Category: Technology

Transcript: Hello, everyone. Welcome back to Digging In from SiteNews. We are going through the week’s biggest construction headlines. And man, we have some major breaking news that broke late this week. So we have four top stories. First, nation building project list leaks. Second up, Bird construction is taking to the high seas. Third, PCL has completed a historic digital consolidation project. And finally, Quebec has pulled the plug of support on a $7 billion EV project. And of course, stick around for the end. You can listen to our bonus story, which is about protecting ancient graffiti and Canada’s role in that. So without further ado, let’s get into it.

So one of our top stories, there’s been a leaked draft of 32 potential projects that might qualify under Ottawa’s New Building Canada Act. So these are major infrastructure, energy, mining projects, and they could be fast-tracked for approvals. So the list was obtained by the Globe and Mail. It’s not final, but it kind of offers one of the clearest looks at some of the projects that Mark Carney is looking at. I mean, we’ve had bits and pieces here and there, but this is the most fulsome view we have. Of projects that could be subject to the Building Canada Act. So let’s rattle off some of them that made this leaked preliminary list. So first, we have the Northwest Coast Oil Pipeline from Alberta to BC. We have LNG Canada Phase 2, which I believe we wrote about this recently because a major kind of early works contract was awarded for this. You also have KSI, LISMS, LNG, and KSI. So these are the Nisga’a nations LNG project. Port expansions at Churchill, in Quebec, St. John, and also Vancouver’s Roberts Bank Terminal 2 project. So a lot of port projects, although I believe Carney mentioned some of these recently. Ring of Fire mining projects, Darlington small modular reactors. As people in Ontario know, most of Ontario’s power is nuclear, and they’re trying to expand that. Bay de Nord offshore oil project, and just a bunch of others. So it’ll be really interesting to see if that list becomes pared down. And maybe this was purposely leaked just to get the public’s reaction to see if there’s any kind of hot button projects that they might want to avoid or nix from it.

Next up, Bird Construction has acquired FRPD. So Fraser River Pile and Dredge. So they are Canada’s largest marine land foundation and dredging company. And the transaction is valued at about $82.3 million. So this company is headquartered in New Westminster, BC, right on the Fraser River. And FRPD was founded in 1911. So that’s before World War One. And they employ about 300 people. So Bird said the purchase is expected to strengthen its infrastructure portfolio by adding national marine construction and land foundation expertise. While also enhancing their profit margins. So on a pro forma basis, they expect this new new company to generate about $160 million in revenue. So why is this interesting? Exactly about one year ago, Bird acquired Jacob Bros for 135 million. So this is kind of a continuation of Bird’s aggressive acquisition strategy in these large purchases. And this is also during a kind of an uncertain period of time. So they’re trying to build a new company, and they’re trying to build a certain economic time. So it’s really interesting to see Bird kind of double down on the strategy, despite some of the geopolitical challenges that we’re facing right now, and just kind of the confidence that they have in the current market.

So next up, PCL, one of the largest construction companies in Canada. I think it’s the largest construction company in Canada. So they’ve just completed a sweeping digital transformation, consolidating 26 separate enterprise resource planning systems into one single company. So they’re going to be building a new company, one single Microsoft Azure cloud platform. And this was completed by Syntax Systems. And they say that this is one of North America’s largest ever ERP consolidations. It was a multi year project that unified kind of decades of fragmented payroll and operations infrastructure across, you know, more than 370 financial entities. And it migrated all that data, it streamlined all those workflows. This was just like a massive, massive, massive, massive, massive, massive, massive, massive, massive lift, you know, at an $8 billion contractor. And so they say it’s going to provide greater agility for their finance, payroll, supply chain and project execution. So why do we care about this? Why does this matter? Well, I think in my experience, from what I’ve seen, during my coverage of the sector, what’s often what often happens that kind of these large, sophisticated contractors and is proven out amongst them can trickle down into smaller ones. And this is also just kind of the largest, or sorry, the latest rather large digitization effort in the construction sector. I know Graham had a major one in the past few years. I’m sure many others have done similar things. And the question is why? Well, one, I think that digitization is just the future of being an efficient company of any kind. But also, you know, the buzzword of all buzzwords, artificial intelligence. So if you do not have structured data, if you don’t have structured data, if you do not have clean, good, organized data for AI to comb through and interface with, it’s like having a digital Word document compared to something scrawled on a piece of paper and crayon. You know, AI can’t do much with that. And so to utilize the tools of the future, I’m guessing that PCL needs to do something like this to make sure that their housekeeping is in order. And so tools that might not even exist today, they will be able to do something like this. And so I think that’s a take advantage of later because they’ve done this heavy lifting.

So next up, we are moving to Quebec. So Quebec Superior Court has declared Northvolt Batteries North America insolvent. So this places it under creditor protection. And this is just after the provincial government withdrew its funding for the company’s $7 billion battery plant that they plan to build near Montreal. I remember them announcing this. It was hailed as just a humongous economic win for the region. So this ruling follows Quebec’s effort to recover about $260 million that is owed by the firm, of which I think nearly $2 million has already been seized from frozen accounts. And Northvolt, which laid off about 50 of its employees this week, they accused the government of just abruptly abandoning the project despite attempts to find investors. But Northvolt, did say would not contest these proceedings. Now, provincial officials say that the company failed to present a plan that met Quebec’s interests. I think this is particularly indicative of the times that we’re in. There have been other struggles in Canada’s EB sector, and other major projects have stalled or been delayed or even abandoned or shelved due to rising costs and trade pressures. You know, I think a lot of things that are outside of these companies are going to be delayed or even abandoned or shelved due to rising costs. Unfortunately, I mean, I think that this is just disappointing to see. I know there were tens of billions of dollars tied up in this industry. And a lot of people were really looking forward to it putting food on their tables for years to come. However, I would say this, I think that we saw years and years of the LNG sector struggle, particularly in BC after it was touted as this huge economic driver. And I think a lot of people had given up on that. Industry or didn’t think that it might happen anytime soon. And look at us now. We have LNG Canada, Wood Fibre LNG, Cedar LNG, the list goes on. We definitely thought we had missed the window in LNG, and that didn’t turn out to be the case. So, you know, I think there’s still hope. And, you know, hopefully in the future, you know, the EV and vehicle plant and battery manufacturing sector can experience a resurgence. And I think that’s going to be a big part of the resurgence after some of these difficult economic times come to a close.

Well, dear listener, you’ve made it to the end of the podcast. And we have the bonus story. Think twice before getting upset at graffiti artists defacing your job site, because it could one day become very cherished history. Because right now, Canada is playing a key role in trying to document ancient graffiti along Asia’s famed Silk Road before it’s gone. So there’s a new dam being built in Pakistan that threatens to erase some of these centuries old carvings that have been left by traders and travelers, missionaries, pilgrims, armies that pass through the region in the route, leaving their mark. This dam, which is set to be complete in about five years, is going to flood the entire region. And so most of this route and most of these carvings will be destroyed. But they’re hoping… to live on thanks to researchers from Wilfrid Laurier University in Ontario. And so what they’re doing is they’re part of an international team that is in the region right now, and they’re using high-tech equipment to do digital scanning of every single rock, every little patch of dirt that has some of these ancient carvings, this ancient graffiti. And so even after this massive dam covers up all this stuff, people are still going to be able to digitally tour it. There’s going to be a 3D model of each rock, so you can walk through these places, and researchers can check it out, and the public can check it out. And this graffiti will live on long after it’s destroyed. So that is this week’s episode. Thank you so much for joining us. If you want more stories and insights, go to readsightnews.com. And of course, once you’re there, you know, give our free newsletter a check and sign up. And we will see you next week. Who knows what major news stories might break, but we will be there to cover them. Goodbye for now.

Newly released before-and-after footage from the June 2025 Split Lake, Manitoba wildfire shows a nearly completed community building still standing after flames passed. As Canada prepares for longer, more dangerous wildfire seasons, the videos offer a clear, real-time look at what fire-resilient construction can mean on the ground.

The Tataskweyak Transition Centre — a 10-room short-term living facility built by SEKO Construction with ZS2 Technologies’ fire-resilient prefabricated TechPanel® system — was in its final stages of construction when the wildfire reached the site. The first clip, originally shared by TikTok user T.R.A.V., shows the fire advancing; the second, filmed by a member of the on-site construction crew, captures the aftermath with the structure virtually unscathed. Together, the footage underscores how material and design choices can determine outcomes when fire strikes.

“We chose ZS2’s panels for their durability, speed of installation, and climate resilience,” said Peter Shoulak, Vice President and Partner at SEKO Construction. “In this case, that decision helped protect a critical piece of infrastructure — and more importantly, our crew. We’ve now seen that choice pay off in the most important way.”

The SEKO on-site team remained on the ground as long as safely possible to support evacuation efforts, helping ensure everyone cleared the area before the wildfire advanced. Fortunately, no injuries were reported on the project site.

Built for one of Canada’s harshest and most remote environments, the facility uses ZS2 TechPanel® — a Canadian-manufactured system that combines framing, insulation, and a highly fire-resistant magnesium cement sheathing. The panelized assembly does not ignite, does not produce toxic smoke, and remains stable under extreme heat, helping safeguard structures and air quality during fire events.

“This is what climate resilience actually looks like,” said Scott Jenkins, CEO and Co-Founder of ZS2 Technologies. “The footage speaks louder than anything we could ever say. It is one thing to evaluate in a lab — it is another to survive a wildfire.”

The panels withstood winter installation temperatures of -30°C and fire-related surface heat estimated above +80°C. ZS2’s proprietary magnesium cement technology is also resistant to moisture, mold, and degradation, making it a long-term solution for resilient housing in vulnerable regions. This 10-room transitional living project, offering flexible one- to three-bedroom suites with shared communal spaces, was designed to address diverse family needs.

As wildfires continue to burn across Canada — with New Brunswick facing new threats and smoke from the Prairies triggering ground stops as far away as Boston’s Logan Airport — the footage underscores the urgent need for building systems that are both fast to deploy and built to endure. In this context, the survival of Split Lake’s transition centre isn’t just remarkable, it’s essential. Standing in a remote forest community, still under construction when flames closed in, the facility endured. It shows that fire resilience is not only about flame resistance, but about the synergy of materials, design, and execution working together to protect people and property. Above all, it’s a reminder that resilience is a construction choice made long before the first shovel hits the ground.

Transcript: Hello everyone. Welcome back to Digging In the podcast from SiteNews, where we dig into the biggest construction headlines of the week. I’m your host, SiteNews editor in chief, Russell Hixson, and we have some massive news for you all. First up, our first headline, Canada has officially launched its Major Projects Office. After that, number two, we’re going to be looking into big tech as they eye the construction sector for optimization. And our third headline is a trio of humongous project updates in Ontario. And for our fourth story, Westbank has sold their entire stake in the Sen̓áḵw project, so we’re going to be discussing that, and stick around to the end for our bonus story, we’re going to be talking about how minerals are so nice we’re trying to mine them twice. So without further ado, let’s get into it.

So first up, we have some massive news out of Ottawa. Prime Minister Mark Carney has officially launched the major projects office, and it’s opening its headquarters in Calgary, and there are plans for satellite offices in other cities. So what is it? Well, it’s going to act as a single point of contact for companies and governments that are pursuing large scale projects, kind of nation building projects, as they’ve said, these would be ports, railways, energy corridors, critical mineral developments and clean energy initiatives. Kearney has also kind of signaled that some of the first projects that Canada is eyeing are ports. So yeah, they say that this office is going to streamline environmental and regulatory reviews, and they’re trying to get project approval timelines down to no more than two years. And we already know who’s going to be leading this effort. It’s going to be Don Farrell. So they are the former head of the Trans Mountain Corporation and Transalta, and so, yeah, they’re going to be the CEO. And so why does this matter? Well, rather than navigating kind of this patchwork of federal departments and agencies, proponents are going to be able to deal with one entity. And also the government’s been very explicit that they want to prioritize projects of national significance. And so that’s, I think these projects are going to be evaluated in a bit different of a light. So that’s going to be very interesting to see how it rolls out. And, you know, some of the other cities that are going to get these offices.

So next up, we’re going to talk about big tech continuing to turn its gaze towards the construction sector. So Procore and Amazon have signed a multi year strategic collaboration agreement. So it’s going to be aimed at accelerating digital transformation in construction using artificial intelligence analytics and data driven tools. So the two companies say they’re going to co invest in product development and market of marketing market initiatives and also procores construction platform is now available in the Amazon Web Services marketplace. They say that the collaboration will be used to advance the use of AI to streamline project delivery, improve decision making and reduce risk. Obviously, Amazon famously disrupted, you know, brick and mortar stores all bookstores by selling books online. And they’re not the only ones, I think, recently, about a week ago, field AI, which is backed by Nvidia and Bill Gates, they they write programs that control models, that control robotics worldwide that, you know, are used in sectors like construction, energy, logistics, and you know, they’re they’re wanting to use them on construction sites. They raised about $400 million I think they’re valued at $2 billion and so why does this matter? Well, you know, that says it all. The tech industry has a ton of money to throw around. Obviously, Amazon and Nvidia are the biggest companies in the entire world, and if they’re looking at construction, they have vast amounts of capital to disrupt. And it’ll be really interesting to see what Amazon comes up with, and in the coming years, you know what big tech is going to do when it comes to construction, then, you know, they may have a more outside perspective and be able to, you know, come at these problems in in a different way. And obviously, construction is facing a lot of labor challenges. It’s facing a lot of productivity challenge. It challenges. So it could be really fascinating to see what comes from some of these gigantic tech companies.

Finally, it was a big week for Ontario builders. So Ontario is moving forward on several major infrastructure projects. We got some huge updates. So first they awarded a. Uh, the contract for the 9.2 kilometer westward extension of Toronto’s Eglinton Crosstown LRT to Trillium rail partners, and so this will add seven new stations and fully integrate rail signaling and communication systems. So also you had Infrastructure Ontario and North York General Hospital issue an RFP for a new patient care tower, and that will add over 300 private rooms and nearly 100 acute care beds and underground parking. And so that’s a major health care project. Also, the province has awarded the first contracts for highway 413, which is a long planned route that’s expected to significantly ease gridlock in Toronto. So for all our Toronto listeners, you know what it’s like to be sitting in that that traffic. And so this is also expected to create 6000 jobs annually during construction and contribute more than $1 billion to Ontario’s GDP. So this could be just a massive impact for Ontario.

So for our fourth and final story, Westbank, a Vancouver based developer, a major developer, has sold its entire ownership stake in the first two phases of the massive Sen̓áḵw housing development right in the heart of Vancouver, and they’ve sold it to OPT Trust, which is the Canadian pension fund manager as a result. So now the Squamish nation and op t trust are equal ownership partners for phase one and two, while the nation has secured full ownership of phases three and four. So why are we talking about this? Well, Westbank hasn’t publicly commented on why they did this, but I suspect a lot of developers, and again, this is not confirmed, but a lot of developers are face facing issues right now with the slump in the condo market. You know, I suspect that west bank wants a bit of liquidity. So, you know, a lot of developers have been selling off assets and trying to get their affairs in order to kind of make it through this challenging time in the development sector. So this could be one way that Westbank is trying to weather current economic conditions, is just get that cash flow going.

All right, for our bonus story, it’s very apt for digging in as we’re digging into mining. That’s right, we’re going back to the mines, as are many others. It seems that the mining industry is facing mounting pressures to meet soaring demand for copper and other critical minerals that are needed for our energy transition, particularly with electric vehicles, solar panels, all those different things. But we have declining ore grades. There’s very long project timelines and waste challenges. So according to a 2020, research paper, the entire world dug up about Sif, 650 million metric tons of copper, between 1910 and 2010 but about 100 million tons never even made it to market, and so experts argue that all that metal is just still sitting there laying in tailings tailings ponds, and it’s potentially Just a massive resource waiting for the right technology to unlock it. So companies are increasingly turning to innovation to try and pick up these table scraps, these crumbs that have fallen by remining tailings, they’re trying to improve grinding and leaching processes and exploring bioengineering solutions to get more value from existing resources, because digging a new mine is dirty, it’s expensive, takes a long time, and it just puts us kind of back in the same situation. So why not go back to places that have already been mined and using modern technology and slurp up those crumbs? That’s what people are doing. And obviously, you know from the top, we explain why this matters. We’re in the midst of a major energy transition. We want to drive electric vehicles. We want to shift our energy over to more sustainable sources. And a lot of these things require these critical minerals, and that’s why I think Canada and a lot of other countries have developed a critical mineral strategy. And yeah, that does it for this week. Thank you so much for joining us. If you want more stories and insights, go to readsite news.com and subscribe to our industry leading newsletter. Until next week, I’m your host, Russell Hixson, we’ll see you in a bit.

Key Takeaways:

• Quebec has officially scrapped the $7-billion Northvolt battery plant after the company failed to deliver a viable plan, leaving the province unable to recoup its $270-million equity stake following Northvolt’s bankruptcy in Sweden.
• Of the $510 million in taxpayer support, Quebec expects to recover only the $240-million loan, while Hydro-Québec will reallocate 352 megawatts of reserved power once earmarked for the plant.
• The failure underscores wider setbacks in Canada’s EV push, with multiple stalled or delayed projects raising questions about the long-term payoff of more than $50 billion in federal and provincial subsidies.

The Whole Story:

Quebec has pulled the plug on the Northvolt battery plant, ending a high-profile but troubled project once billed as a cornerstone of the province’s green industrial strategy.

Economy Minister Christine Fréchette announced Tuesday the government will no longer invest in Northvolt Batteries North America, saying the company failed to present a plan that met Quebec’s interests.

“This venture proved unsuccessful, and we are obviously disappointed,” Fréchette said in a statement, adding the province will seek to recover as much of its investment as possible.

The decision marks the collapse of Northvolt’s $7-billion plan to build a plant in Saint-Basile-le-Grand and McMasterville, south of Montreal. Quebec had backed the project with $510 million in public money, including a $240-million guaranteed loan and a $270-million investment in the Swedish parent company.

Fréchette said the $270 million is lost following Northvolt’s bankruptcy filing in Sweden earlier this year, but the government expects to recover the loan. Hydro-Québec had also set aside 352 megawatts of power for the facility, which will now be reallocated.

The plant was touted as a pillar of Premier François Legault’s “battery sector” strategy, intended to attract research, mining and manufacturing linked to electric vehicle production. Fréchette said other projects remain on track.

Opposition parties blasted the government, accusing the Coalition Avenir Québec of mismanagement. Liberal Leader Pablo Rodriguez called the project “a failure on the planning level and on the execution level.” Québec solidaire’s Ruba Ghazal said Quebecers may never see their money again, while Parti Québécois MNA Pascal Paradis called it “hundreds of millions of dollars … wasted by the CAQ government.”

Canada’s overall EV push has hit major roadblocks, with Honda shelving a $15-billion Ontario battery complex, BASF and Northvolt stalling projects in Québec, GM pausing BrightDrop van output in Ingersoll, and Ford delaying Oakville EV launches. Weakened demand, U.S. tariffs, and ballooning costs have raised doubts about whether Ottawa’s $50-billion bet on foreign-owned battery plants will pay off.

Key Takeaways:

• PCL Construction, working with Syntax Systems, migrated and unified 26 separate ERP systems into a single cloud-based platform on Microsoft Azure — one of the largest projects of its kind in North America.
• The new system integrates more than 370 financial entities and supports global payroll, finance, asset management, project execution and supply chain management, improving reporting accuracy, reducing duplication, and lowering IT risk.
• By moving decades of infrastructure to the cloud, PCL has built a scalable, secure foundation to streamline operations, enhance governance and support future digital initiatives across its $8-billion annual business.

The Whole Story:

PCL Construction has completed a multi-year digital transformation that overhauled its global payroll and operations systems, consolidating decades of fragmented infrastructure into a single cloud environment.

The Edmonton-based builder partnered with Syntax Systems to migrate and unify 26 separate enterprise resource planning (ERP) instances into one system hosted on Microsoft Azure. The project, billed as one of the largest ERP consolidations in North America, was finalized last month.

PCL chief information officer Mark Bryant said the work fundamentally changes how the 119-year-old company operates.

“Through close collaboration with Syntax, we’ve moved decades of fragmented infrastructure to the cloud,” Bryant said. “This not only streamlines how we operate but equips us with the agility and insights to support our long-term strategy.”

For decades, PCL’s operations grew across multiple regions and business units, each maintaining its own ERP system on legacy IBM AS/400 infrastructure. The decentralized setup made reporting difficult, limited scalability and introduced operational risks.

To address this, Syntax and PCL devised a phased roadmap. Early stages involved migrating the ERP environments to the Syntax Enterprise Cloud. The final consolidation on Microsoft Azure now supports core functions including finance, payroll, asset management, project execution and supply chain management.

“Consolidating our ERP environment on Azure marks a pivotal shift in how PCL operates financially across its global footprint,” said Glen Anderson, PCL’s vice-president of finance and commercial risk. “We’ve significantly improved reporting accuracy, eliminated duplication, and reduced risk — while building a flexible platform to scale with our business.”

Syntax CEO Christian Primeau said the transformation demonstrates how large, asset-intensive enterprises can simplify operations. “Together, we’ve delivered a customer-centric ERP model for enterprises looking to scale without complexity,” he said.

According to the companies, the project has integrated more than 370 financial entities into a single platform, migrated and validated two years of financial and payroll history, and streamlined workflows using Microsoft’s Power Platform to reduce errors and speed execution. Hosting on Azure also provides high availability, scalability and enterprise-grade security.

PCL, one of North America’s largest general contractors, completes more than $8 billion US in work annually. Company officials say the new platform will strengthen governance, improve data accuracy and reduce IT overhead, while better preparing the firm for future digital initiatives.

PCL leaders are scheduled to present details of the transformation at the JD Edwards INFOCUS 2025 conference in Denver this September.

Key Takeaways:

• Alberta will introduce a 2% levy on hardware for data centres of 75 MW or more starting Dec. 31, 2026, offset against corporate income taxes once facilities are profitable.
• The province is considering payment-in-lieu-of-tax and deferral programs to provide cost stability during construction and early operation.
• The measure is part of Alberta’s strategy to attract AI infrastructure investment, emphasizing cooling efficiencies, low-cost electricity, and a competitive tax system.

The Whole Story:

Alberta will introduce a 2% levy on computer hardware for large-scale data centres beginning Dec. 31, 2026, a move the province says will ensure the industry contributes fairly while maintaining its competitiveness.

The levy will apply to grid-connected facilities with power capacities of at least 75 megawatts. The province said the measure was developed following a six-week consultation with industry stakeholders.

To avoid additional costs once data centres become profitable, the levy will be fully offset against provincial corporate income taxes.

“Alberta’s government has a duty to ensure Albertans receive a fair deal from data centre investments,” said Nate Glubish, minister of technology and innovation. “This approach strikes a balance that we believe is fair to industry and Albertans, while protecting Alberta’s competitive advantage.”

Treasury Board president and Finance Minister Nate Horner said the government is also considering options to provide more cost stability, including a payment in lieu of taxes program to allow for predictable annual payments, and a deferral program to ease cash-flow pressures during construction and early operations.

“After working closely with industry, we’re introducing a fair, predictable levy that ensures data centres pay their share for the infrastructure and services that support them,” Horner said. “This approach provides stability for businesses while generating new revenue to support Alberta’s future.”

The province said qualifying data centres will be recognized as designated industrial properties, with property values assessed provincially. Land and buildings tied to these facilities will remain subject to municipal taxation, though municipalities will be permitted to offer incentives or deferrals of up to 15 years under the Municipal Government Act.

The new framework follows Alberta’s Artificial Intelligence Data Centre Strategy, launched in December 2024, which aims to position the province as a hub for AI infrastructure. Alberta touts its natural cooling advantages, relatively low-cost power, and tax regime as draws for investors.

According to industry projections cited by the province, the global AI data centre market could top $820 billion by 2030, with capacity demand expected to more than triple. AI alone is forecast to drive a 160% increase in global data centre energy use by the end of the decade.

Key Takeaways:

• Procore Technologies has entered a multi-year collaboration with Amazon Web Services to accelerate AI, analytics, and cloud-based solutions for the construction industry.
• Procore’s construction management platform is now available in AWS Marketplace, making it easier for contractors and owners in North America and Europe to access the software through existing AWS accounts.
• Major builder Balfour Beatty is already adopting the partnership, using Procore and AWS to gain real-time data and project insights aimed at improving efficiency and reducing risk.

The Whole Story:

Procore Technologies has signed a multi-year strategic collaboration agreement with Amazon Web Services (AWS) aimed at accelerating digital transformation in construction through artificial intelligence, analytics and data-driven tools.

The deal will see the two companies co-invest in product development and market initiatives, with Procore’s construction management platform now available in AWS Marketplace for customers in North America and Europe. The arrangement gives contractors and owners access through their existing AWS accounts, with consolidated billing and the ability to apply cloud credits toward the software.

Procore said the collaboration will advance its use of AI to streamline project delivery, improve decision-making and reduce risk. By integrating Amazon’s Bedrock large language models, the company plans to strengthen its suite of AI agents, which can handle document analysis, automate tasks and provide intelligent assistance on complex projects.

“This collaboration with AWS is a force multiplier of our mission to connect everyone in construction on a global platform,” said Steve Davis, Procore’s president of product and technology. “With AWS as one of our strategic collaborators, we will continue to supercharge our tools, enabling owners and general contractors to plan, build and operate their portfolios with greater efficiency and cost effectiveness.”

AWS said the partnership reflects the growing demand for cloud-based solutions in construction. “By combining Procore’s industry expertise with AWS infrastructure and services, we can empower customers to unlock new levels of productivity, gain deeper insights from their data, and scale their operations more effectively,” said Allison Johnson, senior manager with AWS.

Balfour Beatty, a major player in construction and infrastructure, said it is already working with Procore and AWS to digitize its operations. Senior vice-president and chief information officer Kasey Bevans said the partnership gives the company real-time data and project analytics that sharpen decision-making and improve visibility into project health.

“The combination of Procore and AWS helps us build smarter and more efficiently,” Bevans said. “By providing access to real-time data and clear sightlines into KPIs, we’re better able to reduce risk — which is fundamental to our business.”

Industry analysts say the agreement highlights how cloud providers are increasingly teaming up with sector-specific software firms to modernize industries like construction, which has been slower than others to adopt digital tools.

Another podcast? We can hear the groaning already. But hear us out. Rather than hours and hours of longform interviewing, our team is focused on equipping builders with information and insights they need to succeed.

That’s why on our Digging In podcast channel we have introduced a weekly, shortform podcast that boils all the biggest industrial headlines down into roughly 10 minutes of insights builders need to know. SiteNews editor Russell Hixson, who has been covering Canada’s construction sector for more than a decade, is your host, giving you the context behind the headlines so you can show up on site up to speed.

“There are many longform industry podcast right now with invaluable information, but what if you just want to know what is going on in the construction world? Digging In fills that gap. Builders don’t always have time to sift through all the headlines and make sense of what is happening. But we do,” said Hixson.

New episodes drop every Monday. Subscribe to Digging In on Spotify. But don’t worry iPhone users. We are coming to Apple Podcasts soon.

This week we break down the lifting of reciprocal tariffs with the U.S., major contracts awarded for Volkswagen’s $7-billion EV battery plant in Ontario, and Ontario’s $75-million investment in training thousands of new tradespeople and urban planners. We also cover two massive business moves shaking up the industry—ITC’s acquisition of Farmer Construction and Lowe’s $8.8-billion deal for Foundation Building Materials.

Key Takeaways:

• PowerCo Canada has awarded major construction contracts to Steelcon Group of Companies and Magil Construction Canada for its $7-billion St. Thomas gigafactory, the largest electric vehicle battery plant in Canada.
• The project will generate thousands of jobs, with Steelcon employing more than 500 Canadian workers and Magil undertaking one of the largest foundation packages ever awarded in Southwestern Ontario.
• Once complete, the facility will produce enough battery cells to power up to one million electric vehicles annually, marking a cornerstone in Volkswagen’s North American battery strategy.

The Whole Story:

PowerCo Canada has awarded two major construction contracts for its $7-billion electric vehicle battery plant in St. Thomas, Ont., a project billed as the largest of its kind in Canada.

The Volkswagen subsidiary said Thursday that Steelcon Group of Companies will handle structural steel work, while Magil Construction Canada Inc. has secured the foundations contract. The work includes one of the biggest foundation packages ever awarded in Southwestern Ontario, covering three buildings across 850,000 square feet.

“We are proud to partner with PowerCo Canada to build the St. Thomas gigafactory, a project that embodies the future of Canadian industry,” said Danny Bianco, President at Steelcon Group of Companies. “Our team of skilled Canadian fabricators is ready to deliver, and we are especially proud to contribute to a project that will support significant local employment and drive economic growth here in Ontario.”  

PowerCo says the first concrete pour will involve more than 32,500 cubic metres of concrete and 500,000 square feet of formwork, with physical construction set to begin in the coming weeks. The factory will eventually produce enough battery cells to power up to one million electric vehicles a year.

“Magil Construction has a nearly 80-year legacy of building with vision, and we are thrilled to bring that expertise to such a landmark project in St. Thomas,” said Paul Henke, President at Magil Construction Canada Inc. “Our commitment to working with local trades and suppliers means this project will be built by the community, for the community, laying the groundwork for economic prosperity and job creation across Southwestern Ontario.”

Frank Blome, CEO of PowerCo SE, called the facility a “cornerstone” in building a global battery business in both Europe and North America, while St. Thomas Mayor Joe Preston said the project will be a “game-changer” for the region.

The company says the development will generate thousands of direct and indirect jobs, including construction roles, supplier opportunities and local business growth. Steelcon plans to employ more than 500 Canadian workers, with 30 from the London and Southwestern Ontario region.

PowerCo Canada was established in 2022 to oversee Volkswagen’s battery operations in North America. The St. Thomas facility will be its third and largest project worldwide.

Key Takeaways:

• The world’s largest Indigenous housing project using onsite robotics at Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation.
• The arc-shaped, culturally inspired design merges Horizon Legacy’s automated construction technology with Two Row Architect’s Indigenous architectural expertise.
• Scalable model for future housing aims to address severe shortages in Indigenous communities and demonstrate how robotics can deliver rapid, high-quality, multi-storey housing across Canada and beyond.

The Whole Story:

A groundbreaking Indigenous housing project billed as the largest in the world to use onsite robotics is planned for the Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation.

Horizon Legacy and Two Row Architect have partnered on the development, named Eh ni da se — meaning “new moon” in Cayuga — which symbolizes new beginnings. The first phase will see a three-storey, arc-shaped residential complex with up to 30 units, designed to reflect the moon’s form. A second phase could expand the project further.

The initiative pairs Horizon Legacy’s automated building construction technology with Two Row Architect’s expertise in Indigenous architecture and community engagement. The goal is to deliver culturally rooted, high-quality housing quickly on reserve, while demonstrating that robotics can produce multi-storey and low-rise housing with distinctive designs.

“This partnership is about more than building homes — it’s about claiming our power and sovereignty through innovation and designs that respect Indigenous values and identity,” said Brian Porter, principal architect at Two Row, which has worked with more than 50 Indigenous communities in Canada and the U.S.

Nhung Nguyen, CEO of Horizon Legacy, said the project proves robotics can create “organic, architecturally distinctive, and culturally meaningful designs” beyond the repetitive forms common in factory-built housing.

Indigenous communities across Canada face some of the country’s most severe housing shortages, often dealing with overcrowding, aging infrastructure and limited new construction. The partners say Eh ni da se will serve as a model for scaling automated construction to meet housing needs in First Nations and beyond.

The project also builds on Horizon Legacy’s research partnership with McMaster University’s Faculty of Engineering, where teams are developing tools to integrate onsite robotics into Canadian building codes and standards.

In the race to solve Canada’s housing shortage, one growing idea is actually about subtraction: removing the requirement for a second staircase in certain residential buildings.

Known as single-egress stair design, this approach allows buildings to be constructed with just one exit stairwell, provided other fire safety measures—like sprinklers and fire-rated materials—are in place. Proponents argue it’s a way to increase floor efficiency, reduce construction costs by up to 11%, and unlock more options for small urban sites.

B.C. led the charge, becoming the first province to officially permit single-egress buildings in its Building Code. Ontario is also exploring the idea, and Edmonton has created a guide to help developers pursue SES through alternative compliance pathways.

But the proposal has hit resistance in some quarters. Vancouver city staff and fire officials have rejected the concept, citing safety concerns and a lack of sufficient risk data. In a staff report, the city manager warned that “the lack of available data to quantify the relative risk of single-egress stair construction represents a significant constraint on evaluation.”

Instead, the city is encouraging safer space-saving options like scissor stairs or external staircases.

The conversation comes at a critical moment. While evidence suggests that modern mid-rise buildings with SES can be safe under current fire protection standards, researchers are still working to understand how these designs perform across a range of scenarios.

Watch our full explainer below for a step-by-step breakdown of the movement, including where it’s gaining ground and why some want to pump the brakes:

Key Takeaways:

• CPP Investments is putting $225 million into the construction of a 54 MW data centre in Cambridge, Ontario, as part of a 50% stake in a loan co-funded with Deutsche Bank.
• The facility is already pre-leased to a major AI-focused cloud provider, reflecting strong regional demand for hyperscale data infrastructure.
• The project fits into CPP Investments’ global data centre strategy, expanding its presence in Canada alongside holdings in other major digital infrastructure markets.

The Whole Story:

The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPP Investments) is committing $225 million to help finance a major expansion of a hyperscale data centre in Cambridge, Ont., as demand for AI and cloud computing infrastructure continues to surge.

The investment represents a 50% share of a construction loan for a 54-megawatt facility, with the remaining half funded by Deutsche Bank Private Credit & Infrastructure, the lead lender on the deal.

The project is being developed through a joint venture involving Related Digital, TowerBrook Capital Partners, and Ascent, and has already been pre-leased to a leading AI-focused cloud computing provider on a long-term agreement.

“The rapid expansion of digital infrastructure—driven by accelerating demand for cloud services, data storage, and the transformative potential of artificial intelligence—is fueling strong growth in data centre development,” said Geoffrey Souter, head of real assets credit at CPP Investments.

The investment aligns with CPP Investments’ broader global strategy in digital infrastructure. The fund currently has data centre partnerships and holdings across the Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and in publicly traded companies operating in Canada and abroad.

Key Takeaways:

• Remote inspections are booming: Bookings for Calgary’s Remote Video Inspections (RVI) service rose by 1,248% in the first half of 2025 compared to 2024, averaging 877 appointments per month.
• Convenient options for homeowners and contractors: RVI now supports a wide range of permit types, allowing users to request same-day inspections from home or job sites, streamlining project completion.
• Supports safety and sustainability: Virtual inspections reduce the need for travel by inspectors, improving team safety and helping the City meet its environmental goals.

The Whole Story:

The City of Calgary is ramping up its Remote Video Inspections (RVI) program in response to rising demand from homeowners and contractors eager to complete construction projects without the delays of traditional inspections.

RVI offers same-day virtual inspections for building, plumbing, gas and electrical permits, allowing users to have work signed off from home or directly from the job site. Officials say the service is helping to speed up project timelines and improve convenience amid a busy construction season.

“During such a pivotal time in Calgary’s construction history, Remote Video Inspections has proven to be another effective method to request an inspection,” said Kris Dietrich, the City’s manager of trade and subdivision inspections. “Since expanding our service offerings, we are able to keep up with demand while offering residents a more convenient option to close out their permits.”

Between January and June, bookings for RVI surged 1,248% compared to the same period in 2024, averaging 877 appointments each month. The City expanded the program in March to include more inspection types for homeowners, contributing to the sharp increase in use.

Homeowners can now request inspections for various plumbing, gas, building and development permits from their home. Contractors on site can also use the system to schedule inspections immediately after completing work.

The virtual inspections connect users to a certified safety codes officer through secure video technology, and are conducted with the same standards as in-person visits, according to the City.

While traditional, on-site inspections remain fully available, officials say the growth of RVI reduces travel for inspectors, which improves safety and supports the City’s efforts to cut emissions.

Key Takeaways:

• Canada’s first commercial carbon capture cement facility is under construction in Mississauga, aiming to reduce emissions by converting CO₂ from cement production into low-carbon cement materials.
• The project, led by Carbon Upcycling and Ash Grove, will produce up to 30,000 tonnes of supplementary cementitious materials annually once operational in 2026.
• Supported by $10 million in federal funding, the initiative reflects a growing push for clean manufacturing and is expected to generate skilled jobs in the region.

The Whole Story:

A first-of-its-kind carbon capture and utilization facility aimed at decarbonizing cement production has officially broken ground in Mississauga, marking a major milestone for Canada’s clean manufacturing sector.

Carbon Upcycling Technologies and Ash Grove, a subsidiary of global construction giant CRH, are partnering on the $10-million Carbon 1 Mississauga project. The facility will be the first in Canada to use carbon dioxide captured from a cement kiln to produce low-carbon supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) at commercial scale.

Set to begin operations in 2026, the plant is expected to produce up to 30,000 tonnes of SCMs annually. The material will be made by injecting captured CO₂ into local industrial byproducts, reducing emissions while strengthening domestic cement supply chains.

“This project signals a breakthrough in how we decarbonize one of the world’s most essential industries,” said Serge Schmidt, president of Ash Grove. “We’re proud to build it in Canada, using homegrown talent, partnerships and purpose-driven innovation.”

The federal government is supporting the project with funding through three programs: the Low Carbon Economy Fund, the National Research Council’s IRAP program, and the Sustainable Manufacturing Program under Next Generation Manufacturing Canada.

“Clean technology, including carbon capture, will play an integral role in our efforts to decarbonize,” said Julie Dabrusin, parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change. “Projects such as this one present significant economic opportunity for Canadian industry.”

The facility is expected to create permanent skilled jobs in the region, with additional employment during construction.

Carbon Upcycling CEO Apoorv Sinha said the facility reflects a broader shift toward circular, low-carbon solutions for heavy industry.

“With this project, we’re setting the precedent for a new way forward—one that aligns community, industry and climate,” he said.

Carbon 1 Mississauga is being developed in partnership with CRH Ventures, the venture capital arm of CRH, which has invested in Carbon Upcycling. The startup is also backed by investors including the Business Development Bank of Canada and several major global cement companies.

Ash Grove operates 12 cement plants and more than 40 terminals across North America.

Key Takeaways:

• Province signs $200M agreement with Haisla Nation to support electrification of Cedar LNG.
• Project will include construction of new transmission and distribution infrastructure.
• Cedar LNG is the world’s first Indigenous majority-owned LNG facility, slated to open in 2028.

The Whole Story:

The B.C. government has signed a $200-million agreement with Haisla Nation to support the electrification of the Cedar LNG project, a floating natural gas terminal set to be the first Indigenous majority-owned facility of its kind in the world.

The provincial funding will help build key infrastructure needed to power the project with clean electricity, including a 287-kilovolt transmission line, a new substation, distribution lines and nearshore electrification. The goal is to make Cedar LNG one of the lowest-emitting liquefied natural gas facilities globally.

Premier David Eby said the investment will help bolster B.C.’s economy while reducing exposure to foreign political instability and climate risk.

“By supporting Haisla Nation to power Cedar LNG with clean B.C. electricity, we’re taking another step in building a stronger economy that’s less exposed to reckless decisions made in the White House,” Eby said in a statement.

The federal government previously announced its own $200-million contribution to the project, bringing total public support for electrification to $400 million.

Haisla Nation Elected Chief Maureen Nyce said the support enables the Nation to advance development in its territory in line with its environmental values.

“Our vision for Cedar LNG was always predicated on being able to source the cleanest power option,” she said. “When Indigenous communities lead projects as owners, we are able to ensure that these projects are developed in the most environmentally responsible manner.”

Cedar LNG, a partnership between Haisla Nation and Pembina Pipeline Corporation, will be located near Kitimat and is expected to create up to 500 jobs during peak construction and employ about 100 people once operational. The facility is slated to begin operations in late 2028.

Energy Minister Adrian Dix said the project serves as a model for how economic reconciliation and climate action can go hand-in-hand.

“This agreement supports economic reconciliation, while creating a more energy-independent province, which is urgently needed during the current global and political climates,” he said.

Key Takeaways:

• Loblaw Companies Limited plans to install Canada’s largest rooftop solar system at its East Gwillimbury distribution centre, north of Toronto.
• The 7.5-megawatt system will span 435,000 square feet — more than seven football fields — and generate 8.5 million kWh of clean power annually, meeting up to 25% of the facility’s electricity needs.
• The project, set to be operational in 2026, is a partnership with Great Circle Solar and supports Loblaw’s goal of net-zero Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2040.

The Whole Story:

Loblaw Companies Limited says it is installing Canada’s largest rooftop solar power system at its East Gwillimbury distribution centre, a move the grocer calls a major step in its renewable energy strategy.

The 7.5-megawatt system will cover roughly 435,000 square feet of rooftop space — about the size of seven football fields — and is expected to generate more than 8.5 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually. The power will supply up to a quarter of the facility’s total electricity consumption.

“From the moment we began construction on our East Gwillimbury distribution centre, we knew we needed to take full advantage of the rooftop space to generate clean, renewable energy for the facility,” said Tom Marson, Loblaw’s vice-president of building technology and energy. “This solar installation will work alongside several other sustainable features at the DC, including fully electric shunt trucks and advanced building energy management systems.”

The system is slated to begin operations in 2026. Loblaw will partner with Great Circle Solar, which will develop, own and operate the installation. The two companies have collaborated on more than 90 energy projects across Canada since 2012.

“This marque project will be operational in 2026. It is by far the largest of its kind ever contracted in Canada and one of the largest on a single rooftop in North America,” said Clarke Herring, president of Great Circle Solar. “For over a decade, we’ve worked side by side to bring renewable energy solutions to communities across Canada. Loblaw’s continued leadership and long-term commitment to clean renewable energy is consistent and evident.”

The company says the solar array is part of a wider effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In 2024, Loblaw reported a 16% cut in Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions from its 2020 baseline and invested more than $40 million in 500 carbon reduction projects. Loblaw is targeting net-zero emissions for its enterprise operating footprint by 2040.

Steel holds up our bridges, buildings, and even the fantasy worlds of tabletop games — but behind every strong structure is a story of craftsmanship, innovation, and grit. In SiteNew’s latest video, we spotlight some of Canada’s top steel producers — from century-old legacy companies to family-run success stories — who are shaping the backbone of the nation’s infrastructure.

Join SiteNews Editor Russell Hixson as he trades in his Dungeons & Dragons dice for a deep dive into the real-world steel scene. You’ll learn about the origins and evolution of companies like Algoma Steel, Stelco, Canam, LMS Reinforcing Steel, George Third & Son, Walters Group, and Solid Rock Steel.

From massive bridges to cutting-edge architectural marvels, these firms are proving that the blacksmith’s hammer is alive and well — it just looks a little different today.

Kalesnikoff Mass Timber just opened a new 100,000-square-foot prefabrication and modular facility in Castlegar, B.C., expanding its vertically integrated mass timber operations—the first of its kind in North America. A fourth-generation, family-owned company founded in 1939, Kalesnikoff now produces a range of engineered wood products, including CLT and GLT panels, and supplies mass timber and prefabricated components to Western Canada, the U.S. Pacific Northwest, Japan, and Europe. The new facility enhances the company’s capacity to offer full modular construction solutions.

SiteNews caught up with Kalesnikoff Mass Timber’s Vice President of Construction, Andrew Stiffman, to talk about the significance of this new capacity, the future of Canadian mass timber and some of his favourite projects ever.

SiteNews: Tell me a bit about Kalesnikoff’s decision to build this new facility. It’s the first of its kind in North America. What the reasoning behind going for this project?

Stiffman: I think you got to understand the history of the company to answer that. It started as a sawmill operation which expanded into mass timber which is what I think most people know us as today, a mass timber manufacturer,  as we make glulam beams and CLT panels. We really focus on supporting the project needs in the construction market. I’d say 98% of our revenue is construction project based. So we’re basically serving as a specialty subcontractor. We’re not just selling products to people. It involves all the support services to take that material and turn it into something useful for the building. And in doing that we’ve that noticed so many gaps in the execution. So you have a fully pre-fabricated structure with a mass timber kit that we send to the site. Then the GC doesn’t have a way to get it dried in quickly, for instance, because they’re building the envelope the old fashioned way and it gets rained on and stained and you have a whole other host of issues. It takes forever and you lose all the schedule momentum that you’ve generated through a quicker erecting structure and a more fabricated structure. So we really saw the need and the opportunity to further the amount and level of pre-fabrication that we’re offering the end customer with pre-fabricated walls and with full volumetric modular. So that’s the market need that we’re trying to meet with the new expansion.

SiteNews: I understand the building itself is a showcase of mass timber and prefabrication. Tell me a bit about the design and the construction process.

Stiffman: Yeah, I would maybe push back on the word showcase a little bit. It’s built with mass timber and it’s really beautiful and it shows what can be done with mass timber, but the building was built with mass timber because I think that was the smartest way to build that building.  I think if we had built that out of steel pre-engineered system or tiltup walls, I think it would have cost a whole hell of a lot more. We’re not doing this to showcase as a marketing piece. It’s fortunate that it’s so beautiful and it’s acting as a marketing piece, but we’re the owners. We’re paying for this. So we’re doing this as effectively as possible to build ourselves a building that quickly that we can occupy quickly to launch the business because we’re trying to go to market and in a effective way.

SiteNews: We’ve heard a lot from various levels of government about how they want to boost mass timber and pre-fabrication as part of the solution to our housing crisis and a lot of things that we want to build. What do you think has been holding the industry back up until now?

Stiffman: As far as the prefabrication question goes, I think it’s really just supply and demand matching. The people that consume the technology are still really learning about the supply chain and what’s out there. You’re seeing in the designs they’re not fully conducive to say a mass timber module. for instance, what if you designed your whole multi-family building and you’ve designed it all around a 2×6 wall which is 5 and a half inches and the wall panel that we would send is six.  So it’s actually not significant but it becomes significant because the design has already occurred and it’s kind of unintentionally excluded a lot of technologies because they’ve taken it too far without having a building technology in mind or maybe made too many assumptions and it becomes infeasible to switch to prefab. I think what we need to see is along with this new investment in delivering houses is an investment in understanding the supply chain and coming up with more progressive procurement strategy so you can really leverage the benefits of prefab and be able to be more progressive by picking a building technology earlier on so that all of your design decisions make that technology more and more viable, not fighting against the technology.

SiteNews: Kalesnikoff is 80 years old. What do you think are some of the keys to success for keeping a business around for that long?

Stiffman: I can only answer it as the vice president of Mass Timber,  But I’d say historically I bet you if you ask that question to Ken Kalesnikoff, who’s part of the family business’ third generation and our current CEO, he’d probably say stubbornness is how they survived and he’s probably right. There were all sorts of dynamics that the business would have had to navigate to get to where we are today.  From a mass timber perspective, starting Kalesnikoff Mass Timber as a new company and going to market, I think that we’ve really tried to be agile and we’ve really tried to be receptive to what the customer and what the industry wants and needs and solve our customers problem. And you can contrast that to I think some of the groups that have struggled and unfortunately fallen down in that same time period have been very taken the other approach and they’ve been very top down and said, “this is what we make. We’re a kit of parts. We’re going to be a full stop building solution and you have to buy your light bulbs from us and you have to have your building set up to this grid and you really have to be on their program.” And I think that that is too big of a leap for the construction industry right now.

SiteNews: So this is the first facility of its kind in North America. What is the significance of this for Canadian builders and the Canadian construction sector? what sort of possibilities and opportunities does this open up?

Andrew Stiffman: First and foremost the biggest thing that I would really want to convey is there’s a lot of concerns about the capacity of mass timber. This is a huge facility. We have a ton of production capacity.  We have the ability to execute multiple large projects concurrently and really I hope just assuage any concerns from a developer who has a reasonable concern up till now of saying “hey I’m going to latch my horse to mass timber modular and when it comes time for me to build that no one’s going to have production capacity because it’s such a new market.” We’re really hopeful that we can communicate that we’re here we’re open for business. In addition to that, there’s lots of modular companies out there right now, but there’s also lots of concerns from the market about what they’re making. A light frame mod, for instance, we hear plenty of quality concerns. The resulting indoor space can be a little limiting and not the most inspiring space. And for that reason, I think that there is a bit of a stigma against modular for better or for worse. So, we want to come to market with a mass timber mod that has all the benefits of mass timber. It’s beautiful. It’s very high quality. We’re not going to have the quality and water issues from a light frame mod and the racking where the windows are breaking and drywalls cracking. it’s just a superior level quality as well as it’s a beautiful.

SiteNews: Obviously, we’ve been living through some odd times with our trade relationship with the U.S. What do you think is the significance of having, a Canadian solution here in B.C. for people to use?

Andrew Stiffman: I mean, I want to start by saying we’re a B.C. company, but the American market is  where some of our closest and most important foundational relationships are in the states and I think it’s just an unfortunate distraction with some of the messaging coming from the American government. I hope it can end and we can just reach homeostasis again because we’re certainly never going to abandon that market. But for Canadians, I think it’s a time where they want to see homegrown solutions that are scalable and inspiring. They want to see the innovation coming from their own country and some of that is a little bit of protectionism probably sure and to insulate against any trade attacks from the U.S. but I think a lot of that is just enthusiasm and I think it’s just really cool for people in Castleagar and in the Kootenays and in B.C. and more broadly in Canada to see Kalesnikoff making it happen. We’re competitive in L.A., we’re working right here in Castlegar building a daycare, we’re going to build a tower in San Diego. We’re really trying to be a topshelf construction company, manufacturer, mass timber supplier across North America. And I think that that just gets people really excited.

As Vice President of Construction, where do you see some of the biggest opportunities? what are some of the markets that you’re trying to go after? What is the business strategy for Kalishnikov Mass Timber?

Andrew Stiffman: For mass timber, and more broadly CLT panels and glulam beams, I really feel the world is your oyster. We haven’t done a hospital yet but we’re about to start one later this year in downtown Vancouver. It’s basically every type of building that there is, we’ve done that. We’ve built that out of mass timber.  So I think that that’s something that’s really exciting and also that’s enabled us to survive some of the ups and downs of the last tumultuous five years of COVID and trade wars and and having a tough period here is we’re so diversified by product type. So when development is hot, we can capture multi-family work. When development’s slow, we’ve got schools and hospitals and museums to build. We’re really flexible in that way. With modular and prefab, I think that it lends itself really well to two key things. Educational classrooms being a huge one as well as multi-family and rental. And fortunately, those are huge needs for BC, the province, and just North America, Canada more broadly to increase our production and our supply of those types of products. And fortunately for us, I think that’s what Mass Timber modular does best.

SiteNews: What are some of the most asked questions that you get and what are some of the biggest kind of misconceptions or the biggest pieces of misinformation around mass timber that you encounter during your job?

Andrew Stiffman: I want to plug the mass timber ecosystem in B.C. for a minute and say that if you’re a developer or a GC or an owner or any decision maker that’s evaluating mass timber and you have the opportunity to tap into the center of excellence from consultants and contractors and manufacturers right here in B.C., really centered in Vancouver, you have an advantage over pretty much anywhere else in North America that I don’t have to spend that much time educating thanks to being surrounded by so many smart people right here to deliver the projects and speak to their respective disciplines. I can really focus on execution in that way. More broadly, where the technology is newer, for sure, we spend a lot of time executing. We really set the business up to be able to answer all those questions. So we have the engineering, we have the project management, we have estimating, the design, we have all that in house that we can really service every need that the customer might have. So I think that we do a pretty effective job at that. Definitely the two biggest topics rightnow are cost and risk. We hear that all the time. So cost is an important one. We’re cost competitive. We do 200 projects a year and people aren’t coming to us out of the goodness of their heart. It’s because we have a competitive offering. With the sawmill, we are able to mitigate the biggest risk that these projects have which is what happens if you buy your lumbe,r you go out to market and you’re strategic and you try to buy it when lumber pricing is lower and then when it’s time to build lumber pricing escalates someone has to pay for that and it becomes a dispute. Because we’re vertically integrated with proper planning we can guarantee your price point even if that occurs.

SiteNews: Do you have a favorite project that really sticks out in your mind that you’re particularly proud of?

Andrew Stiffman: I think I get really inspired when we see product on projects meeting a need that couldn’t have been met another way. So, for instance, we’re working with a couple developers in Portland, Oregon right now and their model, it’s incredible. They’re focused on delivering affordable housing in and around Portland using mass timber. And from day one they called us. We worked together to align our optimum manufacturing sizes with their floor plans. And they’ve come up with a way of rearranging those floor plans to be architecturally compelling, accommodate the unit mix and different spatial orientations they need and be really effective for manufacturing and therefore cost effective for them as the developer. I think we’re on project six with that group. So, it’s working and they keep coming back because together we’re able to deliver something that I don’t think he could have put together any other way. That’s just one example. there’s so many exciting examples of work that gets me energized. I think that’s what I enjoy most. That’s what I love best about my job and about what we’re doing here.

When Hammad Chaudhry left EllisDon earlier this year to join construction technology startup Timescapes, the news circulated quickly through Canada’s construction industry. Chaudhry had spent more than a decade rising through EllisDon’s ranks, eventually leading national innovation and digital strategy efforts. His departure raised eyebrows not because it was controversial, but because it was rare. Few people make that kind of leap from a secure leadership role at a Tier 1 contractor to a startup environment.

Six months later, Chaudhry says the move was not about dissatisfaction, but about timing and opportunity. After years of evaluating, piloting, and deploying technology within a large organization, he wanted to gain hands-on experience on the product side.

“I had always worked with startups from the outside—as a client, a partner, sometimes an advisor,” he said. “But I’d never built something from within. I felt like if I didn’t do it now, I might never get the chance.”

Chaudhry joined Timescapes, a company focused on visual jobsite intelligence through automated camera systems and software. He was already familiar with the product through past collaboration and saw a practical advantage in how easy it was to use. In contrast to many construction tools that require complex onboarding or technical fluency, Timescapes stood out for its accessibility—something he believes is increasingly important as user expectations evolve.

“A big reason I was drawn to it was the simplicity,” he said. “It just worked. People on site didn’t need a tutorial to understand it, and that’s where a lot of technology falls short.”

Now embedded in a smaller team and faster-paced environment, Chaudhry has shifted from corporate innovation strategy to direct product involvement. His focus is on ensuring that Timescapes stays aligned with jobsite realities, drawing from his background working with project teams across Canada. He said the change has been refreshing—less process, more immediacy, and a stronger connection between decision-making and outcomes.

The move also highlights a broader trend in the industry: experienced professionals crossing into the tech space to help shape tools that are better informed by construction practice. As more contractors adopt digital workflows, there is growing recognition that successful technology must be intuitive, field-ready, and integrated into the way projects actually run.

“One of the biggest challenges in this space is building tools that match how construction really works,” he said. “If you’ve never built a project, it’s easy to miss the mark.”

Looking more broadly at construction technology in Canada, Chaudhry remains cautiously optimistic. He acknowledges that progress is being made—particularly in regions like Alberta and British Columbia—but believes the national ecosystem still lacks the strategic support necessary to retain and grow early-stage contech companies. Many promising startups, he notes, continue to scale by shifting their focus to U.S. markets. That reality underscores the importance of creating more supportive conditions for innovation at home.

At Timescapes, Chaudhry is focused on product strategy, customer integration, and ensuring that field workflows inform the company’s development roadmap. “We want to be known as a trusted, reliable tool that’s actually built for construction—not just for tech’s sake,” he said. “That means staying close to the people who use it every day.”

While the startup environment has its own challenges, Chaudhry believes the shift reflects a necessary convergence between construction and technology. “This wasn’t about leaving construction,” he said. “It was about contributing to it in a new way.”