LIUNA was recognized as a transformative force in the City of Hamilton May 28 as the Labourers’ union celebrated the opening of its latest residential project in the municipality, the King William.
The 581-unit rental project, with two 30-storey towers and a four-storey podium, is located at the corner of Hughson and King William streets in Hamilton, Ont.’s downtown. The LIUNA Pension Fund of Central and Eastern Canada was the major investor.
The King William, which has a mix of unit sizes up to three bedrooms and a long list of amenities including three workout gyms, opens its doors to tenants in June.
Thousands of homes
Several speakers at the ribbon-cutting ceremony took note of LIUNA’s growing portfolio of residences and other works in Hamilton and southern Ontario. LIUNA’s recent and current investments in Hamilton include The William Thomas (369 rental homes), 500 Upper Wellington (261 upcoming rentals), the 75 James Condos (616 upcoming condominiums), an upcoming 12-storey rental residence on Hunter Street, the Lister Block, Lister Block Annex and LIUNA Station projects from a few years back and the expansion of the LIUNA Local 837 headquarters.
The Hunter Street residence is a project of LIUNA’s affordable housing division.
“This does not only transform the footprint of our downtown, this along with many other projects…also impacts the skyline of the city of Hamilton,” said Hamilton Mayor Andrea Horwath.
“All of these spur economic revitalization, they spur job creation and they attract new residents and visitors.
“All of those people spilling out onto the streets downtown is going to make a huge difference.”
Jaime McKenna, president of Fengate Real Estate, LIUNA’s frequent development partner, said the partners have a 10-year pipeline of projects in the works with 4,000 units completed or close to completed and another 26,000 on the way. Roughly 4,000 more residences will be built in Hamilton and 16,000 will be constructed in the GTA.
“That makes our pension plan one of the largest residential developers in the province,” said Joe Mancinelli, LIUNA International vice-president and regional manager for Central and Eastern Canada.
“I’m very proud to say that because we’re creating a lot of work and creating a lot of houses for a lot of people in the province.”
Mancinelli said LIUNA the investor is picking its spots, identifying cities like Hamilton, Brampton and Toronto that both have potential and need. Successive Hamilton municipal governments have been difficult to work with, he said, but investors recognize the opportunities.
“Hamilton is a wonderful city, geographically well positioned, with a spectacular lake, with the escarpment, Niagara with all the wineries there,” he said.
“The private sector understands…the potential that’s here.”
Mancinelli said he is frequently asked why other pension funds do not invest in infrastructure in Ontario. LIUNA’s residential projects are doing well for its members, with double-digit returns, and they create ample work for the 140,000 LIUNA members across Ontario, he said.
“They don’t have the same incentive we have,” he said of other pension funds. “We’d like to think that we’re creating work for our members, but also creating work for the rest of the trades. This building here…all the formwork, of course, it’s done 100 per cent with LIUNA workers, and being a residential building, the other trades, electricians, plumbers, sheet-metal workers, carpenters, painters, drywall, they all work here as well.
“This has an enormous economic impact on not only this community where they work, but where they live.”
1,000 employed, no LTIs
Matt Stainton, CEO of SG Constructors, reported there were 1.6-million labour-hours worked during the King William job with over 1,000 workers employed. There were no lost-time injuries.
The project was completed on time and on budget, Mancinelli said, calling it an “amazing” feat given the intrusion of the pandemic and other disruptions.
Other current LIUNA projects in the U.S. include the LAX rental car garage and the Virgin Hotel in Las Vegas. The Rail Deck project in Toronto looms large for the union in this province, he said.
Other major contributors to the King William project acknowledged at the ribbon-cutting were two LIUNA contractors, Onyx Formwork and Limen Group; Graziani and Corazza Architects; Hi Rise Group, managers and consultants; and Urban Solutions, project planners.
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