Mental Health in Construction: The Low-Hanging Fruit We Keep Ignoring

The model exists. The crisis is here. All that’s missing is the courage to act.

The Crisis We Can’t Keep Ignoring

This week, I was at Queen’s Park, addressing some of the most influential decision-makers in the province. The conversation before me? Affordable housing, infrastructure, the scale of development Ontario is heading toward.

All crucial topics.

But none of it—not a single unit of housing, not a mile of infrastructure—gets built without people. And that’s what I came to remind them.

Because the people we’re depending on to build Ontario’s future are barely holding on.

We are not preparing for a crisis. We are living in it.

Construction has always been hard. But now? It’s breaking people.
Burnout. Attrition. Suicide. These aren’t distant risks. They are daily realities. And the silence around it? Deafening.

Everyone talks about safety. But we’re only covering half the equation.
Hard hats protect heads. What’s protecting minds?

There’s a Solution. And We’re Just... Ignoring It.

I didn’t go to Queen’s Park to ask for sympathy. I went with a clear message:

We don’t need to build a new program from scratch.
There’s already a model that works. It’s been saving lives in construction. Globally.
It’s simple. It’s practical. And it works on-site, where it matters most.

So why haven’t we launched it here?

Because the truth is inconvenient.
Because parts of this model already exist in Ontario—but they’re scattered, siloed, and being sold like wellness merchandise at a tech expo.

Too many are in it for business, not people.
And it shows.

We don’t need more noise.
We need integration. Accountability. Heart.
We need this model—whole, ethical, and centralized.

What the Government Can (And Must) Do

I’ll give credit where credit is due: the Ministers at Queen’s Park didn’t brush it off. They listened. Closely. Every single one I spoke to afterward wanted to learn more. Some even admitted they had no idea how bad things were behind the scenes.

And that’s the thing: most people don’t.

The public sees buildings rise. They don’t see the pain behind the build.
The pressure. The trauma. The emotional wreckage our workers are carrying home every night.
But the government can help change that. Not someday. Now.

Fund the pilot.
Put skin in the game.
Support an industry-wide, boots-on-the-ground program that puts mental health on equal footing with physical safety.

This is your moment. Make this your legacy.

This Is Bigger Than Policy—This Is Culture

This isn’t a union issue.
It’s not a corporate issue.
It’s a people issue.

Whether you’re a Tier 1 contractor or a five-person crew, this affects all of us.
The floodgates of work are about to open—and we don’t have the human infrastructure to handle it.

We’ve got to stop waiting for someone else to act.

This is a call to every construction leader—from CEOs to foremen:
Step forward. Make yourselves known. Offer your support.

And to the workforce:
Don’t wait. Bring this to your employers. Speak up. This needs to become center-stage—because the crisis already is.

Final Words: No More Delays. No More Excuses.

We’re in the storm.
The only question is: Will we lead, or will we lose more people to silence?

Construction won’t survive without its people.
Ontario won’t build a damn thing without us.

So let’s build this right. Together.
Not next year. Not next quarter. Now.

Gianluca

If you’re ready to be part of the change, reach out.

This was the message they couldn’t ignore. Now it’s your turn to hear it.

📹 Watch the 3-minute pitch I delivered at Queen’s Park (04.29.25):
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