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March 25, 2020 Facebook Twitter LinkedIn
Member Update
Mechanical contracting industry encourages the government to continue support for businesses and workers during global pandemic
As the COVID-19 pandemic and crisis continues to unfold across Canada, the Mechanical Contractors Association of Canada (MCAC) has indicated its support of public health agencies in their efforts and measures to limit the spread of COVID-19.
Survey: How is COVID-19 affecting your business?
MCA Canada is seeking the feedback of members in regard to the COVID-19 pandemic. Please take just a few minutes to fill out our short, six-question survey. Your answers will remain anonymous, and will help us guide our response as your national association.
New COVID-19 resources added to our website

In an effort to help you manage your business through this complex and challenging time, we at MCA Canada have created a dedicated page on our website that is filled with important resources and information on the COVID-19 pandemic.

Recently added are a list of frequently asked questions for employers, including:

  • How do I fill out records of employment stemming from COVID-19?
  • How has the work-sharing program been modified to address COVID-19?
  • What is the temporary wage subsidy?

Look for this information and much more, and check back often for updates.

MCAC webinar series – COVID-19

MCA Canada has launched a series of webinars on topics related to the COVID-19 pandemic and your business. These webinars are aimed at helping firms adapt to this new environment.

Webinar schedule:

  • Operational Health and Safety in the Age of COVID-19 – March 26
  • IT, Cyber Security, and Working Remotely – March 27
  • Labour Issues and COVID-19 – March 30
  • Contract Issues, Force Majeure and COVID-19 – April 1
CFIB resourses for COVID-19 responses

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business is now offering several resources that Canadian small businesses can access for advice on how to manage their responses to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Members and non-members can call the CFIB hotline at 1-888-234-2232 or access the COVID-19 FAQ page.

INDUSTRY NEWS
Deep concerns about COVID-19’s impact on Canadian supply chain as borders close
Source: Daily Commercial News
The Canadian and U.S. governments are temporarily closing their borders to all non-essential travel between them in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This leaves construction industry leaders concerned about the impacts closures will have on trade and the supply chain.
Industry work critical, HRAI tells governments
Source: Plumbing & HVAC Magazine
Work continues to slow for many contractors as the COVID-19 crisis continues. Industry associations are reminding governments how important the services that the plumbing and HVAC/R industry provides are.
Eight coronavirus focused conversations for business leaders
Source: Canadian Institute of Plumbing & Heating
With the coronavirus outbreak rapidly spreading, business leaders must provide confident, informed, and strategic direction. In these trying times, employees, customers and suppliers are looking to you for leadership.
No precedents put construction in ‘uncharted waters’ on force majeure clauses, coronavirus
Source: On-Site Magazine
Provincial governments have declared states of emergency and the Canadian government has shut down our international borders to everything but vital supplies to slow the spread of COVID-19. The country’s construction industry is entering “unchartered waters” as it prepares for the coronavirus to take a heavy toll, even if work sites remain active.
Can your respirator program accommodate physical changes?
Source: Manufacturing AUTOMATION
Employees with different physical features may not have airtight seals on their respirators.
White House identifies plumbers as ‘essential critical infrastructure workers’ in guidance for response to COVID-19
Source: Construction Links Network
U.S. President Donald Trump and the Department of Homeland Security have released a Coronavirus Guidance for America. The guidance identifies plumbers and other tradespeople as “essential critical infrastructure workers” as the United States responds to the COVID-19 threat.
Accidents are more likely to happen on lifts when working in public areas, report
Source: Plumbing & HVAC Magazine
Accidents while using mobile elevating work platforms, such as scissor or boom lifts, are more common in public areas or near roads than on controlled work sites, according to International Powered Access Federation’s latest detailed safety analysis.
New initiative equips women in construction with properly fitting safety harnesses
Source: On-Site Magazine
At nearly two dozen construction companies in the United States, more than 300 women will be working at heights more safely, thanks to a new joint initiative between Autodesk Inc. and the Associated General Contractors of America.
INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY
New tech can keep employees safe everywhere
Source: Daily Commercial News
New market-ready technology solutions can protect employees in three ways: from each other, from jobsite dangers and from themselves. Beyond the importance of employee well-being and safety, monitoring technologies can also be leveraged to increase productivity and build team confidence.
BY THE NUMBERS
Who got paid by the federal government this week?
Click below for the latest prompt payment in the construction industry payment tables.
Employment in Canada increased by 7,200 jobs in February: report
Source: Canadian Manufacturing
The ADP Research Institute produces the monthly ADP Canada National Employment Report, which measures the change in total non-farm payroll employment on a seasonally adjusted basis.
On this day in history

708: Constantine begins his reign as Catholic Pope.
1634: Lord Baltimore founds the Catholic colony of Maryland.
1668: The first horse race in America takes place.
1807: British Parliament abolishes the slave trade.
1911: A fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Company, a sweatshop in New York City, claims the lives of 146 workers.
1915: The first submarine disaster occurs when a U.S. F-4 sinks off the Hawaiian coast.
1931: Fifty people are killed in riots that break out in India. Mahatma Gandhi was one of many people assaulted.
1940: The United States agrees to give Britain and France access to all American warplanes.
1954: RCA manufactures its first colour TV set and begins mass production.
1957: The European Common Market Treaty is signed in Rome. The goal is to create a common market for all products – especially coal and steel.
1965: Martin Luther King Jr. leads a group of 25,000 to the state capital in Montgomery, Ala.
1969: John Lennon and Yoko Ono stage a bed-in for peace in Amsterdam.
1970: The Concorde makes its first supersonic flight.
1975: Hue is lost and Da Nang is endangered by North Vietnamese forces. The United States orders a refugee airlift to remove those in danger.
1981: The U.S. Embassy in San Salvador is damaged when gunmen attack, firing rocket propelled grenades and machine guns.
1986: President Ronald Reagan orders emergency aid for the Honduran army. U.S. helicopters take Honduran troops to the Nicaraguan border.

Source: HistoryNet.com

Events
CAF postpones National Apprenticeship Conference
Source: Daily Commercial News
The Canadian Apprenticeship Forum will postpone the National Apprenticeship Conference due to risks associated with the COVID-19 outbreak and recommendations from the Public Health Agency of Canada.
2020 Lean Construction Institute of Canada Conference cancelled
Source: Construction Links Network
The Lean Construction Institute is doing its part to encourage social distancing. The institute has cancelled its upcoming 2020 Lean Construction Institute of Canada conference and training day in Winnipeg.
 

 

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