On April 29th, Prime Minister Carney attended the CBTU conference in Gatineau, Quebec to announce the Team Canada Strong initiative. Team Canada Strong represents the largest single federal investment in trades training in Canadian history and it means real, tangible support for Alberta construction contractors and the apprentices they employ. CLRA member contractors have long advocated for meaningful investment in workforce development and this announcement delivers at a scale we haven’t seen before. The combination of the $10,000 first-year employer subsidy, the $16,000 in-class training top-up, and the $5,000 completion bonus means the total financial support available per apprentice now exceeds $21,000. That’s a material reduction in the cost and risk of bringing new talent onto your job site. Amount Program Description $10,000 Build Canada Apprenticeship Service New employer-side subsidy covering up to $10,000 of a first-year apprentice’s salary, plus matching support and navigation services to help you hire, train, and retain apprentices. $16,000 Apprenticeship Training Grant $400/week top-up paid on top of EI while apprentices attend mandatory in-class technical training – worth up to $16,000 per apprentice. $5,000 Apprenticeship Completion Bonus A one-time cash bonus when an apprentice earns their Red Seal certification – a direct financial incentive to

CLRA recently brought together MLAs, industry partners, government officials and post‑secondary leaders for a focused discussion on the workforce and regulatory conditions that directly shape Alberta’s construction sector, titled Building Prosperity: Construction’s Role in Alberta’s Economy. These priorities matter to CLRA members because they determine how employers plan, hire and deliver work across the province. CLRA Board Chair Wayne Troock opened the evening by emphasizing that government, industry and education all share responsibility for building a strong labour pipeline. Meeting future demand requires coordinated action on training and retention, and he reinforced that these solutions must be developed together. The panel, moderated by CLRA Board Member and Chief Operating Officer for Connect Group Mandy Kaiser, kept the conversation grounded in the practical realities facing Alberta’s construction sector. Workforce supply remains one of the most pressing issues for CLRA members. President Joe McFadyen highlighted the need for thousands of additional skilled workers over the next decade and emphasized CLRA’s Seed vs. Sod approach, which focuses on developing Alberta talent to help employers build a stable workforce. He also reinforced the importance of treating worksites as learning environments so apprentices stay engaged and complete their training. Minister of Advanced Education Myles McDougall

Understanding workforce demand in Alberta is critical for construction employers, and effective labour planning depends on having accurate data. A new report from the Canada West Foundation highlights why it remains difficult to determine how many skilled workers are employed in the energy sector, and how these gaps affect workforce planning. Western Canada’s energy industry spans oil and gas, pipelines, electricity generation and renewables, and demand pressures continue to grow. Electrification is increasing, which means more infrastructure to build and more skilled trades needed to build it. Understanding the current workforce is essential to meeting that demand, but today’s data provides only a partial picture. Canada tracks labour market information through two systems: NAICS, which classifies industries, and NOCs, which classify occupations. In the energy sector, both have limitations. NAICS divides energy into separate categories such as oil and gas, pipelines and electricity, which makes it difficult to assemble a complete view. In smaller sub-sectors such as electricity generation, Statistics Canada suppresses data to protect confidentiality, which results in understated employment numbers. NOCs present a different challenge. Some energy-specific roles, such as wind turbine technicians, do not have dedicated codes and are grouped into broader trades like millwright. This makes