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Commercial Close for Ontario Science Center P3

A long-awaited public-private partnership (P3) to build a new Ontario Science Center has finally reached commercial close. The project, which was procured by Infrastructure Ontario (IO), will design, build, finance and maintain the new science center as a key component of the province’s efforts to redevelop Ontario Place in Toronto. Once the construction is completed […]

Canada HSR Moving Forward With Quebec-Ottawa Segment First

In December, the Alto High-Speed Rail project and the Canadian government announced the initial phasing of the massive high-speed rail initiative. that will eventually connect the country’s two largest cities, Montreal and Toronto, as well as Ottawa and Quebéc City. The first segment of the project to be delivered will be the Montreal-to-Ottawa segment. The […]

Humber Health Hospital P3 Gets $100 million Lawsuit

An award-winning hospital P3 in Canada is now the subject of a $100 million lawsuit. Humber River Hospital, the project’s public sponsor, recently filed the lawsuit against the project’s concessionaire, Plenary Health Care Partnerships Humber (PHCP) in Ontario Superior Court, alleging that some of the hospital’s floors are not flat and that some of the […]

Canada Awards High-Speed Rail Predevelopment

Canada’s high-frequency rail procurement is now officially a high-speed rail project. In February, the Canadian government formally announced the selection of a predevelopment partner for a new high-speed rail project between Toronto and Quebec City, with stops in Peterborough, Ottawa, Montreal, Laval and Trois-Rivieres. The progressive P3 to deliver the project will not only be […]

P3s and Infrastructure Ontario Under Pressure

Ontario’s P3 industry is facing more public scrutiny and criticism than it ever has before, and even Infrastructure Ontario is in the cross hairs. In December, the Toronto Star ran an opinion piece titled “Infrastructure Ontario Must Go” calling for an end to the institution. The biggest source of consternation appears to be the ongoing […]

Canada Launches National Infrastructure Assessment

Canada took a major step toward implementing its long-awaited National Infrastructure Assessment (NIA) at the end of 2024. In December, it formally formed the Canadian Infrastructure Council. The 11-member council is an advisory body tasks with eventually delivering the NIA to the government. The Canadian government has been planning to conduct some form of a […]

From a High Frequency to a High Speed Rail P3

Canada’s rail industry is abuzz with reports that the government is seriously considering converting its ongoing High Frequency Rail project procurement to a truly High Speed Rail project, which would connect Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec City. The government has accepted proposals for the project from three shortlisted bid teams, and is expected to selected […]

Calgary’s Green Line: High Costs, No Train

Planning and development for Calgary’s Green Line LRT project has been more than a decade in the making. It may take a decade more for the now-$6.2 billion project to be built. In September, the Alberta government pulled its $1.53B share of funding for the first phase of the line, the Calgary city council voted […]

High Frequency Rail to Test Progressive Model in Canada

Canada’s High Frequency Rail project, which will provide electrified passenger rail between Toronto, Montreal and Quebec City, is expected to be the largest infrastructure project in the nation’s history. It will also be a major test of the progressive P3 model, which has remained fairly nascent in Canada despite becoming much more prevalent in the […]

Hamilton, Ontario Gets Light Rail, Heavy Politics

Amid local outcry, the city of Hamilton, Ontario has recommended a very short-duration operating concession for its multibillion dollar light rail project. The recommendation now goes to Metrolinx, which will be the public owner of the new transit line and has final say in the line’s operations. Still, local interest groups did not treat the […]