MCA Canada Information Guide and Membership Directory:
On its way to your office is the 2017 edition of MCA Canada’s 'Information Guide and Membership Directory'. The Information Guide is an all-in-one magazine distributed to members and key industry stakeholders to provide a comprehensive list of MCAC programs and services. MCA Canada hopes you will use this valuable resource to assist in managing your businesses.

Membership Advantage Program – PARK’ N FLY:
MCA Canada has recently renegotiated our arrangement with our Park’ N Fly partners to increase the discount members have available. Park’ N Fly is Canada’s leasing airport parking company with operations in Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Halifax.

This month's program brought to you by JONAS SOFTWARE:
Jonas Construction & Service Management Software is a fully integrated management solution, designed to help businesses improve productivity and increase profitability. Mechanical contracting has always been a strong focus when they develop their software and as a special offer to all MCAC members, Jonas would like to extend a 15% discount on their license fees. To receive this discount, simply reference that you are a MCAC member and they will get you started on taking your business to the next level.

Next week, student chapter members from McMaster University, the University of Waterloo and the University of Toronto will convene for two days in Hamilton, ON.

The Canadian Design-Build Institute has recently released a new bulletin designed to help owners better understand design-build. Document 105: Design-Build Now 2016 is now available on the CDBI website. This is a great tool for contractors and consultants to give to owners who are considering design-build but want more information.

Investment in non-residential building construction totalled $12.3 billion in the fourth quarter, down 0.7% from the previous quarter. This was the seventh decrease in eight quarters. Spending on commercial building construction fell 0.9% to $7.2 billion in the fourth quarter. The decline nationally was primarily attributable to lower spending on office buildings. Investment in industrial projects was down 2.8% from the third quarter to $1.7 billion in the fourth quarter. At the national level, the decline was attributable to lower investment in the construction of farm and utilities buildings. Investment in institutional building construction rose 0.5% from the previous quarter to $3.5 billion in the fourth quarter. Higher spending on the construction of nursing homes and retirement residences was largely responsible for the advance nationally.

Statistics Canada's Labour Force Survey report for December 2016 records a country-wide gain in total employment of 54,000 jobs. In the fourth quarter of 2016, employment increased by 108,000 ( 0.6%), the largest increase since the second quarter of 2010. This followed a gain of 62,000 ( 0.3%) in the third quarter. In the 12 months to December, employment gains totalled 214,000 or 1.2%, compared with a growth rate of 0.9% observed over the same period one year earlier. A year-end review is presented in a separate section below.

The Lean Construction Institute of Canada's training day will take place May 3 and the conference runs May 4–5 at the Toronto Marriott Downtown Eaton Centre Hotel.

MCA Canada	Contractor Membership
Construction Education Council	Supplier Membership
Mechanical Service Contractors of Canada	Provincial & Zone MCAs
National Trade Contractors Coalition of Canada	Operation Eyesight

We still need your help! Operation Eyesight has prevented more than 35 million people from facing the needless tragedy of preventable blindness. Their work is focused in places where blindness can be deadly, especially to those who are very young, old or poor. MCA Canada's members, offices and staff have made significant contributions to help in this worthwhile cause but we still have a long way to go.