MCA Ontario Newsletters
A Message from our President
Already a week into July it's difficult to believe that the AGM we first started speaking abou tlast summer is now just over a month away. I could add numerous analogies that span the entire four-year period I served as the President of our Association. Every day was full but at the end of each week, I could confidently say that our Association and the Industry writ large were getting better.
Looking ahead I eagerly await our AGM. It will be a great opportunity to finally get together in-person. These always offer an excellent venue to discuss topical issues and to set future goals. I encourage those who cannot attend to raise any concerns to the MCAO office so they can be addressed prior to or added to the agenda of that week. Our potential is unbounded, and time is on our side to get it right. Every member has a role to play and an equal vote. Use yours for the benefit of our industry and our members.
A Day on the Hill
In May the Mechanical Contractors Association of Canada (MCA Canada) and the Canadian Institute of Plumbing (CIPH) co-hosted their annual ‘Day on the Hill’. The COVID pandemic put a pause on this activity for nearly three years so it was great to bring participants from all across Canada to this three day event. Leading up to the meeting there was group meetings to prepare for the day with MPs and Senators.
The ‘Day on theHill’ was bounded by key MCA Canada meetings, joint MCAC & CIPH activities and discussions focused on national issues such as price volatility and supply chain issues. While collective bargaining conflicted with these dates, MCA Ontario was still able to have representation. Feedback from them was that it was an excellent event that opened several doors for discussion with a federal political leaders; conversations that have already led to subsequent engagement by MCA Canada and others for the benefit of our industry.
One great picture of the Day on the Hill:
MCA Ontario Executive member Frank Turano with Marc Garneau (MP – Notre-Dame-de-Grâce – Westmount),
James Maloney (MP - Etobicoke-Lakeshore) and Sonia Sidhu (MP - Brampton South).
MCA Ontario 2022 AGM
If you are not attending your voice can still be heard. If you have any concerns about our industry, anticipated challenges, where we are heading, areas where MCA Ontario can be of assistance to your company etc. send them to the MCAO office. They could become an agenda item for our Annual General Meeting or the Board of Directors meeting. They could also be a point of discussion throughout the week as Board members, members of our community and invited guests intermingle.
Social Media Campaign
Our presence on social media continues to grow and there are plans for much much more, including TikTok! Look for the Ontario Pipe Trades brand on Instagram and Facebook. It is highly visible in print and our voices have been on radio. Sofar our footprint has covered Southwestern Ontario, it is now into Ottawa and will grow to include Thunder Bay and Toronto in the next couple months. In southwestern Ontario alone we estimate that our message has reached almost 700,000 through the listeners of radio, readers of news be it in print or on-line and of course social media.
More on social media:
- We have gained over 1K Social Followers, growing at 59% monthly
- More than 2,400 accounts interacted with OPT content
- Our top follower age demographic =25-34 (49%)
- The top follower locations are Toronto, Ottawa & Hamilton
Some of our goals – attract apprentices, dispel misconceptions of the piping trade, the union and what we do, highlight ourgreat work across the province, emphasize our advantages … One of our approaches –
To give other people the tools they need to communicate our messages.
Quick hits....
- MCA Ontario is committed to publishing our new Collective Agreement in record time. While we won’t rush to failure, let there be no doubt that it will come this year. Our goal in fact is to have it out before the fall.
- We are looking into the provision of training, from in-situ or on-line courses to an Emerging ProfessionalsConference. Plans are in the works!
- We have begun initial planning for the 2023 MCAO AGM. Where and when needs to be presented and approved atthe AGM but it’s probably safe to think April and ….
- The application deadline for the MCA Canada Richard McKeagan Scholarship Series is quickly approaching – August 12, 2022.
Looking for more?
Our intent is to make this a quarterly newsletter that is full of timely and valuable information for you. If you would like to see a specific topic or concern included in a future version please reach out to us at mcao@mcao.org. We welcome any feedback and/or questions you may have.
MCA Ontario Newsletters
