The Association of Maintenance Contractors of Canada (AMCC) is pleased to share an important report with our members, prior to the paper’s public release this afternoon.

The One Industry. One Workforce. One Future. report, an independent Advisory Panel discussion paper commissioned by the AMCC in 2024, will be released formally later today during the AMCC session as part of the Building Trades of Alberta Annual Convention and Conference. The paper offers an in depth look at how the industry can work together to better build Canada’s maintenance advantage through collaboration that drives productivity and competitiveness, while ensuring the work is sustained by a foundation of safety.

As we are all well aware, Canada’s maintenance industry supports our economy, keeping industrial facilities running, worksites safe, and communities strong. Yet the sector has long faced pressures from fragmentation, workforce instability, and increasing demands on productivity and competitiveness.

Recognizing the need for long-term solutions, we convened an Advisory Panel in 2024, bringing together owners, contractors, unions, regulators, and training providers from across the country. Over the course of a year, the Panel listened, debated, and shared perspectives to uncover the systemic issues holding the industry back and the opportunities that collaboration can unlock.

The Panel findings show that the way forward rests on building systems based on industry collaboration that replace silos with shared accountability.

Download the Discussion Paper here.

Download the Executive Summary here.

The discussion paper clearly highlights that Canada’s maintenance industry is at a turning point. Our sector is the backbone of critical infrastructure, but today we face real pressures — an aging workforce, uneven adoption of technology, fragmented contracting, and labour market disconnects. Left unaddressed, these challenges will drive up costs, erode trust, and put the safe and reliable operation of Canada’s facilities at risk.

The Panel’s conclusion states that incremental change is not enough. What’s required is bold action — collective, coordinated, and urgent. Collaboration must replace fragmentation. Safety must remain our non-negotiable foundation. And modernization — digital tools, predictive maintenance, AI-enabled platforms — must be embedded into every project, contract, and training program.

Each of us has a role to play:

• Owners must commit to collaborative contracting and shared risk.
• Contractors must invest in workforce innovation and digital integration.
• Unions must lead on mentorship and mobility.
• Training providers must prepare a new generation for a new reality.
• Regulators must align policy with best practice.

No one group can transform the system alone — but together, we can build safer workplaces, stronger workforce pipelines, predictable delivery, and global competitiveness.

That’s why AMCC has already acted. A new Board subcommittee, chaired by board member and Advisory Panel co-chair Mandy Kaiser, will chart AMCC’s 2026 priorities and beyond, grounded firmly in the findings of this paper.

The work begins now:

• October — AMCC members will be invited to a workshop to directly contribute their insights.
• November 24 — Findings will be shared at the second annual AMCC Shaping the Future Symposium in Calgary, kicking off the Shutdowns Turnarounds Superconference.

This symposium is also where we will advance our advocacy agenda — ensuring governments, owners, and the public understand what is at stake, and what must be done.

The tools are ready. The partnerships are forming. The window for action is open — but it won’t stay open forever. This is the moment to lead.

Ken Sandmoen
AMCC Board Chair