Ontario Roofing News - Winter 2007.
(click here for full magazine in Adobe pdf format). 

 

ON THE COVER: President’s Message
By Randy Walden, President, OIRCA
Looking Forward
In recent years there has been a great deal written on subjects relating to the shortage of skilled workers in the construction industry.  Nowhere is this shortage more prevalent than in the ICI roofing sector.  The roofing industry in Ontario in particular has been on a pretty heavy workload over the past ten or so years.  The last two have been downright exceptional years.  Read more...

Roof Greening Systems Inc. (RGS)
Roof Greening Systems Inc. (RGS) is a leading Canadian wholesale distributor of pre-grown vegetation and high quality green roof systems to the commercial/industrial flat-roof market. The company’s mandate is to provide incomparable value, 100 per cent customer satisfaction, environmental leadership and integrity of business practices.  Read more...

Accreditation Coming Soon
Have Your Say About A Historical Development in Construction Health and Safety.
Early in 2007, the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) and the Construction Safety Association of Ontario (CSAO) will open public discussions about establishing an accreditation program for construction contractors.  Read more...

Contractor Default Insurance: A Subcontractors Dilemma
By STEVEN D. NESS, President, Surety Association of Canada
The first contractor default insurance policy was rolled out in late 1996 in the United States. The product was marketed to large general contractors who were seeking an alternative to the surety approach that would give them more control over the completion process upon the default of a subcontractor.
Since its inception, the product has had some success in penetrating the U.S. construction market and as of 2005, more than 90 policies were in force. Sellers claim that 25 of the top 100 North American general contractors have now purchased the product. The vast majority of policies are issued by one carrier which has virtually cornered the market and the policies in force almost exclusively cover large general contractors with more than $100 million in subcontracted values. Indeed this was the market for which the product was designed.  Read more...

Hamilton Directory - Read more..

Inside the OIRCA
By: Don B. Marks, Executive Director, OIRCA
Time For Action
Here I go again.  No I am not obsessed with fire.  I am not even close to being what one would consider a firebug.  What I am concerned about though is that our industry seems to have gone full circle on the issue of torch applied roofing systems.
I make this statement because we had a least three major torch related fires in the province in 2006.  I say at least three because there were three large documented fires last year.  The fact of the matter is that there were many more over the course of the entire year.  Most of those were not picked up on the news wires, were kept quiet, were not reported to the insurance industry or were just plain put out before they got out of hand.  Read more...

Scope of Performance Bonds as Contract Security
By HOWARD WISE, Goodmans LLP
In Canada, owners often utilize performance bonds in the construction industry as a form of security of ensure that the general contractor performs its obligations under the construction contract. Provided the general contractor performs all of its obligations, the bond is returned to the surety for cancellation. If the general contractor (“Principal”) defaults, then the owner (“Obligee”) can exercise its rights under the performance bond.
The terms of the bond usually provide that, once the Principal is declared to be in default, the surety is entitled to proceed with the options available to it as provided by the performance bond.  Read more...

Letter To The Editor
SPECIAL FEATURE: Fire Testing of Roof Membranes
Read more...

Membership News
The OIRCA Board of Directors is pleased to welcome the following new Associate Member: ModulR TS Inc.   Read more...

Nedlaw Roofing Wins GVCA Building Excellence Award
OIRCE member Nedlaw Roofing was recently awarded with the Grand Valley Construction Association (GVCA) Building Excellence Award.  Read more...

OIRCA Committee: 2007 OIRCA Marketing Committee
Read more... 

ROOFTech 2007 - The Canadian Roofing Exposition
June 5 to 6, 2007
ROOFTech, The Canadian Roofing Exposition is Canada’s premier trade show on roofing technologies.  ROOFTech’s success stems from the innovative concept of showing the actual application of roofing materials within a major roofing trade show exhibit.  Read more...

Ontario Government Helping More Students Enter Skilled Trades
The Ontario government is helping record numbers of high school students start their formal skilled trades training while still in high school, said Chris Bentley, Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities.
“The (Ontario) government is on the side of Ontario families who want their sons and daughters to find opportunity,” Bentley said during a visit to Waterdown District High School. “That’s why we’re helping high school students who want a career in the skilled trades get started on their apprenticeships.”
Offered through Ontario’s secondary school system, the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP) provides cooperative education and workplace-based experiences in the skilled trades to high school students.
A record 24,000 students are expected to take part in the program in 2006/2007. This is almost double the 12,700 participants in 2002/2003. More than 19,000 employers participated last year.  Read more...

Canadian Roofing Symposium - A Call For Papers
A Canadian Roofing Symposium has been announced by the Canadian Roofing Contractors Association who is in collaboration with the National Research Council of Canada and RCI, Inc. of the United States.
Scheduled for Jun. 4 to 7, 2007, the Symposium will be held in conjunction with CRCA’s ROOFTech 2007 and Annual Conference in Calgary, Alta.
The Symposium will provide a forum for exchange of information on research and practice in roof-related systems.  This Symposium will host experts on those and other related areas to discuss issues relevant to building designers, architects, owners, consultants, builders, regulators and practitioners, and provides state-of-the-art knowledge base for better roofing.  Read more...