Make sure you reserve September 19–22 in your calendars. Those are the dates for MCA Canada’s 77th National Conference in Whistler, BC. Your host hotel this year is the beautiful Westin Whistler Resort and Spa, which sits high in the Coastal Mountains with incredible views. In addition to all the festivities MCA Canada provides, you will have access to fine dining, a vibrant nightlife, shopping and some of the world’s greatest outdoor adventures. ‘Reaching Your Peak Performance’ in Whistler, BC. We look forward to seeing you there.

At its most recent meeting, the MCA Canada Board of Directors overwhelmingly supported the development of a new initiative, the Women in Mechanical Construction forum. As a new and free benefit to the MCAC membership, this will be a forum for female professionals to connect. This will provide a unique opportunity for our industry to attract, support and promote women in leadership roles. Ultimately, these individuals could then become role models for future generations of women. We look forward to making an impact! Watch for further developments and updates in this much-needed initiative. To become involved in this new initiative please contact, Tania Johnston at 613-232-5169 or tania@mcac.ca.

At MCA Canada’s most recent mid-year board meeting, members discussed one of MCAC’s newest initiatives: the YEP! program for “Young Emerging Professionals” in the mechanical construction industry. The goal of the proposed program is to connect and empower young professionals from across Canada by:

• providing industry exposure to and increasing awareness of the provincial, zone and national mechanical contractor associations
• creating networking opportunities
• supporting career development
• ultimately becoming the future industry leaders.

The board welcomed this initiative and directed staff to proceed with its implementation.

For more information, please contact Ariel Shortt at ashortt@mcac.ca or 613-232-0492.

The Mechanical Service Contractors of Canada (MSCC) is proud to welcome Chisholm Industries Ltd, from Calgary, AB to the growing list of MSCC 'Gold Standard' contractors. This designation signifies your organization as an elite-level contractor in Canada. It verifies your company implements industry leading, best-business practices in specific key competencies including technical excellence, safety, training, documentation, security, customer service and business acumen. Congratulations to the entire team at Trotter & Morton! Visit the MSCC website to learn more.

A group of industry experts looked at the ways in which cannabis will affect the industry from a medical, legal and labour standpoint during a panel discussion at the Vancouver Regional Construction Association’s annual conference. WorkSafeBC director of prevention practices and quality Tom Brocklehurst quoted statistics that suggest over the past decade there has been a 61 per cent increase in daily and weekly cannabis use among 25 to 44-year-olds. Workplace impairment has also been regulated for some time, he added. Occupational Health and Safety regulation 4.20 states one cannot enter or remain in a workplace while their ability to work is impaired, and regulation 4.19 states a worker must disclose if they have a physical or mental impairment.

A federal proposal that would allow prosecutors to suspend criminal charges against companies in certain cases of corporate wrongdoing has been quietly included in the Trudeau government’s 582-page budget legislation. In fact, its inclusion was so discreet, even one Liberal MP studying the legislation was caught by surprise. If it lives up to its end of the bargain, the company as a whole would avoid facing serious criminal charges, which could include bribery, corruption and insider trading.

More than a million Canadians are heading into retirement in the coming years and many may not be able to make ends meet. Nearly two-thirds of Canadians don’t have a workplace pension and many others have not saved enough through other investments. All Canadians have the right to a secure retirement income and that’s why the Government of Canada is enhancing the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) starting January 2019.

Corporate social responsibility. It's not a buzz word or hot topic, but it should be on your radar. Why? Because corporate social responsibility has the potential to benefit the community around you and your company.

Registration and sponsorship opportunities are now open for the 14th Annual CEC Fundraising Golf Tournament at the Royal Ontario Golf Club in Milton, Ontario on July 11. All proceeds from the event go to support CEC’s ability to provide the mechanical contracting industry with innovative education programming. Learn more at CEC's website, or by contacting Tania Johnston at 613-232-5169 or tania@mcac.ca.

Since 1919, VICTAULIC has been the world's leading producer of grooved mechanical couplings and pipe-joining systems. Over the years, Victaulic has continued to develop innovative solutions focused on ensuring efficiency, reliability and safety. Learn more at victaulic.com.

760: Fourteenth recorded passage of Halley's Comet.
1455: Start of the Wars of the Roses. At the first battle Richard, Duke of York, defeats and captures King Henry VI of England.
1570: The first atlas is published with 70 maps.
1804: The Lewis and Clark expedition officially departs from St. Charles, Missouri.
1820: Lord Dalhousie lays the cornerstone of Dalhousie University in Halifax.
1849: Future U.S. President Abraham Lincoln is issued a patent for an invention to lift boats, making him the only President to ever hold a patent.
1867: Queen Victoria decrees that Canada should come into being July 1.
1906: The Wright brothers are granted a U.S. patent for their "Flying-Machine."
1970: NHL awards franchise to Vancouver Canucks.
1979: Joe Clark leads PCs to minority power, defeating Pierre Trudeau 136 seats to 114.
1987: Rick Hansen ends Man in Motion tour after 40,000 km through 34 countries.

• May 31–June 3: MCA Alberta Conference & AGM, Kananaskis, AB
• June 4–5: 24th Skills Canada Competition, Edmonton, AB
• June 4–5: MCA Western Regional Meetings, Winnipeg, MB
• June 10–15: UA National Skills Competition, Edmonton, AB
• June 17–19: CIPH Annual Business Conference, Whistler, BC
• June 21–22: MCA Eastern Regional Meetings, Moncton, NB
• July 11: CEC Annual Golf Tournament Fundraiser, Milton, ON
• September 7–9: MCA Toronto Conference & AGM, Muskoka, ON
• September 19–22: MCA Canada Annual National Conference, Whistler, BC

MCA Canada and UniFirst have partnered to deliver members quality uniforms, Job-Fitted Work Clothes and other image and safety enhancing workwear to businesses of all sizes and types. From industrial work shirts and pants to work jackets and coveralls, and polos and executive wear to lab coats and food service smocks, UniFirst offers workwear for virtually every occupation. Beyond a complete selection of the best work uniforms available, UniFirst also provides accessories like gloves, hats and protective gear. We make "single source workwear solutions” more than just a marketing slogan. For more details, email maca@mcac.ca, call 613-232-0492 or visit www.mcac.ca.