The Toolbox E-Newsletter

What's Going On

2010 Retailers Wage, Salary & Business Conditions Survey

The WRLA will be offering the Wage, Salary & Business Conditions Survey every 2 years, so the cut off date has been extended until May 14th.

The next Wage, Salary & Business Conditions survey will not be conducted until 2012.

To participate in the please visit: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2010WageSalaryBusinessConditions

All Retail members who complete the survey will receive a free copy of the results ($99 value).

If you have any questions regarding this survey please contact the WRLA office at (204) 957-1077 or email Grace at gmcphillips@wrla.org.

WRLA Membership Renewal

IMPORTANT REMINDER:

Send in your company directory changes and membership fees ASAP in order to be included in the 2010-2011 DIRECTORY.

uThe new WRLA membership year is April 1, 2010 – March 31, 2011. WRLA members and buying groups were sent renewal invoices and papers. Please ensure you return your updates quickly so we can update our records!

uThe WRLA Directory & Product Source Guide will be updated and distributed to members in July 2010.

uThe Western Retail Lumber Association will celebrate its 120th Anniversary in 2010 and will uphold its solid tradition of offering exceptional programs and services to the building supply industry. Membership is extended annually to retail dealers and to the associates and affiliates who serve their needs.

ASSOCIATION GOALS

To provide forums for the exchange of ideas and information on the industry.
To provide timely, relevant and quality programs, services and products to support and enhance the role of the members.
To represent, support and protect the interests of the industry to governments, agencies and to the general public.
To provide fellowship opportunities that enhance member relationships.

To access our online directory visit our website at www.wrla.org
This online directory also lists our NEW members. Pay it a visit!

WRLA Member enquiry
Contact Susan at the WRLA office at 800-661-0253 ext. 0 or slabossiere@wrla.org

Be part of our voice and BUILD CONNECTIONS.

2010/2011 WRLA Bursary & Scholarship Program

WRLA MEMBER BENEFIT

We will mail all WRLA members a poster and application for the bursary and scholarship program. Post it in your lunch room or HR office!

Click HERE to check out our website for criteria and deadlines.

WRLA Golf Tournaments – MARK YOUR CALENDARS

The Terry Yates Memorial Golf Tournament will be held August 24 at The Links at Quarry Oaks, Steinbach, MB. This will be a Texas Scramble tournament with a shotgun start at 11:00 am. Watch our website for upcoming details. Online registration coming soon! Be there or be square.

This will be the fifth year for the WRLA Calgary Classic held September 2 at the Sundre Golf Course just on the outskirts of Calgary. Mike Doyle Jr. from The Home Improvement Warehouse in Calgary will host this popular fund raising tournament. Watch for registration details coming soon.

The season would not be complete without the WRLA Kenosee Golf Tournament held September 15 in Moose Mountain, SK. Get a team together! Watch for registration details coming soon.

Industry News

Ply Gem Canada Wins "Best of the Year – Large Supplier" in 2010 Awards of Excellence in Housing

WHO/WHAT:
Ply Gem Canada, leading manufacturer of windows and doors in the Canadian residential and light-commercial marketplace, was honored on Saturday, April 17 as "Best of the Year – Large Supplier" through the Canadian Home Builders'' Association – Central Alberta (CHBA-CA) 2010 Awards of Excellence in Housing.

The entry is voted on by the membership of the CHBA-CA, which is comprised of builders, developers and retailers. These local housing awards recognize excellence in the residential construction industry within Central Alberta.

WHY:
Every year, the industry honors the best individuals and organizations in outstanding products, elite workmanship, exceptional neighborhoods, and most importantly, superior home building. The 2010 Awards of Excellence were open to all CHBA-Central Alberta Builder Members. This is Ply Gem Canada''s fourth time being honored with this award; previously winning in 2000, 2003 and 2008.

QUOTE:
"Winning this prestigious award is a testament to Ply Gem''s outstanding service, people and commitment to the Central Alberta housing industry," said Gary Elliott, vice president, sales, Ply Gem Canada. "The dedication and work ethic of our Red Deer branch representatives in satisfying customers continues to raise the bar in Central Alberta. Their loyalty has helped us win this award, elevating our standing in this region of the province as a reliable, service-oriented company that stands behind its selection of products."

RONA to End Sales of Toilets with Tanks Over 6 Litres

RONA Inc., the largest Canadian distributor and retailer of hardware, renovation and gardening products, announced today that it will stop selling conventional toilets with tanks over 6 litres in volume. Given the water savings achieved and the technological advances in efficiency with toilets of 6 litres or less, RONA believes that toilets with tanks over 6 litres no longer represent an ecological option. This initiative is another reflection of RONA''s concern to provide responsible consumption options for its customers, including saving drinking water.

Tips for Responsible Water Use
"According to Environment Canada, Canadians consume over 300 litres of potable water per day, nearly a third of which goes into toilets. By using toilets that hold less water, our consumers will help safeguard millions of litres of this precious natural resource," said RONA executive vice president of merchandising Normand Dumont. "For RONA, ending sales of toilets over 6 litres is a way of supporting our customers in their efforts to adopt responsible practices for a sustainable community."
By completely ending sales of toilets over 6 litres in volume, RONA is encouraging its customers to save potable water by opting for eco-responsible products and habits.

1. Smaller toilet tanks
By installing a toilet with a 6-litre tank, Canadians can reduce their water needs for that use by 50% to 70% per year, on average. Customers who choose a toilet that carries a maximum performance (MaP) rating will have a guarantee that the toilet will be more efficient than an old model with a larger tank. As of today, all stores in the RONA network will offer models from three categories of conventional toilets:

1. Toilets with flush volumes of 6 litres
2. Double flush toilets (4/6 litres)
3. Toilets with flush volumes of 4.8 litres

The use of dye tablets to detect leaks is another effective way to prevent water waste and damage from water leakage.

2. Low-flow showerheads and aerated faucets
By installing a low-flow showerhead, Canadians can reduce their water needs for that use by nearly 30% and save almost 15% on their average electricity consumption for hot water heating. Use of aerators on faucets will also help maintain water pressure at a comfortable level. RONA also encourages its customers to carefully check the joints in their bathroom and kitchen fittings and change them if any leaks, however small, are detected.

3. Rainwater recovery
Installing a rainwater recovery system makes it possible to stock up on water that can be used to water plants, wash the car and fill the birdbath or even the swimming pool. With a recovery tank attached to their gutter and drainpipe system, customers can reduce their consumption of drinking water by not using it for activities that don''t require it.

To choose the right products for saving water, it''s important to do an assessment of your home''s water needs and what can be properly installed. This may depend on the type of dwelling and the materials that the roof is made of. For more information, please visit rona.ca.

Last but not least, some municipalities are also promoting responsible water use, with offers of financial assistance to residents who decide to replace or modernize their sanitary fixtures. Interested consumers can ask their municipality for further information.

More Dealers and Locations in the Atlantic and Ontario for Tim-BR Mart

TIM-BR MART, Canada's leading buying group for independent dealers, is pleased to announce they're growing with the addition of six locations for new and existing dealers in Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and Ontario.

The father/daughter team of Don and Jillian Sexton run Hector Building Supplies out of Stellarton and Pictou, NS, offering a full selection of hardware, lumber and building materials, including kitchens and flooring, to residents of New Glasgow and beyond. In 2010, both stores will become fully branded TIM-BR MART locations.

Run by the Rogers family, Northeast Builders Limited in Durrell, NL, has been in business for 25 years, building homes and providing electrical contracting services for customers from New World Island. Located in northern Newfoundland, Northeast Builders draws from an area that includes towns with a familiar ring: Twillingate and Moreton's Harbour. Over the next few months, this new TIM-BR MART dealer's store will undergo extensive exterior and interior renovations to become ''Northeast TIM-BR MART''.

Burton's Hardware and Building Supplies Ltd. in Robert's Arm, NL, (also a northern Newfoundland locale) have joined TIM-BR MART with an eye to expand their business and offer more of their current line of hardware, lumber and building materials. Harold Burton and his family, including his son Dean, have been serving customers for over 25 years and built the Burton's reputation as the area's hardware store.

Next month, May 15th will mark the Grand Opening of Springmount TIM-BR MART in Owen Sound, ON. The brand new store will be run by new dealers and father/son team of Dennis and Bryan Hertz. They'll offer homeowners, cottagers and contractors alike a full assortment of hardware and LBM products with a special focus on landscaping, leaning on Bryan''s experience in the industry.

Small, But Important WHMIS Amendment

If you are responsible for doing WHMIS classifications and writing WHMIS-compliant material safety data sheets (MSDSs), you will want to pay particular attention to recent changes made to the Controlled Products Regulations (CPR), which establish the rules for the Canadian Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS). Under the Hazardous Products Act (HPA), the CPR amendment SOR/2010-38, published and coming into force February 23, 2010, addresses some issues related to hazard classification and the information provided on MSDSs.

Highlights include the following:

Previously, the supplier was required to include on the MSDS specific information required by the regulation plus "any other hazard information with respect to the controlled product of which the supplier is aware or ought reasonably to be aware." [CPR subsection 12(11)] A regulatory review concluded that the HPA does not provide the authority for the CPR to say "aware or ought to be reasonably aware". The amended rules now requires the disclosure on the MSDS of "all additional hazard information that is available to the supplier with respect to the controlled product or, if appropriate, a product, material or substance that has similar properties, including any evidence based on established scientific principles."

Amended subsection 33(2) now lists the type of additional scientific evidence the supplier may use to determine if a product, material or substance does or does not meet the criteria for Class D - Poisonous and Infectious Material as follows:

results of other testing for the product, material or substance;
if appropriate, results of other testing of a product, material or substance that has similar properties; or
other evidence based on studies, epidemiological data for the product, material or substance or, if appropriate, a product, material or substance that has similar properties.

With respect to the rules regarding hazard classification, the statement "evaluation and scientific judgment based on test results" [subsection 33(1)] was determined to be too subjective. Suppliers must now use "evidence based on established scientific principles ..." on which to base their classification decisions.
Previously an infectious substance (Division 3 of Class D) was defined as "an organism that has been shown to cause disease in persons or animals or is reasonably believed to cause disease in persons or animals". The definition has been changed to "an organism that has been shown to cause disease or to be a probable cause of disease in persons or animals". [section 64]

The changes to the CPR are intended to clarify the regulations under the legislative authority provided by the HPA and to ensure consistency between the English and French versions of the regulations.

Article courtesy of Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety www.ccohs.ca