The Siding and Window and Door Association of Canada has been helping members, especially in Ontario, meet their legal requirement to provide working-at-heights training to employees who work more than six feet off the ground. The one-day course is provided by a certified third party, on demand, at your location.

Steve Alward, product manager at Atlantic Windows, was given the first-ever President's Award for outstanding contribution to Fenestration Canada at the association's Annual General Meeting on June 2 in Halifax, N.S. Outgoing president Allan Doyle of Global Windows presented the award.

June 2, 2017 - Fenestration Canada appointed a new board of directors at its Annual General Meeting in Halifax, N.S., on June 1. Directors are elected by the membership in a general vote.

They say perception is reality so perhaps its suitable that 2017 is recognized as the 25th anniversary event of the annual Manitoba window and door industry golf event – with a slight twist.  One of the most knowledgeable individuals on the topic, Roland Toker, advises that the very first Manitoba Window and Door Golf event was held in 1991.

The winter months are key planning months for most organizations and Fenestration Canada is actively planning in several areas including education, governance, membership, our AGM and, of course, WinDoor17.

This past fall, I attended GlassBuild and WinDoor on behalf of SAWDAC. While both shows try to accomplish the same objectives, each has a very different feel, which was great to experience. At GlassBuild I connected with the National Glass Association in the U.S. and we are looking to share some best practices between our associations.

Feb. 3, 2017 - Carol Hochu, President & CEO of the Canadian Plastics Industry Association (CPIA), is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Joe Hruska as Vice-President, Sustainability, effective February 16, 2017. In this role, Joe will lead the development and execution of CPIA’s sustainability, advocacy and partnership programs to promote solutions that increase the recycling and recovery of plastics at their end-of-life and reduce marine litter.

Dec. 8, 2016 - It took more than the bad traffic prior to a Jets home game as well as a Standing Rock protest at the intersection of Portage and Main to slow down the nearby FenMan AGM on December 1st, in downtown Winnipeg. Approximately 30 people attended the meeting at the Clay Oven Restaurant at Shaw Park (where the Winnipeg Goldeyes play baseball when it’s not winter).

The National Glass Association\Window & Door Dealers Alliance is pleased to announce its board of directors for the 2016-2017 term. The 2016-2017 term began on Oct. 21, during GlassBuild America: The Glass, Window & Door Expo.

The first item for my inaugural column is to thank Skip MacLean of Trutech Doors for the last three years of exceptional leadership and vision at the helm of Fenestration Canada. It was under Skip’s direction that Fenestration Canada moved to Zzeem Association Management and initiated the revitalization of the WinDoor Show.

Sept. 1, 2016 - The American Architectural Manufacturers Association (AAMA) has announced the introduction of a new offering from the association's education program. The "Fundamentals of Fenestration" provides basic terminology and standards for windows, doors and skylights, covering both residential and light commercial products, as well as commercial and architectural applications. The online course is designed for use by several audiences, as well as qualifying for continuing education credits.

By the time this article is published, I will officially be past president of Fenestration Canada after three years as president. I will remain active on the executive team and with the association in general.

Jason Neal, 44, assumed the duties of executive director of SAWDAC in March. His previous experience was mainly in the world of software sales management, including time at Electrolux and Research In Motion. Neal has a B.A. in Economics from Laurentian University.

Fenestration Canada's Fabricators Council met June 9 at the association's Annual General Meeting in Mont Tremblant, Que., to discuss important issues and initiatives concerning Canadian window and door fabricators. The meeting was chaired by Lisa Bergeron of Jeld-Wen and included about 15 fabricators and invited guests.

June 9, 2016 - Both the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the International Code Council (ICC) now accept FenestrationAssociate® and FenestrationMaster coursework as continuing education credits. The AIA accepts the FenestrationAssociate and FenestrationMaster coursework as 11 and 13.5 Learning Units (LUs)/Health, Safety and Welfare (HSW) hours, respectively. This means that completion of the courses allows professionals to fulfill most of the annual requirement for AIA continuing education (18 LU/12 HSW hours), while also earning a professional certification. The ICC has also approved FenestrationAssociate and FenestrationMaster coursework as 1.10 and 1.35 continuing education credits, respectively, which may be self reported to the ICC.