Peel Region is Ontario's distribution engine: the Pearson airport logistics corridor, the 401/407/410 interchanges, and the highest concentration of supply-chain operators in the province. Buildings here are dock-intensive, clear-height-driven and increasingly refrigerated. Terrahills builds distribution and cold chain facilities in Peel under one contract, foundation through occupancy.
A distribution centre is priced by its docks and its clear height, not its footprint. Published 2026 Ontario cost benchmarks put GTA distribution facilities at $170–$480 per square foot against $75–$180 for a plain warehouse. The spread is dock equipment, clear height for racking, floor flatness, fire protection for high-piled storage, and automation infrastructure. Getting the operational layout settled before the frame is ordered is where the money is saved or lost.
Peel sites are rarely greenfield. Redevelopment of older industrial parcels in Mississauga and Brampton means demolition, environmental assessment, and foundations designed for whatever the previous building left behind. We commission the geotechnical and environmental work first and design the foundation to the frame reactions, so the anchor bolt layout is coordinated against the actual structure.
What it costs here
published 2026 Ontario construction cost benchmarks, GTA hard costs: warehouse $75–$180/sq ft, distribution facility $170–$480/sq ft. Cold storage in Ontario runs roughly $240–$420/sq ft depending on refrigeration plant and freezer share. Hard costs only. Land, servicing, development charges and soft costs sit outside these bands.
Proof of delivery
Vaughan industrial building preconstruction and project management: 26,500 sq ft, 2023. CBRE corporate facility management and exterior construction, Duncan Mill Road and Wynford Drive, Toronto.