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CGA Newsletter – April 2017

Glass Connections isn’t just the name of our conference, it’s our motto.

CGA
Glass Connections isn’t just the name of our conference, it’s our motto. Glass Connections is an opportunity to connect with glass and glazing professionals and leaders from across the country. The Canadian Glass Association (CGA) is bringing you to Burnaby, B.C., for this year’s program. Taking place June 7 to 8, what better time to visit the area and what better reason than to attend Glass Connections! The first day sees the CGA having their AGM and elections, followed by an informal reception in the evening where attendees can meet one another in a social atmosphere and where sponsors can show their wares and realize maximum exposure for their sponsorship dollars. The second day is a full day conference with a line-up of stellar presentations that were selected with the current trends and hot topics of the day in mind. These include glazing restorations, fire-rated glazing code updates, solar control and sun shades, passive house window certification and more. Conference registration is now open, and hotel reservations at the Delta are being accepted through May 15. We are seeking sponsors to support the activities of this year’s conference. All levels of sponsorship include a tabletop in the exhibit area. You can view the sponsorship brochure online to see how you can increase your company’s visibility at the event.

PGAA
The PGAA board’s next meeting is our 2017 AGM, to be held March 15 in Red Deer. We are actively seeking a new secretary for the coming year, and will be discussing our Master Glazier Program in depth. The Master Glazier Program’s second course, Doors and Related Hardware is now finished and should be ready to be offered by the end of the first quarter. Two more courses – Specialty Glazing and Structural Glazing – are under development and will be able to be added to our offering in 2017. This will leave us with five more to do in 2018 and beyond. Costs with the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology to complete each course have risen dramatically from our earlier expectations. While our war chest is strong, we will still need to have very strong golf tournaments in 2017 and 2018 to meet our commitments. It is hoped that the program will be fully offered by the end of 2018. We have historically been a non-political association, however we have now joined the Alberta Construction Association as an associate member joining a myriad of industry associations representing the construction industry. This will extend the PGAA voice in issues such as worker’s compensation, occupational health and safety, contracts, prompt payment legislation, other building and industry legislation and other issues affecting our industry.

OGMA
It is with regret that we inform of the passing of Daren Jamieson in February at the far too early age of 54. Daren had worked in the industry in sales since he got his start as the western Ontario sales representative for Guardian Industries in 1993. He worked for a number of glass companies over the course of his career and most recently with Classic Glass. Daren also served as a director on the OGMA board in the late ’90s.

For an update on the Construction Lien Act review, please check out Frank Fulton’s You Bet Your Glass column in this issue.

Professional engineers Sergei Mihhailenko and Les Szcepanski will be presenting an informative seminar on the application of the new “CSA A500-16 Building Guards” standard that will soon be adopted into building codes across Canada governing the use of glass in railings and balustrades. The lunch-and-learn will take place on April 12 at the Richmond Hill Golf Club. The OGMA extends its appreciation to our co-sponsors for this event: Trulite Glass and Aluminum Solutions and Kuraray America.  Please see Frank Fulton’s “You Bet Your Glass” column in the last issue of Glass Canada for information about the new standard.

Come and visit us at the Top Glass show on April 20! The OGMA will have a booth at the show and will be presenting our Awards of Excellence in the lecture theatre.
OGMA members have had nothing but rave reviews for the Pipers Heath Golf Club so we’re going to be holding our spring golf tournament there again on May 25.  Watch out for the flyer and make sure to book early.  It’s always a sell out.

The OGMA fishing derby is back by popular demand. Plan on attending in August? Watch your mail for details.

The OGMA will once again hold our fall tournament at the prestigious Country Club in Woodbridge on Sept. 21.  Mark your calendar now. Details will follow as the date approaches.

In case you missed it, companies had until the end of 2016 to put accessibility policies and procedures in place for the communication of all of your information and your employment practices in accordance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA).  To find out your legal obligations, go to ontario.ca/page/accessibility-laws, then contact Workplace Safety and Prevention Services (WSPS)  to help you put it in place.