Oct. 25, 2018 - Innotech Windows + Doors introduces its highest performing window system to date. The new Defender 88PH System is a Passive House Institute (PHI) certified component – a distinguished recognition by the world’s most rigorous energy-based building standard.

Aug. 9, 2018 - BDG & Partners, a privately held Canadian fund, with its head office in Montreal, and Caroline Dallaire, have announced acquisition of P . H . Tech and its subsidiaries as of August 1, 2018.

Top suppliers to Canada’s door industry shared some of their latest product innovations.

June 18, 2018 - Tru Tech Doors is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Philip Orsino as its new Chairman.

June 5, 2018 - Masonite International Corporation today announced that it has completed the acquisition of the operating assets of the wood door companies of AADG, Inc., part of ASSA ABLOY, which includes the brands Graham Manufacturing Corporation and The Maiman Company.

June 5, 2018 - AmesburyTruth is pleased to announce that it has resolved a patent infringement lawsuit with Vision Industries Group, Inc. where Vision has agreed to stop selling the inverted block and tackle balance systems at issue in the lawsuit from June 2019 until January 2022. AmesburyTruth filed the lawsuit styled Amesbury Group, Inc. v. Vision Industries Group, Inc., Case 2:17-cv-07303 (D.N.J.) on September 20, 2017, alleging that Vision’s inverted balance systems infringe AmesburyTruth’s U.S. patent Nos. 8,424,248 and 9,580,950 related to inverted balance systems. Vision denied all of the allegations of the lawsuit.

April 10, 2018 - Interlock USA has partnered with Synergy Sales Group, expanding its sales coverage and reach throughout Ontario, Canada.

Mar. 8, 2018 - AmesburyTruth has announced that it has entered into a conditional agreement to acquire Ashland Hardware. The acquisition will enable AmesburyTruth to broaden its hinged window, hung/sliding window and patio door product portfolios. For more than 80 years, Ashland Hardware has been a leading provider of residential window and door hardware to the fenestration industry, supplying wood and vinyl window/door fabricators throughout North America.

Feb. 8, 2018 - Bill Priest has joined the Roto North America team as the Research and Design Manager within the Product Innovation Process. Priest has an extensive background in research and design, with more than 20 years’ experience. He has earned a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace and a Master’s Degree in Finance.

Screenco Manufacturing has announced the acquisition of Groupe Promax. Promax is a leading manufacturer of patio door screen products located in Quebec City. This acquisition allows Screenco to cover the entire span of North America from east to west. With added production capacities, diverse product offerings and advanced manufacturing technologies, Screenco now has the ability to better service the North American fenestration industry.

Jan. 17, 2018 - JRC United and OrePac have been working hand in hand over the last few months to determine which door machines would help OrePac best to achieve its always increasing production goals. Today, both enterprises are proud to announce they have concluded a multi-million dollar deal that will help OrePac consolidate its leading position in the door industry.

Nov. 23, 2017 - A look inside a home showcasing big glass performance in a NetZero build.

Oct. 29, 2018 - Those attending the American Architectural Manufacturers Association (AAMA) 2018 Fall Conference heard from Sylvia Moore, director of technical development at Shintech, regarding PVC resins and compounds and their different attributes. She discussed the versatility of the material, as well as the importance of sustainability efforts pertaining to PVC.

Oct. 22, 2018 - It is official: recreational marijuana is legal in Canada with effect from October 17. With that comes a patchwork of jurisdictional laws establishing where and how marijuana products will be sold and used by consumers.

Oct. 22, 2018 - Glen Hodgson has 36 years of experience in global and Canadian macro-economics, international trade analysis and finance, fiscal and tax policy, and other “big picture” topics.

Oct. 22, 2018 - A social media workshop about using different platforms provided ideas for effectively communicating a singular message to various audiences during a recent industry event. American Architectural Manufacturers Association (AAMA) Communications Coordinator, Meryl Williams, led the session entitled "Getting Your Message Across on Multiple Platforms" at the AAMA 2018 Fall Conference in Tucson, Arizona.

Oct. 19, 2018 - Billy Ray Taylor is Director of Commercial and Off Highway Manufacturing for The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company. Taylor has more than 25 years of operations management experience, in his role as Director, he is responsible for driving operational excellence, delivering best in class product service and product quality enabling high-value business growth.

The Canadian WinDoor conference and show plays an important role in our industry and deserves our support. This is particularly true with the strong winds of change we currently face, such as evolving technology and the demand on all of us to better respond to environmental pressures.

WinDoor Quebec City will feature some exciting new technology

In recent months, we have been involved in many activities, including energy regulations, building codes, tariffs, WinDoor planning, membership recruitment and installation certification.

The first eight months of the year have blown up as the GreenON program has blown up.

WinDoor 2018, happening Dec. 4 and 5 in Quebec City, will include for the first time a slate of commercial education sessions and exhibits. One of these will be "A Window to the Canadian codes and fire safety regulations" presented by Amal Tamim and Marc-Andre Langevin of Technorm.

As part of its outreach to the commercial glass fabrication sector, WinDoor, happening Dec. 4 and 5 in Quebec City, will feature a bilingual presentation by Mathieu Massicotte of Edgehog detailing his Montreal startup's efforts to commercialize a nanoetching process that renders glass non-reflective and water-repellent. The process is described in the latest issue of Glass Canada magazine.

There are many variations on how to install a window into a wall, largely differing between new construction and renovation, but there is one almost universal principle presently in practice: stop both the water and the wind at the outer face of the crack between the wall and the window – the window/wall interface.

A recent poll commissioned by Reno-Assistance found around two-thirds of Canadians don’t trust general contractors and have similar levels of distrust for specialty contractors. Fenestration contractors weren’t specifically broken out in the information online – no doubt we score much better (gulp).

A relaxed and upbeat atmosphere prevailed at the Siding and Window Dealers Association golf tournament on Sept. 20 in Cambridge, Ont., with many of the participants clearly welcoming the opportunity to break away from this summer's grind of desperately trying to fill the glut of GreenON orders before the Oct. 31 deadline. Music played from golf carts, the beverage carts were popular and at least one golfer committed a serious dress code violation (see photo).

Ah, the rebate – always great for the customer (unless it’s too little or too onerous) but can be a bit of a mixed blessing for retailers and manufacturers. That certainly seems to be the case with rebates for energy-efficient residential windows across Canada.

It all started in 1990 as a small family business, in a small office, within a small house. Today, London, Ont.,-based Heritage Renovations is a multi-award-winning company and highly recognized provider of windows and doors across southern Ontario.

With construction season in full swing, a new Reno-Assistance survey conducted by Ipsos across Canada has found that two in three Canadians (64%) do not trust general contractors. Confidence levels are even lower for some specialized contractors. The most trusted building professionals among those surveyed are electricians, yet nearly half (47%) of Canadian homeowners do not trust them either.

Fenestration Canada has released a statement in reaction to the cancellation of the GreenON window rebate program in Ontario.

When did an entry door go from being the focal point of the house to being just another opening to fill?  Houses used to be designed around the front entry so that when you drove down the street your house would have that “wow” factor because of the front entry. 

As you might know firsthand, we now live in the age of the internet-savvy consumer – those who research every corner of the internet for ideas and solutions for everything from home renovations to healthcare. But if you ask door-makers (or doctors, veterinarians, farmers and many more, for that matter) whether internet browsing on sites like Houzz or Pinterest can be a case of too much of a good thing, the answer will likely be a resounding yes.

Brace yourself: tradeshow season is coming. One does not simply show up at a tradeshow and start exhibiting. Winter is almost over and now is a great time to get prepared.

The Ontario government has announced a rebate program enabling homeowners to receive up to $500 per window to a maximum of $5,000 per project when they install Energy Star-certified windows from a list of approved dealers. The program is offered through the Green Ontario Fund, an agency set up to promote energy-efficient construction and renovations.

In a business era that has manufacturers vertically integrating their sales model, it might seem counterproductive for a manufacturer to focus on the window and door dealer, but in the case of Euro Vinyl Windows of Woodbridge Ont., that’s precisely what they did with Kempenfelt Windows of Barrie, Ont.

Oct. 25, 2018 - Deceuninck North America's Revolution XL Tilt & Turn window is now a certified Passive House Component, representing the global pinnacle of high-performance sustainability.

Cam Drew is a busy guy. As the managing partner of Chemainus, B.C.,-based Thermoproof Windows and Doors, Cam has the same responsibilities that any person in charge of growing a busy manufacturing and installation company with more than 50 employees would have.

Duxton Windows and Doors in Winnipeg is looking for a production/purchasing manager.

According to Al Jaugelis, senior fenestration specialist at RDH Building Science in Vancouver, one of the main struggles pre-hangers have when dealing with the North American Fenestration Standard for air/water/structural performance of doors is understanding that lab testing evaluates doors as a system, but the test does not qualify the individual components.

Fenestration Canada held a meeting of its Fabricators Council at its Spring Conference in Calgary earlier this month. Brad Fevold of Marvin Windows and Doors and Gary Blad of Loewen Windows reported on the Council's activities to Fenestration Review. The Fabricators Council is a closed meeting only for FenCan members who manufacture windows and doors.

I attend trade seminars whenever and wherever available, yet, almost without fail, the question that continually arises during a break in the action is “what are you doing for software?” We are on our fourth generation of software. Our first version was a spreadsheet that gave us, on reflection, no more than a suggestion of cut sizes, with the saw operators and assemblers recalculating on the fly.

To hear Frank Bruno tell it, there may be no more fitting place to found a fenestration operation than Woodbridge, Ont. He was a mere 16 years old when he joined Everlast Aluminum, a small aluminum shop, back in 1961. Over the next six decades, the company not only changed its name to the Everlast Group, but also changed its location, from cramped quarters in midtown Toronto to a cavernous 45,000-square-foot facility in Woodbridge. 

The function of organic solvents in paint relates to certain properties. They facilitate the paint’s application, it’s drying and the formation of a regular paint film. During application and drying, the solvent evaporates. Ideally a dry paint film no longer contains solvent. However when they evaporate, these solvents release Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) into the atmosphere with a negative, toxic impact on health and safety and the environment. 

Lamination can be a great finish option for windows. Laminate is a multi-layer construction of high-grade materials. It is constructed to ensure an extended resistance to weather conditions and colour stability. One of the greatest features of laminate is its scratch-resistance.

Don’t blink, or you might miss Port Elgin, N.B., population 450. For tourists, at least, it’s usually a blip on their way elsewhere. But if you do take the turn, you’ll find a small community that’s been at the crossroads of commerce in New Brunswick for hundreds of years.

As stompings under the jackboot of government authority go, it couldn’t have been more pleasant. Debbie Scharf’s tone was friendly and upbeat as she delivered the message to Canada’s window makers that the government plans by 2030 to outlaw the majority of the products they make.

The Fenestration Canada AGM education program took place on the Friday, June 2. The keynote message came from Debbie Scharf, director of the equipment division of the office of energy efficiency at the National Research Council, who outlined the Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change. That is a document agreed on by Canada's provincial premiers setting out the targets for energy efficiency and emissions controls that various sectors will need to hit in order for Canada to meet its commitments under the Paris Agreement on climate change. For the fenestration industry, the big news was that governments want all new homes to be at least Net Zero-ready by 2030 – which means windows will need to achieve a 0.8 centre-of-glass U-factor.

Natural Resources Canada has released a discussion paper to kick off consultations about the future direction of federal energy standards for windows, doors and skylights. The agency is seeking industry input on the best way to measure the energy efficiency of these products (especially windows), labelling requirements and enforcement strategies. Stakeholders can submit comments to NRCan until Nov. 30.

Oct. 24, 2018 - The co-founder of a firm specializing in corporate sustainability programs led those attending the American Architectural Manufacturers Association (AAMA) 2018 Fall Conference in a discussion about why sustainability should matter to the fenestration industry. Tad Radzinski, P.E., ISSP-CSP, LEED® AP, SFP and co-founder of Sustainable Solutions, presented "Transparency Training: Utilizing LCAs and EPDs to Drive Sustainability," which outlined what is driving transparency and why it is crucial for a successful enterprise.

As I prepare to write this column, I am about to celebrate 30 years of “marriage” – in the sense of a long-standing relationship with a supplier. For the most part, it has been a very rewarding partnership.

Natural Resources Canada has released its roadmap outlining its recommendations to push the Canadian fenestration market to deploy more energy-efficient products over the next 20 years. The roadmap will constitute part of Canada's strategy to meet its commitments under the Paris Accords to lower greenhouse gas emissions. The document will be presented to the First Ministers meeting planned for this fall. It was developed following two workshops and extensive other consultations with industry and makes recommendations for initiatives to promote and fund research and development, information and awareness, training, incentives and codes and standards development. In short, the roadmap will be setting the direction for government regulation of windows for the foreseeable future.

Mar. 26, 2018 - The American Architectural Manufacturers Association (AAMA) recently released an updated document establishing performance requirements for fiber reinforced thermoset profiles for use in fenestration products. AAMA 305-18, the Voluntary Specification for Fiber Reinforced Thermoset Profiles, was last updated in 2015.

Natural Resources Canada is circulating proposed changes to the Energy Star standards for residential windows and doors. The changes would constitute a signficant tightening of the standard resulting, NRCan says, in the disqualification of 75 per cent of the Canadian products that presently qualify. 

Big attempts are underway in Canada right now to do nothing less than change the way we build and buy windows. Ontario launched its GreenON rebate program in December, with approximately the same results as a North Korean missile test. It caught (almost) everyone by surprise; generated jubilation in some, anger and alarm in others; cost a lot of money the cash-strapped state can’t afford; and has so far completely failed to hit its target, though the attempt may set the stage for future success.

Feb. 12, 2018 - In mid-December, with little fanfare, B.C. took a bold step toward a future in which every new home, school, office, store — the works — will be built to the highest possible level of energy efficiency.

Feb. 1, 2018 - The 2017 edition of AAMA/WDMA/CSA 101/I.S.2/A440, NAFS — North American Fenestration Standard/Specification for windows, doors, and skylights (NAFS) has received final approval and is now available. This standard is the result of a multi-year effort by the American Architectural Manufacturers Association (AAMA), Canadian Standards Association (CSA) and Window & Door Manufacturers Association (WDMA). The updated 2017 standard replaces the 2011 edition of the joint standard.

The document "Market transformation strategies for energy-using equipment in the building sector" lays out a plan formulated at the Energy and Mines Ministers Conference in New Brunswick in August to make Canadian buildings much more energy efficient. It's part of the overall plan to meet Canada's obligations under the Paris Climate Accords to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and it's the plan that Debbie Scharf of the National Research Council has been talking about to industry groups all over the country this years. One section of the plan directly addresses residential windows and outlines an "aspirational" goal to encourage the use of the best technology in windows and reduce emissions from home heating by nine percent across the country.

Oct. 24, 2017 - The American Architectural Manufacturers Association (AAMA) is currently planning instructor training classes for the InstallationMasters program. Those interested in becoming accredited instructors are encouraged to contact the association now to reserve their spot in one of the upcoming classes.

WinDoor is around the corner and I’ve been helping to put together the education seminars for the event. I’ve found it to be an incredible amount of work, and I’ve only done a small part of it. If you get talking to someone who is on one of Fenestration Canada’s committees, please give them your thanks for the hard work these volunteers do to advance the industry.

Oct. 29, 2018 - The Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers (OHCOW) and the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) have collaborated to create a free e-course to help identify and safely control sources and products containing nanomaterials in the workplace, to protect workers from harm.

Oct. 24, 2018 - In the face of progressing technology, a phone full of confusing or only partially understood apps can seriously slow down productivity and overall workflow.

The PC government of Ontario elected earlier this year has announced it will "wind down" the Ontario College of Trades, set all journeyperson-to-apprentice ratios to one-to-one and put a moratorium on adding new compulsory trade classifications or reclassifying existing classifications. It has also promised an unspecified "replacement model for the regulation of the skilled trades and apprenticeship system" by early 2019. 

When I eventually pass, there are three things I will not be remembered for: one, being the designated driver, two, being a neat freak and, three, being able to accurately predict currency exchange rates.

Sept. 6, 2018 - Canadian municipalities issued $8.2 billion worth of building permits in July, down 0.1% from June. The decrease was mainly attributable to lower construction intentions in British Columbia.

Aug. 8, 2018 - In June, Canadian municipalities issued $8.1 billion worth of building permits, down 2.3% from the previous month. The decline was the result of lower construction intentions for residential buildings, following a strong May.

July 26, 2018 - Mattamy Homes has announced that Pete Skelly has been appointed President of the company's US Group, effective July 25, 2018.

July 19, 2018 - The value of permits issued by Canadian municipalities increased 4.7% to $8.2 billion in May. This followed a 4.7% drop in April, the only month this year where municipalities reported a total value below the $8.0 billion mark.

June 29, 2018 - The Canadian and Quebec governments are working together to make long-term investments in infrastructure that will create jobs and economic growth, build inclusive communities and support a low-carbon, green economy—leading to a higher quality of life for all Quebec residents.

Summer in Coquitlam: my favourite time of year. On top of the usual long weekend shenanigans, my family and I are known to enjoy an occasional delicious ice cream cone from time to time. There is a great hand-crafted ice cream shop near our home at Rocky Point Park in Port Moody.

Hockey fans watched transfixed as the Las Vegas Golden Knights threatened to do something no expansion team has ever done in any sport: win a championship in their first year of existence.

June 7, 2018 - Municipalities issued $7.8 billion worth of building permits in April, down 4.6% from March. Declines were reported in every component except commercial buildings.