Canada: Construction & Planning

The Court of King's Bench of Alberta has provided important new guidance regarding construction lien timelines. The registration of a construction lien and certificate of lis pendens (CLP) is an effective way...

The Canadian Construction Documents Committee has introduced the CCDC 32 – Progressive Design-Build Contract, marking the first standardized industry form for this collaborative delivery model in Canada.

The Superior Court of Ontario has ruled that Waterloo Region's by-law to clear an encampment for transit construction violates the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, marking a historic first by recognizing homelessness as an analogous...

The Manitoba Court of Appeal has reaffirmed that defendants in multi-party litigation retain statutory rights to pursue contribution claims against settling co-defendants, even when they haven't raised all available defenses.

Transmission line projects across Ontario increasingly cross active farmland, requiring expropriation of easements that can significantly impact farming operations.

British Columbia is taking the next step toward bringing Bill 20, the Construction Prompt Payment Act (the “Act”), into force. Following the passage of the Act in November 2025, the Province has now launched a formal engagement process to inform how the new prompt payment framework will be implemented in practice.

Ontario's Municipal Buy Ontario Procurement Directive introduces sweeping changes to public sector procurement, requiring municipalities and local boards to prioritize Ontario-made vehicles and domestic supply chains in capital infrastructure projects. How will these new requirements affect procurement processes, contract evaluations, and vendor relationships for municipal sector entities navigating compliance deadlines and strategic category mandates?

As of a recent British Columbia Court of Appeal decision (the “Court” or the “Court of Appeal”), the answer may be yes —and through more than one avenue. In Green Light Solutions Corp. v. Kern BSG Management Ltd., 2025 BCCA 408 [Green Light], the Court of Appeal clarified that alleged breaches of procedural fairness in a domestic arbitration may qualify as questions of law under section 59(2) of the Arbitration Act, S.B.C. 2020, c. 2 (the “Act”).

When a claim is filed under Alberta’s Public Works Act, payments on a public project (where the Province of Alberta is the owner) can be frozen with very little recourse for the contractor. Despite recent amendments, Alberta contractors performing work on a construction project that constitutes a “public work” under the Public Works Act will continue to be challenged by the Act’s simplified claims process as it provides almost no opportunity to challenge claims submitted against a public project.