CCPPP announces 2021 project award winners
Two Ontario projects are among the winners of the 2021 National Awards for Innovation and Excellence in P3s presented by the Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships (CCPPP).
Presented by annually, the awards showcase excellence and innovation in project financing, service delivery, infrastructure investment and generation of economic benefit that result in enhanced quality of public services and facilities.
“Despite another tremendously challenging COVID-19 pandemic year, it is inspiring to recognize the calibre of projects and partners that rose above these difficulties to reach financial close, begin construction, and successfully complete and begin to maintain or operate these critical infrastructure projects,” said Mark Bain, chair of CCPPP’s board of directors.
The winning projects are located in Alberta, Ontario, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Bermuda.
The Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital earned a gold award in the infrastructure category. The $1.7-billion project was the first hospital built in the City of Vaughan and the first net new hospital to be built in Ontario in the last 30 years.
In February 2021, as it prepared to open, the hospital pivoted to temporarily become a system-wide resource supporting Ontario’s COVID-19 response. From its initial opening until its full opening in June 2021, the facility cared for some of the highest volumes of COVID-19 patients in Ontario.
The awards committee was impressed by how well the hospital pivoted ahead of its opening and the innovations deployed by the consortium to keep the complex project on time and on budget such as the use of prefabricated bathroom modules.
The P3 consortium that build the hospital includes Plenary Group (Canada) Ltd., PCL Constructors Canada Inc., Stantec Architecture Ltd. and Johnson Controls Canada LP.
The other Ontario project to win an award was the GO Rail Expansion – Highway 401 Rail Tunnels, which earned a silver award, also in the infrastructure category.
The $132-million, design-build-finance project created twin tunnels under 21 lanes of traffic, without disrupting travel on the busiest highway in North America and the world’s busiest truck route. Completed in July 2021, the tunnels will increase capacity on the GO Kitchener Rail Corridor as part of Metrolinx’s GO Rail Expansion program.
The tunnels beneath the access ramps of Highway 401 and Highway 409 will enable the simultaneous passage of two trains travelling in opposite directions without any speed restrictions. The project sets a new standard for tunnel construction and design in Canada, using a new-to-Canada auger borer, as well as a pipe roof system that helped drastically minimize risk, speed up the schedule and protect workers.
The Toronto Tunnel Partners P3 consortium that built the tunnels includes EllisDon, STRABAG Inc., and WSP Canada Inc.
Also winning awards were the Valley Line West LRT project in Edmonton, which earned the gold award in the project development category. The $2.67-billion, 14-kilometre light-rail extension is the second stage of the City of Edmonton’s Valley Line.
The L.F. Wade International Airport Redevelopment Project in St. George’s Bermuda earned a gold award for international infrastructure. The US $300-million project is the largest P3 infrastructure deal in Bermuda’s history, and borrowed heavily from Canadian expertise to create a facility that meets international standards.
Finally, the Adult and Mental Health Addictions Facility in St. John’s Newfoundland and Labrador earned a silver award for project development. The $330-million project will help transform and destigmatize mental health and addictions treatment, and was one of the few P3s globally to close during the height of the pandemic.
“It was a difficult task for the awards committee given the strength of the submissions but these five truly stood out for the ingenuity, flexibility and perseverance they’ve demonstrated in applying the P3 model and in developing strong partnerships,” said Brad Nicpon, Partner, McCarthy Tétrault LLP, and chair of the national awards committee. “All five will have tremendous positive impacts on their communities.”
CCPPP will present this year’s awards virtually during its P3 2021 conference on November 17.
Featured image: Artist’s rendering of the Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital. (Plenary Group)