The approach runs counter to more than 40 years of established construction bidding practices, but solutions may lie in another, more recent, Supreme Court ruling.

With the Toronto District School Board pegging the value of its total maintenance and repair backlog at more than $4 billion, PCA is asking why the board still won’t adopt open tendering for its construction work.

Investment in residential sector declined 2.7% to $14.2 billion, while the non-residential sector fell 0.5% to $6.3 billion.

The roads, about 300 kilometres east of Thunder Bay, Ont., will support critical mineral and resource development, Premier Doug Ford said.

The first is a $1.1-million contract for work on the Chaudière Crossing; the other is valued at $647,000 for work on the Macdonald-Cartier Bridge.