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CGA Newsletter: April 2015

The CGA has organized another Glass Connections Conference, set for June 3 and 4 in Saskatoon, Sask.

Canadian Glass Association
The CGA has organized another Glass Connections Conference, set for June 3 and 4 in Saskatoon, Sask. This one promises to be every bit as successful as the Halifax conference. We are working closely with Wes Penteliuk of Penwest (Saskatoon) and Brent Wihlidal of Glacier Glass (Regina). We have five informative guest speakers and a keynote speaker lined up for this event.

The CGA will be holding it’s AGM in Saskatoon on the afternoon of Wednesday, June 3, where we will be having our elections. The elections are to choose board members for the CGA. It would be ideal to have two board members per regional association. At the first board meeting after the AGM, the board will choose from the board of directors its president, vice-president, treasurer and secretary. I will stay on as past president in order to provide continuity to the new board as it moves forward.

The current members of the CGA board are: Jim Brady,
president, (PGAA); Richard Verdon, vice-president, (APGA); Dennis Haatvedt, treasurer, (AGMCA); Chris Johnson, secretary (PGAA); Angelo Cairo
director, (OGMA); Mike Higgins, director, (APGA).

The CGA will be reaching out to FenBC and the AVFQ asking them to consider rejoining the CGA, and we will ask them to nominate individuals to represent them on the new CGA board. In addition to that, the CGA will reach out to the Glass Dealers Association of Saskatchewan and ask them to nominate individuals to the new CGA Board as well.

 We have reviewed our bylaws and have found that individuals or companies that are interested in joining the CGA do not have to be a part of a regional association to join. However, if you are a part of a regional association that is in membership with the CGA, the dues are $25 per member. If you are not a regional association member, then dues are set at $500.

We will likely be joining the Glazing Industry Codes Committee (GICC), which is a standalone, semi-autonomous committee of GANA. This committee will give the CGA a voice at all regulatory bodies, where codes are being reviewed. This will come at a cost of $2,500 to the CGA, which will necessitate a fees increase from $25 per member (through regional associations) to $50 per member. This increase will not take effect until January 2016.

Ontario Glass and Metal Association
New this year, we want to formally recognize some of the great work done by companies in the architectural glass and metal industry. This is your chance to blow your own horn and show off some of the great projects you’ve done. A full description of the program was sent out to OGMA membaers in January. Don’t be shy. Make sure to get your submission in. The winning project will receive the award at the Top Glass Conference and Exhibits show on April 15 at the International Centre in Mississauga, Ont.

We’re also looking for nominations for contributors to our industry and to our association who you feel have stood out and should be recognized. A request for nominations was sent to OGMA members in January and we would truly appreciate your proposal. The award will be presented at our Spring Golf tournament.

You can mark Thursday, May 28 in your calendar and plan on being at the Piper’s Heath Golf Club. We got nothing but rave reviews from our members last year about the course, the food and the location. The tournament sold out in 2014 so watch for our flyer and get your group booked early.

Provincial Glass Association of Alberta
First off I would like to thank Glass Canada for its support. Having a vehicle to get our message out to our industry peers helps us all.

By the time you read this, the PGAA will have held our annual general meeting in Red Deer, Alta., on March 11. Most of our existing directors will stay for another term with one notable exception. After many years of exceptional record-keeping our treasurer, Dwayne Stolz from Leydens Glass in Red Deer, will be stepping down. Along with Dwayne’s treasurer duties, he has helped organize our very successful PGAA golf tournament every August. As is usually the case with people who recognize the value of being involved in associations such as ours, Dwayne will not be too far away from the action. I would like to welcome our new treasurer, Mei Whyt from Metro Glass Products in Calgary.

 Our annual Certificate of Leadership awards were again successful thanks to the hard work of Jim Cossar from Metro Glass Products in Calgary.

Our provincial Master Glazier Program is moving forward with the Division 8 Blue Print Reading course nearly complete. Thank you to our industry volunteer subject matter experts, Richard Neal from Ferguson Glass (Western), Richard Munro from Evolution Glass and Lee McRae from Griffin Glass. Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) Polytechnic is the facilitator of our MGP. Thanks to SAIT’s expert guidance and support, Alberta will have what we believe is the first Master Glazier Program in North America. Eight more courses to go.

Attracting young people to the glazing trade is an ongoing struggle. The PGAA supports the annual Skills Canada Competition taking place at the Edmonton Expo Centre in Edmonton on May 13 and 14. Several thousand high school students from all over Alberta attend this annual trade expo. Our industry has put together an exciting interactive booth that highlights several aspects of our trade. We had over 500 students attend our booth last year. Thanks to the hard work of Lynn Allan from Capilano Glass, Rick Makepeace from Desa Glass and Joe Millard from Flynn Canada along with 30-plus volunteers, we had a very successful career expo.

Our efforts to attract young people into our trade is reflected in our increased apprenticeship numbers. SAIT’s commitment resulted in a second apprenticeship school in Edmonton a few short years ago. I am pleased to say it is well-established and much appreciated by the 125-plus students who attend the Edmonton campus each year.