👷Talent Thursdays: Tailgating

Together with

Good morning! A former construction worker is putting his jobsite muscles to good use, defending his belt as a reigning UFC bantamweight champion this past weekend. Georgian-born Merab Dvalishvili, a.k.a The Machine, worked in construction for seven years before joining the UFC in 2017. Now, some insiders are hailing him as one of the 135lb weight division’s greatest fighters of all time.

📈 LABOUR BY THE NUMBERS

The latest Labour Force Survey data from Statistics Canada, covering December 2024, reveals a 1.8% rise in industry employment and a 2.0% growth in the labour force for all workers over the past year. Since the labour force expanded at a faster rate than employment, the industry’s unemployment rate edged up from 5.9% to 6.1%.

👷‍♀️ PEOPLE MOVES

Steve Hoy is now President of Hall Mechanical after serving as General Manager at the company for two years. 

Kate Donahue has been promoted to Vice President, Marketing and Communications at Deveraux Group of Companies. 

Wendy Liviniuk is now Director of Administration and Finance at Liviniuk Group.

Susan Reisbord has been promoted to Chief Operating Officer for Stantec, North America. Previously she led the firm’s environmental services business for three years.

Patrick Hampson is now Regional Manager, Infracon Prairies, Infracon Construction. He has more than a decade of experience at the company in a variety of roles, including project, business development, and mergers and acquisitions.  

Adam Gray has been promoted to Director of Operations at Stuart Olson. Gray has helped deliver projects in excess of $1 billion. Prior to Stuart Olson, he worked for Bird Construction for more than three years. 

Krystal Yee is now Director of Marketing & Business Development at Fast + Epp. She has more than 16 years of experience in marketing, communications, and client relations.

Jennifer Murray has been promoted to Senior Partner at Kadus Group. In addition to her new role, Murray is becoming a common equity shareholder at the company.

Andres Duran has joined Beale & Co as Partner and to head up its new Toronto office. Duran is a qualified lawyer in Ontario and BC, has over 15 years’ experience in Canada's infrastructure sector, where he was formerly SVP Legal Services and General Counsel at EllisDon. 

TOGETHER WITH EUROLINE WINDOWS

Panel announced: Enterprise-level innovation

How are some of Canada’s most sophisticated companies managing and promoting innovation across teams? Stop wondering and find out. Our 25 Innovators in Construction event on Feb. 6 will feature leaders from RJC Engineers, Fast + Epp and Kinetic Construction sharing their insights. With just two weeks until the event, tickets are nearly sold out. Click on the link below to secure your spot. Use promo code 25INNOVATORS to get 25% off tickets.

🗞 HEADLINES

Recovery kit: 🛠️ The Calgary Construction Association has launched the “Tailgate Toolkit” recovery resource pilot program to address substance use, mental health, and addiction challenges within Calgary's construction industry. The program, originally developed by the Vancouver Island Construction Association, uses tailgate meetings, targeted training, and on-site engagement to raise awareness, reduce stigma, and connect workers to recovery and support services. 

Reporting for duty: 👷 Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham’s campaign promise to establish a Chief Construction Officer is nearing fruition, with City Council recommending Tom Sparrow for the role. Bringing over 35 years of experience in public and private construction management, Sparrow has led multi-million to billion-dollar projects, including hospitals, schools, and data centers.

Human resources: ✂️ Ottawa's cuts to immigration programs, halving Nova Scotia's allocations under the Nova Scotia Nominee Program and Atlantic Immigration Program, have sparked criticism from industry leaders in construction, who call the move "short-sighted" and "irresponsible." They argue the reductions will exacerbate labor shortages and threaten business sustainability.

Sew good: 🦺 Sudbury-based workwear company Covergalls, founded by Alicia Woods, haspartnered with Mark's Commercial to supply women's workwear and PPE to businesses across Canada. This agreement ensures that Covergalls products, including coveralls, cargo pants, flame-resistant hoodies, and high-visibility workwear, will be stocked and readily available for bulk orders through Mark's network of 15,000 businesses.

🧠 LEADERSHIP

Resources for professional development

• 3 Leadership behaviours to inspire teams, deliver results

• The hidden cost of ignoring worker well-being in construction

• Habits of highly productive construction workers

• Find out how your employees are really doing

• What competitive hockey can teach about business

💬 QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“Nobody needs a grim reaper walking around pointing out mistakes or ‘what’s wrong’. What people do appreciate and respond to are solutions being brought to them, or hearing ‘What can WE do to help improve this process.’” 

- Mario Galdones, Quality Lead, EllisDon

🔥HOT JOBS

Senior Project Manager - Kingston, Ont. - Chandos

Environmental Manager, Infrastructure - Surrey, B.C. - Ledcor

Senior Superintendent - Ottawa, Ont. - EllisDon

Director of Construction - Burnaby, B.C. - Square Nine

Senior Planner/Scheduler - Vancouver, B.C. - Graham

🔥 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.

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.