👷Talent Thursdays: Job desert

Together with

Good morning! 🌵 Will giant data centre projects create job deserts? While these massive facilities take thousands of workers to build, much less are required after. OpenAI’s 1 million sq. ft. Texas facility will employ 100 people—just a fifth of the workforce at a much smaller nearby cheese packing plant.

📈 LABOUR BY THE NUMBERS

In 2024, more women launched businesses in traditionally male-dominated fields like construction and skilled trades, with over 15,000 new women-owned home services businesses recorded on Yelp, marking a second year of record growth. While women remain underrepresented in these industries—comprising less than 4% of construction and trade workers—their presence is expanding, with one in seven new construction jobs last year going to women.

👷‍♀️ PEOPLE MOVES

Northcrest has announced a major executive shuffle. Loren Shore is now EVP of Investments & Asset Management, Kristy Shortall is now EVP of Development, and Catherine Barnes has been promoted to VP of Strategy and Operations.

Scott MacLeod will be joining Team Viking as their new Director of Business Development. As a veteran Director of Business Development & Indigenous Relations, Scott has overseen the business excellence and strategic direction of leading industrial companies that service the oil/gas/chemical industries in Canada, with more than 20 years of experience.

Jennifer Podmore Russell is taking on the role of Chief Development Officer at Nch’ḵay̓. Jenn has served as Executive Vice President of Real Estate & Development since December 2023, and, prior to that, served a short term on our Board of Directors.

Jason Campbell is CarbonCure as its new North America Commercial Director. He has 26 years of dedicated experience within the ready mix concrete industry. Before CarbonCure, Campbell oversaw sales operations for Sysdyne Technologies and sold dispatch, batch automation and trucking software.

Maddison Sharples is now Vice President, Communications and Marketing, at Fengate Asset Management. Previously, Sharples was Senior Manager, Marketing and Communications, North America, at Acciona.

Chris Sempson has joined Gillam as a Project Superintendent. He has 43 years of experience in the industry and brings a wealth of knowledge in planning, scheduling and communication.  

Angus English has been promoted to Project Director, North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant, at AECOM. 

TOGETHER WITH CALIBER

Creating good: Caliber builds people and process

Realizing his passion for both construction and people after experiencing ups and downs on the jobsite and beyond, Justin Bontkes founded Caliber Projects. It has evolved from small custom builds to large-scale developments like Latimer Village. The company focuses not just building structures but also empowering individuals and fostering strong communities. Bontkes envisions a future where companies prioritize employee well-being, purpose-driven careers, and positive societal impact, creating lasting change beyond the job site. Learn more about Caliber’s approach in our piece below.

🗞 HEADLINES

SiteNews Flash: ⚡ The latest episode of the SiteNews Flash is live. SiteNews Editor Russell Hixson dove into the latest big construction stories, including two massive projects that could create thousands of construction jobs—the Alto High-Speed Rail project and upgrades to Halifax Infirmary.

Critical mass: ⚛️ With a wave of retirements looming in Canada’s nuclear energy sector, Ontario Tech University and Humber Polytechnic have partnered to train the next generation of skilled professionals. The sector, which employs 89,000 workers, has grown by 17% in five years but faces a skills gap as 30% of its workforce is over 50. The partnership aims to provide specialized training in engineering, skilled trades, and emerging technologies like small modular reactors (SMRs).

Sustainable jobs: 🛠️ The Canadian government is investing over $75 million through the Sustainable Jobs Training Fund to support eight projects that will train more than 10,000 workers in key sectors like electric vehicle maintenance, green building retrofits, and low-carbon energy.

Scholarship funds: 💰 Mattamy Homes, North America's largest privately owned homebuilder, announced a $250,000 contribution to the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) and the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT). Each education hub will receive $125,000 in support of student scholarships and awards, youth engagement initiatives, and experiential learning with a critical focus on growing the skilled trades.

📅 EVENTS

Industry Icebreaker: Early bird ticket discount

If you want to join us at Rogers Place in Edmonton for an evening of networking, idea sharing and Oilers hockey, we have good news! To thank our subscribers, we are slashing 40% off the price of tickets to our Industry Icebreaker event for the first 5 people who use the promo code EARLYBIRD. Follow the link below to claim the offer before it’s gone.

🧠LEADERSHIP

Resources for professional development

• Simon Sinek:The fallacy of profits over people

• How to choose a backhoe loader 

• Disrupting the ‘white-collar depression’ with trades

• Paul Akers lifestyle: Can this transform your workflow? 

• 7 habits to stay focused in a world of distractions

💬 QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“There is no such thing as a perfect construction project, only the perfect team to overcome challenges together.” Norman Foster, British Architect, designer of The Gherkin in London.

🔥HOT JOBS

Construction Program Director, Fraser River Tunnel Project - Vancouver, B.C. - TI Corp.

Project Manager - Burnaby, B.C. - Axiom Builders

Senior Development Manager - Vancouver, B.C. - Innergex

Project Manager - Vancouver, B.C. - Quattro Constructors

Senior Construction Project Manager - Langley, B.C. - Rain City Industrial

🔥 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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