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Fenestration Canada: A full plate

We have big plans for 2014, from new committees to Windoor’s 20th birthday.

This year arrives with a full agenda for Fenestration Canada and its members: code implementation, extreme weather from coast to coast, webinars and website improvements and additions, planning for both our AGM this spring in Winnipeg and for Windoor’s 20th anniversary this fall. The year has barely started and we have several committee sessions under our belts.

The creation of the Fabricators Council (chaired by Lisa Bergeron of Jeld-Wen) has spurred a movement to effectively engage the manufacturing side of our membership by providing a platform to voice concerns and a vehicle to influence issues that may impact us all in the future. A further subcommittee (led by Greg Dickie of Atlantic Windows) has been formed to determine the minimum compliance requirements for windows and doors. To this end, a list of certifying agencies or test labs will be compiled and a survey developed to answer any pertinent questions, concerns and/or clarifications companies may have for certifying agencies or test labs. The objective is to seek consistency and uniform interpretation of compliance requirements under the North American Fenestration Standard (NAFS). A call for volunteers was completed shortly after the New Year.

Webinars introducing two powerful tools integrated on our website were held in both English and French in January and were generally well attended. In an effort to promote the benefits of membership these webinars were open to all stakeholders of the industry. The most significant of these tools is the “Fenestration Performance Calculator.” By simply entering basic details concerning a building project (province, city, product height and terrain type) this calculator provides clear, concise details regarding performance grade requirements.  Over 600 Canadian cities have been listed from all provinces and territories. Results can be emailed or printed and used to help determine project needs. Code implementation and interpretation continues to dominate the landscape of window and door manufacturing with many fabricators looking for answers and solutions. The second of these tools is labeling guidelines for windows and doors. These guidelines can be downloaded from the website and further work is being undertaken to complete the information required to label all types of fenestration products.

Our AGM this year will be held June 12 though 14 in one of Canada’s truly unique cities, Winnipeg. Winnipeg is not only steeped in both cultural and historical significance in the making of Canada, it is also home to a significant number of window and door manufacturers. The Fort Garry Hotel, the Exchange District and the ever progressing Canadian Museum of Human Rights are just a few of the growing list of attractions waiting for you. Chief organizer, Al Dueck of Duxton Windows is working hard to ensure all visitors will be welcome and a good time had by all.

It is hard to believe that Canada’s premier window and door show is no longer a teenager – twenty years strong and still a vibrant, integral part of the Canadian window and door industry. Fenestration Canada is proud of its showcase and several plans are in the works to celebrate this wonderful achievement.  Pioneers like Jim Parker envisioned this show as a testament to Canadian window and door ingenuity and creativity and current chair Matt Kottke of Truth Hardware is determined to continue this legacy.  

We are also pleased to announce the release of our web-based North American Fenestration Standard (NAFS) performance calculator tool for the Canadian window and door industry. The new tool calculates the NAFS minimum performance grade (PG), minimum positive and negative design pressure (DP), minimum water penetration resistance test pressure and minimum Canadian air infiltration and exfiltration requirement to comply with any provincial building code referencing NAFS-08 and A440S1-09. Membership does have its rewards, active membership even more so. Fenestration Canada is a volunteer organization led by passionate people and fueled by the common goal of furthering the interests of our great industry.