📏 Talent Thursdays: Extended

Together with

Good morning! 🪒 Forget heading to the store to replace your broken razor. Instead you can just push a button. Philips has launched a new sustainability initiative called Fixables, allowing customers to 3D print replacement parts for personal care products to reduce waste.

What’s in the newsletter:

📏40U40 Deadline extended

✍️ Project coordinator micro program

🏗️ How to name your company

📈 LABOUR BY THE NUMBERS

Canada’s youth labour market is facing its worst conditions in nearly 25 years, with unemployment among 15- to 24-year-olds reaching levels not seen since the mid-1990s, excluding the pandemic. Statistics Canada data shows a rising NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) rate, particularly among non-students in their early 20s. 

TOGETHER WITH ICBA

How to ‘Meet the Generals’

Looking to take your trade business to the next level with a big general contractor? In anticipation of ICBA’s epic Meet the Generals event, we spoke with Kindred Construction to find out the best way to approach general contractors, how to make a good impression, and what companies are looking for in a long-term partner. If you play your cards right with the tips below, you could walk away with some new projects or partnerships in the pipeline. Check out our piece below and be sure to secure your spot at Meet the Generals here.

👷‍♀️ PEOPLE MOVES

Geoff Smith, Executive Chair of EllisDon, has been appointed Chancellor of George Brown College for a three-year term, recognizing his decades of leadership and innovation in the construction industry. Smith brings 43 years of experience and a strong commitment to mentoring future generations. 

Hamed Pasdar is now Vice President, Operations, Major Projects at Forbes Bros. Group of Companies.

Zach Parston has started a new position as National Leader, Infrastructure, Capital Projects, and Sustainability at KPMG Canada. 

Jason Breakey has been hired as President and Chief Operating Officer at Trace, a Calgary-based advisory firm. Darrell Haight will remain as CEO while current COO Rhonda Smith will transition to executive chair of the board. Haight and Smith co-founded the consultancy in 2006.

Matthew Rinfret is now Operations Manager at PCL Construction.

Scott MacLeod has joined Keymay Industries as its new Vice President, Business Development and Sales. MacLeod brings over two decades of business development, sales, and industry expertise to this role, as well as extensive experience in the Oil/Gas/Chemical construction industry.

Trevor Welsh is now Director of Building Permits and Chief Building Official for the City of Coquitlam. 

Cesar Boccardo has been promoted to Digital Construction Manager, Buildings East, at Bird Construction. 

Andrew Hansen, Founder and CEO of SitePartners, has been named one finalist for EY Entrepreneur of the Year for the Pacific region. However, Hansen noted that the recognition really is a team award for everyone at Site.

Dale Reimer has started a new role as Director of Construction for University of Calgary Properties Group. 

Amanda Collins is now Project Controls Manager at Barton Malow. 

Rav Sandhu is now General Manager, Ready-Mix Concrete, Greater Vancouver, for Lafarge Canada. 

Rob Wilson and Corey Grobe are now Associate Principals at HCMA and will be Head of Technical Design and Head of Design Realization, respectively.  

🗞 HEADLINES

👷‍♀️ Extended: The nomination deadline for Top 40 Under 40 in Canadian Construction nominations has been prolonged due to overwhelming demand. The new deadline is June 23. Those looking to nominate can do so here.  

💼 Clerk search: Prime Minister Mark Carney has appointed Hydro‑Québec CEO Michael Sabia as Clerk of the Privy Council, replacing John Hannaford, to help advance an agenda focused on nation-building, military modernization, housing, and public sector reform. Sabia, a seasoned executive with experience in both government and major corporations like CDPQ and BCE, is seen as a strategic choice to drive economic growth and manage complex national initiatives.

🚧 Steel layoffs: ArcelorMittal is laying off 153 workers in Hamilton as it shuts down its wire drawing mill and consolidates operations in Montreal, citing the need to sustain its wire business amid mounting pressure from U.S. tariffs. The Canadian steel industry is being hit hard by the recent doubling of U.S. steel tariffs to 50%, prompting job losses and operational shifts. In response, the Canadian government is offering financial support through the LEEFF program.

📚 Micro learning: Humber Polytechnic, in partnership with CourseCompare and Pomerleau, has launched a 16-hour hybrid Project Coordinator for Construction (PCC) micro-credential to address Canada’s construction skills gap and support urgent housing and infrastructure goals. The program offers real-world, simulation-based training for project coordinators—an essential but often undertrained role—aiming to boost job site efficiency and reduce project delays.

🧠 LEADERSHIP

Resources for professional development

• The truth behind ‘networking’ for growth

• Oops! Avoid costly company naming mistakes

• 3 ways to create an incredible company culture

• Great leaders make people feel noticed

• 10 habits to change your life in one month

💬 QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“Unfortunately, as far as I’m concerned, this is not a blip: this is a complete reset. It might be five years, it might be 10 years, but the condo market will probably not come back the way it was.” - Steve Cameron, president and COO, Cameron Stephens Mortgage Capital

🔥HOT JOBS

Construction Manager - Vancouver, B.C. - FCC Construction

Estimator - Edmonton, Alta. - Hall

Construction Project Manager - Vancouver, B.C. - WSP

Senior Estimator - Montreal, Que. - PCL

Senior Project Manager - Surrey, B.C. - Industra Construction Corporation

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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