👷Talent Thursdays: Trade winds

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Good morning! 🚧 📊After honing his skills as head of model development for a firm that builds and audits Excel documents for large infrastructure projects, Michael Jarman can now call himself the World Champion of Spreadsheets. The Toronto man recently defeated the three-time champ in front of tens of thousands of viewers.

📈 LABOUR BY THE NUMBERS

In November, the construction experienced notable employment growth, adding 18,000 jobs (+1.2%) after five months of little change, reflecting renewed activity in the industry. This increase contributed to a broader national employment gain of 51,000 (+0.2%), driven primarily by full-time positions. Despite this progress, total hours worked across all industries remained relatively stable (-0.2%) month-over-month

👷‍♀️ PEOPLE MOVES

Andrew Stiffman has been appointed Kalesnikoff’s first ever Vice President, Construction Services. Stiffman will be responsible for leading the lifecycle of all projects from initial discussions, planning and contracts with clients to ensuring the successful delivery and completion of projects.

Andreas Kaufmann has been promoted to Chief Marketing Officer at Phantom Screens. Previously Kaufmann worked as Nice President of Marketing. Andreas will oversee marketing and product management for both Phantom Screens and Rolltec Rolling Systems. 

Ryan Beedie, President of Beedie, has been inducted into the Order of the Business Hall of Fame. This recognition celebrates Canada’s visionary business leaders for their lifetime achievements and contributions to leadership, community engagement, philanthropy, and global impact.

Angela Clayton is interim President and CEO at Infrastructure Ontario following the departure of Michael Lindsay. Clayton assumes the role with more than 20 years’ experience in the infrastructure sector. Most recently, she has served as IO’s president of project delivery after taking over that role in 2021.

Vanessa Werden, a partner with Jenkins Marzban Logan LLP, is now Chair of the BC Road Builders & Heavy Construction Association. Werden previously served as the board’s Vice

🗞 HEADLINES

⚒️ The Alberta government is investing over $1.5 million in Trade Winds to Success, an Indigenous-led non-profit that supports Indigenous students pursuing skilled trades careers. This funding will enhance the organization’s programming, including the Residential Construction Program, which provides six weeks of foundational courses and 12 weeks of hands-on training to construct eco-smart homes for Indigenous communities. 

👷‍♀️ The Saint John Tool Library's Hammers 2 Homes program aims to tackle housing and labor shortages by providing paid six-week training in residential construction to individuals facing employment and housing barriers. Funded with $95,000 from WorkingNB, the program offers "micro-credentials" through hands-on and classroom training, enabling participants to develop skills for specific tasks like drywall installation and insulation.

☎️ Calgary's unemployment rate reached 7.9% in November, exceeding the national average of 6.8%, not due to layoffs but because rapid population growth outpaces job creation. The city, along with Edmonton (8.3%), has absorbed significant interprovincial and international migration, driven in part by Alberta's strong job market and campaigns like "Alberta is Calling." 

🏗️ Built by Builders, a network of eight construction technology companies founded by individuals with extensive construction experience, launched on December 11 to provide contractors with industry-tailored solutions. The member companies—ConCntric, Document Crunch, Clearstory, Togal.AI, ProjectMark, SALUS, Kaster, and PLOT—offer specialized platforms for preconstruction management, contract review, safety, procurement, and more.

🧠 LEADERSHIP

Resources for professional development

• How to prioritize people over efficiency on site

• The trick to powerful public speaking

• Human decision-making has value in the age of AI

• Good airport design: Aesthetic vs efficiency

• 16 Christmas gifts for people who build

🔥HOT JOBS

Civil Construction Manager - Courtice, Ont. - Aecon

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

Estimator - Vancouver, B.C. - Flynn Group

Civil Construction Project Manager - Bracebridge, Ont. - Fowler

Project Manager, Self Perform Operations - Vancouver, B.C. - Turner 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.

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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