Who care's about kitchen cabinet manufacturers? WE DO! We scan - screen - send you relevant information from valid sources to support you and save you time. CKCA's COVID-19 website or get in touch at 613-493-5858 or info@ckca.ca .

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Ready to talk again? Let's do it! Thursday, May 28 at 1pm (EDT) CKCA Roundtable - A National Discussion #2 with guest speaker

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Through CKCA membership, you get access to all CFIB resources. Every week they are producing webinars to answer your most pressing questions. On a federal and provincial level, they are influencing government while representing the interests of independent business in Canada. Listen to most recent May 8 webinar (recorded) Click here. Get CKCA/CFIB membership now

CKCA welcomes special guest speaker Ted Mallett, Chief Economist and Vice-President, CFIB COVID-19 has upended the operations and plans of businesses across the country and around the world. Along with pushing governments for measures to help offset the negative impacts, CFIB has been tracking and monitoring how Canadian businesses are reacting and responding. Ted will provide an overview of the major trends to date and the possible pathways to recovery. CKCA Members Reminder We are conducting our 2020 AGM virtually. Next week you will receive motions to vote on by May 29, 2020. Details to follow.

Welcome CKCA New Member

www.oakbarrel.ca

Glad you could join us Oak Barrel Fine Cabinet and Design Located in Chatham, ON Alana Francis, Sales Manager and her team knew it was the right time to connect with the industry.

Canada re-opens...oh so carefully

‌ How does a debt of $1 trillion this year sound? Canada's Public Budget Officer Yves Giroux says federal debt could hit $1trillion this year. Read article here .

"Canada needs to be ready when the pandemic is behind us because that day will come." 1/2 million small businesses have received a loan through CEBA to help keep businesses afloat. Over 120,000 employers have been approved to receive CEWS for almost 2 million workers. Canada is laying the groundwork for our economic recovery. The key to our collective success is maintaining the connection between the employee and the employer.

"When we open up the province we open up our vulnerability to Covid" - says NB Premier Blaine Higgs. Keep the risk low while we do what we need to in society. We are looking at any and all methods of recovery in our province. Drastically reduce the time it takes to get foreign workers who are in the province looking for work. Even with this announcement, worker shortage still exists, especially in seafood processing and agriculture. A virtual job fare was set up this week in the province 1,833 attended. 51 employer booths were set up representing many industries. Worksafe will be both voluntary (you can call for an inspection), but the Gov't will send out compliance officers to ensure the system is being followed. The goal is not to catch everybody, the goal is for everyone to do what makes sense to protect each other. Check the jobseekers website here. Watch broadcast here . "We are far from out of the woods. We can slowly and steadily open our province" says BC Premier, John Horgan. We have been fighting the virus, we should not be fighting ourselves. State of emergency continues to keep everyone safe. You should not go to work if you are ill. But if you don't have sick days, we need to address this to find a way forward. We need to send a message to every corner of the country. You should not go to work ill, and we should protect you from economic consequences if you make that choice to encourage people to do the right thing. Return to work - This is not the flick of a switch. Work safety will have guidelines, but they're still working on this. People should not believe we are back to normal May 19. Watch broadcast here.

Every Covid-19 webinar will tell you it's ALL about communicating!

And so it begins... This kitchen company promotes "prepping every meal at home - time to renovate your kitchen" (zoom in to read the print). CKCA recent survey asked manufacturers if there would be a surge in kitchen renovations post-Covid? 55% of respondents agreed!

Will you market this idea in the new normal?

A new normal means a strong on-line presence. BDC (Business Development Bank of Canada) created this handy chart in their recent excellent webinar "How to get through this with an on-line strategy" More than a million Canadians lost their jobs so far. Unemployment rate at 7.8% Canadian dollar down to .71 cents (was .75 cents before crisis) - expected to remain low for at least 6 months If on line shopping is still new for your business, this excellent webinar takes a deeper dive into what elements to consider when setting up your on line store presence. Get slides here or you can watch the recorded webinar here .

And speaking of a strong on-line presence- Check out what Denca Cabinets in Calgary is doing! Hashtags on social media are often used and allow people to find content easily. We noticed CKCA Vice-President Heidi Boudreault was sporting a new signature line on her emails and she agreed to let us show inspire you! What hashtags do you most commonly use in your business? Tell us! info@ckca.ca or 63-493-5858

REMEMBER TO PROMOTE THIS! As you build or tweak your on-line presence remember to wave the Canadian flag. Now more than ever consumers want to know where their product comes from. CKCA developed a pamphlet you can use for this or you can create your own using our handy list of "why buy Canadian". Email us today for details or give us a call at 613-493-5858 .

Is plexi-glass your new best friend?

A new kind of box - what's your pivot? At first it seemed like only some companies had to pivot, truth is every business is doing it in some way or other. Toronto restaurants eager to open are looking to expand their patios onto streets to allow for social distancing, currently seeking City permission. A restaurant in Amsterdam got very creative and built small structures for two! Could this become the new norm? With manufacturing returning to Canada, what else can you manufacture? Will diversification make you more resilient in a crisis?

Jim Lawrence, Avondale Kitchens shared more about installing plexi-glass in his shop, what he's learned: I did not realize, but was pleasantly surprised that my plexiglass supplier will bend the plexiglass at 90°. In certain situations he can give additional barriers, and most certainly makes for a very professional look. After some trial and error, we determined that 10 inches off the counter is a good measure to make it not feel so obtrusive.

Hard to see in the above photos, but plexiglass is in place in both the showroom (90° bend) and in the office above the desk 10 inches. Protection without being obtrusive. Congrats Avondale Kitchens!

What does Covid-19 and Mental Health have in common? They can be invisible!

Caring for yourself Caring for others. Caring for your team. Learning modules available for you and your team. Click here for details Click here - MHCC Covid 19 resources

How are you coping? How are your employees coping? Mental Health Commission of Canada has released a number of Covid-19 tools to help you including training for you and your team to manage under these difficult circumstances.

Challenged by the people you serve? Tempers rising in the workplace? Stress a significant feature of life these past 8 weeks? Dr. John Haggie, Nfld Minister of Health talks mental health. "There can not be true health without good mental health." He encourages employers to look at the resources from the Mental Health Commission of Canada. Broadcast here (18:20 into the webinar Dr. Haggie speaks from the experience of staff in his own office about coping with stress.

Who's got your back? CKCA and CFIB do!

Where to get PPE for your business How provinces are opening CEWS and Workshare interact and more...

CFIB May 8 webinar (recorded) here and included the following: More updates when applying for CEWS and CECRA Can a company that applies for the wage subsidy on wages paid to the employees on the workshare program? The answer is yes, CFIB explains further. What to do if an employee is afraid to come back to work. While kitchen cabinet manufacturers have mostly remained open, now other businesses are starting to open. Increased demand for PPE could create a squeeze. Accessing PPE CFIB surveys their membership weekly and their most recent survey showed 40% of companies are worried about accessing PPE for their employees. CFIB has provided a platform to help (uses Facebook) click here Handy list of sellers of PPE click here CKCA members can access ALL CFIB programs and services! CKCA members are CFIB members - Two memberships in one! What you need to know about the 75% wage subsidy - webinar (recorded) here.

There is no "one" plan for re-opening business, it's different province to province Check out the slide below with advice from the May 8 CFIB webinar. Do you have an operational plan with COVID-19? Click here for a template. Notice to visitors - use this sign ready for your customers. Click here for notice. Need help with a letter to your landlord when applying for CECRA rent relief? Click here for letter template. Make your worklife a little easier! All CFIB Covid-19 resources accessible here

A good read with data like this: Have awarded projects, that were scheduled for install 4 months or more from now, been cancelled or put on hold? Proceeding as usual - 25% On hold - 49% Cancelled - 4%

CKCA surveyed the industry and this is what you said is your new norma l This study was designed to give industry colleagues a national perspective. We hope you find it helpful in defining your new business normal. View survey here

CKCA is the voice of the Canadian Kitchen Cabinet Industry Our Vision The Canadian Kitchen Cabinet Association (CKCA) will inspire progress and innovation in the Canadian kitchen manufacturing industry, by promoting excellence, facilitating continuous improvement and working to ensure high standards for design and manufacturing are upheld by members. We will also build strong relationships and enduring trust between CKCA members and the consumers, builders and industry partners whose support ensures the success of our members.

E: info@ckca.ca www.ckca.ca