It is that time of year again when we are reaching out to offer scholarships to post-secondary graduates for children or wards of salaried employees of ECAO Member Companies.

ECAO offers scholarships to post-secondary graduates for children or wards of salaried employees of ECAO Member Companies. The scholarship was launched in 2004 and awards 5 successful recipients with a scholarship of $5,000 each. In 2021 the ECAO Executive approved the increase to $5,000 in recognition of the cost-of-living increases especially for kids in school.

The scholarship will be awarded to outstanding students enrolling in a course leading to a University degree or Community College diploma. The award will be based on academic achievement in the previous academic year, however, academic achievement will not be the sole basis of review. Extracurricular activity, work experience, employment, application and supporting material, handwritten submission and course of study will also be an important aspect of selection. Preference will be given to those showing interest in the construction industry.

The submission deadline is July 31st, but this may be adjusted based on students’ ability to receive their academic records for 2022/2023.

Please take a look at the application form below along with details on the criteria required to submit an application.

Application Form

Please submit your applications to Kamakshi at kahluwalia@ecao.org directly.

Thank you and we look forward to the 2023 submissions.

We are thrilled to announce the official launch of the ECAO Marketplace, your One-Stop Shop Solution for Excess Inventory Buying and Selling! We invite you to visit our brand-new website at www.ecaomarketplace.com and explore the offerings we have curated just for you.

At ECAO, our commitment has always been to address the industry's requirements by providing a range of services and products directly to our valued members, supporting their business operations. The ECAO Marketplace is now accessible to all electrical contractors who wish to buy or sell excess electrical inventory that they may have on hand from time to time. Our Marketplace offers a secure environment where buyers and sellers dealing with electrical products and equipment can connect.

To assist you in navigating the platform effectively, we have created tutorials on how to buy and how to sell, which you can find here: How to Buy | How to Sell

If you have any questions, feedback, or suggestions, please feel free to reach out to V at vbala@ecao.org. We value your input and are here to support you.

Thank you for your continued membership and support.

ECAO Health & Safety Director, Tom MacKay, was honoured with the prestigious President's Award by COCA for his exceptional contributions to the success of COCA across various aspects of its operations.

Congratulations, Tom!

Changes to the OHSA: Naloxone in Ontario Workplaces

Ontario’s Occupational Health and Safety Act requires employers to:

• Provide a naloxone kit when he or she (i.e., the employer) becomes aware, or ought reasonably to be aware, that there may be a risk of a worker having an opioid overdose at the workplace.

• Maintain the naloxone kit in good condition.

• Ensure that, any time there are workers in the workplace, the naloxone kit is in the charge of a worker who works near the kit and who has received training on recognizing an opioid overdose, administering naloxone, and any hazards related to the administration of naloxone.

As of June 1, 2023, Ontario law requires at-risk employers to ensure their workplaces have naloxone kits on site, as well as workers who are trained on how to administer naloxone.

Learn More

The WSIB/ECAO Safety Excellence program helps member contractors reduce incidents and injuries through the development, implementation and maintenance of health and safety policies, programs, and procedures.

In addition to the benefits of building a robust health and safety management system that protects worker health and safety while reducing the costs of incidents, members can also receive rebates on their WSIB premiums.

In 2022 ECAO member contractors received $394,000 in the form of premium rebates because of their successful membership in the safety excellence program. To date, in 2023 members have received $147,000 in premium rebates.

We encourage all members to join us in building solid safety management systems that will not only reduce costs associated with incidents and accidents but also help to attract and retain the best talent while earning rebates on WSIB premiums.

What is the WSIB/ECAO Safety Excellence Program?

The Safety Excellence Program is designed to help you identify gaps in your health and safety management system that could lead to higher incident and injury rates. Once gaps have been identified and with the help of the ECAO, members develop a health and safety action plan based on the chosen focus areas, or “program topics.”

Topics are spread across three levels: foundation, intermediate and advanced, with 36 in total to choose from.

Benefits of participation in the Safety Excellence Program include:

• Reduced risk and cost of incidents, injuries, and illnesses in your workplace.
• A stronger health and safety culture.
• Earning rebates on your WSIB premiums.
• Recognition that demonstrates your commitment to health and safety to your employees, customers, and community.
• Smaller businesses (1-99 full-time employees) can earn double the rebates on your annual WSIB premiums, plus $1,000 from WSIB upon enrollment.

Regardless of size – whether you are just getting started or want to build on safety practices already in place, the ECAO can help.

Participation in the Excellence Program is FREE for all ECAO members. Please contact safety@ecao.org for more information.

Summary

Both employment and labour force increased from April to May, with the labour force reaching a record high. The unemployment rate decreased from 6.2% to 4.6%. Total ICI building construction investment was up 4.7% compared to March.

Employment

From April to May, employment increased from 590.9 thousand to 612.6 thousand, which was larger than the figure from May 2022 (591.9 thousand). The labour force grew from 630.1 thousand to a record high of 641.9 thousand, surpassing the previous record of 634.6 thousand from August 2022.

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All organizations in Ontario are required to comply with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA) and some are required to submit an Accessibility Compliance Report by December 31, 2023.

Attached you will find an e-flyer that you could forward via email, post in your newsletters and add to your website and social media posts.

We encourage you to tag us on social media if you would like us to share any resources or upcoming events about accessibility compliance reporting with our followers. Connect with us on Twitter: @ONAccessibility, Facebook: @Ontario Accessibility and LinkedIn: @Seniors and Accessibility and join in the conversation using #AccessibilityMatters or #ONbusiness.

We also welcome the opportunity to participate in any events you may be organizing with your members/clients. If you have any upcoming annual general meetings, presentations, conferences, etc. we could participate in, please email aoda.events@ontario.ca.

Flyer

The NECA Project Excellence Awards were created to recognize member companies for their outstanding commitment, professionalism and ingenuity in delivering an electrical project across 13 different market sectors! We want to see the innovative and cutting-edge projects that your company completed in 2022. Get a chance to be celebrated on stage at our annual convention in September where the PEA awards will be presented!

The 13 different categories are:

• Commercial/Institutional
• Design-Build
• Educational
• Energy Solutions/Green Building
• Health Care
• Industrial
• Low Voltage/Technology
• Overhead Transmission
• Residential
• Street Lighting/Traffic Signal
• Substation/Interconnection
• Transportation & Infrastructure
• Electric Vehicle (EV)

The deadline to submit is June 30, 2023. Applications submitted must be based on projects completed in 2022. View more information and rules here.

SUBMIT YOUR PROJECT TODAY