March 12, 2019 – Electric power measurement equipment manufacturer Megger’s Earth Test Kit (ETK) provides a variety of accessories in one hold-all case to help complete earth electrode testing and soil resistivity surveys.

March 6, 2019 – Weather Guard has introduced what it calls the industry’s first truck box with integrated lighting, to increase visibility of tool storage for electrical contractors and other professionals.

March 4, 2019 – When Dodge originally introduced the Ram brand, it was one of the first pickup trucks to feature a ‘semi’ style front end—but that is now the norm, with other 2019 trucks featuring massive grilles, too. So, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) has reinvented both the front end and the grille for its 2019 model year on the Ram 1500.

February 21, 2019 – Leviton’s Load Center, an Internet-connected system that lets homeowners monitor their energy consumption, has been updated with ‘intelligent’ circuit breakers for easier installation by electrical contractors.

February 20, 2019 - For years, when a standard pickup truck was sold as an off-road model, that mainly meant some cosmetic changes, rugged tires and the like. Fortunately, for those who actually need to take their work vehicles off-road, that is no longer the case. Most OEMs that produce trucks are now offering dedicated off-road models—and General Motors (GM) is no exception.

February 11, 2019 – Arlington Industries’ LTMC rain- and concrete-tight zinc fittings are compatible with a range of PVC jacketed MC and Teck 90 cable sizes.

February 11, 2019 – Channellock has designed a new line of insulated pliers, rated up to 1,000 V AC, for electricians and other professionals who need to comply with occupational health and safety (OHS) rules on the job.

February 8, 2019 – Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) Systems has launched six large-format inspection windows to enable wider viewing angles for electrical contractors working in challenging industrial settings.

February 7, 2019 – Southwire has upgraded its Surge Guard line of fully cUL-approved power protection products for recreational vehicles (RVs) with new features, including wireless communications, elevated ground protection and load-side open neutral protection.

February 5, 2019 – LoadMaster, a subsidiary of LTA Manufacturing, has expanded its product line with two new in-bed cargo management systems for work trucks, including full-extension (FE) and dual-slide (DS) models.

February 1, 2019 – Ronk Electrical Industries has relaunched the Vigilant automatic transfer switch (ATS), originally developed and marketed by Dynagen Technologies in Halifax and later sold to Milbank Manufacturing.

February 28, 2019 - Hamilton’s Provincial Offences Court has convicted Leonard Sankar, owner and operator of MJ Construction, for conducting unsafe electrical work without the necessary licence across Southern Ontario.

February 27, 2019 – CSA Group has notified the public of a counterfeit version of its certification mark appearing on various models of General International Manufacturing’s magnetic safety switches (examples pictured).

February 13, 2019 - Not long ago, artificial intelligence (AI) was far too technically unconventional for most of us to foresee how it could influence the world in practical and pragmatic ways. Now, however, the future of AI has truly arrived.

February 13, 2019 - ‘Continuous improvement’ is a way of life for many businesses today, accepted as a standard approach for enhancing quality, productivity and processes. At the core of continuous improvement are such steps as defining root causes of issues or hazards, planning and executing preventative actions to eliminate them and deploying new technologies and practices to minimize their impact. This approach can be extended to electrical safety—where it is sorely needed.



February 5, 2019 – At its fifth annual operations and maintenance (O&M) summit last week in Mississauga, Ont., which more than 260 professionals attended, the Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA) highlighted its new guide, Best Practices in Wind Power Facility Electrical Safety.

January 10, 2019 – CSA Group reports Stanley Black & Decker Canada recently recalled certain models of its hammer drills and drill/drivers, following a report of injury in the U.S.

January 2, 2019 – The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and its standards association (IEEE-SA) have published a new technical guide for performing arc-flash hazard calculations to help reduce burn injuries suffered by electricians due to equipment failure.

December 18, 2018 – The 27th edition of the Ontario Electrical Safety Code (OESC) has been finalized with updates, is now available for purchase and will come into regulatory effect on May 16, 2019.

December 11, 2018 - Photovoltaic (PV) solar panel systems have become increasingly popular in residential and commercial sites for providing a primary or backup source of electricity. With the proper hazard assessments and safe work practices, they present a safer option for power generation in comparison to traditional sources of electricity.

November 21, 2018 – Leviton has achieved an Underwriters Laboratories (UL) listing for its 250-V tamper-resistant power receptacles, which are designed to meet Canadian and U.S. safety requirements.

September 25, 2018 — The 2019 Electrical Safety Workshop (ESW) will be held in Jacksonville, Fla., from Mar. 4 to 8, 2019, at the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverside. Mark your calendar now to save those dates, talk to your manager and get this item into your 2019 budget proposals.

February 13, 2019 - Tackle the Code Conundrum if you dare!

February 13, 2019 -  Section 4 in the CE Code discusses the selection of conductors and their ampacities. In 2018, the scope of this section’s Rule 4-000 was revised to clarify its intent. At the same time, since Section 12 covers conductor installation, some rules were relocated from Section 4 to Section 12 and vice-versa, for the sake of consistency and to support the revised scope of Section 4.

December 11, 2018 - Tackle December's Code Conundrum ... if you dare! 

December 11, 2018 - The 2015 CE Code saw a number of changes to Section 68: Pools, Tubs, Spas. The 2018 CE Code also added a few more changes, but you might just wonder, what is really new with pools from the past few years?

November 27, 2018 - This is my third and final column about the 2018 CE Code’s Section 10 rewrite (the first two were posted online in June and August). This time, I am focusing on rules related to the grounding of separately derived systems, such as generators and transformers.

November 26, 2018 - Tackle October's Code Conundrum ... if you dare!

September 27, 2018 — With the rewrite of CE Code Section 10, a number of questions spring to mind. In my opinion, the most important are what is the intent of Rule 10-210 and what is it really saying?

September 27, 2018 — Tackle September's Code Conundrum...if you dare!

August 22, 2018 — In my last article about CE Code 2018’s Section 10 rewrite (EBMag May 2018), I explained some of the new structures and definitions, and touched upon the requirements and changes regarding grounding a consumer’s services at a meter-mounting device.

August 22, 2018 — Tackle July/August's Code Conundrum...if you dare!

August 15, 2018 — The Zhaga Consortium has published Edition 1 of a new specification that helps bring the Internet of Things (IoT) to outdoor LED lighting fixtures.

February 26, 2019 – New Brunswick Power (NB Power) and Joi Scientific are working together on what they say will be the world’s first distributed electricity grid to use hydrogen as a baseload, thanks to the province's readily available coastal seawater.

January 14, 2019 – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced federal government support for Deep Earth Energy Production’s new geothermal power facility near Estevan, Sask., which will turn heat from the Earth’s crust into electricity.

December 12, 2018 - On Oct. 31, National Energy Board (NEB) chair and CEO Peter Watson introduced a new outlook report with a speech to the Toronto Region Board of Trade. Discussing the report’s projections for future energy supply and demand at a national level (through 2040), he explained Canada’s ‘electricity mix’ is becoming greener, as renewable sources experience significant rates of growth and play an increasingly important role.

October 3, 2018 – The government of Alberta has issued a request for proposals (RFP) for large-scale solar energy provision to meet more than half of its ‘green power’ needs.

August 23, 2018  — According to the “Global Advanced Energy Storage Systems Market 2018-2022,” report from ResearchAndMarkets.com, the global advanced energy storage systems market is forecasted to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.48 per cent from 2018-2022.

July 30, 2018 — ABB and Ballard Power Systems have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on developing the next-generation fuel cell power system for sustainable marine e-mobility.

July 20, 2018 — SaskPower is launching the deployment phase of its second pilot for commercial and industrial smart meters.

July 19, 2018 — The Government of Ontario has decided to cancel and wind down 758 renewable energy contracts.

July 12, 2018 — The New Brunswick government has committed $10 million to help establish the province as a leader in the field of research and development of small modular reactor (SMR) technology.

July 12, 2018 — The Nova Scotia government recently announced the new SolarHomes Program, which will help Nova Scotians save money on their electricity bills by installing solar panels.

July 4, 2018 — SaskPower recently announced that Saturn Power is the successful proponent for Saskatchewan’s first utility-scale solar power project.

December 17, 2018 - Scientists are getting closer to designing thermoelectric materials that could efficiently harvest heat from the surrounding environment and convert it into electricity to power devices and appliances, according to a review of the latest research in the journal Science and Technology of Advanced Materials (STAM).

December 4, 2018 - Earlier this year, Technical Safety BC worked with Baker Engineering and Risk Consultants (BakerRisk) to conduct an electric shock fault tree workshop, so as to evaluate potential causes of electric shocks and make recommendations to address the key causal factors behind those risks.

The Canadian Truck King Challenge (CTKC) recently celebrated its 12th anniversary by crowning the 2019 GMC Sierra 1500 Denali its new champion.

April 27, 2018 - A lot of things have changed since I first began attending and covering The MEET Show for Electrical Business Magazine over a decade ago. Back then, the lighting market was dominated by HIDs, PARs and fluorescents, crummy CFLs were making inroads and LEDs as lighting... well, they were a cute little novelty.

April 25, 2018 - This Saturday, April 28—the national Day of Mourning—we remember and honour workers who have died, been injured or suffered illness in the workplace.

January 29, 2018 - While Ottawa continues to fumble and stumble, bringing us ever closer to the brink of falling off the world stage altogether, a coalition of Canadian manufacturers is trying to do what it can to keep that from happening.

June 1, 2017 - After a few years of missing Lightfair due to scheduling conflicts, I was finally able to attend the 2017 edition and, boy, the exhibitors were putting their best feet forward. I haven’t seen so many large, colourful and distinctive booths since... well, maybe never.

November 16, 2017 - You can’t blame business owners for feeling like they’re being bombarded by government.

September 30, 2017 - The largest industry conference for the IEEE Petroleum & Chemical Industry Committee (IEEE-PCIC) has wrapped up in Calgary and, despite the recent weather-related disasters in the States, the event still attracted some 1435 delegates and 378 guests.

August 18, 2017 - You’ve seen the full-page ads in Electrical Business Magazine and the wallpapers here at EBMag.com. You’ve had most of the spring, and all of summer, but now is the time to hunker down and take 10 to 15 minutes to fill in your nomination for the 2017 Canadian Electrical Awards, which recognize noteworthy Canadian electrical installations and electrical safety champions.

August 17, 2017 - CSA Group’s annual Committee Week is a great venue for networking with CE Code-Part I Technical Committee (TC) members. That they have an excellent understanding of electrical practices is a given, but they also bring their own regional perspectives to the discussions that, eventually, lead to a new CE Code.

November 30, 2018 – Storage Battery Systems (SBS) has opened Battery Academy, a new training program and facility for professionals in the utility and telecommunications industries.

September 14, 2018 — Okanagan College says its new Trades Training Centre will prepare more skilled-trades students throughout British Columbia.

September 13, 2018 - The Alberta Electrical Association (AEA) has announced the winners of its 2018 scholarships.

August 3, 2018 — The Solar Energy Society of Alberta and Energy Efficiency Alberta, in partnership with the Electrical Inspectors Association of Alberta, have announced six upcoming workshops on the Canadian Electrical Code updates for solar photovoltaics.

May 28, 2018 — The Skills Ontario Competition, which took place earlier this month, featured nearly 70 skilled trades and technologies contests, and 2,300 competitors from elementary schools, high schools and colleges across Ontario.

May 10, 2018 - The Safety Codes Council encourages you to sign up now for the Alberta Electrical Inspectors Solar Workshop.

May 8, 2018 - Omron Automation Americas recently gifted Georgian College engineering technology students “with workforce-relevant technology”, and the college recognized its  partner of over 20 years by naming one of its technology labs in honour of Omron.

April 6, 2018 — As a result of an arrangement between Mohawk College and Alectra Utilities, a new Energy and Power Utilities Lab for the college has officially opened in a decommissioned substation in downtown Hamilton, Ont.

March 12, 2018 — B.C. Premier John Horgan recently announced a number of programs to support women working or entering a career in the building trades through improved workplace supports, services and practices.

March 12, 2018 — The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) has published a new white paper that provides an overview of electrical and electronic equipment surge susceptibility: NEMA VSP 1-2017 “Susceptibility of Electrical and Electronic Components to Surge Damage.”

February 23, 2018 — Schneider Electric has launched its eighth year of “Go Green in the City,” an annual global contest that invites business and engineering students to find solutions for more energy-efficient cities.