Good morning! ✍🏼 Would you hire AI for your accounting team? Recently Gemini not only breezed through the multiple-choice questions on the notoriously tough Level III test for financial analysts, but also nailed the essays—something earlier AI models couldn’t manage just two years ago.

What’s in the newsletter:

👷🏻‍♀️Honouring the women of 40 Under 40

⚛️ Housing needed for nuclear workers

📚 Is engineering school becoming too competitive?

📈 LABOUR BY THE NUMBERS

A recent study found that 15% of Canadians say they currently work in a skilled trade, up from last year, and 43% have considered a trades career. Interest is strongest among men, younger adults, BIPOC respondents and those in Western Canada. Rural residents and people with college education are also more likely to have considered the trades.

👷‍♀️ PEOPLE MOVES

Agnes Wietrzynski has been named CEO of Ardea Technologies, bringing her proven leadership experience from her previous roles as CEO of a major Canada-wide construction company and District Manager at GFL Environmental/Accuworx.

Rick Kovach is stepping down as President of Kode Contracting after more than four decades and moving into a new role as Director & Advisor, with Ed Kovach being promoted to President.

Greg Brokenshire, President of Alberici Constructors, has been appointed as OGCA Chair for 2025/2026.

Christina Chiarini started a new position as District Human Resources and Professional Development Advisor at PCL Construction's Solar District.

Mark Hildebrand is joining Peak Group of Companies as Vice President, Inventory Planning. Hildebrand is a Chartered Professional Accountant and a seasoned finance and retail operations leader with more than 13 years of progressive experience at Canadian Tire Corporation.

Jacob Cohen has been promoted to President at The Daniels Corporation after serving as Chief Operating Officer for five years, while Mitchell Cohen remains CEO. Ginette Battikha has been appointed Chief Operating Officer, transitioning from Vice President of People and Culture, and Gokul Pisharoty has been named the company's first Chief Construction Officer after 19 years with the firm.

AWARDS

Celebrating the women of 40 Under 40

Each year, Canadian Construction celebrates the top 40 professionals under 40 who are shaping the future of the industry. We’re shining a spotlight on the incredible women making waves across Canada’s construction landscape. Get to know all these incredible female leaders in our article below.

🗞 HEADLINES

✈️ Visa rules: Tightening U.S. H-1B visa rules, including recent $100,000 fees on new applications, are prompting American tech giants to expand operations in Canada, where skilled foreign workers face fewer restrictions. This could make it far easier for the construction sector to soak up global high-tech talent. 

⚒️ Opportunities: Fiera Capital and the Canadian District of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America have launched the Canadian Built Opportunities Platform, a $800 million real assets investment strategy aimed at generating stable, risk-adjusted returns while supporting jobs for UBC union members. 

⚛️ Nuclear families: Ignace, a township of 1,300 in northwestern Ontario, has issued its first request for proposals to develop a new subdivision in anticipation of hundreds of workers arriving for Canada’s first deep geological repository for used nuclear fuel, a $26 billion project. The housing plan includes 46 serviced lots, 215 unserviced lots, and a 6.2-acre site for a multi-residential building, with hopes of securing a single developer to lead construction.

📚 Degrading: High-achieving Alberta students are increasingly being rejected from competitive programs like engineering at the University of Calgary as admission averages climb due to surging demand and limited capacity. One student, Evan Wray, was denied entry with an 89.5% average despite previous cutoffs being lower, reflecting a broader trend as applications rose 9% in 2025 and only one in four qualified applicants now gain admission.

🧠 LEADERSHIP

Resources for professional development

• Northcrest exec on leading YZD project

• If you can’t do this, don’t be an entrepreneur

• The risks of misclassifying construction workers

• Don’t blow it: How to close deals

💬 QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“This is an industry-maker. It’s genuinely a moment in time where the modular industry could get the momentum that it has been promising for a long time.” - Rhys Kane, Director of Business Development at ROC Modular on Build Canada Homes.

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Here’s to a great rest of the week!

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