💰 Talent Thursdays: Big budget

Good morning! 🎤 Warm up those pipes. Canada wants to join the world’s biggest singing competition. In addition to committing $280B for projects over five years, Mark Carney’s first federal budget includes plans to participate in Eurovision. A Canadian has already won the competition: Céline Dion in 1988 (but she was representing Switzerland 👎). 

📈 LABOUR BY THE NUMBERS

🛎️ Room service! Canada’s hotel construction pipeline is surging, with projects scheduled to begin within the next 12 months up 49% year-over-year to 103 projects, adding 13,969 rooms. Overall, the pipeline reached 333 projects with 44,659 rooms by Q3 2025. Upper midscale hotels dominate the growth, followed by upscale and midscale properties, while renovations and brand conversions also rose, now totaling 118 projects with 16,088 rooms.

👷‍♀️ PEOPLE MOVES

Algoma Steel’s Chief Financial Officer Rajat Marwah will take over as CEO at the end of the year after current CEO Michael Garcia announced plans to step down. 

George Vassallo will be stepping away from his role as President at Bothwell Accurate and to fully focus on his role as CEO. Vasello says this move will allow him to concentrate on the bigger picture. Krystal Davey will be stepping in as the new President.

Kees Jansen will be stepping into the role of Vice President, Project Delivery at BC Hydro. He has been with the electrical utility for more than 15 years.

Annabelle Hamilton has been appointed Executive Director of WoodWorks BC. With a background in real estate development and project delivery across international markets, Hamilton combines hands-on project experience with strong strategic insight.

JP Gladu is now an advisor for the Major Projects Office. He also currently serves as Principal of Mokwateh, a bridge building consultancy. 

Adam Tutte has started a new position as Operations Manager for Mack Kirk Industries. 

Ruairi Spillane is now a Member, Board of Directors at Construction Foundation of British Columbia.

Adam Hicks is no Senior Electrical Estimator at Barton Malow Canada. 

Q&A

SiteMedia’s founders share their strategy to shake up industrial media in Canada

At a time While many are shying away from publishing, Andrew Hansen and Brett Rutledge are doubling down. The SiteMedia founders spoke with us about the strategy behind merging with Actual Media, what their vision for industrial media is and the secret sauce behind their explosive growth.

🗞 HEADLINES

💰 Building budget: Mark Carney tabled his first federal budget, putting capital spending at the centre of economic strategy. He’s promised about $280 billion over five years for project work that ranges from trade corridors to clean grids and housing. The plan’s build-focused architecture sets aside $115B for infrastructure, $110B for productivity and competitiveness, $30B for defence and security, and $25B for housing (five-year horizons, accrual basis).

🚀 Tech accelerator: EllisDon has announced the 2025 cohort for its ConTech Accelerator program. The 8 companies covered a wide range of niches including autonomous robotics, concrete scanning, vehicle access security, document checking and more. The companies will now receive mentorship and resources to boost growth. 

👷🏻‍♀️ No plan: A new report from Workforce Planning for Sudbury & Manitoulin warns that succession planning is essential to address looming skilled trades shortages in the region. While interest in trades careers remains strong, the shortage lies in experienced journeypersons—many of whom are over 50. The report urges employers to focus on hiring and training apprentices rather than poaching workers, noting that 39% of surveyed employers lack succession plans. 

🏠 Redevelopment: Construction has begun on Legacy Village, a 20-year redevelopment of the former London Psychiatric Hospital grounds that will become the largest residential project in London’s history. Spanning 57 hectares, the project will ultimately house up to 15,000 residents alongside parks and commercial spaces. The site was purchased by local, family-owned developer Old Oak Properties in 2019 for approximately $17 million.

🧠 LEADERSHIP

Resources for professional development

• Micromanaging is insecurity in disguise

• Nvidia CEO’s best career advice (from a gardener)

• How this $10M builder creates a budget

• Stop forgetting the wisdom in your books

• Walls and moats won't save you. Innovation will

💬 QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“Whether you’re in government, law, or construction, the principle is the same. You look down at the piece of paper, but you also look up at the horizon. You can’t just react—you have to lead.” - Tim Murphy, Executive Vice President and Chief Strategic Affairs Officer, Aecon Group, speaking with ReNew Canada

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Here’s to a great rest of the week!

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