ISSA News

COMMUNICATING CLEANLINESS WITH GBAC STAR

The Global Biorisk Advisory Council’s GBAC STAR™ Facility Accreditation continues to be embraced by facility owners across Canada. To date, at least 34 hotels, convention centres forward-thinking hotels, convention centres, stadiums, and office towers across the country have achieved the accreditation, which denotes that the facilities are equipped with the tools and protocols to protect occupants not only from COVID-19 but from all infectious disease.

In recent months, a variety of destinations have broken new ground when it comes to this accreditation. Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre became the first Canadian retail centre to pursue the program in November, Manulife Investment Management became the first real estate landlord in the country to achieve the accreditation by getting seven of its facilities in Montreal certified, and three Toronto theatres — Meridian Arts Centre, St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, and Meridian Hall — have all registered to pursue the accreditation.

Recent weeks have seen another major milestone achieved, as Edmonton’s department of tourism, Explore Edmonton, has committed to achieving city-wide accreditation, including such venues as Edmonton International Airport, Edmonton Destination Marketing Hotels, Rogers Place, and the alreadyaccredited Edmonton Convention Centre and Edmonton EXPO Centre. In doing so, Edmonton has become the first Canadian municipality to make an overarching commitment to achieving the accreditation.

“With rumblings starting to percolate about a possible third wave, now more than ever, building owners and facility managers must take the proper steps to ensure their building occupants are safe,” said ISSA Canada Executive Director Mike Nosko. “With its 20 program elements, the GBAC STAR Facility Accreditation helps facilities put protocols in place and have a trained frontline team to ensure proper cleaning and disinfection practices are occurring to combat not only COVID-19, but any other infectious diseases in the future.”

“Many Canadian facilities have already committed to the safety of their occupants and embraced the GBAC STAR Facility Accreditation,” Nosko added. “Explore Edmonton has taken that one step further by pursuing city-wide accreditation of its multiple venues. This commitment demonstrates the city’s concern for its visitors and will certainly assist in the postCOVID-19 recovery process.”

The full list of accredited facilities can be viewed through GBAC’s online Facility Directory.

While the Facility Accreditation has been the major driving force of GBAC’s programs in recent months, it has been hard at work in other areas, too.

In February 2021, the GBAC STAR Service Accreditation was launched for the building service contractor sector, designed to validate a cleaning service provider’s protocols and work practices to prepare for, respond to, and recover from infectious disease outbreaks.

GBAC also offers a Fundamentals course for individuals such as industry technicians. That course teaches cleaning professionals to prepare for, respond to, and recover from biohazards in the workplace, including a detailed education on infection and contamination control measures.

“With the recently introduced GBAC STAR Service Accreditation, building service contractors have a competitive edge when it comes to their cleaning, disinfection, and infection prevention procedures,” said Nosko. “Accreditation also positions these forward-thinking BSC firms to assist their facility owner clients to achieve GBAC STAR facility accreditation, resulting in increased consumer confidence.”

At a time when maintaining and increasing the visibility and communication of cleaning and infection control practices is more important than ever, the GBAC STAR program is making it easier to show off your credentials.

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ISSA CANADA LOCKED IN FOR A SUCCESSFUL 2021

By Tanja Nowotny

ISSA Canada headed into 2021 full steam ahead and riding the momentum generated in 2020 due to the pandemic. With a mission to “change the way the world views cleaning,” the worldwide cleaning industry association saw a new interest in the professionals who not only manufacture and distribute cleaning products, equipment, and services, but those frontline heroes who apply the very best cleaning practices to ensure facility occupants remain safe.

Although 2021 may feel like Groundhog Day when it comes to COVID-19, ISSA Canada is optimistic for the future, and can see a faint light beginning to flicker at the end of the tunnel. Not only is the association rolling out programs to help building owners open their facilities safely, but it is also providing support to ensure these spaces continue to be clean and healthy moving forward.

The Global Biorisk Advisory Council’s GBAC STAR™ accreditations are also complementary to other programs such as ISSA’s leading-edge Cleaning Industry Management Standard (CIMS), which has been described as the ISO of the cleaning industry. CIMS and CIMS Green Building (GB) certification demonstrates that an organization is prepared to deliver quality customer-focused services, as well as being capable of delivering a comprehensive green cleaning program based on LEED:EB O&M green cleaning criteria.

Understandably, ISSA Canada is currently focused on preventing the spread of infectious disease, but the association provides much more than just pandemic preparedness.

As in years past, ISSA Canada once again celebrated the modern companies who showed a commitment to the environment and a dedication to the value of clean by awarding the Environmental Stewardship Awards. This year’s winners included Yorkdale Shopping Centre in Toronto; Manulife Investment Management in Montreal; and Rogers Place in Edmonton.

ISSA Canada is once again accepting nominations from active ISSA Canada members for the 2021 awards. Nominees — including building service contractors, education facilities, shopping outlets, convention centres, hotels, long-term care facilities, hospitals, etc. — must demonstrate four of the six criteria to be considered for the award: • Implementation of environmental practices, as well as education, training of front-line staff. • Demonstration of a dedication to the overall cleanliness and health of a facility. • Utilization of approved environmental products and chemicals (EcoLogo or Green Seal-certified). • Performance of cleaning procedures with a high attention to safety. • Reduction of the carbon footprint through water conservation, energy savings, etc. • Acceptance of the newest technologies which lead to a green future.

NOMINATION FORMS ARE AVAILABLE ON THE ISSA CANADA WEBSITE.

In keeping with the association’s goal of uniting the cleaning industry, ISSA Canada and its Residential Cleaning Committee have launched a monthly Coffee Talk Forum. This free, hour-long chat session provides Canadian residential cleaners — and interested parties — with a safe, friendly platform to share ideas, discuss current trends, and ask questions about the challenges faced in day-to-day business practices. The inaugural session was held on February 9, with 100 participants registered. The goal of these monthly sessions is to provide information and support fellow residential cleaners across the country, especially now, since many have had to cease normal business activity due to the pandemic. A full schedule of these sessions is available on the ISSA Canada website.

As in 2020, the pandemic has resulted in the cancellation of the inperson ISSA Show Canada trade show event. With provincial restrictions prohibiting large gatherings still in place, ISSA Show Canada will shift to a virtual experience in 2021. With a focus on education and networking, the virtual event will be held on June 16 and 17, 2021. The theme will be Facing the Future TOGETHER, recognizing the industry’s position today and where we go from here. Details are currently in the planning stage, but ISSA Canada is looking forward to reconnecting with members in the virtual space. ISSA Show Canada will feature keynote presentations, education sessions, supplier technology sessions, as well as virtual networking receptions. More details will be made available soon on the ISSA Show Canada website.

On the membership front, ISSA Canada continues to pave a path to create more value for Canadian members. Partnering with TruShield Insurance in the fall, its most recent alliance has been with TechWyse Internet Marketing. Founded in 2001, TechWyse provides a host of services that can suit the needs of any company large or small. In addition to creative web design and development, the company also delivers leading edge expertise in search engine optimization, search engine marketing, online advertising, social media marketing, and much more. Stay tuned, as ISSA Canada is currently in discussion with a variety of other vendors and hopes to roll out new benefits over the next few months.

Although it’s been a difficult time for many companies, there is a hint of optimism in the air. As vaccines are distributed and the population slowly receives inoculation, the possibility of in-person events could be a reality by the end of this year. With this in mind, ISSA is currently moving full steam ahead to host a live ISSA Show North America trade show and education conference, November 15 to 18, in the newly expanded Las Vegas Convention Center West Hall in Las Vegas, NV. The mission is for the show to be the leading resource for information, education, innovation, networking, and commercial opportunities for firms within the worldwide cleaning industry.

As we head into the spring, ISSA Canada looks ahead with much positivity and optimism. The cleaning industry has truly demonstrated its professionalism and skill over this past year, and it is our goal to keep that momentum growing.