Charney submitted a design for the Canadian pavilion at Expo 70 which would be fashioned from construction cranes and scaffolding. His submission, while not successful, signalled Charney's shift away from building design to public art. His depiction of historic buildings demolished to make way for Expo 67 and the Montreal Olympic Games in the short-lived Corrid’art exhibit is reported to be a primary reason why mayor Jean Drapeau ordered the exhibition demolished. Notable public art works by Charney in Montreal include the sculpture garden at the Canadian Centre for Architecture and the sculpture Skyscraper, Waterfall, Brooks — A Construction at Place Émilie-Gamelin, both constructed after Drapeau left office.
