After a two-year hiatus, the MCAC Annual National Conference starts back up Sept. 28 to Oct. 1, 2022.

For years, Pier 21 in Halifax, N.S., brought people together from all over the world as an entry point to Canada. In September 2022, this iconic Canadian landmark will once again serve as a welcoming point as MCA Canada prepares to hold its first annual National Conference since Nashville, Tennessee, in 2019.

"Stating it bluntly, it has been far too long since we have all been together," said Tania Johnston, MCA Canada's Chief Executive Officer. "As a national association representing 1,000 members across the country, this annual event is one of the best ways for us to connect with members, network and discuss important industry issues. We are so excited to have this event on the calendar once again, and we can't wait to see everyone in Halifax."

Conference registration will be available at https://conference.mcac.ca.

On April 21, MCA Manitoba and MCA Canada will co-host an event in Winnipeg to explore current industry issues, as well as strategies to mitigate those "mechanical contractor migraines.”

Featuring a great lineup of speakers and topics, the program will look at issues such as labour force demand, supply chain issues, supplementary general conditions in contracts, net zero and the impact on the sector, and the role of collaborative contracting methods.

Open to all MCA Manitoba and MCA Canada members, this event is not to be missed.

Source: HistoryNet.com

1204: The Fourth Crusade sacks Constantinople.
1606: England adopts the Union Jack as its flag.
1877: The first catcher’s mask is used in a baseball game.
1917: The Canadian Corps mops up at Vimy Ridge, after capturing the stronghold April 9. The battle came at a price, with 3,600 Canadians killed and another 7,000 wounded.
1927: The British Cabinet comes out in favor of voting rights for women.
1955: Dr. Jonas Salk’s discovery of a polio vaccine is announced.
1961: Soviet Yuri Alexeyevich Gagarin becomes first man to orbit the Earth.
1963: Police use dogs and cattle prods on peaceful civil rights demonstrators in Birmingham, Alabama.
1966: Emmett Ashford becomes the first African-American major league umpire.
1967: House of Commons recommends making O Canada the national anthem. It will be proclaimed Canada's national anthem on July 1, 1980.
1980: Terry Fox dips his artificial leg into the Atlantic to start his cross-country 'Marathon of Hope'.

MCAC and MCAA both recognize that for small to medium sized member companies, sometimes sending a project manager away for a week or more of off-site training simply isn’t practical. The good news is, there’s an alternative.

The Preparatory Institute for Project Management is designed to provide an accessible, strong foundation in mechanical project management education. Course materials are delivered in weekly 90-minute sessions, without a PM even having to leave their desk.

MCAC is thrilled to announce that through a partnership with MCAA, our Canadian members are welcome into the program.

This 12-week online course covers topics fundamental to successful project management that are applicable regardless of company size. The team of contractor/instructors have a broad range of work experience. Many have spent time in small and medium-sized family-owned businesses. Classes are live – never recorded – and student interaction is a critical component of the program.

This program will provide value whether a member contractor’s operation is small, medium or large. From planning and time management, to scheduling and close-out, the lessons learned are applicable across the board.

Here’s what previous attendees have said about the program:

"The Pre-IPM course was a great course to take. It did a fantastic job of covering common topics/issues that PMs face every day and gave many tools to manage these things as a beginning PM.”

"I love that it was a road map for what it means to be a PM, with a clear path to being successful. PM has always felt like the wild west, fake it till you make it. This class showed me there is a standard. I also am excited to be implementing many of the things I learned.”

Over the past 20 months, Pre-IPM has welcomed students from 300 MCAA member companies from all across the US. The 2022 Pre-IPM courses begin in May, and registration is open now. Space is limited and the registration cut-off date is April 11.

Check out our website for full course details and to reserve your spot.

The MCA Canada Jobsite Journal is a daily log to help track projects, including:

• site conditions,
• weather conditions,
• productivity/time loss and reasons,
• area/work in progress,
• subtrade reports,
• daily report reminders,
• and more.

Daily and Weekly Reports track work site conditions, progress and delays which prevent costly claims. The Daily Reports record work site conditions and progress, while the Weekly Reports detail delays and provide space to give a more specific explanation of that week's progress.

For MCA Canada members, this valuable tool is available for only $11.50.

Cyberattacks continue to dominate news headlines, driven by an overwhelming 148% increase in Ransomware events last year alone.

As cyberattacks become more prolific, related claims follow, meaning we have been able to identify a correlation between certain controls and corresponding cyber incidents. Through this analysis and the continuous examination of relevant data points, the insurance industry has a rich understanding of the technical steps that organizations can take to build their cyber resiliency.

The adoption of certain controls has now become essential for organizations. It is not only a minimum requirement of insurers, but also a key step for companies to help reduce their cyber risk.

New four-part series

In a new series of articles we’ll explore the 12 recommended cybersecurity controls and their characteristics and requirements.

Part one of the series looks at three controls and their importance to cybersecurity:

• Multifactor authentication (MFA) for remote access and privileged or administrator access
• Email filtering and web security
• Secured, encrypted, and tested backupsDownload this article now to receive all four parts of this series over the next month.

Download this article now to receive all four parts of this series over the next month.