Housing starts across Canada remained consistent with Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) predictions throughout August.

The trend is a six-month moving average of the seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of starts across the country. It has stayed stable with 187,197 in August, down slightly from 187,324 in July.

Plans for what will be Winnipeg’s tallest building have been released by Ontario-based property developers.

LiveWorkPlay Winnipeg will be located on a building site currently housing a parking lot in the city’s downtown core.

Diamond Schmitt Architects will be designing its second facility at the University of Toronto’s (UofT’s) new campus district at the Scarborough campus.

The Environmental Science and Chemistry Building will be adjacent to the Instructional Centre facility, which opened in 2011.

Vancouver’s Marine Gateway, a mixed-use transit-centric structure located outside of the city’s downtown core, will be a hub for green jobs and residences.

Designed to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification by Perkins+Will, the $370-million project will include: two residential towers; 14-storey office tower; 11-screen movie theatre; 4273-m² (46,000-sf) grocery store; and outdoor gathering spaces.

A redeveloped bus terminal, swimming pool facility, and green parkettes were among the winners of the Toronto Urban Design Awards, honouring architects, landscape designers, and students.

Held every other year, the program distributes awards in seven categories.

More than 80 per cent of the country’s public-private partnerships (P3s) are completed early or on-schedule, according to a new Conference Board of Canada report.

“Canada as a Global Leader: Delivering Value through Public-Private Partnerships at Home and Abroad” is an update to the 2010 report, “Dispelling the Myths.”

Canada’s housing starts are expected to level out for the remainder of 2013, with an increase predicted for next year.

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) credits expected increases in employment, economic growth, and net migration for increased housing starts in 2014. The total number of starts for 2013 is expected to reach 182,800, while the number is predicted to rise to 186,600 for the next year.

In comparison …

A report released by Blue Green Canada suggests decreasing Ontario’s energy consumption 25 per cent by 2025 will generate 25,000 jobs in the province.

The group is an alliance of labour unions and organizations advocating for the environment and those working in the sector.

Next month, Canadian Passive House Institute (CanPHI) will host North America’s first conference focused on strategies to reduce building energy usage in cool climates.

Held in Vancouver on September 27 to 28, Passive House North 2013 will address various cost-effective strategies for reducing energy consumption in Canada.

An international conference focused on improving accuracy in modelling building performance has called for papers for seminar presentations.

The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) and U.S. International Building Performance Simulation Association (IBPSA) are jointly hosting the Building Simulation Conference next September in Atlanta, Ga.