After many years of rewarding employment in her community as a caseworker and housing outreach worker, Starla Jacknife had her eye on a new career in the trades.
"One of my adult sons got a job in scaffolding right out of high school and he was doing really well financially," said Jacknife, who is 46.
The Edmonton mother of four saw an ad featuring a group of women wearing ribbon skirts — a traditional garment worn by First Nations and Métis women — who'd built a small house together.
The ad was for Trade Winds to Success, an Indigenous-led non-profit in Alberta that offers hands-on training and personal and employment support for Indigenous people who want to build a career in the construction trades.
"I just thought those women were so badass," said Jacknife, who is a member of Saddle Lake Cree Nation.
"I just kept thinking about how I wanted to do that. And there was no reason not to."
Jacknife enrolled in the program, successfully completed her training, and is now a second-year carpentry apprentice working in the Edmonton area.
She's a finishing carpenter who works mostly on newly built homes.
"After the dry wall is on, we come in and finish the trim. We do feature walls, built-in shelves, benches, and beams," she said.
Once she's earned her journeyperson ticket — a certification from the province of Alberta that endorses her skills and knowledge and allows her to work independently as a carpenter — she wants to explore being self-employed.
"As Indigenous people, we need to be pursuing more of our own businesses," Jacknife said. "This is a way we can thrive, so that's a big goal for me."
Addressing labour shortages with support for tradespeople in Indigenous communities
Jacknife completed her program in 2023. But a recent grant from TD, through the TD Ready Commitment, could help Alberta's Indigenous People overcome barriers to pursuing careers in the trades — and help address Canada's housing crisis.
The TD Ready Commitment is the Bank’s corporate citizenship platform.
Housing supply and affordability is a major issue across Canada. The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation estimates that housing starts must “double to around 430,000 to 480,000 units per year until 2035” to help restore affordability across the country.
In February, as part of its commitment to help improve access to affordable housing, the Bank committed to donating $600,000 over two years to Trade Winds for its Residential Construction program.
Through this program, 90 students are getting practical experience by building small, energy-efficient residences (called Eco-Smart small homes), covering trades such as carpentry, plumbing, electrical work, and flooring.
As a part of the program, students get help preparing for apprenticeship entrance exams and access to money management workshops, delivered by the organization ABC Life Literacy, to set themselves up for long-term financial success. TD is a sponsor of ABC Life Literacy.
When participants have finished working on eight Eco-Smart small homes, the structures are sent to their respective First Nation and Métis communities across the province.
Founded in 2005, Trade Winds has provided training to more than 3,000 Indigenous peoples living in Alberta.
Since the organization started offering the Residential Construction program, it has gifted 15 Eco-Smart homes — which are solar-ready and built to withstand Alberta winters — to Indigenous communities, including Bigstone Cree Nation, Little Red River Cree Nation, Gift Lake Métis Settlement, and Whitefish Lake First Nation.
Across Alberta, there's a critical need for tradespeople, as workers retire and the demand for labour increases, according to BuildForce Canada.
According to 2025 Government of Alberta job market forecasts, the construction trades could have a labour shortage of more than 3,000 workers by 2030.
Setting an example for the next generation
For Jacknife, her new career in the trades is rewarding, but it has its challenges. She's older than a lot of her co-workers and she's often the only woman on the job site.
But Jacknife takes it all in stride.
"Sometimes I notice that I'm the oldest one and my crew boss is 25. But everyone's been really cool. We just get to work and get it done," she said.
"One of my sons. He's eight. He thinks what I'm doing is so, so cool. We got him his own little tape measure and hammer. He's got a work bucket with his tools. He wants to look just like mom."
Read the TD Ready Commitment's latest newsletter to learn more about how TD invests in organizations that support local communities.