Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Blog ARTICLE

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Blog Article

Building a More Diverse Construction Industry in Alberta

Diversity and inclusion in the construction industry shouldn’t be something to strive for, it should be the norm.

Imagine walking onto a work site feeling a sense of belonging and no need to prove your expertise. Sounds like something that should be a given, right? When you’re in the minority at a workplace, that’s not always the case.

However, when we remove barriers by promoting diversity, equity and inclusion in the workforce — good things happen. It’s something we see firsthand every day at Ashton Construction Services. Equity among our construction team is one of the secrets to our success as the Bow Valley’s largest construction company.

Together we can do more

Why is diversity important in the construction industry? Beyond being the right thing to do, the benefits to construction companies in Alberta are rock solid.

More profitability

Research says that diverse companies bring in more profit, sales revenue and cash flow — and companies with the most ethnically and culturally diverse boards are 43 per cent more likely to experience higher profits.

More innovation

Beyond the bottom line, The value of diversity and inclusion in the Canadian construction industry, a 2019 report released by the Canadian Construction Association, shared that performance in the mining, construction and manufacturing sectors improved when teams include women, thanks to their fresh perspectives.

More talent

The same report concluded that diverse companies not only attract more talent but reduce employee turnover. People want to feel as though they belong and are more attracted to a company where they feel that can happen.

Community drives equity at ACS

Women made up about 13 per cent of the construction labour force in 2023, according to the Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey, a number that has been (mostly) increasing over time—which is great news for the industry.

At ACS, we’re proud to share that close to 50 per cent of our team are women, including senior leadership.

Diversity in the company is something that happened naturally, explains ACS founder and lifelong Canmore community member, Steve Ashton.

It’s the result of a simple question he has always asked himself: “What do I want my business to be in the community?”

“Relationships are one of our core values,” he says. “So relationships are important in everything that we do.”

By centering the needs of the Bow Valley community while ensuring our values are aligned with our clients, ACS has been able to focus on creating what Steve calls “systems of delight” for customers and staff.

“Through our drive to be this community-oriented company and asking how we create systems to delight, I think we’ve naturally attracted more women and we’re super proud of that,” he says.

“Things are just changing in the right way to create this inclusivity and fairness across the board.”

Construction isn’t just about structures — it’s about the people who use them. That means that when it comes to doing the work, the community being served is reflected in our team.

“Working with other women has been a game changer”

Claire Walsh has worked in construction and mining her entire career, but it wasn’t until joining ACS that she experienced working with an all-female team.

“Working with other women in construction has been such a game changer, I absolutely love it,” says the site superintendent. “We rock it because you don’t have to keep flying a flag to prove your point, you can just demonstrate it by doing your job really well.”

It was a real-world answer to the question of how diversity impacts team building. There’s a lot more that Claire loves about being a woman in construction, however — including shaking up the image of the typical worker.

“There’s an identity with construction workers that we are a certain way and it’s good for people to see that we’re not that way as well,” she says. “There are a lot of people from all walks of life who come into construction.”

“They empower you to be successful”

For Darby Ogle, working with ACS means removing the typical barriers to success women in construction might experience.

“As a female in the construction industry, one of the biggest challenges is that you typically get underestimated by the people around you and you’re not taken seriously,” says the senior project manager, who uses her project management skills to ensure success for every ACS project. “I haven’t felt like that here.”

The level of trust from the company has been instrumental in helping Darby spur her career forward and take it in the direction she believes is best.

“They empower you a lot here to be successful and to take the pathway that you want, and they’re really good at facilitating that pathway,” she says. “They give you a lot of trust.”

Building a more equitable future

Everything ACS touches is rooted in our core values — happiness, relationships, honesty, accountability, and passion. By laying that foundation from the beginning, we’re so proud to have built a work culture where people from all backgrounds can thrive in our home in the Bow Valley.

Be a part of a bright community. Learn more about what Ashton Construction Services can do for you.

Blog article written by: Perch Communications

Photos by: Eva Urbanska

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