October 2014 ● Issue 10 ● Electrical Contractors Association of B.C. 201-3989 Henning Drive, Burnaby, BC, V5C 6N5 | Phone: (604) 294-4123 | Fax: (604) 294-4120 | E-mail: [email protected] | Website: www.eca.bc.ca Current News ...Now You Are Connected! BC Safety Authority Announces 2015 – 2017 Fee Changes New Members Vancouver Island Chapter Update Member Benefits Fall is always a busy time of year for our Chapters and Committees around the province. After a few weeks off for the summer our Chapters are back to business and it is inspiring to see so many new faces helping out with ideas and sharing the work load with other volunteers. One of the best events in the last few weeks was our Open House in Prince George. As you will read in this newsletter we had a sold out event. This was not easily accomplished, but thanks to the dedicated effort from our Chapter Task Force who worked with our office and executed our marketing plan perfectly, it was the biggest event ever for our Central Chapter! This result showed that there is a growing support for our association and after more than 60 years, we continue to thrive and build membership across the province. Growth will continue to be our theme for the winter and spring with similar Open Houses planned on Vancouver Island and central BC. Stay tuned! In addition to growth, ECABC is dedicated to building more value for our members as your voice and advocate. Our training courses and Tech Talks are unique and are created specifically for the electrical trade and are constantly updated to benefit all stakeholders. Our Education and Training Committee invites your input for new ideas and suggestions on what you need to improve your skills. In this Issue... Chairman's Report President's Message As members of ECABC, your company and all workers can take advantage of selected discounts and benefits from a list of suppliers. All you need to do is register names with our office and you have exclusive access online. There is no charge for this service. Central Chapter Update 2014 VRCA Annual Awards of Excellence Vancouver Chapter Update A Stroll Down Memory Lane 2014 Innovative and Sustainable Electrical Energy Conference Upcoming ECABC Training Courses I look forward to seeing you at one of our many events in the next few weeks. Best regards, Sparky's Shorts The ECABC's Mission is to strengthen and promote the Electrical Contracting Industry. Our SIX Core Values: Safety - Education - Integrity - Respect Team Work - Quality of Life Deborah Cahill ECABC President PAGE 02 ECABC CURRENT NEWS ...Now You Are Connected! Chairman’s Report: Mike Crucil It’s been a busy few weeks and here are some things we have been working on from the Board level: The NECA 2014 Convention & Trade Show in Chicago, September 27 - 30: The NECA Convention was billed as a “mix of opportunities for education, inspiration, networking, and fun,” and it lived up to all expectations. In fact it was one of the best conferences I have ever attended. ECABC is fortunate to be a part of this association and for the help they give in guiding CECA. The convention had many events, for professional development and networking, including a massive trade show where attendees could discover new technology, products and service solutions for the electrical industry. The highlight for me was the guest speakers who included Chris Gardener and Rob O’Neill. Gardener was the keynote speaker at the convention opening. He wrote the book “The Pursuit of Happyness” and his story was portrayed by Will Smith in the Hollywood movie of the same name. Chris was very inspirational in addressing how to overcome obstacles in everyday life while still appreciating the small stuff! Rob O’Neill is a Decorated Military Veteran and Navy Seal. He spoke about a range of topics including making informed decisions and teamwork. One message I took away from his talk was eliminating the words “it can’t be done” from our vocabulary. Rob is a veteran of 400 missions and he learned to never give up! His description of those missions was truly incredible, life-and-death situations. Sure, we all face adversity in business, but nothing like combat or terrorist situations. His experience taught him how to succeed as a team leader and over the years he was cast into some 400 missions and he was lucky to report his unit suffered zero casualties. If he can lead in in those extreme situations, we can lead our companies and projects to success too. The convention also organized some evening social and networking events that were very professionally done and memorable. One function was at The Field Museum of Natural History where we walked through the Museum, met Sue the Dinosaur, while listening to a band, networking with other contractors, and enjoying a glass of wine. The trade show was huge and very informative featuring the newest industry tools, technology and tons of take-away materials. There certainly was a lot to see for my first time at a NECA event! In September we also attended a CECA national meeting in Chicago where we made a presentation giving feedback from our Board to our Canadian association. It was clear that CECA’s Executive will develop a new strategic plan that will better serve us here in BC and other provinces. We will keep you posted on that. We have been working on developing solutions for the problems created by Change Orders. As contractors these create confusion, waste time and cost all stakeholders money. To come up with ideas ECABC is sponsoring a special meeting and workshop with invited engineers and the leading authority on the subject, Dr. Awad Hanna. www.youtube.com/user/ecabcTV Our Task Force is led by Dan Mott and this meeting will take make major steps towards coming up with a fair solution for all parties. Thanks to everyone who has volunteered time on this ground-breaking meeting. I’d like to thank Jason McCormick, Bill Strain, Terry Lange, Morris Lansing and Deborah Cahill who are working on the Dues Task Force. We appreciate all their hours of committed time to reviewing our dues structure and moving into the future. I look forward to seeing you at one of our upcoming events. Good luck and stay safe this fall! Mike Crucil ECABC Chairman PAGE 03 ECABC CURRENT NEWS ...Now You Are Connected! Members’ Benefits: For YOU, Your Company AND All Employees! ECABC Members enjoy a select list of benefits and discounts including… seasonal specials on hotels, office supplies, vehicle sales and leasing, work and safety wear, cell phone accessories and a lot more! For a complete list of benefits and discounts go to: http://eca.bc.ca/pages/benefits_contractors These benefits are available to all ECABC Member Company employees. To take advantage of the discounts, employees must register with Wanda Hickey at ECABC Member Services: [email protected] or call: 604.294.4123. 2014 VRCA Annual Awards of Excellence Each year the Vancouver Regional Construction Association recognizes the province’s best companies, individuals and projects in the construction industry at the VRCA Awards of Excellence gala on October 16, 2014. One of ECABC’s Hall of Famers, Hank Paquin was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award – congratulations Hank! Congratulations Hank Paquin! ECABC Hall of Famer and VRCA's 2014 Lifetime Achievement Award recipient! project management. One Silver Award winner from each category was chosen as the Gold Award winner. The Electrical Contractor award winners are below. For a complete list of winners in all categories go to: http://www.vrca.bc.ca/VRCAAwards/page/2014% Three Silver Award winners were selected in the 20award%20winners.aspx#.VEW0oEvvZg0 Electrical Contracting categories for innovative techniques, new materials and/or exceptional Welcome New ECABC Members! Electrical Contractors - Up to $2 Million: Silver Award Winners: IBEW Union Affiliated Contractors: RS Line Construction Inc. Park Enterprises Inc. Stratford Hall Private School Dilawri Audi Dealership Cargill Dust Mitigation Program Non-IBEW Contractors: Compass Electric Ltd. High Point Electric MDE Enterprises Associates Members: Ouellet Canada Standard Products HD Supply (Brafasco) K.M. Roberts & Assoc. Ltd BlackHawk Energy Saver Corp. The Cat Rental Store Connect-Air International Finning (Canada) Vancouver Vancouver Vancouver Bridge Electric Corp. Anton Electrical Services Inc. Houle Electric Limited Gold Award Winner: Anton Electrical Services Electrical Contractors – Over $2 Million: Silver Award Winners: Surrey Memorial Hospital Critical Care Tower Surrey Houle Electric Limited Surrey Pretrial Services Centre Expansion Surrey Western Pacific Enterprises GP Schneider Electric Solar MicroGrid Lab Burnaby Power Pros Electrical Gold Award Winner: Houle Electric Limited Lifetime Achievement Award: Hank Paquin, Sasco Contractors Ltd. PAGE 04 ECABC CURRENT NEWS ...Now You Are Connected! A Stroll Down Memory Lane… While strolling down memory lane recently it occurred to me that you might be interested in a story about the annual convention in Victoria during the 1970’s, a story which will not appear in the official record. At the time, Ernie Almerling was President, Ross Kinneard was Business Manager (ably assisted by the redoubtable 'Berta') & I was a member of the Executive Committee. As President of the Victoria chapter it fell to me to arrange accommodation, meeting rooms etc. with the Empress Hotel and my wife, Marie, undertook planning a program for the women’s activities. On the second morning Marie held a breakfast for the women while the men attended a seminar in the adjacent salon. As a special treat Marie enlisted the aid of Dennis Chatfield, George Pitman and Bill Morris to serve “Harvey Wallbangers” - a popular cocktail back in the 70’s. Wallbangers include a mix of vodka, orange juice and Galiano liqueur. We heard later the drinks went down so well that the hotel had to make a quick run to the liquor store for more Galiano! As the meal progressed the noise level escalated to a point where our seminar, in the adjacent room, was all but inaudible, much to Ross’s dismay! Eventually the ladies quieted down and staggered off to their respective rooms. The following day one of the contractor’s wives congratulated Marie but asked that prior warning be given for any future events so that she could ‘go into training’! As a side note: Ross was responsible for unifying the local chapters into what became a force in the BC construction industry. Prior to this unification each town had its own independent chapter and bargained with its own IBEW Local. So in a way he was the ‘father’ of today's ECA. Best Regards, Ron Heaps Ron Heaps is former CEO of Glen Valley Electrical Company in Victoria and has sat on numerous ECABC Executive Committees. 2014 Innovative and Sustainable Electrical Energy Conference Sign up and join leading experts in exploring: Alternative energy resources Electrical code development Emerging technologies New market opportunities Wednesday, November 12th 8 am - 1 pm Tickets $45 ($35 early bird) $600 Exhibitor Executive Plaza Hotel & Conference Centre 405 North Road, Coquitlam BC Register at http://www.bcsaelectricalconference2014.eventbrite.ca/ Guest Speakers: Nigel Protter, BC Sustainable Energy Association; Jared Donald, Conergy, Sun Mine Project; Laird Brown, Whistler Blackcomb Solar, Hydro-electric, Energy Efficiency and Energy Management Projects; Ark Tsisserev, Electrical Code Expert, Applied Engineering Specialists Details: • Approximately 200 Electrical Professionals expected • 20 Exhibitor Booths • Full Buffet Breakfast & refreshment break • 4 Expert Speakers • Networking & booth exploration time • Grand Prize draw & registration bags • Tickets $45 ($35 early bird) and $600 Exhibitor PAGE 05 ECABC CURRENT NEWS ...Now You Are Connected! Sparky’s Shorts: • • • If someone shows you their true colors, don’t try to repaint them! What’s your philosophy? Do you want to play it safe and be good or do you want to take a chance and be great? To win, learn the rules of the game and then play better than everyone else. • There is no Wi-Fi in the forest, but I promise you a better connection! BC Safety Authority Announces 2015 – 2017 Fee Changes ECABC met with representatives from the BC Safety Authority this past summer to discuss proposed changes to their fee structure. In a follow up email to ECABC, Frank Do, Leader, Stakeholder Engagement for BCSA announced the following changes. The fees affect the electrical, gas, elevating devices and boiler, pressure vessels and refrigeration technologies. The approved changes take effect on January 12, 2015. • • • • Advertise in this space and on our website. Contact Member Services [email protected] • • An average 3% per annum increase in fees for 2015, 2016 and 2017; Removal of the fee cap on electrical contractor installation permits; A gradual removal of the fee cap for electrical operating permit holders (distributed sites clients only) by 2018; Simplifying the gas fee schedule by combining the fee tables for new residential installations; Gradually introducing a new re-assessment fee structure for elevating devices that fail their final inspection; and Replacing the existing hourly billing process for boiler design registrations with standardized flat fees. For more details on the changes as well as the new fee schedules for the 2015 to 2017 period, visit BDSA’s site at: www.safetyauthority.ca\fee-consult Vancouver Island Chapter Update Kevin Sumpton, Chapter Chair On September 19, 2014 The Vancouver Island Chapter held our Annual Charity Golf Tournament at The Cowichan Golf & Country Club. Again this year it was a sold out event that raised $3,215 for The Multiple Sclerosis Society. Players and guests bought 50/50 tickets and Merciful Mulligans. Thanks to Houle Electric for making a donation to our charity! CONGRATULATIONS ROB WILLIAMS, DALE REID, LEW WILLIAMS & KEVIN JAMES! Congratulations to the winning foursome: Rob Williams, Dale Reid, Lew Williams and Kevin James. Our proximity winners were: Men’s Long Drive: Ben Davies, Ladies’ Long Drive: Mary Canning, Men’s Closest to the Pin: Tyler Carson, Ladies’ Closest to the Pin: Ginny Alger and the Straightest Drive winner was Chris Whalley. Our Team Grand Prize Draw was for one night’s accommodation at The Black Rock Resort in Ucluelet. Congratulations to: Dale Risvold, Morris Lansing, Ian Logan and Roger Dupuis. Upcoming Vancouver Island Events: Chapter Meeting, October 30, 2014 at Oceanfront Suites at Cowichan Bay, and our Annual Christmas Party on Friday November 21, 2014. For complete information and to register online go to: http://eca.bc.ca/pages/events_calendar#id=102&wid=1&cid=669 Special thanks go out to all of our volunteers and our Executive Committee for helping to plan and organize our events. Our Executive Committee Members for 1014 -2015 are: Kevin Sumpton, Mike Crucil, Jim Svenson, Randy Noble, Shaun Henneberry and Ross Richards. PAGE 06 ECABC CURRENT NEWS ...Now You Are Connected! Central Chapter Update Darcy Bryant, Chapter Chair On October 7, 2014 The ECABC’s Central Chapter held its largest event ever. “One of our goals is to build our Chapters “The ECABC has a lot to offer,” adds Crucil. “And throughout the province and I was blown away in order for us to better represent the industry, by the enthusiasm I saw from everyone who we need new members to step up, become attended. The words “what you put in - is what Chapter members and weigh in on the issues we you get out” really resonates with me and you are dealing with now. But membership is very could see the effort everyone put in. The mini- much a give and take relationship. Our members trade show was a big attraction too. We saw have told us that the networking and problem some new products, and the associate members solving opportunities added with tangible who put on the trade booths put out a great benefits, like discounts, training courses and effort and it showed. But the main purpose of the being up to date on technology, code changes… Open House was to show what ECABC can offer, That’s why we see leading companies renew as the industry representative, to new potential their membership in ECABC year after year.” members. I am happy to see the number of new prospects we have to join Central Chapter” Other Central Chapter Notes: The ECABC Central Chapter/MCA 3rd Annual Golf An Open House was held last spring at the Tournament was held on September 11/14 in Vancouver Chapter and resulted in 12 new Prince George. 67 players enjoyed a great day members. The planning and organization of the registered…It was another successful tournament event in Prince George was lead by the ECABC’s raising $1,300 for charity. Our next tournament is The Sandman Inn in Prince George was home to Membership and Communications Committees The 3rd Annual Fluorescent Cup Hockey the Chapter’s Open House and New Technology with a Chapter Task Force. “Our Task Force did Tournament, December 29/14 in Prince George. Trade Show. The event attracted 45 Chapter a terrific job inviting and following up with members and invited guests who saw product potential members and making sure our For more on Chapter Meetings and other events and service displays from Trinity Power, exhibitors were well looked after. Thanks to Nick Milwaukee Electric Tool, Mac’s II Agencies, Eecol Hauff, Doug Engstrom, Roger Pelletier, Allen go to: http://eca.bc.ca/pages/events_calendar#cid=669 Electric, Elec-Tech Sales, Thomas & Betts, UBS Crowe and Wanda Hickey from ECA’s head &wid=1 Industries (Unistrut) and Hilti Canada. office,” said Darcy Bryant. “It was great hearing from our guest speakers too. When you hear Guest speakers for the evening included Central from guys who have helped build our association Chapter Chair Darcy Bryant, ECABC Board of you realize how far we have come as an industry, Director’s Chairman Mike Crucil, Past Chair, and you appreciate the work that the ECABC has Robert Lashin, Hall of Famer Roger Pelletier and done over the past 60 years for contractors, our Associate Member Charles Park. “It was great to workers and our affiliated manufacturers and see such a large attendance,” said Mike Crucil. distributors.” PAGE 07 ECABC CURRENT NEWS ...Now You Are Connected! Upcoming ECABC Training Courses: Members receive discount registration fees for all Education and Training Courses. For more information and to register go to: http://www.eca.bc.ca/pages/events_calendar#cid=669&wid=1 NOVEMBER 13: EPS Electrical Project Supervision Level III – Vancouver NOVEMBER 20: Dr. Awad Hanna: Managing Field Productivity Improve the Bottom Line NOVEMBER 26: Tech Talk: Fire Alarms & Code Requirements for Lighting Controls with Ark Tsisserev and Sunny Ghataurah NOVEMBER 27: Managing Risks Contractually as a Subcontractor, with Lawyer Dan Leduc Arc Flash (ESTS): Online Training 24/7: http://www.ecabctraining.com Vancouver Chapter Update Dan Robertson is new Chapter Chair After over 10 years on the Executive Committee, Graham Trafford stepped down as Chairman of the Vancouver Chapter at the Annual General Meeting held on September 23, 2014. “I was the Vicepresident in 2004 and became the Chapter Chair in January of 2009,” said Trafford. “I first started going to Chapter meetings in the late 90’s and at that time we were lucky to get 8 contractors to attend. Today we are consistently seeing 40 or more people attend our meetings and social events. Increased participation has been the biggest change over the years, thanks to the work of our members who volunteered on our Executive Committees. When I started my tenure as Chapter Chair I focused on the value of membership and I think we have been able to show that to our members, both old and new.” At the AGM in September a new Executive was elected. The incoming Chapter Chair is Dan Robertson and the Vice Chair is Rob Romaniuk. Trafford adds, “I see the Chapter continuing to be strong as the executive under the leadership of Dan and Rob have embraced the vision of providing the members with value that will strengthen and grow their businesses. As a chapter member I will continue to attend meetings and be involved because I believe in ECABC and the core values that our association stands for.” Also joining the Vancouver Chapter Executive are Treasurer Mark Worden and Directors Phil Adams, Rick Friesen, John Arnott and Tony Smith. New Chapter Chair Dan Robertson said, “I look forward to working with a great chapter with such an active executive. We have some topical meeting themes that will be of interest to all contractors and some great social activities starting with our November Iron Chef Challenge. Thanks to Graham who has led our chapter with integrity and passion. We have been lucky to have his strong leadership for the last 10 years. We hope to continue to provide membership value and to build upon the foundation that Graham and the chapter executive has laid.” The Vancouver Chapter Meeting on October 28, 2014 at the Hilton Metrotown featured Ted Simmons, BCIT Chief Instructor for the Electrical Trades Program. His topic was: The Key Changes Contained in the 2015 Canadian Electrical Code. Upcoming Events: There is a special Social Night on November 27 at the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts. “The Iron Chef Challenge” is a fun, hands on cooking event that has ten competing teams to plan and prepare dishes using mystery ingredients. It will be a unique experience, even if you are not a skilled cook! Space is limited – only 60 aprons are available. For complete information and to register for Chapter Meeting & Events, go to: http://eca.bc.ca/pages/events_calendar#id=113&wid=1&cid=669
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