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While most parts of Canada are wondering if it will be a white or a green Christmas this year, Santa is busy making his list, checking it twice, and noting who has been naughty or nice. In past years, Winter has been the time of year in which the electricity industry demonstrates its professionalism and dedication to providing Canadians with reliable power by stepping up in tough times and bad weather. 

Winding down 2015, the staff and Board at Electricity Human Resources Canada would like to wish you and your families a very happy and safe Christmas holiday season and we hope you get to enjoy a little more downtime. As we move into 2016 we look forward to working with you on the issues you would like to see us address on your behalf.

Congratulations to our Award Recipients!

EHRC celebrated its 10 th anniversary in style on December 9 th at St Andrew's Club in Toronto. With over 100 participants from across the country, EHRC were delighted to recognize Don MacKinnon, President of the Power Workers' Union as this year's Leader of the Year.

Other award recipients included Hydro One and Emera Newfoundland Labrador (joint winners of the Diversity and Inclusion award), Georgian College (Innovative Practices in HR - Education or Training Institution award), and April Curry of Powerstream, winner of the Emerging Leader award.

Keynote speaker Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Energy, Bob Delaney MPP spoke to the role the electricity workforce plays in ensuring that the Canadian electricity system is reliable, secure and safe, while keynote speaker Cathy Sprague, Vice President of HR at Bruce Power spoke of the Bruce Power Refurbishment and the strategies they have in place to ensure they have qualified, competent, and available staff to execute on the project.

 
(from left to right) Michelle Branigan, CEO EHRC, Don MacKinnon, Power Workers' Union, Bob Delaney, MPP and Parliamentary Assistant Ministry of Energy, Norm Fraser, COO, Hydro Ottawa, EHRC Chair
 

Cathy Sprague, VP Human Resources, Bruce Power

A special t hank you to our sponsors for their support:




To see a video clip of the event, click here (courtesy of EB Magazine's Anthony Capkun).

For more photos of the event, click here.


Manitoba Hydro names Kelvin Shepherd as new president, CEO  

Congratulations to Kelvin Shepard who became the Crown utility's new president and CEO effective Dec 7th. T he appointment, made on the recommendation of the Manitoba Hydro Electric Board, was announced Thursday by Premier Greg Selling. Selling commented that "Shepherd is a proven leader with a track record of successfully managing major projects, and I am confident he will be a great asset to Manitoba Hydro as it continues its plan to grow and develop new opportunities to deliver economic benefit to and value for Manitobans."
CCDA Harmonization Initiative - Improving Labour Mobility for Apprentices

The Canadian Council of Directors of Apprenticeship (CCDA) launched the Harmonization Initiative in 2013 to substantively align apprenticeship systems across Canada by making training requirements more consistent in the Red Seal trades. Harmonization aims to improve the mobility of apprentices, support an increase in their completion rates and enable employers to access a larger pool of apprentices.  Moving forward the CCDA has announced phase 2 of the project, with the following 8 trades, aiming for implementation of harmonized training in most jurisdictions by September 2017.
  • Automotive Service Technician
  • Truck and Transport Mechanic
  • Agricultural Equipment Technician
  • Construction Electrician
  • Industrial Electrician
  • Industrial Mechanic (Millwright)
  • Plumber
  • Steamfitter/Pipefitter
To learn more click here: http://www.red-seal.ca/w.2lc.4m.2-eng.html


EHRC CEO is Women in Renewable Energy's (WiRE) Woman of the Year

EHRC was delighted to see our own CEO Michelle Branigan receive WiRE's Woman of the Year award at APPROs'  27th Annual Canadian Power conference in Toronto on November 17th.  The WiRE Women of Distinction Awards recognize and celebrate professional women working in the energy sector who go above and beyond business-as-usual, consistently demonstrate outstanding leadership, and have contributed significantly to the expansion and improvement of the power sector. WiRE presents three Women of Distinction Awards annually: Wind Power, Solar Power and Woman of the Year.

Congratulations to Wind Power Woman of Distinction Terry Kwas of Transalta and Solar Power Woman of Distinction Winner Michelle Chislett of SunEdison.

Collaboration & Knowledge Sharing Across Borders

On November 4th, EHRC CEO M.Branigan met  with officials and academics from Mexico to help identify areas of collaboration (e.g. MOUs) between Canadian and Mexican agencies and institutions involved in the energy sector (onshore,offshore, and human resources). Organized in collaboration by Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan) and the Mexican Secretariat of Energy, the group included high level officials from  the Secretariat of Energy, Pemex, Electric Federal Commission and representatives of main universities who were keen to learn how Canadian utilities are addressing their workforce challenges.  
 



EHRC in the News

EHRC's CEO M. Branigan was interviewed for the Ryerson University Centre for Urban Energy newsletter) on how to enter the industry  http://bit.ly/1P94Zr9

Smart Meters: From Future Shock to Future Ready


Written by Norm Fraser, COO, Hydro Ottawa, EHRC Chair

Edison believed the "value of an idea lies in the using of it." At Hydro Ottawa, the initial thought was smart meters were a good idea simply because of promised future cost savings. But just how much value this new technology ultimately would bring to the utility and its customers turned out to be a huge surprise.

To Read Norm Fraser's full article, visit Transmission and Distribution World.
Articles of Interest
  • Succession Planning: More than 17.9 million people are in full-time employment in Canada. Approximately 48% are Baby boomers who will retire in the next eight years, creating a talent shortage that is unparalleled in our history and in other developed nations around the world. At the current rate, by 2050 the global population of those 60 years and older will exceed the number of young (less than 15-years-old) people for the first time in history. Read more:
     
     
  • Gen X women are the "forgotten middle child" in the workplace, sandwiched between the baby boomers and millennials. Each is twice as large as the gen X workforce, and often twice as vocal about their achievements. Read more:
     
Membership
 
Are you an EHRC Member? If not, we want you to be! Join EHRC by becoming a member and you will contribute to this mission and engage with like-minded peers. When you become a member, you are investing in the future of Canada`s electricity labour force economy. Our mission is achieved through the hard work and dedication of professional staff who work in partnership with industry stakeholders to develop and communicate practical workforce development strategies 

http://electricityhr.ca/become-a-member/

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Contact Us

2197 Riverside Drive  4th Floor, Suite 405 
Ottawa, ON  K1H 7X3
Phone: (613) 235-5540
Fax: (613) 235-6922

 

Upcoming Industry Events
 
The Energy Council of Canadawill host its second Canadian Energy Industry: Updates and Insights event in Ottawa on February 2, 2016.  

This event is designed to provide a forum for the Ottawa energy community to learn about the latest developments in the energy sector, and to hear perspectives on the issues affecting the industry.  

The focus this year will be on the supply side, including oil and gas production, electricity generation, transportation and transmission, and energy storage.  EHRC CEO Michelle Branigan will participate is a panelist. More details will be announced in the coming weeks.  

To learn more about the ECC visit  http://www.energy.ca/