Collision Repair 18#3

DREAM BETTER! TOP TIPS FOR SETTING THE RIGHT GOALS FOR YOUR BUSINESS!

PRAIRIE

ACE IN THE

WHOLE

REPAIRER

SAAR’s Tom Bissonnette steps up to save insurer-repairer relations in Saskachewan

Take a trip to Niagara for the 2019 Automotive Conference and Expo!

BRAVING

theFLAMES Former fire chief Ferd Klassen takes command at Niverville Autobody!

PLUS Graham Irving and his team of Yukon-based repairers keep

drivers rolling on Canada’s most treacherous roads; owner Jay Copenance honoured for contributions to the indigenous community; BETAG’s Dave Flockhart breaks through the training noise; and much, much more!

Visit us at collisionrepairmag.com Volume 18, Number 3 l June 2019 l $7.95 l Canada Post Canadian Publications Mail Sales Product Agreement No. 40841632 l 86 John Street, Thornhill, ON L3T 1Y2

CONTENTS

VOLUME 18, ISSUE 3, JUNE 2019

12 ON THE COVER Former Niverville fire chief Ferd Klassen takes a leadership role in the collision repair community.

Ferd Klassen, owner and general manager of Niverville Autobody.

18

DEPARTMENTS PEOPLE ON THE MOVE | 10

A look at the big names in new positions!

REGIONAL | 80

Our coast-to-coast Canadian collision repair coverage!

COO of BETAG Innovation Dave Flockhart on why training matters.

59

ew CCIF director, N Caroline Lacasse, talks about what she has in store for the collision repair community!

RECYCLING | 93

Canadian auto recyclers unite in Mississauga, Ont., for the annual Ontario Auto Recyclers Association Convention and Trade Show!

SPECIAL FEATURES CARRY ON, COPENANCE | 20

Jay Copenance of Copenance Auto Repair Service in the small city of Kenora shares his success with the community!

REPAIRING IN THE GREAT WHITE NORTH | 50

Neither sleet nor snow will prevent the Yukon-based Irving Collision team from doing its duty!

MARKET MAYHEM | 68

Are the buzzards circling over Canada’s auto manufacturing industry?

TAKING IT TO THE TOWN HALL | 88

Tom Bissonnette brings repairers and Saskachewan Government Insurance together to discuss the insurer’s new accreditation system!

64 78

BY THE NUMBERS!

e Canadian collision repair community places bets on Th when tomorrow’s technology will arrive!

STAND UP, SPEAK OUT!

anadian repairers vent their frustrations about C provincial governments!

JUNE 2019 COLLISION REPAIR 5

CONTENTS

EVENTS

20

The team at Copenance Automotive Repair Services (from left): Frederick Wood, Tanya Kelly, Jay Copenace and Aaron Roy.

52

New products make their debut at the PBE Trade Show and Expo in Toronto!

54

Auto dealers and industry leaders head to Niagara Falls for the second annual Automotive Conference and Expo!

56

Team Canada gears up for the 2019 WorldSkills competition at SATA Canada’s training centre in Vaughan, Ont.

50 COLUMNS The team at Irving Collision in Whitehorse.

PUBLISHER’S PAGE | 8

Repairers in paradise.

by Darryl Simmons

52

HEALTH & SAFETY | 32

Issues of isolation.

by Theresa Jachnycky

TRAINING | 37

Remade in Canada.

by Andrew Shepherd

INDUSTRY EDUCATORS | 39

Understanding apprenticeships.

by Ben Hart

ENGINE KNOX | 41 Canada’s PBE team poses at the 25th PBE Trade Show and Exposition.

Staying connected.

by Steve Knox

WHO’S DRIVING | 43

54

Balancing leadership skills.

by Jay Perry

PRAIRIE VIEW | 44

Educating and encouraging youth.

by Chelsea Stebner

THE LAST WORD | 98

Repairers and responsibility.

Marco Battagalin of Consolidated Dealers(left) and NHL All-Star Doug Gilmour at the second annual Automotive Conference and Exposition.

YOUR ONLINE SOURCE Canada’s collision repair information resource. New articles and top news stories daily. Visit collisionrepairmag.com.

6 COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM

by Gideon Scanlon

HAVE YOUR SAY. We welcome your comments on anything you see in Collision Repair magazine. Send your feedback to editor@collisionrepairmag.com.

PUBLISHER’S PAGE

STANDING WATCH AS OEMS AND INSURERS TANGLE OVER AUTO CLAIMS, PRUDENT REPAIRERS SHOULD KEEP A CLOSE EYE

BY DARRYL SIMMONS

W

e all saw it coming: the OEMs battleground. Lines are being drawn already getting more deeply enmeshed and the battle could be epic. On one side will in the collision repair sector. be the OEM and the “replace (with new OEM) So, there really should be no parts versus repair parts”; on the other side will surprise to see this happening. Predictions be the insurers, which like to “repair versus now match reality — and a lot sooner than replace” with OEM/aftermarket/recycled parts. many imagined. Sure, when the luxury badges Still, both sides will have to follow OEM repair dipped their collective toe to test the waters guidelines — you can take that for granted. and found them just fine, the industry accepted But history is written by the victors, so you the premise in an instant. But now Ford, one also can be certain OEMs will have a strong say of the Big Three, is experimenting in the U.S. in their collective destiny as they draft the rules with its ability to handle the first notice of loss of engagement for collision repair processes, and recommendation of training and equipment. a repair facility (a FordI don’t think a clear winner certified shop, of course) will emerge soon. Unlike a The OEM will have at the same time. By the “sudden death” hockey a strong say in its way, Ford is also building final, this process will be and maintaining its own destiny as it drafts the more like one of those long, certification program in drawn-out chess matches the U.S., not one managed rules of engagement between grandmasters.With by a third party. every strike, a feint and then for collision repair I don’t know how you counterstrike. With every feel, but this development move, a temporary advantage processes, training seems a tad premature and is gained, only to fall back a and the equipment maybe just a little more bit during the next round. slippery of a slope than we These certainly are needed to perform anticipated. Actually, I do interesting times. One thing repairs have an inkling about this. is certain: ambition creates Based on a survey Collision destiny — and the players Repair conducted recently, in these two behemoth the majority of survey participants already have industries are as ambitious as they come. experienced repercussions attributed to increased For repairers, flexibility and reactivity will involvement of OEMs in the claims process. be key. As with everything else in this business, Over the past two decades, progressive expecting the status quo to persist will not be repair facilities have accepted their new, an option. All of you, as progressive repairers constantly expanding administrative role as who frequently rethink your approach, this is the time for you to develop a strategy. insurers download these responsibilities.

Regardless, the insurers still maintained For the repairers such as yourself, who control — to the best of their abilities, at least remain on top of your game, there are plenty of — over their customers’ satisfaction. And opportunities.As always, the progressive, strategic despite common perception, they did (and repairers who are well-equipped and well-trained still do) a darn good job of that. With at least will be the real winners.

35 car brands out there, can each OEM build an administrative infrastructure to match the insurers? I have my doubts.

Unless an OEM gets complete buy-in and partners with the insurers, there will be a dust-up and the consumer market will be the

8 COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM

PUBLISHER DARRYL SIMMONS publisher@collisionrepairmag.com ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER OREST TKACZUK orest@mediamatters.ca EDITORIAL DIRECTOR GIDEON SCANLON (905) 370-0101 gideon@mediamatters.ca COPY EDITOR CHARISE ARSCOTT STAFF WRITERS JORDAN ARSENEAULT jordan@mediamatters.ca LINDSEY COOKE lindsey@mediamatters.ca GRAPHIC DESIGNER JILL THACKER jill@mediamatters.ca VP INDUSTRY RELATIONS & ADVERTISING GLORIA MANN (647) 998-5677 advertising@collisionrepairmag.com INTEGRATED BUSINESS SOLUTIONS ELLEN SMITH (416) 312-7446 ellen@mediamatters.ca PUBLISHER’S ASSISTANT LAURA JENSEN (647) 998-5677 laura@mediamatters.ca INDUSTRY RELATIONS ASSISTANT WANJA MANN (647) 998-5677 advertising@collisionrepairmag.com CONTRIBUTORS BEN HART, CHELSEA STEBNER, JAY PERRY, STEVE KNOX, ANDREW SHEPHERD

SUBSCRIPTION One-year $39.95 / Two-year $64.99 Collision Repair™ magazine is published bimonthly, and is dedicated to serving the business interests of the collision repair industry. It is published by Media Matters Inc. Material in Collision Repair™ magazine may not be reproduced in any form without written consent from the publisher. The publisher reserves the right to refuse any advertising and disclaims all responsibilities for claims or statements made by its advertisers or independent columnists. All facts, opinions, statements appearing in this publication are those of the writers and editors themselves, and are in no way to be construed as statements, positions or endorsements by the publisher.

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NEWS

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE LISA SIMPSON - AUTOQUIP AutoQuip Canada announced that Lisa Simpson has joined the company as its office manager. Simpson has more than nine years of experience in administration and,for the past three years, in a finance and managerial role for a commercial services company. During her downtime, Simpson volunteers in her community and enjoys spending time with her husband and two children. Simpson is excited to join the team at AutoQuip and bring her expertise to revamp its finances.

TONY POSAWATZ - RENOVO Renovo, a global autonomous vehicle software company, has elected Tony Posawatz to its board of directors. Posawatz served as the president and CEO of Fisker Automotive and currently is president and CEO of Invictus iCAR, which focuses on automotive-technology company advancement.

Posawatz was formerly the executive in charge of global electric vehicle development and vehicle line director, Chevrolet Volt and General Motors.

Posawatz led his product-development teams to numerous awards for automotive excellence, including both the MotorTrend’s Truck of the Year and Car of the Year honours.

JOSE LUIS VALLS - NISSAN Jose Luis Valls has been named as senior vice-president and vicechairman of Nissan Motor North America. Valls will replace Denis Le Vot effective April 1. Le Vot will move to Paris to take on the role of senior vice-president for the Alliance light commercial vehicle business unit. Nissan’s North American management changes are a part of the company’s focus to deliver its M.O.V.E. to 2022 midterm plan, as well as to strengthen its converged business with partner Alliance Renault.

DAVID KLAN - MAZDA David Klan has been named president and CEO of Mazda Canada.

Klan will succeed Masaharu Kondo, who has been promoted to general manager of global sales and marketing at Mazda Motor Corp. in Japan.

Klan will assume responsibility for Mazda’s business operations in Canada effective April 1, 2019, and will report to Masahiro Moro, Mazda Motor’s senior managing executive officer.

CAROLINE LACASSE - AIA The Automotive Industries Association of Canada has named Caroline Lacasse as the director of the Canadian Collision Industry Forum. Lacasse has been involved in the automotive industry for more than 20 years, focusing on training and organizational development. During her career, she has worked as a collision repair technician and teacher, an I-CAR instructor, university lecturer and training co-ordinator for CSMO-Auto in Quebec. She currently is the chair of the Quebec I-CAR Committee.

ANGELO CARA - MITCHELL Mitchell International has named Angelo Cara as its new solutions specialist, Eastern Canada. Cara brings more than 30 years of successful sales management experience in the auto industry and is driven to develop strong and trusting relationships with customers through exemplary customer service, dedication, support and commitment. “I am pleased and honoured to be one of Mitchell International’s newest team members as solutions specialist for Eastern Canada.”

10 COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM

ON THE COVER

Ferd Klassen, owner and general manager of Niverville Autobody.

LEADING THROUGH THE FLAMES NIVERVILLE HERO WENT FROM SAVING LIVES TO SAVING RURAL REPAIR FACILITIES

BY SUE DICKENS AND LINDSEY COOKE

I

n the summer of 1985, Ferd Klassen began sweeping the floors at a local repair shop in Niverville, Man. It was the high schooler’s first real taste of the collision industry.

Just a few years later, he turned his summer job into a career, fixing cars and learning the tricks of the trade full-time.

“I just loved to see the finished product at the end of the day. [That] was always something that intrigued me,” Klassen says.

Klassen, beyond his full-time job, was taking a leading role in his community by

serving on the Niverville Fire Department — a position that absorbed more of his time as the community experienced a boom.

In total, Klassen served more than a quarter of a century in the department, 17 of them as its chief. In the course of his duties, Klassen faced more than his share of emotional situations and learned that he had a knack for keeping his focus during high-pressure scenarios.

Perhaps those experiences — or his position as a leader in the community — played a role in his decision in 2008 to buy Niverville

12 COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM

Autobody, the business he for which had worked more than two decades.

“Running a business is kind of what I wanted to do and [that idea] was always running in the back of my mind,” he says.

On top Klassen’s work at rescuing people from fires and repairing vehicles, he had also become a family man and the proud father of three daughters.

In fact, the birth of Klassen’s third child was the subject of a small media frenzy in 2012.

While driving his wife, Carisa, to the hospital,

ON THE COVER

she realized she was going into labour faster than either of them had imagined. After an ambulance was delayed, the couple was left with no choice but to deliver the baby in the front seat of their sport utility vehicle.

Luckily for the family, Klassen’s time as a firefighter had left him well prepared. However, although both mother and child were safe, the brush with danger forced Klassen to reconsider his priorities. As a father of three and a business owner, he believed the time had come for him to hang up his firefighting helm in 2014.

After Klassen retired from the department, he redirected his focus toward preparing his growing business for the changes facing his business.

“Our industry is changing so horribly fast.

People are not keeping up,” he says.

Operations at Niverville Autobody has expanded greatly over the course of Klassen’s career. The shop was 3,600 sq. ft. when Klassen purchased it, and he realized it required further expansion. As the owner, he oversaw two expansions: in 2010, 3,750 square feet were added; in 2017, another 4,000 square feet, including a new prep paint shop area featuring a GFS paint booth. “This was just at a time at which the community [began to] experience a lot of growth and we were noticing it,” he says. (The shop is now

three times the original size.)

Klassen didn’t just invest in modernizing the business; he built a team of committed industry professionals and ensured they had access to the training needed to make the most of the business’s new equipment.

“Investing in our business and staff is paramount in being able to repair our customer’s cars and trucks back into a pre-

iverville Autobody repair technician N Dave Simpson.

accident state,” Klassen says. “You can have all the fancy, expensive equipment you want, but if you do not have the staff who have the interest and commitment to learn [that equipment] and use it [correctly], there is no point.”

A few years ago, when Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI), the province’s Crown insurance company, formed a new system of accreditation standards, many bodyshops struggled to meet the new requirements instituted by the MPI. In that context, Klassen’s emphasis on modernization at Niverville Autobody paid off, as the facility had already made most of the necessary investments. On the other hand some competitors had to invest in entirely new equipment and training; others — including many rural repair facilities — closed their doors because the high cost of keeping up proved impossible to bear.

Klassen was moved by the struggles of his fellow business owners and felt compelled to work for the benefit of Manitoba’s collision community as a whole.

“That is why our industry needs to have each other’s back … I am an advocate for the little guy. I coach other shop owners,” he says.“When other shop owners call me with questions or challenges, I try to help as best as I can. Over the years, I have leaned on a lot of smart people and have formed some great relationships along the way across Canada. These people have taken the time for me and my questions. Helping others is the right thing to do. There really Niverville Autobody owner Ferd Klassen expanded his facility by 7,750 square feet.

JUNE 2019 COLLISION REPAIR 13

ON THE COVER

is no need to reinvent the wheel sometimes and no question is a dumb question. I know, because I still ask them all the time.”

To that end, Klassen joined the board of the Automotive Trade Association of Manitoba (ATA), most recently as rural vice president, in order to provide the best support he can for the community of repairers.

Approximately 230 shops in Manitoba are accredited with the MPI, and 140 of those are members of the ATA. Most members are bodyshops that collectively perform 80% of the repairs in the province.

“We would like to see the day that every accredited shop in Manitoba becomes a

member of the ATA,” Klassen. “There are a lot of smart people out there. It only benefits everyone when everyone becomes a part of a solution.

“We are trying to build a strong core with our automotive association,” he adds.“We are about business information exchange and helping shops in Manitoba do proper repairs.”

As part of Klassen’s initiative to make a difference for repairers in the province, he assisted the team negotiating with the MPI regarding the compensation the MPI gives repairers.

To maintain success in an industry that is constantly changing like the weather, Klassen believes repairers have to stay up to date with both OEM procedures and the

“When other shop owners call me with questions or challenges, I try to help as best as I can. Over the years, I have leaned on a lot of smart people and have formed some great relationships along the way across Canada.”

— Ferd Klassen

Niverville Autobody shop is staffed with a 13-person team, made up of long-serving employees.

14 COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM

latest equipment needed to perform them.

That is not, however, what Klassen believes is most important in building a successful business.

Perhaps unsurprising for a man who, for so long, led a team of firefighters into countless situations, Klassen believes the key ingredient to any successful business is having a team you can rely on.

Fortunately for Klassen, Niverville Autobody’s 13-person team is entirely made up of longserving employees whom he trusts implicitly.

“We pride ourselves in our staff, right from the front office to the shop floor, and focus on a family-first environment,” he says.

Niverville Autobody repair technician Henry Falk.

Dennis Rodrigues - Budds’ Collision

KNOWLEDGE. SKILLS. PERFORMANCE.

EFFECTIVE TECHNICAL TRAINING & ADVANCED EQUIPMENT FOR A NEW GENERATION OF ESTIMATORS & TECHNICIANS

I

n the last issue, Collision Repair spoke with four collision professionals who had participated in one of BETAG Innovation’s four-day training sessions.

Held at Flatline’s training facility in Ontario, it included modules in small damage, aluminum, and steel repair.

Immediately after the training course, all four agreed they would be returning to their shops able to carry out more effective, efficient and profitable repairs.

For this issue, we reconnected with these four to see the impact BETAG’s training has had on their day-today activity and performance.

When Mike Davies, a technician at CARSTAR Oakville, returned from the four-day training session, he found his learning had changed the way he would approach even routine repair procedures.“I’ve

always been a repair guy, rather than replace,” Davies said. “But now the process I would take to repairing a quarter panel would be different after having taken these courses.”

Eight weeks later, and Davies has had the chance to try out some of his new techniques — and gauge the advantages they offer. “Since the BETAG training, it’s been a smoother process, I’ve been able to get cars back to the customer faster with a cleaner repair,” Davies says.

Davies is not alone. For one of his fellow participants, Dennis Rodrigues from Budds’ Collision, an industry veteran of 30 years, the lessons learned at the course have already borne fruit. He says the course has given him more confidence and knowledge about how to repair outer panels efficiently - ultimately

betaginnovation.com

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leading to better touch times and lower cycle times.

“I’ve been doing it for 30 years, and it’s definitely reduced the amount of time I would spend on these types of repairs to obtain the same results,” says Rodrigues. “I fixed a brand-new Tesla with the BETAG equipment. It came in with transit damage on the corner panel and the tailgate and using the appropriate equipment it looks brand new again.”.

It isn’t just long-time repairers who gained insights into new approaches during the training session. Jeremy Samlal, a technician at JSR Collision in Pickering, had just finished his Level Two training for his apprenticeship when he spoke to the magazine for the previous issue. In the weeks since, Samlal says his time at the training session opened his eyes to techniques his college training didn’t cover.

For Samlal, the biggest takeaway was learning how efficiently small and large dents can be repaired when

effective training and advanced equipment are used together.

Mike Schmidt, a technician at Myers CARSTAR in Ottawa, agrees. He was enthusiastic about how the training would improve the quality of his repairs and reduce the amount of time spent on them.

Schmidt’s predictions were right.

“Since the training, I have been able to turn over nicer, cleaner work in a timelier fashion,” Schmidt explains.

“I used BETAG’s Starled wide light and soft push tools to remove a small dent on a customer’s vehicle and it ended up adding way more value to the repair. The customer was really happy with the results.”

Most tellingly, the practical benefits gained from the first round of training have given them appetite to learn more, which was summed up by Samlal, saying “I can’t wait to sign up for the second round of training sessions BETAG Innovation has to offer.”

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EXECUTIVE VISION

BETAG INNOVATION COO DAVE FLOCKHART ON TRAINING — AND WHY IT MATTERS

18 COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM

EXECUTIVE VISION

F

or the past seven years, Dave Flockhart has served as the chief operating officer of BETAG Innovation. During his tenure, Flockhart has played a key role in BETAG’s push to enshrine the importance of training to the business’s collision facility’s customers and to the industry at large. Recently, Collision Repair caught up with Flockhart to discuss the importance of training in the industry.

Collision Repair: Why is training so vital to the collision repair industry?

Dave Flockhart: After a collision, it’s critical that the vehicles involved are repaired in the correct manner [and] in accordance with the procedures that the OEM specifies. Training is so important because of the rate at which the new technologies and materials used in car production continue to evolve. Change is happening at a rapid pace, so it’s vital that the knowledge and skills of estimators and technicians keep pace. The only way to do that is through continuous development and training.

CR: What has been the impact of training on collision repair?

DF: The top priority is safe and proper repairs.

But there are also customer satisfaction, productivity and efficiency benefits.

The new technologies and materials used to build cars have created a need to develop and learn new repair techniques. This has taken the collision repair industry time to embrace, but we are now seeing the industry as a whole recognizing the importance of developing the knowledge and skills of their estimators and technicians to do that.

To support this, it’s important to continue to implement skills-based training rather than rely solely on theoretical training.

By way of example, we’ve developed a series of hands-on estimator training programs with a couple of OEMs over the past few years.

[These programs] have focused on vehicle structure, damage analysis and identifying the most appropriate methods for repair. This

has resulted in more accurate estimates, better repair plans and fewer supplements within their networks.

create a significant competitive advantage and realize a compelling return on their training investment.

CR: What are some of the biggest challenges the

CR: How can training become more effective

DF: There is recognition by repairers that estimators and technicians need to continue to develop their knowledge and skills to be able to repair modern vehicles properly. The problem is the time that is required to do that and the associated cost of lost productivity.

We need to innovate to address this. Online learning is part of the answer, but it will never be a substitute for hands-on, practical, skillsbased training.

DF: There's no substitute for practical, handson, skills-based training. The reason that most technicians come into this industry is to fix things using their hands. Their default learning style reflects that. Having more hands-on training is, therefore, a critical component going forward.

We also need to take more of an assessmentbased approach to training. Not every technician or estimator needs to go through every class. If you're starting out in your career, then maybe yes, but otherwise [the training] should be more focused on specific needs. Even experienced technicians and estimators need to be trained on new materials and new repair techniques.

By assessing the knowledge and skills of an estimator or technician before training, it’s possible to identify any gaps and produce a tailored training plan for an individual.

This is not only more impactful, but it is also much more cost-effective and minimizes loss of productivity.

We’ve done this very successfully for a Japanese OEM in Europe, enabling their training program to become more targeted and to focus on developing the specific knowledge and skill sets needed to look after their customers and repair their vehicles properly without requiring everyone to take every class.

industry faces regarding training?

CR: What advice would you give a bodyshop owner looking to maximize the training of their employees?

DF: There is no question about the need for specific technical training as part of the OEM certification process. But alongside this, there is a huge opportunity for bodyshop owners to increase the productivity of their estimators and technicians through training.

More than 60% of work undertaken by repairers is to outer panels and parts. Today’s most successful bodyshops have recognized this, shaping and training their teams to become extremely proficient in this area.

Focusing on developing technicians’ knowledge and skills to straighten these steel and aluminum panels properly and efficiently, rather than just replacing them, presents owners with an opportunity to

at moving forward with the times?

JUNE 2019 COLLISION REPAIR 19

PROFILE OF SUCCESS

From left: Frederick Wood, Tanya Kelly, Jay Copenance and Aaron Roy.

CARRY ON, COPENANCE THE SMALL-CITY SHOP WITH BIG PLANS

The Copenance Automotive Repair Service shop, located in Kenora, Ont.

BY LINDSEY COOKE

J

ay Copenance took a chance when he opened his automotive repair service in Kenora, Ont., slightly more than two years ago.

Copenance began his career in the industry working as a flat-rate technician at the local FCA dealer. But when business began to slow down after new management took over the dealer, he had trouble providing for his family. “Looking back,” he says, “I can say that was the final push for me to venture out on my own.”

He began to devise a foolproof business plan: he would open an automotive repair shop in Kenora, a small city with approximately 15,000 residents that is located near the border between Ontario and Manitoba.

But then the unthinkable happened, Copenance was involved in an unfortunate incident with a table saw that — to quote Copenance —“threw a big wrench into the plan.”

He took more than a year to recover and thus wasn’t in a financially comfortable position to open a shop.

As time went by, he realized he needed to just jump into it with everything he could or not do it at all. He decided to jump.

With slightly less than $10,000, he opened Copenance Automotive Repair Services — and he hasn’t looked back since.

“We decided to take a gamble and just do it. We found a suitable location for our shop and persuaded the property owner to give us

20 COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM

one month of free rent. [Then] we bought a used hoist, purchased some engine oil [and] some cheap overseas tire equipment, and we ran Mitchell Diagnostics on an old laptop.

We basically had an ‘all or nothing” approach and the phone hasn’t stopped ringing since.”

But with success comes challenges. The shop is still experiencing some growing pains, Copenance says: “We’ve quickly run out of room in our shop and, due to the real-estate market in Kenora, there are really no other viable alternatives to where we are located right now.”

Currently, the shop has a team of five and Copenance is thinking of adding another technician in the near future. Even though Copenance has a small team, he says they

PROFILE OF SUCCESS

do more than just fix vehicles; they help people get around.

“Vehicles are a vital means of transportation in Northwestern Ontario, as we lack the infrastructure for cheap and reliable public transportation.We don’t just repair [customers’] cars; we make sure [our customers] can go get groceries, go see their doctors or get to work the following day, and genuinely appreciate the work we put in to keep them going.”

But the business’ location is not only the thing that makes this shop stand out.

Copenance uses social media to engage his customers. In fact, there often is a “giveaway video” posted on Copenance Auto Service’s Facebook page, an feature that has drawn more clientele to his business. “[The Facebook campaign] is really something no one else in the industry is doing locally and we see [that tool] as a great way to engage with our customers,” Copenance says. “We get a lot of first-time customers in the door who say they’ve learned of our shop through our videos, and that’s what drove them stop by!”

The shop has grown in the past couple of years and has been recognized by the city. Copenance Auto Repair Service was

nominated for Kenora’s 2019 Aboriginal Business Award — which is given to a business that has demonstrated a strong, long-term commitment to the community — particularly in supporting employment of Indigenous peoples.

“I feel fairly good,” says Copenance. “I am excited that our business is getting noticed and by how much it has grown!”

As a successful new business, there is one strategy that he has followed since the day he opened the shop on Nov. 1, 2017: ensuring his customers are happy.

“There are many ways to show we care about our customers: greeting them by name as they walk through the door or remembering something they mentioned beforehand [for example],” Copenance explains.“Although they’re customers, they’re considered friends first.”

Owner of Copenance Automotive Repair Services Jay Copenance.

JUNE 2019 COLLISION REPAIR 21

INDUSTRY NEWS CANADIAN FIRST Pfaff Autoworks in Vaughan, Ont., is the first Canadian shop to receive a VeriFacts Quality Medallion.

The VeriFacts VQ program provides independent, third-party verification of repair quality using VeriFacts’ patented technology for unbiased, consistent measurement and reporting.

“This award is very special and recognizes how exceptional the facility is at following Farzam Afshar CEO of VeriFacts Automotive OEM repair procedures,” says Linda Reichhanding the VQ award to Jeff Pabst, art, VeriFacts’ customer support manager. general manager of Pfaff Autoworks.

LYFT OPENS REPAIR SHOPS After opening its first auto repair shop service, Lyft, the ride-sharing service announced late March that it will be opening up more all over the United States.

Collision Repair reached out to the company on the repair shop status in Canada.

“We’ll have more updates on the Lyft Driver Services program for drivers in Canada soon,” a Lyft representative said. With a total of 1.1 million active drivers at the end of 2018, Lyft announced that it would be opening up a number of shops in major cities during the second half of the year.

The company is also offering discounts on things like flat tire fixes, brake work, and oil changes and provide free bank accounts in a bid to attract and retain drivers.

CCIAP EXPANDS IN QUEBEC

BY MERGING WITH CCPQ More than 300 collision shops in the Province of Quebec have registered with the Canadian Collision Industry Accreditation (CCIAP) program after announcing its merger with the Corporation des Carrossiers Professionnels du Quebec (CCPQ) in October of 2018.

The CCIAP uses a collection of standards to accredit collision repair facilities; the standards are contributed by participating OEMs and other stakeholders. The CCIAP is run by and for the Canada’s collision repair industry and managed by AIA Canada, a national not-for-profit association that covers the entire auto aftermarket industry.

PPG reps pose with Pino Chiapetta (centre), president of CHC.

FIRST CANADIAN SHOP TO RECEIVE PPG’S 2018 PLATINUM DISTRIBUTOR OF THE YEAR CHC Paint & Body Shop Supplies in Toronto is the first Canadian shop to be named PPG’s 2018 Platinum Distributor of the Year.

The annual award honours the distributor that demonstrates outstanding performance, loyalty, product knowledge, and customer service and support.

“We at CHC are extremely humbled and honoured to be named the PPG Platinum Distributor of the Year for our performance in 2018,” says Chiappetta. “We continuously strive to stay focused on developing our people, providing the best service to our customers and delivering best-in-class products. Thank you, PPG, for your unwavering trust and loyalty.”

(Turn to page 48 to read more about Chiappetta’s success.)

JUNE 2019 COLLISION REPAIR 23

BUSINESS NEWS ASSURED OPENS MORE SHOPS IN ONTARIO In April, the Boyd Group announced it has acquired a new repair shop, previously operating as Majestic Collision, in Guelph, Ont. Assured Automotive, a subsidiary of Boyd, now operates out of 77 locations across Ontario after the acquisition of the repair shop.

“We are very excited to add this location, which has served the Guelph market well for many years,” says Tony Canade, president of Assured Automotive president Tony Canade.

Assured Automotive. “We look forward to becoming part of the community and the opportunity to provide the friendly service and quality repairs that Assured is known for.

“With this acquisition, Assured now operates nine locations in Southwestern Ontario.

This strengthened presence enables us to better serve our customers and insurance partners. We are pleased to broaden our reach in the province, and we look forward to increasing our footprint in the surrounding markets," says Canade.

THE DAVIS AUTO GROUP AND MILLER GROUP ACQUIRE TWO OF FIX AUTO’S LOCATIONS

Fix Auto Okotoks.

The Davis Auto Group and Miller Group ownership team has acquired Fix Auto’s Okotoks and Nanton facilities in Alberta.

This acquisition brings the partnership’s shop count in Alberta to six.

“We are very excited to have the Davis and the Miller Group ownership team add two more Fix Auto shops to their portfolio,” says Chris Peterson, regional vice-president of Fix Automotive Network for Alberta and Saskatchewan.“They are great operators, with enthusiasm for the industry, our brand and ensuring customers receive high-quality repairs and amazing service.”

TESLA WILL BE KEEPING ITS STORES OPEN AND INCREASING VEHICLE PRICES The announcement Tesla made in February, that it would be shutting down most of its stores to keep up with the affordable price tag on the new Model S was withdrawn in April.

Although the price of another model, the new Model 3, will remain at $35,000, the electric vehicle company has decided to keep most of its stores open and raise the price of its other vehicles by 3%.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

“Over the past two weeks, we have been closely evaluating every single Tesla retail location, and we have decided to keep significantly more stores open than previously announced as we continue to evaluate them over the course of several months,” Tesla stated in a press release.

By keeping most of the stores open, Tesla announced that it also is raising the price of its more expensive variants of the Model 3, as well as models S and X. The 3% hike on the prices of its topend cars is the first increase in prices since the series of job cuts were made over the past year.

MERCEDES-BENZ CERTIFIED Excellence Auto Collision is now certified

by Mercedes-Benz.

A new sign was displayed on the facade of the facility after it became the third shop in Toronto to receive the certification. “It’s so exciting to be the third shop in Toronto to be Mercedes-Benz certified,” says Peter Woo, owner of Excellence Auto Collision.

Woo told Collision Repair he will be opening up another facility in January 2020; that shop will be a collision repair centre for Mercedes-Benz vehicles.

The new facility will comprise 40,000 square feet and stand on two acres, making it one of the largest facilities to be approved

by Mercedes-Benz. The new facility will be located at Midland and Finch in Toronto.

Excellence Auto now covers the Ontario markets in Toronto, Markham and Vaughan with three facilities and more than 85,000 square feet of certified collision repair space.

JUNE 2019 COLLISION REPAIR 25

OEM NEWS HONDA CANADA HITS 50

HONDA RECALL Honda is recalling 83,977 vehicles in Canada because of a potential malfunction of Takata airbags. The airbags’ inflators can explode and send shrapnel into the passenger compartment.

About 1.2 million vehicles in North and Central America are being recalled.

The recall includes Honda and Acura models from as far back as 2001 and as recent as 2010.

Transport Canada states the recall affects only the vehicles that had a Takata airbag inflator installed from 2014 onward during a previous airbag recall or collision repair.

Honda Canada celebrated 50 years in April with a commemorative ceremony at the company’s head office near Toronto.

Among those in attendance at the event were Toshiaki Mikoshiba, chairman and CEO of Honda North America, and Dave Gardner, president and CEO of Honda Canada.

During Honda Canada’s 50-year existence, it sold more than four million vehicles and became the first Japanese automaker to build vehicles in Canada. The ceremony launched a full year of anniversary activities designed to celebrate the milestone with customers, dealers, associates and partners.

Honda Canada has grown substantially since its humble beginnings as a small network of motorcycle and power-equipment dealers. Almost 19,000 associates of the automaker are employed across the country in

manufacturing, sales offices and dealerships.

Honda Canada is a national network of more than 600 auto, motorcycle and powerequipment dealers. The company also is a major Canadian auto manufacturer that builds two models of automobiles, the Honda CR-V and the Honda Civic.

CCC TO ADMINISTER TOYOTA AND LEXUS CERTIFICATION PROGRAMS Toyota Canada has announced that Certified Collision Care (CCC), the Canadian division of Assured Performance Network, will administer and manage the Toyota Certified Collision Centre and Lexus Certified Collision Centre programs.

“The programs will identify, certify and promote dealership and independent facilities as collision repair providers of choice to Toyota and Lexus drivers across Canada,” states a press release from Toyota Canada.

Participation in the Toyota and Lexus Certified Collision Centre programs will be limited in

GM AND UNIFOR REACH AN AGREEMENT General Motors Canada has announced it will be saving 300 jobs and possibly more at its assembly plant in Oshawa as a part of the company’s transition plan.

Last November, GM Canada announced that it would be shutting the plant as part of the company’s strategy to lower carbon emissions and prepare for the future of electric and autonomous cars.

After months of negotiations, Unifor (the autoworkers’ union) and GM Canada finally reached an agreement to transform the assembly plant’s operations into a plant for parts manufacturing and advanced vehicle testing. The OEM plans to invest more than $170 million to institute the transition.

( Left to right) Toshiaki Mikoshiba, chairman and CEO of Honda North America, (right) and Dave Gardner, president and CEO of Honda Canada.

VOLVO PARTS RESTRICTION WILL BE MAKING ITS WAY TO CANADA Volvo Car USA’s announcement that it is restricting sales of its parts to Volvo-certified collision facilities, but the restrictions will not affect the Canadian market — at least, not immediately.

A press release from Volvo states: “Effective March 1, 2019, Volvo Car USA is restricting sales of several highly specialized parts to

26 COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM

each market area, and dealer sponsorship will be a requirement. Existing Toyota and Lexus Certified Collision Centres will join the Certified Collision Care program to maintain their certifications.”

Facilities now certified by CCC and receive Toyota or Lexus Dealer sponsorship will be able to receive OEM-specific credentials without additional cost, but will only be able to receive the certification if they are within market areas that have not reached the regional limit and must also meet additional requirements.

Volvo-certified collision facilities. The motivation for this initiative is to ensure that in the event that one of these parts does need to be replaced, it is replaced by a highly skilled trained professional.”

While collision repair facilities in Canada not currently certified by the Sweden-based OEM will still be able to buy parts from Volvo Car Canada, that situation may not last for long.

According to Daniel Martin,Volvo Car Canada’s director of customer service, the company is looking at applying the same restrictions in Canada later this year or in 2020.

“It’s a matter of ensuring we have trained, certified repairers to perform the proper repairs and provide safety for the customers,” says Martin, adding that Volvo Canada is not ready to implement these restrictions just yet because the program is running a bit behind.

TECHNOLOGY NEWS VOLVO SETS ADDS SAFETY TECHNOLOGY INTO ITS VEHICLES

HOW READY IS CANADA?

Volvo Cars is taking the dangers of speeding into consideration with its new vehicles. As a result, the OEM has included technology that will set a speed limit on its vehicles.

The Care Key technology will allow Volvo buyers to a set a speed limit for themselves, a family member or friends. The technology will be standard on Volvo autos beginning in the 2021 model year.

The Care Key allows Volvo drivers to set limitations on a car’s top speed before lending the car to family members or to younger and inexperienced drivers, such as teenagers who have recently received their driver’s license.

VOLVO’S SOLUTION Distracted driving is one of the most common reasons why people are involved in collisions. Volvo, in an effort to make cars even safer, has released an in-vehicle camera and sensor that will monitor drivers of the OEM’s vehicles to determine if they are impaired or distracted. The camera will keep an eye on the driver to determine if intervention is necessary.

That intervention may involve limiting the car’s speed, alerting Volvo’s on-call assistance service or, as a final course of action, actively slowing down and safely parking the car. The cameras and sensors will interfere only if a driver’s steering input is lacking, the driver’s eyes leave the road and in cases of extreme weaving across lanes or slow reaction times.

Installation of the technology is expected to begin in the early 2020s.

As time goes by, vehicle technology continues to become more and more complex. Lower levels of autonomous cars are also on roads all over the world. This is nothing new.

The question is: how ready is Canada for autonomous vehicles?

KPMG recently released its 2019 autonomous vehicles readiness index, a list of countries that are making the most progress toward a fully autonomous future. The index is based on market and industry research, public surveys and other key data. Countries are rated in 25 measures spread among four sections: policy and legislation, technology and innovation, infrastructure and consumer acceptance.

The Netherlands received the No.1 spot, for a couple of reasons, one being that the country is preparing a drivers license specifically for drivers of autonomous vehicles.

According to KPMG: “[The index] focuses on the extent to which a vehicle can produce safe and predictable automated driving behaviours.”

Canada dropped five spots year-over-year to rank 17th this year.

INTRODUCING TESLA’S MODEL Y After a buildup in anticipation of more than three years, Tesla CEO Elon Musk revealed the company’s new Model Y in March.

The new vehicle will be an SUV-type cross-over, but looks nothing like a typical SUV. The vehicle is similar in size to a typical car, except the Model Y can hold up to seven people.

Musk also revealed that Tesla plans to produce an abundance of this model in the future.

Seventy-five percent of the parts in the Model Y will be the same as those in the Model 3 and, according to Musk, software updates will allow the Model Y to do anything the other vehicles in the Tesla fleet can.

JUNE 2019 COLLISION REPAIR 27

INSURANCE NEWS ICBC BIG CHANGES TAKE EFFECT Auto insurance rates in British Columbia rose by 6.3% as of April 1, 2019.

The increase, which will translate into approximately $60 per customer, was given approval by the B.C. Utilities Commission in January.

The ICBC’s restructured policy also went into effect on April 1. That policy includes: a new benefit of $1,000 for necessary medical supplies and services previously not covered, such as naturopathic treatments, compression stockings and therapy equipment; $740 a week to supplement lost income for customers injured and unable to work (a 147% increase); $280 a week for support around the house,

A JOINT INVESTIGATION A man in Ontario is facing charges for selling fraudulent auto insurance to drivers. The charges stem from a joint investigation conducted by Desjardins Insurance and Aviva Canada.

In mid-2018, Desjardins Insurance learned of allegations of fraudulent activity by Sherif Aly, an Ontario resident not licensed to

such as cooking, cleaning and grocery shopping (a 93% increase); $7,500 to help with funeral costs (a 200% increase); and up to $30,000 in death benefits, to be paid to surviving family members (a 67% increase).

sell auto insurance. Desjardins Insurance reached out to Aviva Canada to collaborate on a ground-breaking joint investigation into this activity. Coincidentally, in October 2018, a separate investigation was launched by the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP).

Both investigations regarding Aly allege that he sold insurance coverage without a license, in

28 COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM

David Eby, B.C.’s attorney general, has long awaited a change in the ICBC’s insurance coverage.

the case of Aviva and Desjardins, and allegedly supplied documentation of fake auto insurance policies for cash, as found by the OPP. Aly was arrested last month and faces two counts of fraud under $5,000, falsification of books and documents, and fraudulent intent.

BELIEVE IT OR NOT BUMPER MADNESS Footage of an angry woman bashing a crashed vehicle with a car bumper has gone viral. The woman was chasing a man in his vehicle, threatening to hit him with a brick and ramming his car until he crashed it. She then took a car bumper and began smashing the vehicle with it, causing a lot of damage to the front. Further damage included the

vehicle’s airbags being deployed, the radiator being completely damaged and an oil leak. Police were called to the scene and the woman was arrested. This wasn’t the man’s family’s first run-in with the woman. The victim’s wife told WELSH 2 News that the family has three restraining orders issued on her prior to the latest incident.

TOYOTA’S TEAR GAS

#SNOWPONY

Toyota has obtained a patent that is sure to scare away carjackers. The patented autonomous system will release tear gas into the car in the event the vehicle is being stolen. The new system is designed to automatically detect who is getting into the vehicle via the person’s mobile device, then dispense that driver’s preferred fragrance. When the driver leaves the car, a deodorizer will turn on to make sure the scent is neutral for whoever climbs aboard the vehicle next.

After a weekend of heavy snowfall, a family in Nebraska decided to spend an afternoon making a snow replica of their 1967 Ford Mustang GTA. They used a skid loader, concrete wood floats, shovels, ice scrapers and a squirt bottle to create the snowy replica of the Mustang, which now is known on social media as the #SnowPony. The snow car was an exact replica, down to the exact measurements of the actual vehicle. Sgt. Mick Downing of the Nebraska State Patrol spotted the snow car and video-recorded himself issuing a

The snow replica of a family’s 1967 Ford Mustang GTA also referred to as #SnowPony.

tow notice to the snow sculpture. Downing did not follow through with the paperwork for the towing notice, saying it would not have held up in court.

KIA’S IMAGINE CONCEPT The text of the documentation accompanying Kia’s new electric vehicle concept car uses words such as “emotion” and “surprise” to describe its features. The biggest surprise for some visitors at the 2019 Geneva International Motor Show were the 21 flat-angled screens that are placed along the car’s dash. Other interior features include a “shockwave” faceted design on the silk and leather seats and a floating centre console, the latter of which creates more storage space beneath it, thus creating a “frunk.”

Motors presented its Imagine by Kia concept Kia at the 2019 Geneva International Motor Show.

MEMBERS ONLY The Home Owners Association (HOA) in Tennessee charged a resident of a condo complex $100 because of the mark her vehicle left in the complex’s parking lot. The incident began on a morning in January following a light snowfall during the previous night and into the morning.

The driver then got into her vehicle and drove to work, as she did on any workday. The next day, she received an email from the HOA that included a photo of the mark her vehicle had left in the parking space. The email stated that she would be fined $100 because her vehicle

had violated one of HOA’s rules: displaying offensive images or slogans. The text of the email read: “Your car, specifically the Honda, left this offensive image on the ground after you left. I believe you will see why we have had [received] complaints about it. One of our residents took the photo and reported it to us out of concern for our younger residents.” The photo shows a peculiar and inappropriate image. As a result of the outline of the vehicle left by the overnight snowfall, an image resembling male genitalia was formed. The woman who drove the car was outraged, saying that the image’s creation

was out of her control and that she wouldn’t pay the fine. Subsequently, the HOA decided not to pursue legal action.

JUNE 2019 COLLISION REPAIR 29

HEALTH & SAFETY

SAFETY WITHOUT NUMBERS? RETHINKING WORKING IN ISOLATION

BY THERESA JACHNYCKY

T

hroughout my career, I never gave working alone or in isolation much thought. In retrospect, I probably sought out such times of solitude to get away from interruptions and other demands that come from working in the presence of others. Personal safety wasn’t of concern to me — even when working in an empty building well past midnight or coming in to work at dawn.

Last year, after being interviewed by the CBC about the discovery of new information into the 3-year disappearance of an area resident1, I realized I made subconscious changes in my routine to reduce the risk of a violence-related incident happening. To better protect myself, I made simple changes, such as moving my vehicle closer to the door before everyone leaves for the day, having my keys ready and checking my surroundings before leaving or entering the business in off-hours.2 What is meant by working alone? Generally speaking, a worker is alone at work (i) when they are on their own for a period of time, (ii) where they do not have direct contact with a co-worker or member of the public or (iii) when they cannot be seen or heard by another person such that assistance would not be readily available to the worker in case of an emergency, injury or ill health. The person working alone may be an employee, self-employed person, contractor or employer. The term “isolated” generally implies working alone in remote locations or a long way from the primary workplace.

Today, working alone is a growing trend for a host of reasons: personal preference,

the gig economy, new startups and the spike in demand for speed and customer convenience that, in turn, is giving rise to extended business hours and on-demand mobile services3 from the likes of Skip the Dishes, GoOil, On Demand Mobile Truck Repair, Custom Car Wash, Fuelster and many other, soon to be invented on-demand services.

For the aftermarket industry, examples of workers who may regularly work alone include receptionists, customer service representatives, estimators, shuttle drivers, car jockeys, technicians and building maintenance personnel, including custodians.

Working alone is often safe when hazards are known and safety measures are followed.

People who work alone face the same hazards in their daily work as other workers, except the potential for harm may be greater for the lone worker. Understanding which hazards are more likely to cause serious consequences and taking action to reduce risk before the person begins working alone protects both employers and workers.

Working alone, in itself, is not against the law, but, under workplace safety legislation, employers have general duties to provide a safe and healthy workplace when lone work is performed. Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Saskatchewan, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Prince Edward Island have specific safety regulations, while Ontario, Quebec and the Yukon have practice guidelines for working alone.4 Canada also has Bill C-455, in which working alone is generally understood to be a hazard and

32 COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM

is protected under the “general duty” clause.

In the aftermarket industry, when may working alone not be a good idea? When the job requires two people, when the chance of serious injury is greater if unsupervised or where exposure to a serious hazard makes working alone especially dangerous by putting the worker at risk of: • Electrocution (hybrid & electric vehicles) • Falling (ladders, lifts) • Burns (welding) • Violence (robbery, assault) • Exposure to extreme heat or cold (paint booth) • Lifting heavy objects (e.g., catalytic converter) Both employers and employees have responsibilities regarding lone or isolated work. Employees are responsible for taking reasonable care of themselves and others affected by their work activities and to co-operate with employers in meeting their obligations under the regulations. Employers, in all Canadian jurisdictions, must confirm: (i) a means of communication is available and maintained in the event of an emergency 6; (ii) a procedure exists for regular check-ins or contact with the lone worker; and (iii) workers are specifically trained in the following: a. to carry out all work activities safely without direct supervision; b. to manage events likely to occur when working alone;

HEALTH & SAFETY

c. to follow procedures to obtain emergency assistance if needed; and d. to follow procedures for establishing regular contact Communication with lone workers requires both regular contact and a means of communicating. With today’s technology, it is much easier to have access to reliable communication systems with mobile phones, two-way radios, panic buttons and many other types of telematics systems now available through cellular, cloud-based solutions or satellite technology. Landlines are also acceptable. It all depends on the degree of risk, practicality and what system both the employer and workers are comfortable with.

A policy and procedure should also be in place. They need to include the conditions in which working alone is permitted, if authorization from a supervisor is required, what activities may be performed and prohibited,

and, for check-ins, if contact is to be by visual or voice contact, how often and with whom a check-in will be made.

Lastly, the employer must provide proof employees have been trained and are capable of safely performing activities alone and enlisting help in emergency situations if required. For example, has the person to work alone received the information and training they need to avoid panic reactions in unusual situations? Does the information outline the risks associated with the work or job, precautions and protective equipment needed to do the job safety and, in the case of an emergency, does the lone worker know what to do?

Working alone practices need not be complicated. An open discussion in the workplace with a “to do/not to do” list, a telephone or other communication device, plus regular monitoring of working alone practice at the business, make up the basics.

After a distinguished career in the not-for-profit sector, Theresa Jachnycky joined the family business in 2014. She has provided executive leadership to small, medium and large corporations, and worked with diverse client populations and professionals in the areas of strategic and operational planning, community development, administration and finance.

She holds a masters degree in health services administration & community medicine from the University of Alberta and a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Manitoba.

RISK FACTORS WHEN WORKING ALONE7 THE LENGTH OF TIME THE PERSON MAY WORK ALONE • How long will the person need to be alone to finish the job?

• What is a reasonable time for the person to be alone?

• Is it reasonable for the person to be alone at all?

• Is it lawful for the person to be alone while carrying out particular work activities? For example, is there a requirement for a person to stand by when certain work is being performed (e.g., confined spaces or automatic lifts)?

COMMUNICATION • What form of communication does the person have access to?

• Will the lone worker hear or see an emergency alert?

• Is voice communication crucial for the lone worker’s safety?

THE NATURE OF THE WORK • What machinery, tools and equipment may be used?

• Is the equipment or machinery maintained so that it is safe to use?

• Is there high-risk activity (e.g., work at heights, work with electricity or work with hazardous substances)?

• Hazardous equipment (e.g., firearms, chainsaws or humansized blenders)?

• Can environmental conditions affect the worker (e.g., extremes in temperature)?

• Is fatigue likely to increase risk?

• Is there increased risk of violence or aggression when workers are alone?

• Is there likely to be work performed in a confined space?

• Is there an effective way of checking that protective clothing/ equipment and emergency equipment in good working order?

• Are there procedures for regular contact when the person is

THE TIME OF DAY WHEN A PERSON MAY BE WORKING ALONE

working alone?

• If the person is working in a locked building, how will emergency services gain access into the building if the person is unable

• Is there increased risk during certain times of day?

to let them in?

JUNE 2019 COLLISION REPAIR 33

HEALTH & SAFETY

COMPETENCIES AND CHARACTERISTICS TO THE PERSON TO BE WORKING ALONE

LOCATION OF THE WORK • How long would the person need to be alone to finish the job?

• Is there anything in the person’s life that places them at risk for working alone?

• Is there anything that could interfere with the person’s ability to contact someone in case of an emergency?

• What is a reasonable time for the person to be alone?

• Is it reasonable for the person to be alone at all?

• Is it lawful for the person to be alone while carrying out particular work activities? For example, is there a requirement for a person

• Are there factors relating to the person’s age that may increase risk?

to stand by when certain work is being performed (e.g. confined

• What is the person’s general behavior and psychological maturity?

spaces or automatic lifts)?

• Are there any pre-existing medical conditions that may increase risk?

• Is the person likely to make sound judgements about his or her own safety?

• Is the person likely to cope in unexpected and/or stressful situations?

• What is the person’s level of training and work experience?

34 COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM

1 cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/thelma-krull-investigation-1.4224195 2 findresumetemplates.com/personal-safety-arriving-early-or-leaving-work-late.html 3 trendhunter.com/slideshow/ondemand-business 4 safetylineloneworker.com/blog/work-alone-legislation-canada/ 5 Bill C-45 is also known as the Westray Bill. For more about employers’ duties under this Bill see “Instilling the Spirit of Safety.” Collision Repair Magazine 17, 12 Dec. 2018, pp. 32–34.

6 Guarda Security was found liable and fined under the Alberta Workplace Safety & Health 7 Guidance Note Working Alone, Government of Western Australia Department of Commerce, 20 May 2014. www.commerce.wa.gov.au/sites/default/files/atoms/files/working_alone.pdf.

TRAINING

REMADE IN CANADA THE CANADIANIZATION OF I-CAR

BY ANDREW SHEPHERD

L

For Canadian programs, this will mean ongtime industry players will remem- include its partnerships with public insurers ber the 25-year history of I-CAR (in particular, Manitoba Public Insurance), more rigid adherence to global rules. The training in Canada before 2009, a pe- the provision of large-scale data feeds to ma- recent launch of revamped course curricula riod in which the program was run jor repair networks and the organization’s and raising the bar for Platinum technician from Chicago but used local managers. By all commitment to providing French-language standards is a good example of this globalized approach. Certainly, these moves are in step accounts, this was a roller-coaster period of delivery and customized shop consulting.

For better or worse, the future is likely to with increasingly complex repair procedures, variable product quality and increasingly outbut there is little room to dated administrative systems accommodate the pressures matched with incredibly dedfacing smaller and rural icated instructors and volunshops from this increased inteers. The situation became so vestment demand. Similarly, dire that I-CAR U.S. announced its withdrawal from the northThe future of I-CAR Canada will continue to I-CAR’s global program limits any Canadian approach ern market and search for a Carequire a fine balancing act, matching domestic to course pricing flexibility. nadian partner to take over.

The future of I-CAR At that point, several memrealities such as apprenticeship training, language Canada will continue to bers of AIA Canada’s PBE and geography with the globalization of the require a fine balancing Council, as it was then known, act, matching domestic recommended strongly that the collision repair industry. national association step forrealities such as apprenticeward to license the program for ship training, language and delivery in Canada. geography with the globalThe past decade of the proization of the collision regram’s history can be referred to pair industry. Like in the the “Canadianization” of I-CAR training. The see a move away from local customization of collision repair industry itself, change will first step was to recognize a foundational dif- the program, for a number of reasons. For be the only constant. ference between Canada and the U.S., which one thing, Canada’s major repair networks is the existence of a very effective apprentice- and suppliers are becoming integrated ship system in every province in Canada. This across borders and looking for more consisAndrew Shepherd is the executive difference led to the granting of equivalent tent training and recognition programs. For director of I-CAR Canada, a noncredits so that technicians would not have to another, automakers are adopting global profit organization that provides duplicate training. That, in turn, allowed Can- platforms and pushing I-CAR to provide collision repair training and ada to lead the U.S. in establishing the highest consistent approaches around the world. In ongoing education. He can be Gold and Platinum recognition standards — turn, I-CAR U.S. is actively pursuing delivreached via e-mail at andrew. ery arrangements in all major global marlevels the U.S. is reaching only now. shepherd@aiacanada.com I-CAR Canada’s other major innovations kets with a promise of “one solution fits all.”

JUNE 2019 COLLISION REPAIR 37

INDUSTRY EDUCATORS

UNDERSTANDING APPRENTICESHIPS HOW AN APPRENTICESHIP IN THE COLLISION REPAIR INDUSTRY ACTUALLY WORKS

BY BEN HART

I

love this industry and have a lot of re- their apprentices and allow them to attend will relieve this concern. The goal is to spect for the dedication of its skilled technical training classes. homogenize more aspects of most trades tradespeople and related workers. I When looking at the hours spent on the across Canada —particularly for training. enjoy seeing young apprentices being job versus at the school, upward of 85% Within our trade, the goal is to complete challenged, and appreciate the shops that of an apprentice’s knowledge should be the implementation by September 2020. are willing to hire them at a time when we learned on the job. The school is supposed to This lack of clarity surrounding apprenticeneed more technicians to make up for those cover the remainder. ships is a reciprocal problem for both busiwho are retiring. nesses and apprenticAs a post-secondary es. Pigeonholing techs instructor, however, I am or stringing along entry-level workers often baffled by the confuWhen employers ask me to get more skilled techs toward eventual apsion around apprenticeship programs. As a result, once is detriinto the trade, I like to throw the question right back prenticeships apprentices are hired, it isn’t mental for everyone. and ask how many apprentices they are actively always clear what is expected When employers ask me to get more from both the employers training in their shop. and the apprentices. skilled techs into the trade, I like to throw Most people understand the basics — peothe question right back and ask how ple want to join the trade, many apprentices those employers are so they begin working in a shop. Eventually, In Canada, there are two options for entering actively training in their shop.

This is a such a person may sign up for an appren- the trade: Option 1: begin working in a shop and sign ticeship, work a number of hours then go to reciprocal problem — and if the industry school a number of times. Afterward, he or a contract of apprenticeship. isn’t planting the seeds today, there won’t she gets a fancy piece of paper and can be Option 2: attend a technical school’s pre- be any skills to harvest called a journeyman. employment course, then get hired as an ap- tomorrow.

So, what else is there to know? Well, prentice — often with a year of credit for the quite a bit. An apprentice will typically at- first year of apprenticeship.

Ben Hart is a Red Seal autobody tend four levels of technical training for a The provinces have their own apprenticetechnician and refinisher period of about two months each. For the ship programs governed by a board, usually with almost two decades of rest of the year, the apprentice is expected overseen by an elected official, thus allowing experience in the industry. He to learn on the job. programs to be adapted for each province. has instructed apprenticeship Most schools find that the expectations This practice has led to considerable grief for programs at SAIT for the past of training are placed almost exclusively apprentices who move to another province two years and was previously a working foreman on the institution, but employers are con- during their training. in dealership bodyshop. tractually obligated to provide training to Harmonization, a Red Seal initiative,

JUNE 2019 COLLISION REPAIR 39

OPPORTUNITY KNOX

STAYING CONNECTED THE COLLISION REPAIR COMMUNITY IS A SMALL WORLD AFTER ALL

BY STEVE KNOX

R

ecently, I reached out to try to get which estimating system was the best. Ev- find someone who has performed a partial people within the repair industry erybody had their favourite and believed replacement on a certain frame rail? Post to connect and share the issues the rest are just plain junk. The next post your question on Facebook and watch the they face on a regular basis. The I looked at was how to repair bullet holes advice flow in. Also watch the opinions flow idea was to have a group of like-minded in- in a car that had been through a drive-by in regarding why you should or shouldn’t do such a replacement, how many hours dividuals sharing their troubles so we could shooting. Yikes!

One of the most interesting posts I have it takes versus how many you’ll get paid, work toward solutions as a community. where the rustproofing It had been my undershould be sprayed, and so standing that no group forth. There is no end to like this existed. But to my the fountain of knowledge surprise, I soon discovered Social media has made the world a lot smaller, that can be found in relethat there is one, and it’s thriving. While browsing and that’s a good thing. How many businesses vant social media sites.

So, in closing, I suggest you political commentary, recwould you have to call to find someone who has get out your tablet while you ipes and pictures of my sip your Saturday morning friends’ families on Faceperformed a partial replacement on a certain coffee and wade into the wabook, I thought I should frame rail? Post the question on Facebook and ters of collision repair social see if there are any bodymedia. What’s really fascinatshop groups out there. I watch the advice flow in. ing are the tips you may bendiscovered that there are efit from and the opportuniquite a few. ty to offer advice to a repairer Naturally, I put in a in trouble. Just remember request to join some of those groups and was easily accepted. The seen yet was someone asking for advice that you may have to use a “roll eyes” emotregarding the replacement of a structur- icon a time or two, as everyone’s opinions are fun was just beginning.

The first post that caught my attention was al panel. Through this discussion, OEM valid, but not always correct. a detailed step-by-step video of a guy install- guidelines were quoted and best practices ing a used quarter panel. I’m telling you it was were shared. Printouts of the dimensions, like he was throwing steak at starving dogs. and even detailed photos of how some had CARSTAR Fredericton and He was attacked from every angle. How could done this procedure in the past were given CARSTAR Fredericton North he do such a thing? Didn’t he know that the in response. If I was looking for a commugeneral manager Steve Knox owner of the vehicle would die if this panel nity of like-minded folks in the collision is a member of the CCIF Steering was used? What about the flange around the repair field, I had just hit the motherlode.

Committee and an I-CAR Social media has made the world a lot wheel well? How about rust protection? What instructor. He can be reached at smaller — and that’s a good thing. How about weld spots? Oh, the humanity! sknox@carstarfredericton.ca.

I moved on to another post, which asked many businesses would you have to call to

JUNE 2019 COLLISION REPAIR 41

WHO’S DRIVING

BALANCING LEADERSHIP SKILLS KEEPING YOUR EMPLOYEES HAPPY AND MOTIVATED

BY JAY PERRY

T

wo of the 12 essential behavioural we do because [the boss] always wants more.” ership is balancing the celebration of sucIn other words, the leaders were good at cess with motivation to improve. You can characteristics of leadership we teach are “leaders are good at giv- being never satisfied, but not good at giving see how this could be simple or complex.

A simple “thank you” can be appropriate, a ing encouragement — and they are encouragement. big blowout barbecue might be better or a With some coaching from us, the leadnever satisfied.” These are among the toughest company event may be the best way to celership group was able to develop the right components of leadership and they require tremendous skills to keep in balance with approach and improve morale and perfor- ebrate so employees feel appreciated and you create a desire for more the need for improveof that type of recognition. ment, even when things On the other side of the are well in keeping spirits equation is how to motivate high on a daily basis. people to want to do better.

What this balance enWhat it entails is simple sounding, tell people This is where the real leadertails sounds simple: tell skills are tested because people they have done a they have done a good job and get them excited ship you certainly do not want good job and get them about doing even more. Of course, you can see your message to be disheartexcited about doing even rather, you want it to more. Of course, you can that if one side of the formulae is not balanced ening; be optimistic and uplifting. see that if one side of the As a recent article by Galproperly things will go off-side quickly. formula is not balanced lup stated: “Managers play a properly, things will go huge role in your employees’ offside quickly. What daily experience and engagemakes the process critical ment level. Give your people is the fact that from the the kind of leader who will employee’s perspective, the need for acknowledgment and recogni- mance. This is where the skill set comes lift them up. Give them a coach, not a boss.”

This is the attitude that will keep you the tion has always been the most desired element into play. It must be learned and practised properly in a very balanced fashion to one who’s driving. of satisfaction — even more than money!

One of the things that a lot of leaders fear achieve the desired results.

Think of this process like an athletic is if they praise their people, they will beJay Perry is co-author of the come complacent and think: “OK, we are coach who speaks to the athlete about what book Success Manifesto with great. Let’s coast.” If encouragement is done he or she did correctly and where improveBrian Tracy, and the founder of Ally Business Coaching, inappropriately, that could be the result. The ments can be made. The coach will then a process improvement and opposite can also happen: employees feel so offer suggestions and, more important, ask leadership development dejected because there is no recognition of questions that spark thoughts about how firm. He can be reached at their efforts or, as one of our client’s workers rise above the current performance level. jayperry@a-b-c-inc.com.

The chief characteristic of effective leadtold us: “It doesn’t seem to matter how much

JUNE 2019 COLLISION REPAIR 43

PRAIRIE VIEW

EDUCATING AND ENCOURAGING YOUTH

INSPIRING YOUNGER GENERATIONS TO ENTER THE INDUSTRY

BY CHELSEA STEBNER

T

he severity of the labour shortage facing the collision repair industry must not be understated. As long as we, as an industry, continue to struggle to engage and excite the next generation of collision repairers, the shortage won’t just remain ongoing, but will become far more severe.

We have many obstacles in our way.

Among them, we must convince children — and their parents — that a trades and apprenticeship education in the collision repair field can lead to a viable career path.

To do that, we must make clear that the industry has been modernized. While we all know that the image of dirty, messfilled backyard shops is from a bygone era, breaking down such ingrained ideas about the industry is difficult.

Doing so is an uphill battle, but it is one we can win because the industry has so much to offer its recruits.

Today’s repairers are highly skilled. Industry professionals are required to perform highly technical frame measurements and repairs, diagnostics, calibrations and safety measures, not to mention all the mixed met-

A Parr Auto Body technician demonstrates the finer points of auto painting to schoolchildren.

als, welding training and specialized refinishing techniques. Even colour-matching experts require advanced training in computers.

How do we encourage and promote our industry? Our approach is to attract future

repairers while they are still wet behind their ears!

This past spring, we hosted one of our most enthusiastic shop tours and demonstrations ever! The crew? A group of students in grades 5 and 6 at l’Ècole Forest Grove school, which

The collision repair field is one filled with uniquely talented individuals. If we got just one young person to think about building a career in the industry, it was well worth it.

Two participants in the field trip donned in safety glasses and wide smiles.

44 COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM

— Chelsea Stebner

PRAIRIE VIEW G rade 5 and 6 students from l’Ècole Forest Grove school.

is in our neighborhood. This school’s curriculum focuses on learning about business as well as on the simple machine laws of motion and movement, so the progressive teacher of these students suggested a field trip to a local business — our bodyshop.

The kids came armed with questions (many, many questions), lots of which were very thought out — and some that were downright interesting.

We had an opportunity to share many aspects of our business with the class — from performing test welds and spraying colour on panels to restraints and airbags. We even had the chance to discuss the more entrepreneurial aspects of the business. In fact, many students were particularly intrigued by the business side of collision repair.

However, the class was most excited by a presentation on the history of restraints and airbags in automobiles, which was delivered by one of our valued technicians. He took the time to talk to the kids about Ralph Nader, the author of Unsafe at Any Speed, the 1965 bestseller that is often credited with shaking up the auto industry, which led to huge ad-

vances in automotive safety. Best of all, the students also got to see what an airbag looks like and how it acts when it explodes.

In my mind, serving as a host of the field trip was a win/win for everyone.

For our part, the visit was great for our team. They got to showcase their talents and even get the chance to develop their own public relations skills.

The collision repair field is one filled with uniquely talented individuals. If we got just one young person to think about building a career in the industry, our efforts were well worth it.

Even if we didn’t sow the seeds of one of the next generation of repairers, we engaged

the kids and give them a taste of what the modern era of collision repair really looks like. We sent them home armed with information to share with their parents about our shop — an investment in both our business and our community.

Chelsea Stebner is a coowner/ operator of Parr Auto Body, a collision repair facility located in Saskatoon. She can be reached at chelsea@parrautobody.com.

JUNE 2019 COLLISION REPAIR 45

CELEBRATING SUCCESS

Michael Kopke, Kia Canada’s director of marketing.

KIA CANADA TURNS 20 CELEBRATING TWO DECADES OF SUCCESS

BY LINDSEY COOKE

I

t was 1999. Movie-goers had their minds blown by The Matrix. Dubious businesses grew fat by offering to protect businesses from the Y2K bug and Kia came to Canada.

After Kia opened its offices in Vancouver, the company didn’t take long to sell more than 1,400 Sportage and Sephia vehicles in Canada.

Although Kia Motors Canada is still a young company, it has a lot to celebrate, having reached the milestone of 20 years in the country.

In 2019 alone, the company has received numerous awards and titles.

At the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) 2019 Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto, the Kia Stinger was named Canadian Car of the Year, after being named Best Large Car earlier this year. The OEM also received an award for Best Small Car for its Kia Forte.

“As a young brand that has come a long way in 20 years here in Canada, we’re grateful to all of AJAC’s voting journalists for taking the time to review our vehicles and recognizing the quality that our brand has

46 COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM

put so much focus on,” said Michael Kopke, Kia Canada’s director of marketing.

Being recognized for its vehicles is just one of the titles Kia has received. For the past four years, Kia Motors remains the highestranked mass-market brand in J.D. Power’s Initial Quality Study.

As for the future of Kia Canada, like many other OEMs, it is thinking of a sustainable future. Kopke told Collision Repair, that the company’s goal is to release 16 electrified vehicles by 2030, including a fuel-cell electric vehicle in 2020.

CELEBRATING SUCCESS

MAY 1999 – The first Kia arrived in 2000 – Kia sells more than 13,000 vehicles in its first full year of operation.

Vancouver. Throughout that year, the company sells more than 1,400 Sportage and Sephia vehicles in Canada. After that, the numbers only escalated in Canada.

2001 – The company sells 26,000 vehicles in its second full year of operation.

2002 – Kia Canada sells its 50,000th vehicle .

2004 – The OEM celebrates after selling its 100,000th vehicle in Canada.

APRIL 2005 – Kia Canada opens its 160,000-sq.-ft. head office located in Mississauga, Ont.

2009 – The company sells its 300,000th vehicle in Canada.

2013 – One million vehicles were sold.

2014 – For the second year in a row, the company takes home the Canadian Car of the Year award given by the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada.

2016 – 750,000th vehicle is sold in Canada.

JANUARY 2019 - During the

MAY 2019 - Kia Canada

AJAC auto show, the Kia Stinger is named Canadian Car of the Year and the Kia Forte is recognized as the Best Small Car.

celebrates 20 years of success.

JUNE 2019 COLLISION REPAIR 47

Standing, from left: John Parran, Emanuel Pacheco, Frank Chiappetta, Alexandra McKenzie and Greg Benckart. Seated, from left: Pino Chiappetta and Kyla Chiappetta.

THE PERFECT PAIRING HOW PARTNERING WITH UNI-SELECT HELPED AWARD-WINNING DISTRIBUTOR PINO CHIAPPETTA STAND OUT FROM THE CROWD

F

rom a home-based pneumatics business to opening four distrib‑ uting shops and becoming the first Canadian to be named PPG Distributor of the Year, Pino Chiappetta has made quite the name for himself within Canada’s collision repair industry.

For Chiappetta, the journey began when he joined a car rental business.

By the time he moved into distribution several years later, he had built relationships with industry figures in the collision repair community.

Chiappetta purchased a property in Woodbridge, Ont., thus putting his business,

CHC Paint and Body Shop Supplies, on the map. Soon after, he expanded, opening location after location. CHC Paint and Body Supplies now operates three other facilities in Ontario, in Oakville, Markham and St. Catharines.

While Chiappetta’s business was growing, so was his clientele. It wasn’t long before he was joined the refinishing industry by acquiring a competitive paint line. Soon after, PPG approached him with an offer he couldn’t refuse. “They asked me to supply their product,” he says.

From there, his customer base grew and that aspect of his business took off.

Five years ago, Chiappetta decided to

ADVERTORIAL

enter into a partnership with Uni-Select, one of the largest automotive warehouses in Canada. “We co-exist in the market on the distribution side, but we do it with respect for each other, and whatever information we can share and help [each other], we do so.”

But Chiappetta and his team at CHC has been working on becoming more than just a distributor, he says: “We’ve been working on a lot of value-added offerings. Instead of being a distributor that just drops off products to bodyshops, we focus on the specific needs of each shop and work together to achieve those goals. We’ve created an online business model, which provides [our customers] with

an easy accessible, organized resource centre.

We’re constantly working on ways to not just be a distributor, but become more of an integrated partner to our customers.”

Creating solid business relationships with outstanding customers and other distributors is a vital part of CHC’s efforts to stand out in the industry.

You could say that these techniques of Chiappetta’s have both landed him with PPG;s Strategic Wins Award for the most new collision centres in Canada and handed him one of the most prestigious awards in the industry: at the annual PPG Platinum Distributor Conference in February, his business took home the 2018 PPG Platinum Distributor of the Year.

“I was extremely surprised to start, [and] excited, humbled and proud to represent not only the GTA, but Canada for a North American award. So, we’re privileged on behalf of a country to be recognized with such a strong competition in the U.S. and Canada. [Winning the award] was extremely rewarding for us,” he says.

The award is given to a distributor that blends outstanding performance with loyalty, product

knowledge and customer service and support.

“CHC Paint & Body Shop Supplies had a great 2018. CHC’s achievements are the result of years of hard work and shop wins, accomplished by Pino and his team,” says John Parran, PPG’s director of the Platinum Distributor program.

This award puts CHC on the map for both Canada and all of North America. “We’re the first Canadian company to win the distributor award," says Chiappetta. "It’s huge because it makes us a differentiator in the industry. It

has brought us to a different level of being recognized.”

And Chiappetta doesn’t plan to stop there: “We are going to continue to internally develop our people and our value offerings. We are going to support our valued customers, and vendors — our primary partner being PPG — and other strong partners, [such as] 3M, Norton and Evercoat. Also, being with a bigger member group, Uni-Select, we can achieve whatever goals we set.”

From left: Greg DeCamp, PPG’s zone director of automotive refinish sales; Michael H. McGarry, PPG’s chairman and CEO; Pino Chiappetta, president of CHC; Tom Maziarz, PPG’s general manager; John Parran, director of PPG’s Platinum Distributor program; and Gary Danowski, PPG’s vice-president of global automotive refinishing.

ADVERTORIAL

PILLARS OF THE INDUSTRY

Rae Paul, Joseph Theriault, Wesley Moldowan, Ray Mabilog, James Roche, Chris Ouellet, Cliff Cave, Graham Irving and Gary Irving.

INTO THE YUKON WILDS REPAIRING IN CANADA’S GREAT WHITE NORTH

BY GIDEON SCANLON

A

ny vehicle operating in Canada’s Arctic and subarctic regions must contend with a climate and road conditions that are among the most inhospitable in the world. The often unpaved roads, which are subject to extreme frost-heaving, test the limits of even the most well-tuned suspension system.

Broken-down vehicles from as far away as Inuvik, N.W.T., 1,200 kilometres from Whitehorse, Yukon, and Irving Collision’s shop, end up in that garage.

Irving Collision intrepid 10-person team, under the command of owner-operator Graham Irving, braves cruel winds, long winter nights and the biting cold to do what they do best — collision repair.

Founded by George Irving, Graham’s father, in 1978, the business was established during a time when geographical barriers presented an even greater challenge than they do today.

At the time, even big-city repairers did not have access to the specialized tools, training and procedural guidelines that form the basis of most of the work done in modern repair facilities. Today in the subarctic, the difference between “up and running” and “job done” is, for the most part, indistinguishable.

Graham Irving, who has worked in the

facility since its creation, is happy to say that this is no longer the case. That said, he has happy memories of that bygone era.

“In the early days, we got very good at figuring out [our process] as we went along,” Irving says. “It’s all a part of the Yukon spirit.

If you couldn’t get what you needed, you figured out a way to do without it.”

Since taking over the business a decade ago, the younger Irving has emphasized the need for his team to prioritize staying up to date with training and making use of I-Car’s growing list of online courses. Team members continually go to Edmonton for welding courses that incorporate hands-on classes.

“Covering the cost of a flight and a hotel room is well worth it to keep us at the top of our game,” says Irving. “Driving in the territories puts a lot of strain on vehicles, and you don’t want to end up breaking down. We deal with a lot of new cars — so understanding how to fix them is absolutely vital to the business.”

This commitment to adopting the most up-to-date procedures marked out Irving Collision for special recognition. In 2009, the facility became one of the first of the Cooperators Insurance’s approved bodyshops and, a few years later, TD Insurance added

50 COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM

the shop to its preferred vendors list.

While the days of “make do” repairing may have come to an end, Irving Collision’s remote location still poses many challenges for the business — particularly logistical ones.

For one thing, at 1,988 km from Edmonton and 2,390 km from Vancouver, logistics can be a nightmare. Parts can take up to four days to arrive. Unless Irving Collision’s team works

“In the early days, we got very good at figuring out [our process] as we went along. It’s all a part of the Yukon spirit. If you couldn’t get what you needed, you figured out a way to do without it.”

— Graham Irving

PILLARS OF THE INDUSTRY

Founded in Whitehorse, Yukon, in 1978 by George Irving, Irving Collision provides repairs to vehicles in collisions far beyond the territory’s capital.

in perfect unison, customers face long delays.

For another, finding well-suited new hires is no easy task, as there are simply not enough qualified Yukoners. While persuading young collision repair professionals to move to the Far North may sound like a tough sell, Irving has his pitch down pat.

“The truth is this is a great place to be in collision repair. We’re a vital service here, and the sense of accomplishment we get from repairing our customers’ vehicles and sending them home happy is very rewarding.”

Irving is hardly boasting when he refers to his business as providing a vital service in the

community and far beyond — a sentiment made clear from the many glowing customer testimonials found online.

Irving Collision is among the few Canadian facilities to maintain a five-star rating on Google, and customers — several of them acclaimed reviewers of local businesses — enthusiastically shower thanks on Irving and his team.

“This family-run business went above and beyond to make me happy. You can’t even tell my vehicle has been in an accident, thanks to their high-quality work and paint colour matching and blending,” wrote Lawrence Bakelaar, whose reviews of Whitehorse

businesses have led Google to confer the “local guide” title on him.“They are also very honest and fair — they won’t do any work that they can’t guarantee.”

For Irving, these challenges are just one of many facts of life in the North. While soft southern repairers may balk at some of these geographical nightmares, for Irving, they are just another quirk of life in the Yukon.

“I was born here, so a lot of the things we deal with actually seem routine. But I know that seeing a grizzly wandering through town or waiting for a moose to cross the road can take some getting used to!”

JUNE 2019 COLLISION REPAIR 51

EVENT

From left: Craig Pierce, PBE tech sales for Ontario and the Maritimes; Steve Scanlan, PBE tech sales for B.C.; Chris Haldane, PBE sales for the GTA; Dave Pereira, PBE tech sales for Ontario; Bruce Murray, PBE business development for Central and Eastern Canada; and Dwight Stobbe, PBE sales for Alberta.

Nick Rieser of RBL Products in Detroit.

Boyd Holm, Shawn Moore, and Bill McGuirk of Carsystem USA.

From left: John Turner of SATA Canada, Gloria Mann, and Jason Hilger of Innovative Tools USA. 52 COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM

Russ Duncan of Prospot Canada (left) demonstrates the new Collision Adhesive Repair System.

EVENT

Russ Duncan of Prospot Canada.

From left: Dan Gillette, Ian Weber Steve Hutchings of Browns Auto Supply in Chatham, London and Mississauga, Ont., respectively, and Michelle Eeley of Thames Centre Fuels in London.

READY, SET, LAUNCH PRODUCTS DEBUT AT PBE TRADE SHOW AND EXPO

BY LINDSEY COOKE

From left: Andre Tabone of Norton Canada, Jim Salvatore of Saint Gobain USA, Anouar Belganche from Norton Canada, Dustin King of Norton Canada, Gary Cooper of Farecla Canada, and Sharon Hang of Farecla USA.

From left: Chris Neale, CCC’s marketing manager in Coquitlam, B.C.; Emile Fremont, CCC’s business development manager of Calgary; and Darrin Heise, PBE Distributors national sales manager.

M

ore than 300 jobbers and shop owners attended the 25th annual PBE Trade Show and Expo in Toronto on April 4.

The show consisted of more than 50 booths on the floor, all showing off new products with demonstrations.

U.K.-based Farecla held its Canadian launch of the G360 Super Fast System during the show.

According to Farecla, the G360 System is a revolutionary polishing system widely acclaimed by bodyshop professionals and is being hailed by some as a game-changer.

Dent Fix also showed off its line of welders and welding products.

Other products on display included Pro Spot’s windshield crack-repair process and Autolift 3000’s mobile fold-away vehicle lift.

During the show, PBE Distributor gave away a few 55’’ flat-screen TVs in a draw. Greg Horvath, owner of Horvath Auto Supply and a longtime customer of PBE, was one of the lucky jobbers who took home a television.

Mike Savage of 3M Canada also donated a prize and presented an award to VIP Bodyshop winner Peter Robson, a painter at Performance Sales and Accessories in Belleville, Ont. JUNE 2019 COLLISION REPAIR 53

EVENT

From left: TADA executive director Todd Bourgen, TADA chairman Cliff Lafreniere, Consolidated Dealers president and CEO Tom Langton, and dealer-principal for Performance Auto Group Rein Knol.

From left: Justin King, Joshua VanAmelsvoort, Brad Robinson and Braeden Harman of Metric Storage Systems.

INSPIRING THE INDUSTRY

Rick Hansen, Canada’s “Man In Motion.”

DEALERS HEAD TO THE FALLS FOR THE AUTOMOTIVE CONFERENCE AND EXPOSITION

BY GLORIA MANN

I

n April, more than l00 new car-dealer personnel gathered in the Casino Niagara’s conference hall for the second annual Automotive Conference and Exposition (ACE), which was hosted by the Trillium Auto Dealers Association (TADA) and Consolidated Dealers in Niagara Fall, Ont..

April 8 was a housekeeping day for the TADA and Consolidated Dealers, as they held their respective annual general meetings and board of directors’ meetings.

The next day saw car dealers’ delegates gather on the conference room floor, where more than 80 auto industry vendors were

showcasing what is new in the automotive dealership industry.

Inspiration was in the making, as the main hall was filled to capacity when the first keynote speaker of the confe54.

Rick “The Man in Motion” Hansen told his story of courage, determination and beating the odds. The crowd hung on to his every word and you could feel the energy and inspiration from Hansen radiating throughout the theatre.

Immediately after Hansen’s dynamic presentation, everyone moved to the official kickoff event on the main floor. Guests had

54 COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM

an opportunity to get a photo with two Maple Leaf greats, Doug Gilmour and Al Iafrate, Boston Bruin great Ray Bourque and Daniel Nestor, one of Canada’s great tennis champions.

After the kickoff event, patrons headed over to Margaritaville, where they enjoyed a toe-tapping good time courtesy of Juno Award-winning band Honeymoon Suite.

This local rock band played all their hits and kept the energy going until almost 11 p.m.

Day 2 allowed for more time for all the attendees to take in one or two customer experience sessions and to tour the trade show’s

EVENT

Honeymoon Suite played during ACE’s kick-off party at Margaritaville.

Carfax Canada’s team.

Marco Battagalin of Consolidated Dealers (left) and NHL All-Star Doug Gilmour.

Keynote speaker Mark Messier, leadership coach and NHL Hall of Famer.

Rein Knol, dealer-principal for Performance Auto Group (left) and Consolidated Dealers president and CEO Tom Langton.

Keynote speaker Ramona Pringle technology expert with the CBC, on preparing the next generation for a changing world.

floor, filled with vendors such as platinum sponsors Cox Automotive, TradeRev and Adesa.

The second featured keynote speaker took the stage after lunch in the main hall, and the masses were entertained by none other than NHL All-Star Mark Messier.

Messier spoke to the crowd about his love of hockey and the path he took on his way to six Stanley Cups as an Edmonton Oiler and New York Ranger. He said that a good team’s members must trust all of their colleagues

in order to succeed. Messier also stated that the art of leadership is in finding out what a person’s limitations are and then helping them overcome those limitations so the person can be the best he or she can be.

Messier finished his talk with a reminder: the three traits of a good leader are transparency, authenticity and honesty. He then challenged the attendees to return to their dealerships and work on those three qualities to share with their teams.

JUNE 2019 COLLISION REPAIR 55

EVENT

Some of the teams at the WorldSkills training session at SATA Canada’s training centre.

PAINTING SUCCESS

WorldSkills competitors, experts, trainers and SATA staff at the training centre on March 19.

THE SKILLS CANADA AUTO PAINTING TEAM GEARS UP FOR THE WORLDSKILLS COMPETITION

BY CINDY MACDONALD

S

ix Canadian competitors and their trainers gathered near Toronto in preparation for the car painting competition that will be taking place at WorldSkills later this year.

As well, the auto painting team hosted several other WorldSkills teams at SATA Canada’s training centre in Vaughan, Ont. Participants and experts from Denmark, Germany, Spain and the U.S. attended the event, which serves as a practice opportunity for the painter, and allows them to experience some of the mental challenges

they will face during the competition.

Cecile Bukmeier, the designated expert for Canada’s car painting team, explains that these training/challenge events “get competitors out of their comfort zone.”

The events also allow the participants to become familiar with the tools and equipment they will use at WorldSkills in Kazan, Russia, in August.

Sponsors for this Canadian preparatory event were: SATA, BASF, Collision 360 Refinish Supply, Consolidated Dealers Co-op, Mirka, LKQ and 3M.

56 COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM

Maggie Friesen practising for the WorldSkills car painting competition

INDUSTRY INSIGHT

A NEW

DIRECTION THE CCIF’S CAROLINE LACASSE SHARES HER VISION FOR TRAINING AND THE FUTURE OF THE INDUSTRY

C

aroline Lacasse has been involved in the automotive industry for 20 years, focusing on training and organizational development.

She has worked in a range of fields within the industry: collision repair technician, I-CAR instructor, university lecturer and training co-ordinator for CSMOAuto in Quebec. Now Lacasse will bring her knowledge to her new position as the director of the Canadian Collision Industry Forum (CCIF). Collision Repair caught up with Lacasse to find out what she has in store for the Canadian collision repair community.

Collision Repair: Would you be able to explain the importance of training for collision repairers now?

Caroline Lacasse: Today’s cars are more complex than they used to be. They have more technologies, different alloys and materials, and specific [characteristics] for each make and model. Technicians need to be trained properly to make sure they succeed in working with this complexity. Continuous learning is mandatory now. I always saw technicians as the plastic surgeons of the automotive industry. Would you be confident having surgery by a specialist who never had continuous training over the years?

CR: What do you see as the biggest obstacle for collision repairers in the industry?

CL: I see two interrelated main obstacles right now: a shortage of manpower and [frequent] employee turnover. Consequently, shop owners now have no choice but to invest time and money in their most important

tools: their human resources. Employees stay loyal to an employer when they feel useful, get proper skills and are part of the team. Therefore, recognizing employees by facilitating training access or consulting them before making some decisions are a big part of the solution. Even if we mostly focus on technical knowledge, we should keep in mind that training and rewarding should apply to everyone in the shop, including the owners and managers. In a changing environment, everyone needs to keep developing their knowledge, skills and abilities related to their role to adapt — and we often forget that!

CR: What advice would you give to a repair shop owner to stay successful in this industry?

CL: Shops will struggle if they don’t find a way to adapt to this fast-evolving environment.

Change management is the only option here because everybody reacts differently to change.

Shop owners and managers need to be aware of their own reactions to changes. They also have

to consider the employees’ reactions. There will always be early adopters, and laggards who will resist until the last minute. Developing skills in conflict resolution, communication and active listening or strategic thinking can only facilitate the adaptation.

CR: What do you hope to accomplish while taking on the role as the director of the CCIF? CL: Since I’m evolving in the industry, I always had in mind that my work should make a positive difference. Having the opportunity to join a team that has been recognized over the years for its influence and dedication to the collision [repair] industry is really stimulating and corresponds to my values! As director, I would like to add my learning and organizational-development expertise to the equation by bringing different points of view, tools or recommendations to contribute to the CCIF objectives, and to the success and sustainability of the collision repair industry.

JUNE 2019 COLLISION REPAIR 59

AUTOMOTIVE ASCENSION MOUNTAINEER, COLLISION REPAIRER AND BUSINESSMAN: CSN BRIMELL’S RICHARD MARSH IS ALWAYS UP FOR A CHALLENGE

R

ichard Marsh was still in high school when he began his career in the automotive industry at the age of 16 as an apprentice at a General Motors dealership in the U.K. From there, his career flourished in many different aspects of the industry. For the past 38 years, he has been learning the ins and outs of collision repair by working in independent shops, dealerships and automotive groups.

But Marsh is much more than an industry

veteran and operations manager with CSN Brimell/Toyota Brimell; he’s a risk-taker. In 2017, he embarked on the biggest adventure of his life — an adventure that he had dreamed about since he was a young boy.

To fulfil that dream, Marsh spent 12 days trekking through the Himalayas, reaching the base camp on Mount Everest, the tallest mountain in the world, located at 17,585 ft. above sea level. “It was quite the experience, to say the least,” says Marsh.

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Not long after that, Marsh took on another risk, one that would change the game for his business. CSN Brimell and Toyota Brimell joined the Drive Autogroup, a network of nine dealerships. “I’ve managed this facility for the past nine years, and I was wanting to drive it to another level,” he says. Joining the group has both opened up opportunities and networking for Marsh’s business and increased the volume of customers. “We now have a whole different customer base to tap into,” he says.

Marsh (at left) has served as the operations manager of CSN Brimell for almost 10 years. Marsh has been working on a game-changing concept called Processed Centred Environment.

While Marsh’s Toyota business once competed against Formula Honda, the businesses have joined forces through the Drive Autogroup and now work together on different aspects of the collision operations. “One thing we are very good at is being able to recognize opportunities within that community as well as in the dealership,” he says.

But the opportunities didn’t just begin knocking at the door of Marsh’s business.

Several years ago, the shop became a member of CSN Collision Centres, a business move that, Marsh says, “gives the shop a national presence.” In addition to this presence, CSN Brimell became the first collision centre in Canada to receive certification from Toyota.

“We really wanted to be the first in Canada to achieve this level of certification,” says Marsh.

“It’s a great program that comes with a lot of recognition.”

If there is one thing Marsh has realized over the past decade it’s that the industry is constantly changing. Learning to work with the latest technology and attracting young

repairers to the trade are among of the obstacles facing the industry. As part of the solution, Marsh decided to help the younger generation pursue the same career path as his. “I joined [the industry] when I was a young apprentice,” he says, “Sand that’s why I have a lot of passion for bringing young people on board.”

For the past several years, Marsh has been working with Tropicana employment services, an organization that offers a preapprenticeship training program for youth who want to become collision repairers. He notes that among the young repairers he’s trained, almost a dozen have ventured into other roles within the industry.

“A couple of them now work for the insurance industry, and one with a rental company. But I don’t think they would have had those opportunities if they hadn’t been involved in the training program,” he says.

Providing training is just one aspect of the equation that Marsh focuses on. The other is to provide efficient processes within the shop

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to decrease cycle times and perform the best repairs. Marsh has been working alongside AkzoNobel on a game-changing program called Processed Centred Environment, a system that covers all aspects of lean processes from 5S to repair planning. The program has dedicated mobile tool boards and ultimately streamlines the repair process and removes waste from the system, thus driving the concepts of productivity and efficiency.

“If you can imagine a technician working on a vehicle and not having the task of reassembling or disassembling his tools: that technician has all the needed tools on hand, so [the technician won’t need] to move around and drag tool boxes all over the shop, and it’s more efficient because it’s almost like an operating theatre. All of the tools and equipment you need to repair the vehicle are there at the palm of your hand,” he says.

After updating equipment and improving processes to keeping up with training over almost four decades in the industry, Marsh realizes that there isn’t a challenge he won’t face.

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THE MORE YOU KNOW

Early motorists were protected from the elements by windshields made of untempered glass.

WINDOW TO THE PAST A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE WINDSHIELD

BY GIDEON SCANLON

I

n 1904, the first windshields — at least, as we would recognize them — began to appear on vehicles. While internal combustion engine-powered automobiles had existed for about 20 years by the time this innovation was added to cars, motorists in earlier times had not been terribly concerned about wind protection. Automobiles were not able to travel quickly enough for wind to be troublesome for drivers and passengers.

When windshields did arrive on the automotive scene, they were essentially made of windowpanes, and thus not particularly aerodynamic. They were also constructed using untempered glass, making them prone to shattering.

History, however, has a sense of humour.

Soon after windshields were introduced, their the construction was changed as a result of one man’s misfortune. That man was the appropriately named William Pane.

In 1917, Pane sued Ford after he was injured by the shards of the windshield on his Model T Ford. Although the OEM eventually won the lawsuit, the incident did raise concerns.

Manufacturers quickly changed their approach. Rather than using simple window glass, OEMs began treat them heat to strengthen the glass. In order to prevent any shocks that could send vibrations through a windshield, a rubberized seal was added between the glass and the frame.

By 1919, Ford had adopted a new technology to prevent shards from causing drivers and passengers injuries — i.e., glass lamination. By adding a thin sheet of clear plastic between two layers of glass, Ford ensured its windshields would shatter into harmless chunks.

In the 1930s, many auto manufacturers became increasingly conscious of the streamlined designs of airplanes. In order to decrease wind resistance, some vehicles sported a two-paned windshield, with both halves angled toward the front of the vehicle.

With the end of World War II, techniques for making the rounded glass found surrounding airplane cockpits began to be used in consumer vehicles. By the mid1950s, aerodynamically curved glass became the norm for automobiles. Curving the glass

is accomplished during the toughening stage of the manufacturing process, with both layers of glass, one atop the other, heated to the point at which they sag into moulds.

By the 1970s, the driving public became more aware of the dangers posed to bodies flying through windshields during traffic accidents, which led OEMs to invest in ways to make windshields less easily punctured.

The answer was to change the plastic used between the layers of glass. Since then, polyvinyl butyral serves as the inner layer of windshield glasses.

By the early 1990s, the struggling U.S. auto industry began to redesign their vehicles in order to make them more appealing to domestic consumers. One design choice was to increase the curvature of the glass used in vehicles. While initially seen as a response to consumer tastes, the aerodynamic benefits of these smoother shapes improve gas mileage.

In the 2000s, more and more consumers became interested in gas mileage, so OEMs began to incorporate more smooth glass and less metal in their vehicles.

JUNE 2019 COLLISION REPAIR 63

BY THE NUMBERS

TOTAL TRANSPARENCY REPAIRERS SPEAK OUT ON WHY GLASS REPAIR ISN’T FOR EVERYONE

BY LINDSEY COOKE

A

uto glass repair and replacement is no walk in the park. New technology in vehicles is making all repairs a lot more complicated, and auto glass is one of them. Many shop owners have expressed concerns about the difficulty of performing these repairs on vehicles that incorporate ADAS systems and sensors.

Approximately 12% of Canada’s vehicle fleet is estimated to be equipped with ADAS features, and this number expected to rise to 15% (3.7 million) cars by the end of the year.

While only a small percentage of Canadian drivers are aware of the importance of the calibration’s repairers must make, the

technology doesn’t make for an easy job.

Collision Repair reached out to the community of repairers, who told of the obstacles with performing auto glass repairs.

“The technology they are putting in windshields, sensors and cameras is one of the biggest obstacles our shop faces when performing auto glass repairs,” an anonymous shop owner who responded to the survey commented.

While that was just one of the obstacles mentioned, many in the industry commented about the lower rates that are offered by insurers and the lack of training to have a qualified technician in-house on offer.

Offers Auto Glass Repair Services

“Specialized service with little training available,” one survey participant stated.

Of the shop owners who participated in the survey, 40% said they have one trained technician capable of performing auto glass repair and replacements, while 38 percent said they have no one at all.

A few survey participants also expressed concerns regarding the shortages existing in the first place. Repairers pointed to the fact that it’s not the most popular trade.

“Rates are too low,” one anonymous repairer stated.

“No one out there wants to do this work,” another commented.

Biggest Obstacles Low rates offered by insurers

Yes

Low rates through third-party competitors

Yes, but performed by a third-party

Biggest Obstacles

No, but looking into it No

Training Equipment Finding technicians

Offers Auto Glass Repair Services In-House Trained Technicians In-House Trained Technicians Yes, only one Yes, more than one No

64 COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM

BY THE NUMBERS Ride-Sharing Services Increasing versus privately Owned Vehicles

Emission-Free Cars in North America

Emission-Free Cars in North America

Never

Over the next decade

By 2040

Not in my lifetime Never

Next five years

Ride-sharing services

Not in my lifetime

Self-Driving Cars By 2040

Self-Driving Cars

Flying Cars

Flying Cars Next five years

Not in my lifetime

Not in my grandchildren’s lifetime

Within a decade

Within the next 30 years

WHEN CARS FLY PLACING BETS ON THE ARRIVAL OF NEXT-GEN TECH

BY LINDSEY COOKE

E

lectric vehicles, self-driving cars, ridesharing and even flying cars have been some of the trends predicted to take over our roads some day. The questions still remains: “When will this day arrive? When will the way we drive, operate and repair vehicles be totally different from what it is now?”

OEMs are the ones that will change the future for everyone, and the fact is they are not just thinking about safety, but about sustainability. Production and popularity of electric vehicles are beginning to grow.

General Motors plans to produce at least 20 new electric vehicles by 2023. Ford just announced a $500-million investment in the company’s electric vehicle startup, Rivian.

A report released a few weeks ago stated that Canada’s climate is warming at twice the rate of the rest of the world and that to prevent environmental catastrophe, human behaviour must change. Canada is slowly putting steps in place to move toward a future that includes electric vehicles.

For example, British Columbia introduced legislation to eliminate gas emissions within the next 21 years, meaning the sale of all

new light-duty cars and trucks have to be zero-emission vehicles by 2040.

Ontario has instituted a carbon tax, increasing the price to get gas at the pump, which could further drive people to purchase electric vehicles.

Even though there are signs that electric vehicles could consume our roads, Collision Repair found that most people in the repair community believe zero-emission vehicles are still very far away from doing so. Sixty-five percent of our survey participants said,“not in my lifetime”; 17% said, “within the next five years.”

“I’m 59 and I can’t see it happening in the next 25 years,” said an anonymous participant.

While some survey participants believe B.C.’s target year of 2040 will be more likely.

“To be completely emissions-free won’t be for at least another 20 years.”

In April, Jim Hackett, CEO of Ford, stated that the auto industry had “overestimated the arrival of autonomous vehicles.” Hackett confirmed that the first self-driving Ford car will arrive in 2021, but he added, “its applications will be narrow — what we call “geo-fenced” — because the problem is so complex."

But Ford isn’t the only OEM making these

promises. Tesla promises to deliver fully autonomous vehicles by next year. BMW announced it would have Level 3 autonomous vehicles out by 2021. Hyundai stated it plans to have fully autonomous vehicles on the road by 2030.

As for fully autonomous vehicles, Collision Repair found that 34% of automakers believe this class of vehicle will be on North American roads by 2040, yet 46% of survey participants said that won’t happen in their lifetime.

When it comes to driving in the sky, 25% of survey participants said that will happen within the next 30 years, but 42% said they don’t see it happening in their grandchildren’s lifetime.

Ride-sharing is another trend that is developing slowly. One prediction is that ride-sharing services such as Uber and Lyft will be taking over, and privately owned vehicles will be rare. More than half of survey participants said they believe ride-sharing will be more prevalent within the next decade.

But there’s still considerable number of shop owners who think that trend won’t happen in their lifetime or at all, and that people will almost always own their a vehicle.

JUNE 2019 COLLISION REPAIR 65

POLICY REVIEW

PROVINCIAL AUTO INSURANCE POLICY PASSES MUSTER LOWEST RATES CEO GIVES ONTARIO’S PLAN HIS HIGH RATINGS

BY GIDEON SCANLON

“T

he bottom line is that Ontario's drivers pay the second-highest rates in the country simply because the auto insurance industry is inefficient.

We need more insurance companies to push premiums down. With more competition, innovation and efficiency are rewarded.”

— Justin Thouin Thouin, the co-founder and CEO of Canada's most popular insurance comparison site, praises the Government of Ontario for its new auto insurance policies.

In an interview with Collision Repair, LowestRates.ca CEO Justin Thouin, who cofounded that business in 2012, said Ontario’s drivers are poised to benefit from the plan’s fraud prevention policies and focus on increasing competition within the industry.

“We’re thrilled to see the government proposing to give consumers more options and to tackle issues such as fraud — something our partners have talked about a lot and which leads to unnecessary costs that are unfortunately passed on to consumers,” said Thouin. “Fraud isn’t just a repairer issue.

It comes from bogus medical and claims — like a person claiming they need two years of massage therapy after a mild collision or bogus lawsuits people hope insurance companies will simply settle.”

The new initiative, called the Putting Drivers First plan, was outlined in the legislature by Tory Finance Minister Vic Fedeli as part of the spring budget.

It aims to reduce premium costs by providing drivers with more options and reducing the amount insurers spend on claims processes. According to the Ford government, drivers will soon be able to treat auto insurance like a buffer, allowing drivers to pick and choose the coverage that works best for them, although what options will become optional is unclear.

While the details may be unclear, Thouin believes that the policy has great potential.

“The best insurance is bespoke insurance. The more rates can be tailored to individuals and their driving behaviour and not based on postal codes, the better,” Thouin said. "The bottom line is that Ontario’s drivers pay the secondhighest rates in the country simply because the auto insurance industry is inefficient. We need more insurance companies to push premiums down. With more competition, innovation and efficiency are rewarded."

Another part of the bill that particularly impresses Thouin is the proposed Driver Care Card. The new tool, which may be a chip-and-pin card, is expected to simplify the claims process, with insurers loading the card with the funds earmarked for repairs or other accident-related expenses.

“At LowestRates.ca, we’ve spoken with

66 COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM

L owestRates.ca CEO Justin Thouin.

hundreds of thousands of Canadians each year about insurance. They talk about ease of use. People want an insurer that makes changing credit cards simpler,” said Thouin. “Ontario, as the most populous province, could lead the way in terms of auto insurance.”

LowestRates.ca was founded in 2012.

Today, it provides millions of Canadians with comparisons of rates on insurance, mortgages and credit cards.

ONTARIO’S AUTO INSURANCE SECTOR AT A GLANCE: According to LowestRates.ca’s auto insurance price index for Q1 2019, over the past year, the cost of auto insurance increased by 9.06% for the average driver in Ontario.

• Ontario’s men now pay 8.73% more than in Q1 2018, 9.46% than in Q4 2018 • Women now pay 11.03% more than in Q1 2018, 6.35 percent more than in the previous quarter • 18- to 24-year-olds now pay 12.85% more than in Q1 2018, 17.66% more than in the previous quarter • Albertan drivers saw a larger 11.22% premium increase versus Q1 2018 • Maritime drivers saw a smaller, 6.52% premium increase versus Q1 2018

Safety first! Repairs are not only physical in nature, OEM repair guidelines and safety are part of the repair process.

Manager and mentor Joe Cannata with Ines outside of their facility on Caledonia Road.

Ines with her mentor Mario, prepping for her Level 2 exam at Centennial College.

OUR FUTURE IN THE MAKING ASSURED INVESTS IN INES FERNANDES

A

s we search for technicians, our journeys do take us to some not so obvious places. Ines Fernandes saw herself with a career in Cosmetology, specifically as a make-up artist—that all changed when her older sister began to date, and was allowed to hang out with them when they went out, this is when car culture was introduced to her. When Ines shared her new outlook on life with her parents, as you can imagine, they did not approve. However, as difficult as it was, she decided to follow her own dream—not someone else’s.

She took advantage of a co-op opportunity, which lead to a part-time job in a mechanical facility—working here made her realize that she wanted to be a body technician. Ines stated,“when a mechanic works on a car, almost all their work is covered up, the owner can feel or hear what changed—but when someone sees their vehicle for the first time after a collision, back in its pre-accident state, the reaction seen in their eyes and face gives me the satisfaction of what kind of impact I can have on a person”.

Ines has completed her Level 1 at Centennial College, and has worked in a few facilities. However, manager of Assured Yorkdale Joe Cannata is the one who believed

in her skills, ability and willingness to learn. “I have worked in facilities where they had me detailing cars and taking out the garbage for months—not giving me a chance to use the skills I have learned. I view Joe not as my boss, but as a mentor, as he has not only helped me sharpen my skills, but has given me confidence in myself—his motivation impacts me daily”.

Ines works alongside Mario—who has been at this location for more than 21 years, she

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describes him as her “second dad”, because of their bond, learning goes beyond the job at hand and isn’t one way. Mario has shared with Ines that because of her, his perspective on many things has evolved as well.

There have been challenges along the way, being a female in a predominately male environment isn’t an easy one to work in and throughout her career, she hasn’t always been on the receiving end of positive motivation or support. However, this path has made her stronger, and is a journey she would encourage others to take—male or female. If you were to ask her parents what they think of her career choice now—they couldn’t be prouder. She’s in a skilled trade where she can make a great living, and working in this environment has given her confidence which they thought she would never have. Assured Automotive is proud to give Ines a place to work, where she can put her skills to use and have the opportunity to learn not only about technical skills, but about relationships as well.

In retrospect, she did follow her initial dream; she is a makeup artist—but just for cars.

MARKET REPORT

CANADA’S LOOMING CAR-TASTROPHE AUTO MANUFACTURING’S LAST GASP, TRENDY TECH INVESTING IN AUTONOMOUS AUTOS AND MUCH, MUCH MORE

Boyd Unblemished Boyd Group Income Fund investors have not been deterred by a Globe and Mail editorial that used the collision repair behemoth’s stock example par excellence of an overbought stock investment trading on the TSX. “Fundamental research is important for

investors in this cast to verify that, after such a great rally, the future earnings growth prospects are accurately reflected in the price,”Barlow wrote.

On April 5, columnist Scott Barlow highlighted the company, which was then (and now) trading at about $150, up from about

$110 at the opening of 2019. When a stock is described as overbought, the implication is that buyer interest has driven the selling value above the intrinsic value of the business.

Newspaper columns are often able to spur a market correction.

found that most of the organizations that are developing this type of technology are having a hard time making it safe, and yet affordable.

One of the machine learning and perception engineers Forrester interviewed shared that production ready vehicles will be more than a

decade out and they will only be in premium cars for a long time after that.

In a survey conducted online by Forrester, 22 percent of the 54 autonomous vehicle practitioners believe the component costs are too high.

AV Appraisal A study looking at the development of autonomous vehicles revealed that by the time Level 5 is obtained it will be too expensive to put in every vehicle.

The study was conducted by analyst Forrester for chipmaker Arm, and they

Apple Bites into Self-Driving Cars Apple isn’t out of the autonomous vehicle game yet. While the company has brought on two key hires, from Tesla, and Google’s Alphabet, the company is also on its way to forming a new lidar system. Reuters reported that Apple is looking into creating a new lidar system for its selfdriving vehicles.

It was reported that Apple has currently been talking to at least four suppliers to make this sensor.

Apple wants to equip its vehicles with a lidar system that will be able to scan hundreds of metres ahead and also not cost as much as the bulky sensors that are in autonomous vehicles right now.

The current lidar systems, including

the units from Velodyne, mounted on Apple’s fleet of self-driving test vehicles uses laser light pulses to give images of the

68 COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM

A concept image of Apple’s autonomous iCar.

environment surrounding the vehicle. This system costs around $100,000.

MARKET REPORT

Cold Front for Canada’s Automakers Canada’s auto manufacturing business received $8.7-billion U.S. in investment, from 2009-2018, compared to $20-billion invested in Mexico and $73-billion in the United States in the same period, a report from the Center of Automotive Research has concluded.

While those numbers may sound low, Canada is still punching above its weight by investment dollars per-capita. With just 37 million Canadian, investment during the period is equivalent to about $225 dollars, compared to $223 dollars for Americans and $154 for Mexicans.

Despite this per capita premium, some analysts are saying Canada’s days as an auto manufacturing giant are numbered.

In 1999, Canada’s auto production reached its zenith, with 17.5 percent of all vehicles being manufactured in the Great White North.

By 2018, the country produced just 12.3 percent of North American cars. This year, with the expected closure of the General

Motors facility in Oshawa, that number is expected to fall below 10 percent.

Automotive manufacturing—including parts—remains an immensely large portion of Canada’s economy, and makes up nearly a quarter of the country’s manufacturing trade. It employs more than 120,000 people in vehicle assembly jobs.

Despite the scale of auto manufacturing in

GM’s Oshawa Assembly plan, once a symbol of Canada’s auto manufacturing strength, is now a veritable icon of industrial decline.

Canada, the auto aftermarket is actually far more important—at least as far as job figures are concerned. More than 380,000 Canadians are employed in the aftermarket sector.

Uni-Select’s top-shelf selection Former president and CEO of the Canadian Automotive Group Brent Windom is UniSelect’s new president and CEO effective May 1, 2019.

"I am honoured to be taking on this new role and I feel privileged to be leading such a talented team," said Brent Windom. "As our industry is undergoing structural changes, this period also represents a pivotal moment in the history of Uni-Select. I intend to work in close collaboration with my colleagues in the management team as we deploy our strategic initiatives, continue to focus on operational excellence and support the growth of our customers."

Windom has more than 30 years of experience of transformational change in the automotive aftermarket industry. During his career, he has held various leadership roles and served as president and chief executive officer of Auto Plus Pep Boys, an automotive aftermarket parts distributor in the U.S. He has also held previous positions of leadership for Uni-Select in the U.S. and

North America including president and chief operating officer, senior vice president, sales and marketing of Uni-Select U.S. and senior vice president, sales and marketing for the North American operations. He has also taken on as vice president of marketing and merchandising for Middle Atlantic Warehouse Distributor.

Windom is an active board member for the Automotive Industries Association of Canada. He has also served on several other industry boards in the U.S., including the Automotive Warehouse Distributors Association (AWDA) and the Automotive Aftermarket Charitable Foundation (AACF).

"Brent Windom has a profound understanding and unparalleled knowledge of both Uni-Select and the industry in which we evolve. He has demonstrated strong leadership capabilities over the years and his skill set is in perfect alignment with what the organization requires during its transformation. We are delighted to have him on board in this capacity," said Michelle

Cormier, chair of the board. "On behalf of my fellow board members, I would also like to thank André Courville for his immense dedication and contribution during his mandate as interim president and CEO."

Former president and CEO of the Canadian Automotive Group Brent Windom, Uni-Select’s new president and CEO.

JUNE 2019 COLLISION REPAIR 69

INFORM, ENGAGE, CONNECT Put your products and services in front of your key targets with this one-stop industry resource.

COLLISION REPAIR ANNUAL BUYER’S GUIDE AT YOUR FINGERTIPS! Back by popular demand, the Collision Repair Annual Buyer’s Guide & Directory is a valuable one-stop resource featuring over 120 products and services. It is an easy and accessible reference tool for the Collision Repair Industry. Buyers Guide is at your fingertips as well as those of your target customer featuring specific

categories such as parts, refinishing, tools, accessories and more. There is no better source to list or source the product and service information. Would you like to update your product offering throughout the year? We made that option easily available at collisionrepairmag. com. Talk to us. We’ll show you how easy it can be.

To place your order, contact your sales representative, order online at collisionrepairmag.com or call us at 905-370-0101

Buyer’s Guide Put your products and services directly in front of your key targets.

Connect with your target customer. Increase leads and sales with Collision Repair magazine’s Annual Buyers Guide. Engage your audience in both print and online. To reserve your FREE product spotlight listing, simply follow these steps and our editors will do the rest!

1

PICK YOUR CATEGORY Abrasives

Management & Software

Alignment

Tools & Accessories

Adhesives

Paint and Refinish

Measurement

Scanning and Equipment

3

2

Health and Safety

COPY Spotlights are in standardized format with a 110 word count. Product descriptions can be submitted via pdf brochures, web links or other sources of information.

Welding

PHOTOS Include a high-resolution (300 dpi) photo of your product and logo.

4

SUBMISSION Email: Fill out this form and submit via e-mail to: buyersguide@collisionrepairmag.com Fax: Scan this form and fax it completed to 1-866-868-7072 Mail: Complete this form and mail it to the address below Online: Use the following link to complete your submission: collisionrepairmag.com/buyers-submissions

ORDER FORM This form can be e-mailed, snail mailed, faxed, or submitted online along with the additional information requested above.

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Product _________________________________________________________________________________________ If you have any questions, please contact Ellen Smith E-mail: ellen@mediamatters.ca Phone: 905-370-0101

EVENT

The Rumzi sisters lived as automotive painters for a day.

A PAINTER IS BORN

kzoNobel paint jobber and Centennial College donated the proper tools and A equipment for the girls to practise with for the day.

FIVE-YEAR-OLD ASPIRING AUTOMOTIVE PAINTER TRIES OUT HER DREAM JOB FOR A DAY

BY LINDSEY COOKE

W

hen Shawaz Rumzi, formerly Discount & Car Rental’s manager, asked his three daughters what they wanted to do when they grow up, his two eightyear-old daughters, Marissa and Aleena, said a dentist and a librarian, respectively. His five-year-old daughter Rielle said, “I want to be an automotive painter.”

For one day, Rielle was able to see what her dream career is really like.

When Jack Martino, co-owner of CSN Martino Brothers in Toronto, Ont., heard about Rielle’s aspirations, he wanted to give her and her twin sisters the opportunity to test the waters.

With some help from AkzoNobel paint jobber Dan Treschak, Trechak Enterprises’

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Glenn Breadman and Centennial College, the girls were equipped with the proper suits and safety gear, as well as paint that contained corn starch, food colouring and water to practise with.

The shop's autobody apprentice, 19-yearold Shanyce Neale, showed the girls the ropes and helped them paint some of the shop’s scrap fenders.

EVENT

Neale’s passion for the industry began when she was in high school. In grades 11 and 12, she completed a co-op and was placed in a bodyshop. It wasn’t until then that she realized she wanted to pursue a career in autobody painting.

As a woman in the industry, and with

dreams to open her own shop one day, she gave some words of advice to Rielle: fight back against prejudice.

“You have to want to hold your ground — you can’t let anyone tell you; you can’t do [that] — or else it’s just going to bring you down. You have to fight back,” she says.

Shanyce Neal is an autobody apprentice at CSN Martino Brothers.

From left: Glenn Breadman, Shanyce Neal, the Rumzi sisters and Jack Martino.

JUNE 2019 COLLISION REPAIR 73

BUSINESS ADVICE

DREAM BETTER, NOT BIGGER

( Left to right) Troy Metz, AutoExtreme Regina’s general manager of business; Helen Schmidt; and Larry Mueller, at AutoExtreme Regina’s manager of sales.

SETTING REALISTIC GOALS FOR YOUR BUSINESS

BY SUE DICKENS

fine balancing act is necessary in setting goals.

By formally declaring an ambition, countries, organizations and individuals can clarify their priorities and push themselves to accomplish more than they otherwise would.

There are catches, though. Should a goal be too easily accomplished, it may not drive progress, but slow it—after all, if the deadline to reach the expectation clearly is going to be easily achieved, the sense of urgency is removed.

On the other hand, setting a goal that is unachievable can — and probably will — lead to a sense of failure and a deleterious effect on morale.

Collision Repair recently reached out to the Canadian collision repair community to hear about the most effective goal-setting strategies employed by owners and managers.

1: Serialized Strategy Rather than put all business goals in one basket, many facilities choose to adopt a strategy that cuts up longer-term goals into a series of smaller ones.

For the past 42 years, the team at CSN Champlain Auto Body in Moncton, N.B., has operated by a simple guiding principle: satisfy every customer. Rather than waiting for the business to close at the end of the day to gauge if that mission was attained, the management team makes goal-setting part of the daily ritual.

“We have production goals and touch-time goals,” says Mandie Steen, co-owner of the shop, “with contin1-866-325-2886

uous improvement being our overall goal.”

Steen isn’t joking about the “continuous” aspect of this strategy. Her colleagues review goals as often as every two hours. The setting of what Steen likes to refer to as “mini-goals” also helps with ensuring customer satisfaction.

2: Favour Flexibility For Larry Mueller, manager of sales at AutoExtreme Regina, setting realistic goals is done at

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JUNE 2019 COLLISION REPAIR 75

BUSINESS ADVICE

Troy Metz, AutoExtreme Regina’s general manager of business.

various times — weekly, monthly and annually.

While Mueller aims to make these goals ambitious but able to be accomplished, he also believes that shop owners will benefit by allowing their goals to be adjusted according to changing circumstances.

“We readjust [our goals] if we have to, but [they] are ones that push the company,” he says with enthusiasm.

3: Get the team on board Troy Metz, AutoExtreme Regina’s general manager of business, also is a firm believer in the importance of goal-making — favouring that trait in potential hires.

His strategy for obtaining goals is to ensure that the whole team is on the same page.

“For everyone, from the front-desk manager to salespeople to the autobody techs and the

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Mandie Steen, co-owner of CSN Champlain Auto Body.

paint folks, we are very transparent with the financial [and] operational goals of the business, so they understand — top to bottom.”

This inclusion forces workers to take pride in their work and become personally, emotionally and financially invested in your business. As well, encouraging customer feedback is a good way to ensure your team cares about the work they are doing.

SPEAKING OUT

CROSSCANADA TUNE-UP PROBLEMS WITH THE PROVINCES

F

rom coast to coast, collision repair shop owners and managers took time out of their busy days to share frank opinions on how provincial governments deal with the collision repair industry. Two major themes

The Insurance Company of British Columbia is the worst.

appeared among the answers: provincially run public insurers were denounced; and governments were criticized for paying too much attention to lowering insurance rates and too little to make sure drivers are receiving high-quality repairs.

Manitoba Public Insurance makes it very difficult to do business. They frequently will not pay for things that the OEMs recommend, [such as] pre- and post-scans. They often do not cover many days for rental vehicles.

— British Columbia

— Manitoba

Insurance companies should not direct work. They are shutting down the small shops, and the law is that the customer has the right to take their cars to their shops. Insurance companies are manipulating customers.

— Ontario

The insurance industry in Ontario has way too much control.

They are in a position to operate [as] a dictatorship.

The elimination of the Ontario College of Trades is a step in the right direction.

— Ontario

— Ontario

British Columbia should either have all government insurance or none at all.

— British Columbia

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Insurance providers should not be allowed to channel work to shops. It should be the customer’s choice to where he has his car fixed.

— Alberta

SPEAKING OUT

The insurance companies are so powerful that they can call the shots, and shops have to invest with no rate of return.

— Saskatchewan

Governments cater to big business and, as a result, big business is controlling the industry.

Insurance companies directing work is the biggest challenge facing smaller Ma-and-Pa shops.

I believe the insurance companies have too much control over rates, materials, parts, rebates. It would be nice if the province could find a way to make sure companies were getting and giving fair service without forcing shop to join DRPs and work for rates and standards not set by the shops — not to mention ridiculous rebates to the insurer.

Insurance companies are in the business of making money, not fixing cars. We fix cars, and we should have the control to insure a proper repair at fair price.

— Ontario

— Ontario

On one hand, the government is regulating the cost of insurance, and we are long overdue for an increase. In my opinion, the [key points indicators] that we have to meet for an insurance partner are not obtainable. I see the results of this every day. Corners are being cut and quality is being compromised. It is going to take somebody getting hurt before it comes to the surface. On the other, the government does not really watch over how cars are being repaired.

Tighter regulations on litigators for accident benefits need to be put in place across Canada.

Discounts and rebates paid back to insurance companies should be outlawed. As owners see our margins shrink more and more, those things are driving bodyshop owners to do things they normally would not. I’m still of the opinion that banners [paid to the franchisors] have completely taken away our Independence and are the cause of the problems most face in this industry today.

— Nova Scotia

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REGIONAL NEWS | BRITISH COLUMBIA

THE TRIAL LAWYERS ASSOCIATION OF B.C. TAKES THE ICBC TO COURT The Trial Lawyers Association of B.C. is taking the provincial government to court over one of the new insurance policy changes the Insurance Corp. of B.C. (ICBC).

On April 1, the ICBC put a number of changes into effect for drivers in the province that are expected to save the public insurer more than $1 billion. Some of the changes include a 6.3% increase in auto insurance rates and an overall increase in accident benefits. The ICBC also placed a $5,500 cap on minor injuries and established a civil resolution tribunal to pass judgment on certain claims — policies that the lawyers association is challenging.

The association launched a constitutional challenge that argues that both the spending cap and the tribunal system contravene the Constitution of Canada and therefore restrict drivers’ access to the courts. (A constitutional challenge seeks to determine in court if a law or policy violates or is inconsistent with the Constitution of Canada or Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms.)

“Access to justice is a basic human right guaranteed to Canadians under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms,” says Ron Nairne, president of the Trial Lawyers Association of B.C. “The approach this government has taken to legislative and regulatory changes to address the ICBC’s mismanagement problems violates the rights of British Columbians. This should be about protecting the public interest — not about protecting the ICBC.” The tribunal system was set up to resolve the problem of rising settlement costs. The ICBC claims the costs of claims paid out each year have outstripped the premiums collected from customers.

The lawyers association’s members are concerned that the regulations emerging from the ICBC’s recent legislation will unduly restrict access to the courts and unfairly reduce compensation for those injured on the road, and that British Columbians will find that protecting their rights after being injured on the road will be much more challenging.

“I am deeply concerned with the impacts on my fellow British Columbians of the impending legislation introduced by our current government. Fixing the ICBC is a priority, but not at the expense of access to justice and the charter rights of British Columbians,” says former federal cabinet minister Ujjal Dosanjh.

Shelley Howard of the Campbell River Brain Injury Society also expresses concern about the impacts of the new legislation and regulations:

President of the Trial Lawyers Association of B.C. Ron Nairne(left) and Attorney General David Eby.

“The new injury cap legislation and regulations have the potential to discriminate against British Columbians with brain injuries, psychiatric injury and chronic pain by treating their harms and losses differently than other injuries, and [will]result in a complicated, almost impossible reverse onus of establishing their injuries have caused ''incapacity” or “serious impairment.”

According to Nairne, “The trial lawyers association felt compelled to launch a constitutional challenge so that B.C.’s courts could review this legislation and accompanying regulations through the lens of protecting our fundamental human rights.”

ACID SPILL RESULTS IN MORE THAN 4,400 CLAIMS, AND MORE ARE COMING IN One year after the sulphuric acid spill that trailed along a highway in British Columbia, insurers are still dealing with claims.

Teck Trail Operations sells sulphuric acid to International Raw Materials (IRM), which in turn contracts with a transportation provider to transport the acid. Sulphuric acid is used in numerous applications, including in pulp mills, mining, water treatment and for fertilizer production.

Two incidents involving spills of sulphuric acid during transport by Westcan Bulk Transport occurred on April 10 and May 23, 2018, in Trail, B.C. Sulphuric acid can result in corrosion to the undercarriage of a vehicle, including

aluminum parts, brake lines and brake systems.

More than 4,400 claims have been submitted to the ICBC to date. In total, about 10% of the vehicles are writeoffs because of the acidic contamination.

On top of the ICBC’s claims, a private insurer, Family Insurance, has come forward and claimed that more than 200 vehicles have been written off due to the spills.

“Family Insurance received more than 600 claims as a result of the Trail acid spills,” Graham Doerr, the insurer’s chief operating officer, told the Trail Times.“We have written off about one vehicle for every three claims received.”

A representative from Family Insurance

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told the Trail Times earlier this year that the insurer still was receiving claims. ICBC spokesperson Lindsay Wilkins also told the Trail Times that claims are still coming in.

In October, the ICBC filed a civil claim against Teck Metals, Teck Resources, IRM, Westcan, the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary, the City of Trail, two drivers and the provincial government. The suit seeks costs and damages.

According to CTV News, Teck responded to the suit and stated that the ICBC is not obligated to compensate drivers for their damaged vehicles under comprehensive or collision insurance and that any such payment is voluntary. Westcan also responded, stating the RCMP should have diverted traffic away from the spill.

ALBERTA | REGIONAL NEWS

ALBERTA’S NEW STATE-OF-THE-ART SAFETY TRAINING FACILITY The Alberta Motor Transport Association (AMTA) hosted the grand opening of its state-of-the-art safety training facility, located at the Edmonton International Airport’s (EIA) Airport City site.

The facility will serve as a commercial transportation hub for safety training development and delivery, research and technology innovations, and will help in strengthening education for commercial drivers across the province.

In addition to classrooms designed for driver education, the facility will also feature a five-acre training track manufactured to provide drivers with comprehensive, real-life road experience and vehicle-use training.

Simulators will also be available for drivers so they can experience different road and travel challenges.

According to AMTA president Chris Nash, the facility demonstrates the commercial transportation industry’s commitment to

continuous improvement.

“For the AMTA, road safety is paramount.

We are confident that this facility will help to improve commercial drivers’ skills and enhance road safety for all,” says Nash.

“We are extremely pleased with the priority that the AMTA continues to place on road safety,” says Brian Mason, minister of transportation for the Government of Alberta.

“We are confident that by strengthening opportunities for commercial drivers to learn and improve, we will be making our roads safer.”

The facility and training track are located on seven acres of EIA land that are in Airport City. The AMTA has reserved 13 adjacent acres that will allow the facility to expand as the association continues to grow.

F ormer AMTA president Lorraine Card and Chris Nash, recently appointed president of the AMTA.

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REGIONAL NEWS | SASKATCHEWAN

SGI’S NEW RULES MIGHT IMPACT SMALL TOWN REPAIR SHOPS Photo credits given to KdzMx Photography.

Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI) announced last month that all 260 shops in the province will have one year to achieve new training and equipment requirements or lose their accreditation with SGI. SGI will be implementing differential compensation, a tiered accreditation model.

In order to gain Tier 1 shop status, facilities must have I-CAR Gold Class status, purchase the necessary equipment to repair today’s vehicles (such as a resistance spot welder, a pulse mig welder, a self-piercing rivet gun, SGI vice president of appraisal, salvage and claims technical, speaks to a room of Saskatchewan collision repairers.

vehicle scan tools and aluminum repair tools), have welding certification and refinishing system product training.

According to CBC News, most shops rely on a share of SGI's 80,000 claims per year for the bulk of their income.

When SGI president Ryan Smith presented this statement at the Saskatchewan Automotive Repairers Association’s spring conference, a woman in the crowd suggested that this policy will be tough on rural shops.

“Half of the Saskatchewan people live in rural communities,” she said. “We don’t have the volume, so it’s going to take years to pay this equipment off [vis-a-vis] the high-volume shops in the cities.”

She then asked if the small-town shops could receive some sort of financial loan.

Smith said no: “Frankly, we're not going to enable an inefficient industry. Consolidation needs to occur.”

Other people share the opinion of the woman at the conference who voiced her concerns.

“We don’t think it’s a good thing, as one of the tools they’re requiring shops to have is more than $30,000,” an anonymous repairer told Collision Repair. “They’re expecting smalltown shops to do this, and they can’t fork over the money within that time span.”

While some industry members believe the SGI’s policy will drive small-town repair shops out of business, the main objective is to keep everyone up to date and make ensure safe repairs.

In addition, beginning on March 11, all collision repair partners must reference OEM repair procedures as part of the repair planning process on all SGI claims.

SGI hosted several town-hall meetings for Saskatchewan repairers to attend and address any questions or concerns they may have regarding the new tiered system.

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MANITOBA | REGIONAL NEWS

THE COST OF VEHICLE SAFETY INSPECTIONS IS ON THE RISE IN MANITOBA For almost a decade, Manitoba has set the vehicle inspection rate at a flat fee of $55.

That changed on March 1.

The provincial government dropped flat fee for safety inspections and, as of March 1, auto repair shops can set their own price for inspections, which can reach as high as $200.

As vehicles become more complex, Infrastructure Minister Ron Schuler says, the list of things to inspect is getting longer and shops are indicating that the cost to perform the inspections exceeds $55.

Rudy Epp, the owner of Rudy’s Auto Service in Winnipeg, says this bill was a long time coming.

Epp points out that the previous rate was getting expensive for shops and they weren’t making any money from it.

“For the flat rate price, I think a lot of guys in shops were finding things wrong that weren’t actually wrong.” he said.

T he team at Rudy’s Auto Service in Winnipeg.

Epp told Collision Repair that his shop stopped performing safety inspections on vehicles years ago, but recently began dong them after the new bill was passed.

FIRE DESTROYS MANITOBA REPAIR SHOP Birtle Tire and Auto’s repair shop in Birtle, Man, was engulfed in flames at the beginning of March resulting in the evacuation of the buildings surrounding the shop.

Andrew Brydon, deputy chief of the town’s fire department, told CBC News that an employee of the automotive repair shop pulled a fire alarm around 9:30 a.m.

“It was very smoky. It’s an old garage. There were a lot of tires,[and] there was one vehicle inside, plus one off-road vehicle,” he said.

Brydon said that nearby businesses and buildings had to be evacuated because of the massive amounts of smoke and the dangers associated with the number of tires stored in the shop.

Extinguishing the fire took 30 firefighters and five fire trucks. The fire was out by 3 p.m.; the building was deemed a total loss.

No one was injured and the cause of the blaze is unknown.

A fire destroyed Birtle Tire and Auto’s repair shop, resulting in the evacuation of the buildings surrounding the shop.

JUNE 2019 COLLISION REPAIR 83

REGIONAL NEWS | ONTARIO

FIAT CHRYSLER CUTS JOBS AT WINDSOR PLANT Fiat Chr ysler Automobiles (FCA) announced it will be cutting 1,500 jobs at its plant in Windsor, Ont. According to an emailed statement from the manufacturer, it plans to eliminate the third shift at the assembly plant beginning on Sept. 30.

Slow minivan sales have plagued the factory, which produces Chrysler Pacifica and Dodge Caravan minivans.

“We will fight tooth and nail to protect the jobs of the autoworkers in Windsor,” Ontario Premier Doug Ford said in a statement. “My message to Fiat Chrysler is this: do not make this decision based on the anti-business policies of the former government over the past 15 years.”

FCA’s indefinite layoffs come less than five months after General Motors announced it was closing its plant in Oshawa this year. In total, more than 3,000 employees will be out of work due to GM’s cutbacks.

In April, Unifor (the autoworkers’ union) stated that it is pushing for a meeting with top FCA executives in Michigan in an attempt to save the 1,500 jobs in Windsor.

Dave Cassidy, president of Unifor Local 444, states that he wants to meet with Michael Manley and Mark Stewart, Fiat Chrysler’s CEO and COO, respectively, in the hope of making a

case to ramp up production at the plant.

“It’s a flexible facility. Is there tooling that needs to be changed? Absolutely, there needs to be tooling,” says Cassidy. “But they didn’t spend $2 billion in that facility to not look at its longevity.”

LouAnn Gosselin, head of communications for FCA Canada, told CBC News that the company plans to cease production of the

Caravan. However, she wouldn’t confirm if a meeting between Unifor and FCA executives is in the works or if officials are considering adding a new product to the Windsor plant.

“We do not comment on future production plans,” Gosselin stated in an email.

F iat Chrysler is cutting 1,500 jobs at its plant in Windsor, Ont., beginning Sept. 30.

OMVIC CATCHES ANOTHER CURBSIDER An undercover shopper from OMVIC, Ontario’s vehicle sales regulator, caught a curbsider in Markham who allegedly was selling vehicles with rolled-back odometers.

The charges came just weeks after 34 charges were laid against the same man for the same alleged activity.

In January, 36-year-old Arif Adnan Syed was charged with 22 counts that allege he was curbsiding and 12 counts that allege he was committing an unfair business practice.

Euro Premium Auto, an unregistered dealership company directed by Syed, was recently charged with 13 counts of alleged curbsiding in violation of the Motor Vehicle Dealers Act, and six counts of allegedly committing an unfair business practice.

OMVIC’s latest investigation began after a call from a concerned consumer who had responded to a Kijiji ad for a vehicle. The “private seller” who posted the ad allegedly showed the consumer a number of vehicles he had stored behind a Scarborough apartment complex.

OMVIC’s Investigations team then deployed an undercover shopper who responded to a Kijiji ad allegedly posted by the same seller, Syed, for a 2010 Camry with an odometer reading of 155,000 kilometres. The Camry had been sold earlier in 2019 with approximately 217,000 km on the odometer.

Syed allegedly told the undercover investigator he had five more vehicles for sale parked behind an apartment building, all without license plates.

Around the same time, Syed allegedly sold a

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2011 Nissan Altima with an odometer reading of 131,590 km to a recent immigrant from China. The consumer had seen the automobile advertised on Kijiji and allegedly paid Syed $5,400 in cash. OMVIC’s investigation found the Nissan had been sold to Syed for $3,000 just months earlier; the odometer read approximately 229,000 km at that time.

OMVIC is warning the public not to buy vehicles from, or sell vehicles to, Arif Adnan Syed,” says Don Cousens, OMVIC’s manager of investigations.

ONTARIO | REGIONAL NEWS

CSN HWY 27 CELEBRATES 32 YEARS OF BUSINESS WITH AKZONOBEL Enzo Anania Sr., owner of CSN Hwy 27, started his collision repair business in Woodbridge, Ont., 44 years ago and has been doing business with AkzoNobel for 32 years.

Participants from AkzoNobel and CSN Hwy 27 gathered at the latter’s collision repair facility for a lunch at the beginning of April.

During the celebration, AkzoNobel presented Anania with an appreciation award.

“I believe [the award] speaks to the way my dad is as a person. He treats people in the industry with the same loyalty and respect as he would want in return,” said Enzo Anania Jr., who also works in his father’s business, during the celebration.

Enzo Jr. also said that all of the employees at the facility are like members of one big family: “The front-desk staff have been with

us for 30 years; they’ve seen me grow up.”

“With both Enzo Sr. and Enzo Jr. working in the business, you have a strong sense of family commitment. And when it comes to the other 15 employees, they too are treated like family. It has been my pleasure to work here,” said AkzoNobel account manager David Woolley.

The team at CSN Hwy 27.

COLLISION REPAIR FACILITIES SHOULD NOT BE LOCATED IN RESIDENTIAL AREAS, SAYS TORONTO COUNCILLOR The fire and explosion that occurred at a bodyshop in Scarborough, Ont., last week has one city councillor speaking out against the presence of collision repair facilities operating near residential areas.

In an interview with Collision Repair, Councillor Michael Thompson said, “Automotive industries should not be in residential areas for the very reason as to what transpired last week. As much as we don’t know what actually occurred, we do know that there was an explosion and that there was a fire.

We’ve seen a situation in which there was a conflict with respect to these types of places — not just automotive. [There was] a propane explosion a couple of years ago in the west end; [that explosion occurred] in a residential area.

So, I’m not supportive of automotive facilities in residential areas for those reasons.”

When Collision Repair asked Thompson if he thought this would have an impact on businesses in the automotive sector, he said he doesn’t believe so: “There are areas that are zoned to allow the uses for automobile

and other types of uses that could create an imminent danger to the community.

Those areas are zoned specifically for that to ensure there is safety and they are the areas where automotive facilities and other types of facilities, such as propane, for example, should be located. They should not be located in residential areas.”

The incident that sparked Thompson’s comments occurred in April. Firefighters arrived at Preferred Auto after a passing security guard witnessed an explosion inside the facility.

Scarborough Centre Councillor Michael Thompson and the remains of Preferred Auto.

According to the fire department, the security guard reported the explosion to emergency services at about 4 a.m. By 5.20 a.m., the blaze had been extinguished.

The fire is still under investigation, and Thompson hopes that “the police will be able to shed some light to the community on what transpired and to ensure the safety of these types of facilities.”

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REGIONAL NEWS | QUEBEC

MONTREAL ECONOMIC INSTITUTE CRITICIZES EV SUBSIDIES The Montreal Economic Institute (MEI) isn’t sold on the Quebec government’s investment to encourage the purchase of electric vehicles.

To date, the province has spent more than $220 million in subsidies, and plans to extend the program for two more years. The MEI believes that the public policy is both expensive and highly ineffective, having very little impact on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

If Quebec were to achieve its goal of having a million fully electric vehicles on its roads by 2030, which is 20 times more than it has now, GHG emissions would be reduced by only 3.6% from the current level. “[The program] is a pure waste!”says Germain Belzile, senior associate researcher at the MEI. “And that’s not including the $300 million in purchase subsidies that the federal government just announced, plus the hundreds of millions that Quebec and Ottawa are going to spend to develop the network of charging stations. All of this for a minimal result in terms of emission reductions.”

Until now, the $8,600 subsidy granted on each purchase of an electric vehicle costs taxpayers slightly less than $3,000 per tonne of GHGs not emitted. Factoring in the new $5,000 federal subsidy, the cost per tonne of GHGs not emitted

spikes to more than $450 — 23 times the market price of the federal carbon tax’s amount.

“The cost of the subsidy is very high when you consider that in Quebec, with the carbon market, the cost to avoid emitting one tonne of GHGs is actually around $20,” says Belzile. “Think about it: you can choose between a cost of $450 or $20 for two policies that have the same objective.”

The prices of electric cars are forecast to be competitive with those of gas-powered vehicles, without subsidies, by 2024, then they are expected to continue to decrease, achieving parity before the end of the decade. Subsequently, the cost of batteries are expected to continue to drop.

“Our governments should eliminate the subsidy programs without delay since Quebec and Canada have already set a price for carbon. And as argued by the latest economist to win the Nobel Prize, William Nordhaus, such a price mechanism should replace all subsidies that have the same goal. It’s just common sense,” says Belize.

The MEI is a think-tank that

stimulates debate on public policies across Canada by proposing reforms based on market principles and entrepreneurship.

S enior associate researcher at the MEI Germain Belzile.

THE CARROSSIER PROCOLOR NETWORK HELPS FAMILIES AFFECTED BY QUEBEC FLOODING It’s that time of year again: when the ice and snow begins to melt and the water levels begin to rise. This year, Quebec was among the areas affected by the water levels. The Carrossier ProColor network, a member of CSN Collision Centres, donated $10,000 to the Canadian Red Cross to help families who are severely affected by the April spring flooding throughout the province.

On April 23, 1,418 people across the province were forced to leave their homes and 2,900 houses were flooded, the Montreal Gazette reported. As of April 30, more than 10,149 people left their homes across the province, with a total of 6,681 homes flooded and 3,488 more homes cut off from their communities.

These aren’t the first massive floods that residents in Quebec have experienced. Two years ago, roads were submerged under high water levels and houses were surrounded, if not submerged.

Approximately 4,000 people were evacuated from their homes.

“Like last year, it is our duty to reiterate our support to those affected, including many of our franchisees, employees and clients.

We are very pleased to help the communities of Quebec by offering a donation to the Red Cross,” says Michel Charbonneau, vicepresident of sales for Uni-Select Canada.

During the flooding period, the Canadian Red Cross worked closely with municipal and provincial authorities. Red Cross volunteers were mobilized to support people affected by the floods.

All donations were used to meet the basic needs of those who have been the most affected, including helping families relocate to hotels or providing food vouchers.

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ATLANTIC | REGIONAL NEWS

NEW BRUNSWICK SKILLS COMPETITION ATTRACTS THOUSANDS OF STUDENTS Thousands of students gathered at the New Brunswick Community College for the provincial skills competition on April 12.

The brand-new facility brought in more than 2,000 students to tour the college and check out the collision repair trade. Don MacKay was instrumental in organizing and overseeing the event.

Twenty-four students competed in the car painting and autobody competition, and were judged by industry volunteers and educators.

he students who competed in the T autobody sector of the Skills competition.

The autobody competition was divided into two sections: the rocker panel project and the plastic repair of a bumper. The car painting competition was divided into three sections: painting a panel, repairing a scratch panel and preparing the panel for spot paint and clearcoat.

Leanne Jefferies, director of Skills Canada’s Collision Repair Program network, told Collision Repair that there also was a virtual spray paint booth set up in which for students

could try their hand at the activity.

According to Jefferies, the paint booth attracted several thousand students and allowed them to get hands-on experience in the collision repair field. The paint booth also showed the students their results, and some students kept coming back to try it out more than once, Jefferies says.

The winners of this provincial skills competition moved on to compete at nationals in Halifax held on May 28 to 29.

The Collision Repair Program network set up a virtual spray paint booth for students to try out their skills.

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INSURER RELATIONS

SAAR executive director Tom Bissonnette spoke to a room full of repairers during the SAAR spring conference in March. Photo taken by KdMx Photography.

THE WISDOM OF SOLOMON SAAR LEADS TOWN-HALL MEETINGS FOR REPAIRERS AND SGI OFFICIALS

BY LINDSEY COOKE AND GIDEON SCANLON

L

ast month, the Saskatchewan Association of Automotive Repairers co-hosted several town-hall meetings with representatives of Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI), thus providing repairers with the opportunity to raise concerns about recently announced training and equipment fees, and a new tiered compensation policy.

The meetings came after an announcement at SAAR’s annual conference in March, at which SGI officials announced plans to change its accreditation procedure and require shops to invest as much as $100,000 in equipment or lose their accredited status.

In the weeks following SGI’s announcement, many owners of rural bodyshops spoke out against the policy change to media outlets.

Many owners said that the price tag attached to the equipment they would need to qualify as a Tier 2 shop will cost too much — and probably won’t be used very much, given the types of repairs they perform.

After an SGI senior executive said the Crown corporation would not provide financial assistance to collision repair facilities in rural areas, SGI Minister Joe Hargrave told CBC News that SGI officials had gotten “a little ahead of themselves.”

“I encourage [repairers] to come out to these town-hall meetings that [we’re] going to have [to] voice their concerns, and no decision has been made as to anything,” Hargrave told CBC News.

The three town halls, run in Regina and Yorkton, Sask., were each preceded by a special estimating seminar held by Tom Bissonnette, SAAR executive director, who was sympathetic to some of the concerns facing rural repairers.

“Can you imagine spending anywhere from $40,000 to $100,000 in training and equipment just to get a lower door rate? For Tier 1 shops, imagine spending $100,000 to $200,000 just to stay at the rate you are at?” Bissonnette asked Collision Repair.“For example, buying a resistance

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welder is one [example], and getting three-phase power to their facility could, in many cases, double the cost of that welder! Many smaller rural shops do not actually repair much collision; they generally work on trucks that have hit a deer, change windshields and hail repairs.”

Following the third town-hall meeting, Bissonnette told Collision Repair that all of the shop owners in attendance understood and were in agreement with SGI that safe and quality repairs are at the core of the industry and that the crux of the disagreement was about labour rates. SGI acknowledges that an increased rate will be difficult to afford. While the insurer is still analyzing the financial aspect, SGI officers have expressed the view that the Crown corporation currently pays a premium for repairs, with some officers going as far as saying they would like to see an even lower rate for the Tier 2 shops.

“It may take the wisdom of Solomon to solve these financial issues,” said Bissonnette.

INSURER RELATIONS

TAKING CENTRE STAGE TOM BISSONNETTE ON BRIDGING THE DIVIDE BETWEEN REPAIRERS AND SGI

I

n March, Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI) announced its new accreditation system for repair shops in the province. Shops now are sorted into two tiers ands have one year to pull together the money to invest in specified equipment, tools and training in order to be accredited

by SGI as a Tier 1 shop. The cost associated with these upgrades has be pegged at almost $100,000.

To gear up for these changes, SGI has hosted town-hall meetings with representatives of the Saskatchewan Association of Automotive Repairers (SAAR). Collision Repair caught up with Tom Bissonnette, SAAR’s executive director, to hear his thoughts on SGI’s requirements and what he would tell shop owners who are feeling overwhelmed.

Collision Repair: What are your thoughts on SGI’s new accreditation program?

them. If they don’t want to do anything, [the transition] is going to be difficult.

Tom Bissonnette: For the most part, something needs to change. Obviously, vehicles have changed, and we need to take a serious look at how we are repairing these vehicles.

Bottom line is we do have a concern with what the door rates are [that are] going to the shops that are actually doing this work.

CR: What advice would you give to the owners of small-town shops who are stressing about these changes?

CR: What do you hope will come out of the meetings SAAR is hosting with SGI? TB: I think that people just need to understand what they’re going to need in order to repair vehicles, but also how it’s going to impact their business. We have a lot of small rural areas that have one- or twoman shops, and some of them are doing a fantastic job; we would love to see them stick around. On the other hand, we want to make sure that vehicles are being fixed properly and that people have the knowledge to do that. So, [buy-in] hinges on the attitude of the shop [owners]. If they’re moving forward and they want to make those changes, I don’t think it’s going to be a big issue for a lot of

TB: In the past year, I’ve been doing a weekly newsletter [through which] I’ve been sending out this information. So, it’s not a surprise.

I’ve been telling these owners it’s not as bad as they might think it is and it’s not as good as you think it is. I think when the shop owners meet with SGI and it clarifies what its requirements are, the repairers are going to find that [qualifying for accreditation is] within their reach. There are some shops that have all the equipment already and might be thinking they’re going to have a windfall; I don’t think so. I think that shops that are serious about their business are going to maintain their market share. The equipment that is out there right now, I think, is going to help the shops become better at what they do.

From our point of view, SAAR is helping people by doing a training session on estimating. What I’m trying to do is illustrate to the shops that if they pay a

little bit more attention to the job they do with estimating, they’ll make more than enough money to pay for the equipment they’re going to need [to get] this year.

CR: Is there anything else SAAR is going to do to help shops in the province gear up for these changes?

TB: We have a big conference coming up in September in Saskatoon. We [host] a semi-annual conference and [in September] we’re bringing in SGI to speak, but we are also bringing in all of the suppliers to do a showcase. [The concept] is very similar to what you would see at the CCIF. Suppliers have really jumped on board and they’ve really partnered up with us. They obviously want to sell equipment, but they also want to help. They want to help shops make that adjustment, whether [that is through] a leasing program or financing programs. The other thing we are doing is instituting a “buy and sell” section on our website. Lots of shops are gearing up to buy new equipment, so there is lots of other equipment that is available.

We’re going to help [suppliers] connect the dots with each shop [so they can] get the equipment at the best possible price.

JUNE 2019 COLLISION REPAIR 89

PRODUCTS

PANE RELIEF CLEAR-CUT CHOICES WITH TRANSPARENT ADVANTAGES THAT SHATTER EXPECTATIONS

01

RAPTOR F22 DELUXE KIT

EQUALIZER

The Raptor F22 Deluxe Kit from Equalizer aims to provide a powerful cord-based glass-removal system usable on all types of auto glass.

The technique that enables the cord-andwire auto-glass removal device to operate on different sizes of glass is simple to learn, although Equalizer also provides online video tutorials for technicians looking for clarification.

The device integrates Equalizer’s AirForce Constant Vacuum Cups, thus allowing quick placement and a constant vacuum to keep the glass firmly in place.

The technology means the suction cups do not require pumping by hand. Instead, the cups are powered by an electric motor that runs off a long-life battery. The battery can be charged rapidly with a special charger. equalizer.com

02

PRO-WRK WINDSHIELD REPAIR KIT

PRO SPOT

Pro Spot Pro’s PRO-WRK Windshield Repair Kit is a new, easy-to-use four-in-one automated glass chip-repair system. The well-designed, precision-machined tool is made of aluminum alloy, making this tool lightweight but very durable.

The tool sets up quickly over a chip and each repair step is just a quick turn of the tool — simple, fast and complete.

The kit also comes with a mirror aid in applying suction to the bottom of the glass, resin, pit fill, polish, a syringe, crack resin, razor blades, a vacuum puller and a resin fill tube. prospot.com

03

BTB BATTERY POWERED E-TOOL

BTB AUTO GLASS AND AUTO BODY

The BTB battery-powered E-Tool is a specialized reciprocal-stroke power tool designed to remove safely all automotive glass and components installed with urethane adhesive. The BTB system is also designed to prevent damage to glass or the vehicle.

The BTB system incorporates a unique internal and external cutout method, reaching adhesive below dashboards, and when you are making external cuts, powered cold knife blades replace the manual method. The designers’ aim was to reduce the risk of operator injury by avoiding the need for human force to be exerted.

The tool can also safely remove body side mouldings and other components bonded with flexible adhesives, such as urethane or double-sided tape.

The tool complies with HSE and CE standards with very low levels of noise and vibration. btbtools.com

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PRODUCTS

04

USF FAST CURE PRIMERLESS C URETHANE AUTO GLASS ADHESIVE SEALANT

05

GLASSMATE 7.0

MITCHELL INTERNATIONAL

06

BLACKHAWK

EQUALIZER

DOMINION SURE SEAL

Dominion Sure Seal’s CUSF Fast Cure Primerless Urethane Auto Glass Adhesive Sealant is designed to live up to its impressively long name. The fast-curing, primerless auto-glass adhesive sealant gives repairers the ability to make lasting glass-metal bonds. According to Dominion Sure Seal, the product can also be used as a high-strength, single-component adhesive for reapplying mouldings and ground effects. dominionsureseal.com

Mitchell International’s subscription-based GlassMate 7.0 aims to be the ultimate glass-repair management tool for collision repair facilities. The software is designed to simplify the glass repair procedure by letting users prepare quotes, create work orders and deliver invoices to vendors. The software also provides instant access to the industry standard NAGS parts numbers and pricing.

Compared with earlier versions of GlassMate 7.0 offers a refined look that is meant to make it easier to use than its predecessors. It also features enhancements to the parts ordering capabilities of the software, allowing users to look up prices and availability of parts from all major suppliers in real time. In addition, users can import price files from local suppliers into GlassMate. Users also will receive automatic notifications of shop assignments requiring attention.

The BlackHawk has a heavy-duty, 20-amp brushless motor designed to remove even the most difficult glass quickly. The tool’s compact and lightweight design allows for manoeuvring in tight areas, and the tool’s mounted bright LED light provides visibility in dark work areas. equalizer.com

mitchell.com

JUNE 2019 COLLISION REPAIR 91

BMW GROUP JOINS ENVIRONMENTAL SHIPPING INITIATIVE The BMW Group has become the first automobile manufacturer worldwide to join the Ship Recycling Transparency Initiative (SRTI).

The SRTI, an independent online platform launched in March 2018 by the Sustainable Shipping Initiative, aims to improve mea- find joint solutions and create a standard for sures, transparency and awareness related to responsible recycling.

In order to increase recycling rates gradually, recycling ships.

The SRTI embraces a voluntary, market- BMW tests recycling concepts for different vehicle components on an ongoing basis at its David Gold, Standard Auto Wreckers’ owner. driven approach to sustainable ship recycling practices. The online platform promotes Recycling and Dismantling Centre. The BMW exchanges of information regarding ship group also works with research institutes and recycling practices and guidelines, and helps suppliers to further the implementation of new FENIX PARTS SELLS CANADIAN ensure transparency in the maritime recycling technologies so that components can OPERATIONS TO FORMER OWNER to sector. The initiative takes the interests of be returned to the material cycle whenever Fenix Parts, Goldy Metals and Kenneth Gold all its members into account in its efforts to possible at the end of a vehicle’s life cycle. have announced the closing of a transaction pursuant to Fenix’s sale of its Canadian VOLKSWAGEN’S PLAN FOR THE FUTURE subsidiaries and its operations to Goldy Volkswagen has proven that it is thinking of auto wreckers for an undisclosed price.

Volkswagen will look to reuse those batterFenix’s Canadian operations in Ontario the future. The OEM is not just considering ies. The batteries will be analyzed and sorted will continue under Goldys’ ownership and the future in terms of technology and electric to determine if they can be used a second will operate as Standard Auto Wreckers. vehicles, but also what is going to happen when time. If not, the batteries will be shredded Fenix, a recycler and reseller of OEM au- vehicles are no longer running at that time. into a fine powder so the OEM can gather Volkswagen has announced a pilot plant valuable raw materials from them, such tomotive products operated by a group of auto industry veterans, retains its existing for recycling electric vehicle batteries in as lithium, cobalt, manganese and nickel.

Salzgitter, Germany, that will begin operating business in the U.S. “This sale will facilitate both enterprises’ in 2020 and is designed to produce 1,200 pursuit of successful futures. The movement tonnes per year initially; that volume adds of parts across borders has been a challenge up to 3,000 lithium-ion batteries. The projdue primarily to currency fluctuations, [which ect in Salzgitter will be followed by further erase] the original benefits from scale. This recycling plants within the next few years. transaction will enable Fenix to better focus our resources on the U.S. market, where we IMPACT AUTO GIVES BACK see significant opportunity. We wish the Golds success with this acquisition,” says William For the past four years, Impact Auto Auctions recyclers in attendance at the show [were] has contributed toward the Ontario Auto very generous and they very much support Stevens, Fenix’s CEO. Standard Auto Wreckers was founded by Recyclers Association Scholarship Fund, an the scholarship fund.” the uncle of Kenneth Gold, CEO of Goldy, in initiative that funds post-secondary educathe early 1960s. Ken took over the business tion or apprenticeship opportunities for the in 1979, after which his son David joined children of employees of the Ontario Auto Recyclers Association (OARA). the firm; David served the president of Impact Auto raffled off tickets for a 2018 the Automotive Recyclers Association in 2018. When Goldy sold the business to Honda Grom motorcycle at the 2019 OARA Fenix in 2015, David stayed on as presi- conference and trade show. All the proceeds dent of Fenix’s Canadian operations. Now are dedicated to the OARA scholarship fund.

“The OARA scholarship fund is not only that Goldy has reacquired Standard Auto Wreckers from Fenix, David will continue a good cause, but it also helps the families of independent auto recycling facilities,” to lead the business.

“We are excited to have this opportunity says Vinesh Mistry, Impact Auto’s director to return to running a business that we love. of marketing.

The winners of Impact Auto Auction’s motorcycle In the past years, Impact Auto has raised We wish the Fenix organization success as raffle during the 2017 OARA trade show and well,” says Kenneth Gold, the chief executive approximately $3,000. Says Mistry: “The auto conference. officer of Goldy.

JUNE 2019 COLLISION REPAIR 93

EVENT

From left: Steve Fletcher, OARA’s executive director; Scott Robertson Jr., owner of Robertson’s Auto Salvage; Andrew MacDonald, owner of Maritime Auto Parts; and Chad Counselman, owner of Counselman Automotive Recycling.

OARA AND ABOVE RECYCLERS UNITE AT OARA’S ANNUAL CONVENTION AND TRADESHOW

BY GIDEON SCANLON

M

ore than 370 auto recycling industry stakeholders gathered from across North America for the Ontario Auto Recycling Association Convention and Trade show held at the Mississauga/Meadowvale Hilton Hotel.

Over the course of the two-day event, guests listened to presentations and panels from 18 speakers. The trade show portion of the event opened on Friday afternoon, attracting representatives from more than 50 businesses.

Steve Fletcher, executive director of OARA, opened the show with an speech that touched on the resilience of Ontario’s recycling community and his pride in OARA’s work with regulators.

The sentiment was echoed by keynote speaker Dan Marks, a visionary fourthgeneration recycler whose marketing successes have helped fuel his Buffalo-based facility’s rise to new heights.

“Not to go all Trump on you,” Marks said, “[but] let'’ make the industry great again.”

Marks went on to advise recyclers to consider new embracing new opportunities

to overcome challenges through options such as forming brokered parts networks: “The reason I love this business is that there is always a way to pivot the business model.”

During a panel discussion that followed, Scott Robertson, Chad Counselman and Andrew MacDonald backed up Marks’ call

for recyclers to embrace new techniques.

“By joining a brokered parts networks, my business went from having a matching part for 42% of searches to 90 %,” Counselman said.

During a presentation by the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks, officials presented statistics regarding

From left: Steve Lucas and David Gold from Standard Auto Wreckers; Shane Clark from Dom’s Auto Parts.

JUNE 2019 COLLISION REPAIR 95

EVENT

From left: Carolyn, Justin and Michael Carcone of Carcone’s Auto Recycling and Gloria Mann.

Becky Berube, United Catalyst Corp.’s president, and Al Berube.

the number of facility inspections visited during the 2018 fiscal year. According to those figures, more than 400 facility inspections were conducted — about as many as in the previous period.

During the question-and-answer session that followed, the presenters were challenged by several recyclers who are concerned about the differences among the time frames spent on inspections.

“Some inspections seem to be taking 20 minutes; others go on for two hours,” one audience member said. “Is there a reason the

inspections aren’t consistent?”

In response, ministry representatives said that some inspections could take more time if the ministry had received information indicating particular concerns.

Mary Poirier of Valley Automotive, OARA’s treasurer, also questioned ministry officials about a particular case she had been following for more than three years.

“This facility was called to your attention three years ago, but it still is operating and not on the [Environmental Activity and Sector] registry,” said Mary Poirier. “I’d like to know

96 COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM

what is taking so long.”

While ministry officials declined to comment on that particular case, they suggested that the facility may face environmental concerns that may not require closing the facility immediately, yet prevented the facility from being registered.

OARA has been the voice of the auto recycling industry in Ontario since 1992. OARA keeps auto recyclers and other industry stakeholders informed and involved with input into and information about current industry trends and government legislative initiatives that affect the industry.

LAST WORD

REPAIRERS AND RESPONSIBILITY ADVERTISER INDEX COMPANY

Why OEM referrals will highlight the industry’s professional standards

PAGE

3D Canada .................................... 79 3M Automotive ............................. 40 AkzoNobel ..................................... 7 ARSLAN ...................................... 35 Assured Automotive ..................... 67 Audatex | Solera ........................... 21 AutoQuip ..................................... 75 Axalta ...........................................BC BASF............................................... 4 BETAG ..................................... 16-17 Canadian Hail Repair................... 74 Car-O-Liner ................................. 38 Car-Part.com ............................... 94 Carcone’s Auto Recycling .......... 96 Cardinal Couriers ........................ 83 Carrossier Procolor ............... 48-49 CARSTAR Canada .......................36 Color Compass ............................ 28 Dominion Sure Seal ..................... 11 Equalizer ...................................... 73 Eurovac ........................................ 86 Finixa ............................................. 9 Fix Auto Canada ........................... 58 Flat Line ........................................ 15 Formula Honda ..................... 60-61 Garmat ..........................................82 Hail Specialist ............................. 77 IBIS ...............................................45 Impact........................................... 92 KIA ............................................... 42 LKQ ........................................ 30-31 Martech ....................................... 10 Nitroheat ...................................... 34 PDR Canada .................................62 Polyvance ..................................... 76 PPG Canada ............................... 2,3 ProSpot ....................................... 24 SATA Canada .............................. 57 Steck ............................................ 23 Symach ........................................ 51 Thorold Auto Parts....................... 87 Valspar.......................................... 99 Wurth............................................ 22

BY GIDEON SCANLON

E

very once in a while, I am reminded of the fact that the general public is largely unaware of the important role collision repairers play in keeping people safe.

I’m just glad I survived my most recent reminder.

I was visiting a friend from high school who lives in San Francisco. During our get-together, we took a motorcycle trip up into the Berkeley Hills, where twists and turns lead to an unsurpassed view of San Francisco Bay. Like any good tourist, I’d taken a picture of the two of us at the summit and sent it to my friend’s mother. Her response? “Good to see he has gotten the alignment issue sorted out.”

He hadn’t bothered to sort out the problem. Apparently, after the bike had been hit while parked, my friend had taken it to a trainee bicycle mechanic friend, who, after a two-minute going-over, adjusted the alignment slightly and announced it was “good enough.”

While the front wheel and handlebars remained noticeably misaligned, he was warned that going to a repair facility would cause his premiums to rise. Then he’d let me ride it up what must be America’s most dangerous road.

So what is my point? As members of the collision repair industry, we need to be better at educating the public about why receiving quality repairs isn’t just important, but vital. Moreover, we need to be better at explaining what qualifies people to repair vehicles, and why a real professional’s opinion is worth so much more than a sales pitch.

Collision repairers, however, may not be the only ones with a vested interest in making these things known to the general public.

OEMs are also keen to get this message out to drivers loud and clear.

Recently, Ford announced plans to begin automatically providing American drivers with bodyshop referrals as soon as mobile technology alerts the OEM to an incident.

It goes without saying that nearly instantaneous facility referrals from OEMs will have a huge impact on collision facilities, which have

98 COLLISION REPAIR COLLISIONREPAIRMAG.COM

long been the proverbial rope in the game of tugof-war between OEMs and auto insurers.

While I am sure auto insurers could — and certainly will soon — offer a similar service to clients, I do not believe this method will be as effective.

For one thing, Ford conducted a massive consumer study that found that OEMs, not repair facility professionals or auto insurers, were the most trusted source for such referrals among drivers.

For another, I had a conversation with a colleague who was recently offered the chance to participate in a pilot program run by her insurance company, one that would put a vehicular monitoring unit in her car.

While she would have been able to rest easy knowing that, in a crisis, the insurer would send help, she declined. “I don’t love the idea of being constantly judged,” she explained to me.

I realize that the arrival of OEM referrals will be met with mixed reactions throughout the collision repair community. Opinions remain divided regarding the value of certification programs — and Ford’s service will be a boon to some and a burden to others.

In general, however, this development will be good for the industry. At the least, it will mean an increase in the public’s awareness of the vital work of collision repair professionals.

Better yet, the policy seems likely to incentivize shops and their customers to emphasize quality of repairs over their affordability. While insurance companies’ recommendations may be made with financial considerations top of mind, OEMs want the most effective repairs to bemade.

Gideon Scanlon is the editor of Collision Repair magazine He can be reached at 905-5490454 or by email at gideon@ mediamatters.ca.