🔨 Talent Thursdays: Tough finish

Good morning! 🌴 Feel like you need a vacation after your vacation? A new report from Robert Walters reveals that most Canadian workers struggle to fully disconnect during paid time off, with only 22% returning refreshed after a holiday and 74% feeling anxious about backlogs or missed updates.

What’s in the newsletter:

🔨 Red Seal finishing struggles

👷‍♂️Trades program relaunches

🤝 Teck merger’s impact on jobs

📈 LABOUR BY THE NUMBERS

According to new research, both students and parents view trades as more resilient to automation, with 77% of Gen Z prioritizing safe-from-automation careers and parents ranking plumbers (54%), carpenters (56%), and electricians (51%) as more secure than software developers (18%) or accountants (11%). However, Jobber’s 2025 Annual Blue Collar Report also found that 75% of Gen Z still plan to pursue a college degree. 

👷‍♀️ PEOPLE MOVES

Darren Tangen has been named President at Westbank, joining from Oaktree Capital Management where he served as Managing Director, Head of Real Estate Business Development.

Daniel Fournier is stepping down as leader of Oxford Properties as of November 3, with Eric 

Plesman rejoining the organization on that date as President & CEO.

Bernie Robert has started a new position as President at O’Hanlon Paving / The Fath Group. 

Mathew Kattapuram has joined PCL as Senior Advisor, Government Relations. He has more than 40 years of experience in the industry. 

Esther Ziyi Zhang, CPA, has joined Denciti Development Corp as Director of Finance, bringing over a decade of experience in real estate development and construction.

Iveta Cabajova has been promoted to Chief Executive Officer at Chaos, effective October 1, 2025, succeeding Stephan Sieber who will transition to executive chairman.

Nick Franjic will retire as executive director of Construction Specifications Canada (CSC) before the 2026 AGM, ending an 18-year tenure and more than three decades with the organization.

Donny van Dyk has been appointed as City Manager for the City of Vancouver, effective September 8, 2025. 

TOGETHER WITH ZS2 AND SEKO

How climate-resilient construction saves buildings

The images of the Tataskweyak Transition Centre still standing after wildfire tore through Split Lake were dramatic on their own. But the real story begins once the smoke cleared — in understanding why this building performed differently than so many others in fire-prone regions. Get a deep dive into the technology that saved the Tataskweyak Transition Centre, the lessons learned, and what this project means for the future of climate-resilient construction.

⌚ When: Sept. 18th, 8 a.m. PST

📍 Where: Online

👷🏼‍♀️ Who:  ZS2 experts Russ Jenkins and Blain Cranston

🗞 HEADLINES

⚒️ Finishing work: Apprentices in northern Ontario are struggling to complete their Red Seal certification due to limited exam availability, with long waitlists forcing many to travel to southern Ontario at high personal cost. Employers warn this barrier is discouraging apprentices and could push them out of the trades altogether. Sudbury MPP Jamie West is pressing the province to expand access, suggesting more regional test centres and even mobile testing units.

✅ Urgent action: The Calgary Construction Association (CCA) has released its Calgary: Built to Respond, Designed to Last platform ahead of the civic election, urging the next City Council to treat construction as a driver of prosperity rather than a cost. The CCA calls for urgent action on three fronts: addressing labour shortages that left 6,000 jobs unfilled in 2024 and could grow to 40,000 by 2030, committing to long-term infrastructure investment, and embracing placemaking projects.

🚀 Relaunched: Algonquin College has relaunched its equity initiative under the new name Women in Tech and Trades (WiTT), formerly We Saved You a Seat, with a renewed focus on supporting women in STEM and skilled trades. Backed by a $100,000 annual commitment for three years from the Leacross Foundation and additional support from industry sponsors, WiTT provides mentorship, networking, and community-building opportunities to help women develop leadership skills and succeed in male-dominated fields.

👷🏼‍♀️ Job stability: Union leaders at Teck Resources’ B.C. operations are cautiously optimistic about job stability following a merger with Anglo American PLC. The deal affects roughly 2,700 unionized workers at Highland Valley Copper and the Trail zinc and lead smelter, where skilled trades earn about $130,000 annually with benefits. Recent investments have extended Highland Valley’s mine life to 2046, and the merger is expected to support construction of new projects creating 2,900 jobs.

🧠 LEADERSHIP

Resources for professional development

• Stats genius: Why risk takers win big

• Authenticity starts with knowing your WHY

• Changing company culture is about systems

• A guide to avoid buying crap lumber

• Mike Holmes recaps 30-month reno horror story

💬 QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"We always said that this would be evolving. What we need is projects of strategic national interest for the country, we need to rebuild this country … that's what the project of national interest are all about." - Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne

🔥HOT JOBS

Construction Supervisor - Atlantic/Ontario - 720 Modular

Senior Estimator, Water - Calgary, Alta. - Graham

Project Manager - Kelowna, B.C. - Chandos

Highway Construction Manager - Winnipeg, Man. - Manitoba Government

Senior Estimator - Ottawa, Ont. - Bird Construction

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.

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Here’s to a great rest of the week!

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