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New developments

The Canadian Window and Door Manufacturers Association (CWDMA)
continues to work hard on behalf of the membership to provide value and
to work with industry stakeholders to raise the bar in all aspects of
the industry.

Win-Door is a pivotal event for those in the fenestration industry. Edgetech I.G. won the James Parker Best Booth award at Win-Door 2009. Andrew Moore of AHI (left) accepted the award on behalf of the company from Jim Parker. AHI is the Edgetech I.G. sales representative for Eastern Canada.

The Canadian Window and Door Manufacturers Association (CWDMA) continues to work hard on behalf of the membership to provide value and to work with industry stakeholders to raise the bar in all aspects of the industry.  The new CSA Certified Fenestration Installation Technician (FIT) program is a great example of this. The CWDMA, in partnership with Natural Resources Canada, CSA and industry stakeholders, have begun the process of developing this new national installation certification program. 

The FIT Scheme Committee, composed of members from across Canada, has met several times to map out the parameters of the program. The goals of developing the CSA Certified Fenestration Installation Technician (FIT) Personnel Certification Program are to provide consistency of application, to improve the overall quality of installation and to enhance consumer confidence in the industry. 

The program will be based on the CSA A440.4 standard and industry best practices. The current focus of the committee is to establish a summary description of the certification program, to determine the number of possible certification levels, to establish what the program prerequisites will be, and to develop a description of what the criteria will ultimately be to consider an installer a Qualified Candidate. The committee is aiming to have the program launched in early 2011.

Although the certification program is of great importance, there are a number of other key initiatives are currently underway at the CWDMA. 

At the request of the membership, the CWDMA submitted a letter to The Hon. J. Flaherty, Minister of Finance, to encourage the government to extend the Home Renovation Tax Credit. The Minister thanked the CWDMA for providing the Association’s views and recommendations for the 2010 budget. An assurance was made that suggestions in the letter of support would be reviewed as the government moves forward with their plans. 

The Canadian Commission on Building and Fire Codes (CCBFC) continues the development of an updated version of the National Energy Code for Buildings (NECB). In 1997 the Model National Energy Code for Buildings was published, but it was never adopted by any of the provinces. This code is for commercial buildings and multi-unit residential buildings.

Jeff Baker, CWDMA technical consultant, is a member of the task group working on building envelope components for the NECB. The task group has been meeting regularly for about 18 months, and is looking at setting U-factor requirements for buildings covered by the NECB for fenestration products. They have opted to allow the building designers to set the requirements for Solar Heat Gain for NECB buildings.

There will be a public review copy of the proposed changes to the NECB available for comment later this year. Once this document becomes available for comment, it will be submitted to the technical committee for review.

The CCBFC has just begun work on the revision to the Model National Energy Code of Canada for Houses (MNECH). The MNECH was originally written in 1997, but was never adopted by the provinces. The CCBFC has refocused the work and will be developing new language to be included in Part 9 (Housing and Small Buildings) to provide energy efficiency requirements for all buildings covered by Part 9 of the building code.

Jeff Baker is also a member of the CCBFC task group formed to develop this new language. The task group met for the first time recently to begin its work, and has an ambitious agenda to complete the new language in 18 months and publish an interim change to the National Building Code by the end of 2012.

Plans are well underway for the CWDMA’s Seminar Series. Due to last year’s success with the webinar series, the association will once again use the web-based seminars as a way to reduce costs for the members while still providing educational value.
Topics will include:

• Door Related Issues
• Window Related Issues
• Energy Star Information
• CSA Fit Personnel Certification Program
• Return on Investment for Green Marketing

More information on dates and registration will be posted on www.cwdma.ca in the near future.

The CWDMA 2010 annual meeting will be held at the beautiful Pillar and Post Resort in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont., June 3-5, 2010.  Plans are underway to present a value added program to the CWDMA membership.  In addition to the Technical and Issues Session and General Session presentations, a Suppliers Showcase and the CWDMA Annual General Meeting will be held. 
The Niagara-on-the-Lake location presents a unique opportunity to explore a wide variety of local attractions and enjoy a game of golf with your CWDMA colleagues. Details will be posted on www.cdwma.ca as they become available.   

The 2010 edition of Win-door North America will be held November 16, 17, 18, 2010 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. Please see www.windoorshow.ca for details.