📈 Laws of attraction

Together with

Good morning! Did ancient Mayans get stuck in traffic too? New laser mapping research suggests the northern Guatemala rainforests may have been home to the world’s first superhighway system connecting hundreds of communities.

Things have come a long way since then. In Canada, the publicly owned two-lane road network stretches over 1,066,180 kilometres.

And while modern construction has exploded in size, the supply of labour has been struggling to keep pace. Keep reading to find out what Canada’s top employers are doing to attract employees and keep them.

- Russell Hixson, editor

MARKETS

Energy update: Falling natural gas prices have experts adjusting their forecast for Canada’s energy sector. Since late November alone, the price has slid by some 65% and is now nearly one-fourth what it was at last year’s peak. Oil and gas earnings are now expected to decline 19% over the course of 2023 — a major dip from previous expectations of a roughly 8% decline.

THE BIG STORY

How Canada's best companies attract and retain workers

How long do Canadian workers stay at a construction company?

According to the latest data from Statistics Canada: 94.6 months. This is well behind other sectors like public administration (124 months), educational services (125 months) and agriculture (197 months). It’s also behind the all-industry average of 101.3.

The best of the best: A list of top employers for B.C. was recently released, showcasing what some of the best companies in the industry are doing to hang on to talent. It included TYBO Contracting, Beedie Development, Ventana Construction, ETRO Construction, Jacob Bros Construction, Ledcor and more.

What they do different:

• Many recognized companies treat the body and the mind. They provide generous benefits for physical as well as mental health. This includes access to gyms, fitness subsidies and funds for mental health practitioners.

• They want workers to grow. Many offer in-house and online training initiatives, tuition subsidies and formal mentoring programs.

• Companies offer profit-sharing for all employees, signing bonuses for some and referral bonuses as high as $14,000.

• Many provide support for families with parental leave top-up, academic scholarships for their children and reduced summer hours.

Across the country: It’s easy to find out what companies are doing in your neck of the woods. There’s a list of top employers for the Greater Toronto Area and even all of Canada. They all detail what companies are doing for employees so check it out and be inspired.

TOGETHER WITH SALUS

Stop reading if you love paper

It all started when a steel piece fell from a high-rise construction site Gabe Guetta was working on. Rather than reacting to safety incidents, he wanted to elevate the construction sector with a modern safety platform.

The result is SALUS.

Save time and money while getting safer:

• Cut safety compliance costs by 76%

• Lower insurance premiums by 25%

• Recover days or weeks of time spent auditing by getting it done in hours

How it’s done: Built for the construction industry, SALUS mimics existing safety workflows to simplify use and accelerate adoption. Users can sign and submit documents, track certificates, and manage subcontractors, worksites, and assets - all from a mobile device or web app.

Sound good? Book a FREE demo using the link below.

NEED TO KNOW

The week's headlines

🏒 Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds is teaming up with Toronto real estate developer Remington Group to take a shot at buying the Ottawa Senators. Some of Remington’s projects include IQ3, The Origin and Gallery Towers. Reynolds is no stranger to sports. He already co-owns Welsh soccer club Wrexham, which plays in England's fifth tier.

📉 Instead of a bang, 2023 started with a whimper for housing. According to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), the standalone monthly seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of total housing starts for all areas in Canada declined 13% in January (215,365 units) compared to December (248,296 units).

🪵 B.C. lumber producers are growing concerned over U.S. president Joe Biden’s protectionist policies. The administration says it wants to limit the use of imported lumber in federally funded infrastructure projects. B.C. lumber are questioning the feasibility of such a policy, as the U.S. has only been able to meet 70 per cent of its lumber requirements with its own production.

🚒 Officials are investigating the cause of an explosion at a Minto development called Avalon Vista in Ottawa. Four homes were destroyed. The blast injured a dozen people and Minto is assisting displaced residents by putting them up in model homes.

PROJECT SPOTLIGHT

Edmonton's Blatchford development takes off

Former airport site transforms: In 2014, Edmonton City Council approved a business case to transform its former airport into a people-first infill community where up to 30,000 Edmontonians will live. Now Blatchford has been named the best new community in 2023 by the Canadian Home Builders’ Association. Its design includes LRT, renewable energy, and a network of green corridors and park spaces. Here’s some of the home builders with projects at the site: Mutti Homes, Encore Master Builder, NX Build, Ocheller, Carbon Busters, Crimson Cove.

PROJECT UPDATES

TC Energy confident it will complete Coastal GasLink project this year

Diamond Schmitt designs student housing for McMaster University

Soccer stadium in Langley using modular construction methods

SNC-Lavalin joins linear city project team in Saudi Arabia

Temiskaming Cobalt Refinery project in Ontario is under review after setbacks

Concord Properties signs $110M housing deal with the city of Vancouver

WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT

READ: 💵 Here’s all latest developments on prompt payment

WATCH: 🍎 Just how perfect is Apple Computers’ Cupertino office design?

READ: ⚡ PCL offers tech jobs beyond Silicon Valley

STUDY: 🧽 Montreal is a world-class ‘sponge city’ (that’s a good thing)

READ: ☕ How do you say ‘double-double’ in Urdu?

BUILDEX + SITENEWS

The SiteNews team made its way downtown this past week to check out Buildex Vancouver. There were LEGOs, ping pong, podcasts, construction leaders and so much more. We are looking forward to coming to more events soon!

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GOT OPINIONS?

Are you an expert or thought leader in the built environment? Have something important you want to say about a specific issue? SiteNews is currently accepting op-ed and opinion submissions on a wide range of topics related to construction, labour, safety and industry trends. Share your insights and opinions on the issues that matter to you and the construction community. Send us a message at [email protected] to get started. We can't wait to hear from you!

Here's to a great rest of the week!