Jacqueline Janes (via LinkedIn)
At Wolseley Canada, Jacqueline Janes has been appointed director, Atlantic Canada. She joined the wholesale plumbing, heating, and electrical supplier in 2020 as a sales manager, working at building and maintaining relationships and reinforcing Wolseley as a destination in Atlantic Canada. In her new role, Janes will be responsible for driving growth in the Atlantic region through the sales and branch teams.
“Jacqueline has been a valued member of Wolseley Canada and is an important part of the success we’ve seen in Atlantic Canada,” Wolseley Canada president Wally Quigg said in a release. “I am looking forward to working with Jacqueline as we continue to grow our market share in the Atlantic region.”
The value of building permits rose by 11.0 percent to $13.1 billion in December, StatCan reports. The increase was led by a 21.2 percent increase in the residential sector, largely due to gains in Ontario and British Columbia. While multi-family dwellings were the main driver of growth, permits for single-family construction rose in value by 1.8 percent to $2.9 billion.
The latest edition of Hardlines Dealer News lands in inboxes tomorrow. In this issue, we explore the next Hardlines Retail Report, Orgill’s response to Ace’s withdrawal from Canada, and how dealers are gearing up for the prospect of U.S. tariffs. Hardlines Dealer News is monthly and it’s free: click here to subscribe now!
Supply-Build Canada (formerly the Western Retail Lumber Association) has extended the deadline for its online auction to Wednesday. All proceeds support the Love, Jayne Foundation, honouring the life of the late Jayne Hounslow, daughter of Burlington Merchandising & Fixtures president Sarah Hounslow. Items include a custom moulding/wall panel project by Alexandria Moulding and a roofing shingle package from IKO. Click here to bid!
Purolator has acquired Livingston International, a trade services firm which specializes in customs brokerage, global freight forwarding, and trade consulting, from Platinum Equity. The deal, worth an undisclosed amount, will allow Purolator and Livingston to provide increased breadth of capabilities to customers. Livingston International will now become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Purolator led by its existing leadership team managing its day-to-day operations.
“Strategically, this transaction represents a generational opportunity to acquire a highly complementary and growing international business with a proven track record of success,” said John Ferguson, Purolator president and CEO. “With these broader capabilities and increased breadth, we can offer more choice and greater flexibility to current and future customers.”
Uncertain U.S. trade policies will put pressure on the Canadian housing market, according to the latest Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. Housing Market Outlook, which provides forward-looking analysis into Canada’s national and major housing markets through to 2027.
Housing starts will slow down from 2025 to 2027, but they’re expected to rebound as lower mortgage rates and changes to mortgage rules unlock pent-up demand in the short term.
(More details on CMHC’s forecasts for housing starts will appear in next Monday’s edition of our sister publication, Hardlines Weekly Report. Try out HWR for yourself for a month at no charge. Click here now!)
BMR Group is seeking a Business Development Manager for the territory of Ontario West (west of the 400). Reporting to the VP of Business Development, the Business Development Manager is a high-energy, results-oriented professional responsible for actively hunting and capturing new business opportunities. Check out our Hardlines Classifieds page for more details!
Canac opened its newest store on Jan. 24 in Rivière-du-Loup, Que., welcoming more than 5,300 people over its first weekend. Mayor Mario Bastille joined Canac leadership, including president Martin Gamache, for the occasion. The store, the chain’s 34th, boasts a 30,649-square-foot sales area, a lumber yard, a 35,157-square-foot building materials warehouse, and a pro department open on weekdays. Canac’s next store opening is slated for the spring in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, just west of the island of Montreal.
The largest retail and e-commerce event in the country is returning to Toronto next month. The 2025 edition of DX3 Canada will take place March 4 and 5 at the Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel, just steps away from Toronto’s City Hall. Speakers include Robert Allan, Home Hardware Stores Ltd.’s director of paid media; Cynthia Wong, VP of digital technology at Canadian Tire Corp.; and Tanbir Grover, chief marketing and digital officer at Pet Valu. Click here for information and registration!
Millwork manufacturer and distributor Metrie has announced several key promotions within its strategic leadership team. Christian MacDonald has been promoted from VP, marketing, to the newly created role of chief marketing officer. Kevin Bartel has made the permanent transition to VP and GM for the United States.
Jon Dickinson has been named VP of sales while Elise Osier, VP of strategy and planning, will take on an expanded role including leading the financial planning and analysis team.
Kate Vondette has been promoted to VP, corporate controller, and Nicole Rocheleau has been promoted to VP of marketing.
“This is Metrie corporate governance and preparedness in action,” Kent Bowie, Metrie CEO and president, said in a release. “Giving the very best people in the industry a pathway to growth is a critical part of our long-term succession planning and business success.”
