Category: Ideation

ReNew Top 100
 

Renew Canada Magazine's 2026 Top 100 Biggest Infrastructure Projects Report is out—and we’re proud to see that 14 projects we’re supporting are being recognized for shaping a better Canada.

From hospitals and health campuses to complex institutional facilities, these significant projects reflect the scale, collaboration, and innovation HH Angus is helping to deliver across the country.

Our deep portfolio of designing and building key infrastructure in Canada ranges from hospitals and correctional facilities to municipal buildings and transit, across a range of project delivery models. Congratulations to our colleagues, clients and project partners driving these landmark developments forward!

Here’s an at-a-glance list of the projects we are proud to be involved with in the 2026 Top 100 list.

 
 
 

4|

Peter Gilgan Mississauga Hospital
(Trillium Health Partners)

TBeing delivered as a Progressive Design Build, the Peter Gilgan Mississauga Hospital will be a full replacement of an existing facility, span 22 floors and approximately 2.8 million ft2 and include over 950 beds, 23 operating rooms, a new and expanded Emergency Department, advanced diagnostic imaging facilities, new pharmacy and a new clinical laboratory. HH Angus is providing mechanical engineering and conveyance consulting services. It is being delivered through a Progressive Design Build model.

Peter Gilgan

Image Courtesy of Infrastructure Ontario

 

11|

QEII Health Sciences Centre Redevelopment

This redevelopment is a multi-phase project that involves the renovation of Hants Community Hospital in Windsor, renovation of Dartmouth general Hospital, a new Community Outpatient Centre in Bayers Lake, expansion of the Halifax Infirmary site, a new hospice residence, and relocation of the QEII Cancer centre to the new Infirmary site. HH Angus provided mechanical engineering consulting services for the Bayers Lake Community Outpatient Centre which opened in 2023.

Bayers Lake
 

26|

South Niagara Hospital

The new South Niagara Hospital will be a full acute care hospital with 24/7 Emergency Department, diagnostic, therapeutic, and surgical services. The latter will include medical, surgical, and intensive care inpatient beds. Also included will be ambulatory services; post-acute Complex Continuing Care (CCC) Inpatient services; and Centres of Excellence specializing in stroke, complex care, geriatric/psychogeriatrics, and wellness in aging. The facility is targeting LEED Silver certification and is being designed to be Canada’s first WELL-certified healthcare facility. HH Angus is providing mechanical engineering and conveyance systems (AGVs, AMRs and vertical transportation) consulting services.

Image Courtesy of Infrastructure Ontario

 
 

32|

Surrey Hospital and BC Cancer Centre

The New Surrey Hospital and BC Cancer Centre will provide 168 hospital beds and 55 Emergency Department treatment spaces in a state-of-the-art facility to improve health services in the region. Leading BC's first generation of smart hospitals, the new hospital will embed data insights and new technologies into both the design of the facility and delivery of clinical care – the first of its kind in BC. HH Angus is providing a full spectrum of ICAT/IMIT design and AGV consulting, and our Vertical Transportation team is designing the elevator systems.

Surrey Hospital
 
 

34|

The Ottawa Hospital Civic Campus Development

Being delivered using the Progressive P3 approach, the new campus development will be one of the largest and most modern teaching hospitals in Canada. It’s slated to open in 2028, and will serve Ottawa, Eastern Ontario, Western Quebec and parts of Nunavut. HH Angus is providing mechanical engineering and conveyance systems (AGVs and vertical transportation) consulting services.

Image Courtesy of HDR 

 
 

40|

New Hospital for Sick Children

SickKids’ Project Horizon is a three-phase redevelopment project to rebuild and rehabilitate their existing downtown Toronto healthcare campus. Angus Connect, a division of HH Angus, was engaged to develop a comprehensive digital strategy and ICAT roadmap to support Project Horizon and help SickKids understand their organizational and technology needs today and those anticipated for the future.

Sikkids
 
 

41|

Burnaby Hospital Redevelopment

Burnaby Hospital is undergoing a massive redevelopment through two phases. HH Angus is providing electrical and IMIT design consulting services for Phase 2 of the redevelopment which involves a new inpatient tower, medical imaging department, renovations to emergency and endoscopy departments and a new integrated BC Cancer Centre. The project is being delivered through an Alliance model.

Burnaby

Image courtesy of Fraser Health Authority

 
 

44|

St. Paul’s Hospital Redevelopment

The new St. Paul’s Hospital redevelopment in downtown Vancouver will provide 548 beds and include an emergency department, critical care and surgical suites, mental health and additional facilities, maternity, rehabilitation, and inpatient care facilities. Angus Connect, a division of HH Angus, is providing AGV compliance consulting services to the project.

St Pauls Hospital

Image Courtesy of Providence Health Care

 
 

61|

Royal Columbian Hospital, Phases 2 & 3

The Royal Columbian Hospital is the oldest hospital in the province of B.C. The three-phase redevelopment project will see a major expansion of the acute care campus with upgrades to critical infrastructure, increasing the hospital’s capacity by 50%. HH Angus is providing mechanical and electrical engineering and IMIT and vertical transportation consulting services for all three phases in a compliance role.

Ryal Columbian Hospital

Image courtesy of Fraser Health Authority

 
 

62|

Quw’utsun/Cowichan Hospital Redevelopment

Being delivered through an Alliance approach, the project involves replacement of the existing community acute care hospital with a new 607,000 ft2, 204-bed facility that will also include mental health facilities featuring a 20-bed inpatient unit and dedicated ICU, culturally safe services and spaces, 7 operating rooms, increased CT scanning capacity, and built-in MRI facilities. It will also be the first fully electric hospital in BC and Canada’s first CaGBC Net Zero Carbon hospital. HH Angus is providing mechanical and electrical consulting engineering services. It is being delivered through an Alliance model.

Cowichan Hospital
 
 

66|

Gilgan Family Queensway Health Centre, Trillium Health Partners

The 600,000-square-feet Gilgan Family Queensway Health Centre P3 will include a new patient tower, including a modern nine-story facility with over 350 beds and fully private patient rooms to ensure privacy and enhance infection prevention control. The expanded space will also allow TPH to connect more people to specialized care, including complex continuing care and rehabilitation services. Angus Connect is providing ICAT systems consulting services to the project.

Image Courtesy of Trillium Health Partners

 
 

69|

Thunder Bay Correctional Complex

This new correctional facility is 450,000 ft2 in size and includes 345 beds and features dedicated Indigenous cultural spaces, such as smudging space and sweat and teaching lodges. It is targeting LEED Silver and LEED Resilient Design certification. HH Angus is providing mechanical engineering and vertical transportation consulting services.

Thunder Bay Correctional

Image Courtesy of Infrastructure Ontario

 
 

72|

Toronto Western Hospital Patient
& Surgical Tower

University Health Network’s (UHN) new $1 billion, 15-storey patient care and surgical tower will be built on Toronto Western Hospital’s (TWH) campus in downtown Toronto and enhance UHN’s capabilities caring for complex neurological and orthopedic cases. The new facility will be over 380,000 ft2 in size over 15-storeys and include 11 clinical program floors, 82 beds, and 20 operating rooms of which three will be hybrid ORs with cutting-edge imaging capabilities as well as featuring many of the latest healthcare technological advancements. HH Angus is providing mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and ICAT/IMIT consulting services.

TWH

Image Courtesy of DIALOG

 
 

98|

Cape Breton Regional Hospital Expansion

The Cape Breton Regional Hospital is undergoing its first major expansion since it was first built and is part of Cape Breton Regional Municipality’s comprehensive upgrade of healthcare facilities in the wider Sidney area. The project involves a new 320,000 ft2 clinical services building that will house a new and larger emergency department, critical care department, additional inpatient beds, surgical suites, maternity ward and a cardiac catheterization lab. There will also be a new 96,000 ft2 cancer centre and a new energy centre. HH Angus is providing Operational Readiness services.

Cape Breton Regional Hospital
 
 

Explore the full Top 100 list here
Click HH Angus – ReNew Canada to learn more about our projects in this year’s report. 

 
 

HH Angus’ unique Rotational Program for new graduate training is the focus of the latest episode of Expanding the Possible. This 18-month program gives new graduates in the Toronto office the opportunity to work across multiple teams and divisions, helping them develop a broad skill set and strong business acumen.

At the conclusion of the program, participants are carefully matched to permanent roles that align with their strengths, interests, and passions.

Featured in this episode are Courtney Fleming, Human Resources Facilitator; Tula Mitsakis, Operations Partner and Mentor; and Madeleine Roll, a recent graduate of the Rotational Program, who share insights into the program’s structure, benefits, and impact.

Episode 14, “Rotational Program for New Graduates”

 
 

Annual Release of Holdback under the Ontario Construction Act - 2026 

As the industry prepares for a significant update to Ontario’s Construction Act, it’s essential for project owners, contractors, and consultants to understand how these changes will affect project cash flow and contract administration. The new mandatory annual release of holdback—effective January 1, 2026—introduces processes and timelines that all parties must be ready to implement.

In Ontario, the Construction Act, R.S.O. 1991, ch. C.30 applies to a property Owner and anyone who supplies services or materials to an improvement of the property. Under this Act and its predecessor (the Construction Lien Act), there is a requirement for the Owner to withhold 10% of any amounts to be paid to a contractor – the “holdback” – for the purpose of limiting the Owner’s liability for any liens that could be claimed against the property due to non-payment of subcontractors and suppliers of materials.

Until now, the holdback would be paid by the Owner to the Contractor after the lien preservation period has expired following the date of Substantial Performance of the work, provided no liens had been registered against the property as a result of the work.

Due to changes to the Construction Act that takes effect on 1st January 2026, it will now become mandatory for the Owner to release the accrued holdback after each annual anniversary of the date of execution of the construction contract, with the following milestones:

  • Within 14 calendar days after the contract anniversary date, the Owner (not the Contractor) is required to publish a notice of annual release of holdback in one of three construction trade websites; the notice must use a prescribed form and include the amount of holdback to be released
  • A 60-day lien preservation period runs from the time of posting of the Owner’s notice
  • Provided no liens have been preserved, perfected or otherwise discharged against the property, the Owner must pay to the Contractor the amount of the holdback accrued during the year prior to the contract anniversary date. This payment must be made within 14 days of the end of the lien preservation period.
 
 

While these changes apply to new construction contracts which are executed on or after the 1st January 2026, transition rules will also apply to contracts that were created prior to this date:

  • projects with a contract execution date prior to 1st January 2024 will commence the annual release on their next contract anniversary date after 1st January 2026
  • projects with a contract execution date after 31st December 2023 and before 1st January 2026 will commence the annual release on the 2nd anniversary of their contract date after 1st January 2026.

There is no change with respect to requirements for Substantial Performance nor to the release of the remaining holdback after the date of Substantial Performance, including the release of finishing holdbacks.

The required notice for release of holdback (Form 6) to be prepared by the Owner will be found on the Ontario Courts forms website https://ontariocourtforms.on.ca/en/ under the “Construction Acts Forms” section.

As this is a significant change to the management of holdbacks and their payment compared to prior decades, it can be expected that there will be some confusion in the industry, for owners, designers, contractors, subcontractors and vendors, on how these new requirements function. It can also be expected that there could be some unintended impact leading up to achieving Substantial Performance and final completion of the work.

 
 

Celebrating Our Dedicated Team Members at 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 and 50 Years!

Reaching these significant employment milestones is a great cause for celebration, and our colleagues who achieve these anniversaries deserve every spotlight! Their loyalty, dedication and growing expertise energize our culture and strengthen everything we do.

Each milestone marks years of innovation, teamwork and meaningful contributions that help HH Angus deliver standout results for our clients. These employees inspire those around them, share invaluable experience, and keep our momentum going strong. We’re proud to honour their achievements and grateful for the passion they bring to HH Angus every day.

Here’s to their continued success—and many more milestones ahead!

 

Turning Insights into Action 

The 2025 National Building Decarbonization Forum made one thing clear: we are no longer waiting for breakthrough technology. For developers, owners, and operators, the next decade won’t reward the most enthusiastic — it will reward the most prepared.

Mike Hassaballa, Lead Consultant - Energy Infrastructure at HH Angus, attended the conference and shares his key takeaways:

We are now in the phase where policy, data, and execution decide who moves first and who gets left behind. From our perspective as engineers and advisors, three themes really matter for building owners, operators, ESCOs, and developers.

Policy And Markets Are Now Design Inputs

A recurring pattern across the sessions was simple. A solution can be technically sound and financially attractive and still sit on the shelf until policy changes.

Once green standards tighten, performance thresholds become mandatory, or carbon costs are embedded in planning rules, those same solutions quickly become the obvious path.

What this means in practice:

  • For developers, the real driver is often policy timing and risk, not enthusiasm for new technology.
  • For owners and operators, the biggest exposure is policy instability. One election or change in market rules can materially shift long term asset value.
  • For projects, policy can no longer be a single line item. It needs to be treated as a scenario in the design process.

The more robust strategies are those that still make sense under stricter standards, softer standards, and delayed action. That framing lands well with boards and lenders, because it is about resilience, not ideology.

Data, Portfolios, And Buildings as Energy Assets

The Forum highlighted a growing consensus. Low carbon at scale is held back less by equipment and more by information.

Utilities, cities, and owners all described the same problems: inconsistent data formats;
limited access to historical consumption; and privacy concerns interpreted so conservatively that useful aggregation is blocked.  As a result, lenders and investors cannot compare buildings easily, and portfolio decisions take longer than they should.

At the same time, there is a clear shift in how leading players view buildings:

  • Buildings are starting to be treated as energy assets, not just loads, with on-site generation, storage, and flexible demand.
  • Thermal energy networks and district systems are moving from pilot projects toward core infrastructure in some municipalities.
  • High density and AI data centres are emerging as large, steady sources of recoverable heat, but only where planning for networks, grid capacity, and land use is aligned.

For owners and developers, the practical implications are:

  • Get your data house in order now. Standardized meters, building identifiers, and data structures are becoming as important as drawings and specifications.
  • In growth areas, design new buildings to be “network ready”, with low temperature hydronics and clear interfaces for future connection.
  • View decisions at portfolio level. The right answer for one building may be different when seen inside a larger group of assets with shared loads and infrastructure.

Retrofit Strategy, Capital Cycles, And the Story You Tell

The hardest questions at the Forum were not about technology. They were about timing, disruption, and communication. On retrofit depth, the broad message was:

  • For most existing commercial and institutional buildings that suffer from operational drift, targeting approximately a one-third reduction in energy use is often achievable and cost effective.
  • Pushing to very deep reductions can make sense, but usually only when aligned with major lifecycle events, such as recladding, change of use, or end of life replacement.
  • Envelope work is disruptive. Tenancy, leases, and the asset strategy must be part of the conversation, not just energy use per square metre.

On new construction, the message was blunt. It is almost always cheaper to build high performance once than to retrofit later.

Speakers also turned repeatedly to the importance of narrative. In several jurisdictions, strong technical cases for electrification and heat pumps have been overshadowed by misinformation or politicized debate. Policy frameworks have shifted quickly when they lost public support.

So, for major decarbonization projects, numbers are necessary but not sufficient. Owners and project teams also need a clear, simple story that explains:

  • Why this project makes financial sense over the life of the asset.
  • How it manages risk across different policy and market futures.
  • What it means for comfort, reliability, and long-term value.

That story needs to work for boards, tenants, and the public.

HH Angus' Energy Infrastructure and Digital Services teams have the expertise to help clients address many of the issues discussed in this article - if you would like to continue the conversation, reach out to Mike Hassaballa at the email address below.

Mike Hassaballa, P.Eng.
Lead Consultant, Energy Infrastructure
mike.hassaballa@hhangus.com