This article was originally published in the January 2025 issue of The Electrical Worker.
Renee Melnyk found a path into the trades when she completed the Women Building Futures program in Edmonton in 2005.
It’s an understatement to say she’s made the most of it. Now a member of Edmonton, Alberta, Local 424 and a general foreman, Melnyk was named the Western Canada Craftsperson of the Year as part of the Canadian Safety Achievement Awards.
“Thank you to our partner contractor, Stuart Olson, for fostering an environment for growth that has allowed Renee to flourish beyond the tools,” said First District International Vice President Russ Shewchuk. “We commend Renee on her commitment to safety and congratulate her on this well-deserved recognition.”
The annual awards recognize superior safety work performed in Canada’s unionized maintenance industry. They are administered by the General Presidents’ Maintenance Committee and the National Maintenance Council. Founded in 1952, the two groups represent 13 trade unions across the country in negotiating and administering collective bargaining agreements.
“It’s really nice to be recognized,” Melnyk said. “I put a lot of hard work into my career. But it’s also humbling. I work with such great people. Any one of them could be standing in my place.”
Brett McKenzie, a former Kitchener, Ontario, Local 804 business manager and now executive director of the GPMC/NMC, said the importance of electrical maintenance work is often overlooked within the industry.
It keeps facilities functioning following the higher-profile work of building and opening a facility. It helps keep members employed when there is a downturn in new construction.
“They do not get the respect and recognition they deserve,” McKenzie said. “This is the expertise we bring to the project every day. We have people like Renee looking after the business that say: ‘Safety is No. 1. Safety is non-negotiable.'”
Local 424 Business Manager Mike Reinhart said Melnyk’s honor is something for the entire local to celebrate.
“I’m very happy for her,” he said. “We’re very proud of Renee and her achievements.”
Melnyk grew up in the Edmonton suburb of Sherwood Park, where she enjoyed working with her hands. But with no role models working in the trades, she wasn’t quite sure how to turn that into a career. She didn’t want to take on the expense of college and spent time working in a warehouse after high school graduation.
Things changed when she connected with Women Building Futures, an Edmonton nonprofit whose mission is to help women gain economic stability from working in construction.
She came out of that experience convinced that electrical work was right for her but still had to work nonunion commercial in Edmonton for nine years, earning her journeyman ticket in 2009. She joined Local 424 when she was hired by Stuart Olson in 2014.
She headed north to Fort McMurray to work in the oil sands. Once there, she quickly learned that she had leadership ability and a nose for safety. She continues to work there, and her most recent position was at Stuart Olson’s Suncor plant, where she and her crew worked in hazardous energy isolation.
“Safety is at the forefront,” Melnyk said. “Everyone I have working under me, I make sure they have their permit training, they have their lockout ticket and they have the confidence to do the job.
“If we fail, people can get electrocuted,” she added.
Melnyk appreciates the better pay and the pension that IBEW membership provides. The Brotherhood and its signatory contractors also offer more mentoring opportunities than the nonunion companies she worked for, she said.
“I like to believe I am very organized, a little OCD, almost,” Melnyk said with a laugh. “I like things done a certain way. A good supervisor would know the material and meet the needs of the company but also have a good relationship with the people working under them.”