Vol. 1 No. 7

May 2006

- S&D Conference Fast Approaching
- Ron Coleman at CECA National Conference
- Ontario's transition to Province-Wide Licensing
- The EB Bluebook Returns!
- Coming Events
- Your June/July 2006 Electrical Business

S&D CONFERENCE FAST APPROACHING

Electro-Federation Canada's (EFC's) Supply & Distribution Council's 2006 Conference in Banff is fast approaching. It kicks off Wednesday, May 31 with golf at The Fairmont Banff Springs Golf Course, followed by the Royal Welcome Reception in the evening.

The conference-proper starts the following day, Thursday, with the opening ceremony and a keynote address delivered by The Hon. Perrin Beatty, President & CEO of Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters (CMA). Perrin will discuss the dramatic changes Canadian industry is undergoing and emerging 21st Century realities. He will also present best practices from CMA's 20/20 initiative on building a solid, vibrant industrial base, and the steps we can take to ensure Canada is a global leader and the most competitive nation in the Americas by 2020.

Back by popular demand on Friday, Michael Marks of Indian River Consulting Group will walk delegates through the Top 10 list of best and worst practices that manufacturers and distributors employ. Distributors will be asked to prepare a list of manufacturer best practices, and vice versa. Those lists become a takeaway that your business can use to evaluate its relationships throughout the supply and distribution chain.

Click here for more information on the conference and how to attend.

Also, be sure to pick up your conference show bag, courtesy of Electrical Business magazine, as quantities are limited!

RON COLEMAN AT CECA NATIONAL CONFERENCE

Ron Coleman-professional speaker, accountant, business development specialist and Electrical Business columnist-is presenting a featured session at the 2006 CECA National Conference in Victoria entitled "Your Million Dollar System: Increasing the value of your contracting company by one million dollars in three years." The session is brought to you by Electrical Business, a Silver Sponsor of the conference.

Ron will paint a picture of the top 25 per cent of trade contractors and what they're doing to achieve success. Employing over 20-years worth of facts and figures, he's going to show you how to increase the value of your contracting business by $1 million in three years.

He is a member of the Institute of Certified Management Consultants of British Columbia and a professional member of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers. Ron has presented on behalf of construction associations in both Canada and the United States, and his numerous published education programs include a 36-hour business management course specifically designed for ECABC. He has completed many inter-firm financial comparisons of groups of construction companies in Canada and the United States, consulting to construction companies on a regular basis. He is also author of the book, Your Million Dollar System.

The conference runs from June 21 to 24. Click here to learn more about it and how to attend.

ONTARIO'S TRANSITION TO PROVINCE-WIDE LICENSING

The time for province-wide electrical contractor licensing in Ontario is at hand. Without getting into the why, here is what you as an electrical contractor in Ontario need to take action on to ensure you comply with the law.

Currently an agency of Electrical Contractors Association of Ontario (ECAO), the Electrical Contractors Registration Agency (ECRA) is being transferred to ESA (Electrical Safety Authority). On July 1, the new ECRA of ESA officially opens for business and will start receiving applications and issuing master and contractor licenses that will be recognized across the province. Come January 1, 2007, the change will come into full force, and will be the only electrical contractor license recognized in the province.

New to the licensing system is the creation of a third level of license called the Provisional Electrical Contractor License, which is intended for qualified contractors who have operated their businesses in areas of the province not requiring an exam-based Master License to operate an electrical contracting firm. It gives qualified contractors five years to meet the Master criteria.

Regardless of the processes in place or the type of license a contractor applies for, all electrical contractors still have to be registered in the new system between July 1 and November 30.

ECRA/ESA license application forms will be available online by June. By July 1, applications for electrical contractor (EC) and master electrician (ME) licenses will be accepted at ECRA/ESA's customer service centre in Cambridge.

THE EB BLUEBOOK RETURNS!

Electrical Business is again putting out the call for Bluebook information next month. The Bluebook is the most important and influential source guide for the Canadian electrical landscape.

Don't miss out, and don't think this is someone else's responsibility!

To be included in the Bluebook 2007, fill out the fax-back form that appears in the magazine or use the online reporting form at EBmag.com, which goes live in June.

COMING EVENTS

Canadian Electrical Code Essentials
Canadian Standards Association (CSA)
May 25-26, Montreal (English)
June 12-13, Red Deer, Alta.
June 26-27, Sudbury, Ont.
learningcentre.csa.ca

Arc Flash: Measures for Prevention and Control
Schneider Canada Services and CSA
May 24, Halifax, N.S.
May 26, Moncton, N.B.
May 29, Mississauga, Ont.
Call (800) 463-6727

2006 CEC/2005 NEC (A Comparison of Requirements)
Canadian Standards Association (CSA)
June 7-8, Vancouver
learningcentre.csa.ca

Canadian Skills Competition
May 23-26
Halifax, N.S.
www.skillscanada.com

Annual Golf Tournament & General Meetings
Electrical Contractors Association of Alberta (ECAA)
May 26-28
www.ecaa.ab.ca

The Changing World of Selling: Outside Sales
Electro-Federation Canada (EFC)
May 26
Toronto, Ont.
www.electrofed.com

Lightfair 2006
Illuminating Engineering Society of North American (IESNA) and International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD)
May 30-June 1
Las Vegas, Nev.
www.lightfair.com

Annual Conference
S&D Council (EFC)
May 31-June 3
Banff, Alta.
www.electrofed.com

Residential Contractors
GE Lighting Institute
June 8-9
Cleveland, Ohio
Call (800) 255-1200

Electrical Showcase 2006
British Columbia Electrical Association (BCEA)
June 14
Nanaimo, B.C.
www.bcea.bc.ca

Assessing & Finalizing the Tender Course
Electrical Contractors Association of Alberta (ECAA)
June 16-17
www.ecaa.ab.ca

National Conference
Canadian Electrical Contractors Association (CECA), Electrical Contractors Association of British Columbia (ECABC) and Electrical Contractors Association of Ontario (ECAO)
June 22-24
Victoria, B.C.
www.eca.bc.ca

Want to see YOUR EVENT listed here?
Send information to the Editor at acapkun@clbmedia.ca or fax (905) 727-0017.

ELECTRICAL BUSINESS, JUNE/JULY 2006

Your June/July issue of Electrical Business is jam-packed with even more of the products and information you need to run your business and stay ahead of the curve.

Stephen Tatrallyay, prominent Toronto lawyer specializing in Construction Law, gives us an update on the Kennedy Electric case, which we first brought to your attention in August 2005. In that case, we learned that any equipment installed in a building that is not essential to its functioning as a building-no matter how large or permanent-will not be lienable.

Earle Goodwin, freelance writer and marketing consultant specializing in electrical construction, goes in-depth to uncover the best (and worst) bidding practices, and looks at the viability of the bid depository system.

Meantime, our Atlantic Focus wraps up the MEET Show, recently held in Moncton, N.B. Besides record attendance, it is the first year that New Brunswick Community College (NBCC) St. Andrews held its electrical skills competition at the show. As the official electrical publication at the show, EB was there to take photos and learn what it could about the folks attending and the cool products they were displaying.

Think someone else would enjoy receiving E-Line? Send them to EBmag.com where they can sign up right on the Home Page.