Shortages blamed for construction delay at Canadian Canoe Museum

Ontario Construction News staff writer

Industry-wide “construction challenges” have delayed construction on the Canadian Canoe Museum in Peterborough and completion is now expected late summer or fall 2023.

“A little more than a year ago, we had just begun construction,” said Carolyn Hyslop, executive director. “Since then, we’ve achieved many milestones. The building structure has come to life before our eyes, the mass timber façade is taking shape and the building is nearly closed in.”

However, the project is experiencing delays due to ongoing impacts on the construction industry affecting supply chains and material availability and resulting in material shortages. For example, a national shortage of cement powder recently created a three-week delay in completing the building’s superstructure.

“The CCM project started at a difficult time in the industry,” said Chandos Construction project director Maria Williams. “Due to the pandemic and other influences outside our control, we have seen trade shortages, material supply issues and escalations beyond what we have historically seen. I am incredibly proud of the work of this team, which has come together to find unique solutions to minimize the impact on the project budget and schedule while maintaining the overall quality of the design and construction.”

Construction was expected to wrap up in early summer, but due to delays, the opening of the new museum is now late summer or early fall.

“As designers, we have seen unprecedented upheaval in the construction sector over the last two years,” reflects Bill Lett, managing principal, Lett Architects Inc. “While there have been similar delays and supply chain issues on the CCM, through our integrated approach to project delivery, these have been minimized compared to other projects.

“We are pleased with the progress made and look forward to seeing the Museum open to the public in 2023.”

The CCM remains hopeful that the new museum will be able to open during paddling season.

“We are working very closely with the project team to recover the schedule delays, as we would be overjoyed to open earlier,” Hyslop. “With so much excitement and interest in the new museum, locally and nationally, we want to be transparent with our community about the timeline as we know many are planning trips to visit us this summer.”.

The new museum is being built on a five-acre site with views of Little Lake, a connection to the Trans Canada Trail, and will be surrounded by public parks. It will become a vibrant community space for outdoor activities and the Museum’s canoeing and outdoor programs and events.