Bill S-224, the Canada Prompt Payment Act, is going 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. Please use our tool to write to your Member of Parliament seeking their support for this very important piece of legislation. Simply go to www.promptpayment.ca, fill in a few details and click send. It’s as easy as that! MCA Canada and the NTCCC will continue to lobby on your behalf on Parliament Hill to get this bill passed!

On June 8, Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) took an important step in the effort to increase efficiency and cash flow on federal construction projects. The department will publicly disclose payments made to prime contractors on its website so that subcontractors know when they can expect payment. This information will be made available for all construction contracts over $100,000 on the PSPC website.

Time's running out to apply for the 2017 CEC and Federated Insurance Scholarship. The deadline to apply is June 30!

If your company has an employee who has a son or daughter currently studying to be in the mechanical contracting industry, or if you're a member of an MCA student chapter, this scholarship can help. CEC and Federated Insurance have partnered on this intiative for 12 years now.

For more information, download the scholarship criteria and the scholarship application.

You can also contact Tania Johnston at 613-232-5169 or tania@mcac.ca.

The Canadian Construction Association’s (CCA) task force on prompt payment updated its members on the issue of prompt payment recently during its spring board meeting in St. John’s, N.L. Task force chair Ray Bassett reported positive signs from the federal government following several productive discussions. Since the last CCA board meeting in March, both Public Services and Procurement Canada and Defence Construction Canada have launched their own prompt payment websites.

The Canadian Construction Association (CCA) has endorsed its draft Corporate Social Responsibility guide.

The government's plan to create a new $35-billion infrastructure bank is facing a rocky road as senators stand poised to rewrite the Liberals' budget bill and delay creation of the financing agency.

Check out the May issue of the Canadian Design Build Institute’s newsletter, with stories on honoraria, the institute’s annual conference and the latest design-build tutorials.

The June issue of the Lean Construction Institute of Canada’s newsletter includes information on communities of practice, how to become a lean trainer, and news articles on lean from across the country.

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.

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.

313: The Edict of Milan is signed by Constantine the Great granting religious freedom throughout the Roman Empire.
1373: Anglo-Portuguese Alliance between England and Portugal is the oldest alliance in the world that is still in force.
1774: Rhode Island becomes the first of Britain's North American colonies to ban the importation of slaves.
1886: Fire devastates much of Vancouver, British Columbia.
1898: The Yukon Territory is formed, with Dawson chosen as its capital.
1922: Longest attack of hiccups begins: Charlie Osborne gets the hiccups and continues for 68 years, dies 11 months after it stops.
1956: After 72 years, Britain gives up Suez Canal to Egyptian control.
1966: The United States Supreme Court rules in Miranda v. Arizona that the police must inform suspects of their rights before questioning them.
1970: "The Long and Winding Road" becomes The Beatles' last U.S. number one song.
1977: Convicted Martin Luther King Jr. assassin James Earl Ray is recaptured after escaping from prison.
1983: Pioneer 10 becomes the first man-made object to leave the central solar system when it passes beyond the orbit of Neptune.
1994: A jury in Anchorage, Alaska, blames recklessness by Exxon and Captain Joseph Hazelwood for the Exxon Valdez disaster, allowing victims of the oil spill to seek $15 billion in damages.

Ontario, British Columbia and Quebec saw the biggest job gains last month, while Quebec's jobless rate hit its lowest point since 1976.

If you haven't already signed up for this year's Annual CEC Fundraising Golf Tournament, what are you waiting for?

Play is just about a month away, and the event is always popular with our members. Your tournament fee gets you a round of golf, a fantastic BBQ lunch, on-course games, a prime rib dinner, and a chance to win prizes and trophies.

This year’s tournament will be held at the Royal Ontario Golf Club in Milton, ON.

Registration is now open and there are plenty of 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

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.

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.