🚗 Talent Thursdays: Car czar

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Good morning! 🔨 Are you missing some tools? York police have recovered more than $3M in stolen construction gear after launching an intense crackdown dubbed “Project Steal N’ Spirits”. Officers arrested six suspects that they say are part of a broader crime network. 

📈 LABOUR BY THE NUMBERS

In February, Canada’s construction sector saw a payroll employment decline of 3,600 jobs (0.3%), aligning with the national decrease of 49,000 jobs. Despite a modest 0.1% year-over-year increase in construction employment, the sector posted 40,000 job vacancies, down 31.6% from the previous year. The construction job vacancy rate stood at 3.3%, above the national average of 2.9%, as overall job vacancies across all sectors remained steady at 528,000.

👷‍♀️ PEOPLE MOVES

Angela Clayton, interim president and CEO of Infrastructure was named Outstanding Leader and Holynde Smiechowski, project manager, PCL Construction was the recipient of the Emerging Leader award by the Women’s Infrastructure Network.

Tania Johnston, CEO of the Mechanical Contractors Association of Canada, is being recognized for her 25 years of service to the industry.

Mike Alexander has joined the ETRO Team on contract as Vice-President of Construction for Vancouver Island and Shaun St-Amour has joined ETRO as Manager of ETRO Revive.

Brandon Deeves is starting a new position as Regional Manager, Roadside Safety at Barricades and Signs.

Mike Love is now Senior Superintendent at PCL. He has been with the company for more than 13 years, starting as an assistant superintendent.

Wil Foster has been promoted to Operations Manager at Chandos Construction. He has been with the company for nearly 4 years. He’s played an important role in shaping the Ottawa district, helping build a strong team and guiding 13 projects along the way.

Ritu Ahuja is now Director of Lean Integration at Kinetic.

The entire April edition of People Moves, brought to you this month by SiteSummit, is out now! Use the promo code at the top of the article to get $275 off tickets.

📆 EVENTS

SiteSummit: Turn time into value

Want to get more done with less? This panel will deliver smart, tactical insights from the people transforming productivity from the ground up.

Featuring:

👷🏻 Hammad Chaudhry, VP, Market Development & Partnerships at Timescapes

👷🏻 Jim Dunn, President of Stack Modular

👷🏻 Brian Spilak, COO of Cooper Equipment Rentals Limited

Moderated by the one and only Vanessa S. Werden, Partner at Jenkins Marzban Logan LLP, attendees will learn about data-powered decision-making, legal and operational alignment and more. Click on the link below to secure your tickets. 

TOGETHER WITH ICBA

ICBA celebrates 50 years of independence

The Independent Contractors and Businesses Association (ICBA) marked its 50th anniversary by celebrating its growth into Canada’s largest construction association, representing over 4,500 companies. Founded on values of independence and free enterprise, ICBA continues to lead in advocacy, training, and benefits—all self-funded and focused on supporting small and mid-sized contractors. How did they find success over the decades? Check out our in-depth article below to find out.

🗞 HEADLINES

Decongestant: 🚘 Toronto has proposed appointing a "congestion czar" to lead cross-departmental efforts to reduce gridlock, following a city report identifying construction as the main cause of traffic delays. The motion, passed by council with an amendment requiring a report by July 10, aims to centralize responsibility for managing congestion. 

Outstanding and emerging: 👷‍♀️ The Women’s Infrastructure Network held its 11th Annual WIN Awards in six cities—Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Ottawa, Montreal, and Halifax—celebrating emerging and outstanding female leaders in infrastructure. Of the 66 nominees, 11 finalists were shortlisted. Angela Clayton, interim president and CEO of Infrastructure Ontario, was named Outstanding Leader, while Holynde Smiechowski, project manager at PCL Construction, received the Emerging Leader award.

Building legacy: 🏗️ As Construction and Skilled Trades Month concludes, the BC Construction Association (BCCA) has launched the Past Chair Legacy Fund, a new initiative to support education and career development in the construction industry. The fund will award up to four recipients annually—one from each BC region—to help individuals pursue skilled trades or professional construction pathways.

🧠 LEADERSHIP

Resources for professional development

• Do Canadian builders have a cyber blind spot? 

• Why cities need to create new downtowns 

• How to start a cultural transformation at your business

• Empathy is not negotiable for leadership skills

• This west coast tile setter built a GIS drone empire

💬 QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“The next decades are going to be a great time to be in the skilled trades. President Trump’s tariffs are already impacting Canadian industry, but by investing in workers, we will build a much stronger economy. My new government will make apprenticeship training more affordable so we can build more in this country and connect workers to higher-paying jobs.” — Prime Minister Mark Carney

🔥HOT JOBS

Project Manager, Renewable Energy Projects - Mississauga, Ont. - Bird Construction

Senior Project Manager - Vancouver, B.C. - Scott Construction Group

Project Director, Building Construction - Etobicoke, Ont. - Ledcor

Senior Project Manager - Langley, B.C. - Marcon

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.

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Here’s to a great rest of the week!

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