13 HUGE Canadian projects underway from coast to coast

13. Taza Mixed Use Developement ($4.5 billion) – Alberta 

The Taza mixed-use development will consist of 1,200 acres of development on the Tsuut’ina Nation near Calgary, which will include 17 million square feet of real estate. This makes it one of the largest First Nations developments in all of North America. There will be three distinct areas of the development known as Taza Park, Taza Crossing, and Taza Exchange. Costco was announced as the anchor tenant in 2019. 

12. Hurontario Light Rail Transit ($5.6 billion) – Ontario

Once in service, the 18-kilometre Hazel McCallion Line will bring a new method of transportation to a rapidly growing region. The new transit system will feature 19 stops, travel through two urban growth centres and connect to major transit systems including GO Transit (Milton and Lakeshore West lines), the Mississauga Transitway, Brampton Transit, ZUM and MiWay. The Hazel McCallion Line will operate in its own dedicated lane.

11. Gordie Howe International Bridge ($5.7 billion) – Ontario

This project aims to forge a stronger connection with our southern neighbours. The Gordie Howe International Bridge is a six-lane crossing of the Detroit River connecting the city of Detroit with Windsor, Ont. Once completed, the 1.5-mile crossing will be the longest cable-stayed bridge in North America, with a main span of .53 miles. The bridge will also feature a nearly 12-feet-wide pedestrian/cycling path. The project also includes building new ports of entry that will connect to both the American and Canadian bridge termini, as well as onward connections to I-75 in southwest Detroit. In October 2019, Metrolinx and Infrastructure Ontario officially announced Mobilinx is the winning bidder for the project.

10. Coastal GasLink Pipeline Project ($6.2 billion) – B.C.

This pipeline will serve the top project on this list. Work involves building a 650 km natural gas pipeline from the Dawson Creek area to the Canada LNG facility. TransCanada Corp has been selected to design, build, own and operate the project. The pipeline has received all pipeline and facility permits and certification under the Environmental Assessment Act in Oct 2014, and in May 2018 for alternate route application. The construction timeline will coordinate with LNG Canada project advancement.

9. The Réseau express métropolitain ($6.9 billion) – Quebec

Currently under construction, the Réseau express métropolitain (REM) project is being led by CDPQ Infra, a subsidiary of the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec. It will considerably transform the service offer in the Montreal metropolitan area by adding a 67 km long public transit network, served by an automated and electric light rail. The first trains are expected to start running in 2022 from the South Shore to Bonaventure-Central Station. Then, the West Island, North Shore and Centre of Montréal branches will be put into service at the end of 2024.

8. Iona Island Wastewater Treatment Plant Upgrades ($10.4 billion) – B.C.

The design concept for the upgrade includes tertiary treatment and a range of ecological restoration projects. Upgrades will include secondary and tertiary wastewater treatment expansion, and groundworks improvements. The facility operations will be completed by 2034 and additional digestors will be constructed by 2041. Crews are currently conducting in-water geological investigations.

7. Eglinton Crosstown LRT ($12.26 billion) – Ontario

The Eglinton Crosstown LRT is part of Metrolinx’s regional transportation plan, The Big Move, and is one of the first large-scale transit projects for the Toronto area. The LRT will provide fast, reliable and comfortable transit along Eglinton Avenue and will help to reduce congestion, offer reliable transit to Toronto residents and integrate transit services.

6. Darlington Nuclear Refurbishment ($12.8 billion) – Ontario

In 2016, after years of detailed planning and preparation, Ontario Power Generation’s team shut down the first of four Darlington reactors scheduled for refurbishment over the next 10 years. Officials say the project continues to progress on time and on budget. The refurbishment and the subsequent 30 more years of station operation, are expected to generate a total of $89.9 billion in economic benefits for Ontario, create 14,200 jobs per year, and boost personal income by an average of $1.6 billion on an annual basis.

5. Bruce Power Refurbishment ($13 billion) – Ontario

Ontario is going nuclear. This project will overhaul all eight of the units of the 6.2GW Bruce nuclear generating station, the largest plant of its kind in the country. It was originally constructed by Ontario Hydro between 1970 and 1987. Early project work began in 2016 and the refurbishment of unit 6 is expected to wrap in 2024.

4. GO Expansion – On-Corridor Works ($15.7 billion) – Ontario

The On Corridor Works project is the largest capital infrastructure project in the Province’s historic GO Rail Expansion program. On Corridor work includes all works that facilitate train service, such as track, civil infrastructure, signalling, electrification infrastructure and electric vehicles, as well as the operations and maintenance of the GO rail network. System-wide infrastructure upgrades will include: adding tracks, expanding stations, electrification of the rail network, new locomotives and train control systems to enable more frequent service.

3. Site C Project ($16 billion) – B.C.

Easily one of the most talked about project’s on this list, Site C involves building a third dam and hydroelectric generating station on the Peace River approximately seven kilometres southwest of Fort St. John. It will be capable of producing approximately 5,100 gigawatt-hours of electricity annually and 1,100 megawatts of capacity. Site C will provide clean, renewable and cost-effective power in B.C. for more than 100 years. While the project is currently underway, it has stirred up some controversy as its costs have escalated. It was originally approved with a budget of $8.7 billion. The latest employment report showed an army of 4,578 workers were on the site in August.

2. Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion ($21 billion) – B.C./Alberta

With cost increases, ownership changes and safety concerns, this is easily one of the most storied projects on this list. The original Trans Mountain Pipeline was built in 1953 and continues to operate safely today. The expansion is essentially a twinning of this existing 1,150-kilometre pipeline between Strathcona County, Alta. and Burnaby, BC. It will create a pipeline system with the nominal capacity of the system going from approximately 300,000 barrels per day to 890,000 barrels per day. The original cost of the project was estimated to be $7.4 billion. The most recent cost increase have been attributed to the pandemic and catastrophic flooding in B.C.

1. LNG Canada ($36 billion) – B.C.

This behemoth LNG terminal facility is being built on the former Methanex facility site. It will include a gas liquefaction plant, storage tanks, a marine terminal and a rail yard. Water treatment facility and flare stacks will also be constructed on the site. JGC Corp and Flour Corp have been awarded the engineering, procurement and construction contract. An agreement is in place to connect to the BC Hydro power grid. The project has been approved under the Environmental Assessment Act, and by the National Energy Board (NEB) for a 40-yr export license to replace the current 25-year license. A final investment decision was approved in October 2018 to go ahead with the project. The 5-year process to complete a potential of four trains is expected to have the first train in production by Late 2023.