Volume 3 • Issue 12
MESSAGE FROM THE EDITOR
Fundamental changes seem about to emerge and yet…
The industry has seen a lot of signals of economic revival lately and, good news, it's responding to these calls. This year, EFC's annual conference in Halifax issued calls to action in the face of disruptive technologies and the need to attract young people to the industry. Another call to action launched last year, by then Chair of EFC's Board of Directors Nathalie Pilon, was directed at women in the industry. A look at participation this year (initiated by one of the speakers) has shown that the composition of the industry is certainly changing, but the change is slow and attracting young people remains a priority. In this issue, another respected woman, Joan MacNaughton, President of the World Energy Trilemma Council, also issues a call to action and reminds us that in Canada, for example, women hold only 25% of jobs in the green energy field and that they play an important role in the alternatives implemented to address climate change. Good reading!
Line Goyette, Managing Editor
linegoyette@kerrwil.com
CHANGING SCENE
- Powerco Appoints Technical Sales Manager for BC
Larry Toombs has joined Powerco Canada Inc.'s team as Technical Sales Manager for the BC region. Larry brings over 20 years of electrical industry sales experience, servicing industrial and commercial accounts…
- Liteline Expands Sales and Operations with 2 Appointments
Steve McMullen and Court Pollard have joined the Liteline team…
- Sonepar's Ryan Headley Wins YPN's First Video Contest
Sonepar Ontario associate Ryan Headley has won Electro-Federation Canada's first Young Professionals Network video contest. Contestants were tasked with submitting a 30-second video on changes they would like see within the electrical industry…
- How Ontario's Climate Change Action Plan Will Benefit the Clean Tech and Electrical Sectors
The plan will provide tools and incentives to accelerate the use of clean technology that exists today, boosting the province's clean tech sector, and creating opportunities for the electrical industry…
- IMARK Canada's Latest Member: Montreal's Shortall Electric Ltd.
Established in 1907, Shortall specializes in the distribution of lighting and electrical material, as well as related products...
- IDEA Signs Strategic Alliance With Stibo Systems
Stibo Systems' Master Data Management (MDM) platform will power the Industry Data Exchange Association, Inc.'s next-generation IDW platform to standardize and manage manufacturer product data…
- Southwire Canada Montreal Relocates to Larger Office
Southwire Canada Montreal has moved its Eastern Canadian Regional office to downtown Dorval, PQ, allowing for improved client service, new amenities for employees, and room for growth…
- Lumigroup Opens New Showroom Boutique: Le Studio Luminaires
LumiGroup, celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, has opened a new showroom, specifically for the public, in the heart of Montreal's Mile End…
- WESCO, Hazmasters, and TVC Host Hamilton Area Trade Show
Despite colder than anticipated weather, WESCO, Hazmasters, and TVC hosted a great industrial trade show earlier this month at WESCO's warehouse…
- Franklin Empire Launches New Assembly Centre for Siemens MCCs
A recent VIP industrial event hosted by Franklin Empire in Montreal highlighted the launch of their new assembly centre for Siemens Motor Control Centres (MCCs)…
- Noramco Ontario's Contractor Carnival
Noramco Wire & Cable Co. Ltd. held its second annual contractor Carnival at its Mississauga, ON facility…
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Opinion
What I Learned at This Year's EFC Conference
By Rick McCarten
The electrical industry is the conduit for all forms of energy. As a conduit, it has the capacity unlike any other to supply the most sustainable, cleanest energy we produce. The future looks good for Electro-Federation Canada because of our role as an energy neutral entity. If you think about it, we are in an even more ideal situation than the utility whose role is to be the conduit of major sources of energy. In the future, microgrids may be the preferred supply vehicle. Here are just some of the key takeaways from this year's EFC Conference (held in late May), which demonstrate our continued role as a conduit for change during these transformative times…
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Best Practices: LED
LED Growth Exploding
By David Gordon
Our friend Bill Attardi at Energy Watch shared interesting data he obtained regarding the exploding growth of the LED market… the growth is startling and has major ramifications relating to the LED market. So, what does this tell us and what questions should distributors be asking themselves? Here is his five-year chart of LED luminaire sales…
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Millenials
Stumbling Down the Rabbit Hole
By Shoynear Morrison
I was only out of post-secondary school for four months when I started working for Sonepar Canada as their Communications Coordinator. I can easily compare my transition into the electrical industry with Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Entering the business was similar to falling down the rabbit hole; at first I was completely bewildered. Initially, when I applied for the position I had no idea what "Electrical Wholesale Distributor" meant, much less the industry in which Sonepar Canada operated within. However, I was going to chase all my opportunities in order to build a successful career. With that in mind I willingly walked through the looking glass and entered the mysterious world of — electrical distribution.
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CEMRA - Opinion
The Evolution of the Manufacturer's Rep
By Marc Laplante
A few years ago I had the honour of sitting on the board of NEMRA. It was a period of immense change. A big preoccupation that often came up in board meetings was, "How do we change our image?" For those who remember, the NEMRA logo used to be a man with a briefcase. For as long as I can remember, that's how I saw my father leave to go work every day. "You're nothing without a nice attaché case," my dad always said. If only my father could see us now. Tablets, smartphones, Cloud-based files, Dropbox, Repfiles, CRMs… you name it, we've got it. Independent reps have had to change dramatically the way they go to market.
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Human Resources
Why Women Are Critical to Clean Energy
By Joan MacNaughton
While climate change has been recognized as an urgent, global issue, the relevance of increasing the visibility of women in clean energy as a solution to advancing our climate goals is rarely discussed. Around the world, the energy industry remains one of the most gender-imbalanced sectors. In Australia, women make up 15% of the mining industry, including coal; in the United States, the number is 20% and in Canada it's 25%. Around the world, a number of key initiatives are underway to ensure that women become more visible in dealing with the international climate impacts, financial gains and policy shifts that are moving us closer to our collective clean energy future.
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Economy
Labour Productivity Rises 0.4% in Q1
Labour productivity of Canadian businesses rose 0.4% in the first quarter, following no growth in the fourth quarter. This was the largest increase since the fourth quarter of 2014. The productivity gain in the first quarter accounted for two-thirds of the output growth of businesses, while growth in hours worked accounted for the remaining third. Output and hours worked were essentially flat in the fourth quarter. Real gross domestic product increased 0.6%.
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Economy
Q1 Residential Construction Investment Up 2.1% YOY
In the first quarter, total investment in residential construction rose 2.1% compared with the same quarter in 2015 to $26.1 billion. This marked the ninth consecutive year-over-year gain. Higher investment in apartment and apartment-condominium building construction (up 21.2% to $4.1 billion) was responsible for much of the advance. However, gains occurred in only four provinces: Ontario, BC, New Brunswick, and Quebec. The largest year-over-year decline was recorded in Alberta, followed distantly by Manitoba and Nova Scotia.
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Economy
Investment in New Housing Rises 9.7% YOY
Investment in new residential construction totalled $3.8 billion in March, up 9.7% from the same month a year earlier. At the national level, higher spending on apartment and apartment-condominium buildings, which rose 19.9% to $1.4 billion, and single-family dwellings, which increased 5.9% to $1.9 billion, contributed the most to the advance. Investment in row houses also increased, rising 9.2% to $384 million. Conversely, spending on semi-detached dwellings decreased for the 11th consecutive month, down 15.1% to $164 million in March.
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