Were passionate about our trade And its evolution

Were seeing a few trends that are changing the

landscape

Infrastructure needs are colossal

Over the next decade the public and private sectors

will invest massively in ever larger and more complex

projects

Across the country well be seeing for example the con

struction of hospitals and seniors homes housing and

water treatment centres to respond to population growth

primarily driven by immigration sustainable transportation

projects and renewable energy power plants to accom

modate the energy transitionthis alone will generate an

unprecedented construction boom

The economy may be uncertain but the future is

promising

A global recession is looming on the horizon but needs

are so great and varied that we dont foresee any drastic

consequences for the institutional industrial commercial

civil engineering and roads sectors

The effects of inf lation are starting to subside but the

increase in interest rates is slowing private residential pro

jects The supply chain broken by the pandemic in 2020

and the geopolitical situation are gradually stabilizing How

ever the price of raw materials such as steel and wood

remain volatile

Offsite technology and construction are improving

industry performance

Like elsewhere in the world Canadian clients are starting

to require the use of building information modelling BIM

for public infrastructure buildings of all types and sizes

The digital transformation will likely enable the construc

tion sector to increase its productivity by up to 15 and

reduce costs by 4 to 61

As demand increases for new data capture technologies

such as drones robots and Internet of things sensors their

prices are falling making them more accessible

Modular prefabrication is also expanding in scope and could

accelerate project delivery by 20 to 50 2 Ultimately this

could reduce project costs by more than 20

Prefabrication also has clear environmental benef its par

ticularly by reducing spills in nature noise and dust which

can inconvenience residents living near worksites as

well as greenhouse gases related to intensive material

transportation

Industry players are showing a greater spirit of

collaboration

In light of new market realities Canadian clients are adopting

alternative or collaborative modes of delivery and accepting

their share of the risks associated with projects

A changing workforce prof ile

Not only does it continue to be challenging to meet labour

needs but skilled workers are increasingly playing roles

that require digital skills The industry will attract the best

young workers by drawing from an ever more diversif ied

workforce with broader expertise and by creating inclusive

and innovative work environments Moreover the partici

pation of Indigenous businesses and communities in con

struction projects will continue to grow

The labour shortage is leading to an increase in wages

Automation could help to compensate in part for this upward

pressure

Sustainable construction is on the rise

There is a growing demand for projects seeking sustain

able certif ication The industryclients and contractorsis

seeking to integrate environmental protection measures

and to contribute more positively to communities

There is also a trend in favour of recovery Construction and

demolition waste generated by the Canadian construction

industry represents 27 of all solid waste sent to landf ills

More than 75 of this waste has residual value and could

be recycled recovered or reused3

An industry ready

to push the boundaries

1 Sommaire exécutif Impact de linnovation technologique et des technologies dans lindustrie québé

coise de la construction Association de la construction du Québec Association des constructeurs de

routes et grands travaux du Québec École de technologie supérieure Université du Québec Groupe

de recherche en intégration et développement durable en environnement bâti April 14 2021

2 Modular construction From projects to products McKinsey Company June 2019

3 An overview of construction and demolition waste management in Canada a lifecyle analysis approach

to sustainability M Yeheyis K Hewage MS Alam et al February 2013