⚡️ Power surge

Together with

Good morning! 🖥️ Having computer trouble? It’s not just you. A massive outage at Amazon Web Services (AWS) on Monday disrupted thousands of websites and popular apps worldwide—including Snapchat, Reddit, Wealthsimple, and Ticketmaster—highlighting global dependence on a few major cloud providers.

⏰ Today’s read: 5 minutes

MARKETS

Economy: Canadian businesses report slightly improved conditions but remain cautious amid persistent U.S. tariffs and trade tensions, according to the Bank of Canada’s third-quarter business outlook survey. The overall sentiment indicator edged up to -2.28 from -2.40, reflecting modest gains but continued weakness. Firms are holding off on new investments and hiring due to uncertain demand and recession fears, with 33% expecting a downturn within a year.

SITE SERVICE AWARDS

Recognizing boots on the ground

The Site Service Awards isn’t just about honouring those at the office. We are looking for jobsite rockstars who go above and beyond. They are the ones you wish you could clone. Maybe it’s a master carpenter who solves problems before they are problems, a heavy equipment operator whose machine is an extension of their body or an eagle-eyed supervisor who keeps everything running smoothly. If that sounds like someone on your team, nominate them today using the link below.

NEED TO KNOW

The week's headlines

🪚 New cuts: Interfor Corp. is expanding its fourth-quarter production cuts across its B.C., Ontario, and U.S. operations due to weak lumber markets and economic uncertainty. The company now plans to reduce output by about 250 million board feet—roughly 26% from second-quarter levels—up from the 145 million board feet, or 12%, announced last month. The reductions will be evenly split between Canadian and U.S. mills. CEO Ian Fillinger said lumber prices across North America have continued to decline from already unsustainably low levels.

⛏️ Framework consolidation: Ontario has introduced a new “One Project, One Process” framework to cut mine approval times by at least 50%, streamlining what has been a fragmented system that could delay projects for up to 15 years. Led by the Ministry of Energy and Mines, the framework establishes a single point of contact to coordinate all provincial approvals while maintaining Indigenous consultation obligations.

🏠 Housing starts: Canada’s housing starts rose 4.1% in September to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 277,147 units, driven by strong gains in Ontario, Quebec, and the Prairies, according to CMHC. Monthly starts surged 14% from August, reflecting momentum in multi-unit construction, particularly in Toronto and Montréal, which together accounted for over a quarter of national starts.

🪨 Lithium mine: PMET Resources is advancing the Shaakichiuwaanaan Mining Project on Cree territory, aiming to build what could become the world’s second-largest lithium mine, about 330 km east of Chisasibi and Wemindji. The project, developed with ongoing consultations with Cree communities, is expected to produce up to 800,000 tonnes of lithium-rich rock annually, along with other critical metals

THE BIG STORY

Power play: Provinces rethink electricity strategies

B.C. is pondering how it is going to power the future of the province as established industries and emerging sectors want their share of the juice. But who gets the limited resources? 

Getting there: First off, officials have introduced legislation to fast-track construction of the multibillion-dollar North Coast Transmission Line (NCTL), a major public infrastructure project aimed at powering critical resource projects. Set to begin construction by 2026, it’s expected to unlock more than $45B in economic activity. But this surge in power demand comes just as the province’s current surplus is expected to shift into a deficit.

Powerful competition: Electricity distribution would be prioritized for resource development while emerging sectors would have to compete for limited buckets of it. BC Hydro would launch a call in 2026 allocating 300 megawatts for AI and 100 megawatts for data centres. Hydrogen export volumes will be set later.

All about the benefits: Officials say major resource and mining projects boost GDP and create jobs while other sectors slurp up mountains of power for little benefit. For example, new connections for cryptomining projects would be outright banned. They had already been paused in 2022 for the same reason. 

Not alone: Just last year, Quebec found itself in a similar situation, anticipating it would run out of power capacity as early as 2027. As a result, industrial projects requiring 21,500 megawatts of power have been rejected or delayed. Officials are proposing allowing independent renewable producers to sell directly to single industrial clients. 

Matching power to growth: Power is becoming more and more powerful. As AI, data centres and more continue to grow, so will power demand, creating a bottleneck for projects that need more and more power. Alberta’s strategy has been to embrace AI and data centres, with one caveat. They issued a directive this month to fast-track projects that generate their own power rather than straining the grid. 

PROJECT SPOTLIGHT

Where the buffalo roam

The FortWhyte Alive Buffalo Crossing Visitor Centre in southwest Winnipeg is a low-carbon, mass timber building designed to advance environmental education and year-round outdoor programming. Designed by Stantec, it is Manitoba’s first commercial Passive House–certified project and also meets CAGBC Zero Carbon standards. Its triangular, compact design maximizes transparency while minimizing energy use in extreme local climates, and it features outdoor learning spaces, water access, and a floating walkway.

PROJECT UPDATES

Large Canmore development project set to begin 

Milestone achieved at Surrey Memorial hospital project

B.C. to rebuild destroyed coquitlam school

Ottawa releases final Lansdowne 2.0 report

14 new REM stations scheduled to begin service

Dawson creek considers $100M water pipeline plan

Mississauga’s tallest tower tops off

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

⌚ READ: How building product manufacturers plan decades ahead

💧 READ: How much water do AI data centres actually use? 

🎙️ PODCAST: Digging In tackles contrasting housing data 

🪖 READ: Former PoW camp could get a new life

🧔 WATCH: Why Movember matters to construction

ADVERTISE WITH SITENEWS

Get your message and brand in front of Canada’s construction leaders and decision-makers by advertising in our newsletter. Learn how to partner with us here.

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.