Manitoba Women in Trades Conference groundwork prepped

Before her retirement, Carol Paul is tackling a new goal: creating more male allies.

Men are in focus at the Manitoba Women in Trades Conference next month in Winnipeg. It’s the fourth event of its kind promoting women in construction.

“The missing piece was having men at the table,” said Paul, the Manitoba Construction Sector Council’s outbound executive director. “We need to take care of the men in the construction workplace or the women are not going to stick around.”

More women are training to become construction workers: the council has trained 800 women over the past decade, with 400 since its November 2024 conference.

However, just five per cent of Manitoba construction tradespeople are female — a statistic that hasn’t changed over the past two years, Paul said.

“It’s a revolving door,” she said, adding women may not feel comfortable on the job site.

The Nov. 19 conference includes a keynote presentation from Next Gen Men, a non-profit for mental health and gender equity in male-dominated industries.

Adam Gray, vice-president of operations for MWH Constructors, is on an event panel discussing men as stakeholders shaping workplace culture.

Women are needed in the workforce, especially as people retire and there is “no shortage” of infrastructure builds and upgrades, Gray wrote in a statement.

Paul, 67, has led the Manitoba Construction Sector Council for the last 14 1/2 years. Her goal, she said, was to build community and a “sense of belonging” in groups that traditionally wouldn’t see themselves in the industry, including among women and First Nations.

She’ll retire at the end of 2026. Marnie Bickerton, formerly the executive director of workforce development and learning at the Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology, became the council’s executive director last month.

She and Paul are executive directors until Paul’s retirement; Paul is a mentor.

The pair collaborated during Bickerton’s time at MITT.

“Marnie is that perfect fit,” Paul said. “It was important to have somebody that had the skills to be an executive director, but also someone who was able to continue the workplace culture.”

Meantime, Paul is preparing for the November conference.

Tickets for the event, at the Victoria Inn, cost $400 (or $300 if bought by Oct. 23).

Drone use in the industry and leadership development are other topics set for discussion.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com