An Uncommon Story
Building Canada since 1941.
Humble Beginnings
Kiewit began its legacy in Canada in 1941 with a construction project typical of the country: large-scale and remote. Eighty-five years later, the tradition continues with projects stretching from coast to coast to coast.
1941
Kiewit begins working in Canada on the Norman Wells Oil Refinery and Pipeline in the Northwest Territories.
1946
Peter Kiewit first states the goal to be “the best – not biggest – contracting organization on earth” at the company’s Annual Shareholder Meeting.
1948
Kiewit mandates that craft workers wear hard hats as part of its pioneering safety focus. In 1951, Kiewit’s safety program begins when full-time safety managers are assigned to all major projects.
1951
Kiewit constructs Thule Air Force Base in Greenland. The project includes radar stations along the Arctic Circle and helps establish Kiewit as a mechanical electrical contractor.
1953
Kiewit’s first project in eastern Canada begins on Baffin Island. As part of the NORAD Early Warning System, Kiewit installs antennae towers, along with military housing in Goose Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador.
1957
The Deas Island (George Massey) Tunnel project is the first of its kind in North America and second in the world. Kiewit constructs the tunnel that runs underneath the Fraser River connecting Richmond to Delta, B.C.
1964
Kiewit is hired to perform tunnel work for the new Metro de Montréal, Montréal’s subway system.
1977
Kiewit constructs the technically challenging embankment across the Eastmain River as well as the spillway as part of its additional work at the James Bay Hydroelectric Power Development.
1983
Kiewit performs work on the Nipawin Dam, which is the second largest hydroelectric dam in Saskatchewan.
1993
Kiewit begins work on a $1.2 billion contract to complete the Hibernia Gravity Base Structure at St. John’s, Newfoundland.
1995
At the extreme limit of northern Québec, Kiewit begins development of the Raglan Nickel Mine. It is the start of a long-standing relationship with the client and the local community.
2004
Kiewit begins work on the Sea-to-Sky Highway, from Vancouver to Whistler, British Columbia, in preparation for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.
2006
The A-25 bridge and highway is Québec’s first public-private partnership (P3) in the transportation market.
2009
The $2.5 billion Gateway Project in Vancouver, British Columbia, becomes the largest single fixed-price contract in the company’s history. Included in the contract is the 10-lane Port Mann Bridge, the second longest cable-stayed bridge in North America and one of the widest bridges in the world.
2010
Kiewit works on the Lower Mattagami River Project, the largest hydroelectric power generation initiative in nearly 40 years in northern Ontario.
2016
Kiewit celebrates its 75th anniversary in Canada. The company’s success and longevity is attributed to its ability to go where the work is, even in a country as vast as Canada.
2022
The Kiewit-built Waaban Crossing bridge opens to the public — the first bridge project in North America to be constructed with the IPD model — on time and on budget.
2023
Kiewit acquired Weeks Marine, Inc. in 2023, further expanding its marine construction and dredging capabilities.