Uniting ARCCAW members across Alberta and the Northwest Territories
Tax Saving Tips
Keep more cash in
your pocket
In the Spotlight
Industrial shops
across the province
Winter 2010
Avoid the Ditch
Advice for safe
winter driving
Canadian Publications Mail Product Sales Agreement #40063788 Return undeliverable mail to 200-15210 123 Ave Edmonton,AB T5V 0A3
Executive Secretary Treasurer’s
REPORT
Plan Wisely for a
Changing Future
Martyn A. Piper
A
s this edition of Hard Hat arrives
at your home, 2010 will be well
underway. There is no doubt as the
years roll by that time seems to move ever
faster. Have you stopped to think about what
you will be doing or what your kids will be
doing when the second decade of this century arrives in 2020? Many of your kids will
be grown up and out making a living. Some
of you will be pensioned off. Where will our
union be? How much market share will we
have? One thing is for sure: time does not
stop and the world is forever changing.
My plans, your plans and our union’s plans
cannot be made just for today or tomorrow
or next month. They must be made for the
long term. We, as builders, know that when
you build a house or a structure, you plan
and draw what you are going to build. You
need to visualize it conceptually and envision what it will be like to live or work in it
once it is built.
Our union is no different. Our planning
is ongoing; we know where we want to be.
We have good ideas about how to get there,
but one thing we don’t know and can’t control is how external forces might influence
our future. As a case in point, last month
one of the biggest climate conferences took
place in Copenhagen. World leaders, activists, climate experts and NGOs gathered in
an attempt to develop a global policy that
would ensure a healthy planet for years to
come. While the outcome and deliverables
are questionable at best, the reality is the climate debate is heating up (excuse the pun!)
and is not going away any time soon.
Alberta, the focal point for many global
activists, is very much front and centre in
the climate debate, maybe unfairly, but we
are clearly being challenged with respect to
2
HARDHAT WINTER 2010
allegedly scarring the northern landscape
and emitting high-intensity carbon. Our
provincial politicians and energy industry
experts claim both are being overstated and
that our leading-edge technology of carbon capture and carbon sequestration will
provide an opportunity for Alberta to demonstrate to the world our ability to harvest
oilsands in an environmentally responsible
fashion. Yes, this is serious stuff. However,
what matters is how this debate affects you.
It is important to understand that it will
not be business as usual going forward. It
never has been and never will be, as new
and developing technologies ensure ongoing change. Some argue that the world needs
our oil and, given our supply, we will be in
business for years to come. Others argue
that alternative fuel sources are just around
the corner. Regardless, this debate can and
will impact us sometime in the future, so we
must stay tuned in.
You may never work in the oilsands, but
the cumulative spinoff effects of the energy
business impact all Albertans in some way,
shape or form. It is interesting to hear, as one
tours various job site lunchrooms, members
debating over the future of world oil prices.
Some members who read newspapers appear
to be as interested in oil prices as they are in
the hockey scores. Why? Because they know
their next job may depend on it.
So as we prepare for the next decade,
let’s plan wisely, prepare for the unexpected, monitor those external forces that can
impact our world, set in place long-term strategic plans that, notwithstanding some catastrophic event, ensure this union will
be here for many years to come. With that
said, all the best to you and yours for 2010
and forward.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
On Dec. 5, 2009, the delegates to the
Alberta Regional Council of Carpenters and
Allied Workers recommended a change
to section 12 (a) of the council bylaws to
reduce working dues for Locals 1325, 2103
and 1460 from 2.75 per cent to 2.25 per cent
of gross wages. This would be effective May 1, 2010, and is subject to the approval of the three locals.
On Dec. 5, 2009, the delegates to
ARCCAW approved an increase to job
steward stipends from $25 to $50 monthly,
effective February 2010. It is subject to
reports being filed with the office by the
15th of the following month, attendance at
local union meetings (otherwise reduced to
$25), completion or registration for the construction job steward course and a letter of
appointment to contractor from the representative being on file. Stipends will be paid
into the member’s dues account.
Effective May 2, 2010, retirees of the
Carpenters and Allied Workers pension
plan who are 60 years of age and receiving a
pension will, upon appropriate credentials
being submitted to employer upon sign-on,
be able to receive their pension contribution on the wages. Details will be communicated to eligible members at a later date.
Each of the above announcements is in brief and
highlights changes but should not be construed
verbatim as more details will be forthcoming.
Undeliverable mail should be directed to ARCCAW 200-15210 123 Ave Edmonton,AB T5V 0A3 Email: lhelmeczi@albertacarpenters.com Canadian Publications Mail Product Sales Agreement # 40063788
Contents
Winter 10
PUBLISHED FOR:
Alberta Regional Council of
Carpenters & Allied Workers
15210 – 123 Avenue
Edmonton, Alberta T5V 0A3
Tel: (780) 474-8599 / Fax: (780) 474-8910
www.albertacarpenters.com
PUBLISHED BY:
Venture Publishing Inc.
10259 – 105 Street
Edmonton, Alberta T5J 1E3
Toll-free: 1-866-227-4276
Phone: (780) 990-0839
Fax: (780) 425-4921
www.venturepublishing.ca
FEATURES
12 Project Profile
Triple M Housing
Neither wind nor fire could keep this
Lethbridge company and its dedicated
workers from building quality factory
engineered homes
By Tricia Radison
18 Beat the Taxman
Tax tips and financial planning advice to
keep more money in your pocket in 2010
By Caitlin Crawshaw
PUBLISHER
Ruth Kelly
23 Masters of Their Craft
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER
Part 1 of a two-part series featuring
industrial shops across the region
By Lisa Ricciotti
Joyce Byrne
ARCCAW EDITOR
Martyn A. Piper
EDITOR
18
DEPARTMENTS
Kim Tannas
2 Note From the Executive
ART DIRECTOR
Charles Burke
Secretary Treasurer
ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR
By Martyn Piper
Rodrigo López Orozco
PRODUCTION MANAGER
Vanlee Robblee
PRODUCTION COORDINATOR
Betty-Lou Smith
4 Site Lines
News and views from around the region
10 KidZone
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Caitlin Crawshaw, Lindsey Norris,
Tricia Radison, Lisa Ricciotti
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS
AND ILLUSTRATORS
Rob Olson, Heff O’Reilly
23
Snapshots from the kids’ Christmas
parties
21 Trade Rules and Bylaws Report
By Bill Alton
VICE-PRESIDENT, SALES
Anita McGillis
ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE
Tara Kochan
26 Trust Funds Board Chair’s Report
By R.J. Provencher
SALES ASSISTANT
Stefanie Jackson
27 Local 1460 Millwrights Report
Contents © 2010 by ARCCAW Inc.
No part of this publication should be reproduced
without written permission.
By Bob Hugh
28 Training and Apprenticeship
Report
Important Phone Numbers
Edmonton
Fort McMurray
Calgary
Carpenters Training Centre
Carpenters Health and Welfare
Carpenters Pension
Industrial Workers
Millwright Local 1460
Local Union 1325 and 2103 Dispatch
780-471-3200
780-743-1442
403-283-0747
780-455-6532
780-477-9131
780-477-9131
403-283-0747
780-430-1460
1-888-944-0818
By Len J. Bryden
29 Training + Events
30 Parting Shot
ON THE COVER
Loren Enns (left), Tim Forbes &
Adam Pakla of Triple M Housing
Photographed by Rob Olson
12
HARDHATWINTER20103
Site Lines
News in Brief
A roundup of news and events
from around the region
We Were There
ARCCAW at WorldSkills 2009
It is one of the few instances where
you may see a hairdresser working on
the same site as a welder. WorldSkills
2009, the biannual competition that
sees experts from 51 countries competing in 45 skills, was a very good year
for Canada. The 38-member team
brought home six medals, improving
on the 2007 record of six medals set
by the team in 2007. ARCCAW was a
gold sponsor. “We wanted to support
the craft and progress of trades-
people worldwide,” says Bob
Provencher, a project manager for
Alberta and the Northwest Territories
who attended the event. It was a
great advertisement for the trades:
more than 50,000 school students
from across the province travelled to
Calgary to watch and participate.
Jake Waldner, a 40-year ARCCAW
member, with journeymen carpenters
from Germany in work attire who travelled to Canada as part of a one-year
work experience requirement
A Brief History of the United
Brotherhood of Carpenters
In 1869, a young journeyman took a job at a piano
shop to support his family after his father joined the union
army. In that piano shop, 17-year-old Peter J. McGuire successfully fought a wage cut, and for his efforts was harassed from
his position. He hopped freight trains to travel from city to
city, making speeches promoting better hours and working
conditions and earned the label “disturber of the peace” from
1881
The UBC is born, largely due to the
efforts of general secretary Peter J.
McGuire, who organized the Chicago
convention that created the union’s
constitution and structure.
4
HARDHAT WINTER 2010
1882
the New York Times. In 1881, McGuire’s efforts were formally
realized when a four-day convention ended with the birth of
the United Brotherhood of Carpenters. Eleven years passed
before the first Alberta local was created (Local 75, in Calgary),
and a century after that, the union remains strong in Wild Rose
Country. Here, a timeline of the UBC’s challenges and most significant victories.
Sept. 5: The first Labour Day is celebrated with a parade in New York, though it did not become a federal holiday until 1894.
1886
May 1: 340,000 workers across the
United States went on strike, and won
higher wages and better conditions in 53
cities. Membership grew to 21,423 from
5,789 the year before.
Oneoftheprojectsbuiltby
carpentersaspartofthe
competition.Complexjoints
andangles,plusazerotoleranceformistakes,arepartof
thechallenge
Deconstruction:
What’s in a Symbol?
The UBC emblem was adopted in 1884 as a symbol of the union’s ideals. Like
all good symbols, each element has a carefully considered meaning.
5
1
4
6
2
3
WorldSkillsgraphicsdepicttradespeopleaspurposeful,skilled
andmotivated,withincreasingnumbersofwomenintheindustry
JakeWaldnerwithstudentsatWorldSkillscarryingARCCAWbags,
whichprovedtobeoneofthehottestgiveawayitemsattheevent
1
It wouldn’t be a proper symbol
without some Latin. This phrase translates to “Labour Conquers All Things.”
2
The ruler signifies the Golden
Rule – essentially the “do unto others” philosophy.
3
Stay on track in your life and
work. (Of course, in modern times,
this could equally apply to driving to
projects in distant locations.)
4
Not just pretty colours: the
pale blue is meant to represent
the purity of labour; the dark red,
the blood of the workers.
5
The shield represents the concept
that all members are bound to protect
the interests of the organization and its
members.
6
And because not everything always
has a greater meaning: the jack plane, a
simple symbol of the trade.
1892
1902
1902
1904
ThefirstAlberta
UBClocal,Local
75,isformedin
Calgary.
R.A.Brockelbank,presidentofLocal
1055,iselectedtotheCalgaryCity
Council,becomingthefirstlabourrepresentativetoholdelectedofficeatany
levelofgovernmentinAlberta.
Nov. 11:EnergeticorganizerRobert
RobinsoncreatesthreelocalsinAlberta,
includingLocal1325,inwhatwould
becometheCityofEdmonton.Local1325
operatesunderthesamechartertoday
andistheseniorconstructionlocalin
Alberta.
Local1779isformedinCalgaryandgrows
tobecomethesinglelargestunionlocal
inAlbertaby1952.
HARDHATWINTER20105
Site Lines
Winter Driving Tips
Winter poses entirely new challenges to those who
work in the trades: extreme cold, slippery surfaces and snow
and hail can make any job site tricky. But most ARCCAW members agree that the single most important safety concern in
the winter is driving. Since so many members tend to drive
the highways – particularly infamous Highway 63 to Fort
McMurray – you’re likely familiar with the basics: cellphone, a
flashlight and a properly winterized vehicle. Here, a few things
you might not have thought of.
• Alberta Transportation suggests people check road
reports at www.ama.ab.ca. Click on “road reports” for up-tothe-minute conditions on your route. Not online? Call 1-877262-4997.
• Always keep the vehicle’s gas tank at least half full (it reduces moisture problems in the fuel system).
• Bring along a snow shovel and a sandbag (or kitty litter or
road salt) in case your vehicle gets stuck.
• Keep an extra container of windshield
washer fluid in the vehicle.
• Bring a map and be prepared to take
an alternate route.
• Never use cruise control on slippery
roads, or roads that have the possibility
of being slippery.
• Rear-wheel drive vehicles need different actions in the event of a skid
than front-wheel vehicles. In rear-wheel
skids, you ought to steer just enough
in the opposite direction to prevent a
counter skid.
• Check your battery. Many coldweather breakdowns are due to a battery that is not delivering full cranking
power.
Full Steam Ahead
The Alberta Millwrights Training
Centre now has a seven-stage steam
turbine, compliments of Robert
Goodrick with Interpro Technical
Services. We are currently developing a steam turbine course, utilizing
the technical data documentation
check sheets also provided to us from
Robert Goodrick. This will ensure our
members are familiar with industry
procedures and data documentation.
The Alberta Millwrights Training
Centre is committed to providing
hands-on, task-orientated, valueadded training for our members, our
contractors and our clients.
– Bob Hugh, Local 1460
A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE UNITED BROTHERHOOD OF CARPENTERS
1910
Membershipof
theUBCreaches
200,000.
6
1917
Nov. 7:1,300buildingtradesin
Massachusettsstrikeonallmilitaryrelatedprojectstoprotesttheuseof
open-shopbuilders.
HARDHAT WINTER2010
1918
April:The1917tensionisfinallyresolved
whenthefederalgovernmentapprovesa
newsystemguaranteeingunionshopsin
areasthathadthembeforethewar.
1921
January:Aspartoftheinfamousantiunioncampaign“AmericanPlan,”contractorsinChicagoinsistonawagecut
andlockoutworkerswhendemandsare
rejected.
Are Unions
Tweeting?
Mike Cooper (right) presents Stan Keeping of Local 2103 with a pin for 50 years as
a member in good standing and a watch for 55 years. Keeping is currently the foreman at the Calgary airport expansion project.
Guess the Tool
Whichtradeusedthisantiquemeasuringtool?
The international trade union online news service,
LabourStart, has conducted a survey of union activists asking who uses Twitter.
Twitter is a free online social networking and micro-blogging service that enables its users to send and read messages known as “tweets.” Tweets are text-based posts of up
to 140 characters displayed on the author’s profile page and
delivered to the author’s subscribers.
LabourStart’s survey got responses from 1,593 trade
unionists around the world. The largest group of respondents came from the U.K. with 360, followed by Canada
with 333, the U.S. with 305 and Australia with 270.
Fewer than a third of those responding had an account
with Twitter (31.1 per cent). Only 9.1 per cent frequently
send out tweets, while 15.4 per cent sometimes send them.
Only 99 of the 1,593 respondents frequently tweet about
union issues and double that number occasionally do.
Forty said they signed up to “Twibe” – the union twitterers’ group; 285 said they’d never heard of Twibe but quickly
signed up, resulting in a sudden increase in twibers.
Only 5.1 per cent of the respondents frequently “retweet” – forward other tweeters’ messages. Only 1.8 per
cent do this for tweets sent out by LabourStart.
A majority – 56 per cent – didn’t know if their union used
Twitter. Thirty per cent said their union didn’t use Twitter,
while fewer than 15 per cent said their union does.
The respondents use other social networks, including Facebook (75.7 per cent), YouTube (37.1 per cent),
UnionBook (18.1 per cent) and Flickr (11.7 per cent). The
number using other social networks like Bebo, MySpace,
Delicious, Second Life and Digg was tiny – less than six per
cent.
–LabourStart/CALM
Answer on page 9
1921
June:Afederaljudgecutswageseven
lowerthantheinitialcontractorsproposed.TheUBCfightsthedecision,but
membershipinmanyunionsdeclines.
1935 1940
MargaretEllings
becomesthefirst
womaninitiated
intotheUBC.
Manyunionshadcalledforanational
unemploymentprogram,andthe
Canadiangovernmentfinallyintroduces
one.Underitsterms,only42percentof
workersareeligible.
1954
March 12:ExistingLocal1779inCalgary
growssolargethattheUBCformsLocal
2103.Local2103memberGeorgeA.
McDougallinitiatestheHolidayswith
PayAct.
HARDHATWINTER20107
Site Lines
Changing Demographics
Alberta’s labour force by the numbers
The economic recession shook up Alberta’s employment situation, with employers once again holding the upper hand and many interprovincial migrants leaving the province to head home to the Maritimes, B.C. and Saskatchewan. Here, a breakdown of how the dust has settled.
2009
3.7%
Alberta’sunemploymentratein2008,
whenitwasthelowestinCanada
5.8%
Percentage of total construction jobs in Canada lost between
October 2008 and October 2009
Alberta’sunemploymentratein
October2009(seasonallyadjusted)
NumberofpeoplealreadylivinginCanadawho
movedtoAlbertainthesecondquarterof2009
2009
4,737
Numberofpeople
wholeftAlberta
tomovetoBritish
Columbia
7. 5%
13.2%
NumberofpeoplewhomovedtoAlberta
duringthesametimein2008
7,137
51%
Unemploymentratein
NewfoundlandandLabradorin
2008,thehighestinthecountry
Percentageofmigrantsto
Albertawhocamefrom
Ontariointhesecond
quarterof2009
6,089
Number of people who moved to Alberta from another
country (approximately the same as 2008 levels)
50
NumberofpeoplewholeftAlberta
tomovetoNewfoundland
NumberofpeoplewhodiedinAlberta
NumberofbabiesborninAlberta
inthesecondquarterof2009
Sources: Alberta Finance and Enterprise, Statistics Canada, Alberta Employment and Immigration
A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE UNITED BROTHERHOOD OF CARPENTERS
1961
UBCJAlocals2508(millworkersfrom
Drumheller)and2560(floorlayers)
jointheCalgaryandDistrictCouncil.
8
HARDHAT WINTER2010
1969
Though80percentofallconstructioninthe
U.S.wasstillhandledbyunionworkers,nonunionworkwasgrowing,andacorporate/
politicalroundtablewasformedtolimitconstructionbills.Itweakenedlegislationthatprotectedconstructionworkers’wages.
1984
Adeclineinmembershipleads
Calgarylocals1779
and2103tomerge.
1995
UBCgeneralpresidentDouglasJ.
McCarron(stillpresidenttoday)
announcesthattheorganization
mustchangewiththetimesand
initiatesamassivereorganization.
Scaffolders
Course
Returns
to Fort Mac
The Fort McMurray Training
Centre reopens to great demand
Preferred Group Rates
Exclusively for
ARCCAW Members
Visit us online for a no-obligation home and auto insurance quote at:
www.marsh.ca/arccaw
Call Marsh’s Private Client Services at:
1 877 476 6727
or watch your mail for more information to follow.
000.Marsh_1-6H_nBL.indd 1
After a year-long hiatus, the scaffolding apprenticeship program is once again
being offered in Fort McMurray – and not a
moment too soon. The recession hit even
booming Fort Mac. “A lot of projects were
shelved when the recession hit, and with
all the people out of work, the demand
for training has shot right up,” says Len
Bryden, the provincial training co-ordinator at the Alberta Carpenters Training
Centre. The three-week Level 1 scaffolding
program begins Jan. 18, with another Level
1 starting Feb. 15. Bryden says more dates
will be added, so if the 12-member class is
full, stay tuned. Schedules for scaffolding
Levels 2 and 3, and the potential for other
offerings, perhaps safety-related training
programs, may also be offered at the Fort
McMurray Training Centre in the future.
12/15/09 2:49:11 PM
The Alberta Regional
Council of Carpenters and
Allied Workers (ARCCAW)
represents more than
11,000 members working
across several construction
industries, including
carpenters, millwrights,
scaffolders, interior system
mechanics, roofers and
floor layers.
Answer to
“Guess the Tool”
(from page 7)
A blacksmith used this tool, which is called a
traveller, to measure the circumference of a
wagon wheel in order to forge the metal
surround of the wheels.
Today
TheUBCrepresentsapproximately
520,000workers,with50,000inCanada
and10,000inAlberta.
For further details or to discuss
your advertising needs, contact:
If you have products or
services that demand
the attention of the
construction industry and
want to reach this key
target audience, Hard Hat
provides a unique forum
to access more than 11,000
of the sector’s key decision
makers.
Tara Kochan,
Account Executive
10259-105 Street
Edmonton, AB T5J 1E3
Tel: (780) 990-0819 ext. 241
Toll-free: 1-866-227-4276 ext. 241
Email: tkochan@venturepublishing.ca
HARDHATWINTER20109
KidZone
Christmas Parties
Santa was kept busy chatting and giving out gifts to nearly
60 children at the Millwrights Children’s Christmas party.
Peggy, the face painting artist, created customized paintings
of exceptional quality and Magic Mike enthralled everyone
with his hour-long magic show. Special thanks to Jeannelle
Lavelle, Dave Knight, Stephen Joy and Neal Hugh for making
the party a huge success.
10
HARDHAT
WINTER 2010
“Crazy Oopsy Daisy” handed out goodies while “Bugly Bright” intrigued
children with some of her slithery and creepy-crawly friends at the Local
1325 Christmas party in Edmonton. Children also enjoyed balloon-making,
face-painting and gifts from Santa. Thanks to organizers Diana Stubbard
and Bob Provencher and volunteers Len Lopatynski, Moe Rahime, Christine
Beauchesne, Maureen Provencher, Derrick Schulte and Rob Carlson. Over
500 people attended the party at the Italian Cultural Centre.
Children at the Local 2010/2103 Christmas party,
held at the Carpenters’ Union Hall in Calgary, enjoyed
face painting, Christmas ornament decorating and
of course a visit from Santa and his elves, who distributed gifts and goodies. Thanks to all the volunteers who
helped make the party a highlight of the holiday season.
HARDHAT WINTER 2010
11
Project PROFILE
TOP OF HIS GAME: Terry Brown puts the finishing touches
on the roof framework of a Triple M home, built to exacting
standards in order to survive the rigours of transport
12
HARDHAT
WINTER 2010
A Solid Foundation
This Lethbridge modular
home builder constructs
high-quality products and
high-quality employeemanagement relationships
By TRICIA RADISON Photography by Rob Olson
H
as a new house popped up unexpectedly in your
neighbourhood? Chances are Triple M Housing and
its approximately 200 employees who are union
members built it.
Based in Lethbridge, the company churns out around 800
modular homes each year using an assembly-line approach.
Carpenters, plumbers, electricians, roofers – everyone you’d
expect to find at a residential job site – do what needs to be done
and send the house down the line for the next step. Each house
takes two weeks to build and is then trucked to its final destination. Triple M homes can be found from Winnipeg to Vancouver
Island and in the Yukon and Northwest Territories, as well as in
some U.S. states.
HARDHAT WINTER 2010
13
Project PROFILE
Tenaciousness and teamwork have kept Triple M Housing
thriving through the normal ups and downs of the housing
market as well as through some unexpected challenges. In
2007, a mighty wind tore through Lethbridge, taking a section of the production facility’s roof. Employees agreed to add
another shift for a couple of months to keep production up
while the roof was repaired.
Then, on a Tuesday night in fall 2007, the same building
caught fire, burning to the ground. It could have been the end
of the company, but again,
employees and management
rallied.
“By Wednesday morning, we were having a breakfast meeting and assigning
duties and figuring out how
long it was going to take to
get one of our other buildings up to speed to get back
into production,” says Ron
Angyal, vice-president of
operations at Triple M.
It took two months to rig
up a full production line in
another building but the
team was back at work in
a third building four days
after the fire. Staff spent a
year working in what Angyal
describes as extremely
cramped quarters. “I give a lot of credit to the employees for
hanging in there,” he says.
Today Triple M operates out of a new state-of-the-art production facility. The $25-million building provides 120,000 square
feet of working space on the main floor with an extra 24,000
square feet of production space on an indoor mezzanine.
The building was constructed to allow for the most efficient
production layout possible, something that couldn’t be done
when trying to lie out the line in an existing building.
TOP: Elzbieta Gzyl checks for minor flaws while
priming the interior of a newly built home
BOTTOM LEFT: A crew diligently works on a pair
of manufactured homes on the production line at
Triple M Housing
BELOW: Paul Arseneault screws in drywall under a
pre-assembled roof
14
HARDHAT
WINTER 2010
In addition to the improved layout, new
equipment, like special hoists, has made
the company more efficient, and UBCJA
Local 2103 Business Agent Bruce Payne
says that, in general, Triple M’s employees enjoy working in the new facility.
“It’s safe and clean and the company is
actively taking steps to keep morale up
within the shop,” he says.
In an industry subject to high turnover,
Triple M has many long-term employees;
about one-third have been with the
company longer than 10 years with several staying on for over 25 years. The
working conditions and the high value
put on both safety and quality are often
attractive for employees who share
those values. Continuous inspections
ensure the finest product possible while
monthly safety meetings, a safety committee, and immediate attention to safety
concerns keep incident rates declining.
The relationship between the union
and management, which Payne describes
as wonderful and healthy, may help
as well.
ABOVE: Les Mulatz trims a countertop while
Donovan Huff, right, and Linda Fraser work in
the background
BELOW: Perry Cleaver works in wall
fabrication while guiding a remote hoist
HARDHAT WINTER 2010
15
18
HARDHAT WINTER 2010
There’s plenty you can do to keep more
cash in your pocket in the year ahead
the TAXman
ByCAITLIN CRAWSHAW IllustrationbyHEFF O’REILLY
I
t’s easy to have a love-hate relationship with money: it feels
good to see your bank account topped up every month, but cash
diminishes faster than we’d like it to.
In fact, many Canadians get to the end of the money before the end of
the month. According to a study by the Certified General Accountants
Association of Canada, Canadian household debt swelled to $1.3 trillion
in 2008. About one-third of the respondents polled said they weren’t
saving for the future and those in the red said their debt increased to 42
per cent from 35 per cent between 2007 and 2008.
Fortunately, there are plenty of little things that you can do to avoid
becoming a statistic in 2010.
Get Disciplined
Being at the job site 15 minutes early every day has helped you get ahead. It’s not sexy,
but discipline goes a long way in the financial realm, too.
Spending within your means starts with budgeting. Financial whiz Gail Vaz-Oxlade,
host of television’s Til Debt Do Us Part, says you should allocate 35 per cent of your
income to housing, 15 per cent to transportation, 25 per cent to life (food, clothing, fitness classes, etc.), 15 per cent to debt and 10 per cent to savings.
If you’re self-employed, budgeting is trickier since income fluctuates. To keep from
falling short, budget around last year’s averages, says Edmonton financial adviser Tim
Carruthers. Remember that a fantastic month doesn’t necessarily signal a trend.
Have a Cushion
There are no guarantees in life: jobs can be lost, spouses get sick and roofs
cave in. “An emergency fund is something that everyone should have on
hand, regardless of how they earn their income,” says Carruthers. Selfemployed people take note: tax savings don’t count – dipping into them in
times of need will only postpone the problem.
Make Tax Preparation a Priority
They say the only predictable things in life are death and taxes. Fortunately,
the latter is in your control. “Taxes have the biggest impact on anything in
your life financially,” says Carruthers.
HARDHATWINTER201019
Marsh’s Private Client
Services offers discounted
group insurance rates
M
The employed have it easy – taxes are taken
off automatically. The self-employed need to
save for what they’ll owe later. To estimate this,
use last year’s earnings to predict this year’s tax
bracket, say experts.
Most people need to put aside 30 per cent,
but more is better, says Rita Sharma, an
Edmonton certified management accountant.
Add what you don’t use to an RRSP or other
savings.
Don’t forget that if you’re self-employed and
make $30,000 or more, you’ll need to put away
another five per cent of your earnings for GST.
Regardless of whether you’re employed or
self-employed, keep your receipts from workrelated purchases. Tradespeople can write off
a portion of the tools and other items they buy
for work.
You, Inc.?
The corporate tax rate (14 per cent in Alberta)
and income splitting (paying your spouse or
kids dividends) means incorporating is beneficial to some self-employed folks, says Calgary
certified management accountant Pete Elliott.
Incorporating also protects personal assets
from lawsuits. But since the costs can outweigh
the benefits, get an expert’s opinion.
Get a Good Accountant
Not everyone with a hammer can hit the nail
on the head. The same is true in accounting: a
brass sign is no guarantee of expertise.
Find a licensed certified management
accountant, chartered accountant or certified general accountant – these bodies
hold their members to professional
standards. Look for someone who’s
aware of tax trends, like Bill C56
(which would allow self-employed
people to pay into Employment
Insurance), and who listens, says
Sharma. “Make sure the accountant you hire has time for you.”
20
HARDHAT WINTER2010
HARDHAT
WINTER
embers of the Alberta Regional
Council of Carpenters and Allied
Workers (ARCCAW), their spouses, dependent children, as well as retirees
now have access to discounted group rates
for insurance from Marsh’s Private Client
Services (PCS). PCS specializes in the
design, placement, and servicing of personal
insurance.
Personalized and knowledgeable service
has made PCS one of Canada’s leading insurance brokerage businesses for more than
50 years. PCS is a practice of Marsh Canada
Limited and operates in offices across the
country, offering the strength and stability
of a national company with a commitment to
personalized service at the local level.
PCS representatives are insurance brokers
and, as such, work for their clients, not the
insurance company. By clearly explaining coverage options and limitations, they help clients define their insurance needs and obtain
broad coverage at a competitive price.
Marsh’s Private Client Services provides
access to discounted group rates for your auto
and residential insurance, and the potential
eligibility for additional discounts.
MEMBERS ONLY:ARCCAWmemberscangetan
instantonline,no-obligationinsurancequoteat
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One of the key advantages to dealing with
PCS is that in the event of a claim, your
dedicated client manager is available to make
sure you understand the implications and procedures involved in the claim. You can take
comfort in knowing that there’s an expert on
your side.
PCS also offers an emergency claims service,
available 24 hours a day, seven days a week,
plus convenient payment options, including a
monthly, pre-authorized payment plan with no
service charges – a three per cent savings. As a
bonus, you can earn Air Miles with your paid
insurance premiums.
Clients also have easy program access by
calling toll-free at 1 877 476 6727 to obtain a
quote, request policy changes or report a claim.
Members of ARCCAW can get an instant
online, no-obligation insurance quote at www.
marsh.ca/arccaw. If you do not meet the underwriting criteria of the group program, PCS
can also provide a quotation from an alternate
insurance company.
Additional information on ARCCAW’s
Group Automobile and Residential Insurance
Program will be coming directly to members in
the coming weeks.
Trade Rules and Bylaws
REPORT
Trade Rule Updates
on Track
Bill Alton,
Chair of the Trade Rules
and Bylaws Committee
T
he Carpenters at Local 1325 and 2103
have completed their work towards
updating the Trade Rules. These are the
common rules which govern the two locals.
Bylaws which govern each local were also considered individually at this time.
These rules are the guidelines that allow
a smooth and fair dispatch process as well as
providing guidance for other local issues concerning the membership of the halls. They are
in addition to the International Constitution
which governs the operation of all locals in the UBC. The rules are for
the union and by the union. They do not include or involve the contractors we work for.
The process has taken about 10 months with the first committee
meetings starting in Edmonton in mid-February 2009. It is not complete yet. Two hurdles must still be cleared. The Regional Council
delegates will have to give assent to the changes and, following that,
the International Executive must approve of each proposed change.
We can expect the remaining steps to take until June since the
next Regional Council meeting is in March, and International
Executive approval must follow that, but at this point the Trade
The Trade Rules and Bylaws Committee at a
special called meeting; From left to right:
Doug Hogan, Derrick Schulte, Greg Budd,
Bill Alton and Doug Germaine
HARDHAT WINTER 2010
21
Trade Rules and Bylaws REPORT
Rules have passed the voting process with
both locals. Our lawyer has vetted the proposals and with the work of the locals complete,
one could say the heavy lifting is behind us.
Special called meetings allowed an opportunity for the members to express their
approval or disapproval. There were 20
changes proposed to the Trade Rules and all
have majority approval.
As for the bylaws, Calgary’s bylaws passed
entirely, Edmonton’s bylaws passed with one
exception. That exception was a proposal to
move all meetings to Wednesday evening,
eliminating Saturday meetings four times a
year. The membership has not supported
that proposal.
Local 1325 members attend a special called
meeting, where any concerns about the
trade rules and bylaws are addressed
before going to a vote
22
HARDHAT
WINTER 2010
The best news for the Brotherhood is that attendance and participation at the meetings was very good in all centres: Fort McMurray,
Edmonton, Red Deer, Calgary and Lethbridge. Debate was lively and
informed and for the first time members voted on the individual proposed changes rather than the entire document. This allowed anyone
with concerns about any single issue to vote against that article and not
have to condemn the entire document. In the opinion of the Edmonton
and Calgary committees, that allowed for a more accurate reflection to
the will of the membership. The value of this was proven by the defeat of
a single proposal to the Edmonton bylaws.
As committee chair in Edmonton, and on behalf of Calgary committee chair Paul Zarbatany, I want to thank the committee members
of both1325 and 2103 for their diligence and their service to the collective good of our halls. I want to thank members throughout the province for exercising their right to vote and participating in the process
which keeps our rules and our union current and vital.
Part one of a two-part series profiling ARCCAW industrial shops across Alberta
Masters
By Lisa Ricciotti
of Their Craft
More than 10,000 brothers and sisters in four locals make up the Alberta Regional Council of Carpenters and Allied Workers –
and it’s time to shine the spotlight on the “and Allied Workers” part of our ARCCAW acronym. In addition to traditional carpentry work done on construction sites, ARCCAW members are employed at industrial and manufacturing plants that aren’t automatically top of mind when the public hears the “Alberta Regional Council of Carpenters” part of our name. Some ARCCAW
workers are building modular structures, creating display cases for high-end retailers like Prada and Louis Vuitton, pre-building
entire houses in factory settings, and creating precast concrete for bridges, parkades and big-box stores as well as concrete pipe
up to 10 feet high. And a few are even busy blowing things up for a living, dynamiting Gap Mountain to produce lime. In this first
of a two-part series, we feature five plants where ARCCAW tradespeople including painters, scaffolders, mechanics, electricians,
roofers, drywallers, machine operators, metal workers, productions workers, labourers – and yes, carpenters too – do quality
work in a union environment.
Lafarge Construction Materials Alberta Precast
When: 1947
What: Precast concrete
Where: Edmonton
Who: 100 to 125 employees,
including concrete finishers,
rebar workers, iron workers,
welders and carpenters
As the largest supplier of cement products in
North America, Lafarge produces precast concrete at an Edmonton plant for its northern
Alberta markets. “If you’ve been in a big-box
store, you’ve seen our work,” says Peter Yurkiw,
general manager of the precast division. In
addition to creating precast walls, cladding
and other elements for buildings ranging from
highrises to recreational facilities to warehouses, precast concrete is used as bridge girders and decks, for numerous oilfield structures,
parkades and road infrastructure.
Yurkiw notes that because precast concrete
is prefabricated in a controlled production envi-
ronment in the Lafarge plant, then delivered to
the client, the result is a better quality product,
with reduced site time for construction managers. As well, much precast concrete is also
pre-stressed and pre-tensioned. “And you can’t
do that on site,” says Yurkiw. Lafarge Precast,
which recently doubled its plant size with a
70,000-square-foot addition, is currently busy
building a parkade in Red Deer and the Anthony
Henday/Stoney Plain Road intersection. “And
next time you drive into Edmonton from the
south, look at the retaining walls with the little
prairie rose embedded designs,” says Yurkiw.
“That’s our work too.”
HARDHAT WINTER 2010
23
Graymont Western Canada Inc.
When: 1989 (site originally established in 1885)
What: Lime production
Where: Exshaw
Who:
60 employees including welders, electricians, millwrights, blasters, machine operators, labourers and baggers
Working at Graymont’s Exshaw plant is a blast – literally. The process of creating lime begins with blowing rock out of Gap Mountain
about 45 minutes from Calgary. First, drillers identify areas rich in
naturally occurring limestone, then blasters dynamite the rock into
three-foot boulders. That rubble is trucked back to the plant where
it’s crushed into half-inch to two-and-a-quarter-inch stone. “And
then we cook it,” says plant manager Sébastien Villeneuve.
“Cooking” means baking the limestone in coal-fired kilns at
extreme temperatures of 1,200 F for about three hours. “Heat
causes a chemical reaction, turning limestone (calcium carbonate)
into quicklime (calcium oxide),” explains Villeneuve. “It goes in
grey and comes out white.” The newly transformed lime may again
be crushed finer, depending on its end use.
Graymont produces different products at Exshaw – high calcium quicklime, hydrated lime, pulverized limestone and screened
limestone – tonnes and tonnes of it. “We average about 600 tonnes
daily,” says Villeneuve. Some is bagged on site, but 80 per cent is
loaded in bulk onto trucks or rail cars, destined for a remarkable
variety of uses. It might be eaten by a cow as calcium in its feed.
Or, it might end up on your roof as shingles. The oil industry takes
advantage of lime’s pollution control properties to remove acidic
gases, particularly sulphur dioxide. Lime is also widely used in
water treatment, to correct the pH of acidic water, remove impurities such as silica and arsenic, soften hard water and treat sewage.
The pulp and paper industry uses lime to make paper brighter and
as filler. The steel industry is a major consumer, using lime to convert iron into pig iron and remove impurities during processing
(pig iron is one of the main raw materials used to make steel). Lime
also helps the gold and copper industries recover those precious
metals during processing. As well, lime adds years to the life of our
highways in hot-mix asphalt, and is a truly versatile building construction material, used in masonry, mortar, stucco and plasters.
The list goes on for one of the oldest materials used by mankind.
Fortunately, there’s lots of mountain left.
24
HARDHAT
WINTER 2010
PTI Travco Modular Structures
When: 1977, originally in Grande Prairie
What: Modular buildings
Where: Nisku
Who:
Approximately 200 employees including carpenters,
electricians, plumbers, welders, sheet-metal workers, painters
and general labourers
Ken MacLean, director of marketing and communications, hasn’t
worked at any of the remote jobs where accommodations are supplied by PTI Travco Modular Structures, but he knows what’s
most important to anyone who does. “It’s all about quality of life,”
MacLean emphasizes. “The site is a worker’s home, often for three
weeks at a time. Our goal is offering the comforts of home, even
when far from it.”
Although PTI designs and manufactures weather stations, office
complexes, mobile laboratories and residential housing from its
40,000-square-foot facility in Nisku, its specialty is workforce
accommodations. Some are temporary, like those leased to drilling
rigs; others are large, permanent modular structures for the energy industry such as CNRL Horizon’s camp 85 kilometres north of
Fort McMurray. It’s one of the largest projects PTI has undertaken,
delivered in three phases and housing 5,000 workers.
“These are truly mini-villages,” says MacLean. “We provide
everything needed in a small town.” That includes not just threestorey modular dormitories, but large dining rooms and kitchens;
TV, exercise and games rooms; and even atriums. PTI has also created upscale lodge-type units for oilpatch workers, featuring private and executive suite rooms, including Conklin Lodge, Beaver
River Executive Lodge and the Athabasca Lodge. Next up for PTI is a
$460-million contract to add 3,100 rooms to its existing 2,900-room
Wapasu Creek Lodge for Imperial Oil’s Kearl oilsands operation.
That means the Nisku plant will be busy. “Units are 90 per cent
finished by the time they’re trucked up to the sites,” MacLean
explains. “From framing to electrical to finishing, it’s all built in the
shop. We use an assembly line process, all done indoors, for excellent quality control.” Once trucked up to the camp, modular units
are set on foundations, lifted into place by cranes.
“Attracting staff to distant locations isn’t easy,” MacLean notes.
“But recruiters tell us PTI camps are an incentive.” Compliments go
to the executive chefs some camps employ. But a larger part goes to
the Nisku trades workers, who put those attractive camps together.
Sunac Woodwork and Sunac Metal Work
When: 1990
What: Architectural millwork, woodwork and metalwork
Where: Edmonton
Who:
50 employees including carpenters, cabinet-makers,
machinists and metal workers
Next time you indulge in some high-end browsing, look beyond
the Prada handbag, Louis Vuitton luggage, Fendi fashions and bottles of Escada cologne to consider the equally luxurious settings
that show them off. There’s a good chance that handsome display
case was made in Edmonton, by the skilled craftspeople at Sunac
Woodwork or Sunac Metal Work.
The companion shops’ speciality is what vice-president Ralph
Hahn describes as “high-end architectural millwork, woodwork
and metalwork for the retail, residential and commercial markets,”
and you’ll find those high-end brands – Louis Vuitton, Prada, Fendi
and Escada – on their client list. Other recent projects include
design and installations for the University of Augustana library, the
Red Deer Civic Buildings, Grant MacEwan University and Intact
Insurance. Hahn is also proud of some of the latest work his staff
did to create a very handsome mahogany wall unit with glass doors,
custom-designed for an upscale home.
“We work very closely with clients, whether they’re homeowners, architects or designers, to interpret their concepts,” says Hahn.
“Our challenge is transferring their ideas into buildable wood and
metal products, with a high attention to detail.” A glance at the gallery section of Canus Construction’s website (Sunac is a subdivision), www.canusconstruction.com, says more than a thousand
words could about how well Hahn’s team succeeds in fulfilling
that objective. To get those eye-catching results, Hahn relies on a
highly trained work crew to deliver products second to none. “We
work with both apprentices and journeypeople, but all receive extra
training in our shops to ensure the level of quality we’re known for,”
Hahn explains. “We’re only as good as our people.”
Hahn candidly admits the current economic downturn has
caused a slowdown in his business, but he’s optimistic nonetheless.
“Previously we exported 80 per cent of our product to the U.S., but
that market isn’t strong right now. So we’re turning our attention
more to local markets, especially Edmonton.” Here’s hoping more
of Sunac’s gorgeous displays beautify your favourite shopping centre soon.
ATCO Structures & Logistics Ltd.
When: 1947
What: Modular structures
Where: Alberta manufacturing locations in Calgary and
Spruce Grove
Who:
200-plus employees including carpenters, plumbers,
electricians, painters, sheet-metal workers and production workers
Did Calgary entrepreneurs Samuel D. Southern and his son Ron D.
have any notion what was ahead when they pooled their life savings of $4,000 to purchase 15 utility trailers as rental units back
in 1947? The family operation expanded beyond their wildest
dreams into ATCO Ltd., an Alberta-based corporation with more
than 7,700 employees and $9.9 billion in assets. Under ATCO Ltd.,
ATCO Structures & Logistics is the brand synonymous with modular structures worldwide. ASL serves clients in more than 100
countries with manufacturing plants in the United States, South
America, the Middle East, Australia and, of course, Alberta. Along
the way, ASL pioneered innovations now standard in the industry,
and continues to set new standards for quality and choice in temporary and permanent infrastructure solutions.
Made-in-Alberta ASL modular structures are found across
Western Canada, from temporary office buildings at construction
sites, to workforce housing for drill camps, to spacious school classrooms. As well, ASL specializes in large state-of-the-art workforce
accommodation complexes for the oilsands industry. Notable sites
include Suncor Energy’s 1,100-room workforce complex and Shell’s
Albian Village, with a 115,000-square-foot core building containing a gymnasium, running track, fitness centre, lounge and meeting rooms, as well as permanent dormitories for 600 workers and
dining and kitchen facilities. In 2008, ASL opened the award-winning Creeburn Lake Lodge 56 kilometres north of Fort McMurray,
a joint partnership with the Fort McKay First Nation. Following
the success of this 500-bed hotel-like facility, ASL completed Barge
Landing Lodge, another Fort McKay First Nation joint venture,
which also offers premium accommodations for energy sector
workers.
In November 2009, the company launched its latest innovation, a line of permanent modular buildings called ATCO Urban
Space that can be designed and engineered to meet green LEED
(Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards.
These suit a wide range of uses, from schools and medical clinics to
condominiums and community centres. A current stunning example is the pitched-roof Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel permanent
staff housing. Samuel Southern would be very proud of how his
company looks six decades later.
HARDHAT WINTER 2010
25
Trust Funds Board Chair’s
REPORT
Looking Forward
O
n behalf of the Boards of Trustees of the ACAW Trust
Funds, I am pleased to present this annual message to our
membership.
ACAW Pension Plan
Let me begin by saying 2009 was a year of challenges for Canadian pension plans including ours. The year 2008 saw world stock indexes off
by as much as 45 per cent, interest rates at historic lows, and most G-20
economies in recession. The resulting market losses and low earnings
environment severely impacted the valuations of most pension plans.
Many plans were forced to reduce benefits to meet their obligations
going forward.
Early in 2009, the effects of the intervening actions of the G-20
governments started to take hold. At this writing, world markets have
recovered a large portion of 2008 losses, credit markets have stabilized,
and many important economies have moved out of recession.
The ACAW Pension Plan’s investment policies and strategies are
reviewed and fine-tuned annually, to recognize present and near term
market conditions. However, the board continues to maintain a disciplined focus on long-term time horizons, utilizing conservative and
diversified investment strategies.
The Board of Trustees is responsible for and committed to ensuring
that the pension plan is able to fulfil its promises, which include both
preserving the long-term security of the funds and maximizing investment returns within acceptable risk tolerance levels. Historically, the
ACAW Board of Trustees has taken a conservative approach to investment policies, procedures and the management thereof and will continue to do so. Despite the negative market events of the last 18 months, the
board is cautiously optimistic going forward. We are not contemplating
any benefit reduction at this time.
I am pleased to announce the appointment of Alan Konkin as
an employer trustee to both the Pension Board and the Health and
Wellness Board. Alan is the vice-presidentof human resources for PTI
Group Inc. As a respected senior manager in the construction industry,
Alan is a welcome addition to both boards.
I am also please to announce the appointment of Elizabeth Lombardo
as interim general manager of ACAW Trust Funds. Liz (as she likes to be
known) joined our staff in June 2009. Liz comes to us from Telus Corp. and
brings 27 years’ experience in pension administration.
In keeping with the board’s policy of member communication, member meetings are in the planning stage. Details of time, dates and location will be announced prior to March 31, 2010. New Member Pension
26
HARDHAT WINTER 2010
R.J. Provencher
Board Chair
ACAW Trust Funds
booklets are currently being published and are expected to be mailed
in early February 2010. Member Pension Benefit Statements will be
mailed in early June 2010.
Health and Wellness Plan
The change of name from “Health and Welfare Plan” to “Health and
Wellness Plan” came as a result of many requests, from members and
staff alike. It was felt the new name was positive, modern and better represented the overall intent of the plan. The Board of Trustees
agreed and hence the new name.
As with the ACAW Pension Plan, the ACAW Health and Wellness
Plan Board of Trustees is responsible for and committed to ensuring
that the plan is able to fulfil its benefit promises. The board is tasked
with preserving the long-term security of the plan funds and maximizing investment returns within acceptable risk tolerance levels.
The board is also responsible for the monitoring of fund contributions, researching benefit costs and utilization levels fully, to ensure
the financial viability of plan benefits.
Plan changes and improvements will be effective Jan. 1, 2010.
Some improvement highlights are:
• ACAW Dental Fee Guide has increased by 10 per cent.
• Annual maximum basic dental increased to $2,500
from $2,200
• Annual maximum major dental increased to $3,000
from $2,500
• Eligible services of chiropractors, physiotherapists, licensed
massage therapists, podiatrists, qualified speech therapists and
naturopaths increased to $450 per practitioner per year from $320
per practitioner per year
Member Health & Wellness Plan booklets are currently being
published and are expected to be mailed in early February 2010. We
encourage you to read the booklet carefully, so as to become familiar
with the benefits available to you.
On behalf of the ACAW Trust Funds Boards of Trustees and staff,
I would like to take this opportunity to wish all of our members and
their families a happy and prosperous New Year.
Local 1460 Millwrights
REPORT
2009 Year in Review
Bob Hugh,
Senior Business Representative –
Millwrights
T
his past year featured a number
of highlights for Local 1460 Alberta
Millwrights.
January/February: Various meetings were
held with Shell, Petro-Canada, Suncor and
others over low oil prices and the viability for
expansions or building new projects.
March 20: Local 1460 hosted a grouting seminar with Chinook Industrial.
Sept. 1-7: Calgary hosted the WorldSkills 2009 competition.
Sept. 28-30: Four local 1460 delegates attended the Building Trades of
Alberta Convention in Kananaskis.
Oct. 17: Health and Welfare, Pension and Training Trust meetings
were held.
Oct. 30: Dow Chemical and Jacobs Industrial toured the Alberta
Millwright Training Centre in Edmonton.
Nov. 18: Local 1460 hosted a Grouting Seminar with Chinook Industrial.
May 25: The first two Trade Winds to Success
apprentices were dispatched.
June 4: The fourth annual Retirees’ Social
was a success.
July 13-15: Alberta Millwrights hosted a
Canada-wide Millwright Conference with
every province represented.
Aug. 20-22: The UBC National Apprentice
Contest was held in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Congratulations to member Andrew Hansen
who placed third.
Dec. 6: The second annual Millwright Children’s Christmas Party was
held (see photos on pages 10, 11).
Training Summary
• 19 courses were held at the Millwright Training Centre, with four
held off-site, exclusive of such courses such as Confined Space,
Fall Arrest, and Aerial Platform, etc.
• 145 members spent 3,848 hours training in house and 1,152 hours
training off-site for a total of 5,000 training hours.
• There are now over 50 members eligible for Gas and Steam Turbine
Certificate Training in Las Vegas.
HARDHAT WINTER 2010 27
Training and Apprenticeship
REPORT
The Challenge of
Apprenticeship
Len J. Bryden
Director of Training and Apprenticeship
Alberta Carpenters Training Centre
A
nyone who has completed an apprenticeship in any trade will tell you the
same thing: it wasn’t easy. We deal
primarily with two apprenticeship programs
within our Carpenter Training Centres
in Alberta: carpentry in conjunction with
Alberta Industry Training, and our in-house
scaffolder apprenticeship program. The number of people who have been trained and are
waiting to be trained is impressive, and we
are doing what we can, as fast as we can, to
accommodate members who are looking for
training, particularly in our scaffolder program. In fact, our Fort McMurray centre will
be open for scaffolder training in January
2010 to help with the load. Check with us for a
schedule of classes available, or at our website
at www.abcarptc.ab.ca.
We have formed great relationships
and partnerships with our provincial
government over the past few years, and
currently have written agreements with
Alberta Employment and Immigration. One
of these agreements allows members who
have been laid off and who want to participate
in training through our centres to collect EI
benefits for any of our carpentry and scaffolding apprenticeship programs. If you are
qualified to collect benefits, funding can be
obtained once the proper steps are completed.
The courses covered under this EI agreement
28
HARDHAT WINTER 2010
include the 14-day Industrial Technical Training (ITT), Levels 1, 2 and
3 Scaffold, the four-week JM Carpenter Scaffolder Upgrade, and ACTC
Pre-Employment Carpentry.
In addition to EI funding, there are also provincial student assistance and loans, as well as the Federal Apprenticeship Incentive Grant,
that are available for government-accredited apprenticeship programs
like carpentry. These are just some of the ways to help you deal with
the challenges of completing an apprenticeship, namely the financial
ones. Our government, both provincially and federally, and our union
have worked very hard to take the barriers away, or at least make them
smaller for our apprentices. (If you are a JM reading this, give it to an
apprentice!)
A number of safety training courses may be required for you to get
dispatched to a certain job, and many of these are fully reimbursable,
except for a $10 registration fee. (Or, depending on where it is offered,
you may only be required to pay the $10 fee upfront and be done with
it.) These kinds of benefits have been available to members for 10plus years now. All tuition fees for carpentry are covered and reimbursable (as well as books and shop fees as of this year!). Period 1 and
2 Carpentry courses are delivered at our Edmonton centre, and your
costs are covered as a member when you walk in. We have travel allowances and accommodation funding for out-of-area apprentices who
have to travel to our centre for ITT and all scaffold programs.
When members tell us they are unable to take training because they
can’t afford it, we sympathize, but we also ask the members to look a
little deeper at the value they can receive from completing an apprenticeship in carpentry and scaffolding. It is a challenge. It might mean
“beans and rice, rice and beans” for a while as you must sometimes
sacrifice a few things to reach your goals, but these sacrifices will only
enhance you as an individual and this great organization as a whole.
I remain confident our members are up to the challenge.
UPCOMING
Training + Events
General Events
Training
2010 Edmonton Regional Skills Canada Competition
Many courses taking place in the next few months have already
filled up. Here are a few that still have space.
Go to www.abcarptc.ab.ca for updated course listings.
The Edmonton training centre will host students competing in the
Skills Canada carpentry event. Top performers at the regional competition will earn a spot at the 18th Provincial Skills Canada competition in May.
Date: April 20, 2010
Location: Alberta Carpenters Training Centre, Edmonton
More information: www.skillsalberta.com/programs/RegionalSkills
Competitions.aspx
Alberta Carpenters Training Centre
Edmonton
Pre-employment Carpentry Program: March 1 to April 23, 2010
Period 2 Carpentry: May 10 to July 2, 2010
Calgary
Hoisting and Rigging: April 9 to 11, 2010
Hoisting and Rigging: May 14 to May 16, 2010
Fort McMurray
The Fort McMurray Training Centre is up and running, with lots
of openings for Scaffolding Level 1 and 2 courses still available.
Scaffolding Level 1: March 8 to 26, 2010
April 26 to May 14, 2010
Scaffolding Level 2: March 29 to April 16, 2010
May 17 to June 4, 2010
2009RegionalSkillsCanadaCompetition
Meetings
Regional Council Executive meeting: March 5, 2010
Delegate meeting: March 6, 2010
First Wednesday of each month: Local 1325 meeting
Third Thursday of each month: Local 2103 meeting
Fourth Tuesday of each month: Local 1460 meeting
Alberta Millwright Training Centre
Visit www.albertamillwrights.com for more information.
Compressor Intake 1: Feb. 1 to 3, 2010
Compressor Intake 2: Feb. 8 to 10, 2010
NAIT 3-Day Hoisting and Rigging: Feb. 5 to 7, 2010
1-Day Hoisting and Rigging: Feb. 12, 2010
GE Gas Turbine Familiarization: Feb. 15 to 17, 2010
16 Hour Millwright Safety Course: Feb. 18 to 19, 2010
Note: Period 1 and 2 Carpentry: All classes require government-registered apprentices. To register with us at the ACTC you must have your blue book and be in good standing.
Alberta Construction Safety Association
”Making Safety A Way Of Life”
National Construction
Safety Officer Program
Qualifying Program for Gold Seal Construction
Safety Coordinator
www.acsa-safety.org
Edmonton 1-800-661-2272 • Calgary 1-800-661-0390
Ft. McMurray 780-715-2157
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Parting Shot
Laying the Cornerstone
In September 1908, dignitaries celebrated the laying of the cornerstone at Calgary’s old city hall.
The red granite plaque is embedded on the northwest side of the main entrance to the building
and is engraved with the names of the mayor and aldermen as well as the city clerk and architect.
Construction on the building began in 1907 and was completed in 1911 at a cost of $300,000.
The sandstone building, with its 100-foot clock tower, is now a designated historic site. In 1985,
it was joined by a new municipal building where the majority of city governance takes place.
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73,000 Albertans
serving 3,000,000 more.
With more than 73,000 members AUPE is Alberta’s largest —
and strongest — union. We work to get our members what
they deserve — fair wages, safety and job security. In turn they
give Albertans what they deserve — quality service.
The Alberta Union of Provincial Employees
Your Working People. www.aupe.org
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Alberta Carpenters Training Centre
We’ve trained North America’s
best scaffolders for 15 years.
The Alberta Carpenters Training
Centre has delivered its 3-year
Scaffolder Apprenticeship and Carpenter JM Upgrade
Scaffold Programs, as well as dozens of other safety and
skill training programs, to thousands of students in three
training centres – Edmonton, Ft. McMurray & Calgary –
since 1994.
Our new $23 million centre includes two state-ofthe-art scaffold shops, including one purpose-built to
accommodate suspended scaffolding.
ACTC-trained scaffolders work on some of the world’s
largest mega-projects. Many of the scaffolds they design
and build are unique, highly-complicated, and critical to
both human safety and worker productivity.
www.abcarptc.ab.ca
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Another hit for Haiti. After hurricanes and
floods, now a major earthquake.
We’re on the ground helping those in
need and we really need yours.
Please give generously.
redcross.ca
1-800-418-1111