May 3, 2012 - This year’s OEL (Ontario Electrical League) Electrical Industry Conference is being held in Ottawa, May 9-12, and EBMag will be there to help the league celebrate its 90th anniversary! Some highlights...

"Good safety is good business" – that's one of the key takeaways EBMag's associate editor Alyssa Dalton picked up from Partners in Prevention 2012, the self-proclaimed largest health and safety show in Canada. The show ran from May 1-2 in Mississauga, Ont., and drew out a strong turnout from the electrical industry, including support from ESA (Electrical Safety Authority), CSA (Canadian Standards Association) and IHSA (Infrastructure Health & Safety Association). Couldn't make it? This gallery contains photos from the tradeshow floor. (Photos. A. Dalton.)

Stephen Brown, electrotechnical director at CSA Standards, tells us about the upcoming CSA F900, “Solar PV Rooftop Installation Best Practices”. The intended audience for CSA F900 includes PV system designers, installers, owners, insurers, project financiers, local building officials, first responders and consumers.

April 9, 2012 - On March 6 and 7, the 4th CSA Z463 Technical Committee meeting was held at CSA’s offices in Toronto. “This meeting marked a milestone in our progress,” writes the committee, “and was well attended by over 30 active participants from across Canada”. Revision 7 of the document will be issued shortly after the meeting to the drafting group with an anticipated Revision 8 to be issued by this same drafting group May 15.

It’s 2012 and the new Canadian Electrical Code has hit the street. In an effort to help get the word out, CSA’s Stephen Brown and Tim Pope visited our offices to point out some of the major changes in the 2012 version, and stress the importance of keeping current.

March 6, 2012 - Over the last few weeks, Manitoba Hydro has received numerous calls from concerned customers regarding phone solicitations from a company selling a "power saving device" that can supposedly save customers a substantial amount on their electricity bills.

March 2, 2012 - Belden is now offering the new Canadian Standards Association (CSA) Tray-rated Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) cable, describing it as an economical and robust solution for motor-to-drive connections, noise sensitive applications requiring shielded power cable, and other solid state power supplies with VFD needs. According to the company, the cable decreases the effects of common mode current containment (CMC), capacitive coupling and reflected wave voltage, and is proven to outperform other types of cabling used for VFD including unshielded cables and other constructions that are susceptible to noise emissions, high-frequency impedance or capacitance coupling.

BELDEN

February 24, 2012 - CSA Standards is now offering the 2012 Canadian Electrical Code with free pocket reference. The 22nd edition of the Code contains more than 180 updates and revisions to various sections, such as: emerging technology, renewable energy sources including solar & wind, new requirements for electric vehicle charging, and new cable types.

CSA STANDARDS

February 16, 2012 - Horizon Utilities Corp., the utility that distributes electricity to homes and businesses in Hamilton and St. Catharines, Ont., recently achieved a “significant safety milestone for the second time since 2010”: one million hours worked without a lost-time injury. Well done!

February 6, 2012 - CSA Standards' 2012 Canadian Electrical Code (CEC), Part 1, is now available. The 2012 CEC is the 22nd edition of Canada’s primary standard for electrical installations and includes more than 180 updates and revisions – the most comprehensive set of changes ever – including future-looking developments toward sustainable technologies that help address climate change issues, as well as several considerations addressing the safety of Canada’s children.