Ontario Construction News staff writer
The Toronto Construction Association (TCA) has presented a Community Leader Award to Bruce Sonnenberg, PCL’s regional vice-president for Central Canada.
The award is presented each year to a person who “seeks to make a genuine difference in their community” by contributing their time and/or resources selflessly for the betterment of local neighborhoods.
Sonnenberg is a second-generation PCL employee who has spent more than 35 years of his professional life setting an example as a leader, constructor and community builder. Following in his father’s footsteps, Sonnenberg joined the PCL family in 1987 as a field engineer in Toronto. Over the years, he took on key leadership roles throughout the company including district leader and mentor in Toronto for nine years.
In his leadership role in Toronto from 2013 to 2022, Sonnenberg was in a position to approve, sponsor and champion district initiatives including, notably, major fundraising campaigns in support of the United Way and the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), as well as executive promotion and oversight of PCL’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) program.
Introduced to the organization by a PCL colleague, he also participated in Covenant House’s Executive Sleep Out. Through the generous support of industry colleagues, friends and family, Sonnenberg has raised a cumulative total of over $500,000 over a decade in support of the work of Covenant House. He attributes his philanthropic success to the love and support of his friends, family and colleagues in the construction industry.
“While I slept out each year, it was a minor inconvenience compared to the dedicated support of friends, family and colleagues in the construction industry who rallied to help raise the funds over the years. From the bottom of my heart, thank you to everyone who has shown their support,” Sonnenberg said, accepting the award. “Without the support of the industry, none of this would have been possible. It is truly just a small example of the pride the construction industry has in supporting the communities in which they live and build.”