As a direct result of the joint efforts by MCA Alberta, CIPH, the Canadian Hydronics Council, and NRCAN, Alberta MLA Dr. Bob Turner has issued the following statement on behalf of Alberta Municipal Affairs:

"In the interests of maximizing energy efficiency by way of insulation, a requirement was

developed in the National Building Code for houses and small buildings that requires
additional insulation below the concrete slab of any new home that has radiant heating
installed in the slab," says Dr. Bob Turner, MLA Edmonton-Whitemud.

Continue reading full article.

Join us for a 9:00 a.m. shot gun start at the Hamptons Golf Club. This year, we have a different format for this tournament: h oles 1-9, best ball, 10-18 scramble and teams of two.

This will be a membership drive tournament so bring a potential member (non-MCA member) and receive a buy three to get one free pricing! This i ncludes green fees, golf cart, driving range, as well as practice facility, drink and hotdog, dinner and prizes.

Call the office for any questions. Register now!

Honouring Calgary's MCA Old Timers. 

You want to get there!  Save the date .

In the last issue of Connections, MCA ran an article about our member company Anderson Plumbing, who's owners have donated more than 802 times to Canadian Blood Services. They challenged all of MCA to get involved and participate in this great program. 

To meet this challenge, MCA has become a partner for life with Canadian Blood Services. The first step is for the office staff to donate, which we will be doing on July 24.  To help us grow the challenge, we invite you, all of the MCA membership, to raise awareness in your companies, with your families and staff, so we can all make a difference and help save a life!

Read more here.

This is your official invitation to the 2018 CIFD/House boat trip. For those of you who have been on it, not much explanation is required. For those who haven't, here's a rundown. 

Click here for all information.

MCA Alberta participated in Skills Canada held in Edmonton in early June. Approximately 6,000 youth went through the trade show floors! A huge thank you to all the members who volunteered at the try-a-trade booth and helped engage future plumbers by joining pipes into hula hoops. 

Congratulations to the skills plumbing competition winners: Jon Connors from New Brunswick, Brendan Ashworth from Nova Scotia and David Duarte from Ontario. For steamfitter/pipefitter, the winners were: Jesse Carlson from Alberta, Justin McGrath from New Brunswick and Simon Piticaru from Ontario.

Congratulations to all of the competitors from MCA Alberta.

MCA wrapped up its spring training season with an important course on cannabis awareness and worksite strategies. Considering the upcoming legalization there were many questions. 

The most important points driven home were the need to observe your employees conduct and understanding reasonable suspicion. MCA will continue to offer the stand-alone online course on reasonable suspicion and managing impairment for supervisors.

Please contact [email protected] if you want access to this course.

MCA Gold Standard program hosted the final product specific training of the season on June 26, at Lowes Mechanical Sales Ltd. Service managers, technicians and product specialists came together to share their knowledge and learn about hydronic components. 

Over 95 people were in attendance to enjoy a beef-on-a-bun dinner, listen to guest speaker, Roy Collver, hear about permitting from the City of Calgary, and take part in six hands-on learning stations. Technicians learned about combustion analysis, radiant hydronic panels, how to troubleshoot thermostats, how to connect a wireless hydronic heating system, and serviceability and ease of maintenance on pumps.

Along with the learning, technicians also participated in a boiler challenge that was won by the Hanks Plumbing team.

Thank you to all our sponsors for participating in this great event:

Registration is now open for July webinars - save your space today! Learn about calculating pay for overtime and general holidays, as well as the new averaging agreements. A specialized webinar is also being offered on the unique rules for the construction industry. 

For more information, visit the webinar page.

October 19: Public speaking.

Contact person: Dave Johnson
Address: 3363 Chickadee Drive
City: Edmonton
Postal code: T5S 0K9
Phone number: 780-932-1536
Email: [email protected]

GLP Canada
Contact person: Myron Ramage
Address: 15 - 7503 35th Street SE
City: Caglary
Postal code: T2C 1V3
Phone number: 403-243-2792
Email: [email protected]

The provincial government has created a separate account from employer overpayments into the WCB. The WCB is currently legislated to be funded at more than 128 per cent of need. In the past, employer over-payments, in excess of the 128 per cent, were returned to employers at the end of the year. The excess funding can be between $250 to $500 million annually and has now been assigned to a project based safety programs fund. The WCB is subsequently seeking input on how the proceeds of this fund will be utilized.

Many larger corporations have relied on WCB refunds to top-up their already significant safety programs. They have indicated a separate, application base fund will create another level of bureaucracy that will limit access to these funds and have a negative impact on their safety programs. Smaller companies, like most MCA members, won't have the time or inclination to submit applications to the fund, so in effect, the new fund of employer money will amount to an additional tax.

 

The survey will ask your opinion on how the new excess funding account should be allocated. An appropriate response, for your consideration, may be 80 per cent back to the employer, 20 per cent to safety programs. 

Access the survey here.

Municipalities across Canada are always looking for ways to provide their customers with better service, and in more cost-efficient ways. Cities often identify opportunities in their low-risk inspections, and the City of Calgary, like other municipalities have found success using a verification of compliance document. 

Please read the attached frequently asked questions on the use of a verification of compliance.

On J une 17-19, CIPH held their 2018 Annual Business Conference in Whistler, B.C., where CIPH's President & General Manager Ralph Suppa was recognized for 30 years of dedicated service to the institute. 

Read full article here.

BFI Constructors Ltd. (BFI) is a multi-disciplined construction contractor supplying construction personnel to large industrial and heavy civil construction projects across Canada. BFI has a diversified portfolio in executing projects that include oil refineries, potash and hard-rock mines, power generating stations, pumping stations, electricity transmission lines, petrochemical plants, and oil sands facilities.

Phone: 1.888.485.2704 | Fax: 1.780.485.2704 | Web: www.bficonstructors.com | Email: [email protected]

Statistics Canada has released the most recent numbers for apprenticeship, revealing registration has declined in every province and territory. The numbers have construction industry stakeholders concerned, reiterating the message that significant changes need to be made to fill the looming skills gap. 

"We really need to focus on rebuilding, getting new entrants into apprenticeship programs, into skills training programs. If you look at the membership we have today compared to 25 years ago, it has changed. Canada has changed, and we have to change with the changing times. Women and trades, new Canadians, Indigenous people, underrepresented groups...we need to attract a lot of people if we're going to fill that void we're seeing over the next several years," says Don Arseneault, government relations manager for Canada's Building Trades Unions.

Read the full article here.

MCA Alberta is currently developing a safety education program for mechanical contractors in both the commercial and service sectors. We need your help.

We are looking for common photos of worksites that your employees encounter on a regular basis. Worksites where they are required to make appropriate, on-the-spot safety related decisions. The content of the worksites will remain anonymous and photos will be used for training purposes. Also, please stay tuned for a survey coming regarding safety at your company.

Learn more.

The Government of Alberta is hosting webinars that provide an overview of the requirements for health and safety committees and representatives. A recorded, on-demand version of each webinar is also available.

• Do you need a joint work site health and safety committee or representative on multiple work sites? Click here.
• Joint work site health and safety committees - click here.

The engagement period to provide feedback on youth rules has been extended to July 13, 2018. We want to hear from Albertans on how these changes will ensure the health and safety of young workers.

Please review the proposed light work list and definition of hazardous work on our website. Youth, guardians and employers are encouraged to email their feedback to [email protected].

The intention is to make these changes come into effect September 1, 2018.

The Cannabis Act, which will legalize recreational marijuana use, has received approval by the Senate and is slated to come into force on October 17, 2018. As there will be many workplace implications related to the legalization, MCA will be hosting sessions on helping you to develop your drug and alcohol policy in the fall.

Homewood HealthTM EFAP is pleased to release the July 2018 edition of our Life Lines newsletter, "Concussion Discussion." This newsletter looks at the common mental health challenges of those who experience a concussion or traumatic brain injury (TBI).

All members who have coverage with us and Equitable have access to an EFAP program.  Your EFAP is a professional, confidential and proactive service to support you with a wide range of personal, family and work-related concerns. 

Please read the overview to see how you can benefit.

Looking to change your group insurance or looking to add a group plan for your employees? Give Vicky a call at 403-250-7237 or email [email protected]. She'll be more than happy to give you a quote.

We have a core plan, bronze plan or for 10 employees or more, personalized flexible plans that can easily adjust to your company needs. We care about our members and we take the time to listen and understand what matters most.

MCA Alberta members can look forward to a call from a UniFirst representative to see if they can save you some money on your uniform requirements. 

Click here to preview the UniFirst brochure.