Our Facilitators

Associate, Thompson Dorfman Sweatman LLP 

Neil is an associate lawyer at TDS with a practice that focuses on civil litigation.

Neil has extensive courtroom experience, having appeared and argued in all levels of Court in Manitoba, including the Court of Appeal as well as the Supreme Court of Canada. During his time as a Crown Attorney with the Department of Justice, he prosecuted all manner of offences ranging from impaired driving to murder. Over the years, Neil’s practice focused primarily on appellate advocacy and prosecutions in the context of criminal organizations.

Neil spent the summers of 2007 & 2008 as a summer student with TDS. He returned in the spring of 2009 as an Articling Student-at-Law. Following his Call to the Bar in 2010, Neil practised with the Manitoba Department of Justice as a Crown Attorney until 2023. He is thrilled to return to private practice with TDS.

Partner, Apex Surety & Insurance Ltd.

Patrick Smoke, B. Comm. (Hons.), CAIB, CRIS, has advanced knowledge of not only the contractual requirements contractors will encounter within Canada but also risk mitigation practices contractors should be familiar with to best position themselves for success. 

Patrick has worked alongside both large and small contractors, and specialty sub trades addressing both simple and complex project specific insurance placements. He also regularly provides consultative services for his clients to identify specific risks within a project and what contractors can do to help protect themselves while also keeping in mind their bottom line.

Perry Educational Services

Phil Perry, P.Eng. is an experienced senior project manager with more than 30 years in the construction industry. He has worked in a variety of roles with owners, designers and constructors, most of which included project managing industrial projects for general contractors. Phil has worked with many different delivery systems including stipulated price, cost plus, unit price, construction management and design-build. He has been teaching post-secondary construction management courses for the last eight years and works with various contractors on their professional development programs.

President & CEO, Transcona Roofing Ltd.

President, Unitech Construction Management

Rick Boates, AScT., GSC, LEED AP, Lean Green Belt, started his career in the construction industry nearly five decades ago with experience in design consulting and as a Building Inspector. He is founder and currently President of Unitech, one of BC’s leading Construction Management firms. Rick served on the Board of Independent Contractors and Businesses Association and on the Board of Merit Canada; he is now dedicating his board efforts to the Delta Hospital and Community Health Foundation.

Rick has guided Unitech through the successful completion of nearly $1.5 billion worth of projects of all types throughout B.C. All of these projects have been implemented via Construction Manager as Agent using the old CCA 5 or CCDC 5A contracts on behalf of many repeat public and private clients. He is continuing his passion for collaborative construction with the promotion of IPD and Lean Construction on current and upcoming projects.

Managing Partner, Dale Carnegie Manitoba

Rob has over 21 years of experience as a certified multi-course master trainer and executive coach, include public and keynote speaker. He has also been the owner of Dale Carnegie in Manitoba since 2004. 

Rob has delivered hundreds of motivational and thought-provoking presentations. Companies, professional clubs and charitable groups have all benefited from Rob’s unique ability to deliver a powerful message in a fun and exciting manner. 

Roy’s career in design build construction started about 50 years ago as a student construction labourer and then a superintendent on a small design build renovation project.  Roy is a Professional Engineer who owned a design build company from 1974 to 2019, and a Professional Engineering company for over 30 years.

Roy has served on the Ontario Building Code Commission, is a Past President of the Ontario General Contractors Association, past Chairperson of the Canadian Design Build Institute, the Niagara Regional Chamber of Commerce, and the Niagara Industrial Association, as well as other organizations.

Currently Roy acts as an owner’s agent and a strategic advisor to design build contractors.  Roy has experience in private sector industrial, commercial, and retail projects plus municipal work as an owner’s agent and a design builder.  These projects have ranged from small to $32,000,000.

Roy has received many honours, including a Life Membership from the Ontario General Contractors Association, and a Niagara Engineering Award of Merit.

Director, Design Technology & Innovation, Republic Architecture Inc.

 Sean is the Director of Design Technology & Innovation at Republic Architecture. With over 10 years of experience in the AEC industry, he has led design technology implementation and applications, including BIM management, visualization, reality capture, and model analysis. Sean is also a founding member of the Winnipeg BIM Community, a BuildingSMART Canada affiliate group, and helps lead its efforts to promote and support digital delivery practices locally.

Partner, Apex Surety & Insurance Ltd.

Sel Tse, CPA, CGA, CAIB, is a professional accountant and specialist in construction surety bonds with over 18 years of experience working in the industry. He has garnered extensive technical knowledge of the construction industry and the role surety bond plays in the industry servicing various clients with revenues of $500,000 to over $1 billion. 

He is actively involved in the construction industry as a member of various associations and is a regular contributor to courses hosted by the Winnipeg Construction Association. In his spare time, he enjoys tennis, hockey and spending time with family.

Associate, Thompson Dorfman Sweatman LLP 

Sharyne’s practice is focused in the area of civil litigation, with a primary emphasis on construction litigation and dispute resolution. Sharyne has experience assisting clients with a variety of legal issues, including contractual disputes, builders’ liens, negligence, personal injury and collections.

Sharyne articled with Thompson Dorfman Sweatman LLP in 2016 and joined the firm as an associate in 2017.