NEWS

New home sales in the Greater Toronto Area have plunged to historic lows, raising fears of widespread layoffs and a severe housing downturn unless governments act quickly, the Building Industry and Land Development Association (BILD) warned Tuesday.

To all BUC Members and Construction Workers in Canada, I want to wish you a Happy Labour Day. Canada is built on your contributions, and you all deserve respect and a well-earned day of rest.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced a major funding boost for municipal housing infrastructure at the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) Conference in Ottawa this week, while new data shows the province is falling behind its homebuilding goals.

Prime Minister Mark Carney’s proposed housing plan, Build Canada Homes, will focus on affordable housing, Canadian-made materials, and faster development on federal lands, according to a consultation document recently released by the federal government.

The Ontario government has released a new plan aimed at increasing the use and manufacturing of advanced wood construction materials, including prefabricated and modular mass timber products.

Infrastructure Ontario has released its June 2025 market update, outlining the province’s largest-ever infrastructure investment. The plan includes more than $200 billion in spending on public assets, including hospitals, highways and transit projects.

As the next step in its plan to protect Ontario workers in the face of tariffs and economic uncertainty, the provincial government is expanding its Skills Development Fund (SDF) by nearly $1 billion over the next three years, for a total of $2.5 billion.

The Ontario government is introducing new legislation aimed at accelerating construction of homes, roads, and public transit with greater control over municipal planning.

As the April 28 federal election approaches, the major political parties have unveiled their platforms with significant implications for the construction industry. From ambitious housing targets to infrastructure investments and skilled trades initiatives, here’s a detailed look at each party’s commitments that directly impact builders, contractors, and trades professionals.

Despite a cooling housing market and mounting economic uncertainty, Premier Doug Ford insists his government can still meet its ambitious goal of building 1.5 million homes by 2031.

The City of Toronto issued $1,287,183,720 in building permits in March. The city processed 3,369 permits. While the permits issued declined from about $1.56 billion in February, the overall number of building permit applications filed in the month reached more than $5 billion, according to city documentation.

A group of Canada’s general contractors has launched the Canadian Construction Safety Council (CCSC), aiming to improve safety performance and set new industry benchmarks to better protect construction workers across the country.

The federal government will provide billions in low-cost, long-term financing to help build thousands of rental units in Toronto, including more than 1,000 affordable homes. A total of $2.25 billion will be allocated through Ottawa’s Apartment Construction Loan Program.

Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly has confirmed that Canada will implement retaliatory tariffs against the United States. Tariffs will be placed on U.S. goods including steel and aluminum, orange juice, peanut butter, wine, coffee and vehicles, in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to place 25 per cent tariffs on most Canadian imports and 10 per cent on energy, starting Tuesday.

The Building Union of Canada determined that the CG Group failed to comply with the pension rates according to the present Collective Agreement (withheld some pension contributions) over a period of several months.   Upon discovering that the pension contribution was incorrectly remitted, BUC contacted the employer  CG Group, who paid in full the contributions owed to our 50 members. 

While welcoming former RCMP deputy commissioner Kevin Brosseau’s appointment as Canada’s new ‘fentanyl czar,’ mental health organizations say Ontario leadership candidates need to sharpen their focus on an overdose crisis that has taken a disproportionate toll on construction workers.

The Ontario construction sector is facing a complex economic picture in early 2025, marked by a significant jump in unemployment alongside a welcome, though incomplete, cooling of building cost inflation, according to a report released Tuesday, 2025, by the Ontario Construction Secretariat (OCS), representing unionized contractors and construction trade unions.

The Board of Directors of The Building Union of Canada are proud to announce our support and election  endorsement for Premier Doug Ford and The Ontario Progressive Conservative Party.   

Ontario builders are eyeing a pivot to local and offshore suppliers of construction materials currently sourced from the U.S. including ceramics and architectural glass, specialized machinery and HVAC components.

The feds say reducing immigration will alleviate housing demand, but with a chronic worker shortage, the construction sector has increasingly relied on immigrant labour to build new homes.