Waves of Discovery – Join us for our 76th National Conference, November 6 to 9 at the wonderful Sheraton Maui Resort and Spa in Maui, Hawaii. The Sheraton Maui is located on 23 oceanfront acres on legendary Ka’anapali Beach. This year’s conference will feature exceptional educational content, amazing featured speakers and spectacular social events. A couple of new additions are general sessions for all delegates with interesting guest speakers and a new reception and tradeshow. We look forward to seeing you. Register early to save money. Aloha!

Hotel rooms are going fast, so book your room today. Just imagine yourself in Hawaii waking up in one of the 500 rooms and looking out the window at paradise. Have your meals in one of the four onsite restaurants, drinks at one of three bars/lounges or stay cool in one of the two poolside bars. Be sure to reserve your room with the Sheraton Maui Resort and Spa for the preferred conference rate of $239/night. This special rate is available to conference attendees only and reservations can be made from the MCAC website.

Where else can you increase your corporate brand while enjoying face-to-face interaction with Canada’s top decision makers and industry influencers from across the country in a relaxed and social atmosphere? There are still a number of excellent sponsorship opportunities to match your particular corporate profile. You can view and download the sponsorship brochure on the MCAC website or get your copy by emailing daryl@mcac.ca or calling 613-232-0492. Mahalo.

Canada's construction industry is rallying to help those affected by BC's devastating wildfires and you can be a part of the effort. The Vancouver Regional Construction Association has challenged the Canadian construction industry to donate $1 million directly to the Canadian Red Cross British Columbia Fires Appeal by July 31, 2017. Already, MCABC has contributed $1,000 to this worthy cause.

The Mechanical Service Contractors of Canada is very proud to welcome another exceptional company to our list of MSCC Gold Standard contractors. Butler Plumbing, Heating & Gasfitting Ltd. in Edmonton, Alberta joins the growing ranks of elite contractors in Canada. As a Gold Standard contractor, Butler Plumbing, Heating & Gasfitting Ltd. confirms that they implement and maintain industry leading, best-business practices in specific key competencies including technical excellent, safety, training, documentation, security, customer service and business acumen. Congratulations!

Want to know more about how to get your company certified to this new standard? Learn more.

MCA Canada would like to recognize our contractor and associate member companies that are celebrating 100 years in business. If your company is commemorating its centenary in 2017, please contact the MCA Canada office. We would very much like to acknowledge this tremendous achievement in our newsletter and at our national conference in November. Download the submission form, and send the completed document by email to daryl@mcac.ca or fax to 613-235-2793.

Patty Hajdu, minister of employment, workforce development and labour, announced recently that, as part of the federal government's comprehensive ban on asbestos, it is enhancing the Canada Labour Code for workers by lowering exposure to airborne chrysotile asbestos to as close to zero as possible.

The Canadian Council of Directors of Apprenticeship (CCDA) is pleased to share its 2016 Annual Review of the Red Seal Program. The review includes information on Red Seal statistics, Registered Apprenticeship Information System findings, Red Seal standards and exam development as well as the CCDA's Harmonization Initiative. In the 2016 calendar year, there were 28,718 Red Seal endorsements issued across Canada. The top five trades were: construction electrician, automotive service technician, welder, truck and transport mechanic and plumber.

Seven newcomers to Canada are plying their bricklaying skills with masonry contractors in and around Fredericton, N.B. through a pre-apprenticeship pilot program that incorporates practical language skills into the curriculum.

CEC is pleased to announce that it will once again offer its highly acclaimed Estimating Conference in Halifax, NS from October 11 to 13. This is a unique conference focusing not on how to estimate, but rather project procurement and strategies. Sessions covered will include deal breakers, project risk and go/no go strategies, putting together a proposal, and what a general contractor looks for in its selection process to name a few. The conference is led by Jack Wilhelmi and Tim Wentz from MCA America with a special session held by Dan Leduc from Norton Rose Fulbright.

Registration is now open. Class size is limited to 30 so do not delay in registering for this program.

In the construction industry, many companies are turning to wearable technology to better manage risks and incidents – and there are insurance benefits to be leveraged from this.

Founded in 1989, Maestro Technologies is a leading developer of integrated software solutions for the construction industry. Their portfolio of software solutions was designed from day one to address the dynamic, project-driven environment of the construction industry. From submitting initial bids, to tracking change order details, determining percentage of completion, and managing payroll – the Maestro*ERP solution tracks costs, revenues and communications from planning to closing using one single user interface. Combine their maestro*ERP Service Call Dispatch module with their world-class maestro*MOBILE applications to benefit from real-time service call management including the ability to view, add and modify schedules, send live updates, schedule service calls in advance, and to create a pool of maintenance calls for clear planning and tracking complete with a tight integration into our accounting / financial module. Their solutions are now being enjoyed by thousands of users – all from within the construction industry – to improve efficiency and drive revenue.

306: Constantine I is proclaimed Roman emperor by his troops.
315: The Arch of Constantine is completed near the Colosseum in Rome to commemorate Constantine I's victory.
1547: Henry II of France is crowned.
1603: James VI of Scotland is crowned King of England (James I of England), bringing the Kingdom of England and Kingdom of Scotland into personal union. Political union would occur in 1707.
1755: British governor Charles Lawrence and the Nova Scotia Council order the deportation of the Acadians.
1758: The island battery at Fortress Louisbourg in Nova Scotia is silenced and all French warships are destroyed or taken.
1814: An American attack on Canada is repulsed.
1837: The first commercial use of an electrical telegraph is successfully demonstrated in London by William Cooke and Charles Wheatstone.
1854: Walter Hunt is awarded the first U.S. patent for a paper shirt collar.
1866: Ulysses S. Grant named first general of Army.
1868: Wyoming becomes a United States territory.
1898: The United States seizes Puerto Rico from Spain.
1917: Sir Robert Borden introduces the first income tax in Canada as a "temporary" measure (lowest bracket is 4% and highest is 25%).
1943: Benito Mussolini is forced out of office by the Grand Council of Fascism and is replaced by Pietro Badoglio.
1944: The jet fighter—a Messerschmitt 262—is used in combat.
1946: At Club 500 in Atlantic City, NJ, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis stage their first show as a comedy team.
1946: An atomic bomb is detonated underwater in the lagoon of Bikini Atoll.
1956: Forty-five miles south of Nantucket, the Italian ocean liner Andrea Doria collides with the MS Stockholm in heavy fog and sinks.
1965: Bob Dylan goes electric at the Newport Folk Festival, signaling a major change in folk and rock music.
1978: Louise Brown, the world's first test tube baby, is born at Oldham General Hospital in England.
1981: Voyager 2 encounters Saturn.
2010: WikiLeaks publishes classified documents about the War in Afghanistan, one of the largest leaks in U.S. military history.

• September 14: Modern Hydronics Summit 2017, Mississauga, ON
• September 21: CIPHEX Roadshow, St. John’s, NL
• September 27-29: Women in HVACR 14th Annual Conference, Fort Worth, TX
• 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

Commercial Credit Adjusters Ltd. is the preferred supplier of debt collection and receivable management solutions to MCA Canada members. CCA is one of Canada’s most respected suppliers of debt collection services and is licensed and bonded in all provinces and territories in Canada. MCAC members will receive preferred pricing on the full suite of receivable management tools we can offer members to help mitigate bad debt write offs.

As you know, Operation Eyesight is MCA Canada's Charity of Choice. The organization does important work across the developing world to provide people in need with the basics of life: access to clean water and sanitation. Their work has improved, and even saved, the lives of countless people in these regions.

MCA Canada is always accepting donations to this important cause from its members, but did you know that you can donate more than just cash? Here are five more ways you can show your support: