The Mechanical Contractors Association of Canada will host its first-ever innovation conference on April 15 and 16 in Toronto.

Given the speed at which technology is advancing, and the extent to which our industry is changing, now is the ideal time to innovate. Our information-packed program will help you understand how to prepare to innovate—and prosper.

Join us for what promises to be an engaging and eye-opening event. Details to follow.

Next year's MCA Canada Student Chapter Summit will be held in Vaughan, Ontario from January 31 to February 2. Thank you to MCA Toronto for hosting.

Students will come together from MCA Manitoba, Ryerson, McMaster and the University of Waterloo to participate in two days of sessions involving industry education, personal development and the chance to meet with future employers. The summit will centre around a site visit to a hospital in the Toronto region. Lastly, a competition will round out the event.

CEC is extremely grateful for the kind sponsorship from MCA Canada, MCA Ontario, the UA, Trimble, Victaulic, MCA Toronto, MCA Hamilton, MCA Kitchener-Waterloo and MCA Manitoba. Without their support, this event would not be possible!

Watch for further news on the summit in future editions of Just the Fax.

In this new webinar, instructor Steve Clayman, the director of energy initiatives with the Thermal Insulation Association of Canada, will review the ways in which mechanical insulation can help with energy consumption, and address issues such as condensation, mould growth and personnel protection. Participants will also learn about when insulation on mechanical systems requires immediate attention, simple approaches fixing insulation deficiencies—and more.

When: January 9
Time: 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. ET

For more information and to register visit the CEC website. You can also contact Tania Johnston at 613-232-5169 or tania@mcac.ca.

Does your organization regularly share its respectful and inclusive workplace objectives with its subcontractors, consultants and suppliers?

There are many benefits to sharing and encouraging business partners to adopt respectful and inclusive objectives. Doing so:

• demonstrates your organization’s commitment to its stated core values of respect and inclusion
• establishes your organization’s expectations for respectful and inclusive behaviour in business interactions
• encourages your business partners to invest in their human resources practices and improve their competitiveness
• helps to support businesses that are already diverse such as those owned and operated by people of different genders, backgrounds and circumstances

Read Part 22 of the Respectful Workplaces Blog.

As part of a new project, CAF-FCA will produce apprenticeship-focused labour market information from 2018 to 2021. Annual national reports will be provided for industry professionals, informing training strategies in economic sectors that hire apprentices, such as construction, transportation, manufacturing and mining. A national employer survey to determine employer participation in apprenticeship will be implemented this fall. Regional summaries will be published three times a year, providing insights about apprentice demand and employer hiring expectations.

CAF-FCA is reaching out to the apprenticeship community to gather insights about apprentice demand, local labour market conditions and upcoming projects in your area.

Contact emily@caf-fca.org to provide input.

CEC is pleased to announce that it will once again offer its highly acclaimed Estimating Conference in Calgary, AB from February 27 to March 1. This conference focuses 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, what a general contractor looks for in its selection process—to name a few.

The Construction Education Council is pleased to announce the launch of its brand-new Advanced Project Management course. The program builds on the teachings in the highly successful 10-day program, and provides 28 hours of Gold Seal-accredited, industry-specific, advanced-level project management training.

Graduates will bring back to their companies’ strategies for making their projects even more successful. Senior project skills that will be covered include:

• The Art of Facilitative Leadership
• Organizational Planning – Portfolio Management
• Financial and Basic Accounting Principles for Project Managers
• Principles of Lean for Construction

Register today!

1688: James II abdicates the throne due to William of Orange landing in England.
1882: A production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s Iolanthe at Boston’s Bijou Theatre becomes the first performance in a theatre lit by incandescent electric lights.
1941: The United States declares war on Italy and Germany.
1951: Joe DiMaggio announces his retirement from baseball.
1964: Frank Sinatra, Jr., is returned home to his parents after being kidnapped for the ransom amount of $240,000.
1967: The Concorde, a joint British-French venture and the world’s first supersonic airliner, is unveiled in Toulouse, France.
1972: Challenger, the lunar lander for Apollo 17, touches down on the moon’s surface. This is the last time that men visit the moon.
1978: Massive demonstrations take place in Tehran against the shah.
1997: The Kyoto Protocol international treaty intended to reduce emissions of greenhouse gasses, opens for signature.
2001: The People’s Republic of China joins the World Trade Organization.
2006: President of Mexico Felipe Calderon launches a military-led offensive against drug cartel violence in the state of Michoacan.
2008: Bernard “Bernie” Madoff is arrested and charged with securities fraud in what was called a $50-billion Ponzi scheme.

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

Join us on January 30 and gain insight from a key apprenticeship data source, the Registered Apprenticeship Information System (RAIS). This webinar will provide stakeholders a sense of "big picture" apprenticeship trends.

Guest presenter, PRISM Economics & Analysis will interpret statistics on registration and certification information, apprenticeship population demographics and women's participation in the trades.

Registration is now open. CAF-FCA members attend free of charge. To receive your member promo code, contact cecilia@caf-fca.org.