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This episode is brought to you in partnership with Supply Chain Manitoba and the Manitoba Trucking Association, working together to support workforce development and a stronger future for the industry here in Manitoba.

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Welcome to the Move Royal Canada podcast, where every week we showcase incredible businesses and rural and northern Canada businesses that are not only growing but are looking to hire. We're here to show you companies and communities outside of the big cities that are building stronger and more inclusive workplaces, workplaces that want and are encouraging newcomers, immigrants and refugees to work with them.

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Let us be your guides to help you find the best places in Canada to not only emigrate, but build a career in Seattle. I'm your host, Leah Mitchell, and I am your co-host, Lindsay Rubin. Join us as you learn about all of the amazing career opportunities in places that you may not have ever thought of moving. Let's get started.

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Unknown
All right. Hello, everyone, and welcome to the Move Rural Canada Podcast. It’s great to have everyone here listening. I'm very excited about today. We haven't had anyone from the construction industry. So I'm very happy to have Mike Peters from Alair Homes. He is the regional partner for Alair homes. Welcome, Mike. Hey. Thank you for having me. Let's get right into it.

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Unknown
So, Mike, you are in Brandon, Manitoba, correct? That is correct. Good. So can you tell us a little bit about yourself, and how you got to where you are today as the regional partner? Yeah. So my story starts in a little community called Killarney, Manitoba. That's where I grew up. I grew up on a farm about ten minutes from from that town.

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Unknown
And my dad, you know, when he wasn't busy farming, he was, he was also doing some construction projects here and there. And that's that's kind of how I got introduced into into the industry. I did some part time jobs with him, with other uncles in the, in the industry around Killarney until I moved out to Calgary. That's where I learned to frame and build houses.

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Unknown
I spent, two years out in the Calgary area and then moved back to Brandon, in about 2002, and my dad and I started a company that had since moved to Brandon, and we, started building homes here. It was it was quite a boom time in Brandon. We're building homes and subcontract framing homes for some other builders in the area.

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Unknown
We then started into, general contracting ourselves and did that for about 12 years. The opportunity came to to join their homes and my brother and I decided to join that venture while my dad was wrapping up and retiring the, family, company. And that's that's how we got here. I have to ask because obviously all all of us on today are all from rural areas.

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Unknown
Did you move back because you sort of missed a bit of that rural life or from Calgary, or was that just more of a strategic decision for career? Yeah, it was busier than than anything I'd ever experienced living in the city. I went out with a bunch of buddies. We were 18 years old, so it was all it was all a lot of fun and, new, new territory.

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Unknown
But as I, as I started to, you know, get into that career a little bit, I realized that, coming back to the rural roots where I had connections and new people, it would it would make it a lot easier to kind of chart that path forward. So I wanted to, I had a desire to get in, to the apprenticeship program, which I started as well in, in the early, 2000.

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Unknown
So that was the main focus, family roots. So tell us a little bit about Allaire Homes. You know, sort of the the size of your two team, what you do around the Brandon area, all that kind of information. So Alerus is, network of independently owned custom home building companies. We share systems, processes and support. So we're North American wide.

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Unknown
It was founded in Nanaimo, BC. And the original founder, Blair McDaniel, had a unique process in how he how he built homes, how he worked with clients, how he documented stuff. And, and he had a few friends in different cities that, you know, we're we're tracted to this, you know, this, this model that he was leading and maybe he had a few less stresses than they had in their building companies.

00:04:50:15 - 00:05:19:09
Unknown
And so they all got together one day and said, hey, can we can we like, brainstorm or network and share, some of our best practices. And, and essentially out of those conversations in that collaboration, Blair found a way to franchise the model so that he could have a hub of administrative support, marketing support, accounting support, all in one office and help some of these builders, so that they could just focus on building and working with their clients.

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Unknown
And as that evolved, more and more builders joined, joined the network and it became, pretty evident that the more minds got put together, the better we could solve some of our, our issues and the better systems we could put in place to have a more meaningful outcome and experience for our clients. So with the branding office, my dad, as I mentioned, had a general contracting company.

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Unknown
My brother and I worked with him. We're both journeymen carpenters, so working on the tools, we we let myself I led a foundation crew for a long time, and I was a framer for a long time and did some finishing with them. So I got to experience all kinds of different aspects of of the build. When my dad was looking to transition out, Cory, my brother and I looked at that opportunity to carry on the family business.

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Unknown
But we were also intrigued by this new introduction to a layer and some of these simplified systems that were put in place for us when we looked at our skill sets. They weren't in these areas that a layer had, you know, a bit of a documented SOP or, or manual, around. So we were attracted to that and, and decided to join a layer and we started the branding office.

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Unknown
We've now been running for nine years in the Brandon market, and we we have a team right now all together of, five, five people. We primarily hire project managers because almost everything we do is subcontracted out. And so we, we get together with our clients, you know, at that initial idea or design phase and help them through that with the design.

00:07:09:23 - 00:07:37:21
Unknown
We then move into a project planning phase and really plan out every aspect of of the project for our clients, whether it's a renovation or it's a brand new custom home. We map out the schedule, we we build the budget, we get all the these cross nice dotted and then move into construction. And we manage the construction project, right through to, to hand over the keys.

00:07:37:21 - 00:08:04:12
Unknown
So this it's, it's a long process that that's a very, you know, short summary of what our clients go through. But, you know, in this process, we, we involve numerous 10 to 30, different subcontractors or, or other supply companies, that we partner with because we're, we're not experts in, in all these fields. So we, we build the team and, and then we help manage it through.

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Unknown
Well, I think that's very you touched on a really interesting point. I think a lot of people, like you said, you have your skill sets of being able to have a business where you can get those supports in those areas that you don't have that skill set, I think is it can be a game changer, right, for people who want to have their own business, who want to run this.

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Unknown
So I, I think that's a that's a really cool way to do it. Yeah. It's been it's been amazing because it's so hard to master numerous things. It's, it's no different from having, you know, an accountant or, or a lawyer that you just lean on for those things that are, that are in their field. It's the same in construction.

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Unknown
I'm not an expert at cabinetry, but we have a few really amazing cabinet companies that we lean on and and use for our projects. And, and I can trust that they are the experts and will guide not just our clients, but us in in managing the most valuable aspect of that scope. And it's the same with the numerous different trades and people are getting.

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Unknown
And Doug. So, Mike, thank you for joining. It's nice to meet you. So let's go further on that for the opportunities within Manitoba. So what does the construction industry look like right now in Brandon and even throughout rural Manitoba? And further to that, what kind of opportunities do you see for the trades that are most in demand?

00:09:26:12 - 00:09:55:22
Unknown
What should people be looking at if they're wanting to get into the trades, specifically in rural Manitoba, in the Brandon area? So the market in Manitoba in general is is very strong. There has been some ebbs and flows in the last, you know, five, six years kind of started with the the Covid era. And since then, you know, with, with different, you know, maybe political based, political based reasons there there's been different ebbs and flows as well.

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Unknown
But it's generally speaking, Manitoba is a growing province. And there's always been that demand for housing across Canada. Right now we have a housing shortage, obviously. And even though Manitoba isn't a major center compared to, you know, where some of those stats come from, where we're seeing that housing shortage in Brandon and in the rural communities surrounding it.

00:10:18:15 - 00:10:53:08
Unknown
So it's it's very real. The biggest struggle right now for us in this, in this housing shortage is the skilled trades, and the skilled labor that, that we need to, you know, effectively put these, you know, put these houses together. That obviously demand drives, drives pricing and it can be really tough in the rural areas when we, work with clients, let's say in a town like Dawson or Killarney or or Virden, there are local trades.

00:10:53:08 - 00:11:32:10
Unknown
And we always try and and, meet them and involve them in the projects. But those options are becoming less and less there. There are a lot of trades, a lot of companies where, you know, really the the owners are aging out. They're going into retirement and there just isn't the, the people to follow through behind them. So that right now is what we're seeing as, as the biggest hurdle for us to to get past is getting getting more and more trades involved in, in these communities, in city centers, so that we can keep the momentum going and, and have have the right people, there for these projects.

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Unknown
So for someone who's new to Canada, let's say a newcomer and they're interested in the construction industry, how would you tell them to get involved in the construction industry? And should they be, you know, intimidated if they have experience or don't have experience and maybe even talk about the apprenticeship program as well and how that, helps people get into the trades.

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Unknown
I mean, for somebody that doesn't have experience, you know, and this is for anybody immigrating or, or even for, for younger, the younger generations coming in, you know, to their career stages. The best path is to go and talk to the companies, you know, the builders of the trades and see if there's an opportunity to be a labor or a helper.

00:12:18:08 - 00:12:51:18
Unknown
You know, in those in those companies, at least, then you can get a bit of a taste of what is all involved. The idea of what a plumber or electrician does is probably different, you know, now than maybe what the stories that your dad or an uncle who's, you know, one of those trades me tell you, there's been a lot of advancement in technology and and and it, it it's really created a fun environment, for immigrants coming into, into Manitoba that are looking to get into the trades there.

00:12:51:21 - 00:13:28:12
Unknown
There are better qualification programs in place now through HCC to get their trade full qualifications, you know, road map put in place and a path towards being accredited, you know, with some of their experience, obviously different provinces, different countries, you know, have different scopes under each each trade. But I think Manitoba is starting to recognize that we need to be quicker to to realize the qualifications that are there and then help them on that path towards, towards, getting into the, trade that they're suited for or experienced in.

00:13:28:14 - 00:14:00:02
Unknown
Again, there's some good I think, Brandon, Immigration Services, you know, is one pathway to, you know, helping helping through that need. They have a career path to connect local companies to these individuals. There's other HR organizations in town as well that are helping with that. It's really just about staying connected and and connected with those, those, colleges or, or those different firms because they're going to help get those people in front of us as builders or, or the trades that we work with.

00:14:00:04 - 00:14:17:08
Unknown
I have a quick question to I, when you sort of talked about, you know, speaking with the owners, seeing if they have maybe a job, do you find are a lot of companies concerned? Let's say, you know, I'm thinking of my son who's 17, right. If he's looking for a summer job, do you find sometimes companies are hesitant to hire young people because they don't because of safety issues?

00:14:17:08 - 00:14:33:08
Unknown
Maybe in those entry level jobs or like they want some with more experience? Or do you find most people are you know what, we really want to get people in here. We're more than willing to make sure they have the safety stuff. And I don't know, I just know sometimes it can be tricky, right? Because I know safety is pretty important in, in the room.

00:14:33:10 - 00:15:02:20
Unknown
Yeah, I would say it has changed over the years. When I was running a concrete crew, for instance, I used to be approached by some of the high schools that were that had students that were part of these, experience programs, and, and I would get, a student that would come out for a few days and, you know, shadow us on job sites or, and, and I remember sometimes I would turn into a summer job, you know, and would turn into, you know, a full time job.

00:15:02:22 - 00:15:25:09
Unknown
And that happened to me personally on a on a couple of different occasions. But but yes, back then there was less safety awareness, as well. So there is, you know, a heightened safety awareness now, which plays a big factor. But there are programs within the high schools that are that are seeing that and trying to, you know, implement the proper training as well.

00:15:25:09 - 00:15:47:23
Unknown
For high school students that are looking to get experience. There is some hesitation because of efficiencies and different things like that. As well. Which are real. But again, you know, work ethic plays plays a big part if if an individual has good work ethic and a willingness to learn and listen, the possibilities are endless when it comes to the trades.

00:15:47:23 - 00:16:15:06
Unknown
It's such an amazing career path and I love going to different job fairs or, or events that SCC puts on, especially in the construction realm. And I get the opportunity to talk to students who don't know what you know they're going to do. It's like, you know, I try your hardest to get out there and and find a company that will be willing to have you come and work a summer job.

00:16:15:08 - 00:16:34:21
Unknown
And if you work hard and if you show up every day and you're not laid there, there's there's potential and there's a path. And and at the very least, you have experience to take to to your career someday. And it might not be in that field. But, you know, I like you said Mike, because we're going to ask you about the traits of, tradesperson.

00:16:34:23 - 00:17:11:18
Unknown
And you said it, work ethic and willingness to work. And so just to take that even a step further, how would you tell someone that, you know, being in the skilled trades and in your, you know, just generally in construction is just as worthy as someone going into health care or business or so on and so forth, because oftentimes you know, for with newcomers or young people, there's still that stigma that the skilled trades aren't, you know, at the level of pay or respect that, that the other occupations are, which we all know that's false.

00:17:11:18 - 00:17:38:01
Unknown
But what would you say to people, that still think that? Because there are a few out there. I'm obviously, you know, a, a firm believer in, in our trade program and the career opportunities that that can bring. And if there is, if I'm talking to, an individual that isn't sure what they're going to do in life, you know, maybe they'll go to university and figure it out or or take that path.

00:17:38:01 - 00:18:05:17
Unknown
Oh, I'll just try and plead my case with them and say, hey, take a year off, go, go and get a job in the trades as a laborer. And if you think that that is something that you can that you want to do, you know, get, get signed up in the apprenticeship program and some, some of these high school programs actually have a first year qualification based on their shops or different, different programs they have in place.

00:18:05:17 - 00:18:29:14
Unknown
But pursue that for a year or two. And, you know, all of a sudden, 4 or 5 years from now, you're a journeyman in that trade. And along the way, it pays for your time in school so that, that, that you take on, you know, with your with your theory based learning and in school or in the colleges is very minimal.

00:18:29:16 - 00:18:54:10
Unknown
And you come out 4 or 5 years into the program, a journeyman with no debt and making anywhere from, you know, $85,000 a year to $130,000 a year, depending on the tree that you've you've gone into it at that starting level. From there, you know, entrepreneurship opportunities could open up or or other other opportunities, depending on the company that you're working with.

00:18:54:10 - 00:19:15:12
Unknown
So for me, it's it's, it's such a, it's such a clear path to take, to not incur debt. You know, well, while you're learning, but you can also go and do something else in life and always have that to fall back on. And that's the part that I try to, to explain to these young, young people.

00:19:15:15 - 00:19:44:08
Unknown
And it's no different from anyone that's immigrating in. It's it's that path, you know, to certainty if you are willing to learn and, and excel, you will always have a job, because of the demand and the projections of the demand is not going away anytime soon. The government of Manitoba subsidizes the whole apprenticeship program, and that's something that a lot of people don't realize is that they pay for your seat when you go to technical training.

00:19:44:13 - 00:20:04:12
Unknown
And as you said, you collect employment insurance while you're going to school. So our high school apprentices, when they're done, they're red seal or their ticket for the problem. Some I talk about, a lot of them come back to me. And if they'd saved their money wisely, they're like they're, you know, anywhere from 45 to $50,000, in their bank account by the time they're age 21.

00:20:04:12 - 00:20:23:00
Unknown
So even as a newcomer, if you're coming into Canada and you know, there's a lot of expenses, apprenticeship pathways, the way to go, because they'll pay for your schooling. And in return, you're, you're more likely going to get a high wage job with that. Well, and you said you will always have a job like I. There it is right there.

00:20:23:00 - 00:20:38:17
Unknown
You know. And you can you can move on. You can do that part time on the side like there's just and you can work on your own projects. Right. You're not having to necessarily hire someone like, so you save money that way. Like there's just so many amazing opportunities and things that you get out of getting into the trades.

00:20:38:19 - 00:21:00:08
Unknown
Yeah. You know, I don't know if because you guys work at the a lot of, you know, people that support you to, to build the homes and things, do you find can is becoming a, you know, we're a very multicultural society. Are there things that you see that maybe let's say specifically with newcomers, they should make sure to have if they're going into the trades.

00:21:00:08 - 00:21:21:22
Unknown
So maybe, you know, language skills is are there certain things you want to make sure people are able to do, or do you find culture things that you sort of say our expectations in in construction because it's not regular hours in construction, right? It's not like a 9 to 5 job or things like that. So can you maybe sort of tell us about what does going on a work site look like?

00:21:21:22 - 00:21:57:07
Unknown
And what are you as an employer, wanting to see out of your workers? Yeah, I mean, culturally there's less, factors that I see, impacting that. I'm actually seeing a shift in, in even values, from the owners of these, these trades, or trade companies, you know, there's a lot more emphasis on family. And so the whole, you know, you have to work 14 hours a day, that's, that's kind of that's kind of phasing away a little bit.

00:21:57:07 - 00:22:26:04
Unknown
It's like, hey, let's, let's more focus on how we can have an effective 8 or 9 hour workday, you know, and, and produce what we need to produce and still get home to, to our families. And, and so at least for their homes, that is something, you know, within our own, employee base and our trades that we're, you know, we're we're pretty keen on, on being flexible in when it comes to, to, you know, understanding climate.

00:22:26:06 - 00:22:49:23
Unknown
That's a that's a big one. So within, within, you know, our industry working in, you know, conditions, you know, especially the winter that can be tough. For somebody that that hasn't experienced winter before. It's something that's tough for us local Manitobans that have experienced it for, you know, a lot of years. And and it's it's not something you can get used to so that, that that part is tough.

00:22:49:23 - 00:23:14:12
Unknown
However, there's a lot of trades that are, you know, that work in doors and, and programs that don't make you, necessarily out in the elements when it comes to the most important piece would probably be communication for for us as a general contractor when we're, organizing with trades, either before they get to site or on site, communication is key.

00:23:14:14 - 00:23:45:06
Unknown
We work with a couple crews locally and Brandon here, who, you know, the owners might not have immigrated like recently, but they have brought, you know, a lot of, immigrants into their company. And, you know, not all of them speak English, you know, really well. And so we just make sure that there's systems in place for safety and otherwise, that there is always somebody on site that can be that we can communicate with, or somebody on site that can communicate with other trades around them.

00:23:45:07 - 00:24:09:18
Unknown
And we make it work. You know, and because, you know, a lot of these, these immigrant companies, you know, they're amazing to work with or their work ethic is, is strong. They're they're, motivated, you know, to, to, you know, create a good reputation for themselves and so forth. And, and so we, we just, we adapt and we try to make it work like communication is, is big in terminology.

00:24:09:18 - 00:24:40:02
Unknown
So I know, I know there are some programs, in place that help with the pre-employment side of that, you know, and, and are specific to different, industries or trades. And I know that, we, we often recommend, you know, that, that if you're, if you're coming into the trade and, and communication or terminology could be an issue that you go through one of those programs to try and get, you know, brought up to speed and, and that will help with your employment as well.

00:24:40:04 - 00:25:05:14
Unknown
No. Absolutely. You have, you have to have the language. Right. I, I'm a big believer in that industry specific English. Right. That's what's going to get you further in your career. So I'm like this is kind of going back to the opportunities. But if you had to pick out we put you on the spot. But if you had to pick out the top 2 or 3 or 3 or 4 skilled trades that are growing in Brandon in rural Manitoba, what would you say?

00:25:05:14 - 00:25:46:04
Unknown
They are the ones that we're seeing growth in electrical, you know, millwrights, plumbing. We're seeing strong apprenticeship, attendance or applications in those areas. You know, just just according to conversations I've had with, directors at HCC, there's less in the carpentry, you know, and even some other symbol, type type trades which is a great opportunity or area for, for people to focus on if they were, if they were, you know, coming into this without skills, in place.

00:25:46:04 - 00:26:17:08
Unknown
So there's, it's and it's all area specific to, you know, that may be what I feel today and Brandon, but that could be different. You know, in Nepa or it could be different, you know, in, in Killarney or other areas. It really depends on kind of who is, you know, where the demand is and, and potentially, you know, where some of these companies have, have shut the doors, you know, after after a while operating.

00:26:17:10 - 00:26:40:19
Unknown
But we're seeing it more and more now that, that, when we go to these rural communities because there aren't, you know, established businesses or skilled trades in place, we're having to bring them from the city centers, which only drives costs. But it also makes it less desirable to live in some of these areas if you don't have access to these skilled services.

00:26:40:19 - 00:27:01:23
Unknown
So we're we're always trying to, you know, point out the opportunities that that tradespeople have in their local rural communities because the demand is, is, is getting stronger and stronger. And they can really always be on the competitive edge if they stay local. So, so, so it's you're saying there's that opportunity to move rural and, and have your own business, right?

00:27:01:23 - 00:27:26:17
Unknown
Because there's not really any competition basically. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. I had a friend and he's H-back like he ventilation AC. And so his business was going really strong and he actually had to, a couple, ticketed people under him. And one was a third level apprentice, but he had so many jobs, and he was so overwhelmed that he actually quit doing that.

00:27:26:17 - 00:27:52:22
Unknown
And he went to the, regional health Authority to work. But, and so that caught my eye on H-back and just, you know, our local school from regional, they were held back a lot from, you know, their from having to do the renovations because they couldn't find anyone in that field locally. So they had to reach out to Brandon and to Winnipeg to get those types of people that were in those skilled trades to come out and and do the renovations.

00:27:53:03 - 00:28:13:01
Unknown
So, yeah. So those kind of are, what you said, like mill rate, human like AC mechanics, those, still skilled trades are often overlooked by a lot of people coming into the industry and they automatically think carpentry, plumbing. But those other ones, often people don't think about. Yeah. And there's and there's many others on the list.

00:28:13:01 - 00:28:33:10
Unknown
There's roofers. There's, you know, 55 trades at least. Yeah. Yeah. There's, there's so many that, that that you could have for options, which is crazy because you think, well, how do you I wouldn't even know where to start then. That's almost like. But like you said, I think you just got to go join, right. Work as labor and and sort of get exposure to, to see some of those and and go.

00:28:33:10 - 00:28:52:16
Unknown
Yeah. There's also there's a sorry. There's also a list on Apprenticeship Manitoba and we should put that on the link to. Yeah. As there's list on Apprenticeship Manitoba of all the skilled trades that Manitoba has to offer, but if they're Red seal or ticketed, they'll they'll have a list of them too. Just. And what they also have is a description.

00:28:52:18 - 00:29:15:00
Unknown
And so you can understand what that trade is about and kind of yeah. Then go to the work site and see, hey, if there's an employer willing to hire or is looking for someone that that field that you may be interested in. Yeah, those stats are definitely important to look at. If you're if you're coming in and you don't have experience and you want to, you know, plant yourself in a field that has demand and will for sure.

00:29:15:02 - 00:29:58:15
Unknown
You know, long term, I think to, studying the, the region, you know, that you're, you're thinking of going into, talking to local businesses, getting involved with, you know, the local chambers, you know, they're going to have a good pulse on, on everything. In Brandon, there is the, Construction Association of Rural Manitoba as well, which is a great resource, to, use, because they really they, you know, they're connected to all of the communities, in, in the rural areas as well as all the communities and in our northern, you know, part of Manitoba as well, which, which again, you know, so many people are having to travel

00:29:58:15 - 00:30:22:20
Unknown
north, you know, to these communities to work. But if, if there are people in the, in those communities already, these, these resources could help get them, you know, some status and into, you know, those specific trades, and they could potentially not have to travel. So, you go right into sort of, Lindsay, unless you had any more questions, because I think we've answered a lot of the.

00:30:22:22 - 00:30:57:16
Unknown
Yeah, there's no, great. You know, and we're always trying to just showcase how awesome living in the rural areas. You know, what makes Brandon and the surrounding rural areas such a great place? Like to live, in your personal opinion, like, why? Why, why did you stay where you are? You know, I, I love to travel and and every time I go somewhere, whether it's in North America or or abroad, I love landing back in in Winnipeg or Brandon and and taking that drive through the prairies home.

00:30:57:18 - 00:31:23:18
Unknown
For me, for me, it's it's a quieter it's a quieter life here in Manitoba and in our rural communities for sure. And I am attracted to that. But, you know, because of that, you know, I just feel like we have such a, you know, vast opportunities, you know, with within, the rural areas, whether it's lakes and parks and, and, you know, those kind of things to enjoy.

00:31:23:18 - 00:31:54:08
Unknown
So that's what I love to do. I love I love being at the lake. I love, you know, being being in our Manitoba nature and and just yeah, enjoying that part of it. Not feeling so, you know, congested. And Brandon is really, it's a big small town. In a lot of ways. I think that's why, you know, I was able to comfortably settle here and, and, you know, the surrounding communities to just they all have their unique aspects, for sure.

00:31:54:08 - 00:32:18:00
Unknown
But there's, there's a lot to enjoy in our, rural, real landscape here. Well, yeah, Brant is very well situated, and I always feel like, yeah, you can fly there, that you don't have to drive to Winnipeg to, to go places you've got. Yeah, many lakes and great Lakes within like an hour. You know, there's. And yeah, I did my teaching degree in Brandon and it has everything you need.

00:32:18:00 - 00:32:34:14
Unknown
It has everything that Winnipeg has. But it's like you said, it's just a smaller city, but it's doesn't feel like a city at all. No, it's you know, it also has the like the college. I said Boyne College, which I would actually have to say they are the leader in the skilled trades, like they have the Lenin Ovens Center there.

00:32:34:14 - 00:32:56:00
Unknown
They have, you know, if you want to be a skilled trades person and you're going to go through your apprenticeship, you will more than likely have to go to Brandon. Red River also offers, some training and some places up north, but the main center is Brandon. And yeah, so that's also another great benefit is that the college that is the leader in the skilled trades is also centered there.

00:32:56:00 - 00:33:16:04
Unknown
So it's not like you have to go away for school when it when time comes. Yeah I agree there's, there's a lot of there's a lot of people that have come to Brandon for education and and then I, you know, and I think because of where it's located, it, it attracts a lot of people from the rural communities, you know, more easily.

00:33:16:04 - 00:33:40:10
Unknown
And, and even the northern, the northern communities as well. And I think to, like you said, smaller town, you meet more people, it's better networking. You have a much better, I think, chance of finding employment after than maybe in a larger city. And we talked about that in our last episode too, about network. Right. So it doesn't matter if you're a young person, a newcomer or somebody that's relocated from British Columbia to Brandon.

00:33:40:12 - 00:34:04:18
Unknown
They're smaller. You're not smaller. Community is. But a smaller community really allows you to volunteer more and allows you to meet people a lot more easier and so on and so forth. So that's the greatest thing about Brandon. It's usually the opportunity to network and then getting to know someone and landing that really great opportunity. Do you think there's anything that is often misunderstood about rural living?

00:34:05:00 - 00:34:27:12
Unknown
You know, I always get the oh, it's so cold. And I'm like, well, actually, you know, with the earth warming up, it's actually not that bad sometimes. But, I don't know. Have you had things that people have said to you that you think are maybe misunderstood when it comes to living in the rural areas? Well, I think things have changed in, in the last, you know, five years, you know, or even even longer.

00:34:27:12 - 00:34:51:07
Unknown
But you can you can order things now that you maybe had to go drive to Winnipeg to get right. So there's or there's more access to that now with, with you know, technology. So it makes living in some of these rural areas, a little bit easier. You know, it used to be, you know, it used to be you could shop everything local.

00:34:51:13 - 00:35:17:09
Unknown
Unfortunately, you know, that that isn't the case, you know, for for all the communities. But I think we're getting better at that and we're getting better, you know, with the, with resources. I think when it comes to how I grew up, you know, growing up with, you know, a smaller school system growing up, you know, in a smaller community where, where, you know, a lot of people you have, you know, friends for life.

00:35:17:09 - 00:35:47:11
Unknown
You you, are just. Yeah, more connected, you know, to to the culture of the community. It makes you it makes you want to stay, and stay connected. So I'm not saying that, you can't get that in the bigger city centers, but it's it's harder, for sure. And when I talk to somebody and compare how, you know, they maybe grew up in a city versus how I grew up, you know, in a in a small community of, of, you know, less than 2000 people.

00:35:47:13 - 00:36:13:20
Unknown
They're vastly different experiences. And there's pros and cons to both, but but I'll always side to the rural community is is better because that that was my experience and and you know, I still even though I live in Brandon, I still get to the smaller communities, you know, almost on a weekend basis. Because that's that's just how I can decompress and, and, slow down a little bit.

00:36:13:22 - 00:36:37:06
Unknown
Our last question, we always want to highlight something good in the area. Right. So do you have a local favorite restaurant or, or area that you like to go to? Well, it wasn't very long ago that, Brandon finally got, its first brewery, which which is pretty cool. So Black Wheat Brewing, was opened up. I won't say how many years because.

00:36:37:10 - 00:37:07:01
Unknown
Because I'll probably get wrong, but I'm guessing it was like, you know, anywhere from 6 to 7 years ago that they opened up. And then since, section six brewing as well opened up. So we have two breweries now in, in manager or in Brandon that are local to grand. And so, that's been exciting. You couple, couple of the restaurants that I would go to, would be, Brown's is a popular favorite here in Brandon, but also lady of the Lake.

00:37:07:01 - 00:37:31:05
Unknown
It's a it's a very unique, you know, quaint restaurant. I'd love going down there. And it's it's got a cool vibe to it. So that's that's definitely, you know, locally. Locally owned and, and. Yeah, it's a recommendation for sure. If you haven't been. And my daughter or she just got a job at the Brown Social house, too, and she learned that it was award winning.

00:37:31:07 - 00:37:53:02
Unknown
Yeah. Brandon's Brown socials, even though it's a chain of restaurants. So she learned that it was award winning for their service, so on and so forth. So definitely I'd recommend that. And lady of the Lake, that is you know, if you go to lady of the Lake Yardley, they have lunch there, but you better take another hour or two of your time to go explore the rest of the, of the shops, because it's just amazing.

00:37:53:06 - 00:38:25:03
Unknown
So yeah. Yeah. Great recommendations. Yeah, yeah. In terms of of places to go, you know, Clear Lake is a big favorite. You know, it's it's such a cool place to, to hang out winter or summer and, you know, south of and getting into the Turtle Mountain area, the provincial park, there's lots of little lakes, Lake William Lake out, you know, that are almost little hidden gems, that you can go to and camp and, and so those are, those are some of my favorites.

00:38:25:08 - 00:38:45:08
Unknown
I feel like south western Manitoba is very like people don't realize how much cool stuff there is in that area. You know, people always think, I mean, yeah, don't get like, Clear Lakes. Amazing. And, you know, going to Canada that I was amazed. But yeah, southwestern Manitoba, there's there's a lot going on there. Agreed. Well, thank you so much, Mike, for coming on today.

00:38:45:10 - 00:39:03:17
Unknown
It gives people a really great idea of what's out there, the opportunities. And and if you're listening, I really recommend checking out other homes, checking out the brand and area. We'll have all these links in the show notes. But definitely the stats are there. Like we need more people in the trades, we need more people in construction.

00:39:03:17 - 00:39:29:19
Unknown
So, if this can help get more people in, like, I hope it does. Yeah. Appreciate it, Leah and Lindsay for having me. It's been fun conversation for sure. All right. Thank you Mike. Until next time. Liberal live. Well. If you feel this could assist other people like yourself, please like and share a podcast as well. We will leave links below to the topics we spoke about today.

00:39:29:21 - 00:39:36:05
Unknown
Thank you for listening and join us next time to learn about another great company and community that is a great place to work and settle.