UPDATES

Calgary to use open-cut method for Bearspaw replacement

Crews break ground on BCIT trades, technology complex

Hyatt brand coming to Listel Hotel redevelopment 

Construction underway on data centre near Red Deer

Weyburn's new hospital in final stage of construction

Prep underway for shelter in downtown Kamloops

PCL wins contract on $4B North Dakota gas plant

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

💧 PODCAST: How Calgary’s watermain repairs are progressing

🏀 READ: NBA star now owns part of TD Coliseum in Hamilton

😡 WATCH: Vancouver faces backlash to multiplex housing

🏠 READ: Northern housing must be built as an integrated ecosystem

🏗️ VIDEO: Graham turns 100

☀️ READ: Contractor creates solar panel laying bots

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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.