Mechanical Piping Plumbing Journal 2008

UPDATES from Alberta continued a part of the Expedited Labour Market Opinion Pilot Project (EXLMO) to accelerate the application process to hire temporary foreign workers in certain occupations in Alberta and B.C., the federal government created a list of occupations under pressure. As of January 14, 2008, a number of new occupations were added, including mechanical engineers and mechanical engineering technologists. Associations such as MCA Alberta and Canada have lobbied the federal government to add plumbers and sheet metal workers to EXLMO’s list. In addition to the federal projects, the province has also taken on a number of initiatives to improve the process. One emerging issue you’ll hear more about in 2008 is the business practices of some of the employment agencies or brokers who position themselves as a one-stop-shop to hire foreign workers. DON’T STOP THE FLOW OF THINGS! GET TO THE POINT of underground pipe repair! GET TO THE POINT of underground pipe repair! dr while you make sewer repairs. Fernco’s patented NO DIG Pipe Repair System with the 6” - 10” Flow-Thru Packer allows you to make permanent underground sewer pipe repairs from the inside of the pipe. Say good bye to costly and time consuming excavations that interrupt the ﬂow of water and trafﬁc, and hello to Fernco’s PipePatch. CALL TODAY for a FREE video on CD U.S. 1-800-521-1283 • Canada 1-800-265-7518 • www.fernco.com 22 “Employers are trying very hard to do the right thing for temporary workers, but it appears there might be some issues,” cautions Gibson. “Industry is working with the Government of Alberta to develop a guide to assist our member companies in asking the right questions and doing due diligence.” On the safety front, there has been positive movement which will make trades a more attractive career choice. According to Tidsbury, over the last year, there have four decisions— including two arbitration awards, a judicial review of an award by the Court of Queen’s Bench, and a judgment of the Court of Appeal—that endorsed the risk-management approach directed at the safety implications of alcohol and drug use in a hazardous industrial work environment. “Human rights are very important but you have to be able to enjoy them,” Tidsbury quips, adding the recent decisions will ultimately mean a safer work site for contractors. Finally, workers will also find their work sites are becoming increasingly greener. Both Gibson and Tidsbury agree that environmental management will continue to be in the forefront in 2008. “The province is very interested in working with industry to develop sound environmental practices,” says Gibson. “[This] will be the year when we finalize the design for the program and the administration of the program.” He adds that most of the metals that will be impacted out of the mechanical trades already have markets for recycling. “The beauty of having industry design and govern this response is that it will make sure it is affordable, effective and realistic.” And so the continuing epic saga of Alberta’s record amount of activity will continue throughout 2008. “Some folks complain they’re stressed out and it’s tough to manage all this work, but as Albertans we know what it’s like when we don’t have this work. The fact we are in a very vibrant economy is a positive,” concludes Tidsbury. Mechanical Contractors Associations of Alberta, B.C., Manitoba & Saskatchewan 2008 http://www.fernco.com

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

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