Looking back: WOS x CIBC, Her Trade, Her Power
- Women On Site
- Mar 25
- 3 min read
On October 28, 2025, Women on Site partnered with CIBC to host Her Trade, Her Power, a networking and panel event on the 49th floor of CIBC Square in Toronto. For WOS, this collaboration marked a real step forward in how our work is recognized and supported.
The room filled quickly with familiar faces from our community alongside people we were meeting for the first time. Everyone showed up polished and professional, but there was a nervous energy many of us shared. We’re comfortable on job sites, in shops, and in work clothes. Stepping into a space like this, hosted by an institution like CIBC, brings a different kind of pressure. Not because we don’t belong, but because we understand what moments like this can mean.
As the night went on, that tension settled. The sun set over the city, and from that height it was hard not to think about the places we work every day, the structures and supports we help build, and the fact that we were standing above it all in a room full of support. The panel brought together leaders working across construction and the skilled trades, including Tessa Ferzli, Co-Founder of Women on Site, Anastasia Plaskos, Founder of Fix It Females, and Jane Durango from the SAIT School of Construction. These perspectives came from women who are in this industry and share the realities we face every day.
Retention was front and centre. The fact that roughly forty percent of women leave the trades within their first year isn’t new to us. We hear it constantly. The reasons are never about skill or commitment. They’re about isolation, lack of support, and workplaces that haven’t adapted to the workforce they say they want to keep.
Mentorship came up again and again, not as a feel-good idea, but as a practical need. Women need access to other women who have been there, who are there and can offer guidance that’s honest, lived through, and specific. These spaces are so vital to us. The conversation also touched on industry evolution, including better PPE, family planning, advocacy, and systems that respond to real working conditions instead of outdated assumptions.
From a WOS perspective, events like this take real effort. Planning, logistics, communication, and constant problem-solving all happen behind the scenes. Sitting at the back of the room that night, watching heads nod, hearing quiet “mmhmm”s and validation ripple through the space, made it clear why that effort matters.
What made this collaboration with CIBC stand out was trust. Women on Site was invited to lead the conversation the way we know works, grounded in lived experience and focused on real support and real change. CIBC provided the platform and the space for WOS, without asking us to soften the message or reshape the work.
CIBC didn’t ask Women on Site to change how we show up. They gave us space in their home, trusted our approach, and recognized the value in the work exactly as it is. They understood that our strength comes from honest conversation, practical insight, and respect for the women we serve. Being able to do things the WOS way made this collaboration meaningful and set a clear bar for what strong partnerships can look like.
Seeing Women on Site reflected on CIBC’s website following the event reinforced that this work is being taken seriously. Not as a trend or a one-night moment, but as an organization doing consistent, credible work. For our community, it was a reminder that what we’re building matters, and that it’s making an impact.
Women on Site partners best with organizations that value substance, understand the impact of meeting women where they are, and are willing to invest in work that is built to last.
Thank you CIBC.
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