MCA Toronto Man-hours Continue To Soar

The Summer has blossomed into huge man-hours for MCA Toronto. The credit for the surge in man-hours can be felt throughout the membership as most of our members are experiencing a good workload. For the 2008 / 2009 we are budgeting conservatively for what appears to be another good year.

We have had some co-generation work, which will be completed later this year, and anticipate the large commercial towers coming out of the ground in the downtown core. The long-awaited tower construction will potentially cause a flurry of tenant movement within the downtown core resulting in an increase of workload for the tenant improvement contractors in our sector.

The MCA Toronto Board of Governors is pleased to announce that it has increased the donation to the Mesothelioma Research Program at Princess Margaret Hospital to $10,000. To date many of our members and their employees have participated in the “early detection” phase of the study which requires each participant to undergo a comprehensive interview followed by a low dose CT chest scan. This scan can display evidence of Mesothelioma or other types of cancer at an early stage, and is said to be more effective than an x-ray. We believe this is an excellent pro-active approach to protecting our members and their families.

MCA Toronto Executive Vice President, Brian McCabe, and myself are honoured to have been invited to the 2008 United Association Canadian Conference in Halifax, N.S. being held Aug. 20 to 22. We appreciate every opportunity to share dialogue with our industry partners as we work towards a common goal. While in Nova Scotia, we plan to attend the 100th Anniversary Celebration of Local 56 Halifax on Sat. Aug. 23.

As the summer comes to an end, MCA Toronto will be busy preparing the launch of the 2008 / 2009 educational programs. The MCAT Foreman, Estimating, Project Management and Business Courses will once again be conducted, if numbers warrant it. As well as the standard night schedule, we will be focusing on our new Service Course and the Associate Seminar Series which will run throughout the year.

MCA Toronto has had some challenges as we have tried to establish a Student Chapter within MCA Toronto. We have reviewed the hurdles that have been encountered and have included funds within this year’s budget to continue our course as we attempt to establish a Chapter. We believe the Student Chapter is the correct approach to allow interaction between students and contractors. This interaction could possibly lead to young people evolving into a solid workforce for our contractor members.

As the Fall approaches, I am looking forward to seeing our Members and Associates at the 45th Annual General Meeting at the Sheraton-On-the Falls in Niagara Falls from Sep. 18 to 21, 2008.