CISC Members and Associates Quarterly Newsletter | Winter 2018
Dear Members & Associates,
We are pleased to bring you the winter edition of our Members and Associates Quarterly Newsletter. This newsletter will provide a high level update of key initiatives and activities that the CISC has been engaged in during the previous quarter.
Our goal is to enhance our communications and to keep you informed of everything the CISC is doing on behalf of the steel industry.
We welcome your feedback and suggestions! Please send any comments to Bill McLachlan, VP of Operations at bmclachlan@cisc-icca.ca.
Cliquez ICI pour la version français.
1. SAVE THE DATE: the CISC Canadian Steel Conference
The Canadian Steel Conference will be held from September 19-21, 2018 at the Marriott Harbourfront in Halifax Nova Scotia, one of North America’s most cultural and historic cities.
This exciting three-day event offers a comprehensive program that is packed with multiple business development, educational, networking and social events including multi-day, multi-track education sessions, and an expanded trade show exhibit showcasing the latest products & services in the steel industry.
Check out our website for more details to come!
2. Registration to become a SteelDay host will be open soon!
SteelDay is an annual, national event that showcases the versatility, performance and sustainability of steel and its various innovative applications. This year it will be held on September 28, 2018.
We look forward to the various hosts that will open their doors and welcome guests for this event.
Keep an eye out for host registration coming soon and help your community discover how the steel industry is building Canada.
Trade
1. CISC British Columbia engages provincial government on anti-dumping
CISC President, Ed Whalen, travelled to Victoria on December 12, 2017 to meet with the Deputy Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources to talk about the need of keeping LNG steel in BC. This was an initial engagement and more activity will be forthcoming as the industry ramps up its efforts to engage the new provincial government on this critical file.
2. The CISC will appear in court to challenge appeal against FISC trade case
The CISC was successful in 2017 in achieving a landmark decision against dumping and subsidizing of fabricated industrial structural steel in stick form, partial assemblies and modules. In order to ensure we preserve the win we have achieved, the CISC and our lawyers will be going to court to fight the appeal made by our opponents in our original FISC trade case.
3. LNG facilities are requesting a remission on FISC duties
Several potential LNG facilities are attempting to short circuit the appeal process by requesting the Minister of Finance for a remission on the FISC duties. The remission request is attempting to strike down the efficacy of the Canadian International Trade Tribunal (CITT) ruling, not only in the B.C. region, but across Canada. The CISC will continue to champion Canadian steel and vigorously defend our industry against unfair trade practices.
4. U.S. President Trump announces Canada’s exemption from 25% steel tariffs, the CISC continues participating in NAFTA negotiations
As a result of a report done by the U.S. Commerce Department regarding imports and its threat to U.S. national security, Secretary Wilbur Ross made recommendations imposing tariffs. Since then, President Donald Trump announced a 25% tariff on steel imports, and later confirmed Canada’s exemption from it amidst NAFTA negotiations. The CISC will continue its participation in the NAFTA process to ensure that the North American supply chain is maintained and strengthened.
Advocacy
1. Coalition for Small Business Tax Fairness calls for additional consultations and analysis on impacts of proposed small business tax changes
2. Canadian government prioritizes prompt payment for contractors and sub-contractors on government projects
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has given the Hon. Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Public Services and Procurement, instruction to prioritize prompt payment for contractors and sub-contractors who do business with her department.
3. Ontario passes prompt payment legislation and receives Royal Assent!
On October 4, 2017, Ontario’s Bill 142, the Construction Lien Amendment Act, passed it’s second reading with a unanimous vote at Queen’s Park.
Bill 142, the Ontario Construction Lien Amendment Act which includes prompt payment legislation, was passed at Queen’s Park on December 5, 2017. This bill will also bring added adjudication measures that will significantly reduce payment delays, which have been identified as the biggest barrier to investment, improved productivity, and increased employment in the construction industry. This is the first legislation of its kind in Canada, and hopefully will serve as a guide for the rest of the country looking to put forth their own legislature that will protect the financial security of Canadians from coast to coast.
This bill will come into effect in two stages: first, the amendment to the Lien Act will commence in 2018, followed by prompt payment in 2019.
On December 12, 2017, Ontario’s Bill 142, Ontario’s Construction Lien Amendment Act including prompt payment legislation, received Royal Assent!
4. New Brunswick to update lien legislation to include Prompt Payment
CISC Atlantic Rep has reached out to the Hon. Roger Melanson of New Brunswick regarding recent news that the province is developing new legislation for the Lien Act, that will include language for Prompt Payment.
5. CISC Quebec joins the Montreal Chamber of Commerce
CISC Quebec attended a VIP event at the Montreal Chamber of Commerce with Regional Committee President, Martin Lachapelle (Lainco), Minister Carlos Leitão and President Michel Leblanc to advocate about Quebec prompt payment legislation.
6. CISC Manitoba hosts “Day at the Legislature”
On October 30, 2017, CISC Manitoba hosted their first “Day at the Legislature” event, where a number of national and regional issues were discussed during eight ministerial meetings. Following this event, CISC Manitoba invited ministers, MLA’s, deputies, and some members and associates to join them at an all-PC government members reception. There was a 20-minute presentation followed by a detailed and energetic Q&A session.
Meetings have been arranged to meet with ministers in Crown Services (Manitoba Hydro) and Sustainable Development in the first few weeks of January.
7. CISC Manitoba/NW Ontario continues to fight for prompt payment legislation
CISC Manitoba/NW Ontario attended Manitoba’s prompt payment provincial group meeting, where a sub-committee was formed to work on a provincial government presentation.
8. CISC Saskatchewan continues to push for prompt payment and plans to host a “Day at the Legislature” in 2018
CISC Saskatchewan remains involved in the prompt payment sub-committee of the Saskatchewan Construction Association. The committee has representatives of a cross section of industry associations, including the General Contractors Association.
CISC Saskatchewan plans to participate in “Day at the Legislature” with the Saskatchewan Construction Association during Construction Week in April 2018.
9. CISC Alberta hosts second “Day at the Legislature”
CISC Alberta held their “Day at the Legislature” event on November 29, 2017 in Edmonton. The event consisted of five meetings with cabinet ministers, Deputy Minister, MLAs for government and official opposition (United Conservative Party), and three CISC member representatives. As a result of the meetings, CISC Alberta has arranged to host fabricator site tours for the Hon. Shaye Anderson and Assistant Deputy Minister, Michele Evans, in January & February 2018 to provide them with a more detailed overview of the size and sophistication of the steel construction industry in Alberta.
CISC Alberta has also initiated contact with the newly formed United Conservative Party (merger of Progressive Conservative and Wildrose party) and met their new leader, Jason Kenney. With the next provincial election due in 2019, CISC Alberta will be actively working in 2018 with the NDP government and UCP official opposition to promote our prime issues of free & fair trade, local procurement and prompt payment.
10. CISC Alberta and Alberta Steel Manufacturers promote the use of local suppliers for the construction of petrochemical projects
As part of the Alberta Steel Manufacturers (ASM), CISC Alberta has held meetings with the two successful project owners under the Government of Alberta’s Petroleum Diversification Program in order to promote the use of local suppliers for the construction of their petrochemical projects slated for Sturgeon Country on the NE outskirts of Edmonton.
Marketing & Communications
1. New functionalities and enhancements for CISC website
New functionalities that have been implemented or are currently under development include:
Advertising opportunities exclusively for members & associates on our News page and SteelKnowledge blog. The Online Advertising platform is currently in Beta testing and will be launched in the beginning of 2018.
Integration with our encrypted e-publications website.
We have launched a new “Job Board” as an exclusive service for CISC members and associates where they can post job openings in their organization. Their postings will get broad visibility from the high traffic on our website.
We have a new “Careers in Steel” section that lists all the possible career streams within the industry that students and professionals can pursue.
2. Marketing campaign for CISC products & services
As part of our national marketing strategy, we have been rolling out product specific marketing campaigns to grow enrollments and revenue. In the past quarter, we launched a week-long multi-channel Black Friday Sale campaign for CISC course and publications. We had a significant (10x) increase in publication sales during this period (from 7-10 books a week to 148 books during Black Friday week).
We have also implemented marketing campaigns to grow our publications sales, quality certification programs and membership. Our activities have included social media promotions, email marketing, advertising in Canadian Consulting Engineer & Canadian Architect, and a promo codes campaign for publications targeted at students.
3. Continued growth in CISC Social media presence & activities
We continue to engage and connect with stakeholders online to raise awareness of the CISC, promote our products and services, advocate for key initiatives with all levels of government, and grow membership.
Our Twitter followers have grown to 1114 followers from 1004 in Sep 2017, with our posts gaining 77, 700 impressions in the month of December.
Our LinkedIn followers have grown to 2532 followers from 2348 since Sep 2017, with our posts gaining 31,200 impressions in the month of December.
Our website also had 2.6 million hits from October-January, and 60,451 unique visits during the same period.
4. Upcoming CISC courses survey
We have started work on the development of a survey on CISC courses to understand current satisfaction levels with format, pricing, quality etc, and to capture ideas for future courses. This survey will go out early 2018.
5. Quebec Steel Symposium
We promoted the Quebec Steel Symposium across various channels, including the CISC website and all our social media platforms. We exhibited at the event, promoting membership benefits, the CISC Solutions Center and our courses.
6. Steel Day 2017
We launched an integrated marketing campaign to promote SteelDay 2017 in Canada. Our communication tools ranged from banner ads in leading publications, email blasts, website promotions and promotions at various colleges across the country. SteelDay was actively promoted on the CISC website and through live Twitter & LinkedIn posts with photos being posted in real time from the hosts. As a result, this nation-wide event had over 1, 000 attendees and 18 hosts!
We have begun preparing marketing materials for SteelDay 2018.
7. Regional and National Advocacy for Prompt Payment and other industry issues
We prepared various briefing notes and associated documents for targeted meetings championing provincial and federal prompt payment and other industry issues in Ottawa, Manitoba/NW Ontario and Alberta.
8. New Advantage Steel Magazine “Education & Research” launched
Our Education & Research issue showcased CISC Education & Research activities over the past year including our landmark CSCE-CISC Student Steel Bridge Competition, Architectural Student competition, research grants and scholarships.
9. North American Communications Council and Sustainability Council
The CISC is an active participant on the North American Communications Council where we collaboratively work and share resources to develop communications strategies and tactics to tell the story of steel.
We continue to actively participate in the Sustainability Council to develop case studies, position papers and research on the high performance, low carbon and resilient properties of Steel.
Education & Research
1. CISC Courses
With assistance from the national marketing team, we are working on revamping the courses page on the CISC website. The marketing team has also taken over all email and website communication with members, associates and public contacts. E&R staff are providing information to support this communication.
2. Education & Research activities
We have created a brochure to provide further information about our Education & Research Committee (ERC) and their involvement in the steel industry. The brochure is available on the CISC website for download in the “About CISC” section.
3. Raise the profile and image of steel construction industry
The Architectural Student Design Competition has been opened to 3-year architecture technology programs!
Solutions Centre & Publications
1. Technical Papers, Periodicals and Blog Posts
Q & A Technical Column
In recent editions, this column covered topics, including specifying fire rated design options, angle seat connections, cantilever stability design, column design, bolting and welds.
Seismic Corner
Questions pertaining to seismic design of steel structures remain most popular. The most recent articles cover ‘3-D moment frames’ and a special article ‘A Seismic Shift to Structural Steel’ that features the trends towards replacing concrete buildings with structural steel in the reconstruction of Christchurch, New Zealand.
Solutions Centre Steel Knowledge BLOG
SC launched the Steel Knowledge BLOG in 2016. The BLOG covers topics on steel design, codes and standards, new steel products and other news related to use of structural steel and OWSJ.
2. Technical Inquiries and Solutions
CISC Help Desk
CISC Engineers routinely attend to inquiries from structural engineers, connection designers and others who seek help from CISC.
New Frequently Asked Questions Section
Following the recently expanded and categorized technical library for frequently asked technical questions. The Solutions Centre continues to expand and improve the new Section.
3. New Publications
Handbook Updates with Revised Tables – 2017
This eBook publication contains the list of revisions and updates incorporated into the 3rd Revised Printing of the 11th Edition of the CISC Handbook of Steel Construction. Included are the revisions previously published in List No. 2 (4 October 2017), in addition to full reproductions of tables and pages that were revised due to the publication of S16-14 Update No. 1 by CSA Group in December 2016.
4. Upcoming Publications
Cantilever Roof Girder Manual
This new publication will assist engineers in the design of steel roof framing using the cantilever-suspended span (or Gerber) system. Design tables will be provided for selecting drop-in beam and cantilever girder sizes for typical building applications with evenly spaced joists and columns. The tables are applicable to flat roofs subject to dead, live, snow and vertical wind loads, and are based on climatic parameters representing a wide range of Canadian locations. Solved design examples will be given to illustrate the use of the tables.
5. The CISC now offers e-Books!
In the last quarter we have launched a new eBook portal: https://cisc-ebooks.ca! Three titles are currently available:
Handbook Updates with Revised Tables – 2017
Single-Storey Building Design
Steel Bridges – Design, Fabrication, Construction
Atlantic
1. Lunch & Learn presentations
CISC Atlantic hosted a Lunch and Learn at SP Dumaresq Architects on February 1, 2018. The presentation, by Tom Parsons was on the use of Stainless Steel in projects and the maintenance required to enhance its beauty and resilience.
2. Regional Meeting
CISC Atlantic held a regional meeting in Amherst, Nova Scotia for its members and associates on November 28, 2017.
3. CISC Atlantic is working closely with Dalhousie University to promote steel
CISC Atlantic, alongside a regional board Member, Tim Houtsma, are engaging Dalhousie Engineering students on January 30, 2018 to discuss career opportunities in the steel industry, as well as the value and benefits of steel in construction.
Additionally, CISC Atlantic and Marid Industries, a CISC fabricator member, will be collaborating with Dalhousie School of Architecture’s Senior instructor, Emanuel Jannasch. As a team, they will assist in the fabrication of some build models, a possible plant tour and organize speakers to promote steel.
4. CISC Atlantic is sponsoring the Dalhousie Capstone Engineering Conference!
The Dalhousie Engineering Conference will be held in March 2018. The Capstone program partners student teams with professionals from the industry and provides real problems for students to solve. This year, CISC Atlantic hopes to assist a team involved in a six-story steel structure, in order to compete with a team involved in a six-story concrete structure.
Quebec
1. CISC Quebec’s Steel Symposium was a big hit with the steel construction industry!
Under the theme The Sky is the Only Limit for Steel, the new and innovative ‘speed meeting’ format was a real success. Participants attended all mini-conferences, plenary sessions and demonstrations. A big thank you to the participants and all sponsors!
www.cisc-icca.ca/event/the-20th-anniversary-quebec-design-awards-gala-for-excellence-in-steel-construction
The video souvenir of the event can be previewed at https://youtu.be/jrn-nWT9OnQ.
2. Steel Design Awards for Excellence in Steel Construction
CISC Quebec held its 19th Design Awards Gala at the Planetarium Rio Tinto Alcan of Montreal November 6th, 2017. It was a night that inspired industry leaders and professionals across the province.
www.cisc-icca.ca/2017-cisc-quebec-steel-design-awards-inspire-the-steel-construction-industry
3. CISC Quebec’s Regional Manager accepts Sesquicentennial Award
On behalf of the Senate of Canada, the Senate Sesquicentennial Medal was conferred to CISC Quebec Regional Manager, Hellen Christodoulou. This award was presented by Senator Rosa Galvez in commemoration of the hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the Senate of Canada, and in recognition to Hellen’s valuable service to the nation. The Senate 150th Anniversary Medal celebrates the achievements of Canadians who made significant contributions to their community.
www.cisc-icca.ca/ciscs-quebec-region-manager-hellen-christodoulou-awarded-the-senate-150th-anniversary-medal
4. Save the date!
The 20th Anniversary of CISC’s Quebec Design Award Gala for Excellence in Steel Construction will be held on November 8, 2018. The period of submission of projects for this competition is now open!
www.cisc-icca.ca/event/the-20th-anniversary-quebec-design-awards-gala-for-excellence-in-steel-construction
Ontario
1. Construct Canada
Once again, the Ontario region partnered with the national marketing group to highlight the CISC at the largest trade show of its kind in North America. While follow up communication is still ongoing we are very pleased with the new contacts we have made on a number of fronts, including consultants, architects, LEED council members, and students.
2. CISC Ontario has partnered with the Board of Education to present steel related career options to secondary school students
CISC Ontario has been requested to present to high school level students about career options in the steel industry that are available in correlation with two education paths introduced by the Board of Education: applied learning and fast track.
Scheduling is currently under way for these presentations.
Manitoba & NW Ontario
1. Presentations and events
To continue our efforts to be where the action is when discussions turn into infrastructure, as well as learning and sharing valuable knowledge, CISC Manitoba/NW Ontario ensured to attend a number of local events:
Attended the Sustainable Development Ministry’s municipal government rep’s presentation on all things water.
Attended and presented at the request of the CWA – a government of Manitoba sponsored presentation on air quality/plant fumes.
Attended two CentrePort Winnipeg events:
A meeting to review our continued sponsorship of CentrePort initiatives.
A reception for CentrePort sponsors and key member companies.
2. CISC Manitoba continues to champion steel
CISC Manitoba met with a couple publishing outlets to promote steel, specifically highlighting sustainability.
A community newspaper publisher has shown interest in steel. We spoke with them regarding their “Sustainable Development” issues, in addition to a potential series of articles.
CISC Manitoba also met with a sustainability article investigative writer for a factual information session in regard to steel versus concrete.
3. NW Ontario regional chapter meeting
CISC NW Ontario held the annual regional chapter meeting on November 14-15, 2017 in Thunder Bay for members and potential members. Highlights included a review of Ontario Region activities, Day at the Leg in Manitoba and a review of business activity (including mining) by Thunder Bay Economic Development officer.
4. Development of education and training
On November 21, 2018, we met with Senior management of the Ministry of Education & Training to discuss opportunities for the funding of courses.
We have since spoken with the executive director of the Manitoba Construction Sector Council (MCSC), Carol Paul, to further discuss education and training funding options, and membership.
On December 8, CISC Manitoba attended a major funding presentation with various construction organizations and companies with Manitoba Education & Training ministry staff and MCSC.
5. CISC Manitoba/NW Ontario is working with the Aboriginal community for better housing and fisheries
CISC Manitoba/NW Ontario held multiple meetings with Aboriginal people’s consultant. The focus of the meetings were on the following projects:
Mold-severe wood related issue! Discussions were made about steel structures as an alternative to wood for reserve housing.
Construction of major and smaller ‘fisheries’ processing plants at the east side of Lake Winnipeg and CentrePort.
Additionally, met with general contractor and potential associate builder stakeholder member, Cobra Construction – builder of all steel modular homes. Conversation revolved around working together on an R&D project with Red River College, and with the Aboriginal community as a housing consultant to resolve the mold issue.
Saskatchewan
1. Lunch & Learn presentations
CISC Saskatchewan is continuously developing and executing valuable Lunch & Learn presentations. Three Lunch & learn presentations have been completed in this fiscal year. One in Saskatoon (supported by IWL Steel Fabricators), and two in Regina (supported by Avanti Steel Fabricators and P3A Architecture).
CISC Saskatchewan has secured three more presentations for the February 14-16, 2018 in Regina & Saskatoon. These presentations will be supported by Sherwin Williams, Avanti Steel Fabricators and Commercial Sandblasting & Paint.
2. CISC Saskatchewan hosts Fall Steel Event
The region’s Fall Steel Event was held on November 8, 2017 in Saskatoon under the theme of Hotter than Hades. The presentation outlined intumescent coatings for fire protection, with keynote speaker, Dr. Michael O’Donoghue.
3. Regional Meeting
CISC Saskatchewan’s regional meeting was held prior to the Fall Steel event on Nov 8, 2017. Peter Lejan of Russel Metals was confirmed as the new regional chair at this meeting.
4. CISC Saskatchewan continues to provide support for education & research for students
CISC Saskatchewan continues to work with the College of Engineering at the University of Saskatchewan to strengthen ties between the CISC and the faculty. CISC Saskatchewan supports the work of the student teams participating in the CISC/CSCE Steel Bridge Design Competition in 2018, providing $1,000 of financial support.
Alberta
1. CISC Alberta hosts member breakfast
CISC Alberta continues to promote membership engagement through multiple events throughout the quarter. The member breakfast was held in Calgary on October 31, 2017. CISC Alberta hosted a variety of fabricators, suppliers and design consultants, gaining insight and perspective from Calgary members.
2. Regional Meeting
CISC Alberta’s regional meeting was held on October 25, 2017, with a special technical presentation on protective coatings by Sherwin Williams at the Canadian Welding Bureau. The co-winners of the 2018 GL Kulak scholarship were introduced to the members.
3. Planning underway for CISC Alberta’s new Steel Design Forums
The Major Event committee has initiated the planning of our semi-annual Steel Design Forums, targeted at design engineers, architects and our fabricator members. These events would be replacing the bi-annual Steel Workshop and will be modified to a single topic presentation hosted as a breakfast event, alternating between Edmonton and Calgary. The intention is to provide a more focused presentation that is both cost and time effective, while reaching a larger audience.
The first Steel Design Forum will be held on April 17, 2018 in Edmonton with Jeff deBattista of DIALOG, who will be speaking on the impact of emerging technology on building design.
4. CISC Alberta has put together a Task Force Team to work with the national CISC Solution Centre on a proposed building
A Task Force team, comprised of fabricators and consulting engineer members, has been formed and has partnered with the CISC Solution Centre in the national office. Together they are working to pursue a proposed 80 storey mixed-use tower in downtown Edmonton. Major zoning and land acquisition issues with the City of Edmonton were resolved in spring of 2017, and since then the developer has engaged a different architect. CISC Alberta has met with the new architect, Dubb Architects, to introduce the services of the CISC Solution Centre. They are eager to meet with our Task Force team in early 2018 to discuss their design goals.
5. CISC Steel Centre in collaboration with the University of Alberta is expanding
The CISC Steel Centre and the University of Alberta was launched in October 2016 and since has announced the hiring of a new full-time faculty member with a focus on steel design instruction. CISC Alberta is confident in this collaboration between industry and academia, and look forward to the excellence that will be achieved in research, education and innovation.
British Columbia
1. New CISC British Columbia representative appointed
The CISC is pleased to welcome Jon Garson as the new BC Representative. Jon has joined us with a wealth of experience in senior roles, most recently at the BC Chamber of Commerce.
2. New BC Government
Following the closest election in BC history, John Horgan was sworn in as the Premier of an NDP government, the first NDP government in 16 years. The NDP platform included a significant commitment to infrastructure investment. The CISC is engaging with the new administration to ensure that the steel industry is at the forefront of government decision making.
3. Site C Clean Energy Project has been approved
Given the importance of this major project, CISC was very pleased to see the decision by the NDP government to move forward with the Site C project. Despite significant opposition by a range of groups, including the BC Green party, cabinet approved the continued development of the hydroelectric dam as it is in the interest of the province.