The investment in the Pathways to Post-Military Employment program will help those transitioning into their post-service lives find meaningful work in construction careers. Separately, the Ontario Construction Secretariat contributed $100,000 of its own to Helmets to Hardhats.

The 265,000-square foot building is one of the largest Passive House projects under construction in North America. Once complete, it will consume 40 to 60 percent less energy than a conventional building.

There wasn’t much in the way of new money delivered for infrastructure, but the November 5 Ontario budget did get its share of praise from industry stakeholders for its commitments to spending on construction-related initiatives.

Investment in the non-residential building sectors has been on a downward trend since hitting a peak in June. The overall investment market dropped 1.7 percent in September—down from a record high in August.

The latest report into building construction prices issued by Statistics Canada—for the third quarter of this year—shows that residential construction prices rose 2.4 percent while the cost of non-residential buildings rose 0.4 percent.