Category: People

Mary Van Buren is leaving her role as president of the Canadian Construction Association (CCA) after six years in the position. Van Buren made history as the group’s first female president. She will be leaving the association in the spring. A search process is underway with a goal of a smooth transition and continuing the positive momentum gained under Van Buren’s leadership.

The construction industry is essential to Canada’s economic success and quality of life, yet it doesn’t always get the credit it deserves. I am so proud to have brought more attention to an industry that has such a profound impact on our country and affects positive change in our communities every day. 

Mary Van Buren, CCA president

Al Norgaard, president and general manager of Norgaard Ready-Mix, announced he will be closing his the family business after after 60 years. The sand, gravel, specialty aggregates, precast product and ready-mix concrete provider was part of major B.C. projects, including  the Railyard Mall, Nicola Valley Institute of Technology, the original Coquihalla Highway and the recent Coquihalla Highway rebuild.

It is definitely with mixed emotions that we close the business, but it feels like the right time to move onto the next chapter and spend more time with my partner, kids and grandkids. It’s a hard choice for me to close the business, but we’re wrapping up work on the Coquihalla rebuild and it feels like the right time.

Al Norgaard, president and general manager, Norgaard Ready-Mix

David Howard been promoted to senior project superintendent after more than eight years at Bird Construction. The Metro Vancouver resident has more than 18 years of experience in site supervision.

Rick Welch has joined the Fort Modular team and Greg Tymchyna has been promoted. Welch has been hired as vice president of the permanent modular division. Tymchyna has been promoted to vice president of the rentals and fleets division.

Nick Marini is stepping into a new consultative role as director of property management at Macdonald Property Management Group and Zora Chen is taking on overall management responsibilities at the company’s signature property management group. In his 23 years with the organization, Marini has worked to build a comprehensive third party property management and strata services business representing clients both locally and globally from around the world. Chen has been with Macdonald for nearly a decade and has become an accomplished property and strata management professional.

Sean Ruzicka has been promoted to Nch’ḵaỷ Development Corporation‘s executive vice president of business development and partnerships.

Sean’s leadership style — characterized by respect, constructiveness, and enthusiasm, and guided by our corporate objectives — is instrumental in nurturing and building valuable relationships with the Nation and our external partners.

Nch’ḵay̓ Development Corporation

Cheryl Schindler is MBC Group‘s new director of business development of engineering in B.C. Schindler brings with her 27 years of experience. Her past projects include work in institutional, commercial, residential, transportation, water/wastewater treatment, and industrial industries and she has been involved in major projects with budgets exceeding $5 billion in Canada and internationally.

Maddy Jamieson has been hired as the Vancouver Regional Construction Association‘s (VRCA) marketing and events specialist.

I’m beyond grateful to the team at VRCA for welcoming me as their new Marketing and Events Specialist. Can’t wait to discover all the opportunities ahead of me in this next phase of my career

Maddy Jamieson, VRCA marketing and events specialist

JP Gladu, a First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) advisor and FNMPC Advisory Centre Board member, was named a Public Policy Forum 2024 Testimonial Dinner Award Honouree.

Whether forging connections between FNMPC members and the private sector, championing Indigenous economic inclusion in the Canadian economy, or instrumentalizing the 5% procurement precedent with the federal government, JP’s tireless efforts have indelibly shaped and uplifted Indigenous nations, leaving an enduring legacy that resonates throughout Canadian society.

First Nations Major Projects Coalition

Darcy Waters has begun a new position as marketing coordinator for Anthem Properties. Waters previously worked as a digital marketing coordinator for Alberta homebuilder Mattamy Homes.

Ryan O’Shea, president of Miracon Development, was awarded the Trailblazer Award by the Homebuilders Association of Vancouver (HAVAN). The award is given to a member of the organization in recognition of their leadership and contributions to support HAVAN, its members and the industry.

Michael McSweeney has been appointed executive director of the Ontario Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (OSSGA). The appointment comes following the departure of Norm Cheesman, who held the position for almost eight years. McSweeney just completed a year-long project as Ontario Road Builders Association (ORBA) CEO where he worked with to refocus the group’s efforts. Prior to that, he was president and CEO of the Cement Association of Canada (CAC) where he led the group for 12 years.

On behalf of the OSSGA Board, we are pleased to have Michael as our new ED at this pivotal moment in our sector’s history. Ontario Stone Sand and Gravel Association finds itself at a crucial moment in time as all three levels of government are committed to the largest infrastructure investment and spend that our Province has ever seen.

OSSGA Board of Directors Chair Rob Pierce

Scott Henson and Chris Davis have joined CarbonCure Technologies as chief operating officer and vice president of carbon products and public policy, respectively. The company says the pair bring big tech expertise to scaling CarbonCure’s climate tech. Both new additions offer a wealth of experience, including tenures with tech giants Amazon and Microsoft.

Their impressive backgrounds demonstrate their ability to drive innovation, execute strategy and deliver results with a focus on innovation and sustainability. Together with our talented team, they will play a pivotal role in our work to transform concrete into a climate solution.

CarbonCure Technologies

Alexander Annikov will take over as Dream Industrial‘s new president and CEO in the new year. Sannikov has been with Dream for 15 years, since joining in 2008. He joined the Dream Industrial management team in 2019 and is currently serving as the president and chief operating officer.

Xavier Lissoir has joined Stack Modular as its new pre-construction manager and Santiago Lazala-Silva has joined as its new marketing specialist. Lissoir is a certified project management professional with a Masters in Civil Engineering and 14 years of experience overseeing building, marine, and civil works. Lazala-Silva is a communications professional with more than five years of experience specializing in graphic design, web design, marketing and corporate identity development.

Joël León Danis has been appointed executive director of the Toronto Society of Architects (TSA). The group stated that Danis has served the TAS as programming director for the last three years, and as a volunteer since 2016.

Joël’s advancement to Executive Director recognizes his extraordinary efforts in supporting the TSA’s mission including ongoing membership and audience growth, the continued variety, excellence and relevance of the organization’s programming offerings, and the positive impact of its educational and advocacy efforts on discourse on the built environment within our City and region.

Toronto Society of Architects

Elise Mailloux has been named Craftsperson of the Year by the General Presidents’ Maintenance Committee for Canada and the National Maintenance Council for Canada. The announcement was made at the annual Canadian Safety Achievement Awards. The award goes to a Canada Building Trades Union member who shows outstanding craftsmanship, professionalism and safety leadership through their performance or contribution on a maintenance job. Mailloux made history in 1998 when she became the first fully certified female ironworker in the nation.

Gordon Stifanyk has joined Burns & McDonnell as the leader for the firm’s transmission & distribution group in Canada. During his 20-year career, Stifanyk has supported clients and gained experience in high voltage interconnection, with utilities and renewables clients across North America and Australia.

Gord brings a unique blend of experiences that will be extremely valuable as he steps into his role as a leader within Burns & McDonnell,” says Darcy Wagner, managing director for the firm’s offices in Canada. “Gord has worked with Burns & McDonnell in various facets throughout his career — he knows how we operate. I’m confident that his experience and leadership will be a catalyst for our continued growth and success.

Darcy Wagner, managing director of Burns & McDonnell offices in Canada

Paul Crane, founder of Crane Steel Structures, is celebrating 50 years as a Certified Engineering Technologist. Before founding his Brandon-based company in 1981, Paul worked with a consulting engineering firm for ten years.

Charlie Webb, president and CEO of Anderson Webb Limited, has been elected president and chair of the MCAC Board of Directors for 2023-2024. He is preceded by Derek Ermen of Moncton, N.B.

I am very excited to be stepping into the role of MCAC President during this busy and transformative time for the mechanical contracting sector in Canada. Across the country our industry is dealing with unique challenges alongside exciting opportunities. Our sector has an essential part to play for a healthy Canadian economy, and our association is well-positioned to maximize that role on behalf of our members.

Charlie Webb, president and CEO, Anderson Webb Limited

Lisa Laronde, president of RSG International and Powell Contracting, has been named one of the 100 most powerful women in Canada by the Women’s Executive Network (WXN). She was the first female leader of the global construction company. Laronde is also the president of the Canadian Association of Women in Construction.

I truly never expected to be in this position and it’s an absolute honour to be recognized, as this award validates all that I have done and all that I have achieved,” explains Laronde. “I love what I do, and I love the construction industry, but I cannot deny my belief that as a whole it needs to do more to promote women in leadership roles.

Lisa Laronde, RSG International president

Chris Gower has been promoted to deputy chief executive officer at PCL after 28 years with the company. Gower previously led the organization’s buildings division in Canada, the U.S. and Australia. He is a CCA Gold Seal certified estimator and project manager and was recognized as one of Canada’s Top 40 under 40 leaders.

Todd Craigen has been appointed COO and president, corporate services at PCL. Craigen has been with PCL for 27 years and most recently served as president for Eastern Canada. In this new role, Craigen will continue to oversee the Toronto and Solar districts and take on responsibility for corporate services departments including business technology, human resources, professional development, integrated construction services, and marketing and communications.

*Editor’s Note: Contact us at hello@readsitenews.com with your fundraising details so we can add you or your company to the list.

Men’s health issues are construction issues.

More than 86% of the construction workforce is male, making the industry acutely impacted. For many, November is a month to highlight the many struggles men face and raise money to combat them. Many of these efforts are organized by Movember, a leading charity for men’s health. Since 2003, Movember has funded more than 1,250 men’s health projects around the world.

Here’s what men are up against:

• 1 in 9 Canadian men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime
• Testicular cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in young Canadian men
• In 2019, over 3,050 men died by suicide, nearly 59 men per week
• In Canada, 3 out of 4 deaths by suicide are men
• Suicide is the second leading cause of death among Canadian males aged 15–44 years

Canadian builders aren’t sitting idly by. Check out some of the companies and individuals doing their part to raise funds for Movember:

The Canadian Construction Challenge

Before we dive into a few of the companies that are raising funds, it should be noted that dozens and dozens of construction teams are fundraising together in friendly competition, the Canadian Construction Challenge. The challenge consolidates the industry’s fundraising efforts in one place. As of Nov. 7, Canadian construction companies listed had raised a combined $71,317.

Gillam Group

Progressive construction management company Gillam Group has emerged as an early juggernaut for this year’s Movember fundraising efforts. These efforts have been led by Craig Lesurf, Gillam Group president and cancer survivor, who personally has raised more than $11,000.

In most cases, the outcome for men with testicular cancer is positive, but 1 in 20 won’t make it. I’m one of the 19 lucky ones & now 10 + years cancer free. Know the facts and take action early.

Craig Lesurf, Gillam Group President

Ledcor Group of Companies

Ledcor stated that its safety slogan “Think Safety, Work Safely” describes not only what they do, but its values and culture. Their Movember team explained that the company’s most important asset is its people, so they strive to ensure that each and every worker makes it home safely. This includes addressing men’s health issues. This year, Ledcor will match all employee donations up to $50,000.

Ritchie, was a Husband, Father, Brother and Friend. He taught us what it was to be a family and a friend. He was proud to have joined our family, instilling qualities in all of us that we will all cherish. He enjoyed the simple things in life, such as opening presents, puzzles, and yard projects. Island Boy at heart, and craftsman, Ritchie struggled internally with an illness that none of us could see, and we lost him Feb 2017. This charity will be ongoing until there is a cure.

Bryce Borgel, Project Coordinator, Ledcor

Team Cinnamon & Oak

Taylor Smith, pre-con & estimating manager at Tahltan Nation Development Corporation, is continuing his long tradition of organizing friends for Movember fundraising with Team Cinnamon & Oak. Many members have been directly impacted my suicide, cancer and other men’s health issues during the 15 years they have been fundraising.

Each year, Movember becomes more and more personal, and the mission to stop men dying too young gains additional meaning. Just over 2 years ago, my dad was diagnosed and passed away from cancer in a less than 4 month span. I have an uncle who is living with cancer. I have friends, family, and coworkers who have been impacted by prostate and testicular cancer. I’ve worked with and been friends with people who have lost their lives to suicide. Too many lives lost far too soon.

Taylor Smith, Pre-Con & Estimating Manager, Tahltan Nation Development Corporation

Hall Constructors

Hall Constructors, part of the Hall Group of Companies, has come out the gate swinging. Their team has already raised more than $5,000 for men’s health issues. Hall is also helping build the Cowichan Hospital in Duncan, B.C. which is another win for men’s health.

Axiom Builders

Axiom Builders, or should we say Moustaxiom Builders, have come up with a slight rebrand for the month of November. Check out their team and donate here.

My motivation for raising funds for Prostate Cancer is my Father. He lost his battle with prostate cancer in 2019 when the cancer spread from his prostate to the rest of his body. He was pivotal in my life, and I miss him every day. Globally, more than 1.4 million men are diagnosed with prostate cancer each year. Movember is working to reduce the number of deaths from prostate cancer, and I want to help them get there. Help me stop men dying too young.

Ford Chamberlain, Project Manager, Axiom Builders

Graham Construction

Graham’s bearded employees in Winnipeg gathered in the cold earlier this month to reset their beards for Movember. They plan to grow fresh facial hair for the cause and move 60 km for the 60 men who are lost to suicide each year globally. The various Graham teams will be documenting their weekly beard moustache progress to see who can grow theirs the quickest. Which office will take the win?

Pitt Meadows Plumbing & Mechanical

The Pitt Meadows team is in its fourth year raising money for Movember. The company is challenging all its employees team to raise funds during the month of November that will be donated to a charity focused on men’s health. The company noted that men’s health issues are particularly important as approximately 85% of its workforce is male. All donations up to $10,000 will be matched by the company. From 2020 to 2022, the team was able to raise over $72,000.

My Motivation this Movember is my Nephews Kayden and Kohyn. I want them to grow up in a world where men don’t feel uncomfortable talking about their feelings or their health. Where it’s braver to be honest about how you are doing as opposed to hiding it to seem stronger. I love these boys so much and want them to always have the resources for help readily available.

Marisa Anglin, Welder, Pitt Meadows Plumbing & Mechancial

Multiplex

Things are getting fuzzy for Multiplex’s Canadian operations. Terry Olynyk, president and managing director of Canada for the company, announced that the group’s Movember campaign is in full swing. Established in Australia in 1962, Multiplex has delivered more than 1,100 projects with a combined value in excess of US$100 billion.

Fort Modular

Fort Modular is continuing its support of Movember with its own unique fundraiser. In addition to traditional fundraising, the portable building manufacturer has special Movember branded units for rent that support the cause.

JEN-COL Construction

JEN-COL is holding it down in Alberta for Movember. The commercial construction company specializes in building schools and critical public facilities. Support their team here.

To me Movember is a time to remember the men we’ve lost along the way. The men that have struggled with cancer and the terrible affect it has on us physically and mentally. We sometimes forget that it’s ‘OK not to be OK’.

George Legault, IT Manager, JEN-COL Construction

PCL

It’s no surprise that PCL, one of the country’s largest general contractors, is getting in on Movember fundraising efforts. The company, with teams across the nation, has already raised nearly $10,000 but they are looking to raise $50,000 by the end of the month.

My father beat prostate cancer last year. Luckily, we caught it early enough to take action. Unfortunately, in generations before our family wasn’t so lucky. Prostate cancer runs in our family, and I feel the need to encourage my fellow brothers out there to get checked early. We need to break the stigma behind Men’s Health and take action.

Steven Webber, HSE Coordinator at PCL Industrial Management

Vanessa Werden is a partner at construction law firm Jenkins Marzban Logan LLP. Named one of the Top 40 Under 40 in Canadian Construction in 2020, she is licensed to practice in B.C., Alberta, the Northwest Territories, and Ontario. Earlier this year she was ranked by Lexpert as one of two “Leadings Lawyers to Watch” in Construction Law in BC, and one of five “Lawyers to Watch” in Infrastructure Law in Canada.

Whether a small residential development or a complex infrastructure upgrade, many factors contribute to the overall success of a construction project: relationships, weather, site conditions, labour productivity, availability of materials, and cost escalation – to name a few. One of the most challenging phases of embarking on a new project is negotiating risk allocation in the contract. Consider the following strategies to put your project team in a better position to anticipate and manage risk allocation at the outset and throughout project delivery.

Proactively negotiate the contract

Disputes arise, and are often protracted, as a result of inconsistencies and gaps between the intentions of one or more project participants. While it may be tempting to accept a contract as presented, there is often an opportunity to negotiate and make changes. A project team can be well positioned for the successful management and execution of a project when the contract documents have been carefully reviewed and negotiated prior to entering into the contract. A large part of dispute prevention is setting expectations at the outset of the relationship.

Review each contract and its supplementary conditions with a view to your risk tolerance. Consider the willingness of the other party to consider amendments and approach contract negotiations with a list of priorities, much like you would a Christmas wish-list. Even if only a few of the most burdensome provisions are struck or modified, you will be in a better position to protect your bottom line.

Drafting and re-use of old forms of supplementary conditions are often problematic. Terms that modify standard form contracts are often rife with inconsistent language, provisions that conflict with the delivery model set up by the standard form, and wholesale reallocations of risk. Review proposed supplementary conditions with an eye for provisions that:

• Limit or preemptively waive claims, and in particular claims for delays, changes, site conditions, and toxic or hazardous substances;
• Unreasonably shorten notice periods;
• Impose obligations that are inconsistent with standard form contract terms; or
• Reallocate risk for design errors to a party that had no role in the preparation of the design.

Training and legal education

Many industry associations offer courses, and conferences often have a legal education component. Take advantage of these continuing education opportunities. Having an understanding of fundamentals such as key terms, how to read supplementary conditions, the importance of contractual notice requirements, change order processes, and dispute resolution procedures can make your team more confident, prepared, and effective when issues inevitably arise under the pressures of schedule and budget constraints.

Read the contract – and keep it handy

Do not let the contract collect dust. On projects of lengthy duration, the project management team should review the contract at regular intervals. The contract should serve as the primary resource to determine rights, obligations, and process concerning payment, changes, extras, schedule, and claims.

While the contract often holds the answers in terms of legal liability and primary obligations, consider creating internal policies or protocols for specific situations so that the project team understands the precise steps to follow to preserve contractual entitlements and comply with obligations. These may include:

• Creation of notice letter templates;
• Assigning responsibilities to specific team members for considering potential claims;
• Diarizing time limits and notice periods that reflect the contract terms;
• Creating and updating your project accounting system to include event or condition-related cost codes; and
• Keeping a real-time journal of events.

Implement document management policies – and follow them

Construction disputes are inherently document-intensive. The rights and interests protected by the contract terms are often only as effective as the contemporaneous documents available to support them. Project records are necessary to establish time and cost-related claims. Baseline and updated schedules, weekly look-ahead and other planning documents are critical to delay claims. Timesheets, labour and equipment invoices, and other cost records are critical to cost overruns, extras and change order disputes. At the outset of each project – and as the project evolves – ask the following questions:

• What documents do we need to generate on this project?
• Who is responsible for generating, tracking, organizing, and preserving the documents?
• What systems or software will the responsible personnel use for document management?

Comprehensive and consistent document management practices can sometimes expedite dispute resolution processes, and most importantly, place a party in the best positon possible to advance or defend a claim. If it becomes necessary to engage a lawyer, these practices will also help limit legal fees to locate and reorganize tens of thousands to millions of project records. It is far more cost effective to create and maintain a system to organize contemporaneous documentation.

Be ready to adapt as the project and potential claims evolve. Do you need to establish a different coding system to track an ongoing impact? Do you need daily photographs to document the discovery of a geotechnical site condition? Do the superintendents need to create a separate daily report specific to a disputed change? Should you update a particular item at weekly site meetings?

Be mindful of the notice and dispute resolution provisions in the contract

Construction contracts often require strict compliance with dispute resolution steps on short timelines, including notice in writing within a fixed period of time, in a specific form, delivered to a specific person or place. Construction contracts often contain strict mandatory steps – in other words, non-compliance may be a bar to recovery. While you may be able to put together an argument that the other party had substantive notice, the best approach is strict adherence to contractual notice provisions so that you can avoid adding the unnecessary layer of non-compliance to a dispute. Consider diarizing deadlines and creating checklists to make the procedures more intuitive for the project team.

When in doubt, send a letter

A well-drafted and thoughtfully considered contract can go a long way to early resolution of disputes, or prevent disputes altogether. Regardless of the project records generated and the relationship between the parties, never assume that the parties have agreed to waive a contractual requirement for formal notice. Protect your interests and preserve claims by committing the details to contemporaneous correspondence that complies with the contractual requirements.

• Senior Estimator – Montreal, Que. – PCL
• Continuous Improvement Manager – Vancouver B.C. – Aecon Group
• EPCM Project Director, Minerals & Metals – Vancouver, B.C. – Wood
• Regional Director, Operations – Montreal Que. – BGIS
• Director, Rail Fleet Projects – Toronto, Ont. – Metrolinx
• Consulting Director, Impact Assessment (Director Level) – Calgary, Alta. – ERM Group
• Project Director – Vancouver, B.C. – Pomerleau
• Managing Principal – Vancouver, B.C. – HDR
• Vice President, Water Market Lead – Calgary, Alta. – Mott MacDonald
• Construction Manager, Water – Vancouver, B.C. – WSP

Key Takeaways:

• Quebec plans to pay students training in critical trades $750 per week to get a professional studies certificate.
• Officials noted that province is short about 6,500 construction workers.
• The province hopes the funds will help training 4,000 to 5,000 new tradespeople.

The Whole Story:

Quebec wants to fast-track construction careers by paying aspiring tradespeople to get training. 

Premier François Legault announced the province’s new plan to train 4,000 to 5,000 new carpenters, excavator operators, heavy machinery operators, refrigeration technicians and tinsmiths. 

Legault told reporters that this will be supported by accelerated training programs where students in those trades will receive $750 per week to obtain a professional studies certificate.

Those who enrol could be eligible for scholarships of between $9,000 to $15,000 upon graduation.

Legault said the program is important as the province is short about 6,500 construction workers.

The announcement was celebrated by the Association de la construction du Québec (ACQ)

“For the ACQ, being able to count on a well-trained workforce in the construction sector is fundamental to building the Quebec of tomorrow,” said the group. “In this sense, the training announced will allow, among other things, those wishing to redirect their career towards the construction sector to realize this dream while being paid. This initiative highlights the Quebec government’s commitment to promoting the growth of the construction industry while offering new professional opportunities to workers.”

The program is expected to cost roughly $300 million. 

Key Takeaways:

• The report asks city officials to increase the total housing target to 65,000 new rent-controlled homes by 2030.
• The city predicts that meeting those goals would cost between $28.6 billion and $31.5 billion across the next seven years and requires contributions from all levels of government.
• The report recommends 22 actions for the city, as well as the federal and provincial governments to address the affordable housing crisis.
• The plan will be put in front of the city’s Executive Committee next week (Oct. 31) in front City Council next month.

The Whole Story:

The city of Toronto has released a $30-billion plan to address the region’s affordable housing crisis. 

The report responds to the City Council’s direction to develop a plan to approve 25,000 new rent-controlled homes in addition to what was already planned, thereby increasing the city’s total housing target to 65,000 new rent-controlled homes by 2030.

Of the overall 65,000 new rent-controlled homes target, funding has already been secured to deliver 4,455 homes. The estimated cost to deliver the remaining 60,545 homes is between $28.6 billion and $31.5 billion across the next seven years and requires contributions from all orders of government.

“We urgently need to build more affordable housing faster, so people in our city can find a home they can afford,” said Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow. “That’s why we’re leading a generational shift in both how we deliver housing and the type of housing we’re going to build. We’re coordinating all City divisions to pull in one direction – building housing faster – and we’re setting new priorities to build rent-geared-to-income and not-for-profit housing.”

The report will be considered by the City’s Executive Committee on Tuesday, Oct. 31 and by City Council at its meeting from Wednesday, Nov. 8 to Friday, Nov. 10.

The report describes how Toronto’s housing system could be strengthened with a higher degree of coordination among city divisions, agencies and corporations, as well as other orders of government and the not-for-profit, co-op and private sectors. The report also recommends an increased role for the city in the direct delivery of housing with staff to explore a city-led development model at five “housing ready” sites.

The actions in the report are focused on increasing the supply of non-market homes (homes owned by the public, not-for-profit and co-op sectors), protecting existing rental homes and supporting renters. Key actions include:

• Accelerating the development review and approval of new homes.
• Working with the federal and provincial governments to increase access to funding and low-cost financing to move projects from approval into construction.
• Establishing a more robust role for governments in both delivering and supporting the delivery of new homes.
• Developing new and sustainable funding models.

The report recommends 22 actions for the city, as well as the federal and provincial governments, including: 

• Dedicating more city-owned land to create new affordable homes. 
• Accelerating the delivery of “housing ready” projects on City and not-for-profit owned land. 
• Streamlining and optimizing people, processes and technology to expedite approvals and housing delivery.
• Developing new and sustainable funding models to expand the delivery of affordable and RGI homes within mixed-income and sustainable communities.
• Supporting the not-for-profit and co-op housing sectors.

The report proposes increases to the city’s previous HousingTO Plan target of approving 40,000 affordable rental homes by 2030. The combined new target is now 65,000 rent-controlled homes including a minimum of 41,000 affordable rental, 6,500 RGI homes and 17,500 rent-controlled market homes.

The report also recommends that on a go-forward basis, all new affordable homes meet the city’s income-based definition of affordable housing.

To deliver all the homes, officials expect between $28.6 billion and $31.5 billion in funding must be secured in the next seven years. The city expects this will require contributions from all levels of government. The report includes estimates that each government stakeholder will need to deliver between $500 million and $800 million in funding per year, in addition to repayable financing.

Shaun Fantauzzo has been named vice president of policy and major projects for First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC). Based in Toronto, he will steer FNMPC’s policy objectives and play a key role in advancing Indigenous opportunities for economic and equity participation in major projects. Fantauzzo spent nearly a decade in progressively senior positions in the federal government, notably at the Finance Canada and Natural Resources Canada.

Dan Mott, president of Mott Electric, has been inducted into the Electrical Contractors Association of BC’s Hall of Fame. Dan’s grandfather William founded Mott Electric in 1930 and passed the company to his son, Don who ran it before Dan took over from his father in 1986.

Dave S. Dulay, vice president of project delivery (major projects) and alternative project delivery at McElhanney, has been selected as the new chair of Transportation Association of Canada (TAC’s) Geometric Design Revisions and Additions Subcommittee. The group supports TAC’s Geometric Design Committee in developing and improving Canada’s geometric design guidelines to enhance road operations and public safety while considering environmental, social, and economic impacts.

Jennifer Campeau is Aecon’s new vice president of indigenous relations. Campeau is a member of the Anishinaabe from Yellowquill First Nation with kinship ties to the Eastern Region III Metis Nation of Saskatchewan. With over 20 years of Indigenous policy experience, she will oversee and evolve Aecon’s Indigenous Relations activities – driving Aecon’s Indigenous partnerships and organizational actions supporting its Reconciliation Action Plan.

Barbara James, whose ancestral name is Ma̲lidzas, has been awarded the Outstanding Student Leadership Award by the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT). The Red Seal carpenter and BCIT faculty member has taught high-performance building to students and trainers alike for the BCIT School of Construction and the Environment, participated in instructional videos with Nuxalk youth at BCIT, and was involved in the Building a Greener Future Together pilot project with the Institute.

Of Barbara’s many successes, she is most excited to return to her hometown of Port Hardy, B.C. to use her skills to help the Gwa’sala-‘Nakwaxda’xw Nation—from which she descends—rebuild the nation’s Big House, where traditional Indigenous ceremonies such as potlatches are held.

– BCIT

Mathew Raso has been hired as senior vice president of roads at Infrastructure Ontario. Raso, a design and construction expert, has over 16 years of experience in the industry and a civil engineering degree. His last position was lead project manager for Green Infrastructure Partners.

Jacob Bros has announced three additions to its executive team. Matt Buechler has been promoted to vice president of pre-construction services⁣, Tony McCadden is now director of Major projects, and Todd Strynadka has been named vice president of JT Ready Mix & manager of technical services.⁣

Borja Franco is ACCIONA’s new head of business development for ACCIONA Concessions in North America after spending a decade in Australia. With over 14 years’ experience at ACCIONA in the origination, development, and financing of major infrastructure and PPP projects, Franco has been responsible for managing multiple consortium stakeholders including consortium partners, subcontractors, investors and lenders throughout the procurement phase of large infrastructure projects.

Dan Valin has joined the Cement Association of Canada as its new director of communications and marketing. Prior to joining the association, Valin was a senior account director for Alphabet.  

Walid Abou-Hamde, executive director at Ontario Road Builders’ Association (ORBA), announced that he has joined Skilled Trades Ontario’s board of directors which helps advance the province’s workforce development strategy.

Darcy Kray has decided to retire from his role as president of Durwest Construction Management after 40 years in the industry. Kray co-founded the company in 1983. Zoe Mitchell is Durwest incoming president, effective this month. A CPA by trade, Mitchell recently spent six years as the president of CCH Management Group of companies.

We are immensely grateful for Darcy’s dedication and leadership. He is an expert in his field and his vision, passion, and unwavering commitment to delivering quality work has been instrumental in shaping Durwest’s legacy.

– Durwest

Colleen Fiske-Pinaud has begun a new role as communications advisor for the Canada Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board after spending nine years with the Construction Association of Nova Scotia (CANS). Fiske-Pinaud stated that she is excited for the opportunity to be a part of the organization as it expands to include offshore renewable energy.

Tammy Amstutz is joining the Calgary Construction Association team as director of workforce strategies. Prior to the announcement, Amstutz was working as chief people officer at ThinkTech Software Inc. where she played a pivotal role in the company’s rapid expansion over the last year. The association stated that part of her focus will be on helping address construction labour shortages and recruit more people into the industry.

⁣Bruce Gordichuk has been named interim CEO and new president of construction for the Tahltan Nation Development Corporation (TNDC). Gordichuk will assume the role following the departure of Paul Gruner, who resigned effective October 20th.

Monte McNaughton has joined Woodbine Entertainment as their new vice president. McNaughton recently left a 15-year career in politics, notably as Ontario’s minister of labour, immigration, training and skills development. Woodbine operates like a not-for-profit organization with the sole mandate of sustaining and growing horse racing in the province.

This year’s Top 40 Under 40 in Canadian Construction didn’t just showcase some of most accomplished young leaders in the industry. It highlighted some of the incredible women who are helping build some of the country’s largest projects. In fact, 25% of the whole list was women — even more than last year’s list.

As an industry, construction has long sought to increase diversity. According to the latest data from BuildForce Canada, the entire Canadian construction industry includes 12.8% women. To celebrate Women’s History Month we wanted to introduce you to all the female leaders who made the 40 Under 40 List.

Allison Hurley

Director, Design Build (Civil) at EllisDon

Allison Hurley first joined EllisDon as a co-op student in 2010 and has worked her way up by excelling in several positions requiring multidisciplinary leadership, including project coordinator, bid manager, and business development manager. She has been instrumental in a series of successes for EllisDon, from building the company’s reputation in the B.C. market to shepherding successful bids for a wide variety of big-ticket civil projects in Ontario and Quebec. Her educational background is equally diverse. Having earned an honours degree in applied bio-molecular science from Lakehead University and an MBA from Vancouver Island University, and increased her industry knowledge with construction related courses. Hurley also finds time for mentoring, volunteering, contributing to industry groups, and sharing knowledge on new contracting models.

Annik Forristal

Equity Partner and Co-Group Head, National Infrastructure and Construction Group at McMillan LLP

Annik Forristal was an engineer before she became a lawyer, giving her unique perspectives for construction clients. Her clients include Rogers Stadium Limited Partnership (renovation of Rogers Centre) and The Hospital for Sick Children (including its Project Horizon campus redevelopment). Forristal also worked with the Ontario Association of Architects to update their standard form contracts. Recognized by multiple organizations as one of Canada’s leading construction and infrastructure lawyers, she also received McMillan’s in-house Leadership in Mentoring Award. 

Cheryl Labiris

Lawyer at Singleton Urquhart Reynolds Vogel LLP

As a lawyer with Singleton Urquhart Reynolds Vogel LLP in Toronto, Labiris has been using her legal talent to assist some of the country’s largest construction projects. She has been involved in several successful, nine-figure settlement negotiations, and co-led the negotiation and settlement process in relation to resolving over 100 discrete claims totaling over $1 billion. ​​She is also part of Canadian legal history with her involvement in the first-ever COVID-19 application in North America. With Labiris’ assistance, Singleton Reynolds was successful in overturning the contractor’s successful COVID-19 application at the Ontario Court of Appeal, which involved the declaration that COVID-19 was an emergency, and that the owner directed the contractor to perform additional and overriding procedures.

Laura Samson

Director of Infrastructure at Calgary Airport Authority

Earlier this year, Laura Samson made history by becoming the first female director of infrastructure under 40 at The Calgary Airport Authority. Her journey at YYC began in 2013 as a project coordinator.  Alongside her team, she spearheads terminal construction, airside construction and tenant development at both the YYC and YBW airports. This year her team is leading the delivery of 35 capital and 182 tenant projects. This includes the rehabilitation of Canada’s second longest runway, YYC’s West Runway, a $201 million, five-year project from design to completion. Through these projects, Samson’s commitment to sustainability has led to the implementation of sustainable construction practices and pursuit of cutting-edge technologies.

Lauren Cooper

Senior Project Manager at Ledcor Construction Ltd.

Lauren Cooper has taken on many challenging projects during her 11 years in the construction industry. Starting with project managing a 10-million-dollar facility at the Calgary Airport as a student intern, she has overcome everything from COVID-induced delays to poor site conditions to deliver for clients. Taking on increasingly challenging and larger projects, she is now working on a unique multi-hundred-million-dollar tower in downtown Kelowna, B.C. as one of Ledcor’s youngest senior project managers. Outside the job site, Cooper keeps busy organizing and supporting many communities through charity fundraising events.

Lesley Whitten

Operations Manager – Canada at Todd and Sargent, Canada, ULC

With over 17 years of experience in the construction industry, Lesley Whitten has an impressive track record that includes leading project management, field operations, engineering and construction on multimillion-dollar grain handling, fertilizer and processing facilities in Western Canada. Whitten brings a passion for construction execution as she leads the operations for all of Todd & Sargent in Canada, a key and critical player in agricultural industrial construction. Whitten is passionate about the connection between the field staff and the office staff, believing that the key to a successful project is having close connections between the two. Her leadership skills are not only based on experience, but her ability to influence people around her to develop their own soft skills including intuition, conflict management, negotiation and relationship building with the consistent goal of achieving win-win outcomes.

Maraika De Groot

Director of Operations at Maven Consulting Ltd.

Maraika De Groot excels at many things, but perhaps her greatest skill is getting other people to do the same. In addition to leading safety services and project delivery accounts for several clients, she hired 60% of Maven’s workforce in just three years, and her efforts to develop its corporate culture have resulted in multiple “Best Place to Work” awards. She began her career as a geological engineer and has business operations experience in various industries including academia and finance. All of these elements have made her a well-rounded leader with a penchant for recruiting quality applicants, then helping them to fully harness their talents. In addition to her engineering degree, De Groot also holds a masters in management, innovation and entrepreneurship, and her industry and volunteering credits are too numerous to list.

Sarah Haque

Senior Manager, Talent Development & Total Rewards at FLINT Corp.

Joining FLINT in 2013 as a recruitment administrator and quickly growing into a management position, Sarah Haque is a trailblazing human resources professional whose acumen and leadership have helped FLINT successfully navigate a series of high-profile advancements fostering the company’s growth. Haque led the integration of more than 700 new personnel during company acquisitions and has made a tangible impact on retention of certain trade positions by pioneering an apprenticeship program with targeted incentives. Sarah’s influence expanded through the introduction of a company-wide competency framework to improve staff development and implementing efficiencies in the human resources function through the enterprise system. Through Haque’s success in delivering on initiatives to support FLINT’s objectives, she is engaged by all levels of the company for input into strategic objectives.

Sharelle Dayco

Director of People and Culture at Novacom Building Partners

Sharelle Dayco embarked on her professional journey as an educator but has since dedicated the past 18 years to the world of construction. Her pivotal role at Novacom has been to develop a highly skilled team while fostering a people-centric culture, something that the company says has been instrumental in driving its success and creating a thriving work environment. Beyond her professional achievements, Dayco’s unwavering commitment extends to philanthropic endeavours. She contributes her time and effort to Women in Construction events, building homes in El Salvador, and lending her support to initiatives addressing housing challenges in Canada. Dayco is a strong advocate for fair and equitable hiring practices, particularly in championing the cause of underrepresented groups in the workforce.

Tamara Gavrilenko

Owner/President at TGV Construction Group Inc.

It would be impressive enough if Tamara Gavrilenko simply found success in a project management position at EllisDon where she assisted with applying prefabrication methods to long-term care projects. Instead, she has gone much further, founding and running TGV Construction Group Inc. Over the years she has worked to grow her business into a multi-million-dollar company, expanding it from a focus on emergency restoration to offering general contracting services. She also uses her business to benefit the community, and strongly advocates for underrepresented groups in the construction sector.

Editor’s note: See the full list of 40 Under 40 winners here.

Construction workers on B.C. job sites will soon be getting upgraded bathrooms.

Premier David Eby announced his government will be bringing in a legal requirement for flush toilets on all construction sites with 25 workers or more.

The move comes after years of pressure from groups like the BC Building Trades.

“The ability to go to a clean bathroom with a flushing toilet is a basic requirement for a decent job site,” said Eby. “Thank you to the [BC Building Trades] for their advocacy on this issue. Current conditions are unacceptable and we will take action on that.”

I’ve been at a lot of jobs where the washrooms are so bad that you just have to hold it. Being forced to use porta-potties is degrading and dehumanizing.

Peter White, ironworker

The union group published its first report on job site bathroom sanitary conditions in 2021. It examined the existing approaches used by employers in providing washrooms to workers on B.C. construction sites, and the governing regulatory framework under the Workers Compensation Act and the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation (OHSR) together with the related guidelines.

Following the report, WorkSafeBC conducted a washroom facility inspection initiative. Additionally, WorkSafeBC has issued an updated guideline on construction site washroom facilities pertaining to maintenance. 

“Enough is enough. Nearly every other industry from film to events and tourism has found a way to bring clean, flushing toilet facilities to mobile sites,” said Brynn Bourke, BC Building Trades executive director, just days before the announcement. “Construction workers deserve flush toilets now.”

Job site bathrooms have been a major issue in other provinces as well. 

In 2015, Quebec passed an amendment to the Construction Code, addressing the requirement for flushed toilets for construction sites where there are or will be more that 25 workers. The Code also includes specifications covering the following: one toilet for every 30 workers, portable washrooms will only be used where flushed toilets cannot be connected to a water or sewer system, they must be within 500 feet of the worksite and have specific levels of maintenance, lighting, location, temperature, ventilation, supplies and general cleanliness.

Porta-potties make you feel like a second-class citizen. Office workers wouldn’t accept these kinds of conditions.

Matt Baron, electrician

According to the BC Building trades, in practice, contractors use toilet trailers or single units where connection to the sewer system is not possible. Both options allow users to activate a flushing system with a foot pedal. They also provide for hand washing stations in the unit and overhead lighting. Many include heating as well. 

In 2022, the Building and Construction Trades Council of Ontario passed a resolution calling for a Canada-wide washroom improvement program. In response, the province embarked on a bathroom inspection blitz at more than 1,800 locations that uncovered 244 violations.

Ontario introduced the following requirements that went into effect this summer:

• Doubling the number of washrooms on construction sites
• At least one female-only bathroom
• Adequate lighting stipulations
• Hand sanitizer where there is no running water
• Single toilets to be completely enclosed
• Repair for urinals and facilities, including additional sinks

This year’s best and brightest young construction leaders have been announced for the Top 40 Under 40 in Canadian Construction, now in its fourth year.

To view winners and learn their stories visit our 40 Under 40 winner list.

The annual list is a collaboration between On-Site Magazine, a publication that covers Canada’s construction sector and SitePartners, a marketing firm that specializes in industrial clients. The winners were chosen by a panel of judges based on professional achievements, innovation, leadership and community involvement.

This year’s list featured professionals from companies like PCL Construction, Kiewit, EllisDon, Pomerleau, Aecon Group, Graham, Deloitte and more. The winners included lawyers, human resource experts, engineers, project managers, supervisors, contract specialists, entrepreneurs, apprenticeship trainers and others.  

We are so proud of the men and women who are becoming the next generation of construction leaders. They represent some of the incredible opportunities this industry has to offer and we want to make sure that their achievements don’t go unnoticed.

Andrew Hansen, CEO and Founder of SitePartners

Russell Hixson, editor of SiteNews, assisted in judging the competition. He noted that it was encouraging to see diversity not only in the career paths of applicants, but in their backgrounds as well. 

“Construction is for everyone,” said Hixson. “It was amazing to see so many women, immigrants and other diverse professionals reaching some of the highest levels in their respective fields. I hope that this inspires other underrepresented groups to consider a career in the industry.”

Key Takeaways:

• Canada is facing a major shortage of construction leaders that is forecast to only get worse. 
• The ICBA’s Construction Leadership Program was created to begin training workers that are on track for leadership roles. 
• The program was designed to be flexible, allowing students to work at their own pace and take courses online or in person. 

The Whole Story:

Skilled construction leaders don’t just walk onto the jobsite or the office. They are built by years of hard work, mentorship and experience.

But with many older workers retiring, Western Canada is facing an unprecedented deficit of these leaders. 

To address this, the Independent Contractors and Businesses Association (ICBA) is offering construction companies a streamlined, a modern solution to train up the next generation: the ICBA Construction Leadership Certificate Program

“There’s a shortage of workers across our entire economy and it’s being acutely felt in construction,” said Chris Gardner, ICBA president. 

He noted that without immigration, B.C.’s population is shrinking. 2022 was the first year the death rate outpaced the birth rate. In construction, you have about 250,000 men and women working in B.C. and the work they do is roughly 10% of the province’s GDP. Across the whole country, the industry is seeing roughly 60,000 to 80,000 job vacancies. But that’s just part of the challenge. The existing construction workforce is aging; roughly 20% of construction professionals are 55 or older. 

“Retirement age is 60 so in the next five years we could have 20% of the workforce retired,” said Gardner. “Combine that with the shortage of workers and you have a dual challenge that’s putting significant pressure on construction.” 

In B.C. and Alberta alone it’s expected that around 100,000 construction professionals will retire within the next five years.

Finding workers

Gardner explained that the issue can be addressed in three main ways: immigration, technology and training. 

While Canada’s population is growing through record numbers of immigrants, students, refugees and temporary foreign workers, only a fraction are entering the construction sector.

“When you look at it from an economic and labour force perspective, government is not doing a good job at matching skills gaps with the economy,” said Gardner. 

On technology, Gardner believes that while construction could adopt it faster and become more efficient at how it builds, it unfairly gets a bad rap for being unsophisticated and slow. 

“In reality, we are probably in the middle of the pack as we perform better than entertainment, education, food services and others who have not been as quick to adopt technology as we have,” he said. “Despite that, we can do a better job.” 

The final piece is education. But even when workers want to improve their skills, it’s a struggle. Gardner noted that while it should take someone 4 years on average to get their Red Seal, in B.C., it often takes 8 to 10. Training spaces often have long wait lists, and many of the training providers are located in the Lower Mainland, making it challenging for those in other parts of the province. 

Streamlining education 

After the issue was raised by ICBA members, the association worked with them to develop the ICBA Construction Leadership Certificate Program. The program offers specialized streams to train Project Estimators, Site Supervisors, and Project Managers so companies can get up-and-coming employees the skills they need for leadership roles. 

The program is tailored for today’s busy construction professionals familiar with digital tools. Students can advance at their own pace and complete the programs online or in person. If time allows, they can be completed in as quickly as six months, or busy students can space things out over several years. 

Participants start with 11 core courses relevant to all streams, and then complete the courses tailored specifically for their career path. The program uses Gold Seal and/or BC Housing-approved course offerings that the construction industry has endorsed.

“A lot of the content and focus was the result of dialogue with construction professionals. We asked them what they are experiencing in their business. And when they think about preparing the company for leadership transition, what skills younger workers will need to assume higher levels of responsibility and leadership,” said Gardner. “We then worked with program and curriculum specialists to make sure these people come out with the practical skills they need to succeed.” 

To get started, participants just have to provide a letter of approval from their ICBA employer and begin the program any time. ICBA members get discounted rates. Courses are pay-as-you-go, scheduled several times a year and the ICBA accepts program applications year-round. 

Creating well-rounded leaders

Gardner explained that the program is perfect for someone in their 20s or 30s who managers believe has leadership potential.

“When they get to their late 30s or 40s and the time comes for them to take on more responsibility, they not only have the practical experience, but they can have training that fills in the gaps,” said Gardner.

He explained that many workers are great with the technical aspects of construction, but the training program can give them other skills that are needed for managing teams, communicating effectively, addressing someone’s mental health struggles, and more. 

“There’s a whole host of soft skills this training involves to help you lead a team, as we know to be an effective leader, you need to understand how to support that team. This is guided by technical expertise and is underpinned by some of those soft skills to ensure well-rounded, capable leadership.”

Learn more about the program and apply for your spot here.

Diversity is a strength when it comes to design and these architects are adding much-needed insight into Canada’s built environment. Many of them have cited nature as a major inspiration for their work as well as Indigenous culture. It’s also worth noting that many of these designers have achieved firsts in their field for Indigenous people and are using their skills to design purpose-built projects for Indigenous communities. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but merely an overview of the impact Indigenous architects are having on the country’s spaces.

Douglas Cardinal

Calgary-born Douglas Cardinal, who has Blackfoot ancestry, has become a forerunner of philosophies of sustainability, green buildings and ecologically designed community planning. His architecture springs from his observation of Nature and its understanding that everything works seamlessly together. Cardinal’s has countless professional achievements including 20 honorary doctorates, Gold Medals of architecture in Canada and Russia, and an award from United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural organization (UNESCO) for best sustainable village. He was also titled an Officer of the Order of Canada and was awarded the declaration of being “World Master of Contemporary Architecture” by the International Association of Architects.

David Fortin

David Fortin of David T Fortin Architect has been on a journey to rediscover traditional Métis architecture. He spent years investigating architecture in the Prairies to uncover what the lives of Métis people were like and how their culture informed the design of their buildings. He is the first Indigenous person to direct a school of architecture in Canada, and was co-curator, with Gerald McMaster, of “UNCEDED: Voices of the Land”, Canada’s official entry to the Venice Biennale in 2018.

Alfred Waugh 

Chipewyan architect Alfred Waugh is the president and founder of Formline Architecture. He and his firm specialize in culturally and environmentally sensitive projects and has extensive experience with First Nations, cultural societies, and educational institutions. Born and raised in Yellowknife, N.W.T, he was the first Aboriginal person to graduate with honours from University of British Columbia’s School of Architecture in 1993 and become LEED certified and a registered architect.

Eladia Smoke

Eladia Smoke, founder of Smoke Architecture, is Anishinaabekwe from the Lac Seul First Nation. She has served on the RAIC’s Indigenous Task Force since its inception, 2015, and is on the UNCEDED international team of Indigenous designers and architects. Her firm focuses on First Nations and Indigenous projects. Most recently, Smoke and her team have been working on a mass-timber, zero-carbon, $112-million addition at Centennial College. The facility will feature a button-activated smudging system that allows for Indigenous people to more easily do traditional smudging traditions. 

Brian Porter

Brian Porter of the Oneida Nation the the principal for Two Row Architect has told reporters that his goal is to incorporate Indigenous values into his designs. Two Row is named after the Two Row Wampum belt, which signifies a centuries-old agreement between settlers and Indigenous peoples.  Since its inception in 1992, the firm has focused on providing services to projects for Indigenous clients as well as those that incorporate Indigenous cultural ideologies and teachings which are manifested in architectural form.

Wanda Dalla Costa

Wanda Dalla Costa, a member of the Saddle Lake First Nation, was the first First Nations woman in Canada to become a registered architect. She has spent nearly 20 years working with Indigenous communities and her company, Redquill Architecture, is based in Phoenix, Arizona. Dalla Costa currently serves as the Visiting Eminent Scholar at the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment at Arizona State University.

Patrick Stewart

Nisga’a architect Patrick Stewart was the first Aboriginal president of an Architectural Association in Canada, the first Aboriginal architect to become the president of the Architectural Institute of BC and the first Aboriginal person in the province to own and operate an architectural firm. He is the founding principal of Patrick R. Stewart Architect (PRSA), a full-service architectural firm, with a First Nations community development focus.

Key Takeaways:

• Engineer Eric Wilson says engineering education needs to be expanded beyond just solving technical problems.
• He believes issues like housing and climate change are too complex and have so many stakeholders that they require a different method of problem solving.
• Currently he is working with a nonprofit and an engineering firm to apply a ‘systems thinking’ approach to First Nations housing projects.

The Whole Story:

In the 1970s, a bridge that served Vancouver Island First Nation was starting to deteriorate. 

Government officials and engineers decided the ideal replacement for the creek would be two culverts as this allowed infrastructure to run through it. 

First Nations people were not consulted and the unintended consequences were devastating. Water flow slowed, causing sediment to drop out early. This destroyed the gravel base at the mouth of the creek, ruining salmon spawning areas. Pollution flowed down the creek into the bay, killing off shellfish. 

Not only did it hurt wildlife, it interfered with the traditions of the First Nation. While the bridge had allowed canoe access, the culverts blocked it, depriving First Nations people of a critical area for teenagers to receive intergenerational knowledge.

“From that one decision you had these cascading downstream effects that are still felt today,” said Eric Wilson, indigenous projects liaison with RJC Engineers and IPCA infrastructure and systems lead with IISAKK OLAM Foundation. “The culverts are still there and it demonstrates the need to understand context and people.”

Improving education

The culvert story was told to Wilson by an Indigenous leader. He believes it highlights the need to expand engineering education to include more holistic way of thinking about problem solving. Wilson says it’s an approach that is particularly important for engineers who work on projects in Indigenous communities.     

Wilson had originally been studying engineering at the University of Victoria with a focus on energy performance but this shifted after taking design thinking classes aimed at business students. 

He was taught about “systems thinking”, an approach that helps one navigate the intricacies of the world by focusing on complete systems and their interconnections, rather than breaking them into individual components.

He believes that many of the problems today’s engineers face, including housing, climate change, have many stakeholders with conflicting values. And implementing the wrong solution, even something small like the culverts, can have massive downstream impacts. 

“One of the things I realized is that the engineering education that is most prevalent is the engineering science model,” he said. “It does a great job of teaching students how to do with the technical components but it is not a good job of dealing with the social aspects of these interconnected challenges.”

Combining engineering and the nonprofit sector

Wilson’s research and studies now focus on exploring collaborative, empathy-driven projects. He partnered with RJC Engineers and the IISAKK OLAM Foundation to apply the systems thinking approach to First Nations communities that are facing complex housing issues. The unique collaboration combines the engineering industry and the nonprofit sector so problems can be addressed in more holistic ways.

The team is currently working on a major project with a Vancouver Island First Nation that has faced flooding issues that have damaged homes. Rather than approaching it just as a technical problem, the team has been listening to the community about the causes of the flooding, how it has changed over the years and what other impacts it’s causing.  

“Right from the start we wanted to go in with this empathy-driven approach,” said Wilson.

The team heard about how the watershed has changed, how logging might be contributing, how the health of residents was being impacted. They also heard a desire for capacity development for sustainable livelihoods. Now apprenticeship programs and watershed restoration are being explored in addition to homebuilding. 

“We don’t pursue any avenue of the project without the approval of the Nation,” said Wilson. “We don’t pursue it unless it’s supported. We are there to support their housing goals and needs.” 

Wilson praised RJC for integrating this approach into their practice and urged other firms to do the same. He noted that more and more RFPs, especially those from government, are now requiring firms to have a plan for working with and benefiting Indigenous communities. 

“It is going to be challenging for organizations who aren’t doing this, but it’s much more than that. It’s just the right thing to do,” said Wilson. “The biggest positive is that it supports First Nations partners, their self determination and being a good ally in industry that answers the call from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.”

Key Takeaways:

• The construction industry is increasingly embracing technology, moving from digitizing workflows to adopting tools that fundamentally change the nature of work.
• While there is a need for flexibility and adaptation to remote work, maintaining in-person collaboration is crucial for innovation in the construction industry.
• As companies grow, maintaining a culture of innovation and involving employees in decision-making becomes increasingly important. 

The Whole Story:

The Canadian construction sector’s most cutting edge companies were celebrated in downtown Vancouver last week with an evening of in-depth discussions, networking and awards. 

More than 100 construction leaders gathered for the 25 Innovators in Construction Awards Celebration, hosted and organized by SiteNews. 

SiteNews Co-Founder Andrew Hansen questioned some of the 25 Innovators In Construction award winners about their thoughts on the future of construction and some of the issues the industry faces. 

The first panel, made up of large general contractors and specialized contractors, discussed the shift from merely digitizing workflows to adopting transformative technologies that fundamentally alter the nature of work. It included PCL, Chandos, ETRO Construction, and Pitt Meadows Plumbing and Mechanical Systems. 

The speakers emphasized the significance of making jobs easier for individuals and fostering a culture of innovation that prioritizes collaboration and team dynamics.

“For us it was always about people. How do we make people’s jobs easier? How do we make our team’s jobs easier? How do we make it easier to collaborate as a group? And so that was the focus of innovation for us, and it continues to be our focus as we move forward,”

Mike Maierle, president of ETRO Construction. 

The concept of “standard work” was also highlighted as a cornerstone for innovation, establishing agreed-upon processes and encouraging continuous improvements.

“We do standard work so at the end of two weeks we have measured it, we know how long it takes, and now we are looking for a change to make it better,” said Steve Robinson, owner of Pitt Meadows Plumbing and Mechanical Systems. “And once you have encouraged young people to see what real change is and how they can be involved in it, the ideas that come from the floor are mind boggling.” 

The speakers also expressed reservations about remote work, emphasizing the critical role of in-person collaboration for fostering innovation. The discussion explored the need to balance the benefits of remote work with the historical culture of on-site presence in the construction industry.

“You cannot get collaboration through a screen,” said Maierle. “However, we are company that is focused on families and we understand that there are things that happen. They have kids, they have lives, so you have to have some flexibility.”

The second panel focused on tech startups and more niche companies with a variety of focuses. It included Brickeye, Crewscope, SALUS and 505-Junk. Much of the discussion focused on how companies can attract and retain employees. 

Calvin Benchimol, co-founder and CEO of Crewscope noted that companies need to think differently about how to motivate their workforce. 

“Fear doesn’t work anymore,” he said. “We’re in a labor shortage world and it’s easier to find another job. Not sharing information with workers, that doesn’t fly either. We live in a technology age. We expect information to be really quick and accessible and transparent.”

He added that he believes there’s also a misalignment of incentives in the industry.

“Construction projects make money when they stay on schedule, but hourly workers get paid for the time they put in,” he said.

505-Junk Co-Founder Barry Hartman explained that his strategy has been to create skilled workers rather than go find them. He noted that there is no “university of junk” and his company is more interested in someone’s attitude than their resume.

“We’re not hiring really based on skill sets or experience,” he said. “We’re hiring based on people that want to join a fast growing company, an innovative company, and just trust that we have training processes in place to help them get to the next level.”

The event also marked nearly one year of launching SiteNews, a digital publication focused on equipping, educating and elevating the construction sector. The SiteNews team stated that they believe organizing the competition and the event reflected those goals and plan to build on that success going forward. 

Event Photos

Wright Construction

Crews with Wright Construction are transforming Evergreen Crossing in Saskatoon into shopping centre.

CarbonCure

CarbonCure is supporting bee colonization at their headquarters in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.

Gerry Enns Contracting

Gerry Enns Contracting honours the Stó:lō Coast Salish peoples, specifically the Ch’íyáqtel First Nations.

Faber Construction

Faber Construction lifts pieces into place at the Duffner Ditch Fish Passage Project on the Guide in Lynden, B.C.

Aecon Group

More green nuclear power is on the way for Ontario. Aecon Group has successfully connected Bruce Power’s Unit 6 Ontario’s electricity grid on ahead of schedule. The life extension of each unit will add approximately 30 to 35 years of operational life.

Metric Civil Contractors

Crew carry out utility installs at the Kitselas Community Centre project site.

The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat

The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat is treated to a tour of The One, a 91-storey condominium, hotel, and retail tower by Mizrahi Developments.

DSM Excavating and Contraction

Sometimes the light hits the dirt perfectly. DSM Excavating and Contraction is moving earth at Guildford Town Centre in Surrey, B.C.

Jakes Construction

It never hurts to double check your plans. A Jakes Construction worker reviews documents at a job site.

Scott Construction

A seen dog is a safe dog. A pup wears a high visibility vest while visiting a Scott Construction Site.

Wilco Contractors Southwest

A worker makes saw cuts to create joints in concrete. This controls where potential cracks might occur, and encourage them to form in the cut rather than randomly in the sidewalk. This allows the concrete to contract while curing without damaging the surface.

The Shot of the Month goes to:

Kiewit

An excavator digs at the Raglan mine Nunavik in frigid weather as the Northern Lights dance above. The mine is in one of the world’s most important nickel sulphide deposits.

*Editors note: If you want your shots featured in the next edition of SiteViews, email hello@readsitenews.com

Ralph Burton, a project manager, has retired after spending 17 years working for Kinetic. Burton joined Kinetic in October of 2006 as the first office member of the North Island Branch. Since then, Ralph has been an integral part of the successful completion of numerous Kinetic projects.

Raly Chakarova has been named executive director of the Toronto and Area Road Builders Association (TARBA). In this role, Chakarova will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of TARBA’s operations, including industry advocacy, member services and collective bargaining.

 “Raly’s results-oriented leadership, passion for critical infrastructure development, and understanding of the unique challenges facing our industry, make her an exceptional fit to represent the interests of our members and drive positive change within our sector. She is the ideal choice to lead TARBA into an exciting new era of growth and advocacy,”

Rick Logozzo, TARBA’s President and Chair of the Board

Monte McNaughton, Ontario’s minister of labour, has announced his retirement from politics. McNaughton’s four years as minister had a heavy focus on construction and the trades and he oversaw a 24% increase in trade apprenticeship registrations. McNaughton says he has accepted a role in the private sector.

Chris Smith and Harrison Glotman have been appointed principals at consulting engineering firm Glotman Simpson. The firm stated that with the pair’s leadership, enthusiasm, and expertise, they are confident in upholding the strong reputation and design excellence they have cultivated since 1964.

Christopher Walsh has joined Delnor Construction as a team leader and senior project manager.  According to Delnor, Walsh’s experience as a manager of a special projects division will allow him to move seamlessly into a team leader role.

Pomerleau has announced three major hires for leadership roles: Jaime Freyre De Andrade as chief operating officer for major projects, Éric Gaudet as executive vice-president of operational excellence and strategy, and Vincent Martel, executive vice-president and chief financial officer. Pomerleau officials stated that the hires come as the company is entering a new chapter, which involves more complex projects and innovations.

Marsha Gentile, director of sustainability for Ledcor Construction, is one of two Canadians to be selected as members of the new US Green Building Council (USGBC) LEED v5 Design & Construction Consensus Committee after undergoing an extremely competitive application process. Gentile will be providing her expertise from a Canadian contractor’s perspective in the technical development of the next iteration of the LEED rating system. Ledcor official’s stated that since the company’s first LEED project in 2002, Gentile has been a leader in the sustainable building community, sharing her passion both in-house and industry-wide.

Christine Bergeron has been appointed president and CEO of Concert Properties. The developer stated that Bergeron brings more than 25 years’ experience building and leading financial firms where she guided their strategic development while fostering prudent risk management and thoughtful stakeholder relations. Bergeron was most recently the president and CEO of Vancity, Canada’s largest credit union with over $33 billion in assets under administration.

 Rod Bianchini will be retiring from his role as chief strategy and compliance officer for SkilledTradesBC this December. Rod began his career as a roofing apprentice, transitioned through various roles over the years before joining SkilledTradesBC in 2013 as the Manager of Apprenticeships Advisors. 

His kind manner, deep passion for apprenticeship and strong moral compass quickly shone through and those three qualities have never wavered during my time working alongside of Rod for over a decade.  

Shelley Gray, CEO of SkilledTradesBC

Katie Prueter has joined Falkbuilt to oversee business development on Vancouver Island. Prueter has 10 years of interior design and project management experience. Falkbuilt stated that Prueter’s loves collaborating with clients and consultant teams to develop projects.

Reece McNaughton is Nomodic’s newest project manager. He brings nearly two decades of progressive construction experience to Nomodic’s team, having advanced through the industry as a foreman, site superintendent, project coordinator, and project manager.

Paul Garnier has been promoted to PCL’s operations manager in Calgary. Paul started his career at PCL in 2006 in Calgary as a project coordinator. His career took him to Halifax and Ottawa as a project manager, senior project manager and construction manager. One major project Garnier has been involved in is Ottawa’s historic Centre Block Rehabilitation Project

• Junior Project Coordinator – North Vancouver, B.C. – Maven Consulting 
• Development Manager – Kelowna, B.C. – High Street Consulting 
• Chief of Staff – Sudbury, Ont. – Technica Mining 
• Director of Culture – Vancouver, B.C. – Michels Canada
• Project Manager – Vancouver, B.C. – ERM Group 
• Chief Operating Officer – Vancouver, B.C. – TransLink 
• VP, Project management Office – Montreal, Que. – BBC Consultants 
• Executive VP, Corporate Planning – Regina, Sask. – SaskEnergy
• Project Director, Civil & Infrastructure – Vancouver, B.C. – Pomerleau 
• Construction Integration Director – Bowmanville, Ont. – Aecon Group 

If you are looking to build your all-star team, try posting your role on the job board or connect with our specialized recruitment experts to find industry-leading talent for your business.

And if you are seeking a job, check out the full list of available positions.

It’s a job title that you rarely see, but Jeff Sample believes it is necessary. As an industry evangelist he promotes collaboration and the transformation of preconstruction to help project teams reach their potential. 

We spoke with Sample about his unique position at Join, a collaborative project delivery platform, and how he transitioned from a more traditional tech career into the construction sector.

Be sure to catch Sample in Vancouver, B.C. for 2023 Independent Contractors and Businesses Association (ICBA) Construction Innovation Summit on October 30th and 31st. He and many other industry experts will be discussing how to push the construction sector forward.

SiteNews: How do you get involved in the construction sector?

Jeff Sample: I accidentally found my way into it. By trade I am an IT architect and I spent some time in the development world building software. As it goes with software, that company was acquired a couple of times and I was looking for a new job. A large masonry contractor contacted me and said we need you. I jumped on board and spent three years there. After some initial struggles getting my head around the business, I fell in love. I saw opportunities ahead and the struggles and honestly I got a wicked taste of the gratification that comes from building things, even though I don’t put the work in place. I helped the people who put it in place and it inspired me and connected me with those people and I want to make their lives easier. It’s a tough job and we don’t respect it enough. 

What is an industry evangelist?

It’s part of the maturation of any industry. When I got involved in technology for construction it was very new and the tools were very new. And there is a curve every industry goes through where you have the peak of inflated expectations and the trough of disillusionment and then companies make their way from there. To really do it you need people who are passionate about both sides of the industry and can connect them. I became the head of communications at Join to bring the product to life in the preconstruction market. Once we built that up we realized that we needed to evangelize the change that Join was built for. We were built to solve a problem. Modern delivery methods are changing into more collaborative methods, teaming up earlier together to achieve more predictable and reliable products for owners. To do that we needed a whole new set of tools and Join is one of them. But we realized that the more that idea grew, the more we could grow with it. But it had to be about the industry. The role of “evangelist” was built to raise awareness about the problems and to realize that the boundaries don’t exist, rather than to just sell a product. If someone wasn’t evangelizing the power of this new kind of delivery model for all the stakeholders, it could continue to stall out.

How can the industry bridge the gap between the jobsite and technology?

Since I came from an organization that put work in place, and masonry is one of the last pieces of work put in place, I had this view of the entire process and how technology can help it. But tech can’t just be for tech’s sake. It can make a really bad process suck more efficiently. If your process is broken, it doesn’t matter if I make it faster. The idea is we have to understand your process and see where you are starting from, what is the goal and how we can help you achieve that goal. You need somebody who has free reign and isn’t tied to selling you something or handing something over. If I help them get set up for better, more collaborative delivery models, it plugs into what Join is doing. The difference between selling technology and partnering with an industry is having an evangelist. 

What is the future of preconstruction and how do we get there?

It’s the most critical component of construction and that’s why I’ve bet my career on it. Being with trade contractors and working with them so much let me see the impact that happens downstream from poor planning. I had a stint at a project management platform for trade contractors and had this idea of doing integrated labour delivery. Other models have all players at the table at all times, but that is antiquated and expensive. That’s just a bad business model. The reason those contractors are there is because they are waiting for that one thing that’s going to help them be efficient and that they can give input on. And this can have a really high impact on the overall success of a project. But some of these models are like asking everyone to come to Thanksgiving dinner to have a conversation about politics, nothing gets done. But if the team can align early, can trust one another, and they can be empowered to know that when they are needed to collaborate they will be brought in and listened to, and have good decisions made that reduce risk, this can increase the predictability and move the means and methods forward. But ultimately none of this gets done if we don’t break down the barriers and expose the unconscious biases we have had for years. We have operated with our cards up our sleeves for so long, we do it without even knowing. Something will always go wrong on a project, whether that’s rain, late materials, or whatever. If the construction team hasn’t begun with trust at the earliest inception, they have no hope that they can lean on each other to deliver differently. If you want that to happen at the latest stages it has to start in the earliest. That’s why pre-construction is the future. It’s the future because with these labour shortages, we can’t build the same way. We are headed for a cliff of people leaving the industry    

What is holding the industry back when it comes to innovation?

One of the barriers we have is that we are profitable this way. I don’t know many contractors that aren’t buying new trucks and beach houses and making money. It’s not as much as they should be making and it’s not sustainable. How many family construction companies have built wealth from generation to generation? That wealth is about to start going away if they don’t innovate and can’t deliver. One of the barriers is business as usual. I think the other is culture. Change is hard. Anyone telling you this is easy probably has a bridge to sell you too. The funny thing is, we are culturally built for this anyways. We bring new people into the industry as apprentices, turn them into journeypeople. We have changed, trained and molded people for years. We just have to look at our entire operations and change management strategies and apply that. 

Advice for companies wanting to innovate

The first step is admitting you have a problem. The second step is asking for help. I don’t expect the owner of a construction company to understand innovation and technology at its core. You don’t have to. You have to be vulnerable. Being vulnerable and leaning into an uncomfortable space is the most powerful thing you can do. You have to be ready to fail. You will fail far more than you succeed but the key to succeed is taking the swing. The other thing is everybody is waiting for the perfect time. That doesn’t exist. There is no perfect time or project. Everytime you say that, you fall behind even more. Do it now. You don’t have to understand innovation or technology. AI is a perfect example of this. I get asked about AI all the time. AI is like a new engine in a car. It’s a cool, fancy thing like a supercharged car engine. But all you have to understand is how that changes driving down the road and how to get your vehicle where it needs to go. 

To connect with Sample and other construction innovation experts, be sure to sign up for the 2023 ICBA Construction Innovation Summit. The event runs October 30th and 31st in Vancouver.

Key Takeaways:

• The company has rebranded to AtkinsRéalis.
• The name AtkinsRéalis is a coined term that combines Atkins, a legacy brand, and “Réalis,” inspired by the city of Montréal and the company’s French-Canadian roots. “Réalis” also resembles the verb “to realize” or “to make happen”.
• Company officials noted thatEdwards explained that in recent years, the company has been deliberately repositioned and has exited parts of the business that were not profitable or didn’t align with its strategy. 
• They have also worked to correct underlying performance issues, doubled down on high-growth global markets and embraced digital transformation.

The Whole Story:

SNC-Lavalin is SNC-Lavalin no more.

The fully integrated professional services and project management company based in Montreal announced that it is rebranding to AtkinsRéalis.  

The name AtkinsRéalis is a coined term that combines Atkins, a legacy brand that is well-established across the company’s international markets, and “Réalis,” inspired by the city of Montréal and the company’s French-Canadian roots. “Réalis” also resembles the verb “to realize” or “to make happen” which emphasizes our focus on outcomes and project delivery.  

The 36,000-person company stated that the changes build on more than a century of history from brands such as SNC-Lavalin, Atkins, Faithful+Gould, DTS and Atkins Acuity, AtkinsRéalis and bring the whole organization together under one single brand.

“AtkinsRéalis is a new name for a new transformed company: our ability to draw upon such breadth and depth of global capabilities will maximize our ability to work seamlessly and provide one integrated offering for our clients and partners,” said Ian L. Edwards, president and CEO of AtkinsRéalis. “Everything starts with our people; they care about each other, this Company and most importantly, they care about the work we do and believe in our purpose to engineer a better future for our planet and its people. I could not be prouder of our team’s dedication to the success of this company.”

Edwards explained that in recent years, the company has been repositioned and has exited parts of the business that were not profitable or didn’t align with its strategy.  He added that the company has also worked to correct underlying performance issues, doubled down on high-growth global markets and embraced digital transformation.

He stressed that the most important change has been redefining the company’s purpose and strengthening its culture. 

“We have reached an inflection point so now is the right time to rebrand to AtkinsRéalis and reflect the exciting future ahead of us,” said Edwards.  

 As of Sept. 13, the company’s new brand and associated visual identity will be used on all communications materials. The Company’s common shares will begin trading on the TSX under the new ticker symbol (TSX: ATRL) prior to market open on Sept. 18, 2023. SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. will not change its legal name until the Company obtains shareholder approval, as required by law, at its 2024 Annual Meeting of Shareholders.