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Fenestration Canada: All in this together

Another summer in the books. Without a doubt the most unique summer any of us have ever experienced. Finding our way through all the difficulties faced by our industry, and by so many others, has taken a toll on everyone. I have tried to take a break from the news, social media, and the ever present “so how are you managing COVID?” question. Like everyone, I’m tired of it. Take a break. It helps.

Unfortunately, it’s not done with us. So, we carry on doing our best to stay positive and move forward. FenCan has kept busy over the summer holding a few FenTalks online sessions with Al Jaugelis, FenCan technical director. These sessions continue to be well-received and informative, engaging online offerings. These have now become a staple of value for members and we will continue to develop and research new topics of interest to bring us together to discuss and debate. And of course, if you have questions or topics you would like us to address, let Al know at al.jaugelis@fenestrationcanada.ca

Midsummer, we released the format for the WinDoor Marketplace event coming in November that we are holding in place of an in person WinDoor that had been scheduled for Montreal. Even with all the other online events held by numerous associations over the summer we are still seeing plenty of interest and expect that our show, scheduled for Nov. 18 and 19, will be a great success. The Marketplace component to the show that will carry on throughout the following year has attracted many suppliers, as it allows them to promote and update their booth long after the WinDoor show portion is over. If you are interested, reach out to Laine at laine@fenestrationcanada.ca.

Our committee activity has slowed a little over the summer, but we will see that we pick up moving into the fall. A committee that remains very active is our membership committee, holding several meetings during the summer. A number of our members have incurred stresses that impact their ability to maintain active membership. We understand these difficulties and are working with them and will do whatever we can to make sure they continue to receive our valuable content. Members that need to drop their membership are encouraged to reach out as soon as their situation improves so we can make sure they continue to receive as much support as is possible. We must do our best to retain our membership and to ensure active members continue receiving the value they pay for. If you want to discuss your membership, reach out to Jason Wadel, jwadel@veka.com, membership committee chair.

In late September we held our Regional Week. This was a fast-paced virtual event taking place each day during the week of September 28. The focus was on each geographical region across the country represented by the regional committees. It is clear we have unique businesses and regional variations as we move across the nation. Content ranged from very specific challenges that each region faces, such as the Step Code in B.C. to the Tiered Code headed for Ontario. We addressed managing multi-unit engineered projects in the prairies as well as cold climate installations. The topics varied as much as the weather. Al delivered region-focused presentations on some of these challenges we face, as well as more national topics like the Market Transformation Roadmap details that will impact all of us. We had lighter sessions like the Manufacturer Spotlights, that allowed a member manufacturer to tell us about who they are and what they do. Always interesting to hear your peers tell us how they see the industry and what unique things they do. The Regional Week was well received with great attendance and interesting discussions. We extend our thanks to Veka and Everlast for their sponsorship participation – we really appreciate it. And the always entertaining Patrick Flannery for his Spotlight interviews. From its success we are committed to making the Regional Week an annual event moving forward.

Undaunted, Fenestration Canada continues to move forward developing programs, education and partnerships to provide the very best member value during these difficult times. We are here for you and your business. Do not hesitate to reach out to Stephane, Al, Laine or myself. We are all in this together, let’s help each other.