Explore the report findings
The report documents recurring delivery problems in 30 selected Canadian projects. Explore what their records show about cost growth and milestone delays, and where the evidence remains limited.
Compare projects, trace proposed responses, and explore outcomes in 2D or 3D
The report reviews 30 selected projects: 26 within 1996 to 2026 and four historical comparators. These are learning cases, not a representative sample of all Canadian megaprojects.
The report's main findings, each for its own group.
Among the 8 over-budget projects in the 10 delivered projects with comparable cost records, four account for about 94% of the combined cost increase: Trans Mountain, Coastal GasLink, Muskrat Falls and Site C. This is before savings on the two projects within budget are deducted.
Among the 12 delivered projects with a documented target date, delays added up to 21.6 years. The median delay was 24% of the planned duration.
Among all 30 reviewed projects, 29 had at least one problem in the four failure patterns that usually arise at the front end, the planning and approval stage before the decision to build.
Showing all 30 selected project records.
How comparable project costs changed
Of the 22 delivered or operating projects, 10 have comparable cost records. 8 exceeded their approved budget. The report’s median growth is 20%.
The report summarizes the 10 cost records as about CAD 64 billion in approved budgets and CAD 115 billion in latest totals, an increase of about 80%.
Lower Mattagami is an interval, about -8% to 0%, not an exact final cost; it is placed last rather than given an exact rank. Each comparison retains its own budget boundary and financing treatment. Most amounts use nominal Canadian dollars (amounts reported for that year); the Pan Am baseline uses 2014 dollars. Cost labels follow the report’s whole-percentage rounding. Select a project for its figures and qualifications.
Report source: Table 4.
When documented milestones were reached
Among the 12 delivered projects with a documented target, 10 reached their named milestone six months or more late. The report’s median delay is 16.5 months. Different milestones must not be treated as the same opening event.
The gold reference marks six months. Coastal GasLink’s year-only target uses a December convention; exact-date calculations may differ from rounded month labels.
Report source: Table 5.
Which problems appear in the selected records
The 30 selected projects contain 179 documented problems across 14 issue types. Four constructive partnerships are shown separately. Unresolved evidence and lack of qualifying evidence are not zero-problem findings.
Report source: Tables C1 and C2.
How the report groups recurring issues
The report groups 14 issue types into 10 recurring patterns. A project can appear in several patterns, so these counts overlap and cannot be added together. The Indigenous rights pattern includes constructive partnerships as well as problems.
Report source: Table 7 and Table C2.
Documented issues and project outcomes
The report finds an association between the number of documented issue types and cost growth or milestone delay. These are small, selected groups. More troubled projects may also receive more investigation, so the relationship establishes no cause.
Report source: Section 6.4, Figure 8 and Appendix B.
Practices proposed for future projects
The report proposes 10 practices for owners, governments and delivery teams to test. Choose a recurring pattern to see the proposed practices, their project stage and their suggested lead. These are proposals, not proven guarantees of better outcomes.
Report source: Chapter 8 and Table 10.
Read the outcome data as a table
| Project | Cost growth | Milestone delay |
|---|---|---|
| Muskrat Falls | +82% | 38 months |
| Site C | +82% | 9 months |
| Trans Mountain Expansion | +362% | 53 months |
| Coastal GasLink | +134% | 10 months |
| Keeyask Generating Station | +24% | 28 months |
| Darlington Refurbishment | -1% | 1 months |
| Ottawa Confederation Line | Outside comparison | 15 months |
| Eglinton Crosstown LRT | Outside comparison | 50 months |
| Finch West LRT | Outside comparison | 27 months |
| Samuel De Champlain Bridge | +6% | 7 months |
| Gordie Howe International Bridge | +12% | 18 months |
| Pan Am 2015 Games | +16% | Outside comparison |
| Lower Mattagami River Project | About -8% to 0% | 3 months |
The report is not yet available to download. These views describe the selected records and the report’s proposed practices. Report announcement.