production worker

material handler

welder

field service technician

wire harness technician

Powell Industries

Dog eat dog at Powell, don't expect a pat on the back here. Hard work isn't appreciated, they ask the world of you with overtime when it's needed on a day notice or even hours notice, and it's expected you show up or you will be tossed aside for someone who does as their told. 
Their health and safety are the unhealthiest and unsafest people in the building. They do little to nothing and just get lucky that the workers take care of themselves. The irony continues because their logo is "powered by safety" but if you bring up safety infractions and issues that need to be corrected they will complain about the little money it will cost, try and sweep it under the rug until it's forgotten.
A good example to describe Powell is that they gave out free water bottles then after a week of using them, told everyone they were "illegal" to use at work because they aren't spill proof. It continues into the work where the clueless managers try to make decisions on work, but just screw up and blame the employees. If you get a job here just smile and nod and do what's asked and you may last more than the year and half I did. 

In their interview process they tell you that they don't just hire guys on to finish jobs and then lay them off; that they keep the guys they have and will just switch up the shift when it's slow. They did exactly what they said they don't do...they hired a bunch of guys to get work done faster and then lay off after a few months of work. We were told there was work for years. It's about who you are friends with within the company; not how you perform. Benefits are supposed to start after your probation period. They never allowed me to add my family to my benefits and blamed it on the benefits company; it was months after my probation period and my family never had benefits the entire time I worked for the company. It was all tactically done so that benefits were never added and then they just laid off the workers. There were other employees dealing with the same issue so it was not just a one-off time. They don't support the apprenticeship program; they hire skilled labourers to do apprentice work so they can pay them less. There is communication issues within the company as many workers choose not to speak English. I would not recommend working for this company.

I was indentured as an apprentice electrician at the Dawson Creek processing plant during the construction phase. While working here I pulled a lot of cable by hand and with a tugger, ran SI heat trace and installed cable tray. On this site safety was a huge part of every work day. Between filling out field level hazard assessments, inspecting fall arrest equipment and all other personal protective equipment, creating a safe work environment was a priority every day on site. There was pay roll issues through out this job and many superior staff were fired or quit as a result. My co-workers for the most part were knowledgeable and gave me plenty of opportunity for hands on learning to expand my knowledge and capabilities as an electrician. The most difficult or dangerous part of this job was the night shift cable pull crew. The part of the job i enjoyed most was learning the electrical trade and the many different aspects of the industrial environment. I look forward to becoming a well rounded electrician with experience in the residential and commercial experience in the future.

Powell is a place that likes to act like their a big company but is pretty disheveled and penny pinching.  They hire one week only to lay off a a couple months later. Saw a lot of good employees lay-ed off ( while they kept the useless ones) which were never called back when it does pick up the few months a year when they have work.  Management seemed to only care about the office employees and none of the employees on the floor. My Manager was a complete imbecile who only created problems and never solved any when you needed help . Only sucked up to the hierarchy. Safety is pretty pathetic, it appeared to be there only to empress clients. Don't give a hoot about employees.  American outfit that is used to having Mexicans working for nothing. Unfortunately managers buy into that culture. I worked with a lot of good people that will never work there again.  That's why their always recruiting. They like to sell new employees on cafeteria and working inside but don't buy into it. Its all a facade!

This workplace runs on rules — and lots of them. From the moment you arrive, every detail of your day is tightly controlled: parking lot speeds, parking spots reserved for office staff, lateness policies down to the minute, and mandatory stretches before you even touch a tool.
On the floor, expect constant oversight. Safety paperwork must be completed before starting, quotas are demanding, and every part you produce is tracked in the system. Supervisors monitor compliance closely, and even small deviations are subject to disciplinary action.
Schedules can be unpredictable. Overtime is often announced, only to be cancelled later, leaving employees scrambling to adjust personal plans. Combined with strict enforcement of minor policies — like approved drink containers and uniform rules — the environment feels more like micromanagement than support.
For those who thrive under rigid structure and don’t mind being closely managed, this role may fit. But if you value autonomy, flexibility, or trust in the workplace, be prepared: the culture here can feel suffocating.

After 25+ years in the trades, my time at Powell left me disappointed. The machinist role involved highly repetitive tasks with minimal complexity—short cycle times, constant manual clamping, thousands of parts per week, and no opportunity to expand or apply advanced skills. It was physically draining and mentally unstimulating.

What stood out most was the management style. Constant nit picking and micro managing.  Feedback from experienced staff was regularly dismissed, and input was often repackaged by middle management for recognition. Collaboration felt performative rather than genuine. Decisions seemed driven by maintaining control rather than improving operations. 

The company culture may suit entry-level workers or those seeking temporary employment, but for seasoned tradespeople expecting professional respect, fair pay, and meaningful work—this isn’t the place.


If you don't care about right work ethics, this place is for you.

As a project manager, you have to deal with corrupted environment. False info is quickly escalated to the higher management. Managers encourage people to do so. lots of rumors and whispers going around. 

In order to save money, company doesn't hire enough people. everybody is super overloaded. however, this is not the worst part. The worst part is that most of the time your hard work is not noticed. work culture is super biased/racist and you are judged not based on your work but on your manager's feeling.

You see lots of promises from your manager, which will never happen.  they can easily lie. Don't trust them.

The worst company I have ever worked and absolutely not a good place for professionals who care about ethics.

I have been working for Powell Canada for over 4 years now. I have never worked at a place with so much growth opportunity for individuals willing to learn. I have worked in places throughout Canada and I have never felt as respected and valuable as I do since beginning at Powell. Your work and contributions do not go unnoticed. They have programs to recognize employee efforts and to better connect with their employees to ensure needs and concerns are met. Management is supportive and encourage growth. They provide training material and programs and tools to learn and succeed. In addition, the employees at Powell come together as a team especially at those peak moments and make you feel supported rather than stressed out and on your own. If I could give Powell a higher rating, I would!

On a daily basis I would be working on Document control with a normal four projects at a time. When a bid was required to be submitted I would then work on being an estimating administrator and put a package together.

Getting into Powell was a whole different experience for me as I was a MTR Clerk for Valves. Now I was doing E-house drawings & using our own made spreadsheets for tracking our information.

My managers were always there for me and gave me the knowledge to better myself in my position.

Being the document control Admin, my co-workers were above me that require my help in any way and It was always a friendly atmosphere.

There's a lot of different sectors for an individual to learn and grow into; such as wiring, assembly, paint, welding etc.. At the time of my employment the cafeteria had good food and a friendly kitchen staff, they matched RRSP contributions and every second Friday was an early day for most if not all of the sectors. The management was a hit or miss depending on your area of expertise which impacted employee moral, but the employees themselves had a teamwork mentality.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Production worker 3 salaries reported	$22.42 per hour
Material handler 6 salaries reported	$21.06 per hour
Welder 1 salary reported	$40.00 per hour
Field service technician 4 salaries reported	$39.43 per hour
Wire harness technician 1 salary reported	$23.00 per hour

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