📊 Talent Thursdays: Survey says

Together with

Good morning! 💰 Would you change jobs for $100 million? Meta CEOMark Zuckerberg thinks so. He is offering obscene compensation packages worth that amount and more to poach top AI researchers from Open AI, Google DeepMind and others.

What’s in the newsletter:

📊 Tech adoption survey results

🏁 Revolutionizing project proposals

👷‍♀️ Reducing turnover by 70%

📈 LABOUR BY THE NUMBERS

Canada’s population growth nearly stalled in the first quarter of 2025, rising by just 20,107 people — the smallest increase since the COVID-19 contraction in 2020 — due largely to a federal policy shift reducing immigration levels. Despite admitting over 104,000 immigrants, the drop of more than 61,000 non-permanent residents and a natural population decline (with deaths exceeding births by 5,628) contributed to the flat growth.

TOGETHER WITH SITEPURSUITS

Q&A: How SitePursuits aims to revolutionize project proposals

Winning major project work in Canada has never been more competitive—or more complex. In this exclusive Q&A, Colleen Reid introduces SitePursuits, a new joint venture between SitePartners and Red Team Strategy that’s rethinking how proposals are built for large-scale infrastructure. Whether you're a small firm struggling with compliance or a major player aiming to elevate your submissions with cutting-edge visuals and strategy, SitePursuits offers scalable, full-service pursuit management designed to help teams win.

👷‍♀️ PEOPLE MOVES

Pat Crevolin has been promoted to Chief Operating Officer at Scott Builders.

Shawn Keyes has joined Intelligent City as Vice President of Strategic Growth and Business Development.

Andrew Garrett is now Chief Investment Officer at Ruck Lane.

Stewart Day has joined AtkinsRéalis as Global Senior Director, HSE Excellence.

Colleen Reid, Founder of Red Team Strategy, is now Managing Partner at SitePursuits. 

Crystal Smith has stepped down after 12 years on Haisla Nation Council, including the past 8 years as Chief Councillor.

Brandon Deeves is now Regional Manager, Roadside Safety at The Universal Group.

Julia Klymenko has joined Teck Resources as part of the Talent Acquisition team.

Barbara Oliveira has been promoted to Director, Human Resources at Reliance Construction.

Dave Groen, VP of Construction at Classic Fire + Life Safety, has been appointed Chair of the Board for the Canadian Automatic Sprinkler Association (CASA).

Dave Cockburn is now Construction Manager at Northfleet Group Inc.

🗞 HEADLINES

📖 Survey says: The survey of 265 Canadian construction executives found that 78% of firms are still facing skilled labour shortages, and nearly three-quarters believe meeting demand will become even more difficult over the next decade as retirements outpace recruitment. While shortages have slightly eased since 2023, 70% still say the labour crunch is affecting their ability to bid on new projects or complete existing ones. That’s prompting many to prioritize technology that improves efficiency, streamlines work, and reduces reliance on manual labour.

👷‍♀️ Strike: The Alliance syndicale de la construction has filed a complaint accusing the APCHQ of bargaining in bad faith during ongoing negotiations for a residential construction collective agreement in Quebec. The union claims the APCHQ engaged in "sham negotiations" and attempted to undermine the strike by offering workers higher wages. The residential construction strike, which began on May 28, involves around 60,000 workers, while other construction sectors reached agreements before the April 30 deadline.

🏗️ Lifted up: The Manitoba government is investing $215,000 to support the development of a new tower crane training facility, aiming to boost skilled trades and meet future workforce demands. The funding will help the Operating Engineers Training Institute of Manitoba (OETIM) build a crane foundation and erect a tower crane, enabling operator training to begin as early as this fall. Officials say the investment will create more opportunities for Manitobans to gain in-demand skills and address crane operator shortages.

🦾 Automated: A federal industrial inquiry commission is urging the government to create a retraining fund for B.C. dock workers affected by automation, warning that job insecurity and labour disputes at West Coast ports threaten Canada’s global trade reliability. Led by mediator Vince Ready, the commission highlighted the growing impact of automation on longshoring jobs and recommended measures to stabilize labour relations, including a stronger mediation role and union certification reforms.

🧠 LEADERSHIP

Resources for professional development

• This contractor reduced turnover by 70%. Here’s how

• Is this the most underrated role in Canadian construction?

• 6 tips to be a successful entrepreneur 

• Do this instead of announcing sudden changes

• How to support workers in extreme heat

💬 QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“Too often, the system prioritizes lowest price over long-term value, which prohibits investment in innovation. If we want a modern, productive construction sector, governments must reform procurement to foster collaboration, ensure fair risk-sharing, and create the confidence companies need to invest and grow.” - Canadian Construction Association president Rodrigue Gilbert

🔥HOT JOBS

Senior Project Manager - Calgary, Alta. - Clark Builders

Senior Construction Manager - Calgary, Alta. - WSP

Construction Manager - Vaughan, Ont. - Buttcon

Senior Project Manager - Ottawa, Ont. - Tiree

Manager Construction Project Development - Burnaby, B.C. - BC Housing

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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