WHISTLER, September 21, 2018 – The Mechanical Contractors Association of Canada (MCAC) today elected Jack Bavis of The Cahill Group as its new president and board chairman for its 2018/2019 MCAC Board of Directors. He is preceded by Dave Flamand of Peak Mechanical Services.

MCAC is pleased to announce the members of our Board of Directors for 2018–19.

Front row (L to R) are the members of the MCAC Executive Committee: Derek Ermen, Wayne Davidson, Dave Flamand, Jack Bavis, MCAC CEO Pierre Boucher, Dave Holek

Back row (L to R): Charlie Webb, Dale Miller, John Warnica, Luc Kadziolka, Mike Miller, Brad Mason, Scott Kerr, Joe Givens, Ian Arbuckle, Serge Robert, Charles Savoie

A new report from the Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation at Ontario’s University of Waterloo calls for national action to recognize the value of natural infrastructure such as wetlands in flood protection policy.

The latest edition of CEC's acclaimed Estimating Conference is scheduled for October 17 to 19 in Toronto. Have you registered?

The conference focuses on 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. Jack Wilhelmi and Tim Wentz from MCA America will lead the conference; Dan Leduc from Norton Rose Fulbright will deliver a special session of his own.

Registration is limited. Act now!

More than 1,000 students have completed the 10-day PM CEC/University of Waterloo course since its inception in 2000. This latest session is sure to be another sellout. If you have new hires or people looking to upgrade or refresh their PM skills, this is the course for them! As a bonus, the program is Gold Seal-accredited for those who wish to pursue their certification.

The Construction Education Council’s latest webinar series, Get Your Ducks in a Row, teaches the basics of adopting and managing information technology assets. Studies show that more than half of corporate IT projects fall short of expectations. Using IT effectively to increase efficiency and boost productivity is an art. This free, five-part series gives participants insights into trends and traps facing companies as they design and deploy IT solutions.

The rise of “infratech” isn’t the stuff of the future. “It’s already happening and it will accelerate in the next 10 years,” said David Bowcott, global director of Growth, Innovation and Insight for Aon’s Global Construction and Infrastructure Group. 

The construction industry is, without doubt, a very hands-on and physical profession. It’s understandable then that the sector hasn’t been as quickly changed by the digital age as some other industries. But it looks like the world of construction has become far bolder in its approach and acceptance of technology in the workplace, particularly when it comes to artificial intelligence.

Click below for the latest prompt payment in the construction industry payment tables.

1580: Sir Francis Drake returns to Plymouth, England, aboard the Golden Hind, after a 33-month voyage to circumnavigate the globe.
1777: The British army launches a major offensive, capturing Philadelphia.
1786: France and Britain sign a trade agreement in London.
1820: The legendary frontiersman Daniel Boone dies quietly at the Defiance, Mo., home of his son Nathan, at age 85.
1829: Scotland Yard, the official British criminal investigation organization, is formed.
1913: The first boat is raised in the locks of the Panama Canal.
1955: The New York Stock Exchange suffers a $44 million loss.
1960: Vice President Richard Nixon and Senator John F. Kennedy participate in the first nationally televised debate between presidential candidates.
1961: Nineteen-year-old Bob Dylan makes his New York singing debut at Gerde’s Folk City.
1969: The Beatles' last album, Abbey Road, is released.
1983: In the USSR, Stanislav Petrov disobeys procedures and ignores electronic alarms indicating five incoming nuclear missiles, believing the US would launch more than five if it wanted to start a war. His decision prevented a retaliatory attack that would have begun a nuclear war between the superpowers.
1984: The UK agrees to transfer sovereignty of Hong Kong to the People’s Republic of China.