Glass Canada • February 2017 • Industry News

Large protests took place at Queen’s Park in Toronto on Nov. 30 over proposed amendments to Bill 70 that would allow individuals issued a Notice of Contravention by the Ontario College of Trades to appeal that notice to the Ontario Labour Relations Board. In theory, the OLRB could overrule the Notice and allow non-certified tradespeople to perform tasks set aside for licensed trades. The OCT oversees certification of skilled trades in Ontario and the OLRB is part of the Ministry of Labour tasked with adjudicating legal labour disputes. Architectural Glass and Metal Technician is a designated non-compulsory trade under the OCT.

In response to the protests, the Ontario Coalition of Non-Compulsory Trades issued the following statement:

“Yesterday’s protest against changes in rules governing skilled trades workers does not have the support of a significant number of unions in Ontario’s construction trades, according to the Coalition of Non-Compulsory Construction Trades of Ontario. The Coalition represents seven major construction unions whose members were affected by a freeze on certifications several years ago. Schedule 17 of Bill 70, the law at the centre of yesterday’s protest, opens the certification process again to these trades.

“’The reason certain trades oppose Bill 70 is that they will no longer be able to use the Ontario College of Trades as a vehicle to displace workers who belong to the non-compulsory trades,’ said Joseph Maloney, international vice-president for Canada of the Boilermakers union.

“The trades represented in the coalition are the Boilermakers, Bricklayers and Allied Crafts, Carpenters, Heat and Frost Insulators, Ironworkers, Millwrights and Painters and Allied Trades [IUPAT is the union representing glaziers in Ontario].

“’Every trade trains its members to the highest standards. They are all skilled workers, for whom safety is paramount,’ said Maloney. ‘For the certified trades to say the other trades are unsafe is not only untrue, but is fear mongering at its finest. The amendments put forward by the government will rectify years of discrimination against these trades. All we are asking is that our members, who are every bit as skilled as the certified trades, have the same chance to work as everyone else.’

The changes have been discussed through two years of consultation. There have been two reports on the matter, one by Tony Dean in 2015 and a review of the Dean Report by former MPP Chris Bentley earlier this year.

“’There have been two years of delays in implementing these changes,’ Maloney said. ‘It’s time to move forward.’”

AMS has announced that Ben Beeler has joined the organization to further expand the growing certification management team. Beeler comes with a wealth of experience within the glass industry, having spent the last 32 years in management at Virginia Glass Products Corp., a tempered glass manufacturer in Virginia. Beeler has also been very active in industry initiatives including serving on the executive board of GANA.

Commenting on his new role with AMS Beeler said, “Having been on the glass fabrication side of the industry for over 30 years, I have been directly involved with AMS through both SGCC and IGCC and I have always believed in the necessity of the programs they provide and remain impressed by the highly professional manner in which they do so. I now have the pleasure and honour of being a part AMS and assisting with groundbreaking initiatives that will change the way architectural glass and metal contractors will be evaluated and selected in the market.”

John Kent, president of AMS, shared, “Ben’s years of experience, specific knowledge of our current certification activity, and his outstanding reputation in the glazing industry will be very beneficial to our initiatives.”

Municipalities issued $7.8 billion worth of building permits in November, down 0.1 per cent from the previous month. The decline was largely the result of lower construction intentions in Alberta, following a spike the previous month due to impending changes to the Alberta Building Code. The value of non-residential building permits rose three per cent to $2.6 billion in November, the fourth increase in five months. Higher construction intentions were registered in five provinces, led by Quebec and Ontario. The largest decline was reported in Alberta. Construction intentions for institutional buildings were up 25.2 per cent to $686 million in November, following two consecutive monthly declines. The gain was largely the result of higher construction intentions for educational facilities and nursing homes. Increases were reported in four provinces, led by Ontario and Quebec. The value of industrial permits rose 10.1 per cent to $404 million in November, a second consecutive monthly increase. The advance was mainly attributable to higher construction intentions for primary industry buildings, manufacturing plants and maintenance facilities. Gains were posted in six provinces, most notably Quebec. In the commercial component, the value of building permits was down 6.1 per cent to $1.5 billion in November. Lower construction intentions for hotels, office buildings and retail complexes contributed to the drop. Declines were reported in five provinces, led by Alberta. The total value of building permits was down in four provinces in November, with Alberta posting the largest decrease. Significant advances in Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia were not enough to offset the decrease in Alberta. Following a notable gain in October — largely the result of an impending change in the provincial building code — the value of permits in Alberta dropped 36.9 per cent to $1.1 billion. Residential dwellings, down 36.2 per cent from the previous month, accounted for over half of the provincial decrease. Every building permit component declined, led by commercial buildings, specifically retail complexes and hotels. Conversely, Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia recorded the largest gains in November. In Quebec, higher construction intentions were posted for every component, led by multi-family dwellings. The advance in Ontario was mainly attributable to higher construction intentions for institutional and commercial buildings, while in British Columbia the increase was led by multi-family dwellings.

The Glass Association of North America has announced that Erin Fletcher, director of marketing, will leave the organization to pursue a new opportunity as an account director for EAG Advertising and Marketing. Fletcher has served as director of marketing for GANA for the last three years.

“Working for GANA has been a true privilege and an invaluable experience. I’ve been inspired both by the ambition and talent of my co-workers as well as that of our dedicated members,” shares Fletcher. “Working for GANA has given me the chance to hone my skills as a marketing professional. This new position is a wonderful opportunity to advance my career goals.”

Since 2013, Fletcher has provided marketing strategy, graphic design, news updates and website development services to GANA. She has authored numerous GANA Perspective columns in USGlass Magazine, driven membership recruitment efforts and ensured GANA events receive ample exposure.

“Erin has been a tremendous asset to the GANA team. Her marketing expertise has helped us maintain a strong brand across a multitude of audiences. With her help we have successfully launched a new website and made multiple enhancements to annual GANA events,” shares Stanley Yee, GANA president. “She will be missed and we wish her the best in her future endeavors.”

As GANA seeks to name a full-time replacement for the director of marketing position, an outsourced marketing solution has been secured.

The American Architectural Manufacturers Association (AAMA) recently released an updated technical information report addressing the most commonly used composite thermal barrier systems. The 72-page AAMA TIR-A8-16, “Structural Performance of Composite Thermal Barrier Framing Systems,” was last updated in 2008 and now includes several new figures and instructions specific to testing dual cavities. Updated software and a user guides are forthcoming to aid users in understanding information contained in this report.

“As codes mandate increasing energy performance requirements, thermal barrier designs are ever evolving,” says Patrick Muessig of Azon, chair of the Thermal Barrier Task Group. “Keeping a complete set of updated thermal barrier performance documents is critical to the commercial fenestration market. AAMA and its members have worked hard to make sure this happens and as a result, the AAMA TIR A8 update has been completed.”

Updated software to accommodate the use of this report, as well as a software user guide, are forthcoming in 2017. In the meantime, AAMA TIR-A8-16, as well as other AAMA documents, may be purchased from AAMA’s online store.

The Four Commitments of a Winning Team - Mark Eaton, former NBA player with the Utah Jazz

Eaton is a team building expert who shares with organizations and audiences nationwide how he went from a seven-foot-four, twenty-one-year-old mechanic who couldn’t play basketball to a 12-year career as an NBA All Star with the Utah Jazz. He reveals the secrets that skyrocketed him to fame as the two-time Defensive Player of the Year, enabled him to break the NBA record for the most blocked shots in a single season and be selected to play in the 1989 All-Star Game. Today, Eaton travels the country employing principles and coaching techniques from his 12 years playing professional basketball to teach industry leaders, teams and individuals how to outsmart, outlast and outperform their competition and achieve record breaking success.

Featured speaker: The Intersection of Architecture, Art, Design and Engineering - James Carpenter of James Carpenter Design Associates

James Carpenter has worked at the intersection of art, architecture and engineering for nearly 50 years, advancing a distinctive vision based on the use of natural light and glass as the foundational elements of the built environment. Carpenter founded the cross-disciplinary design firm James Carpenter Design Associates in 1979 to support the application of these aesthetic principles to largescale architectural projects. In 2012, Carpenter and Reid Freeman of the American Institute of Architects, established Architecture Operations D.P.C. in order to provide clients with a comprehensive architectural service portfolio. Carpenter has been recognized with numerous national and international awards, including an Academy Award in Architecture from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship.

The Canadian Standards Association (CSA) has published A500-16 Building Guards, a new standard governing materials, hardware and installation of balcony guards, including glass balcony balustrades. The standard is expected to be referenced in future national and provincial building codes to prevent well-publicized issues of falling balcony glass.

From the CSA website: “In recent years, there have been a growing number of building guard failures in Canada, some involving a number of prominent buildings in major cities. While many of these incidents are the result of material failures, some are related to the building guards’ overall system design and performance characteristics. The growing risk associated with these failures coupled with the potential catastrophic outcomes has led to an increased need for a standardized approach to building guard design. Up to this point, there has not been a reference standard, clear design requirements, or a consistent set of test protocols for building guards, which has led to lack of clarity for designers and reduced public safety. CSA A500 - Building Guards is a new standard that specifies requirements for materials, design, construction, testing, and performance of permanent guards in and about buildings.

• Aims to help reduce the risk of building guard failure for improved public safety

• General requirements, including methods of analysis and design, new methods for guard height determination, climbability

• Loads, load effects and load combinations, including wind load determination, infill design

• Testing of load-resistance (service and ultimate), impact and post-breakage retention of infills, main connections, and anchors/fasteners

• Materials used for building guard assemblies (concrete, masonry, glass, aluminum, steel, wood