📦 Talent Thursdays: Care package

Together with

Good morning! 🚨 Ongoing ICE raids and President Donald Trump’s hardline immigration policies are heightening uncertainty in the U.S. construction industry, disrupting labour supply, delaying projects, and prompting industry leaders to push for immigration reform ahead of the 2026 midterms.

What’s in the newsletter:

📦 $1.25B care package for lumber jobs

👷 Gen Z turns away from the trades

💊 Toxic drug crisis

📈 LABOUR BY THE NUMBERS

A new poll reveals a growing disconnect between employers’ demand for skilled trades workers and Gen Z’s perception of those careers, with only about a third of Gen Z believing trades offer good job opportunities or a faster, more affordable career path. Misconceptions about pay, prestige, security, and flexibility are deterring younger workers, despite older generations recognizing the strong potential of trades.

👷‍♀️ PEOPLE MOVES

Thomas Clochard has been appointed Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Aecon Group Inc., effective September 2, 2025.

Samson Tam has been appointed as Vice President of Development at Corix Group of Companies.

Lora McMillan has been promoted to National Director, Construction Services at BGIS. 

Caitlin Hartigan has been hired as the new dean of trades and apprenticeship at Okanagan College, bringing her experience from Women Building Futures in Edmonton and Northwestern Polytechnic in Grande Prairie.

Glen Barker has joined TROIKA as Vice President of Construction, bringing over 40 years of experience and $1B+ in delivered projects including the YVR Runway Extension, Nanaimo Airport, and South Fraser Perimeter Road.

Yadana Oo has joined B&A as a Planning Technician, bringing 8+ years of international experience in architecture, interior design, and urban planning from projects across Singapore, China, and Myanmar.

Tina Webb has been promoted to Director of Building Information Modelling (BIM) at Fast + Epp. Webb, based in Nanaimo, B.C., is a certified structural technologist with over 25 years of experience, including more than 15 years specializing in BIM.

Laurel Murphy has been appointed Vice President and Director of Operations for Water in Central and Western Canada at AECOM, succeeding David Humphreys who becomes Senior VP and Project Delivery Leader for Canada.

Chuck Chow has joined Fort Modular as the Lease and Fleet Manager of BC.

TOGETHER WITH SIMPSON STRONG-TIE

Q&A: Johan Galeano builds success from the bottom up in the building supply sector

Before he was closing big deals and winning sales awards, Johan Galeano had a very different dream — to wear a badge. In this Q&A, Johan opens up about his unlikely path into construction, the habits that fuel his success, and why building a personal brand is more than just a marketing move — it’s a mindset.

🗞 HEADLINES

🪵 Care package: The federal government has announced a $1.25-billion support package focused on protecting and retraining over 6,000 workers in Canada’s softwood-lumber sector, which employs 200,000 people nationwide. Facing steep U.S. trade duties and a shifting global market, the plan includes $700 million in loan guarantees to keep plants open, $50 million for income supports and retraining, and $500 million for diversifying products and markets—including Indigenous-led ventures.

⚒️ Skills development: Ontario is investing over $4 million through its Skills Development Fund to help nearly 500 people in the Thunder Bay region access jobs in construction, mining, industrial, and transportation sectors. The funding supports training programs through IBEW Local 402, LIUNA Local 607, Keewaytinook Okimakanak Board of Education, Ironworkers Local 759, Millwright Local 1151, and Behind the Wheel, with a focus on hands-on skills, apprenticeships, and opportunities for women, Indigenous participants, and youth.

💊 Toxic drugs: Tradespeople are the most affected occupational group in B.C.'s ongoing toxic drug crisis, with new data showing that 21% of overdose deaths in May and June 2025 involved individuals currently or formerly employed in trades, transport, and equipment operation. The BC Coroners Service reported 145 and 147 deaths in those months, respectively, bringing the 2025 total to 915. Men aged 30 to 59 remain the most impacted, and fentanyl continues to be the leading substance found.

🧠 LEADERSHIP

Resources for professional development

• Creative Department: Building an industrial marketing campaign

• How construction managers can use AI for site monitoring

• No fear: Quit being a coward and do the hard thing

• The CIA’s method for making good decisions while under stress

• Does your strategy fit on one slide? Here’s why it should

💬 QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“There’s a new type of idea that the next generation of millionaires are in the skilled trades, because of its ease to get into your own space, and into your own business. The next generation, they’re calling them the toolbelt generation for obvious reasons because they see the opportunity and they see that AI has become a force and is going to replace a lot of jobs.” - Ralph Cerasuolo, founder and CEO, Skilled Trades College

🔥HOT JOBS

Senior Cost Consultant - Edmonton, Alta. - Turner & Townsend

Chief Estimator - Victoria, B.C. - Buttcon

Senior Project Manager - Vaughan, Ont. - Houle Electric

Superintendent, Civil - Barrie, Ont. - EBC

BIM Manager - Halifax, N.S. - Dillon Consulting

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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