👷Talent Thursdays: 💥 Boomtown

Together with

Good morning! 🪵 It wasn’t plucked from a stone or created in a forge, but one B.C. sword is getting some global attention. A Vancouver Island man’s found piece of driftwood has been voted “Stick of the Year” by stick enthusiasts worldwide on Instagram.

📈 LABOUR BY THE NUMBERS

There are approximately 8,000 kilometers of federally recognized winter roads across Canada's North, with an additional 2,000 kilometers built by private companies. In northern Ontario alone, winter ice roads service 31 remote First Nations communities, which rely on these roads for economical transport of supplies during winter months.

👷‍♀️ PEOPLE MOVES

Danny Ross has joined the UBC Properties Trust as its Senior Development Manager 

Ross has 7 years of experience in development and began his journey with an urban development internship in Los Cabos, Mexico. He helped redesign a series of public parks using community-led design input.

Jennifer Glougie has been reappointed as chair of the BC Labour Relations Board and the Employment Standards Tribunal following a merit-based recruitment process. Glougie has served as chair since February 2022. She has been reappointed to a five-year term that will begin on Feb. 5, 2025.

Leon Teplitsky has been promoted to Director of Development at MGMT Group. He has over five years of experience as a project manager and a previous background in operations management.

🗞 HEADLINES

Growing pains: ⛰️ Cochrane, Alberta, the fastest-growing community in Canada’s fastest-growing province, is facing significant infrastructure challenges as its population nears 40,000 and is projected to more than double by 2050. A $95 million roadworks project, slated for completion by 2026, aims to address increasing traffic congestion, but additional infrastructure demands loom large.

Top recommendations: 👷 Skills Ontario presented recommendations to address tradesworker shortages during pre-budget consultations. Key proposals include multi-year funding to expand programs like the Skills Ontario Competition, enhanced career connections to strengthen apprenticeships and employer partnerships, increased marketing to engage youth and educators, and the establishment of permanent training hubs. 

Training funds: ⚒️ Alberta’s government is investing $1.5 million over three years in Trade Winds to Success, an Indigenous-led non-profit that trains Indigenous students for skilled trades careers. This funding will support programs like the Residential Construction Program, where participants gain foundational knowledge, hands-on training, and 330 hours toward a carpenter apprenticeship.

🧠 LEADERSHIP

Resources for professional development

• Open minds empower construction Innovation

• Are you causing change fatigue for employees?

• Q&A: Telling construction’s story to Gen Z

• Why you will fail to have a great career

• Lol! How humor can improve your leadership skills

🔥HOT JOBS

Project Manager - Fort Saskatchewan, Alta. - EllisDon

Estimator, Infrastructure - Vancouver, B.C. - Graham

Construction Site Representative - Vancouver, B.C. - Associated Engineering

Contracts Manager - Vancouver, B.C. - Aecon

🔥 Check out all roles up for grabs right now at SiteNews Jobs or put your job post in front of tens of thousands of construction professionals here.

Struggling to fill a role? send us an email at [email protected] to connect with one of our specialized recruitment experts.

ADVERTISE WITH SITENEWS

Get your message and brand in front of Canada’s construction leaders and decision-makers by advertising in our newsletter. Learn how to partner with us here.

Here’s to a great rest of the week!

Adjust preferences and which newsletters you see here.