Craig MacTavish was born in London, Ontario on August 15, 1958. The left shot centreman played two years in the NCAA with the University of Lowell Chiefs before his long and successful journey in professional hockey began.  

MacTavish was picked 153 overall in the 1978 NHL Entry Draft by the Boston Bruins. He spent time between the Bruins and their AHL affiliates before cracking the NHL squad full-time for the 1982-83 season. After his time with the Bruins, MacTavish was picked up by the Edmonton Oilers whom he spent eight full seasons with.

While in Edmonton, MacTavish experienced tremendous success and helped the team to win three Stanley Cups during his time there (1987, 1988 and 1990), cementing them in history as one of the greatest dynasties in the NHL. He was named team captain and wore the “C” from 1992 to 1994. Near the end of the 1993-1994 season, MacTavish was traded to the New York Rangers where he joined many of his former Oilers teammates and won an incredible fourth Stanley Cup. He finished his playing career with two season each in Philadelphia and St. Louis and retired in 1997. He is, infamously, the last NHL player to not wear a helmet while playing.

Fresh off retirement from playing, MacTavish transitioned immediately to coaching. He began his coaching career as an assistant with the New York Rangers and after two seasons he joined the Oilers coaching staff. In 2000-2001, MacTavish was promoted to head coach where he remained in the role until the end of the 2008-2009 season. During his tenure, he surprised the hockey world by taking the eight-seeded Oilers to game seven of the Stanley Cup Finals in 2005-06 against Carolina.

MacTavish’s successes and proven leadership within the organization earned him the position of General Manager with the Club in 2013. He later stayed on as VP of Hockey Operations, overseeing pro scouting and the Oilers’ AHL affiliate team, the Bakersfield Condors.

MacTavish and his family make their home in Edmonton.

Career Statistics

MGen (Ret’d) Paul Bury OMM CD, joined the Helmets to Hardhats team in 2019 after his retirement from the Canadian Armed Forces after 33 years of dedicated service to Canada. Appointed to predominately Class A Reserve force positions, MGen (Ret’d) Bury commanded at all levels, both domestically and when operationally deployed, retiring after his four-year appointment as Chief Reserves and Employer Support within NDHQ.

As a predominantly Class A Reservist, MGen (Ret’d) Bury also held a civilian position with the Department of the Solicitor General, Government of Alberta, retiring as a senior manager in 2013. Due to the support and engagement of the Government of Alberta for the Reservists within it’s employ, MGen (Ret’d) Bury was able to effectively balance both demanding careers, receiving significant periods of military leave from his civilian employer and completing five operational deployments.

MGen (Ret’d) Bury holds a Master’s degree in Criminal Justice Administration from Boston University and is a graduate of the Canadian Forces College, Advanced Military Studies Program.

Insightful, provocative commentary on political and economic issues is what Andrew Coyne delivers to Canadians across the country. With topical and timely presentations, the former national editor of Maclean’s magazine and currently a columnist with the Globe and Mail, Coyne is sure to ignite debate and discussion with every audience.

In addition to writing for Maclean’s and the Globe and Mail, Coyne has been an editorial writer and columnist for the Financial Post, and a nationally syndicated columnist with Postmedia and the Southam newspaper chain. He also writes regularly for a number of foreign publications and is a frequent commentator on radio and television — most famously, as a panelist on CBC’s The National in the popular “At Issue” segment.

Coyne is the winner of two National Newspaper Awards and a four-time finalist in the National Magazine Awards. A past recipient of the Hyman Solomon Award for Excellence in Public Policy Journalism, he is also a Fellow of the School of Public Policy and Governance at the University of Toronto.

Coyne received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and History from the University of Toronto, and a Master’s in Economics from the London School of Economics.

Mr. Demers is a recognized international speaker and authority on the Canadian and international landscape of cannabis. Mr. Demers serves on the executive team of CannAmm as the director responsible for educating Canadian employers on fit-for-duty best practices within occupational safety programs. Mr. Demers is a Certified Substance Abuse Program Administrator (C-SAPA), published and an accomplished international speaker on the topic of fitness for duty in safety-sensitive workplaces.

Mr. Demers’ international presence and commitment to best practices are demonstrated by serving on the Substance Abuse Program Administrators Association (SAPAA) International and Government Relations Committees, and International Forum on Drug and Alcohol Testing (IFDAT) Legal Committee and as a member of the International Council on Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety.

Mr. Demers’ dedication to his community and the pursuit of a safer workplace was pursued by serving on the board of directors, as president, for SAPAA and the board of his local community Food Bank. By providing trustworthy information, tools, and best practices for occupational testing, Mr. Demers seeks to achieve his mission of sustainably ensuring more workers and the public make it home to their families.

Mr. Fanelli is the Executive Director of the Construction Labour Relations Association of Ontario, and oversees it’s operations playing a lead role in provincial ICI collective bargaining, dispute/resolution, jurisdiction, and contract administration in the Province of Ontario.

Tony has held senior level positions with some of the largest Engineering, Procurement Construction Contractors (EPCs) in North America accumulating over 30 years experience in Human Resources, Labour Relations, Personnel and Business Development.  Tony has sat on various numbers of Pension, Welfare, Apprenticeship and Training Trust Funds throughout his carrier.  He has been a management trustee on the Teamsters National Pension Fund since 1985, and United Associations’ National Training Trust Fund since1996.

He has chaired various construction associations such as the Boilermaker Contractors Association and Industrial Contractors Association of Canada. 

Tony’s experience spans a broad range of sectors including nuclear, hydroelectric, fossil, solar and wind power generation, as well as infrastructure including roads and light rail, manufacturing, oil refineries, upgraders, LNG, pipelines, petro-chemical and steel mills.

Tony graduated from the University of Western Ontario in 1978, and then continued his education at the University of Windsor in the Bachelor of Commerce program in 1979.  Received Financial Certificate from York University in 1997.

Other affiliations that Tony has participated in:

• Co-Chair of the National Pipe Trades Human Resources Committee

• Executive Committee Member of the Construction Users Council of Ontario

• Management Trustee on the Boilermaker Local 128 Training & Education Fund

• Management Trustee on the Operating Engineers, Local 870, Pension, Welfare & Training Funds, Saskatchewan

• Director & Labour Advisor to Construction Owners Council of Ontario

• Management Trustee on the Ontario Teamsters Training Fund

• Management Trustee on the Ontario Teamsters Health & Welfare Fund

• LiUNA International Health & Safety Fund (TRI-FUND)

• Management Trustee on UA International Training Committee

Adam is the President of the Business Council of Alberta. He has worked with the founders since Day 1 of the organization to create something new and unique—an organization of business leaders advocating for shared prosperity and a better life for Albertans.

Adam has spent over two decades building and leading high-performance teams and organizations in business, public policy, and economic development. He is a life-long student of economics and history and believes strongly in the ability of a team to create something remarkable.

He was the 18th President and CEO of the Calgary Chamber where he transformed a struggling organization into a national and international award-winning entity. He was previously a Director at the Haskayne School of Business, and Vice President and Chief Economist at Calgary Economic Development. He is the author of Making Remarkable.

Adam serves on the boards of the Calgary Counselling Centre and Vibrant Communities Calgary and sits on the boards of several Calgary-based private companies.

Ben Rainforth, a Red Seal welder from Lacombe, is currently employed by Arrow Arc Welding. Having grown up on a farm with an interest in trades, he began his welding journey in high school and has not looked back since.

Ben completed all 3 years of his technical training at Red Deer Polytechnic and has been an avid competitor in Skills Alberta since 2018, winning the Skills Canada competition in 2023. Through winning, he earned a spot on Team Canada for the 2024 Works Skills competition in Lyon, France, where he represented Canada in welding and won the bronze medal.

In his spare time, Ben enjoys camping and backpacking through Alberta’s beautiful mountain landscape.

Stefan was born and raised in Germany and moved to Canada in 1997. He is the President/CEO of CAREERS: the Next Generation, a nonprofit organization connecting high school youth to potential future career pathways through industry-based work integrated learning opportunities. Before joining CAREERS, Stefan was a global director with an international engineering and consulting firm and lived and worked in several countries. He holds a Master’s degree in Environmental Geography from Germany and a Master’s degree in Responsibility and Business Practice from the U.K.

Growing up with a dad in the trades, Stefan is passionate about supporting youth and young adults finding their path to successful and rewarding careers, particularly in the trades. He sits on the UofA Frank Robinson Youth Academy steering committee and is a board director with the non-profit organization enCompass. He has been a member of various provincial tasks forces and committees on career education.

As Executive Director of Canada’s Building Trades Unions, an association of 14 international unions representing over 600,000 members, Sean Strickland is responsible for overseeing the operations of the CBTU office, including advocating for progressive public policies that benefit our membership, and securing work opportunities for unionized construction.

Before joining CBTU, Sean worked in business development for a large general contractor and prior to that was CEO of a joint labour management organization in Ontario, the Ontario Construction Secretariat. Growing up in a construction union household, Sean was able to experience the rewards and challenges of being a construction worker and union leader.

Sean sits on numerous boards and advisory committees including Helmets to Hardhats, SKILLPLAN, the Canadian Development corporation, (CDEV) and is Chair of Buildforce Canada.

Sean has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Waterloo, is a graduate of the Executive Management Program at Wilfrid Laurier University, and the Leadership Development program from Harvard University. He is the proud recipient of the Canada 125 Medal for Community Service.