☀️ Saving daylight

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Good morning!  ⏰ B.C. just made it official — Premier David Eby has announced a permanent switch to year-round daylight saving time starting Nov.1. This is great news for construction. Research shows that the biannual clock shift leads to a 5.7% spike in worksite injuries in the days that follow — and a staggering 67% increase in days lost due to those injuries.

⏰ Today’s read: 5 minutes

MARKETS

Economy: Canada's Energy Minister Tim Hodgson is setting an ambitious target: 100 million tonnes of LNG exported per year, which would make Canada one of the largest suppliers in the world. The country's first export terminal, LNG Canada, came online last June, and several major projects are either under construction or in development. At full capacity, those projects would still only get Canada to roughly 45 million tonnes annually, meaning significant new infrastructure will need to be built to hit Hodgson's target.

TOGETHER WITH SITEAI

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The industrial sector has an AI trust problem, and leaders are rarely given a practical path forward. 

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NEED TO KNOW

The week's headlines

🔥 Accelerated: Ontario has put the pedal down on the Ring of Fire. The province announced an accelerated construction timeline that moves the massive critical minerals project up by as much as five years. All four road segments are now targeted to open between November 2030 and 2031. The province is pressing Ottawa to match its $1 billion infrastructure investment and streamline federal permitting to keep momentum going. 

⚛️ Generational first: Denison Mines is moving forward with the Phoenix uranium mine in northern Saskatchewan — and it could be the first new uranium mine built in Canada in a generation. The Toronto-based company received its construction licence from the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission and board approval to proceed, with site preparation kicking off this March. Initial capital costs sit at $600 million, with production targeted for 2028. 

🧪 Scientific method: Infrastructure Ontario has awarded a $1.04 billion fixed-price contract to Ontario Science Partners — a consortium of John Laing, Sacyr Infrastructure Canada and Amico Major Projects — to design, build, finance and maintain a new 400,000-square-foot Ontario Science Centre at Ontario Place in Toronto. The design team includes Hariri Pontarini Architects and Snøhetta, with construction mobilizing this spring and completion targeted for 2029. 

📈 Productivity cliff: A new study shows that labour productivity in residential building construction fell 37.3% between 2001 and 2023 — an average drop of 2.1% per year — even as the broader economy posted 12.5% productivity growth over the same period. The culprit is structural. The sector is still dominated by small firms, with companies employing fewer than 20 workers making up 66% of residential construction employment, and those smaller shops accounting for the lion's share of the decline. 

THE BIG STORY

Celebrating the Site Service Awards winners

After months of anticipation the winners of the first ever Site Service Awards have been revealed, and the impact will go beyond the industry. We were able to meet with many of the finalists and winners last week in Vancouver. 

Here’s who won: The Site Service Awards honoured standout construction leaders across the industry, recognizing Steve Howe of Emil Anderson Group (Health & Safety), Joe Di Placito of Ram (Engineering & Design), Dara Wone of ETRO Construction (Marketing & Business Development), Marlene Arianna of EllisDon (People & Culture), Patrick Moore of Amor Construction (Trades & Field), Rey Galac of Bird Infrastructure (Project Operations & Leadership), and Yousif Jabak of Aecon (Technology & Innovation).

Why we did it: The new awards program celebrates the full spectrum of talent that keeps Canada’s construction industry strong. Every company has that go-to person — the one with the answers, the fixer when things break, or the HR pro who’s built a rock-solid team. The Site Service Awards are about shining a light on those people and their stories — the ones who keep this complex, critical industry running.

Print isn’t dead: SiteNews also launched as a digital-first publication, but the Site Services Awards deserved something the industry could hold its hands. That's why all the competition finalists were featured in our first ever print product: Faces of Construction. We reached out to hundreds of colleagues to gather quotes and information about why candidates were so special. We also shot professional photos with our finalists to pair with their stories. But the goal isn’t just to highlight these individuals to others in the industry. It’s to inspire others still deciding on a career path.

Back to school: A global survey of over 20,000 primary-age children found that children’s choices often mirror those of teenagers, are largely disconnected from future labour market needs, and highlight the need for more career role models. That’s why we are taking copies of Faces of Construction to schools across Canada. Maybe these finalists can help inspire others to follow in their footsteps. 

If you would like to donate a copy of Faces of Construction to hand out in schools, consider donating using this link.

PROJECT SPOTLIGHT

Indigenous Hub

Toronto's Indigenous Hub integrates an Indigenous Community Health Centre, two mid-rise residential buildings, the Miziwe Biik Training Institute, a civic plaza, and the Indigenous Peoples Garden Patio. Designed by BDP Quadrangle, Stantec and Two Row Architect, the $34 million health centre features a striking facade of metal beads hung from the eaves that rustle in the wind, evoking the sound of a babbling brook, one of many details rooted in Indigenous culture and natural world.

PROJECT UPDATES

Emergency repairs underway on Toronto's Gardiner Expressway

Vertical construction begins on two new theatres at Calgary's Olympic Plaza

$230M Harry Jerome Recreation Centre on track for July 2026 opening 

Parksville project stalled after province suspends Community Housing Fund

CEEH hospital redevelopment heading to tender this March

Alberta's Budget 2026 commits $152M to continue twinning of Highway 3

Canada's first Indigenous-led healing space breaks ground in Winnipeg

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

🌧️ WATCH: Why Japan built the rainiest place on earth

🚨 READ: Trapped construction worker rescued in Toronto 

🏠 READ: Rare Ontario home hits real estate market

🚃 MAP: Here’s what Toronto transit looks like in 30 years

🧑‍⚖️ WATCH: Vancouver developer faces series of contractual lawsuits

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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.