project coordinator

project manager

mobile technician

building operator

construction project manager

Black & McDonald Limited

The work culture was terrible in the area I worked, but in other areas, it seemed to be exactly what some people would expect. There was many instances of racial profiling that I had witnessed, and workplace bullying was a regular occurrence.

The compensation at Black & McDonald was about 20% lower than any other company I have worked for in the same role, and bonuses were based on subjectivity, not performance. Due to the regular occurrence of workplace bullying and racial profiling, it's hard to not feel those bonuses were not paid out based on opinions stemming from racism and popularity. This statement is made based on first hand observations, not second hand information.

A typical day at work should be performing your duties. Here you are constantly on guard as management in an effort to look like they know what they are doing, routinely complain or attack you, or the work that you have performed. Everyday you feel like it could be your last. No room for advancement, no recognition, always on the defence. Site management is powerless, senior management is unapproachable and don't really care as money is their only concern. Middle management is the problem, specifically Operation Managers. They are usually just 'yes' men with little to no experience, and zero people skills. Many of them go unchecked and have 'special' arrangements with subcontractors. 
If you want a fulfilling work environment, that has you leaving at the end of the day feeling good about it, then Black and McDonald Toronto is not the place for you.

I worked for Black and Mcdonald for years and the company has steadily gone down hill under the management that they have now. The company has only one purpose and that is to extract as much cash from its clients as possible. The culture is a joke, they preach one thing and practice another. As an employee you are not important to management and they only wish to extract as much out of you for as little as possible, there is little room for advancement and the culture of health and safety is used to offset the responsibility to the subcontractor or the lower level staff. Employees are kept afraid of possible job loss when they speak up about the staff shortages and are expected to maximize profits over the needs of the customers.
 At one point I was proud of the work that I did and the staff that the company had, sadly the disconnect between management and employees is toxic and the job has become a poor shadow of what it could be.

I was hired at 18 years old my first construction job. They took advantage of my (lack of) understanding of employment laws by telling me I couldn't take lunch breaks, or bathroom breaks. Leaving me alone all day with no spotter on a Vermeer RTX-1250 mid-winter in -30 with no option to warm up. Even eating my lunch in the field. I didn't know the laws, and they knew that very well. This happened 2 years ago, I hope they are doing better now. I did, however, make decent money, and they allowed me to learn a variety of equipment and processes. 

Great company for someone starting in construction who wishes to learn and work hard! Not great for someone who wants to work safely, and have a good work/life balance

Overall my internship here has proven to be beneficial for furthering my career in the construction industry. Although I questioned whether my time spent here was worth it due to repetitive tasks that I struggled to connect to my education, it seems that having Black and MacDonald on my resume has been a key factor in obtaining my next position with another employer. It's not easy to do, but sometimes you just have to put your head down and power through the slow days in order to reap the benefits of something that you have committed to doing. Thank you B&M for teaching me this vital lesson which I will apply in all aspects of life.

Worked at the GTAA site office.

Consult with customers dealing with communication system requirements, site surveys , writing appropriate quote solutions, creating work package submitting to project team, scheduling install timeframes, Updating all parties ( Customer, division Manger, Projects team) with status of assignments. 

Follow up on as-built documentation provided from previous completed projects. Submit invoicing totals for billing.  Team has grown and increased job experience over the last 12 years.

Impressive overall attitude. Hardest part of the job was dealing with multiple organizations wanting it completed now, and learning how to deal with updating information for all parties associated.

Throughout my career at Black & McDonald I've had the opportunity to work on and be involved with several impactful projects and initiatives.  I have experienced career development and have progressed through three different roles during my employment.  Training and development opportunities have been made available to me to assist in advancement. 

This successful company prides itself on a number of core values and a business philosophy which began many decades ago and has stood the test of time.  It is unique in a sense of being a privately held Canadian company...still owned and operated by the McDonald family.  Leaders at the company lead by example; their humble nature and approachable demeanor are inspiring and infectious!

I travelled around as this was a 60% travelling job conducting Fire /Life Safety inspection on goverment buildings. I learned that travelling on the road was very time consuming planning your trip was always interesting as it never worked due to weather or accidents. I worked mostly as a independed person other co- worker were cleaners and maintance staff person. I was considered to be part of the management team and it always worked very well. The hardest part of the job was dealing with the traffic in trying to arrive on time for a meeting. The best part of the job was when you finally got to the site it seemed that you could relax and enjoyed doing your job.

The work was a little bit intense due to the weather conditions, but after getting used to that most of the workers either kept moving around to stay warm or would do some inside work. Black and MacDonald did they're best to keep everyone happy but with a job that big (over 250 people) I can understand it would be hard to equally treat everyone.

I have done three solar farms with Black and MacDonald and learned a tremendous amount on how to run a job, just because I've experienced a lot of things going wrong due to lack of planning.

The hardest part of the job was it was extremely physically demanding at some points, which in turn was the most enjoyable part of the job, pushing my body to its limits.

Terrible company to work for in Saskatchewan. Senior management looks down on frontline staff, wages do not meet industry standard. No room for advancement or even a decent pay raise despite going above and beyond job scope. Constantly trying to gouge clients with huge markups on time and materials. No perks at all and mediocre benefits as non-union employees. Outside hires of non qualified staff over internal promoting. All in all black and McDonald talks a good game in Saskatchewan but never follows through. Avoid at all costs unless looking for a stepping stone to a better career.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Project coordinator 26 salaries reported	$68,673 per year
Project manager 16 salaries reported	$96,406 per year
Mobile technician 44 salaries reported	$34.51 per hour
Building operator 13 salaries reported	$30.64 per hour
Construction project manager 11 salaries reported	$89,318 per year

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