Multiticket Momentum

By Curtis Haugan and Cathy Miehm

CANADA’S CONSTRUCTION AND MAINTENANCE SECTORS are staring down a familiar problem with fresh urgency: not enough skilled workers to deliver the nation’s infrastructure ambitions on time and on budget.

Initiatives around immigration, training, and productivity are helpful, but one immediate solution keeps surfacing—multiticketing. The model is just starting to move from niche advantage to mainstream strategy as tradespeople, industry leaders, and CLAC seize this opportunity to work smarter.

For Local 52 member Billy Wilson, multiticketing is not a trendy buzzword—it’s a life’s work. He is a second generation union member whose father, Archie, led pivotal workplace battles for the United Auto Workers at McDonnell Douglas Corporation in the 1960s. Billy, now 60, grew up understanding the stakes that shape Canadian labour.

Today, he channels that history into a modern view of unions and employability. He is a big supporter of CLAC’s cross-trade, multiticket initiative. “Multitrades keep you in a job—get you in first, get you out last,” he says.

What sets Billy apart is his breadth of skills, which have kept him working in the Greater Toronto Area for decades, often with CLAC-signatory employers. “I call myself a mechanical guy. Everything I do is intertwined.”

He’s not exaggerating. Billy is a licensed millwright and refrigeration mechanic, holds tickets as a plumber and sprinkler fitter, and has earned a mechanical engineering degree and health and safety certification. His skills have taken him from water treatment plants to tunnel boring projects, mine sites, and pulp mills. At one point, he earned up to $250,000 per year as a mechanical superintendent.

The economics are simple. When one person is adept at two or more trades, crews avoid single day call-ins and scheduling friction.

“The ideal multitrade is a millwright with an electrical background,” notes Billy. “Someone who can troubleshoot across mechanical and electrical domains can save the client both time and money.”

His mindset has ripple effects. Billy mentors apprentices and champions dual ticket paths for younger workers. His own son paired millwrighting with electrical work and found lucrative opportunities in the wind energy sector. His philosophy is clear: learn more than one trade to stay employable, resilient, and engaged.

NOT EVERY MULTITICKET JOURNEY STARTS with a long plan. For Kevin Kiddie, it began with a reassignment.

“I started as a steamfitter-pipefitter—Red Seal,” says Kevin, who is a steward and Local 63 Board treasurer. For years, he worked on major projects across Alberta and Saskatchewan. After working his trade at CNRL’s Albian Sands site in 2017, he was unexpectedly moved to the valve shop. “Next thing I know, I’m rebuilding machinery.”

He discovered he enjoyed the new challenge. That spark led him to pursue a millwright ticket, a second credential that he expects to complete later this year.

Kevin’s route reflects how training is evolving. He began his apprenticeship amid the pandemic, completing his first year online with on-site proctoring and now progresses through blended learning—digital modules paired with short, in-person sessions. The model helps tradespeople maintain as much paid work as possible.

He’s also experimenting with a different employment structure: direct service provision. Contracting to Heartland Constructors Inc. (a Graham subsidiary), he forgoes vacation pay and EI in exchange for a higher rate and tax advantages worth roughly $1,000 more per month. It’s a common arrangement for rig welders and increasingly available to other trades—a sign that flexible engagement models are emerging alongside flexible skill sets.

Kevin is not alone. On his site, several coworkers are also pursuing second tickets, encouraged by CLAC and by the simple fact that the more you know, the better. In tight labour markets, each additional credential opens doors and keeps workers competitive through project cycles.

The Suncor Fort Hills project is an excellent example of how multiskilling can benefit everyone involved. In 2017, as the project neared completion, PCL Energy Inc. employed more than 4,000 workers, including nearly 2,000 electricians.

“As electrical scopes wrapped up, demand shifted toward insulators,” says Izzy Huygen, CLAC’s western Canada construction coordinator. “Despite hiring additional subcontractors, PCL faced a shortage of insulators.

“To address this, PCL offered electricians—who were approaching layoff—the opportunity to join insulating crews. Because insulating is a noncompulsory trade, they could begin immediately under proper supervision. Some even registered as apprentices, starting to accumulate hours toward a second trade certification.”

This scenario demonstrates how multiskilling can create opportunities for tradespeople to expand their skill sets, enhance credentials, and improve job security.

INDUSTRY LEADERS ARE REALIZING THAT multiticketing may be the most practical, near term lever in easing Canada’s skilled labour shortage. Occam’s razor—a principle expounded by a 14th-century philosopher—suggests that the simplest solution is often the most effective. If that is the case, then upskilling the existing workforce—rapidly and systematically—can be the answer for Canada’s construction worker shortage.

Employers see immediate benefits. “Having a person with two tickets is basically the same as hiring two people,” says Wayne Brogan, workforce manager with PCL Energy Inc., based in Edmonton. People with multiple disciplines can work across tasks, shrinking crew sizes without compromising quality or safety.

Demand is there. In a recent survey of CLAC’s construction journeypersons, over 60 percent expressed interest in earning a second or third trade. But workers are blunt about the barriers: 85 percent say they need more incentives, including paid time off for training, financial assistance, and bonuses for achieving additional tickets. Without these supports, multiticketing risks becoming a perk for the few rather than a workforce strategy for the many.

When the incentives line up, uptake can be fast. Alberta pipefitter Kyle Jans, who works for Kiewit Energy Construction Co. ULC, recalls the excitement when CLAC’s dual ticketing initiative was included in a recent collective bargaining agreement. Workers immediately asked what the company needed, and many—over 10 percent of pipefitters on site—started working toward welding Red Seal certification.

Extra tickets provide an alternative path for those who don’t want supervision roles. They can grow horizontally by adding competencies, not just move vertically into management.

MULTITICKETING WORKS BEST WHERE COLLABORATION across trades is already part of the culture. CLAC’s construction representation model organizes all workers under one comprehensive collective agreement, creating a natural environment for cross-trade cooperation and multiskilling opportunities.

At an organizational level, leaders see a strategic fit. “Multiskilling enhances the capacity of the existing workforce and increases the range of opportunities for multiskilled workers,” says Wayne Prins, CLAC’s executive director. “This initiative will help to solve several key challenges in the construction industry, and it also fits beautifully with CLAC’s multicraft model and our vision for workers.”

Importantly, training is designed for speed and support. CLAC Training Teams will work with union members to make achieving that second ticket as streamlined as possible. They have apprenticeship coordinators who help members with registration and getting signed up. They support them during school, if there are any barriers in their technical training, and all the way up to getting that ticket.

Sometimes, learning another trade can be as straightforward as passing proficiency exams, not starting from zero in a new program.

The payoff isn’t just new skills—it’s continuity. This is especially important in western Canada, where project-based cycles can leave tradespeople waiting between jobs. With more tickets, workers broaden their reach, work longer, and improve their chances of being first on the next project.

Employers notice a loyalty effect, too. “In my experience, the people that got their tickets with PCL have stayed loyal to PCL,” says Wayne Brogan. “They have a passion to do well because they want to be sure they’re the first person going to the next project.”

CLAC’s approach also tackles structural barriers. By limiting rigid trade protection and promoting variety, the union makes it simpler for members to branch out—some pursuing two, three, even four tickets.

Ryan Timmermans, regional director of CLAC’s Edmonton and Saskatoon Member Centres, says the value of multiskilling for members is clear: they become more skilled and therefore more in demand.

“For industry and our signatory partners, a multiskilled CLAC workforce means being able to do more with the current workforce,” he says. “This is the core of CLAC’s value proposition. It’s our job to promote initiatives like dual and multiticketing because we believe it serves the interests of our members, their employers, and the industry at large.”

IF MULTITICKETING IS THE SIMPLEST effective answer, the hard work is making it scalable across provinces, project types, and employer sizes. Three priorities stand out from workers’ stories:

1. Make incentives concrete and portable. Paid training time, tuition support, and completion bonuses remove friction. Kevin Kiddie’s blended model shows how online modules with short, in-person sessions keep people on the payroll while they upskill. Portability matters; support should follow workers across employers and sites.
2. Design training for midcareer adults. Not every pathway should mimic first ticket apprenticeship. Demonstration of proficiency through exams can fast track experienced tradespeople into second credentials, acknowledging the overlap among disciplines (e.g., millwrighting, piping, welding, electrical).
3. Embed multiskilling in agreements and culture. Kyle Jans’ example shows that once dual ticket provisions are written into collective agreements, uptake becomes real and immediate. Contracts set the tone while workforce managers translate the policy into scheduling and tasking day to day.

The productivity case for multiticketing is compelling. But the stories also reveal very human motivators: pride in solving complex problems, the satisfaction of being the person who keeps a job moving, and the joy of a career you never want to leave. Billy Wilson, at age 60, has no plans to retire, insisting he’s “never worked for the money—the money comes.” Loving the work, he says, is why he’s “never been sick a day” on the job.

Meanwhile, Kevin’s journey underscores curiosity as a catalyst: a surprise assignment in a valve shop reshaped his trajectory, and blended learning made the path feasible.

When workers can expand their skill set, earn more, choose diverse tasks, and contribute more to team success, they’re less likely to burn out or tune out.

Multiticketing isn’t just a workforce tactic. It’s a mindset shift that positions Canada’s trades for resilience and growth. It can ensure that the people building our country’s future have the skills and confidence to thrive.

CLAC Initiative Is Leading the Way

CLAC’s multiticketing initiative focuses on proactively identifying tradespeople who are willing to broaden their careers. “We encourage them to register in a second trade—or even a third—so they can remain employed as project needs evolve,” says Izzy Huygen, CLAC’s western Canada construction coordinator. Certain trades naturally complement each other:

• B-pressure welding and pipefitting
• Structural welding and ironworking
• Electrical and instrumentation

CLAC also wants to promote diversity in less connected trades:

• Millwright and pipefitter
• Operator and scaffolder
• Carpenter and ironworker

“Any combination of trade certifications can add value when held by individuals willing to diversify,” says Izzy.

How to Get Your Second Ticket

Thinking about adding another trade to your toolkit? Here’s how to start.

1. Talk to your employer and CLAC representative. CLAC and many industries actively support multi- ticketing. Ask about programs, incentives, and collective agreement provisions.
2. Check eligibility. Your existing experience may count toward a second ticket. Some trades allow you to challenge exams if you can demonstrate proficiency.
3. Register for apprenticeship. Work with an apprenticeship coordinator to handle registration and paperwork. CLAC offers dedicated support for this process.
4. Explore flexible learning options. Blended learning—online modules combined with short in-person sessions—can help you train without interrupting paid work.
5. Look for financial assistance. Incentives may include paid time off for training, tuition support, or bonuses for achieving additional certifications.
6. Plan for long term benefits. Multiticketing increases job security, boosts earning potential, and makes you indispensable on projects from start to finish.

What the Heck is Occam’s Razor?

Occam’s razor is a rule that says the simplest explanation is usually the best one. It is named after William of Ockham, an English thinker who lived around 1285–1348. He wrote in Latin, “Plurality must never be posited without necessity,” which means we shouldn’t add extra ideas unless we really need them.

The idea is even older than Ockham. Aristotle once said, “The more limited, if adequate, is always preferable,” and Ptolemy wrote, “We consider it a good principle to explain the phenomena by the simplest hypothesis possible.” So, people have believed in this principle for a long time.

The term Occam’s razor was first used in 1852 by Sir William Hamilton, a Scottish philosopher. The word razor means cutting away unnecessary parts of an explanation. Today, scientists use Occam’s razor as a guide when making theories. Doctors also use it when trying to diagnose illness in a patient.

Source: aaas.org