Articles from On-site

On-Site magazine is inviting submissions for its 2025 Canadian Construction Photo Contest, open to both amateur and professional photographers. Participants are encouraged to submit high-resolution photos taken on Canadian construction sites during 2025. The contest aims to showcase the construction industry's work across Canada, with winning entries featured in both print and online versions of the magazine. Submissions are accepted until January 9, 2026, and winners will be announced in February 2026.

A recent report from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors indicates that while there is strong optimism about AI in the construction industry, its implementation remains low, with only 45% of organizations using it and just 1% having scaled it across projects. The report highlights significant barriers to AI adoption, such as a lack of skilled personnel and integration challenges, despite 70% of professionals believing AI can add value. Investment plans are inconsistent across the industry, with some firms planning to increase spending and others not. The report calls for collaboration in the industry to overcome these challenges and ensure responsible AI use.

Procore’s Groundbreak 2025 in Houston, Texas, highlighted the integration of AI into the company's platform and announced a leadership transition. Tooey Courtemanche introduced Ajei Gopal as Procore's next CEO. The conference showcased Procore Helix, an intelligence layer that includes AI tools such as Procore Assist and Agent Builder. Discussions emphasized the future of AI in construction and the need for standardization of data.

In September 2025, employment in Canada's construction industry decreased by 8,200 jobs, translating to a 0.5% drop compared to August. Despite this decline, employment was still up by 18,900 jobs or 1.2% from the same month in 2024. The overall employment rate in Canada rose by 0.1 percentage points, while the unemployment rate remained at 7.1%. The construction sector experienced the second-largest decline among industries tracked by Statistics Canada's Labour Force Survey.

The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation reported a strong increase in housing starts in September, with the six-month trend rising more than 4% and actual starts up by 19% year-over-year in centers with populations over 10,000. The monthly seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) also rose by 14% from August figures. Montreal and Toronto saw significant gains in housing starts, primarily driven by multi-unit buildings, while Vancouver experienced a slight decrease. Overall, Ontario, Quebec, and the Prairie provinces contributed to the boost in overall starts, particularly in rental apartments.

White Cap has expanded its North American operations by acquiring two businesses: Advanced Forming Solutions in the Pacific Northwest and Anchor Construction Industrial Products in Western Canada. AFS specializes in concrete forming and shoring solutions, while Anchor Construction distributes fasteners and construction supplies across several Canadian provinces. These acquisitions aim to enhance White Cap's customer service efficiency and create growth opportunities. White Cap operates around 500 branches and serves 200,000 customers in North America.

The construction employment sector in Canada continued its decline in July, with payroll employment dropping by 2,200 positions—a 0.2 per cent dip—after a similar downturn in June. This ongoing decrease largely affected specialty trade contractors, residential building construction, and building equipment contractors. Meanwhile, job vacancies in the sector fell by 14.3 per cent in July, marking the lowest vacancy rate since October 2017. The overall decline in job vacancies continued a trend noticed since July 2024, with a significant reduction of available positions in the market.

The article discusses the launch of Build Canada Homes, a new federal agency in Canada focused on building affordable housing across the country. Headed by Ana Bailão, the agency aims to increase the housing supply by partnering with private developers, leveraging public lands, and offering financial incentives to build more homes sustainably and at scale. Prime Minister Mark Carney announced an initial $13 billion capitalization for the agency, which aims to double housing construction and reduce homelessness. Emphasis will be placed on using modern, eco-friendly construction methods and materials.

Prime Minister Mark Carney has announced the first set of projects to be fast-tracked by Canada’s new Major Projects Office (MPO). These projects, valued at over $60 billion, include the LNG Canada Phase 2, the Darlington New Nuclear Project, the Contrecœur Terminal Container expansion, and the McIlvenna Bay Foran Copper Mine. The MPO aims to streamline assessments and approvals for these nation-building initiatives and enhance Canada's economic growth. Additional sectors for development include critical minerals and wind energy in Atlantic Canada.

The CMHC reports that housing starts across Canada's principal cities have remained stable but show significant regional variation in 2025. While cities like Calgary, Edmonton, and Montreal experienced high construction rates, Toronto and Vancouver saw declines, primarily due to slow condominium starts. Rental housing construction surged, driven by government incentives, but the overall slowdown in the homeownership market poses future risks. Development charges and approval times are major hurdles for increased construction in cities like Vancouver and Toronto.

Power Curbers Companies has acquired Miller Formless Systems, a mid-sized slipform machine producer based in Illinois. This acquisition aims to leverage synergies between the two firms to enhance product offerings and customer support while maintaining Miller Formless' legacy. Miller Formless will operate under its brand name and continue producing machines for contractors worldwide. Founded in 1953, Power Curbers is known for manufacturing concrete slipform machines for various applications.

Bluebeam, a leading developer for AEC professionals, has acquired Firmus AI to enhance its project review platform with AI capabilities. This acquisition integrates Firmus' AI technology into Bluebeam's workflows, allowing for early risk identification and efficient cross-discipline analysis. The integration aims to improve efficiency and mitigate risks in the preconstruction phase through detailed document analysis. Firmus' technology will be incorporated into Bluebeam's products starting in early 2026.