Members of the Lethbridge Polytechnic team show off their Canstruction structure, called ”Leaning Towards Change.” (Image Credit: Lethbridge News Now)

By David Opinko

Canstruction returns to Lethbridge with intricate sculptures on display

Mar 5, 2026 | 2:19 PM

Big, beautiful, and professionally assembled structures will soon turn into donations to Lethbridge’s food banks.

Canstruction has returned for its 2026 campaign, pitting eight groups against each other to see who can build the best structures out of canned foods.

Darryl Schalk, chair of the local Canstruction organizing board, says that this year, he is expecting more than 12,000 cans to be utilized, which is more than in the last couple of years.

The structures will be on display until April 2, 2026, at Centre Village Mall. For the first three weeks, members of the public can vote on their favourites for the People’s Choice Award.

A panel of judges will also give out awards for Structural Integrity, Best Original Design, and Most Cans.

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Schalk says it is a fun and unique way to support the city’s four food banks – Lethbridge Food Bank, Interfaith Food Bank, University of Lethbridge Students’ Union Food Bank, and Lethbridge Polytechnic Students’ Association Food Bank.

“Food needs across the country are just continuing to increase, city-by-city. If you talk to any of the local food banks, they’ll tell you how much that food is increasing, and donations seem to be increasing,” says Schalk.

Lethbridge Polytechnic is among the teams in this year’s Canstruction competition.

First and second-year engineering students are building a structure similar to the Leaning Tower of Pisa, titled Leaning Towards Change.

Instructor and team captain Scott Evanson says they used 936 cans to build the 10-foot tower and a surrounding wall.

“We have a tube – it’s not supporting the cans, but it kind of aligns the cans, and then that’s kind of anchored on the bottom, and the weight of the cans is actually holding it all in place,” says Evanson. “That was our biggest worry. I actually brought a whole bunch of wire in case we had to wire it all together to make sure it wouldn’t fall down, but it ended up being a lot more stable in practice than I thought it would be.”

Evanson says Canstruction is a great practical application of much of what his students have been learning in the classroom, adding that designing computer models and building something in real life are quite different.

The structure from Centre Village Mall, which is hosting Canstruction, includes the largest number of cans at 2,280. They are building an “ocean octopus.”

You can learn more about Canstruction, make donations online, and vote for the People’s Choice Award at Canstructionleth.ca.

The ocean octopus Canstruction structure from Centre Village Mall. (Image Credit: Lethbridge News Now)

The Canstruction structure from Structural Truss Design. (Image Credit: Lethbridge News Now)

The Construction Lego Man Canstruction structure from Associated Engineering AB Ltd. (Image Credit: Lethbridge News Now)

The Canstruction booth at Centre Village Mall. (Image Credit: Lethbridge News Now)