🎵 Talent Thursdays: In harmony

Together with

Good morning! 🏠 Corporate homebuyers, you’re fired! U.S. President Donald Trump announced plans to ban Wall Street investors from buying single-family homes in a bid to reduce home prices, a potential blow for private-equity landlords.

“People live in homes, not corporations,” Trump said.

📈 BY THE NUMBERS

As Canada enters 2026, BMO economists expect the housing market to remain tilted in buyers’ favour, forecasting a prolonged and uneven path toward affordability rather than a rebound. Home prices are down roughly 17% from their 2022 peak and borrowing costs have eased, but affordability remains strained as incomes lag and investors have largely exited the market. They see further downside risk, particularly in condos and rentals, amid excess supply, weaker population growth and pre-construction buyers struggling to close at higher interest rates.

👷‍♀️ PEOPLE MOVES

Holynde Smiechowski has started a new position as Corporate AI Lead at PCL Construction.

Bill Ferreira has started a new position as Executive Director at the Ottawa Construction Association (O.C.A).

Priestly Demolition Inc. (PDI) has appointed Shane Stewart as CEO and President, while Brian Priestly has been named COO and Andrew Smith has been appointed CFO. Ryan Priestly will transition from CEO to focus on his role as Owner, providing long-term strategic oversight.

Sudhanshu Singh has been named Chief Executive Officer of Nors Construction Equipment Canada.

Joe Webb has been appointed as the new CFO at Flynn Group of Companies, effective January 2026.

Fast + Epp has appointed Carla Dickof, Pierre Koch, Sarah FitzMaurice, and William Loasby as Principals. These individuals have made significant contributions to the firm's growth and will help guide its future direction.

Krystal Smith has been promoted to Vice President, Business Development - Buildings Group at Scott Construction Group.

The job switches and promotions came in so hot this week, we had to put together a special New Year’s edition. Check them all out below.

TOGETHER WITH POMERLEAU

Inside Pomerleau’s long-term strategy to deliver results for marine work in B.C.

Pomerleau is making a major splash as the province’s go-to marine partner, merging national financial muscle with hyper-local B.C. knowledge. From the $250M Fraser River Tunnel program to the sensitive marine works at Woodfibre LNG, they are proving that the most complex coastal projects require a "Built for B.C." strategy. Learn more about their approach in our report below.

🗞 HEADLINES

🎶 Harmonization: Canada’s Building Trades Unions (CBTU) and the Ontario government are collaborating to harmonize safety standards and certifications for construction workers nationwide, aiming to remove interprovincial barriers that force costly recertifications and delay infrastructure projects. 

🛢️ Urgent energy: Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says the U.S. capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro highlights the urgency of building new oil pipelines so Canada can diversify its export markets and reduce reliance on U.S. infrastructure, including a proposed line to British Columbia’s West Coast to reach Asia.

🚦Traffic change: Funds advised by Triton have agreed to sell Ramudden Global, an international traffic management and infrastructure safety provider, to I Squared Capital in a deal reportedly valued at about $3.7 billion. Ramudden Global now operates more than 190 depots across 13 countries in Europe and North America and generates over $1.6 billion in annual revenue. The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2026.

🖥️ Software update: The Quebec Construction Commission is modernizing its online services through the “Chantier numériccq” project, modernizing outdated IT systems to make interactions with employers and workers faster and more secure. Services were paused from Dec. 17 to Jan. 11 to disconnect the old systems and implement the new ones, with testing and adjustments during the transition. The upgraded online services are set to launch next Monday, offering improved security and accessibility across all devices.

🧠 INSIGHTS AND LEADERSHIP

Resources for professional development

• How smart contractors use email lists to drive sales

• Feeling invisible? Stand out to C suite recruiters

• You’re grandpa had this tool and so should you

• Harvard career coach on how to get promoted

• Why do modern window designs look cheap?

💬 QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“It’s a shame that it seems the city’s going to run out of momentum for rail projects after this one. It’s always on our minds that we would like to have a job after this … Everyone will disperse to Calgary or Vancouver or wherever. Then you end up paying a lot of money to get them back.” - Marigold Infrastructure Partners construction manager Jonathan Cox on officials shelving future LRT projects in Edmonton.

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Here’s to a great rest of the week!

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