Last month, the federal government announced that it would be investing $10 million for 18 applied research projects that explore “specific, impactful ways” to help Canada meet its housing and infrastructure needs.

These projects aim to generate innovative, practical solutions to the housing and infrastructure challenges faced by Canadian communities. The solutions range from building a national housing data platform, to studying the impacts of transit investments on low-income and racialized communities, to combatting youth homelessness.

“These important projects will support innovative solutions that will help build more critical infrastructure and housing, faster across Canada,” said Sean Fraser, Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities.

The list of projects include the following architect-led initiatives.

5468796 Architecture in Winnipeg, Manitoba, is aiming to identify and leverage under-utilized land and building assets of non-government organizations to support new affordable housing development. The project, called Shared Ground: Leveraging Social Purpose Infrastructure for Affordable Housing, aims to help address the shortage of affordable housing in Winnipeg.

In Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, a project by Taylor Architecture Group Ltd. called Prototyping a Resilient Northern Home: Ongoing Barriers and Alternative Solutions aims to help study alternative housing designs that respond to the unique systems, environments, and infrastructure in remote and northern communities. The results and insights to be shared with policymakers seek to support the construction and maintenance of housing in the North.

University research also features among the selected projects.

In Toronto, a project by Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) called Navigating Transformation: A Comprehensive Study of Transit Infrastructure Investments and Their Implications for Black Renters in Toronto, aims to help conduct a study on the impacts of transit investments on low-income and racialized communities in an Ontario city, specifically tenants. The results and findings are meant to inform policy decision makers on transit investments, while ensuring the protection of vulnerable communities from displacement and unaffordable housing.

One by the University of Toronto, called Accelerating Affordable Housing Development with an AI-Assisted Platform for Partnerships aims to help create an online platform to facilitate partnerships between developers, municipalities, and lenders for innovative mixed-use projects, promoting affordable housing solutions, diverse collaborations, and increased participation from non-traditional funders.

A McGill-led project called Canadian Housing Observatory aims to help create a national online platform that brings together diverse housing data, allowing for in-depth exploration and analysis of housing issues, supporting broad insights, and promote housing education.

Meanwhile, Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, is advancing studies of 3D concrete printing technology to build more durable housing and infrastructure by conducting large-scale proof-of-concept tests through their project, 3D Printed Concrete: An Innovative, Efficient, and Resilient Solution to Canada’s Housing Needs.

The full list of projects can be found here.

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The Architectural Institute of British Columbia has transitioned its achievement awards to the Architectural Foundation of BC (AFBC). Since 2021, the rebranded AFBC has undertaken the program which includes the Lieutenant Governor Awards—an institution that the AIBC had run for several decades. Kudos must go to the AFBC board for their ongoing efforts to which we can now add the AFBC Architectural Achievement Awards, having had its inaugural launch on November 21st in the Vancouver Railtown District.

Sitting next to Vancouver’s bustling port, the venue was generously provided by the principal at Informprojects, Harvey Reehal, offering a peek at their recently renovated Informprojects showroom next to the American Can Company building. Located on the sixth floor and facing the port and waterfront, the reno was itself the recipient of a Lieutenant Governor Award in 2023 for OMB Architects. With several prominent members of Vancouver’s architectural community receiving awards, the turnout was a packed house despite the evening’s inclement weather.

With AIBC board members Michelle Fenton and Kim Barnsley as emcees for the evening, AFBC Chair Karl Gustavson said a few opening words about the Foundation, after which the evening’s program began with a land acknowledgment and Coast Salish performance by Coastal Wolf Pack. Six awards were then given out in total, two of which were for recipients unable to receive them in 2020 due to COVID restrictions:

• Abdel Munem Amin – Barbara Dalrymple Memorial Award (not in attendance)
• Nick Milkovich – Lifetime Achievement (attended)

• Nancy Mackin – Community Stewardship (attended)
• Darryl Condon – Barbara Dalrymple Memorial Award for Community Service (attended)
• Peter Cardew – Lifetime Achievement (awarded posthumously)
• William R. Rhone – Lifetime Achievement (attended)

The evening provided those representatives present from Vancouver’s architecture and design firms the opportunity to honour these six individuals and allow their friends and family to see the impact their careers have had on our Little Village by the Sea. It was a privilege to be sitting next to both Bill Rhone and Nick Milkovich, two individuals whose careers have touched any architect who has lived and worked in BC. It was also a delight to see the projects Nancy Mackin had brought to share, along with the impact that her stewardship has had on the communities she’s worked with.

As Treasurer of the AIBC Council (now Board) in 2018, I was fortunate to have served alongside one of the evening’s recipients, Darryl Condon, who for many years led the Institute, and continues to lead along with the other principals at hcma. We chatted afterward that his award was not a lifetime achievement award because he is very much still in mid-stride.

On a more serious note, the evening’s most somber moment came in the posthumous award to the late Peter Cardew, who we sadly lost during COVID-19. Along with the projects of Milkovich and Rhone, these three constitute a lion’s share of architectural achievement in Metro Vancouver. Nick Milkovich was honoured for his own firm’s work along with his lifelong collaboration with Arthur Erickson, while Bill Rhone was awarded for his firm Rhone & Iredale—where Peter Cardew also worked—and itself a titan firm in its day.

It was overall a generous evening hosted by the AFBC, and we can look forward to other future achievement awards in between the bi-annual Lieutenant Governor awards. As Karl Gustavson noted in his opening comments, both architects and architecture need a voice in Metro Vancouver and the province. With the rebranding of the AFBC in 2021, very much in anticipation of the Professional Governance Act replacing the BC Architect’s Act, the Foundation currently has the opportunity to be that voice. To provide not just awards programs but scholarships, walking tours, and perhaps—as Karl hinted—even a return of Architecture in Schools.

One may ask where is Vancouver’s architecture centre? Recently visiting Montreal, it occurred to me they have called the CCA the Canadian Centre for Architecture so there is no mistaking it there. And in Toronto, for many years the Design Exchange was run by the Toronto Society of Architects and the de facto centre of architecture in TO (sadly shuttered in 2019). So, where is Vancouver’s? For some time there was the AIBC Architecture Centre, but with it closing its doors in 2020 perhaps the AFBC can look to locate somewhere in 2025.

Our country is vast, and our provincial architectural associations can only do so much given their regulatory mandate. And national organizations like the RAIC and CACB cannot possibly provide for everyone given limited staff and resources to support local advocacy for each metropolitan area. It is up to each of us, with boots on the ground in our local architectural communities, to advocate whether to write a piece like this one or attend an event like the Achievement Awards. Local architects and designers can each do their part by being present for our profession. Those who came out this past rainy November night to 411 Railway Street did just that, and congratulations again to all the evening’s award recipients!

For more information on the event go to Architectural Awards of Excellence — AFBC, and view the evening’s photo gallery here.

Sean Ruthen is a Metro Vancouver-based architect.

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Light House, an organization focused on advancing regenerative and circular practices in the built environment, has launched a new initiative with the aim to divert and upcycle plastic waste from approximately 10 Metro Vancouver construction sites.

The pilot program, called the Construction Plastics Initiative, is running from now until February 2026 and is actively seeking projects to bring on board. 

The objective of the initiative is to demonstrate the feasibility and financial viability of a circular economic model for plastic waste generated on construction sites.

The intention is to collect, separate, measure and process plastics from construction sites to determine the amount and types of plastic waste being generated in British Columbia’s construction sector and to demonstrate circular economic solutions to divert and repurpose the plastic into new products.

Project participants will be able to showcase their leadership by pioneering plastic diversion as well as using the locally manufactured building products in their projects.

“Currently, there is a lack of comprehensive studies in North America quantifying the volume of construction plastic waste directed to landfills. Studies from Europe suggest approximately 80 per cent of plastic waste from on-site construction activities consists of clean packaging materials, which are readily divertible from landfills. This pilot project aims to provide valuable insights into the extent of construction plastic pollution in North America and to identify opportunities for circular innovation in managing construction plastics,” said Gil Yaron, managing director, Circular Innovation, Light House.

“In Canada right now, virtually all of the plastic generated on these construction sites is ending up in landfill or being buried on site. There’s a better solution – and we’re testing it out right now through our Construction Plastics Initiative. We’re bringing partners together through the construction plastic value chain, developing a management framework to collect, monitor and track the flow of materials, and we’re exploring the business case and sale of derivative building products back into the construction sector.”

Collected plastics from all projects will be processed by Ocean Park Recycling prior to being recycled into reusable plastic pellets, which will be integrated into the manufacturing of a range of new building products.

The pilot program will also help developers and general contractors reduce material use and the embodied carbon associated with their projects. Through this initiative, Light House is reducing the environmental impact of construction while also preparing the industry for the federal government’s upcoming plastics registry reporting requirements in 2026.

A qualified site monitor will be provided to the participating construction project. The site monitor will work with the general contractor and site supervisor to identify the types of plastics to be collected, schedule collections based on the construction timeline, provide size-appropriate collection bins, train site crews on proper source separation practices, monitor bins for contamination, and assist with the delivery and removal of collection bins, as required.

To learn more about the Construction Plastics Initiative, click here.

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The Canadian Wood Council (CWC) has announced the recipients of the 2024 Catherine Lalonde Memorial Scholarships.

The memorial scholarships, which were established nineteen years ago, are awarded each year to graduate students whose wood research exemplifies the same level of passion for wood and the wood products industry that Catherine Lalonde demonstrated as a professional engineer and president of the CWC.

This year, Laura Walters from McMaster University and Jiawen Shen from the University of British Columbia were recognized for their academic excellence and impactful research projects in the structural wood products industry.

Walters is a third year graduate student pursuing a Master of Applied Science in Civil Engineering at McMaster University. Her research project explores the use of pre-engineered beam hangers in mass timber post-and-beam systems, with a focus on the implications of design and modelling assumptions on the evaluation of structural load paths. Her work provides valuable insights into the design considerations and assumptions required for more accurate and reliable design of mass timber columns when pre-engineered beam hangers are used.

Shen is a first year graduate student pursuing a Master in Wood Science at the University of British Columbia. Her research project focuses on the development of binderless composite bark-board cladding and insulation panels that are durable, ignition resistant, carbon neutral, and manufactured from an underutilized by-product that would otherwise be burned, landfilled, or used for low-value purposes. Collaborating with a Vancouver-based architecture firm on this project, her work is key to advancing the commercial application of these innovative cladding products.

“This year marks a historic milestone for the Catherine Lalonde Memorial Scholarship program as, for the first time, it is awarded to two exceptional women,” said Martin Richard, VP of market development and communications at the CWC. “Their achievements highlight the outstanding talent driving innovation in wood research and construction. We are inspired by their contributions and the growing diversity shaping the future of wood-based solutions.”

For more information, click here.

Images courtesy of the Canadian Wood Council

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Another year has come and gone and we’re rounding up the top 10 most read news posts of the year.

From the many updates on the beloved Ontario Science Centre and Ontario Place to a review of the Well in Toronto, here are the top most-visited news posts of 2024 in order.

10. Amid 865 trees coming down, Province releases 95-year lease with Therme

The highly contested redevelopment of Ontario Place, a waterfront property in downtown Toronto, came to a head this fall with the abrupt demolition of the trees and structures in a large part of the property. The work—which included the removal of every single tree on the western portion of the waterfront site—is part of the approximately $200-million in work that taxpayers are funding to prepare the land for Therme, an Austrian spa company, to develop a stadium-sized indoor waterpark on the site.

9. The Well, Toronto, Ontario: Review by John Lorinc

The Well, a much anticipated and heavily publicized collaboration between RioCan and Allied Properties REIT, opened in Toronto this year. Several design firms were involved in the project, including Hariri Pontarini Architects, Urban Strategies, CCxA, BDP, architects—Alliance, Wallman Architects, and Adamson Associates. Journalist John Lorinc reviewed the complex, and explains its significance for Toronto urbanism.

8. Cost of Ontario Science Centre temporary location exceeds cost of roof repairs

On June 24, 2024, Infrastructure Ontario put out an RFP for a commercial/retail space to house a temporary Science Centre until its planned new facility at Ontario Place is complete. Canadian Architect editor Elsa Lam noted that the temporary location, which would not be open until 2026, would put the Science Centre in a location that was significantly smaller—and likely much more remote—than its current site. She also analyzes how the cost of the temporary location would exceed the cost of making necessary repairs to the existing Moriyama-design Science Centre.

7. Ontario Place project at risk as Canada ignores engagement requirements with Indigenous Peoples

A release issued by the Haudenosaunee Development Institute (HDI) stated that it believes that the Federal government has failed to meet Indigenous engagement obligations for the Ontario Place project on Toronto’s waterfront. The release noted that if the Government of Canada fails to fulfill its responsibility to engage and collaborate with Indigenous Peoples, the multi-billion-dollar Ontario Place development project could face significant delays.

6. Ontario Science Centre doesn’t require full closure: A close reading of the engineers’ report

Just after the Ontario Science Centre was abruptly closed, Canadian Architect editor Elsa Lam released a deep dive into Rimkus engineers’ roof report, which was used to justify the closure. Her analysis suggests that the building’s key exhibition areas could continue to operate safely—even if the Ontario government choose not to invest in any structural roof repairs by the fall.

5. McGill University researchers say modern temperature control and ventilation design could be transformed with historic technique

Researchers from McGill University say that by revamping a forgotten heat recovery technique used in the design of Montreal’s Royal Victoria Hospital, modern temperature control and ventilation design could be transformed.

4. TSA issues open letter on Ontario Science Centre closure

On June 21, 2024, the provincial government announced that the Ontario Science Centre’s landmark 1969 building, by Japanese-Canadian architect Raymond Moriyama, would be closed immediately, for an indefinite period of time. Organizations including Canadian Architect, ACO, and the TSA rallied quickly to voice their opposition to the closure.

3. The true cost of repairing the Ontario Science Centre is much, much less than what Infrastructure Ontario has been saying—and the proof is in its own documents

Two figures have been cited by the Ontario Government: $478 million and $369 million. The actual number is much less—around $200 million, or just $24 million for tackling priority repairs to keep the museum open for several years to come, writes Elsa Lam.

2. As Province edges towards demolition of Science Centre, documents point to a manufactured crisis

The documents issued by the government on July 11 point to known issues and minor problems that can be easily resolved, providing further evidence of a manufactured crisis surrounding the closure.

1. Provincial government agrees to pause demolition at Ontario Place

On July 10, 2024, the Ontario government agreed to halt demolition pending the results of Ontario Place Protectors (OPP)’s challenge to the Rebuilding Ontario Place Act on July 19. Unfortunately, after the group’s challenge was unsuccessful, demolition continued. OPP has appealed the ruling.

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The timeline for opening a permanent new Ontario Science Centre appears to have been delayed, with infrastructure officials telling the auditor general’s office the centre is expected to be up and running in 2029.

When Premier Doug Ford announced last year the planned move for the attraction, from its east Toronto location to a redeveloped Ontario Place on the city’s waterfront, the science centre said the new facility would open in 2028.

In June, when the government announced the abrupt closure of the science centre over structural concerns with the roof, its press release said the Ontario Place facility would open “as early as” 2028.

Now, according to a report earlier this month from Ontario’s auditor general Shelley Spence on the Ontario Place redevelopment, “the new building is expected to open in 2029.”

That information was provided to the auditor general’s office by Infrastructure Ontario, a spokesperson for the auditor said.

Jason Ash, co-chair of the group Save Ontario’s Science Centre, said it’s a shame that there will be no permanent Ontario Science Centre for at least an extra year.

“It’s really a whole generation of Ontario children who are not going to have access to world-class science education that the Ontario Science Centre has provided for 55 years,” he said.

“Simply put, the Ontario Science Centre was unique in that the majority of its business actually came from Ontarians, with tourism coming in second place. So Ontario kids aren’t being served and tourists are not going to get a great experience either in the meantime.”

Two requests for comment from Infrastructure Minister Kinga Surma went unanswered, with a spokesperson ultimately replying to a third by saying she would not be responding.

“Due to the request submitted by the Leader of the Official Opposition to the Integrity Commissioner on October 16th, 2024, Minister Kinga Surma has been asked not to comment and will respect the process at this time,” Ash Milton wrote.

Milton’s reply came after Surma answered at least a dozen questions in question period on the auditor general’s Ontario Place redevelopment findings.

NDP Leader Marit Stiles’ integrity complaint focused largely on terms and negotiations that led to a 95-year lease for Therme to build and operate a spa and waterpark at Ontario Place, but also alleges “irregularities” with the plan to relocate the science centre.

Stiles suggests, based on information previously uncovered last year by the auditor general, that the government wanted to have the science centre at Ontario Place and integrate parking promised to Therme with the science centre building in order to dispel public concerns over the project.

“This is yet another expensive project that nobody asked for – with a plan that no one is buying,” Stiles wrote in a statement this week.

“We could have revitalized the existing Science Centre for a fraction the cost. Ford and Surma boasted about the new Science Centre opening in 2028, but that sounds like more false promises from a flailing government.”

A spokesperson for Infrastructure Ontario said the procurement process for the new centre continues, with the request for proposals stage expected to wrap up next fall.

A firm date for the completion of construction will be posted once a contract is awarded, and the opening date will depend on the centre’s timeline for moving into the new building, Karen Evans said in an email.

“The overall plan for delivering the vision remains unchanged,” she said.

That audit found that it will now cost more for the government to build a new Ontario Science Centre at Ontario Place than it would have to maintain the site it abruptly closed earlier this year.

The cost estimate for building and maintaining a new science centre at Ontario Place has increased by nearly $400 million from the government’s spring 2023 business case for relocating it, the auditor said, meaning it will cost approximately $1.4 billion — higher than the $1.3-billion estimate for maintaining the attraction at its east Toronto location.

The increase is due to higher design and construction costs, life cycle and maintenance costs, and ancillary costs that have added up because of changes to the scope of the planned building and about $61 million in cost escalations, Spence wrote.

Michael Lindsay, at the time the president and CEO of Infrastructure Ontario, said he didn’t agree that building a new science centre will cost more than rehabilitating the old one, noting that project would also be facing inflationary price increases.

Lindsay provided some reasoning for possible delays in a briefing on the day the science centre was closed.

“The language … (of “as early as” 2028) probably just reflects the realities of procurement and construction,” he said.

“We’re going to be talking to our counterparties through the procurement about what it would take to construct a new science centre, how long that might be, and so I think the plan remains the plan. That language probably just points at the reality that further conversation with our market is coming about what it’s going to take to both procure and then build the new science centre.”

Ontario is planning to have a temporary science centre open in the interim, but has not provided any public updates on that process since it issued a request for proposals in June.

That RFP showed the province is looking for retail or commercial space of about 50,000 to 100,000 square feet — much smaller than the original building’s 568,000 square feet – with a start date of “no later than” Jan. 1, 2026.

The RFP also showed that the province wants a lease of up to five years for the temporary space, plus three options to extend the lease for one year each, which would allow the government to operate a science centre in a temporary home until 2034, Ash said.

The science centre is currently operating two pop-up exhibits at Harbourfront Centre and the Sherway Gardens mall in Toronto.

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The Toronto Society of Architects (TSA) is rolling out its popular Gingerbread City showcase for the fifth consecutive year.

The TSA’s Gingerbread City, which consists of both a virtual and in-person exhibit, invites architects and gingerbread lovers to celebrate architecture and city-building through whimsical and edible creations.

This year, the housing crisis was top of mind as bakers submitted a diverse array of housing solutions from mid-rise cooperative projects of all shapes and sizes, to New York style brownstones and single-family detached homes.

There is also a thoughtful reminder of the many Torontonians experiencing homelessness and the importance of building housing for everyone.

In addition to housing related submissions, the showcase features some local landmarks including two CN Towers and the recently completed Ace Hotel.

Kids’ Main Street, which is returning as part of this year’s virtual showcase, is a mixed-used streetscape featuring over 30 façades designed and built by children, ages 2 to 11, and completed during in-person workshops held earlier this month.

The workshops were an opportunity to learn what makes a vibrant streetscape and have some family fun. The result  features everything from a fire station to a costume store, cafes, restaurants, toy stores, and a myriad of ice cream shops.

TSA Gingerbread City’s virtual showcase and in-person display opened on December 17, 2024, with an in-person preview happening at The Maker Bean Cafe on December 14.

The in-person display will remain available until January 10, 2025, at The Maker Bean Cafe, located at 1052 Bloor Street West, Toronto.

To visit the virtual showcase, click here.

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Following three years of planning and design, Calgary Municipal Land Corporation (CMLC), Arts Commons and The City of Calgary have announced that the Arts Commons Transformation (ACT) expansion has broken ground.

This marks a significant step forward in the delivery of the arts-focused infrastructure project currently underway in Canada.

“Since revealing the architectural designs for the ACT expansion in April, CMLC, as Development Manager for the ACT project, has been working with our construction and project management teams to develop a strategic and efficient construction management plan for the project, and to secure approval for our Development Permit this fall,” said Kate Thompson, president and CEO of CMLC. “A groundbreaking is an exciting moment in any project – it represents the culmination of years of advocacy, design, approvals and planning, and marks the beginning of really bringing a project to life. We can’t wait for the ACT expansion to begin to take its place in Calgary’s iconic skyline.”

Construction on the ACT expansion, designed by KPMB Architects, Hindle Architects and Tawaw Architecture Collective, will begin in January 2025. Construction will be managed by EllisDon with project management by Colliers Project Leaders, and is expected to be completed in 2028.

The ACT expansion is the first of the three campus transformation phases to begin construction. The other two phases include the Olympic Plaza Transformation (OPT) project, which is now fully funded, and the ACT modernization, for which efforts are underway to secure the remaining required funds.

“To finally be able to break ground on this once-in-a-lifetime project, with such an unprecedented level of public and private support, sends a strong message to the world about the importance of arts and culture to a city’s well-being, as well as to Calgary’s position on the global stage,” said Alex Sarian, president and CEO of Arts Commons. “Earlier this year we were humbled to announce both the Government of Alberta’s $103 million commitment, and Dave Werklund and family’s record-setting $75 million transformational gift which, combined with the $320.5 million of already secured funding, brings us to over 75 per cent of our fundraising goal for this $660 million downtown cultural campus. As we prepare to unveil our rebranding to Werklund Centre in 2025, I am overwhelmed by the sense optimism that comes from building the future of our city together.”

Design is currently underway for the Olympic Plaza Transformation (OPT) project, which is aiming to create a more modern, inclusive and accessible arts-focused outdoor gathering space as part of the contiguous Arts Commons campus upon its completion in 2028. The design for the Olympic Plaza Transformation project will be revealed in the late first quarter of 2025.

CMLC and The City of Calgary have also launched a series of digital experiences to archive Olympic Plaza’s 1988-2024 chapter, including the Olympic Brick Finder, the Olympic Plaza Interactive Experience and the Olympic Plaza 3D Perspective. All three tools can be found here.

The Olympic Plaza will close at the beginning of January 2025 to facilitate construction and site fencing will be installed around the entirety of it at that time before beginning site demolition.

8 Avenue between Macleod Trail and 1 St S.E. will remain open for the majority of construction, and access to the existing Arts Commons facility, the Burns Building, the Public Building and the Dominion Bank Building will be maintained at all times.

The City of Calgary will continue to work with event organizers to identify alternate locations for events during construction. The City of Calgary has also launched a resource to help Calgarians find other parks, public washroom and skating amenities in downtown through construction.

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The majority of Auditor General Shelley Spence’s 121-page Value for Money audit of the Ontario Place redevelopment centres on procurement. “We found that the CFD [Call for Development] process and realty decisions were not fair, transparent or accountable to all participants as would be required by the Realty Direction, the CFD document, and best practices,” writes Spence.

That language echoes the words of previous Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk, who analyzed changes to the Greenbelt in a 2023 report, concluding that the way the government proposed changes to the Greenbelt “was not publicly transparent, objective or well-informed, and was inconsistent with the vision, goals and processes of the Greenbelt Plan, as well as previous amendments to the Greenbelt boundary.”

Summarizing the Ministry of Infrastructure’s decision-making on Ontario Place, the report points to how, for example, “despite published guidance that contact with government officials was prohibited during the open period, some participants were invited to meet with government officials and high-ranking political staff during the CFD open period.”  These communications included nine e-mails and one call between a Vice President at Infrastructure Ontario and Therme’s legal counsel, an introduction of Therme to the transaction advisor leading the Call for Development, and an invitation to an event at the legal counsel’s firm. Minutes of these meetings—as well as separate meetings between the VP and other participants—were not kept, so there is no way to know what was discussed, let alone assess whether all participants had equal access to the same information.

Rather than following the Province’s standard procurement law, directives, or best practices, the 2019 Call for Development, as well as an earlier call in 2017, were categorized as real estate transactions. This is unusual—other large waterfront developments, in both Ontario and abroad, have proceeded as procurements. In any case, the current process also did not meet the lesser requirements of the Realty Directive, which strives for accountability and transparency. As a result of terms and conditions with considerable ambiguity (for instance, “The Government may select one, none or multiple submissions as part of the process”), a few participants did not invest a significant amount of time and resources into their submissions, sending in a one-page response.

The assessment process itself, in the Auditor General’s summary, “was irregular, subjective, and not always followed.” The process used a qualitative scoring framework, with criteria that were not finalized until after the submission deadline—with the result that a third of the criteria never appeared in the CFD document being referenced by submitters. Criteria were not assigned relative weights, leading to uneven scoring. In many cases, individual assessors’ scores were very different from each other—not unusual in itself—but after a consensus meeting that sought to reconcile those scores, some scores were altered two subsequent times. While assessors were required to score all areas, there were 126 instances (or 11%) where an objective was left unscored by an assessor. One assessor did not score any of the criteria for Therme prior to the consensus meeting. The process did not include a fairness monitor, whose job as an independent third party involves ensuring that the advertised process is followed, and all parties are treated fairly and equally.

One of the submitters, Triple Five Group, was asked to substantially revise and resubmit its submission, which was received 70 days after the submission deadline. This process moved the submission from a consensus score of “low” and the lead assessor writing that they were “unable to assess” the submission, to Triple Five Group eventually becoming the primary comprehensive site-wide solution option.  In other cases, proponents were selected for a short list or further discussions despite ranking lower than others. Due diligence meetings, in which Infrastructure Ontario sought to clarify information and/or confirm assumptions in submissions, were conducted with only six of the 34 participants, despite four additional participants receiving a high score for “Alignment with Government’s Vision” and an additional 13 participants assessed as receiving a moderate score on this criteria.

One of the biggest procedural missteps is that the Call for Developments envisioned two different types of bids: some that would present a comprehensive site-wide solution, and another scenario with multiple single tenants. “The same criteria were used to score these vastly different solutions,” notes the report. The full implications of the provincial costs of each solution were not presented to key decision-makers, even though by taking on its present role as Master Developer, the province has put taxpayers on the hook for public realm, parking, and last mile transit costs totalling over $950 million for the project. The report notes that several of the site-wide submissions includes designs for the public realm, parking solutions, and/or last mile designs, including, in some cases, provisions to pay for these features.

The social and environmental costs of redevelopment were not considered in the redevelopment, either—and the report makes notes that the government’s Rebuilding Ontario Place Act, 2023 exempts the site from key environmental assessments and heritage requirements. As critics have long noted, there was no input sought from the public until after the tenants had already been announced. In the 17 consultations held afterwards, a key sentiment, according to Infrastructure Ontario’s own reporting, was “why now and what’s the purpose; why [wasn’t the] public consulted on partner selection.”

“Taking what the public wanted into consideration from the beginning would have made the process more open and transparent to the public and could have prevented many of the issues, lawsuits, media attention, etc. that have occurred,” says the Auditor General’s report. “Between September 2019 and June 2024, the government has spent $8.5 million on legal fees associated with the 2019 CFD, MZO, lease negotiations and associated work.”

Related:

The Auditor General’s Report, Part 1: The cost of privatizing Ontario Place

The Auditor General’s Report, Part 2: The billion dollar question of parking

The Auditor General’s Report, Part 3: Therme

The Auditor General’s Report, Part 4: Collateral Damage

The Auditor General’s Report, Part 5: The Future, Continued Privatization of Ontario Place

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təməsew̓txʷ Aquatic and Community Centre, which recently opened in in New Westminster, British Columbia, has been awarded a Special Prize for Interiors in the Sports category at the Prix Versailles in Paris.

təməsew̓txʷ, derived from the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ language and meaning “Sea Otter House” Aquatic and Community Centre, was designed by hcma architecture + design, for all ages and abilities with a focus on community connections, wellness-based activities, and sporting and fitness activities.

təməsew̓txʷ was shortlisted against six other international sports architecture projects, including the Paris Olympic Aquatic Centre. It is only the third Canadian project to earn recognition in the competition’s history, with the other two being the Holt Renfrew Ogilvy flagship in Montreal (Jeffrey Hutchinson & Associates and Lemay, café by Laplace and Lemay) and the Apple Flagship Store  in Vancouver (Perkins & Will).

The təməsew̓txʷ facility has also recently been certified gold for accessibility by the Rick Hansen Foundation, which reinforces the principles of inclusive and accessible design that were core aspects of the facility’s planning and detailing.

The facility is located on the edge of a residential neighbourhood north of the Fraser River, which has been a cultural and economic life source for Indigenous peoples for thousands of years.

The project, located on the site of the former headwaters of Glenbrook Ravine, which was lost to development over the preceding decades, takes a strong stance toward reconciliation with the natural character of the landscape.

The 10,684 sq m / 114,571 sq ft aquatic community centre is Canada’s first completed all-electric aquatic facility to achieve the Canada Green Building Council’s (CAGBC) Zero Carbon Building-Design Standard. təməsew̓txʷ is also the first to use the gravity-fed InBlue filtration system, which reduces the need for chlorine usage and creation of associated harmful byproducts.

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The CCA has announced the launch of To Build Law, the second chapter of Groundwork, a three-part film and exhibition series exploring the conceptual development and field research of contemporary architects cultivating alternative modes of practice.

Groundwork aims to ask how we understand the making of architecture in the present moment, and how architects situate themselves in relation to changing natural and disciplinary boundaries. The exhibition aims to ask questions such as: ‘What to build, or not build?’ ‘Is a building the end point of architectural production?’ ‘What to do with the existing building stock?’ ‘How to intervene in the landscape?’ and ‘How to engage with the increasing environmental and social complexities of a site?’

According to a 2020 report by the UN Environment Programme, the construction industry accounts for at least 38 per cent of carbon emissions globally, operating with narrow methods geared toward profit. Buildings are held as assets, torn down, and redeveloped, with limited consideration of community and environmental impacts.

The documentary and exhibition To Build Law follows the Berlin-based collaborative architecture practice bplus.xyz (b+) and the Zurich-located chair for architecture and storytelling s+ (station.plus, D-ARCH, ETH Zurich) as they establish a policy lab, HouseEurope!, to propose industry reforms and shift cultural norms.

The project observes b+’s radical experiments beyond the fringes of conventional architectural practice, during various phases of conceptualization and development of a European Citizens’ Initiative meant to incentivize renovation over demolition and new construction.

Guided by an urgency to understand the ways that architects are enacting change in the built environment, curator Francesco Garutti, alongside film director Joshua Frank, will be presenting a reportage of urban fragments and legal pathways in which architecture reveals itself as an open process of establishing partners, drafting positions, convening meetings, strategizing campaigns, and collecting votes to build a movement that aims to change the conditions of the architectural discipline in Europe.

To Build Law is the second chapter of Groundwork, which launched in May 2024 with Into the Island.

The exhibition will be on display until September 14, 2025.

For more information on the exhibition, click here.

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As Les Jardins de Métis approaches its 100th anniversary milestone in 2026, it will begin various transitions as it enters a new chapter.

As part of this transition, Alexander Reford, general manager of Les Jardins since 1995, will be leaving the general management of Jardins de Métis.

A new general manager will take office in March 2025 and will be accompanied in the transition by Reford, to ensure consistency in operations as well as the overall strategic vision.

Following the centenary celebrations, Reford will continue his his involvement in the Jardins de Métis’ mission as curator.

This development reflects Les Jardins de Métis’ goal to combine the legacy of Elsie Reford with a contemporary vision of garden design.

“Elsie left us blank pages at the end of her gardening notebook in 1958. These blank pages leave it to her successors to carry on her work,” said Alexander Reford.

“The centenary of Les Jardins de Métis represents an exceptional opportunity to pay tribute to our predecessors, while paving the way for future generations. This transition will breathe new life into our institution while preserving the values for which it is known for.”

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The DesignTO Festival will be returning to Toronto to celebrate its 15th anniversary.

The festival, which will be taking place from January 24 to February 2, 2025, will feature over 100 free events, installations, tours, talks and exhibitions by more than 300 designers and artists.

“It’s incredible to see how much we’ve grown,” said Jeremy Vandermeij, executive director and co-founder of DesignTO. “We’ve welcomed over one million attendees, reached 2.6 billion people through media, supported more than 6,500 artists, and generated $120 million in tourism spending. And there’s more to come!”

DesignTO supports a vision of design that is more than aesthetics, but that rather aims to be a tool for problem-solving, solution-building, organized change, experimenting, innovating and evolving toward a better future.

This year’s festival will put a spotlight on how design impacts joy, justice, and sustainability.

From immersive experiences that help the community slow down and reconnect to artworks addressing endangered creative practices, DesignTO will offer many ways to participate in the festival schedule.

The festival will kick off with an official launch party on January 24, which will feature a one-night-only installation by Toronto-based artist Asli Alin. It will also offer guests an opportunity to see ‘REVIVE,’ a DesignTO-curated group exhibition featuring the work of seven local and international artists and designers.

From January 1 to 31, 2025, there will be an exhibition of photos that explore ideas of the self through costuming by Toronto-based, Ghanaian-Nigerian photographer and visual artist Delali Cofie on five digital screens at Sankofa Square (formerly Yonge and Dundas Square).

The festival will also feature Studio Rat’s immersive inflatable installation and lighting concept quilted from reclaimed waste plastics at 55 St. Clair Avenue West, and a site-specific installation at the Mason Studio Cultural Hub that emphasizes sensory extremes.

Organized by DesignTO in partnership with the Toronto Society of Architects, ‘Ideas Forum: Labour in Architecture’ will take place virtually. It will feature five fast-paced presentations representing diverse organizational structures, including co-operative, union, and employee-owned. It will also feature a BIPOC Portfolio Collaboration hosted by Gensler, and an installation by Christopher Rouleau called “Amazon Sucks” that will take place at 918 Danforth Ave.

This year’s DesignTO festival will also feature a talk on sustainability, a design exhibition called “Dwell,” that will offer opportunities to slow down and connect in Union Station and Wind Up Radio’s video and sound installation/cautionary message from the Server Farms of Miscellanea at the Drake Hotel.

For more information and to view the full schedule, click here.

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The construction of Therme’s stadium-sized waterpark, the doubling in size of Live Nation’s concert venue, and the relocation of the Ontario Science Centre are considered to be the first phase of the redevelopment of Ontario Place. The Auditor General’s report also notes that a second phase is planned. In a May 2020 Treasury board submission, the Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries noted that “The approach to Phase 2 is currently under consideration and contemplates the development of a large-scale entertainment destination on a portion of the East Island and mainland.”

A second phase of privatization would, like the first phase, entail considerable public investment.  The Auditor General’s report notes that in an earlier briefing to the same ministry and to the Premier’s office, Infrastructure Ontario “stated that the government would be responsible for lagoon in-fill on the East Island for a larger-scale tenant for the future phase.”

Documents obtained by the NDP and shared by Global News earlier this year appear to confirm that Phase 2 would potentially involve filling in and paving the lagoon, also known as Brigantine Cove—the body of water between Budweiser Stage and Trillium Park. The purpose would be to add to the land available to build on. An August 2022 briefing prepared for the Premier’s office describes this as “Phase 2: Potential Future Development Opportunity (up to 25 acres).”

According to Global News, a September 2020 document explains that “Phase II contemplates development of a large-scale entertainment, retail and restaurant destination on a portion of the East island and mainland.”

What could that “large-scale entertainment venue, retail and restaurant destination” look like? One possibility for the nature of the development—and perhaps even the eventual developer that will be selected—is hinted at in the Auditor General’s report. One of the applicants proposing a comprehensive development on the Ontario Place site as a whole was a company called Triple Five. Triple Five initially received a low score in all categories of evaluation and was noted as having “Insufficient Information Provided to Assess.” But after the consensus evaluation meeting, a VP from Infrastructure Ontario reached out to Big Five to request clarification on submission details, and exchanged a series of further e-mails and phone calls with them—a process that was not pursued for any of the other 10 participants who had similarly provided “Insufficient Information to Assess”. Triple Five resubmitted their presentation 70 days after the deadline, receiving revised higher scores.

Triple Five is a company that, according to its website, “has developed, owns, and manages the world’s first, second and third largest tourism, retail and entertainment complexes of its kind,” including the West Edmonton Mall, Mall of America, and the American Dream indoor amusement park and luxury shopping mall.

Will the Phase II addition to Ontario Place be an outpost of the West Edmonton Mall? The Ministerial Zoning Order (MZO) for the property only explicitly prohibits “residential, hotel, and casino uses”— and in fact lists “retail stores” and “eating establishments” as permitted uses. And it would be easy enough for the government to explicitly add “shopping mall,” “nightclub,” or whatever they please to this list, as it’s part of a regulation which can be adjusted without approval from the Legislature, with little recourse for public debate or opposition.

Following the Money

The Auditor General’s report revealed substantial increases for public realm spending, both for Therme’s project and in the provincially-led portions of the site.

As noted in an earlier post, the day before the lease was released, Therme apparently confirmed with Infrastructure Ontario that they would be spending $700 million on their project—up from the $350 million stated in their Call for Development submissions and in subsequent documents dating from 2019 to 2024. This included a projected spend of $200 million on public realm work—up from $10 million in previous documents—an astounding increase of 2000%.

This may be, at least in part, an effort to conceal the direct subsidy that the Province is providing to Therme for the construction of these park areas. In addition to constructing a parkade whose spots will be mostly reserved for Therme (over $280M), demolishing the West Island’s buildings and trees ($40.4M), and completing site servicing of Ontario Place as a whole ($391.9 M), the Province is contractually obliged to provide an additional $25 million in direct subsidies to Therme’s construction work—$10 million for its public realm, and $15 million for its shoreline work.

As the Auditor General noted, there is no stipulated minimum spend for construction by Therme in its 297-page contract, so whatever figures are released publicly are of no material consequence to Therme’s actual construction budget.

However, Therme’s original projected spend of $10 million on public realm certainly would have raised eyebrows when the lease revealed a $10 million public subsidy that conveniently offset that amount—and on top of that, showed that the Province was contributing $15 million towards Therme’s shoreline work. This directly contradicts public claims, by the Province and Therme, that the Therme deal was justified in part by the Austrian company paying out of its own pocket for the construction of public parkland. The announcement that Therme is now, supposedly, spending $200 million on parks and public land conveniently conceals the $25 million public subsidy, and restores the narrative that Therme is paying for public parklands, even if the truth may turn out differently.

Is a similar narrative twist in the works for East Island? Infrastructure Ontario has stated that its current estimate for the public realm at Ontario Place is now $500 million, up from its $50 million estimate three years ago. It told the auditor general’s office that “early estimates prior to a fixed design may have reflected early concepts including a basic park of Trillium Park level of design” and that “estimates may not have taken into consideration the considerable site rehabilitation requirements.”

However, the majority of site rehabilitation requirements—including soil rehabilitation, shoreline reconstruction, and even the construction of roads—are accounted for in a separate line item. The $500 million budget amounts to some $18 million per acre, or $413 per square foot. At this price, the entirety of the public realm could be paved in high-end Italian marble. By comparison, the rehabilitation of Toronto’s Portlands amounted to approximately $1.5 million per acre, the construction of Trillium Park (including the raising of the land by a metre) cost around $4 million per acre, and the construction of Corktown Common (including the raising of the land to create a 8.5-metre-high flood protection berm) cost around $7.5 million per acre.

I do not intend to discourage spending on public space, but the number appears to be very large. It raises the question: Has the number been inflated to set the stage for the further privatization of Ontario Place? It is conceivable that the Phase Two development and privatization of East Island will entail an arrangement similar to that of Therme: in which a new private partner is given free rein on a large portion of land, in return for offsetting the cost of building something akin to privately-owned public space—even if that cost-transfer may, ultimately, be an illusion.

Related:

The Auditor General’s Report, Part 1: The cost of privatizing Ontario Place

The Auditor General’s Report, Part 2: The billion dollar question of parking

The Auditor General’s Report, Part 3: Therme

The Auditor General’s Report, Part 4: Collateral Damage

The Auditor General’s Report, Part 6: Procurement

The post The Auditor General’s Report, Part 5: The Future, Continued Privatization of Ontario Place appeared first on Canadian Architect.

Today, I look at two further areas of interest from the Auditor General’s report: the insights it provides about the relocation of the Ontario Science Centre to Ontario Place, and the continued environmental destruction that we might expect to see taking place at Ontario Place.

Planning continues for relocation of Ontario Science Centre to Ontario Place

Even if the Auditor General’s office has questioned the value-for-money proposition of the relocation of the Ontario Science Centre—both in its 2023 and now its 2024 report—plans are continuing apace to move the storied institution to a half-sized new facility at Ontario Place.

The estimate for building and operating a Science Centre at Ontario Place has gone up by $400 million from when the relocation was announced. The new price tag of over $700 million for a new Science Centre includes items that were considered “out of scope” when the business case for the relocation was completed, but that should have been anticipated. These include, for instance, an underground loading zone. To meet functional requirements for the Science Centre, this will likely be a two-storey underground space that also accommodates a bus loop, as well as car drop-off, bus entry, and shipping/receiving for Therme.

The report notes that there was only a single bidder on the $5 million contract for a planning, design, and compliance consultant for the new Science Centre—WZMH Architects is the consultant that was selected for this work. Their Output Specifications document is expected to be completed by early 2025, and the RFP planned to be released to up to three vendors in January 2025, delayed from the original projected date in the RFQ of Fall 2024.

While the government has stated in the past that a new Science Centre at Ontario Place would open “as early as 2028,” it has now told the Auditor General that the new building is expected to open in 2029. The RFP for a temporary location suggests that a new Science Centre may not be ready until as late as 2034.

That temporary location for the Ontario Science, which the government had promised to secure quickly, has not been publicly announced. A memo to Science Centre employees indicated that it may be selecting a conference facility in Mississauga. Meanwhile, the presence of the Science Centre is currently limited to temporary pop-ups at Harbourfront Centre and Sherway Gardens.

While the Auditor General came short of stating that renewing the legacy location of the Ontario Science Centre would represent better value-for-money than relocating it to Ontario Place, the ballooning costs for a new Science Centre supports this conclusion—making the unpopular closure and relocation an even worse proposition to taxpayers.

Continued environmental destruction at Ontario Place

As of October 2024, the report notes, 1,491 trees have been removed from Ontario Place. The Province is planning to remove an additional 298 trees, for a total of 1,789 trees. “Only 149 trees (or 8% of the original tree inventory at Ontario Place) will be conserved on the site,” the report notes. A 2022 arborist report prepared for Infrastructure Ontario had anticipated that while the Therme project would entail the removal of all trees on the West Island, 25% of the overall trees at Ontario Place would be protected.

Most of the Auditor General’s recommendations were accepted by the government, but these largely consisted of pledges to improve of procurement practices in the future. The government rejected the sole recommendation concerning the current Ontario Place project—a recommendation that it implements mitigation measure identified in a draft 2023 Heritage Impact Assessment report.  In its response, the Ministry of Infrastructure curtly “notes the site is exempt from the Ontario Heritage Act.”

The recommendations of the draft 2023 Heritage Impact Assessment report seem to be  relatively modest in the scope of a $2.2 billion project, but based on the government’s response, we should not expect to see them implemented by matter of course. Those recommendations were as follows:

• Site-wide native planting and new landscape features (e.g., berms) to address the removal of extant vegetation, trees and landscape features. It is anticipated that approximately 2,900 trees will be planted within Ontario Place.
• New pathway system to improve accessibility, support pedestrian circulation and address the removal of the extant pathway system
• New pathway nodes and plazas with vantage points for views, to address the removal of vantage points within the extant pathway system and the obstruction of views by new buildings
• New aquatic habitat and boardwalks to create the opportunity for close-range experiences of water and mitigate the removal of the extant waterbodies
• New accessory structures that interpret the design and history of Ontario Place to address the removal of extant buildings

This series will continue with two more parts, looking at the Call for Development process and the possibility for future, continued privatization plans at Ontario Place.

Related:

The Auditor General’s Report, Part 1: The cost of privatizing Ontario Place

The Auditor General’s Report, Part 2: The billion dollar question of parking

The Auditor General’s Report, Part 3: Therme

The Auditor General’s Report, Part 5: The Future, Continued Privatization of Ontario Place

The Auditor General’s Report, Part 6: Procurement

The post The Auditor General’s Report, Part 4: Collateral Damage appeared first on Canadian Architect.

Submissions are now open for the Society for the Study of Architecture in Canada (SSAC)’s two student prizes.

The Martin Eli Weil Prize is awarded each year to a student who submits an essay on the role played by the built environment in Canadian society. The $250 prize and certificate will be awarded at the SSAC Annual Conference, where the winner will be invited to present a lecture on their essay. The winning essay will also be published in the Journal of the Society for the Study of Architecture in Canada. The deadline for submissions is February 12, 2025.

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