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Issue 1 | Spring Edition | 2026      BUILD MANITOBA
IMPACT BUILDERS
From systems integration 
to industry advocacy, 
Peter Bernatsky brings 
steady, strategic 
leadership to the WCA
By Twila Driedger
 
 
>
PETER
BERNATSKY
I
f Peter Bernatsky had followed his 
original plan, his career might have 
taken a very different path – one shaped 
by foreign policy briefings, covert ops, 
high-stakes diplomacy and a desk 
far from a jobsite. As a student at the 
University of Manitoba, he studied 
international relations and took courses 
on intelligence and espionage, with 
aspirations of joining Canada’s  
Foreign Service. Instead, a chance 
conversation with a Winnipeg business 
owner changed his trajectory and 
introduced him to the world of 
technology integration. 
Nearly three decades later, that 
unexpected pivot defines his career. As 
president of PSB Integration, Bernatsky’s 
work is often invisible to the casual 
observer, but essential to how  
modern buildings function. His team 
helps spaces “think,” integrating  
lighting, climate, AV, sensors and 
scheduling systems into seamless, 
responsive environments. 
We sat down with the incoming chair of 
the Winnipeg Construction Association 
to talk about his background, goals for 
the industry and plans to take over the 
world – or at least lead the board.
BUILD MANITOBA: You mentioned 
you never expected to work in the 
construction industry. Take us back – 
what did you originally think your path 
would look like?
PETER BERNATSKY: This might 
surprise you: I never, in my wildest 
dreams, thought I’d be involved with 
the construction industry. I was studying 
international relations and foreign policy. 
I took courses on intelligence and 
espionage because I wanted to work 
in the Foreign Service. My dream was, 
“Ship me off to some foreign land and 
let me represent Canada there.”
The interesting twist is completely 
non-spy-oriented. One summer, I was 
volunteering at Folklorama in the 
Hungarian Pavilion – I’m of Hungarian 
descent – and I bumped into the 
owner of Advance [Electronics] at the 
time, Arnold Frieman, who was also 
Hungarian. He asked what I was doing 
with my life, and I explained I was about 
to graduate and wanted to go into 
foreign service. He said, “Why don’t 
you come work at Advance?” It felt like 
two very divergent career paths, but he 
convinced me to come for coffee. A few 
visits later, he offered me a spot.
INDUSTRY STRATEGIST

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