The MCAC Member Multimedia Information Program delivers timely and valuable information to our entire membership via email (Just The Fax), the internet (www.mcac.ca) and direct mail. The program’s goal is to provide every MCA member with regular information on upcoming events, programs and projects. In addition, each communication will feature one of our Membership Advantage Programs, which can save you thousands of dollars each year.

This month's program is brought to you thanks to the generosity of our featured associate member, IPEX Inc.

• MCAC’s 76th Annual National Conference: Preliminary Brochure – Due to high demand, MCAC’s room block with the Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa is now open. For all those excited and eager to begin planning their attendance, please review the brochure included in this month’s mailout for all information on how to make your reservations online or by phone. We are eager to see you in Maui this November! Reserve online.

• Canada Prompt Payment Act (Bill S-224) – Let’s get this bill passed! Visit mcac.ca/prompt-payment to find out how you can help by encouraging your Member of Parliament to support this important piece of legislation.

• Membership Advantage Program: Petro Canada – MCA Canada has a long-standing partnership with Petro-Canada. They carry a wide range of quality fuels including gasoline, diesel, aviation and alternative fuels. From SuperClean gasoline and residential heating fuels, to propane, natural gas and heavy fuel oils, they are the market leader in the consumer, commercial and industrial marketplace. To find out how you can save with Petro-Canada, email mcac@mcac.ca.

• This month's program brought to you by IPEX – IPEX Inc. designs and manufactures one of the world’s most diverse lines of integrated thermoplastic piping systems: pipe, valves and fittings. All are engineered from the ground up to handle the full range of today’s mechanical, industrial and municipal applications. With more than 50 years’ experience in thermoplastics combined with progressive manufacturing technologies, efficient distribution centres and coast-to-coast customer support has made the IPEX name synonymous with quality, innovation and performance. One supplier to stand behind you and your complete piping system. For more information, visit www.ipexinc.com or call 1-866-473-9462.

As you may have heard, Bill S-224, the Canada Prompt Payment Act, unanimously passed third reading in the Senate of Canada on May 4. This is a huge win for our industry! The bill now goes on to the House of Commons for review and consideration by Members of Parliament. MCA Canada, together with the National Trade Contractors Coalition of Canada, has been working hard to get this bill passed in the Senate. We now need your help to get it passed in the House of Commons.

We are asking you to again write to your Member of Parliament to seek their support for this very important piece of legislation. And we’ve made the job as easy as possible. Just go to www.promptpayment.ca, fill in your personal information (name, address, company name) and click send. It’s as easy as that!

MCA Canada and the NTCCC will continue to lobby on your behalf on Parliament Hill. We aim to meet with as many Members of Parliament as possible, many of whom will have received your letters soliciting their support for small businesses in Canada.

Let’s work together to ensure the Canada Prompt Payment Act becomes a reality.

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) is pleased to host a free webinar on the employer-employee relationship and how to determine if a person is an employee or self-employed. It is the second in a four-part series answering your payroll questions and helping you meet your deducting, remitting, and reporting requirements.

This webinar will answer questions that the CRA received through its payroll webinar web form between April 10 and May 5, 2017.

When: June 21

• Quebec and Ontario – 1:00 pm
• Maritimes – 2:00 pm
• Newfoundland and Labrador – 2:30 pm
• Manitoba – 12:00 pm
• Alberta and Saskatchewan – 11:00 am
• British Columbia – 10:00 am

Register now.

It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Bob Evans, who lost his short battle with cancer and was taken from us too soon. Bob was the VP of sales at OS&B for six years and worked at Novanni Stainless for four years prior to that. He also worked with Wolseley Canada and Price Pfister, and was a longtime agent for Delta Faucet, Wessan Sinks and Halsey Taylor water coolers. Bob started his career with EMCO Factory Division in London in 1972. He thoroughly enjoyed his 45 years dedicated to the plumbing industry. He was respected and loved by all his co-workers at OS&B, agents and customers. Bob was always congenial, helpful and a mentor to his associates and peers. He made so many friends from his business life that plans for retirement were a mere whisper. Although Bob was dedicated to his work life, he knew balance and was a true family man who spent most of his spare time with his wife Dianne, two sons and his extended children and grandchildren. Bob spoke of all of them with pride and love. They were his life. Everyone who knew vibrant Bob, gentle giant Bob, full of life Bob, business Bob, serious Bob or always compassionate Bob will miss him sorely. Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with his family and friends and we know that their support for each other in this difficult time will comfort them.

Do you have an employee who has a son or daughter currently studying to be in the mechanical contracting industry? Are you a member of an MCA student chapter? If so, we’ve got good news: CEC and Federated Insurance can help offset the financial burden. We are accepting applications for our annual scholarship until June 30. This is the 12th year that Federated Insurance has generously sponsored the scholarship. For further information please contact Tania Johnston at 613-232-5169 or tania@mcac.ca.

• Download scholarship criteria
• Download scholarship application

Ontario Attorney General Yasir Naqvi introduced legislation on May 31 that would, if passed, modernize the lien and holdback process, introduce rules to ensure Ontario construction workers get paid more promptly and make the dispute resolution process faster and simpler.

The Canadian Institute of Plumbing & Heating has written to the Council of the Federation, responsible for the Canadian Free Trade Agreement implementation and aligning internal trade policies among the provinces and territories.

The Canadian Association of Women in Construction (CAWIC) has released the Level Best Industry Action Plan for the Canadian construction industry.

Kinder Morgan said in a statement it is starting to award significant contracts now that financing and a final investment decision are in place, with plans for construction to start in September 2017.

Digital technologies are transforming how business operate by facilitating tasks that rely intensively on connectivity, information usage, prediction and collaboration.

A new study by researchers from Harvard University shows the importance of a building's interior environment as it relates to productivity and overall health. It seems the keys to working better, sleeping better and feeling better could be rooted in the design, maintenance and operation of the buildings where we spend so much of our time.

Briefing notes to Finance Minister Bill Morneau said federal funding could be structured in such a way that the bank's "return on investment will only materialize if defined institutional investor revenue thresholds are met".

To meet the challenges of the 21st century, the Canadian construction industry must be able to recruit and retain workers with a diversity of backgrounds. This means building respectful, safe and inclusive workplaces where all workers can succeed.

The Fundamentals of Design-Build tutorial is an interactive one-day introduction to design-build. Learn from industry professionals and network with your peers! A must for practitioners, owners, decision-makers and those wanting to learn more about design-build. The tutorial is worth one Gold Seal credit and 7.5 hours of SAA Continuing Education Credits.

Check out the following programs offered by the CEC and our local MCAs in the months ahead!

• Proactive Service – Vancouver, BC – June 15
• Design for Value Engineering to Increase Job Profits – Ottawa, ON – June 15

It’s back! The Construction Education Council is pleased to announce fall dates for its always-popular Project Management for Contractors course. The highly acclaimed, Gold Seal and Blue Seal accredited program is offered in partnership with the University of Waterloo. It takes place over a 10-day period and is split into two five-day sessions. To date, nearly 900 managers have graduated from the program.

Week one of the program is scheduled for November 16-20; week two is booked for December 7-11.

This program always sells out, so don’t delay. Register today.

Canada is making a huge effort not only in the adoption of BIM, but also in involving all professionals in a growing community where they can learn and contribute to the development of standards, documentation and other activities. Although BIM in Canada is still relatively nascent, the most recent reports show that new technologies are moving forward in the construction sector: 31 percent of the Canadian industry is using BIM, 29 percent is working with integrated approaches and 21 percent works with lean delivery construction.

1520: France and England sign treaty of Scotland.
1716: First slaves arrive in Louisiana.
1744: France and Prussia sign peace treaty.
1813: US invasion of Canada halted at Stoney Creek, ON.
1844: Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) forms in London.
1882: The electric iron is patented by Henry W Seely in New York City.
1912: The eruption of Novarupta in Alaska begins. It is the second largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century.
1925: Walter Chrysler founds automobile manufacturer Chrysler Corporation.
1933: First drive-in theater opens (Camden, NJ).
1934: Securities and Exchange Commission established.
1942: Japanese forces retreat, ending Battle of Midway.
1944: Operation Neptune, D-Day: 150,000 Allied Expeditionary Force lands in Normandy, France.
1955: Bill Haley and the Comets' "Rock Around the Clock" hits #1.
1966: NFL and AFL announce their merger.
1968: Senator Robert F. Kennedy dies from his wounds after he was shot the previous night.
1971: Ed Sullivan Show last broadcasts on CBS.
1977: Washington Post reports US has developed neutron bomb.
1991: NBC announces Jay Leno will succeed Johnny Carson on May 25, 1992.

Fueled by stronger-than-expected results in March, Statistics Canada says GDP grew 3.7 percent in the first three months of 2017.

This year’s Annual CEC Fundraising Golf Tournament has moved to an exciting new venue, the Royal Ontario Golf Club in Milton, ON. The Royal Ontario is a prestigious course that everyone will enjoy. The tournament will take place Wednesday, July 12. Enjoy an amazing golf course, a great BBQ lunch, on-course games, a prime rib dinner, prizes, trophies and much more. Registration is now open and there are plenty of exceptional sponsorship opportunities still available. Learn more on our website or by contacting tania@mcac.ca.

• June 15: MCA Sask/Ron Young Memorial Golf, Moon Lake Golf and Country Club, SK 
• June 22: MCA Sask/ASHRAE Golf Tournament, Deer Valley Golf Club, SK
• June 23: MCA Eastern Regional Meeting, St. John’s, NL
• June 25-27: CIPH Annual Business Conference, Ottawa, ON
• July 12: CEC Golf Tournament, Royal Ontario Golf Club, Milton, ON
• July 13: CANS Developing Executives Meet and Greet, Halifax, NS
• September 21: CIPHEX Roadshow, St. John’s, NL
• September 29: CANS 155th AGM, St. Andrew's By-The-Sea, NB
• September 29-October 1: MCA Toronto AGM, Collingwood, ON
• October 2-4: CCA Meetings, Niagara Falls, ON
• October 15-18: MSCA Educational Conference, Boca Raton, Florida
• October 17: CIPHEX Roadshow, Edmonton, AB
• October 19: CIPHEX Roadshow, Regina, SK
• November 6-9: MCA Canada’s 76th National Conference, Maui, Hawaii

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.