Together with

Good morning! 🏠 A rebuilt 17th-century replica longhouse has reopened in Six Nations of the Grand River after being destroyed by fire in 2022. Reconstructed over six months by local companies 7G Explorations and GWB Construction, the longhouse can once again celebrate Haudenosaunee history, language, and traditions.

What’s in the newsletter:

👷🏻‍♀️ Safety recommendations in Quebec

💰 Prompt payment in B.C.

💻 Buying back time with AI

📈 LABOUR BY THE NUMBERS

Studies show that companies in the top quartile for gender diversity on executive teams were 25% more likely to achieve above-average profitability than those in the bottom quartile. Ethnic and cultural diversity showed an even stronger effect, with top-quartile companies 36 percent more likely to outperform less diverse peers.

👷‍♀️ PEOPLE MOVES

Tony Ciarla has joined Sublatus as Executive Vice President, bringing over 25 years of experience in environmental construction, remediation, and demolition.

Lisa Brown has started a new position as Director, Commercial Services at EllisDon.

Gordon McDonald has joined Pitt Meadows Plumbing & Mechanical Systems Ltd. (PMP) as Construction Design Manager, bringing over two decades of design leadership and multidisciplinary project delivery experience from leading global engineering consultancies.

Brook Carpenter is now Director, Indigenous Relations at Infracon Group of Companies – Civil Construction, Pipelines, Mining & Aggregates, after two and a half years with Dynamic Horizons Innovative Relations (DHIR).

Lindsay Hawkins, P.Eng, is now Construction Management Lead at RAM.

Jessica Bonney is starting a new position as Manager of Strategic Initiatives at British Columbia Construction Association (BCCA).

Hardik Gajjar has joined HDR as Maritime Planning Lead, bringing over 15 years of experience in master planning, terminal planning, and land use studies for ports, terminal operators, railroads, and trucking facilities worldwide.

TOGETHER WITH CONWEST DEVELOPMENTS

Ben Taddei on forecasting, his industry heroes and why he doesn’t golf

Known for rigorous market forecasting, execution-first leadership, and an underdog ethos, Conwest COO Ben Taddei is passionate about development. SiteNews caught up with Taddei to learn where he sees the next big development opportunities, strategies he swears by, and the best advice he ever received.

🗞 HEADLINES

💰Prompt payment: The British Columbia government has introduced Bill 20, the Construction Prompt Payment Act, aiming to enhance cash flow and fairness in the province’s $28–29 billion construction industry. The legislation mandates that project owners pay general contractors within 28 days of receiving a proper invoice, with an additional seven days for payments to subcontractors. It also establishes an adjudication system to expedite payment disputes.

🦺 Safety recommendations: Following the death of a traffic signal operator struck by a truck in Quebec City, Coroner Arnaud Samson issued 18 recommendations to improve worker safety, including replacing human flaggers with temporary traffic lights, banning traffic signal operators from working on fast roads, and preventing them from also serving as construction site signallers. He further advised municipalities to enhance safety with police or photo radar where flaggers are on duty.

⚖️ Convicted: Two former executives, Vas Georgiou of St. Michael’s Hospital and John Aquino of Bondfield Construction, have been convicted of fraud for secretly collaborating during the $300-million hospital redevelopment bidding process, violating conflict-of-interest rules and undermining public trust. The scheme, which involved undisclosed business ties and covert communications via email and a BlackBerry device, contributed to delays and litigation, pushing the project’s completion to 2026.

✂️ Cutting red tape: Nova Scotia is reducing red tape and costs for trades professionals by eliminating the five-year certification renewal requirement for most compulsory trades and lowering fees for experienced workers challenging certification exams. Officials say the reforms will help grow the skilled trades workforce and streamline certification, including recognizing Red Seal credentials from Alberta and Quebec.

🧠 LEADERSHIP

Resources for professional development

• Collaborative delivery is the key to modular

• Is this the secret to winning 90% of jobs?

• Gen Z workers burnt out? Try this

• Contractors are buying back time with AI

• Friendship is the ultimate biohack

💬 QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“Projects don’t typically go wrong, they start wrong.” - Jason Schroeder, Founder and COO, Elevate Construction

ADVERTISE WITH SITENEWS

Get your message and brand in front of Canada’s construction leaders and decision-makers by advertising in our newsletter. Learn how to partner with us here.

Here’s to a great rest of the week!

Adjust preferences and which newsletters you see here.