Swapping Trades

Darren Lum has traded in his notebook and camera for a completely different career. After decades of working as a journalist in Haliburton, he's working as a carpenter with a local homebuilder, Haliburton Crew. Now Lum is in an industry that's crying out to attract more people like him – those willing to pick up a power tool and work in the trades.With a can-do attitude and a seemingly fearless approach, trying new things is definitely part of Lum's make-up. After he ended his journalism career, Lum worked for two winters learning how to lead sled dog trips with Winterdance Dogsled Tours, northeast of Haliburton. A marathon runner, Lum continued to build up his strength and endurance. For a time, he even worked as a bike courier. Now, at 49, all that conditioning is paying off in the physically demanding world of the trades.CanoeFM recently spoke to Lum and his boss Andrew Brown to learn about how jumping into the skilled trades has been a great transition and why people like him are needed in an industry that's facing critical staffing shortages.