Budget, Jobs and Pipelines | C&C #49

Ottawa's new budget runs a $62.3 billion deficit and spends more on debt interest than it sends the provinces for health care. But there's real stuff in it for people who build: money for a new Massey crossing, a foreign buyer ban that now exempts new construction, and a promise of "one project, one decision, one year." We'll take it. But a line in a budget isn't a permit in your hand.

Episode 49 of ICBA Coffee & Construction — the news that matters to the people who build British Columbia and Alberta, with ICBA's Jordan Bateman.

On today's show:

☕ THE BIG ONE: The federal budget, for builders. A $62.3 BILLION deficit this year and more than $50 billion every year after. In the books: $1.5 billion over five years for a new Massey crossing (up to $3 billion). The foreign buyer ban runs to 2029, but new construction is now exempt. Build Canada Homes gets another $13 billion. Eighteen major projects worth $194 billion. And the $5,000 Red Seal completion bonus opens Nov. 16. Lorne Doerkson calls it "a very positive foundation." We will hold Ottawa to the one-year clock.

📉 The jobs trend: three straight months of losses, about 115,000 jobs gone since July, and unemployment up from 6.4% to 6.7%. The bright spot is construction: up 47,000 jobs over the year. The whole country added 17,000.

🚧 WHERE THE WORK IS: Bird Construction announces $1.1 BILLION in new awards, including B.C. public jobs through Jacob Bros and the electrical on a big Alberta healthcare redevelopment. Enbridge green-lights its $200 million Long Lake expansion in the oil sands, in service 2028. Cedar LNG's floating plant is more than 77% built. And Alberta's new buy-local rules give Alberta firms preference on construction jobs under $100,000.

🛢️ Pacific Link: three more First Nations, all in Alberta, file in Federal Court. Pembina says the conditions application goes to the Major Projects Office early in 2027, and the budget backs the pipeline by name. Plus: TC Energy's Alberta gas system is full at 15 BILLION cubic feet a day, with an expansion plan due in December.

🖥️ Calgary hits pause: a council committee votes 10–3 for a pause on new large data-centre rezonings. Same day, the Green Line north is called "dead" in Ward 3, and the fallback is a $511 MILLION bus lane.

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