⛏️ Talent Thursdays: Getting graphite

Good morning! 🔊 Suffering from tinnitus? A newly approved treatment uses mild electrical pulses to the tongue that train the brain to ignore the phantom ringing noises. With construction workers 40% more likely to experience hearing impairment than the general population, this could provide relief to thousands.

📈 BY THE NUMBERS

According to a new UN report, buildings and construction are responsible for nearly 40% of the world's planet-warming emissions and over a quarter of global energy consumption, driven largely by rapid construction growth and a heavy reliance on fossil fuels. However, viable solutions exist to combat this climate impact, including the integration of rooftop solar panels, shared district heating and cooling systems, and passive cooling techniques.

EVENTS

SiteSummit: Class is almost at capacity

June is closer than it looks — and SiteSummit 2026 is filling up fast.

More than 600 of the construction industry’s brightest are headed to George Brown's Waterfront Campus on June 23-24 for two days of Summer School. 

Expect packed sessions across construction's biggest conversations, a sprawling Shop Class exhibitor floor, and a room brimming with the people actually running this industry.

If you've been meaning to enrol, now is the moment.

👷‍♀️ PEOPLE MOVES

Jérémie Emond is leaving his Director General role at Public Services and Procurement Canada after three decades in the public service to become the Senior Director of Business Development Defence at Pomerleau.

Dario Gnoato, P.Eng. has stepped down as CEO of Backwoods Energy Services and is joining EllisDon on May 19, where he will oversee PME Inc. and EllisDon Industrial.

Thomas Rigets has been promoted to Director of Operations at Tatras Industrial. In this role, he will oversee the company's expanded capabilities across rope access, welding, confined space, and industrial services.

Alicia Chung has been appointed Vice President, Sales & Marketing at Conwest Developments.

Jane Proctor, PMP, has joined McElhanney as a Commercial Manager after seven years with Allnorth Consultants Limited.

Maya Abdul has been promoted to Senior Construction Manager at EllisDon.

Mackenzie Nixon has been promoted to Studio Director in Calgary at Henriquez Partners Architects. She will lead the growth of the firm's Alberta practice, bringing over a decade of experience.

Evan Barroso, Project Manager on the St. Laurent Pipeline Replacement Project at Aecon Group Inc., has received the Pipe Line Contractors Association of Canada (PLCAC)'s 2026 Jack Cressey Future Leader Award.

Rhianon Chow has stepped into a new role as Project Development Lead – Buildings with Turner Construction | Canada in Vancouver.

Ryan Graves has concluded his four-year tenure at WSP in Canada. During his time there, he led bid teams on successful projects and worked closely with colleagues including Karen Lawrence, Mandy Tucker, Valerie Horan, Heidi Balaski, and mentor Corina Moore.

Nick Krutiakov has taken on a new role in the VDC and BIM space at Pomerleau.

Patrick Lalonde has been promoted to Vice President, Digital Project Delivery at EllisDon, marking 15 years with the organization as the company celebrates its 75th anniversary.

Christian Correa has been appointed Vice President, Operations at EllisDon.

Lucas Beck has joined Brookfield Properties as Vice President, Leasing, bringing over a decade of commercial real estate experience from his previous role in Calgary.

Mike Armstrong has been promoted to Senior Vice President, Buildings - Eastern Canada at EllisDon.

Scott Gamble is now COO of Primary Construction Inc.

Daniel Smith is now Director of Hazelview Properties; Justin P. is now Director of Weston Consulting

Jamie DiRenzo is now General Superintendent at Vestacon Limited

Tony Taurasi is now Project Director at Gillam

Francesco Ritonnale is now Senior Superintendent at Pomerleau

Cara Nahwegahbow is now Superintendent at Chandos Construction

Kevin Hoekstra has joined Pidherney's Inc. as Director, Business Development, representing both Pidherney's and its wholly owned subsidiary, Midwest Pipelines Inc.

Josh D. has been promoted to Executive Vice President of Industrial Development at Beedie, where he will lead the company's design-build platform.

Manik Raina has been appointed Vice President & Deputy General Counsel, Pursuits & Corporate/Commercial at EllisDon.

Brandon Wright has been promoted to Vice President of Strategic Relationships at Inline Group Inc. 

Kerri Zanussi has joined Kalesnikoff as Senior Marketing Partner after 20 years with Adera. She will help tell the story of the innovative Canadian company's work in mass timber, prefabrication, and sustainable construction.

Garrett Anstett has joined Teck Resources Limited as Project Manager for the closure of the Pend Oreille Mine near Metaline Falls, Washington.

Mitchell Cross has started a new position as Senior Project Manager at EllisDon.

🗞 HEADLINES

⛏️ Graphite mine: Pomerleau has begun construction on Nouveau Monde Graphite’s $653 million Matawinie Mine in Quebec, establishing North America’s largest graphite facility and Canada's first end-to-end extraction-to-refinery operation. 

⚡ Lack of energy: An independent review panel has concluded that a proposed $36-billion energy framework agreement between Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro and Hydro-Québec does not serve the public interest. Consequently, Premier Tony Wakeham has halted negotiations until Quebec and the federal government address these issues.

🧠 Hiring smart: What do top performing construction firms do to beat high attrition? Shortening commutes is one strategy. We spoke with Bridgit Co-Founder Mallorie Brodie about their latest data from the world’s top companies. 

🔋 Peak power: Atura Power and Ameresco Canada have completed the $600-million Napanee Battery Energy Storage System project in Ontario on-budget and 5 weeks ahead of schedule. The 250-megawatt facility utilizes 284 battery storage units to store clean electricity during periods of low demand and discharge enough power to fuel 250,000 homes for up to four hours during peak times.

AWARDS

Nominations are open. Don't sleep on it

40 Under 40 is officially back, and is now accepting nominations.

If you know someone under 40 who's leading the work that's actually moving Canada's heavy industries forward, put their name in. (And you can nominate yourself, too.)

Nominations are due by July 10th. Don’t wait — do the thing.

🧠 INSIGHTS AND LEADERSHIP

Resources for professional development

• Is the Ontario Line destined for failure? 

• Pigeonholes: The greatest tool cabinet of all time

• Successful people share this one principle

• Build a new division (without starting from scratch)

💬 QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“Partnerships between indigenous communities & companies don't have to compromise a community's autonomy or long-term goal of self determination. If anything, when structured properly they can actually accelerate opportunities and reduce start-up risks that other companies are exposed.” - Bryce Starlight, Vice President, Development, Taza Development Corp

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Here’s to a great rest of the week!

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