Regulations
Clothing donation bins may pose liability risk
Commercial property owners who host clothing donation bins could run afoul of their province's Occupiers Liability Act or Occupational Health and Safety Act should an incident occur.
Protecting contract final payments
A frustrating recent trend in the construction industry is the improper withholding of the final construction payment by the owner.
NDP launches new agreement for public projects
The NDP government has introduced a new labour agreement for major public-sector infrastructure projects to be administered by a new crown corporation.
Developers decry pullback on property tax grant
Rules for the program are set to change, making the timing less than ideal for development proponents still awaiting a decision based on the original criteria in place when they submitted their applications.
Alberta retracts promised retrofit incentives
Despite information posted on the Energy Efficiency Alberta website for more than a month, commercial customers do not qualify for the new incentives announced in May 2018.
Real estate vulnerable to Canada-U.S. trade war
High-rise development is expected to be the hardest hit real estate activity, but fallout across a wider range of consumer goods has potential negative implications for commercial warehouse and distribution facilities.
Manitoba nixes tax break for new rental housing
Developers of purpose-built rental housing in Manitoba are losing a tax credit that has been available for the past five years.
Supreme Court of Canada’s decision on L&M bonds
The Supreme Court of Canada released a decision on February 15, 2018 which imposes a new duty to inform claimants of the existence of a L&M bond.
Plans for first net positive energy office building
An office building in Markham, Ontario's technology hub plans to be the first net positive energy office building in Canada.
Bill 142 ensures contractors get prompt payment
On December 5, Bill 142 passed third reading in the Ontario Legislature. The Bill requires that all public work in the province be protected by bonds.
When the developer next door comes calling
With construction booming and land scarce, condo buildings in urban areas may face a situation where a neighbouring developer requires access to their land.
Construction side effects carry deadly risks
Living through construction may be a fact of life for city dwellers, but living through construction can be a fact of life and death for hospital patients.
Condo conversions to see expanded warranties
Starting next year, builders and vendors of residential conversion projects will have to register with Tarion and get approval to proceed with their plans.
New trade partners move up Canada’s wish list
CETA isn't expected to suddenly propel a wave of Canadian firms onto short lists for EU projects, but it does open up opportunities to start building relationships with potential customers.
The role of traffic study in development approvals
It comes as no surprise that traffic in urban areas is becoming more congested every year and everyone blames the new developments.
Builders abuzz about cannabis legalization
Ontario’s residential construction industry is anxiously awaiting tools from the province to help it uphold its workplace health and safety obligations when recreational cannabis becomes legal next year.
B.C. steps towards net zero
Net zero has long been used to describe the highest performing buildings – an objective in the building industry to reduce its environmental footprint.