History

1920

Hubert J. Bird returns from World War I as a Captain in the Canadian Engineers and establishes Bird and Woodall construction company in 1920. The company would be known as “Bird, Woodall and Simpson” from 1926.

A large group of men, many in work clothes and hats, pose in front of a brick building under construction. A sign in front reads Bird, Woodall & Simpson Ltd. General Contractors, Moose Jaw, Regina, Lethbridge.

1930

Bird Construction incorporates in Regina, and is awarded its first $1 million contract, Canadian Pacific Railway’s Regina Union Station.

Black-and-white photo of a large stone building with an arched main entrance. Several people stand outside, and two vintage cars are parked nearby. Text reads, C.P.R. Terminal Reconstruction 1931-1932.

1938

After securing a large project in Winnipeg for a food processing facility, the Company’s head office relocates to Winnipeg from Moose Jaw.

A group of people in coats and hats stand on the back of a truck at a construction site with exposed steel rebar and unfinished concrete walls on a cloudy day.

1939

During World War II, Bird focuses its efforts almost entirely towards military airports and army camp installations. Through these years, almost all of the administrative personnel worked seven days a week.

A black-and-white photo showing a large steel framework of a building under construction on a flat, open site. Scattered construction materials and a few workers are visible around the structure.

1945

In the mid-1940s, Bird Construction was the largest home builder in Canada.

Black and white photo of small, simple houses with front porches lined up closely together, likely from the mid-20th century. Power lines and grassy yards are visible in front.

1946

Bird begins development of the 74.7-acre Wildwood Housing Project in south Winnipeg – a revolutionary subdivision design where all the homes face a park-like area and service roads are confined to the periphery. To this day, Wildwood Park is still recognized by urban planners for its ingenuity.

Black and white photo of workers assembling prefabricated building sections outdoors on a snowy ground, with houses, utility poles, and stacked materials visible in the background.

1948

Bird opens an office in Alberta, where a number of projects are secured in the industrial and mining sectors.

A black-and-white photo shows a large, circular concrete structure under construction in an open field, with wooden scaffolding and forms. Hills, trees, and a bridge appear in the background.

1949

Bird Construction Company Limited goes public by issuing shares on the Winnipeg Stock Exchange to raise capital to support its ongoing operations.

A black-and-white historical photo shows a large group of men in suits standing in a spacious room with high ceilings, lockers, desks, scattered papers on the floor, and people working at tables.

1950

During the flood of the century, Hubert J. Bird and the Company play a significant role in the battle against the raging Red River as it inundated many neighbourhoods in the City of Winnipeg and surrounding communities. Bird would subsequently participate in the construction of Winnipeg’s flood management infrastructure. Pictured above, Hubert J. Bird (far left), appointed Honourary Colonel of the Royal Canadian Engineers, and Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent (third from the left).

Four men, two in military uniforms and two in suits and hats, stand and smile together on a flooded street in front of houses with bare trees; another man walks behind them in the water.

1950

Bird builds five of the six pumping stations along the Interprovincial Pipeline (Enbridge) that stretches from Edmonton, Alberta to Superior, Wisconsin. As part of Bird’s ongoing relationship with Enbridge, the company has returned to complete further work on the stations during the Clipper Expansion project and the Line 3 Replacement Program, which was the largest project in Enbridge history.

Two black-and-white photos: the top shows a partially constructed industrial building; the bottom shows the interior with large machinery and construction materials, indicating ongoing installation work.

1953

Mr. Donald Stuart MacDonald becomes President of Bird Construction.

A black-and-white portrait of an older man with neatly combed light hair, wearing a dark suit and tie, looking directly at the camera with a neutral expression.

1956

Hubert J. Bird establishes the 25 Year Club to recognize the contributions of the company’s dedicated employees who have served for 25 years. Each inductee to the 25 Year Club is honoured at a banquet attended by family, colleagues and current members of the Club. Today, the 25 Year Club includes over 203 members.

A black and white photo of thirteen adults at a formal event. Seven men stand behind six seated people (five men, one woman with a floral headpiece) at a long table set with food, drinks, and floral centerpieces. Heavy curtains hang behind them.

1965

Company founder H.J. Bird passes away on October 21, 1965. His son, Mr. Robert Allen Bird, becomes President of the company.

Black and white portrait of a man with short, neatly combed hair, wearing a dark suit, white shirt, and striped tie, looking directly at the camera with a neutral expression.

1965

Growth continues into British Columbia where Bird works together with the famed Canadian architect Arthur Erickson on the award-winning Burnaby Mountain Campus at Simon Fraser University. A few years later, Bird is contracted to build the 225,000- square-metre Pacific Centre, a retail/commercial project that includes three high-rise office towers and a 120-unit shopping mall in downtown Vancouver. Offices are opened in Vancouver, Victoria, and Kamloops around this time.

Aerial view of a large, modern university campus with rectangular buildings and courtyards surrounded by trees and a nearby body of water. The architectural style features clean lines and concrete structures.

1968

With successful operations in Western Canada, Bird ventures east to Ontario. In addition to geographic expansion, the Company also increases its technical expertise and leads the industry with the offering of construction management services as a method of project delivery.

A tall, dark glass office building with vertical lines stands on a city corner. People walk on the sidewalks and a few cars pass by under a partly cloudy sky. Other buildings are visible in the background.

1970

Bird assembles and manages a multi-disciplined engineering and construction package as a partner in the Coal and Mineral Beneficiation International (CAMBI) joint venture for Kaiser Coal (now Teck) near Natal, British Columbia. The plant was completed in 24 months from contract award to first load out. The scope included raw coal conveyors and the slipform construction of four massive clean coal silos, each with the equivalent volume of 11-Olympic-size swimming pools.

Four large concrete silos stand side by side in a snowy landscape with mountains in the background under a clear blue sky.

1977

Bird makes its first foray into the Alberta oilsands market by undertaking a contract to build an operations building for Syncrude. Since that time Bird has been active in the oilsands by continuing to work for virtually all of the major participants in the industrial market.

A large industrial facility with smokestacks emits white smoke, reflected in a calm body of water, with green vegetation in the foreground and a cloudy sky above.

1984

Bird Construction has had a long and rewarding history with renowned Canadian architect Douglas Cardinal, including building the futuristic Edmonton Space Sciences Centre as a flagship project to celebrate the Province of Alberta’s 75th birthday.

A modern white building with futuristic, angular design elements and a large black circular feature on top, set against a clear blue sky and surrounded by green grass and trees.

1988

Mr. Paul Charette is appointed President and Chief Operating Officer of Bird Construction.

A middle-aged man with short gray hair, glasses, and a friendly smile is wearing a dark suit, patterned tie, and white shirt. He is posing in front of a blue background.

1994

Bird is one of the general contractors selected by Walmart to roll out their Canadian expansion program starting with 25 stores – the most of any general contractor. Bird has since completed over 100 Walmart projects from coast to coast. Other North American, big box retailers recognize Bird’s building competence in this market sector, leading to contracts with Best Buy, Lowe’s, Future Shop, Home Depot, Save on Foods and others.

A shopping center at dusk features a Walmart store on the left and a Tim Hortons on the right, with glass entrances and illuminated signs under a purple evening sky. The parking lot is mostly empty.

2000

The Company continues to prove itself as a consistent performer. The Globe & Mail ranks Bird as fifth for the top 1000 publicly traded companies in Canada for a five-year average return on common equity.

Modern building with a curved, wood-paneled roof supported by white metal beams, illuminated by lights at dusk. Cars are parked underneath, and the sky is clear and blue.

2007

Bird signs a purchase agreement to acquire Rideau Construction Inc, a successful Atlantic region general contractor. This expands Bird’s geographic footprint with offices in Halifax and Saint John.

A modern, multi-story office building with large reflective glass windows and a flat roof, set against a partly cloudy sky.

2008

Mr. Paul Raboud is appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of Bird Construction.

A person with short brown hair, glasses, and a suit smiles at the camera against a dark background.

2009

The Maritime Helicopter Support Facilities at 12 Wing Shearwater in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia was the biggest contract ever awarded by Defence Construction Canada at the time. Bird has a long-standing relationship with DCC stretching back to World War Two, when Bird completed more air force work than any other company in Canada, and 50 per cent of the air training facility construction in western Canada.

Aerial view of a large industrial or research facility with multiple gray buildings, parking lots, and a nearby runway surrounded by green grass and roads. Some vehicles are parked in the lots.

2010

Mr. Tim Talbott is appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of Bird Construction.

A middle-aged man with light skin, blue eyes, and a receding hairline smiles at the camera. He has a mustache and is wearing a gray suit jacket, white shirt, and patterned tie against a dark background.

2011

Bird further expands geographically and by way of market sector by completing its second acquisition of H.J. O’Connell, a leader for 80 years in the heavy civil infrastructure, mining and energy markets.

A large open-pit mine with layered terraced walls in various shades of brown, yellow, and gray. Mining vehicles and equipment are visible along the wide dirt roads inside the pit.

2012

As a leading general contractor in Canada for almost a century, Bird continues to grow as it signs an agreement to acquire Nason Contracting Group Ltd., a recognized leader in the construction of water and wastewater facilities in western Canada.

A group of construction workers in safety gear pose and smile in front of a white vehicle parked outside a warehouse with numbered loading bay doors.

2013

Bird’s Heavy Civil Division performed the bulk excavation and civil works at the Muskrat Falls Hydroelectric Generating Station, which forms part of the Lower Churchill Hydroelectric Project in Newfoundland and Labrador. Over 2.7 million cubic metres of earth and rock was moved, including more than 1.9 million cubic metres of rock drilling, blasting and excavation, and 17,000 cubic metres of underwater rock drilled, blasted and removed to complete this project.

A large open-pit mine with heavy machinery, including excavators, dump trucks, and loaders, working on rocky terrain under an overcast sky surrounded by forested land.

2015

Mr. Ian Boyd is appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of Bird Construction.

A middle-aged man with short gray hair smiles while wearing a black suit, white shirt, and blue striped tie against a plain gray background.

2016

The Saskatchewan Joint Use Schools Project was the largest concurrent build of new schools in the province’s history. Bird undertook this major P3 project in the province of the company’s founding between 2015 and 2017, building 18 new schools in four communities.

Aerial view of a modern school building with a white roof, playground, landscaped areas, curved walkways, and nearby residential houses under a clear sky.

2017

Recognizing the opportunities in modular construction, Bird acquires 50% of Stack Modular Group of Companies.

A crane lifts and positions a prefabricated modular apartment unit onto a building under construction, with other similar units and blue sky with clouds in the background.

2018

Bird is awarded the largest contract in the company’s history. As the lead in a joint venture with ATCO structures, Bird is building a workforce accommodation facility that will house 4,500 people involved with the construction of an LNG natural gas liquefaction and export facility in northwestern British Columbia. It will be one of the biggest accommodation facilities ever built in Canada.

Aerial view of a large industrial or construction site with several long, white and blue buildings, construction equipment, vehicles, and materials, surrounded by trees and forested hills.

2019

Mr. Teri McKibbon is appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of Bird Construction.

2020

Bird Construction and Stuart Olson join forces to create a leading Canadian construction company offering a diversified suite of construction services, end-markets, and geographies.