Members of the Mechanical Contractors Association of Canada (MCAC) are hereby notified of the:

2021 MCAC Annual General Meeting
12:00-13:30 (Eastern), Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2021
To be held online

Once registered, members will be authenticated and receive an access link and password to attend.

The Canadian Apprenticeship Forum (CAF-FCA) will launch a new program to empower skilled trades advocates at the next Supporting Women in Trades Conference taking place June 2-3, 2022, in St. John’s NL.

The National Leadership Development Program for Women in the Skilled Trades is being developed in partnership with the Office to Advance Women Apprentices and will be available to all tradeswomen including Indigenous peoples, LGBTQ2S+ individuals, immigrants, persons with disabilities, and those from racialized groups. Participants will be guided by subject matter experts, learning effective strategies and gaining practical tips to empower them as leaders in their workplaces and the broader community. Special attention will be paid to how the learning can be applied in a skilled trades workplace. With improved knowledge about strategies to mentor, take on leadership roles on the job site and within their unions, communicate, resolve conflict, and speak with confidence, tradeswomen can be leaders and inspire young girls and other women to thrive in the skilled trades.

The National Leadership Development Program for Women in the Skilled Trades will be offered at no cost to tradeswomen and offered in a safe and respectful setting. CAF-FCA and Office to Advance Women Apprentices will work with industry, trades unions, government, and training institutions to support development and administration costs.

Background
Women are marginalized in skilled trades workplaces and experience barriers. Female apprentices report more difficulty finding employer sponsors and have lower apprenticeship completion rates than males. As a result, non-completing women cannot access the high paying, full-time and leadership position work associated with certification in the trades.

A positive work environment and support from peers are key to program retention but in the absence of these women apprentices report poorer mental health than male apprentices contributing to a lack of confidence and sense of isolation. Many women apprentices and journeypersons have limited access to leadership training or development opportunities for self advocacy, public speaking, conflict resolution and mentoring.

For more information, visit switcanada.ca or contact France Daviault.

Source: HistoryNet.com

1869: Louis Riel invites settlers and Métis to meet at Fort Garry to form a provisional government; most reject his proposals.
1885: Louis Riel is hanged in the North West Mounted Police barracks in Regina.
1945: Eighty-eight German scientists, holding Nazi secrets, arrive in the United States.
1955: The Big Four talks, taking place in Geneva on German reunification, end in failure.
1963: Cascades Inc. starts producing recycled paper; a first in Québec.
1982: The space shuttle Columbia completes its first operational flight.
1989: Supreme Court of Canada rules that the fetus has no right to life under common law, the Québec Civil Code or the Québec Charter; following injunctions brought under Barbara Dodd and Chantal Daigle cases.
1992: Eric Lawes, while using a metal detector to search for a friend's lost hammer near Hoxne, Suffolk, England, discovers the Hoxne Hoard, the largest hoard of Roman silver and gold ever found in Britain, and the largest collection of 4th and 5th century coins found anywhere within the bounds of the former Roman Empire
1997: Pro-democracy Chinese dissident Wei Jingsheng released from prison after 18 years, for health reasons.