President's Message

The 44th Annual General Meeting was a great success with 204 contractors and associate members attending. The weather was spectacular at the Blue Mountain Resort in Collingwood as the attendees could enjoy the village during their free time. The weather was cool but dry for the MCA Toronto AGM Golf Day with 54 golfers taking to the links for one more round as the season comes to a close.

The attendees met in the hospitality suite on Friday afternoon to catch up on the latest news with old friends. After Friday night’s dinner Mr. Bill Carr did an excellent job on sending off our past president Mr. Rod Kelson with a power point show and commentary. I believe Rod, Sharon, their family and the Kelson team who were in attendance enjoyed the pictures from the past as it described their family business through the years and the good times Rod has spent with his family.

I would like to wish Rod and Sharon all the best in the future. I would like to thank Rod on behalf of the Membership and Associates of MCA Toronto for the many years of service he has given to the industry.

MCA Toronto was very pleased to have Mike Cable, president of Northern California MCA and his wife Jennifer, and Chris Strawbridge of Northern California MCA at the Annual General Meeting as our guests. It’s always a pleasure to have our Industry Partners, Neil McCormick, Ontario Pipe Trades Council, Steve Morrision, U.A. Local 527; Mr. Jim Hogarth, U. A. Local 46; Mr. Larry Cann, Special Representative U. A. Canadian Office and our friend Mitch Grenier, former Director of Canadian Affairs in attendance.

On Saturday morning we had a very productive Annual General Meeting and after the refreshment break Mr. Bill Carr performed the skit on “Are You Getting Paid” for all the conference attendees. The skit allows you the opportunity to picture yourself in some of the everyday dramas that unfold when you are in the pursuit of work for your company, hopefully we can learn from past mistakes made by others!

On Saturday evening I had the pleasure of recognizing some of our members with the presentation of the MCA Toronto Safety Awards. The Safety Awards are based on current years, man-hours reported to MCA Toronto, safety performance in relation to lost time injuries, a Safety Policy and Program procedures checklist, and a job-site inspection. The contractors are divided into three categories:

(1)    Category I – 50,0001 man-hours and over
(2)    Category II – 15,001 to 50,000 man-hours
(3)    Category III – one to 15,000 man-hours

This year’s Safety Award recipients were the following
•    Category I – Geo. A. Kelson Co. Ltd.
•    Category II – Sutherland-Schultz Inc.
•    Category III – Battaglia Mechanical Services

Congratulations to the winners and thank you to all whom participated in this year’s program.

As I begin my term as president, I am looking forward to building on the relationships MCA Toronto has fostered over the years with our Industry Partners and work towards common goals in the construction industry.