✈️ Talent Thursdays: Turbulence

Good morning! ✈️ They fought the law and the law lost, sending a massive shockwave through the Canadian labour community. Air Canada has reached a tentative deal with a flight attendant union after they defied government orders to get back to work, calling into question laws that aim to maintain “industrial peace”. 

What’s in the newsletter:

📊 Alberta construction numbers

🦺 $75M training push

🏢 Ford’s RTO policy

📈 LABOUR BY THE NUMBERS

New data from the Independent Contractors and Businesses Association shows Alberta’s construction sector remains a major economic driver, contributing 8.2% of total provincial GDP and employing 245,400 workers across 21,080 construction companies. Wages are strong, with an average weekly income of $1,735, while the sector supports growth with 5,763 monthly urban housing starts (+39% year-over-year) and a $2.1B monthly value of building permits issued (+48% year-over-year).

👷‍♀️ PEOPLE MOVES

EBC Inc. has announced five strategic leadership appointments: Alan McNee joins as Vice President, Operations – Building Toronto/Ottawa; Sebastien Ducharme as Vice President, Operations – Building Montreal; Louis Thomassin as Vice President, Operations – Building Quebec; Jerôme Nombalais as Vice President, Preconstruction – Building Montreal; and Gary Kozak as Vice President, Proposals and Business Development – Building.

Rick Doman has been appointed to the Forestry Innovation Investment (FII) board as chair. Doman brings more than 40 years of experience in Canada’s forestry industry to the role.

Éric Landry has been appointed as Director of Major Projects Scaffolding at Atwill-Morin Scaffolding, a division of Atwill-Morin.

Cam McFadyen has joined Komplete Modular Solutions Ltd. as Account Manager, bringing over 20 years of experience in account management, business development, and sales leadership.

Tanner Uzzell is leaving Horizon Contracting Group after 8 years, most recently serving as VP of Operations, and is exploring new opportunities.

Chuck Chow has joined Fort Modular Inc as BC Lease and Fleet Manager, bringing over 22 years of experience in the modular solutions rental space and construction industry.

Miguel Santos is starting a new position as Director, Construction Operations at Fitzrovia.

Jason Winterbottom has been promoted to Director of Drafting Services at Glotman Simpson Consulting Engineers after 24 years with the company.

Cathleen Basco is now Events and Sponsorships Manager at the Vancouver Regional Construction Association.

Vicky Donovan has been promoted to Manager of People Operations at SitePartners.

🗞 HEADLINES

⚒️ Training push: The Ontario government says it will spend $75 million to train nearly 8,000 additional students for careers in construction and urban planning as part of a push to support massive infrastructure projects. The funding will add new seats in college and Indigenous Institute programs. such as welding, carpentry and renovation techniques, while about 300 graduate-level spots will be created at universities to train more land use and urban planners by 2028.

🚘 Return to office: Ontario Premier Doug Ford is urging municipalities to require staff to return to the office full time, following the province’s move to scrap remote work, saying it will strengthen public service, revitalize downtowns and better connect workers with residents. Speaking at the Association of Municipalities of Ontario convention in Ottawa, Ford praised Brampton for adopting the policy and encouraged others to follow suit

👷🏼‍♀️ Trades entrepreneurs: The Innovation Cluster’s BuildUP program, funded by Employment Ontario, has graduated its first cohort of entrepreneurial tradespeople in Peterborough. Designed to help skilled trades workers transition into business ownership, the eight-week program covered essentials such as financing, tax basics, cashflow management, customer service, sales, and hiring.

🧠 LEADERSHIP

Resources for professional development

• Canadian AI godfather says ‘become a plumber’

• This toxic culture is baked into the trades

• One thing every construction business needs to grow

• OpenAI CEO Sam Altman follows this productivity system

💬 QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“Whether you’re climbing an 11,000-foot volcano or delivering a complex modular project, the truth is the same: you don’t get there alone, you don’t get there by chance, and you don’t get there without a plan.” - Craig Mitchell, Partner, Business Development, 720 Modular

🔥HOT JOBS

Modular Construction Superintendent - Atlantic/Ontario - 720 Modular

Construction Manager - Vancouver, B.C. - FCC Group

Senior Estimator - Edmonton, Alta. - EllisDon

Project Manager, Project Delivery - Toronto, Ont. - Infrastructure Ontario

Senior Superintendent - Toronto, Ont. - Chandos

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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