In order to serve you better and improve our advocacy and responsiveness to emerging issues, ECAO is thrilled to announce the creation of four (4) dynamic committees. Your active participation is vital to ensure effective representation in key areas that matter most to you.

Why Join?

• Contribute to the evolution of ECAO's impact
• Shape the future of the electrical contracting industry
• Network with industry professionals
• Make your voice heard on critical issues

How to Get Involved:

Please review these proposed committees and, if interested, send your expression of interest to Graeme at rgaitken@ecao.org.

Committees Overview:

COR Stakeholder Advisory Committee:

• Formed in response to concerns about the COR program in Ontario.
• ECAO instrumental in creating a COR Advisory Group meeting quarterly with IHSA and stakeholders.
• Establishing an internal ECAO COR Stakeholder Advisory Committee.
• Seeking members’ representatives who are (i) active health and safety professionals, (ii) COR program administrators, (iii) or those becoming COR certified.
• Anticipated to be a relatively small committee, initially meeting quarterly.
• Aim for a diverse mix of contractor sizes and sectors.
• Responsibilities include reviewing IHSA COR Stakeholder group meetings, advising ECAO’s input at IHSA COR Stakeholders Group meetings, and ongoing review of the Province’s COR program with suggestions for improvement.

International & Extra-Provincial Committee:

• Identified opportunities for contractors outside Ontario and joint ventures with extra-provincial contractors.
• ECAO's membership with NECA highlights significant possibilities.
• Seeking input from members on (i) niche markets, (ii) sectors/types of work of interest, (iii) requirements to work outside Ontario, and (iv) updates on opportunities.
• Anticipated quarterly meetings for representatives interested in pursuing these opportunities.

Education Committee:

• With the recent release of the ECAO Learning Centre, a need arises to expand educational programs for members and their employees.
• Formation of the Education Committee to provide guidance, suggestions, and assess ECAO’s educational offerings.
• Particularly interested in expressions of interest from members’ representatives involved in education.
• Expected to meet quarterly.

Member Services Committee:

• ECAO aims to revitalize a committee for contractor members to provide feedback on the value-added benefits of membership.
• Membership Services committee seeks insights and feedback on ECAO’s services.
• Discussions on future opportunities to define and refine a robust program.
• Anticipated quarterly meetings.

Don't miss this chance to be at the forefront of change! Join us as we shape the future of ECAO together. Your involvement is the key to our collective success!

Join our Certi-Fire Fire Alarm Training Course Level 1, now available through Distance Learning starting on January 30th. Experience the convenience of learning from anywhere while gaining essential skills in fire alarm systems.

Our engaging VR technology ensures an immersive and practical training environment, allowing you to practice in realistic scenarios. Get a reimbursement of $250 on your tuition, this offer can only be availed once the participant passes the Level 1 training and fills out a government form, emphasizing our commitment to safety standards. Once both requirements are completed, the participant/company will be issued a reimbursement.

Don't miss out on this opportunity to boost your fire alarm safety knowledge affordably and effectively. Join us on January 30th and take the first step towards becoming a certified fire safety professional.



To register, visit: https://bit.ly/certifireenroll

Key insights for Q3 2023

Q3 2023 slowdown: Interest rate increases by the Bank of Canada have impacted growth, slowing consumption and business investments.

Interest rate impact: Elevated interest rates are diminishing investments, causing a decrease in spending. This trend is impacting both the overall economy and the construction sector, which is particularly sensitive to interest rate fluctuations.

Higher oil prices: Geopolitical tensions and increased global demand influenced a Q3 energy price surge.

Construction labour: Labour force and employment in the construction sector declined, with substantial job losses in British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec; however, there are still 58,000 unfilled roles.

A comprehensive housing strategy will require more public investment in the foundational infrastructure required to support new homes and communities.

This report was prepared by the Canadian Construction Association (CCA) to provide an overview of the last quarter, the current economic health of the industry, and its implications for member businesses.

Read More

The Central Ontario Building Trades (COBT) represents 25 trade union affiliates and tens of thousands of skilled men and women, united as one voice for the construction industry. COBT holds many collaborative relationships with their affiliates as they advocate on behalf of them and their members to support the families and communities that they represent.

The Program

The Hammer Heads program is a community-based initiative led by COBT, and is backed by twenty-five trade union affiliates. For the past fifteen years, the Hammer Heads program has been creating skilled trade employment opportunities for youth located in under-resourced neighbourhoods and indigenous communities.

The Challenge

By 2017, the Hammer Heads program had grown increasingly popular, experiencing a surge of applicants. To continue to scale, innovative methods were required to become more efficient and strategic in their day-to-day operations — a decision that ultimately would benefit the youth, their partners, and their staff. The Hammer Heads proactively leaned to LogicalDox, their digital transformation partner, to analyze their processes, identify the right solution to overcome their challenges, and to create a plan to support future expansion.

The Solution

Read More

Thursday, March 7 from 7:30 AM – 2:00 PM

The International Centre, Conference Centre, 6900 Airport Road

$75 per person

The Ontario Construction Secretariat invites you to attend our 24th Annual State of the Industry & Outlook Conference on March 7, 2024, at The International Centre in Mississauga.

This informative and well-attended half-day conference is where Ontario's ICI construction industry gathers to discuss economic indicators and gain insight into where the construction industry is headed in the year to come.

Joining us once again will be Director and Senior Economist at BMO, Robert Kavcic, who will provide those in attendance with his views on current economic conditions as well as a forecast for the rest of 2024. OCS Director of Research, Katherine Jacobs, will also present the findings from the annual Contractor Survey, which serves to gauge contractor perspectives about the construction market for the coming year.

Click below to explore our registration website and reserve your spot!

Reserve Your Spot Now

NECA is pleased to present its Annual Report for the year 2023. This year's report is centered around the theme of the "Electrical Revolution," highlighting the remarkable strides our association has made in shaping the future of the electrical industry.

Click to view 2023 NECA Annual Report

NECA’s Recognition of Safety Achievement Program is an elite safety recognition focused on recognizing thriving companies that excel in multiple areas of their safety and health programs. Member companies that consistently have OSHA recordable injury and fatality rates at levels lower than the industry standard, and implement internal company safety practices above and beyond basic compliance will receive the recognition.

The Zero-Injury recognizes those member-companies that have worked a full calendar year without recordable incidents.

This year, the announcement of the NECA Safety Ambassadors Medal will be April 15, 2024. The member company that receives the NECA Safety Ambassadors Medal will get two free registrations to the NECA Safety Professionals Conference, one for senior management and one for the company safety professional to accept the medal during the NECA Recognition of Safety Achievement announcements at the NSPC.

Apply Today

At the ELECTRI Winter Council meeting last week, the ELECTRI Council voted to fund six new projects that promise crucial research for the electrical industry. Stay tuned for their publication later this year! Check out some of 

ELECTRI's recently released research reports below on their website.

View Research Reports