Building for the future: Maple Reinders leads the way in sustainable infrastructure

Construction projects in Canada are becoming increasingly complex — especially as a growing number of them are focused on intricate systems that benefit the environment. Maple Reinders Constructors Ltd. is uniquely positioned to bring these projects, as well as those in the commercial realm, to successful fruition. 

With 55 years of experience and more than 2,900 projects completed, the family-run Canadian company has built a strong national reputation. It’s one of the few firms of its kind offering full-service, turn-key solutions to clients in the public and private sectors. 

Although the construction sector is experiencing its fair share of challenges in 2025, Maple Reinders is expanding its impact in Western Canada via high-profile projects such as the Royal BC Museum Collections and Research Building, the Calgary Composting Facility and the Oakridge Energy District Energy System. 

“Our focus on environmental infrastructure developments such as the Calgary Composting Facility, water treatment plants and other facilities is largely deliberate,” says Jeremy Olthuis, chief operating officer at Maple Reinders. “It all began with our founder, Fred Reinders, who came from the Netherlands and early in his career got involved in marine and water work. This morphed into water treatment projects, which in turn spurred compost facility development starting about 20 years ago. After that came waste management and sustainable energy projects.” 

Maple Reinders projects have big impacts. The Calgary Compost Facility is the largest in-vessel composting facility in North America: it’s designed for a minimum annual processing capacity of 45,000 wet tonnes per year for dewatered biosolids and 100,000 tonnes per year for Source Separated Organics (SSO). 

“On a technical level, these are complex undertakings that we love doing. From a philosophical viewpoint, it’s enormously fulfilling to see waterways become clean again because of a treatment plant we built that significantly improved the effluent being discharged into the river, to cite just one example,” says Olthuis.  

The plant processes compost from anaerobically digested, dewatered biosolids from the City’s wastewater treatment plants, as well as food scraps and leaf and yard waste from households. Several sustainable design features complement the plant’s function: the facility uses 100 per cent site storm water instead of city water, which also relieves strain on the sewer system in heavy rainfall. 

The Oakridge Energy District Energy System is located deep beneath the Oakridge Park development in Vancouver. Maple Reinders is building a closed-loop GeoExchange field consisting of hundreds of boreholes with depths of 500 to1000 feet. This field harnesses the earth’s stable temperature to provide heating in the winter and cooling in the summer and will provide approximately 65 per cent of the thermal energy requirements for 14 towers with 2,600 homes and 1.5 million square feet of retail and workspace.  

At first glance, the Royal BC Museum’s Collections and Research Building in Colwood, B.C., may not seem connected to sustainability or energy efficiency. But in reality, the building is constructed with mass timber — a key feature that helps it meet CleanBC’s energy efficiency standards.  

“We’re about 70 per cent complete and the facility is expected to open next spring,” says Olthuis. 

These projects are only the tip of the iceberg in Maple Reinders’ growth in Western Canada. Other notable work includes a water treatment plant for Molson Coors, the Ekistics Office Building in downtown Vancouver, a new facility for Wanpy Pet Foods and the new Calgary Composting Facility. 

Olthuis points out that his company’s ongoing expansion is partially due to the increased opportunities in water treatment and sustainable energy projects, “as well as retrofitting and upgrading aging infrastructure.”  

In addition to benefitting the environment, these types of projects also help Maple Reinders recruit and retain new talent. “Younger people are looking for work with a purpose, and we certainly fit the bill,” Olthuis explains. 

It helps that Maple Reinders has been named one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies for 15 years running, and it recently received Gold Seal Employer status, which reflects the company’s commitment to its people and their growth. 

With about 600 staff from coast to coast, Maple Reinders is poised to take full advantage of the growth in the civil and environmental sectors.  

“There’s lots of work ahead for us across Canada,” Olthuis says. “Our tagline is ‘integrity in building excellence,’ and we will continue to assist with complex construction projects that have a positive influence on this country, from inception to completion.” 

This story was created by Content Works, Postmedia’s commercial content division, on behalf of Maple Reinders Constructors Ltd.