April 15, 2022 – While the weather remains uncooperative in some parts of the country (me, I’m still waiting for Spring to arrive!), we are nonetheless feeling rays of sunshine across Canada with, of course, the lifting of various pandemic-related restrictions.

After two years of living with Covid, it feels pretty good knowing that wearing a mask is now optional rather than mandatory.

Don’t get me wrong: I don’t begrudge anyone who wishes to wear a mask, nor do I think we should outright ignore advice from our community of medical experts, but I believe we’ve collectively reached a period of “enough is enough” and it’s time to move forward.

(To that end, Electrical Business Magazine will be stepping out into the world again—albeit a little more cautiously than usual, as the team eases back into life as we knew it before Covid.)

I am really looking forward to our distributors being able to conduct tradeshows and customer appreciation days in person. Regardless of their size, these events are always great for connecting with suppliers and staff, and some of these events include training sessions.

Our industry associations and groups are also whole-heartedly returning to in-person conferences. Some have, in fact, already started the ball rolling: the Electrical Safety, Training, Maintenance & Projects (ESTMP) Workshop was recently held in person in Alberta. (Raed, kudos to you and your committee members for making it happen!)

This month, the Ontario Electrical League will celebrate its 100th anniversary at its annual conference in downtown Toronto. In May, the electrical contractor associations of Alberta (ECAA) and Ontario (ECAO) will convene their annual conferences, as will the National Electrical Trade Council (NETCO).

Also returning this May is The MEET Show, which features close to 400 companies showcasing solutions in mechanical, electrical, plumbing and more across 100,000 square feet of space in the Moncton Coliseum Complex. Electrical Business Magazine will be there, so stop by our booth and say Hello.

Events like these are without equal for providing education and training to their delegates, but especially for local peer networking. We hope to see you out there.

— Anthony Capkun, acapkun@ebmag.com.

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