Members of the Mechanical Contractors Association of Canada (MCAC) are hereby notified of the:

2021 MCAC Annual General Meeting
12:00-13:30 (Eastern), Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2021
To be held online

Once registered, members will be authenticated and receive an access link and password to attend.

The first in the series of sessions for the exclusive MCAC/CEC Gold Seal and Blue Seal Accredited Project Management Program is this week – Dec. 2.

This highly acclaimed program is once again being offered in partnership with the University of Waterloo. The sessions will be held online again, for two days a week over 10 weeks beginning Thursday, Dec. 2.

This Gold Seal accredited course is designed to:

• improve the planning and controlling of your projects, thereby improving your company’s bottom line,
• take a business view of projects and take ownership of a project from bid to final payment,
• increase your own project “lessons learned” by learning from experiences of other participants,
• be able and willing to contribute improvements to your company’s project management process, and
• be better prepared to take the Gold Seal examination, if you choose.

This will mark the 41st session offered with nearly 900 industry managers graduating from the program.

In response to the extreme rainfall and flooding in British Columbia, the Mechanical Contractors Association of Canada (MCAC) has announced a donation of $10,000 to the Mechanical Contractors Association of British Columbia (MCABC) fundraising efforts, and is encouraging members, if they are able, to consider their own donations to help British Columbians recover.

“The tragic and devastating effects of the severe weather in British Columbia will have a lasting impact on the province and the rest of Canada,” said Dave Holek, president and chair of MCAC. “Our industry has stepped up in the past to help those in need, and these events in B.C. are no exception. We stand beside the people of British Columbia who have been affected by these extreme weather events, and encourage all Canadians to give what they are able to help our fellow Canadians.”

“The extreme rainfall that has impacted our province has demonstrated just how powerful weather events such as these can be,” said Wayne Davidson, incoming president of MCAC and MCA BC representative. “It is great to see our industry and sector step up once again to assist in recovery efforts. I know that British Columbians appreciate the support the province has received from across Canada, and I am proud to represent an industry that has so quickly stepped up to help.”

The Mechanical Contractors Association of British Columbia has created a portal through the Canadian Red Cross, where individuals and firms can make a contribution to this fund and support these fundraising efforts.

Please consider making a donation.

The National Trade Contractors Council of Canada (NTCCC) has spoken out against what it is seeing with increased frequency in the construction industry, where construction contracts and tender packages attempt to download the financial burden of potential COVID-19 outbreaks to the subcontractor.

“These clauses are a clear attempt to transfer an unfair, and in many cases unprovable risk to the subcontractor,” said Sandra Skivsky, chair of the NTCCC. “Beyond their obvious unfair nature, these clauses do nothing more than create an adversarial environment on a construction project; one that is completely counter to the ‘We are all in this together’ mindset.”

While construction contracts are meant to fairly allocate risk on a construction project, clauses that single out and lay blame at the foot of the subcontractor for something outside of their control are strongly opposed by the NTCCC. The council of national trade contractor associations would like to make subcontractors aware of this trend and look for these types of clauses and provisions before signing a contract.

“We would also ask that owners and contractors view these clauses for what they are: unnecessary and unfair,” added Skivsky. “Since the beginning of the pandemic, trade contractors and their workers have been dedicated to working within health and safety protocols related to COVID-19. There is no need to have clauses such as these included in construction contracts."

EllisDon Construction Services is hosting a special information session for contractors, suppliers and vendors to learn more about the federal government’s Contract Security Program (CSP).

Many federal government contracts, including some managed by Defence Construction Canada, now require contractors to meet security clearances.

EllisDon has created this workshop to provide general information on the CSP, reasons for contractors to apply, the types of clearances (organizational and personal) required, a walk through the application process, and a question and answer session.

The session is scheduled for Dec. 10 at 2 p.m. ET, with registration details available online.

If you missed our Nov. 16 webinar on Anatomy of a Ransomware Attack in AEC, don't despair. We’ve uploaded a recording of the session.

Ransomware attacks are on the rise in the AEC industry. In fact, a recent Egnyte study found that AEC customers were twice as likely to suffer a ransomware attack as the cross-industry average. Now is the time to protect your data and your company.

Check out the recording here.

Source: HistoryNet.com

1618: First recorded sighting of a comet by Europeans in Canada. The Great Comet of 1618 was visible for seven weeks.
1782: The British sign a preliminary agreement in Paris, recognizing American independence.
1838: Mexico declares war on France.
1900: Oscar Wilde dies in a Paris hotel room after saying of the room's wallpaper: "One of us had to go."
1950: President Truman declares that the United States will use the A-bomb to get peace in Korea.
1964: John Diefenbaker launches a filibuster to try to prevent the introduction of a new Canadian flag.
1974: Pioneer II sends photos back to NASA as it nears Jupiter.
1982: Thriller, Michael Jackson's second solo album, released; the album became the best-selling album in history.
1993: Maureen McTeer's Royal Commission on Reproductive Technologies issues its final report; calls for ban on cloning and on sale of fetal tissue.
2004: On the game show Jeopardy!, contestant Ken Jennings loses after 74 consecutive victories. It is the longest winning streak in game-show history, earning him a total of over $3 million.
2005: John Sentamu becomes Archbishop of York, making him the Church of England's first black archbishop.