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Good morning! 🌞 Summer is upon us so it’s time to dust off those grills and get searing. If you don’t want to leave your steak to chance, trust the science. Researchers in Texas found that thin steaks cooked on high heat produce the coveted Maillard reaction for that perfect brown crust. Bon appetit!

Something that shouldn’t be left on the back burner is Canada’s labour crisis. Keep reading to get the latest data on how we are doing and what steps need to be taken.

MARKETS

*Stock data as of last market close; currency, oil and crypto data as of 10:20 PM ET May 8th, 2023.

Markets: Devastating wildfires burning across Alberta have prompted some oil and gas producers to temporarily halt production. According to the Globe and Mail, Crescent Point Energy Corp., Vermilion Energy Inc.,Tourmaline Oil Corp.,Cenovus Energy Inc. and Pipestone Energy Corp. are some of the companies impacted. Officials say more than 100 fires are burning in the province, which has declared a state of emergency.

THE BIG STORY

Forecast peers ten years into the future of labour

It’s time to check in.

How are we doing when it comes to addressing the labour crisis?

The latest ten-year forecast by BuildForce Canada shows that while there will be a brief period of slowdown, the sector is expected to keep growing in 2025. They are calling for more recruitment efforts to keep up with demand.

Here's why the sector is expected to boom:

• Strong investments by government

• Continued demand for housing

• Investments from the private sector

What it means: The labour crisis is ramping up. BuildForce officials explained markets in many provinces are experiencing tight conditions, making it extremely challenging for companies to recruit workers from other regions or provinces. Even worse is the anticipated retirement of older, experienced workers.

What the numbers say: by 2032, overall hiring requirements in the industry are expected to exceed 299,000 due to the retirement of approximately 245,000 workers and growth in worker demand of more than 54,000. This could leave a retirement-recruitment gap of more than 61,000 workers.

BuildForce says one solution is increasing the participation rate of women, Indigenous People, and newcomers.

Here’s how the industry is faring with some of these groups:

• Women accounted for just 5% of the on-site construction workforce.

• Indigenous people accounted for 5.1%.

• New Canadians made up 18%.

The bottom line: While the industry is clearly working hard to recruit more workers, it’s not enough. But the million dollar question is what can be done? The data says two factors improved a child’s view of the trades, regardless of their gender: speaking to someone working in the trades and speaking to a teacher. While this strategy takes many years to pan out, it’s a good place to start.

RECRUITMENT

SiteNews Jobs is up and running

🚀 Our new job board, tailored to senior-level construction professionals, is open for business. With the increasingly difficult labour crisis, we couldn’t think of a better way to harness the power of our construction industry audience. Think top jobs, for top talent, for top companies.

💼 We are offering a free trial period, so don’t miss your chance to try out posting some jobs.

👉🏻 And don’t forget! The first 10 jobs posted by subscribers like you will be featured during launch week.

NEED TO KNOW

The week's headlines

🚒 Nearly 30,000 Albertans have fled due to more than 100 wildfires burning across the province. In response, officials have declared a state of emergency. Officials told reporters that until the fires are under control and the smoke has cleared, it is difficult to assess the full damage.

⚛️ The massive Bruce Power refurbishment project reached a major milestone: substantial completion of the construction phase of a major component replacement. Crews will now shift to refuelling work as the $13-billion project’s focus moves to returning the plant to service later this year.

🏠 After months of investigating housing affordability issues, a city task force in Calgary is calling for officials to remove barriers to home construction. The recommendations included making it easier to build homes, making more land available for homes, ensuring the supply of affordable housing meets the needs of Indigenous people and collaborating with the housing sector

🔍 BC Housing - a provincial crown corporation that develops, manages and administers subsidized housing options - is under fire after a forensic audit. Investigators found a significant conflict of interest between the agency and Atira Women’s Resource Society, its largest housing provider.

🚨 An Ontario construction company and its principal are facing fines after investigators found they faked an engineer’s seal on design drawings. The work was in relation to the construction of a canvas structure on a client's property.

PROJECT SPOTLIGHT

BMO Centre nears the finish line

Expanding hospitality: Something massive is on the horizon for Calgary. The BMO Centre Expansion project is on track for completion next year. It will more than double the facility’s current rentable area to more than 1 million square feet. The $500-million project will be the largest facility of its kind in western Canada and officials say it will give Calgary top-tier destination status in the competitive international meetings and conventions market. It was designed by Stantec, Populous and S2. The project manager is M3 Development and the construction manager is PCL Construction.

PROJECT UPDATES

Regina is investing $113 million into infrastructure projects

Charges recommended after B.C. home project set ablaze

Bird Construction wins contract for tallest modular project in Canada

Coastal GasLink issued stop work order due to sediment-laden water

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

AWARD: Electric Bobcat loader honoured as ‘World Changing Idea’

PHOTO:🪲 Beetles inspire fire-resistant Okanagan home

READ: 🏀 NBA star’s green concrete startup gets $10M pre-seed

TWEET: 🍷 Delish! An epic wine room pairs nicely with a Vancouver skyscraper

READ: 🩺 This B.C. city is using construction to attract doctors

Here’s to a great rest of the week!