Canada Post Mail Publications Agreement Number: 40609661 FALL 2023 MAGAZINE BUILDFORCE Developing an industry that welcomes women The importance of Indigenous participationBUILDFORCE MAGAZINE // Fall 2023 5 BUILDFORCE MAGAZINE Fall 2023 Published For: BUILDFORCE CANADA 220 Laurier Avenue West, Suite 1150 Ottawa, ON K1P 5Z9 Contact: Bill Ferreira, Executive Director Tel.: (613) 569-5552, ext. 2220 info@buildforce.ca www.buildforce.ca Published By: Matrix Group Publishing Inc. Return all undeliverable addresses to: 309 Youville Street Winnipeg, Manitoba R2H 2S9 Toll-Free: (866) 999-1299 Toll-Free Fax: (866) 244-2544 sales@matrixgroupinc.net www.matrixgroupinc.net Canada Post Mail Publications Agreement Number: 40609661 President & CEO Jack Andress Operations Manager Shoshana Weinberg sweinberg@matrixgroupinc.net Senior Publisher Jessica Potter jpotter@matrixgroupinc.net Editor-in-Chief Shannon Savory ssavory@matrixgroupinc.net Editor/Social Media Manager Jenna Collignon Staff Writers Paul Adair, Andrea Geary Finance/Administration Lloyd Weinberg, Nathan Redekop accounting@matrixgroupinc.net Director of Circulation & Distribution Lloyd Weinberg distribution@matrixgroupinc.net Sales Manager – Winnipeg Neil Gottfred Sales Manager – Hamilton Jeff Cash Sales Team Leader Andrew Lee Matrix Group Publishing Inc. Account Executives Colleen Bell, Rob Gibson, Jim Hamilton, Scott Hendren, Touhid Khan, Frank Kenyeres, Sandra Kirby, Cheryl Klassen, Charlie Langsford, Brian MacIntyre, Shaun Minett, Caitlin Nakamura, Vlada Radchenko, Wilma Gray-Rose, Luke Stevens, Julie Welsh Advertising Design James Robinson Layout & Design Cody Chomiak ©2023 Matrix Group Publishing Inc. All rights reserved. Contents may not be reproduced by any means, in whole or in part, without the prior written permission of the publisher. The opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of Matrix Group Publishing Inc. Printed in Canada. GREETINGS 7 A Message from the Chair of BuildForce Canada 9 A Message from the Executive Director of BuildForce Canada FEATURES 11 Optimism and upsets While the economic outlook is optimistic, it’s hard to know what to expect when nothing is as expected. 13 A shift in attitude A generation of job seekers needs to learn the advantages of building a career in construction. 15 Building the workforce of tomorrow Data from BuildForce Canada shows the construction sector is feeling the pinch. A troubling and ongoing recruitment gap of 61,400 people could turn that pinch into a punch. 18 The value of labour market information When you have accurate and up-to-date data, your project is more likely to move from start to finish with fewer complications. 21 A new approach to homebuilding How can Canada build 5.8 million homes in the next decade? 25 Leading the way to wellness The combined force of MERIT’s Workplace Wellness Program, along with Wellness Champion Corey Hirsch, are bringing the once-taboo topic of mental health to the forefront of construction conversations. 28 Youth are the key to construction’s future Skills Canada is on a mission to teach students, parents, and guidance counsellors that building a career in the construction industry is just as rewarding as earning a degree. 33 Breaking ground on talent acquisition Canada’s construction industry is bolstering its workforce through next-gen recruitment efforts, apprenticeships, and immigration. 35 EDI’s impact on attracting youth Equity, diversity, and inclusion are more than buzzwords. Companies that want to excel need to show their new hires diversity at all levels. 39 Construction’s secret weapon: inclusive PPE Inclusive PPE is a powerful tool that can improve safety, support diversity, and unlock a labour force that has not yet been fully developed. 43 Developing an industry that welcomes women Showcasing the sector’s steady work and good pay while supporting policies that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion will help attract and retain women. 47 Leveraging displaced talent to address the construction sector’s growing needs Top talent is available internationally, and organizations like Talent Beyond Boundaries are ready to connect Canadian construction companies with skilled refugees who are ready to work. 49 The importance of Indigenous participation Canada’s Indigenous population is the fastest growing demographic in the country, making it a key piece of the labour force puzzle. 51 A safety state of mind At Western Pacific Enterprises Ltd. “safety is not just a way of life – it is for life.” While it’s not easy achieving – and maintaining – a stellar safety record, the company knows there’s no other way to operate. GET TO KNOW BUILDFORCE 55 BuildForce Board of Directors 57 BuildForce Partnerships 58 INDEX TO ADVERTISERSBUILDFORCE MAGAZINE // Fall 2023 7 T hese are exciting times for Canada’s construction industry. No matter where you look across the country, from coast to coast to coast, the story is the same: demand for construction services is growing. Large-scale projects – liquefied natural gas, hydrogen, mining and agriculture, battery production, and healthcare and seniors care facilities to name a few – are dominating the landscape in most provinces, and keeping the construction sector operating at near peak levels. Public-policy imperatives to double the number of new homes built across the country over the next 10 years and to electrify the economy will only add to existing demand pressures. New technologies, better project collaboration practices, and the increasing use of modular construction and prefabricated components will certainly help the industry respond to these demand pressures, but even these innovations are unlikely to make a meaningful impact to an already-large – and growing – need for additional skilled workers. These trends catch the industry at an important inflection point: a large share of its labour force is contemplating retirement over the next 10 years. Approximately 20% of Canada’s population today is aged between 50 and 64. Meanwhile, just 16% are aged 15 or younger. This means that over the next 15 years, there will be fewer younger-age workers entering the labour force than there are workers exiting due to retirement. Not only will this deficit create recruitment challenges for the construction industry, but it will also increase the competition for younger talent across the economy at large. Attracting the next generation will therefore be key. The good news is, we are making progress. The construction sector has been advocating to the federal government on a wide range of issues such as a labour mobility tax deduction for trades workers that positions the industry as an employer of choice, and funding for the promotion of careers in the skilled trades to youth. Through these efforts, the industry was also successful in persuading the federal government to create the Canadian Apprenticeship Service program, which has created hundreds of employer placements for first-year apprentices in the construction industry across the country. These are certainly important achievements, but more work can be done elsewhere. High-school curricula can be improved to give young people greater exposure to careers in the trades, and to further develop a talent pipeline among youth. Immigration policies, too, can be reformed to become better suited to the needs of the construction sector. Construction can further focus its efforts on recruiting individuals from groups traditionally under-represented in its labour force, such as women, newcomers to Canada, people from the Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour communities, and individuals who identify as 2SLGBTQI+. Creating even more awareness of the tremendous career opportunities for these individuals within the sector will be critical to ensuring the construction sector meets its future workforce needs. As the new Chair of BuildForce Canada, it is my pleasure to provide insight into these issues, and to help develop solutions to these challenges. I am honoured to serve in this role alongside my fellow members of the Board of Directors, and I wish to thank my predecessor Clyde Scollan for his excellent work in this role. I look forward to our work together, and to helping construction attract the next generation of skilled workers. SEAN STRICKLAND Chair, BuildForce Canada / GREETINGS // A Message from the Chair of BuildForce Canada Sean Strickland Chair, BuildForce Canada Attracting the next generationBUILDFORCE MAGAZINE // Fall 2023 9 C onstruction’s labour market challenges are well documented. As demands accelerate in the form of new and ongoing projects, and the oldest baby boomers contemplate retirement, the sector will be faced with several emerging challenges over the next decade. The first is the loss of nearly a quarter-million workers. That number alone catches the eye. It is a massive figure by any accounting. The second is the need to deliver upon public-policy imperatives to build millions of units of new housing, and to adapt Canada’s building stock to net-zero standards. A third is to consider how the industry will replace the years of skills and experience that are lost with the departure of retiring, elder workers. New challenges require new thinking. That is why, between now and next spring, BuildForce Canada will release a series of labour-market information reports that speak to emerging labour-force issues. The first looks at the likely impacts of the federal government’s commitment in Budget 2022 to double the number of new homes under construction in Canada. Our report will consider the implications of this commitment on the industry’s already-strained labour force. A second will consider the implications of the advancement of technology and the green- building movement on construction. In it, we consider what trades will be impacted most by the conversion of buildings to net zero heat sources, and how technological advancements could help the industry maximize its human resources potential. A third looks at the question of immigration. Construction has traditionally been able to count on newcomers to comprise a healthy share of its labour force. As Canada raises its annual immigration targets, newcomers will make up a larger share of the overall labour force. For this reason, construction will need to remain focused on newcomer recruitment to shrink some of the gap created by the retirement of older workers. Our report looks at the opportunities and challenges presented in this situation. Finally, we will continue to produce our provincial and national labour market information reports to help guide the construction industry with labour force development activities. These reports focus on current data and trends across the construction sector and will provide provincial assessment scenarios based on currently known demands through to 2034. More tangible, and no less important, is the work BuildForce Canada has done through our Construction Career Pathways program. Launched last spring, our program aims to connect as many as 1,000 entry-level workers with up to 500 construction employers so that those people can experience their first work opportunities in the industry and, we hope, go on to lead productive and rewarding careers in the trades. To echo Sean’s words, these are exciting times for the construction sector. New opportunities – and new challenges – are everywhere. The data provided in the evidence-based, research driven reports and programs prepared by BuildForce Canada are essential tools in helping construction rise to meet its labour-force challenges and to attract the next generation. As always, we look forward to collaborating with our partners across the industry to help develop resources to address these challenges, and to help construction attract the next generation. BILL FERREIRA Executive Director, BuildForce Canada / GREETINGS // Bill Ferreira Executive Director, BuildForce Canada A Message from the Executive Director of BuildForce Canada Developing new solutions that respond to construction’s emerging labour-force challenges New challenges require new thinking. That is why, between now and next spring, BuildForce Canada will release a series of labour- market information reports that speak to emerging labour-force issues.Next >