👷Talent Thursdays: Disagreement

Together with

Good morning! 🍄 Mushroom picking just leveled up. Canadian companies 4AG Robotics in B.C. and Mycionics Inc. in Ontario are pioneering automation technologies to harvest mushrooms. Using AI-powered robots, they scan and pick mushrooms meeting specific criteria, reducing reliance on human labour.

📈 LABOUR BY THE NUMBERS

According to the latest data from the Independent Contractors and Businesses Association (ICBA), 72% of B.C. contractors report a shortage of skilled tradespeople. The group’s 2025 Wage and Benefits Survey also found that 63% of respondents feel government is on the “wrong track” in dealing with a business like theirs – only 5% answered that government is on the “right track.”

👷‍♀️ PEOPLE MOVES

Catherine Karakatsanis, Chief Operating Officer at Morrison Hershfield (Now Stantec), has been awarded the Order of Ontario. She has been a pivotal figure in engineering and served as President of Ontario and Canada’s Professional Engineers’ Associations. She is the first woman president in the 110-year history of the global International Federation of Consulting Engineering which represents the interests of more than 40,000 engineering firms in about 100 countries.

Zara Gerogis, P.Eng., has been promoted to Manager of Transportation Engineering for Western Canada and Robert Keel is now Manager of Transportation Planning in Vancouver at LEA Consulting. The company stated the promotions are part of its strategy to expand operations in Western Canada. 

Patrick Chouinard has announced his retirement from Element5. However, he will remain a shareholder. He founded the company 15 years ago to pioneer the greater use of wood in the industry. 

Chris Smith has started a new position as General Manager - Ontario South for ATCO Structures. Prior to this, he spent more than three years as director of sales at NRB Modular Solutions. 

Doug Benavidez, Assistant Manager of Finance & Commercial Risk at PCL's Ottawa district, is celebrating 20 years with the company. His journey with PCL Construction began back in 2004 as a Project Accountant in Toronto.

🗞 HEADLINES

Agreement disagreement: 👷 The B.C. NDP’s Community Benefits Agreement, introduced in 2018 has sparked new criticism over rising costs and delays in major public projects. The program mandates workers on select projects join one of 19 unions and has quotas for apprentices, women, and Indigenous workers. Critics attribute cost overruns of $350M–$500M on projects like the Pattullo Bridge and Broadway subway to these requirements, while the NDP blames inflation and labour shortages. 

Unwell youth: 😞 MetLife’s 2025 Employee Benefits Trends Study has discovered a steep decline in Gen Z's holistic health, with only 31% feeling healthy compared to other generations. Elevated stress, burnout, depression, and financial worries further compound their difficulties, creating a generational gap in well-being.

Coming or going: ✈️ The Business Council of British Columbia has launched the "Stay with B.C." campaign to counter rising migration to Alberta, which saw a net gain of 55,000 interprovincial migrants in 2023, including over 30,000 from B.C. The campaign uses playful ads to spark conversations and highlight B.C.'s strengths, such as its natural beauty and economic potential, while addressing concerns about affordability and job opportunities.

🧠 LEADERSHIP

Resources for professional development

• Why 2025 must be the year of proving AI’s value in construction.

• These are some of 2024’s top reads for builders

• The top 3 remote construction challenges and how to solve them

• A ‘pig-culiar’ approach to development marketing

• How to tell a client bad news

👷‍♀️ PEOPLE MOVES: SPOTLIGHT

Q&A with BCRB’s new Chair: Vanessa Werden

One of Canada’s top construction lawyers and a partner with Jenkins Marzban Logan LLP Vanessa Werden is now Chair of the BC Road Builders & Heavy Construction Association. Werden previously served as a Director and then Vice Chair, spearheading the formation of the BCRB’s Women in Road Building Committee. We caught up with Werden to get her thoughts on construction law, road building and her new role.

🔥HOT JOBS

Director of Construction - Burnaby, B.C. - Square Nine

Senior Planner/Scheduler - Vancouver, B.C. - Graham

Land Development Manager - Chilliwack, B.C. - Westbow Construction 

Senior Project Manager - Calgary, Alta. - Carbon Upcycling 

Part-Time Bookkeeper - Abbotsford B.C. - SitePartners

🔥 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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