8 minute read
Industry News
from March 2022
Atlantic Canada can get ready for the return of its largest trade show for the mechanical industry.
The two-day event will feature plenty of educational opportunities, which will be released at a later date.
Back to business for Atlantic Canada’s largest trade show
Atlantic Canada ’s largest trade show and social event for the industry will return to Moncton in 2022. After a four-year hiatus due to the ongoing global pandemic, the Mechanical, Electrical, Electronic and Technology Show, or more commonly referred to as the MEET Show, will be returning for the first time since 2018.
It will return to the Moncton Coliseum Complex in New Brunswick and run May 4 to 5. The two-day show will begin both days at 9 a.m. and run until 5 p.m. on the 4th and until 4 p.m. on the 5th.
“Planning is well underway for this year ’ s event and it’s shaping up to be a great show. We heard from many of our exhibitors, and they are very eager to return and reconnect with industry members and do business again,” said Shawn Murphy, show manager for MEET. “We are on track to having a sold-out show floor with very limited spaces left. This is a one-of-a-kind event for Atlantic Canada to meet experts in the mechanical and electrical industries. ”
Mechanical products will include plumbing, heating, hydronic heating, air conditioning, ventilation, refrigeration, drain cleaning, tools, pumps, valves, fittings, business, and design software, etc. And that’ s just on the mechanical side, with another entire hall devoted to electrical. The show anticipates around 350 exhibitors, which is around normal numbers.
Back by popular demand
For the 2022 show, there will be plenty of educational sessions and seminars. The schedule is anticipated to be released within the coming weeks once all has been confi med.
The Innovation Awards will also be making a triumphant return with the winners expected to be announced sometime around mid-April.
In previous iterations of the trade show, on the evening of the fi st night of the show, an industry dinner has been held. This year, the show has decided not to hold a dinner.
MEET is produced by Master Promotions Ltd. in Moncton, and sponsored by the Canadian Institute of Plumbing & Heating (CIPH), IES (Illuminating Engineering Society) – Maritime Sections, ElectroFederation Canada (EFC) and ACME (Atlantic Canada Mechanical Exhibitors). For more information about the show, please visit www.meetshow.ca.
The World Plumbing Council is asking for people to share their thoughts and say thanks to those in the plumbing industry by using #WorldPlumbingDay on social media.
Celebrate World Plumbing Day 2022
Plumbing is a crucial aspect of any building; without it the world would be living as it did back in the dark ages. This is why, every year on March 11, the world stops to acknowledge the plumbers and all they do for us by celebrating World Plumbing Day. It was first established by the World Plumbing Council (WPC) in 2010.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), around 829,000 people are estimated to die each year as a result of unsafe drinking-water and by 2025, half of the world’ s population will be living in water-stressed areas.
“Canadian plumbing and heating manufacturers and
distributors provide the products and technologies that deliver clean, safe drinking water as well as comfortable and efficient home heating,” explains the Canadian Institute of Plumbing and Heating (CIPH), in a press release. “Modern plumbing and heating products allow Canadians to have fresh, safe running water and warm homes. ” Products like handsfree faucets and toilets can reduce exposure to germs and viruses, according to the association. To celebrate World Plumbing Day, CIPH suggests those interested to host a special event, 8 Plumbing & HVAC – March 2022 educating school, or students at a fundraise or local donate to a relevant charity. Additionally, there are plenty of opportunities to join the conversation through various social media channels. To spread the message, the WPC is asking people to share their thoughts and say thanks to the plumbing industry by using #worldplumbingday.
According to CIPH, there is an important link between good quality plumbing, health, environmental sustainability and, increasingly, economic prosperity.
Looking backwards
The word “plumber” derives from the Latin word “plumbum,” which means “lead” as in the element found on the periodic table. Lead was used in early systems of the Roman Empire. Some historians theorize that too much lead in drinking water could have been a reason for the decline of the Roman Empire. They are also famous for its use of aqueducts in its society.
For more information about World Plumbing Day and how to celebrate, check out the World Plumbing Council’s website.
Skilled trades certification coming to B.C.
British Columbia will require apprentices or journeypersons to register for certification to work within the 10 initial trades.
After 20 years of the mandatory skilled trades being eliminated in British Columbia, the province announced its Skilled Trades B.C. Act has been introduced into legislation to address labour shortages and support trades-people’s work in B.C.
The skilled trades certifi ation will now require people to register as an apprentice or a certified journeyperson to work in one of the 10 initial trades.
These trades include: 1. Mechanical (gas-fitter Class A and B, steamfitter/pipefitter, refrigeration and air conditioning mechanic, and sheet metal worker) 2. Electrical (power-line technician, industrial electrician, and electrician construction) 3. Automotive (heavy-duty equipment technician, automotive service technician and autobody and collision technician.)
“As the only province without skilled trades certification, B.C. workers and employers have been at a disadvantage. With 85,000 new job openings expected in the trades by 2031, there are so many opportunities for meaningful work in B.C.,” said Anne Kang, minister of advanced education and skills training. “That is why we’re launching a new, made-in-B.C. skilled trades certification system to encourage more people to choose careers in the trades, so they can prosper, and employers can find the workers they need as B.C builds a strong economic recovery. ”
Skilled trades certification for the 10 initial trades will be implemented in phases between 2022 and 2024, pending the passage of legislation.
Per the province, without this new certification, trades workers can be faced with trouble moving between employers, increasing barriers to gaining stable employment, resulting in lost or lower wages for the workers and their families.
The province hopes that once the Skilled Trades B.C. Act is passed, it will replace the Industry Training Authority Act (ITA) and become a Crown agency that is responsible for skills training in the province.
B.C. also announced that it would invest $5 million to the ITA to provide more trades training seats and help address waiting lists for priority trade programs in B.C.
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Ontario launches Skilled Trades Ontario
It’ s estimated that by 2025, the skilled trades will see a shortage of 350,000 jobs. As such, the Government of Ontario has officially launched Skilled Trades Ontario (STO), a new crown agency that will help combat the estimated labour shortage seen in the skilled trades industry.
“We’re redrawing the system to address Ontario ’ s labour shortage and make the trades a career of choice for more people,” said Monte McNaughton, minister of labour, training, and skills development.
Previously STO was known as the Ontario College of Trades (OCOT), but the government remodelled the program. The plan for the new agency will be to make it
easier for people to learn about and enter the trades via strategic marketing, developing new training and curriculum standards, and providing a streamlined user-friendly experience for tradespeople. There are currently 144 trades in Ontario, and by 2025 it is estimated that one in five jobs will be in the trades. STO will also provide new online services that intend to help apprentices by creating an online “one-stop-shop,” which will allow for them to schedule classes and exams, submit forms, and pay fees. “The Heating, Refrigeration, and Air Conditioning Institute of Canada (HRAI) is pleased to see these new online services as TPI 8x5 March.22_Layout 1 2/8/2022 1:31 PM Page 1 this was one of the key recommendations made by HRAI during the STO stakeholder consultations that were reflected in the final legislation,” explains the association by press release. “Other HRAI recommendations that were also included in legislation were increased interprovincial alignment and labour mobility and the development of a continuum of compliance tools used by inspectors. ”
An independent board of directors will lead the STO in delivering the government’ s Skilled Trades Strategy; this includes breaking the stigma surrounding the trades, simplifying the system, and encouraging employers to hire more apprentices.
The new STO board of directors will include association leaders, educational personnel, and other industry stakeholders.
The process to launch STO began back in 2021 when the proposed legislation titled “Building Opportunities in the Skilled Trades.”
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