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CGA Newsletter: June 2015

The Canadian Glass Association is hosting its Glass Connections Conference June 3 to 4 at the Sheraton in Saskatoon, Sask. At just $220, it is a steal with top-notch speakers and a sold-out exhibitor tabletop show, provided in a condensed two-day format.

Canadian Glass Association
The Canadian Glass Association is hosting its Glass Connections Conference June 3 to 4 at the Sheraton in Saskatoon, Sask. At just $220, it is a steal with top-notch speakers and a sold-out exhibitor tabletop show, provided in a condensed two-day format. Join us on June 3 for the CGA Annual General Meeting and find out what’s new with CGA and participate in the election of officers. Follow that up with A Touch of Saskatchewan Cocktail Party, hosted by PenWest Sales that will allow you to network with both your old friends and new industry peers. The second day of the event is packed with high-quality speakers, continuing education credits and 15 of the industry’s top suppliers as part of our tabletop exhibit.
The CGA Technical Committee is hosting a call for volunteers to serve on the group. We hope you will consider sending one of your technical staff to serve on the Technical Committee and help to bring your expertise to both the regulatory bodies governing codes and to the members of the Canadian Glass Association. If this is something that you would be willing to do for your industry, please contact us at info@canadianglassassociation.com. The first meeting has not yet been scheduled, but will be held via conference call. The chair of the CGA Technical Committee is Brent Harder of Ferguson Corporation.

The CGA has joined the Glass Association of North America’s Glazing Industry Code Committee earlier this year and will have two representatives from its membership serving as voting and alternate representatives on behalf of the organization. The GICC’s mission is to encourage greater knowledge and acceptance of architectural glass, glazing materials, and glazing systems as safe, efficient, effective, and economical construction products among model code and building code organizations and officials, federal, state, and local regulatory agencies, as well as the general public. It also seeks to inform our industry about the activities of these organizations, officials, and agencies. Brent Harder of Ferguson Corporation will serve as the voting representative and Blain Denholm of Alberta Glass, will be the alternate representative. We appreciate their support in volunteering to help CGA better serve the Canadian glass and glazing industry.

Ontario Glass and Metal Association
The Ontario Attorney General has commissioned a review of the Construction Lien Act. The OGMA has approached the commission to present the concerns of our industry to the review panel. The outcome of this review could be the most important piece of legislation in decades and could make a huge difference in your ability to be paid for work.
Congratulations to our inaugural Award of Excellence winners who were honoured at the Top Glass Conference and Exhibits show on April 15. The winners are N45 Architecture for the Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts, and Flynn Canada for the Ryerson University Student Learning Centre.
Congratulations to Ron Knox of Security Mirror, latest recipient of the OGMA Lifetime Achievement Award. Ron grew up in the industry, spent many decades with Joseph Taylor Ltd., and is a former director of the Metro Toronto Glazing Association. Ron was presented with a commemorative glass trophy at the spring golf tournament on May 28.

We’d like to extend a warm welcome to our new OGMA members who have joined since the beginning of the year:

• Barrie Metro Glass
• BG Distribution
• C3 Polymeric
• Harding Glass and Mirror
• RPM Rollformed Metal Products
• Salem Flat Glass and Mirror
• Stadia Industries

Please extend them a greeting at our next event.

Architectural Glass and Metal Contractors Association
As previously shared, Barrie Eon has decided to retire from the association after serving as manager for over 33 years. Tony Menecola of Applewood Glass, president and chairman of the Search Committee, has announced that Dennis Haatvedt has accepted the position of executive director of the AGMCA. Having Dennis at the helm will most definitely provide valuable industry expertise to many aspects of the association’s representation within the unionized sector of our industry. Dennis has clearly demonstrated his longstanding dedication to our association, having served in a myriad of positions within the AGMCA, most importantly as president and chair of the Negotiations Committee. Please join the AGMCA board in welcoming Dennis onboard and wishing Barrie a very happy, healthy and fun-filled retirement!

Provincial Glaziers Association of Alberta
One of our association’s more ambitious initiatives is soon to yield results – that is the Master Glazier program. The first of nine courses, Division 8 Blue Print Reading is scheduled for completion by the end of May. SAIT Polytechnic and the PGAA will be able to offer this course some time after that. Individuals interested in course details can go to the pgaa.ca to sign up. SAIT Polytechnic, our apprenticeship program provider, has 11 glazier apprenticeship classes scheduled this year at the Calgary and Edmonton campuses. As of September, the glazing school will be moving from its current off-campus location back to the main campus.
Alberta Apprenticeship and Industry Training held its annual awards night. Each year the AAIT board identifies apprentices in over fifty trades who scored the highest combined mark during the final period of apprenticeship training for the selection year. This year’s Top Glazier award winner was David Mann from Century Glass in Edmonton.  Alberta trains graduates 20 per cent of the apprentices in Canada. These awards serve to recognize the quality programs we have in Alberta.