Mandy Bujold's Column

Leadership, Safety, and the Power of Addressing the Real Issues

By Mandy Bujold, Manager of Industry & Community Partnerships, GVCA

The past month has been filled with incredible conversations about leadership, safety, and the future of our industry.

At the Ontario OneCall Conference, I had the opportunity to connect the dots between leadership and safety—two things that go hand-in-hand on every job site. We talked about how strong leadership doesn’t just manage safety; it inspires it. When people feel seen, heard, and supported, they bring that same care and awareness to their work.

I also joined a panel at the Ontario Building Trades Women’s Seminar, where women from across the province came together to share experiences and strategies for creating more inclusive and supportive work environments. After the panel an important conversation unfolded around harassment and psychological safety on job sites. One comment really stuck with me: a woman shared that when something happens on site, she doesn’t want to just be moved to another location, that she wants the problem to actually be addressed.

That moment hit home. Too often, we take the path of least resistance, removing the immediate issue instead of getting to the root cause. That approach only puts a band-aid on a much deeper problem. True leadership means facing those uncomfortable moments head-on and also ensuring that those team members responsible for addressing those issues have the proper training and support. That could be through bystander or harassment training, creating stronger reporting processes, or simply ensuring everyone knows they have support.

It’s these conversations about leadership, safety, and accountability that move our industry forward. Let’s keep having them.