Features Association news Community
CGA Newsletter – Here’s what’s happening in Canada’s glass associations

We are trying to “activate” the association with certain issues as our driving force.

Canadian Glass Association
We are trying to “activate” the association with certain issues as our driving force. One idea is to gauge interest within the national glazing community to work with the Canadian General Standards Board and re-write the CAN/CGSB 12.20 structural standards for architectural glass.  We need feedback from our provincial member associations to see if there’s interest in embarking on this long-term mission. Please email David Langton (dlangton@compglass.com) or Zana Gordon (zgordon@fen-bc.org) with your feedback, suggestions or other ideas.

Fenestration Association of BC
FenBC has been busy working on the program for the FenBC Industry Conference 2019 on October 23. Check out the fen-bc.org website for more details. FenBC is holding members-only meetings again. These meetings will be specific to each industry and be for members of FenBC only. Industry-specific speakers will be invited to attend.  Save these dates:  Jan. 16, FenBC Commercial Contractors Meeting; March 19, FenBC Suppliers Meeting;  April 16, FenBC Manufacturers/Fabricators Meeting. All these meetings will be held at Northview Golf Course in Surrey.  Feb. 27 is FenBC’S Technical Conference and AGM with a program to come soon. May 21 will be FenBC’s Annual Golf Tournament. You can find more information about all of these at fen-bc.org.

Provincial Glaziers Association of Alberta
In the wake of the Master Glazier program initiative, the PGAA’s executive is currently collaborating to develop mandates and objectives for the rest of 2019 and beyond. A mission statement for PGAA is in the works and should come to fruition prior to year’s end.  A political action committee meeting was held recently with regard to the harmonization movement for the glazier trade.  A recommendation was tabled by the Canadian Council of the Directors of  Apprenticeship to change our apprenticeship program from a four-year session to a three-year session.  Alberta’s PAC was against the recommendation for a number of reasons including the fact that the current content is already a challenge to fit into four periods and would be extremely difficult to fit into three periods. This would result in removing content from the program (a program that was just recently overhauled and updated over a five-year span from 2012 to 2017 by Alberta’s PAC).  Alberta’s local associations (GAMA and GTA) are thriving with continued support from their members and the volunteers that donate their valuable time and knowledge to board positions, trade shows, school showcases and so on. GAMA held its first annual member appreciation barbeque in August, which despite the weather was a great success. GAMA’s association’s status is currently being overhauled due to some recent information regarding the status of the association at the government of Alberta level. More information to come as the matter unfolds.   

Architectural Glass and Metal Contractors Association
From time to time the AGMCA uses this space to turn the spotlight on its volunteer directors or its member companies. This month, we salute Bill Byers of Transit Glass in Ottawa. Transit Glass & Aluminum was founded in September, 1999, by Bill Byers (president) and Denis Sicard (secretary treasurer). Bill and Denis worked together prior to that at Civic Glass where they carved out their expertise and gained invaluable experience in the glazing industry. Twenty years later the business has grown from the 3,000-square-foot starter shop in the east end of the city where it all began to 9,000 square feet on the west side of Ottawa in Kanata, Ont. A group of experienced and  dedicated staff that tirelessly executes contracts  makes Transit Glass who they are today. Bill began his career in 1984 and spent over 15 years with Civic Glass, starting out in drafting then working up to estimating, project management and management. Denis started in 1981 with Commercial Aluminum in Calgary as a draftsman, then moved back to Ottawa in 1983 where he  worked for Fendor Glass. In 1993, Denis moved on to Civic Glass as a project manager. It was at Civic Glass that a strong relationship was formed with Bill. Today, Transit Glass specializes in glazed curtainwall, aluminum windows and entrances as well as skylights and many other specialized items, such as fire-rated curtainwall and structurally glazed walls. Bill gives back to our industry by volunteering as a board member on the AGMCA and provides us with excellent insight, especially into the issues facing the eastern Ontario marketplace. Bill is also a valuable member of our negotiation committee and his input helped us gain a successful conclusion to our recent contract talks with IUPAT, ensuring labour stability in the province through 2022. Bill can be reached at wbyers@transitglass.com. For more information on our association, please contact us at info@agmca.ca.

Ontario Glass And Metal Association
FALL GOLF: The OGMA held its fall golf tournament at The Country Club on Sept. 12 and as usual a great day was had by all.  At the event, Steve Ringler presented our semi-annual bursary to Michael Snyder, an apprentice working at Gage Aluminum and Glass, for his outstanding achievements at the Finishing Trades Institute during the past term. OGMA president, Andrew Dolphin, presented a $3,000 charitable donation to Shannon Chaplin with the Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital.  This facility is the leading facility in the country for helping children with disabilities.

JOINT OGMA/CSC SEMINAR DAY:  The OGMA are teaming up with the Toronto chapter of Construction Specifications Canada to put on a spectacular program of informative and interesting topics.  The event will be held on Thursday, Nov. 14, at the Richmond Hill Country Club.  To find out what the day is all about please read Frank Fulton’s You Bet Your Glass column in this issue and make sure to attend.

THOROUGHBRED RACE NITE:  Please see your inbox for details or check out OGMA.ca.