Our Services Locations Projects Careers About Modern Contact Decades of experience have made Modern Niagara the dependable, multi-trade contractor we are today. HOME > ABOUT MODERN > HISTORY History Six decades of building for life. Modern Niagara started in 1959 as a local plumbing services shop. Today, it is a national contractor specializing in supporting the lifecycle of mechanical, electrical, and integrated building technology systems of buildings. The first 20 years 1959: Jan Kaminski and Joe Clark open Modern Plumbing, a plumbing services shop in Ottawa that later became Modern Mechanical 1961: Mechanical services shop Niagara Mechanical opens in Toronto 1973: Joe Clark sells his shares and Jan Kaminski brings in shareholders Jack O’Brien, Bob Dube and John McAninch 1980s 1981: Modern Mechanical’s principals establish Colonnade Leasing and Colonnade Developments (1985) to develop suburban real-estate in Ottawa 1989: Modern Mechanical and Colonnade Developments separate, leaving Jack O’Brien and John McAninch as the sole owners of Modern Mechanical 1990s 1992: Modern Mechanical’s first acquisition is Ottawa-based Gorlan Mechanical 1995: Modern Mechanical acquires HVAC specialist company Robertair 1997: Modern Mechanical creates Integrated Control Solutions Inc., an Ottawa-based building controls service provider 1999: Modern Mechanical Inc. acquires Niagara Mechanical in Toronto and rebrands as Modern Niagara Group Inc. 2000s 2000: Modern Niagara creates a Special Projects division in Ottawa and Toronto to meet client needs for mechanical retrofits, tenant fit-ups, and energy solutions 2004 to 2006: Modern Niagara Group expands further with the purchase of three Ontario HVAC services companies: Niagara Mechanical Services and Air Force Inc. in Toronto, and Brough Mechanical Services in Kingston 2007: Modern Niagara Group acquires a company in Halifax and renames it Atlantica Mechanical, adds five new service locations in Ontario 2008: Modern Niagara Group establishes a branch in Calgary, Alberta 2010s 2010: Modern Niagara acquires sheet metal company DMC Mechanical Inc. to drive growth in the Toronto market and expand its design capabilities 2011: Modern Niagara Group establishes its Saskatchewan branch 2013: Modern Niagara Group founds a building controls line and purchases Breneck Technical Services Inc., doubling the size of the company’s Ottawa building services division 2014: The company expands its footprint in Alberta with the founding of Modern Niagara Edmonton 2016: Modern Niagara acquires Laser Electric and Industrial Electric in Ottawa and establishes Modern Niagara Vancouver with the purchase of Keith Plumbing & Heating in Vancouver 2019: Modern Niagara is named one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers. In the same year, Modern Niagara received the 2019 Canada’s Safest Employers Award in the Building and Construction category (Gold) and the 2019 Canada’s Best Health + Safety Culture Award (Silver) from the Canadian Occupational Safety magazine. 2020s 2020: Modern Niagara converts AMPED Sports Lab and Ice Complex in Ottawa into the first Zero Carbon Building™ – Performance Standard certified arena through the Canada Green Building Council®’s Zero Carbon Building™ Program. In the same year, Modern Niagara is named among Canada’s Top 100 Employers for the second consecutive year and received the Excellence Award for Best Health & Safety Culture and the Excellence Award for Safest Construction Employer from the Occupational Safety Magazine. 2021: Modern Niagara expands into Southwestern Ontario, launching the company’s sixth region Join our mailing list to get the latest company news, career opportunities, and more. SUBSCRIBE We build for life. We're proud to be an equal opportunity employer. Modern Niagara Corporate Headquarters 10B Hearst Way Ottawa, ON K2L 2P4 Phone: 613-591-7505 Regional Offices Vancouver, BC Calgary, AB Edmonton, AB Toronto, ON Southwestern, ON Ottawa, ON © Copyright Modern Niagara. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Accessibility Policy Modern Niagara, the "diamond" logo and regional counterparts are trademarks of Modern Niagara. STAY CONNECTED with Modern Niagara Twitter LinkedIn Facebook Instagram