The federal government has formed an agency that will combat permitting gridlock on big infrastructure projects, giving the IBEW a powerful tool to organize more work faster. The Major Projects Office’s mission is to streamline the regulatory process on projects deemed to be in the national interest. This will enable Canada to make more effective…
MoreNorth of 49°
IBEW’s Message on Mental Health: ‘Solidarity Saves Lives’
*This article was originally published in the December 2025 issue of The Electrical Worker Online. A new report from Canada’s Building Trades Unions examined the mental health of its members and offered recommendations for reducing stress by tapping into the solidarity inherent in unions. The CBTU reported that Canadian tradespeople report similar levels of poor…
MoreOntario Local Signs Longtime Organizing Target With Top-Down Strategy
*This article was originally published in the November 2025 issue of The Electrical Worker Online. Kingston, Ontario, Local 115 had been trying to organize Thompson Electric, a major regional contractor, for 30 years. With the help of market changes, perseverance and a signatory contractor, it finally happened. “Thompson was always a large target for us,…
MoreIBEW Lauded by Prime Minister, Wins Grants
The IBEW earned a major win in Canada when it secured more than $13 million in federal funding for two Brotherhood-affiliated groups. A total of $10 million will go to the Western Joint Electrical Training Society — a training and facility initiative among three British Columbia local unions: Victoria Local 230, Kamloops Local 993 and…
MoreIn B.C., a Negative Sign Becomes a Positive Tool
An IBEW organizer is a little more famous, and construction workers in Kamloops, British Columbia, are a little more aware of the benefits of a union, thanks to a lighthearted social media campaign that started when a nonunion contractor put the local union organizer’s photo on a poster banning him from the job site. In…
MoreMaster Traffic Control Pact a Win for All Sides in Vancouver
After two decades of steady growth, the traffic control unit at Vancouver, British Columbia, Local 258 was thriving — so much so that the union in recent years was juggling more than 20 contracts for largely identical work. “It was a lot to administer,” Business Manager Cody Gatzke said. “We were always in bargaining.” But…
More