Toronto was among only two North American markets that saw increased construction crane use in the first quarter of 2025.

According to Rider Levett Bucknall’s latest 14-market crane index for North America, Toronto joined New York City as the only cities to record a rise in construction crane activity, even as seven other major urban centres posted significant declines.

Toronto added two new cranes between August 2024 and February 2025, bringing its total to 238. The city continues to lead the index in terms of sheer volume of active cranes—over 80% of which are devoted to the multi-residential sector.

Meanwhile, Calgary remained steady during the same period, maintaining its total count of 18 cranes. The city’s activity remains primarily focused on mixed-use and commercial projects.

“This offers a telling snapshot of shifting momentum across key North American markets,” Brian Gallagher, vice-president of corporate development at Graycor Construction, based in suburban Chicago, told Commercial Property Executive.

“The uptick in crane counts in NYC and Toronto suggests renewed investment and project confidence in dense urban centres—likely driven by infrastructure upgrades, mixed-use developments or institutional builds.”

The report notes that seven cities—including San Francisco, Denver, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Portland, Seattle, and Phoenix—saw crane activity fall by more than 20%, a trend that the report attributes to construction cost pressures and a general hesitation to advance large-scale developments.

Rider Levett Bucknall is a Phoenix-based construction consulting company that operates in the U.S. and Canada. The company’s Canadian offices are located in Toronto and Calgary.

Pictured: Construction cranes at work on the 3450 Dufferin mixed-use purpose-built rental towers in Toronto.

Photo: PERI

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