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Good morning! 🚛 A B.C. excavation contractor is sharing a dramatic safety moment with the entire industry. One of Roc-Star’s articulated rock trucks fell into a lake after sand gave way. The driver, an experienced swimmer, escaped the sinking vehicle unharmed and was aided by divers. 

What’s in the newsletter:

👷‍♂️ New 40 Under 40 class revealed

🤝 Manitoba’s new jobs agreement

🔨 LiUNA leaves the Federation

📈 LABOUR BY THE NUMBERS

The Bank of Canada cut its key interest rate to 2.5% on Wednesday, citing a weakening job market that has shed more than 100,000 positions in the past two months and pushed unemployment to a nine-year high outside the pandemic years. Governor Tiff Macklem said the unanimous decision by the Governing Council reflected both labour market weakness and easing inflation pressures, while leaving the door open to further cuts if risks to the economy worsen.

👷‍♀️ PEOPLE MOVES

Robert (Bob) Kroeger has been appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer at Allnorth, effective September 3, 2025, replacing founder Darby Kreitz who is stepping down to focus on Red Leaf Pulp.

Ana Bailão has been appointed as the inaugural Chief Executive Officer of Build Canada Homes by Prime Minister Mark Carney, transitioning from her role leading Affordable Housing and Public Affairs at Dream Unlimited.

Stacey Vanovermeire, CPA, CMA has been promoted to Vice President of Finance at Chandos Construction.

Arsalan Zargar has joined CIMA+ as Senior Vice President of Transportation for Western Canada and Ontario.

Christian Nonni has been promoted to Senior Director, Real Estate Operations, at Nonni Property Group. He will be responsible for managing Nonni Property Group's IPP assets in relation to new development asset retention and operational performance.

Oliver David (OD) Krieg, President at Intelligent City, has been named to Maclean's New Nation Makers list, recognized "for sending in robots to fix the housing crisis."

TOGETHER WITH COMPLETE FRAMING SOLUTIONS

CFS’ revolutionary approach to prefabricated steel construction

Complete Framing Solutions Founder Dan Minks believes cold-formed steel technology could help unlock massive performance and productivity as Canada looks to build. This team is pioneering a fully integrated approach to prefabricated cold-formed steel framing — combining design, engineering, and roll forming in a way not seen before in Canada. Check out our interview with Minks to learn more.

🗞 HEADLINES

👷🏼‍♀️ 40 Under 40: The 2025 winners of Top 40 Under 40 in Canadian Construction have officially been revealed. The complete list of honourees, along with biographies showcasing their career milestones and impact is now available here. These young professionals were recognized for their innovation, community involvement, education, leadership and more. 

🔋 Foreign workers: Canadian construction and union leaders are raising concerns about the use of foreign workers for non-specialized tasks at the $15-billion NextStar EV battery plant in Windsor, Ont., which is heavily subsidized with taxpayer funds. They argue that Korean workers, brought in under assurances they would handle only highly specialized duties, have instead been seen performing general tasks like driving forklifts, electrical installation, and even certified trade work — jobs local workers could do. 

💔 Breakup: The Labourers’ International Union of North America (LiUNA), Canada’s largest construction union, has announced it is withdrawing from the Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL). In a statement, LiUNA said the move follows what it described as unfair treatment of private sector unions, claiming the OFL and the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) have opposed the province’s Skills Development Fund, which supports LiUNA training centres and apprenticeship programs.

🤝 Jobs agreement: The Manitoba government has introduced its first Manitoba Jobs Agreement, beginning with the construction of four new schools in Winnipeg, West St. Paul, and Brandon. The deal, reached with Manitoba Building Trades, requires large public projects over $50 million to prioritize local workers, set standards for wages and benefits, and include apprenticeship targets. The government plans to expand the approach to future infrastructure projects.

🧠 LEADERSHIP

Resources for professional development

• 6 dirt cheap tools that outperform their cost

• The secret to building a high-performing team

• Gen Z doesn’t want to lead. Can it be fixed?

• Why 35% markup isn’t enough when managing subs

💬 QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“This is our moment for all in the home building sector in Canada to build fast and build smart leveraging Canadian innovation and materials. Congratulations to Gregor Robertson for getting Build Canada Homes stood up so quickly and to the experienced and collaborative leader Ana Bailo who will get the ball rolling quickly, and shovels in the ground/on the factory floor!” - Lisa Helps, Executive Lead, BC Builds

🔥HOT JOBS

Territory Manager - Winnipeg, Man. - Brandt

Senior Project Manager, Wastewater - Ottawa, Ont. - Jacobs

Senior Construction Manager - Vancouver, B.C. - Pomerleau

Senior Superintendent - Calgary, Alta. - Govan Brown & Associates

Planning Manager - Toronto, Ont. - Kiewit

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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