Mechanical Piping Plumbing Journal 2008

UP DATES from Alberta O ver the past five years, Alberta’s economic prospects and construction activity levels have surpassed most forecasts. “Certainly the continuing story in 2007 was the record amount of work,” says Ken Gibson, executive director of the Alberta Construction Association (ACA). “The building permit data that’s collected by Statistic Canada shows over the last several years the province set new records in the amount of activity and 2007 was again a record year over 2006.” As a consequence of this continued growth, Alberta’s construction industry faces the ongoing challenge of trying to secure qualified personnel. “The number one issue is going to be workforce development and workforce delivery,” says Neil Tidsbury, president of Construction Labour Relations—Alberta. “I think the increased investment in the training of apprentices and pairing them up with supervision is going to be pretty fundamental.” He adds “mechanical contractors have always done their part in terms of training apprentices.” Despite the record number of registered apprentices in Alberta, both Gibson and Tidsbury concur the province will need to look beyond provincial borders to meet the labour demand. “The work of the Construction Sector Council continues to suggest that given the volume of work, along with the continuing wave of retirement in the various trades (and mechanical trades are no exception), we need to continue to look beyond the borders of Alberta,” says Gibson. He notes there’s been positive development on a number of fronts. For instance, The Mechanical Contractors Association of Canada and its Alberta chapter, worked with Alberta Industry Apprenticeship and Training to ensure the new British Columbia – Alberta Trade, Investment, and Labour Mobility Agreement (TILMA), which comes into full effect April 1, 2009, will allow reciprocal credentialing. The Red Seal will be the standard for trades in which it is applicable. For any non-Red Seal trades, the appropriate B.C. and Alberta governing bodies will ensure common standards are developed and delivered. Even with such agreements in place, contractors will still need to look farther afield. “For cost and philosophical reasons, contractors will look first within Alberta, including sources they haven’t yet tapped,” Tidsbury explains. Then they’ll search throughout Canada and perhaps abroad. That may mean hiring foreign workers. Both the federal and provincial governments have peeled away at the red tape, streamlining the process for employers. For instance, as CALENDAR OF E VENTS General Meeting January 16, 2008 Ramada Edmonton Inn Edmonton, AB MCA Provincial 58th Annual Bonspiel January 31, 2008 Red Deer Curling Club Red Deer, AB General Meeting February 13, 2008 Danish Canadian Club Calgary, AB Combined MCA/ASHRAE March 19, 2008 U of A Faculty Club Edmonton, AB General Meeting April 16, 2008 Danish Canadian Club Calgary, AB MCA Annual Conference Golf/Annual Meeting May 8 – 11, 2008 Jasper Park Lodge Jasper, AB General Meeting May 14, 2008 Ramada Inn/Edmonton Inn Edmonton, AB Lobsterfest May 21, 2008 Al Azhar Temple Calgary, AB Skills Alberta Provincial Competition May 22 & 23, 2008 Round Up Centre Calgary, AB Skills Canada National Competition May 26 & 27, 2008 Round Up Centre Calgary, AB 2008 GOLF EVENTS May 9, 2008 2 pm Jasper Park Lodge Golf Course Jasper, AB (Provincial Conference Registrants Only) May 29, 2008 10:30 am Lethbridge Henderson Lake Golf Club Lethbridge, AB June 11, 2008 12:00 noon Turner Valley Golf & County Club Turner Valley, AB June 25, 2008 12:00 noon Sturgeon Golf & Country Club Edmonton, AB July 3, 2008 1:00 pm Highwood Golf & Country Club High River, AB July 30, 2008 12:00 noon McKenzie Golf Course Calgary, AB Sept 3, 2008 10:00 am Sylvan Lake (Provincial) (Separate notice will be sent for this game) WORLD PLUMBING/MCA CANADA CONFERENCE Sept 26, 2008 12:00 Noon Darcy Ranch in Okotoks, AB Mechanical Contractors Associations of Alberta, B.C., Manitoba & Saskatchewan 2008 21

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Mechanical Piping Plumbing Journal 2008

Mechanical Piping Plumbing Journal 2008 Contents MCA Canada Chairman MCA Alberta MCA British Columbia MCA Manitoba MCA Saskatchewan Alberta British Columbia Saskatchewan Manitoba Demographics & Management Employees Insurance – The Pros & Cons of Subguard® Construction Sector Council Data Richmond Olympic Oval Uses the Ice to Heat Things Up B.C.’s Hydrogen Highway™: The Hydrogen + Fuel Cell Alternative The Manitoba Hydro Tower Project Index to Advertisers

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.