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Technical Meeting Schedule
Please mark these dates on your calendar
September 10, 2009
October 29, 2009 (AGM)
November 26, 2009
January 14, 2010
February 18, 2010
March 18, 2010 (Victoria)
April 22, 2010
May 13, 2010
June 17, 2010
September 16, 2010
Oct. 14, 2010 (Kelowna)
Click on underlined dates for registration forms
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25 Year Glass Study Shows Top Certified Units Last Longer
A 25-year study of installed insulating glass units
indicates that third-party certified insulating glass units tested to the highest
levels perform better than IG units tested to minimum or lower standards.
According to IGMA Executive Director Margaret Webb, "Now
we have the documentation that proves that higher levels of testing and
certification in fact result in better performing IG units when tested and
certified." Read the full article here
The ENERGY STAR program will require insulating glass units
to be certified starting in September 2010.
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WinDoor Trade Show Comes to Toronto in November
Organizers of Win-Door North America, to be held November 17
through 19 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, say they are busy adding the
finishing touches to the show's lineup. For full story click here
For more information about Canada's only window and door industry
trade show, click here |
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A Word from the President
You will notice some changes coming to our association this
fall, starting with this newsletter. We have a full slate of our popular
Technical Meetings scheduled through to next year (see sidebar), and this year
we'll combine our AGM with the October Technical Meeting. And, as we did last
year, we'll be holding meetings in Victoria
and Kelowna.
You will notice too that we will have more guest speakers at
our Tech Meetings, starting with a presentation on installation waterproofing
on Sept. 10 that will feature an operating mini-test lab.
Now that the BC Energy Efficiency Regulations and the ENERGY
STAR program requirements have been announced, we will start to address the
2010 National Building Code requirements for side hinged doors, and continue
with the research on wood doors. We expect our task groups to be active and
encourage you to participate in them, as association-based task groups are the
most effective way an organization like ours can respond to and influence industry
issues.
Our
association manager Zana Gordon has been busy both proposing and implementing
board initiatives such as the benefit, bonding and liability plan described
below. Together, we are committed to helping you, our members to succeed.
Al Jaugelis
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Live Smart BC Program Cancelled
Without
warning, and after only 15 months of operation, the LiveSMart BC program has
been cancelled. On Friday August 14 Energy Minister Blair Lekstrom announced
that the program "was a victim of its own success," explaining that
its $60-million budget has been fully committed, and under the current economic
conditions the government would not commit funds to continue the program.
This
is a disappointment to manufacturers of ENERGY STAR windows and doors that
qualified for rebates under this popular program. LiveSmart allowed homeowners
to receive hundreds of dollars of rebates on home energy assessments and on
energy-efficient upgrades such as heating, windows and appliances.
One
of the most popular of Premier Campbell's green initiatives, LiveSmart provided incentives over
and above the federal government's ecoENERGY program. The ecoENERGY program is
still available to BC citizens and is not affected by the BC government's
decision.
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WDMA-BC Enters into a partnership with the ICBA Health and Benefit Plan, including Bonding and Liability
The recent partnership between
the Window and Door Manufacturers Association of BC and ICBA Benefit Services
Ltd. has created two new offerings aimed at helping WDMA-BC member companies
save money during these challenging times.
Cost-Effective Employee Benefit PlansYour best employees are
incredibly important to the success of your business, and retaining them during
these times will prove integral as the industry starts to turn for the better.
A great way to keep them and their families happy is with a group benefit plan,
one that doesn't hurt your company's bottom line. ICBA Benefit Services' group
plans feature combining the buying power of companies like yours to
help create wholesale rates through volume buying. To find out more go to http://www.benefit-plan.ca
Independent Contractors
Bonding & Liability Insurance Program
Learn how your company can benefit from this
exciting new program developed in partnership with Wilson M. Beck Insurance
Services. Through this program, you can have access to:
- Higher bond limits;
- Enhanced liability and property coverage;
- Competitive Pricing;
- Strategic Corporate Structuring
Check it out at http://www.icba.ca/member_benefits/Bonding.htm
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HST Replaces PST
On
July 23 the BC government announced that the Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) would
replace the Provincial Sales Tax (PST) on July 1, 2010. Few details have been
released at this point and it may be several months before the tax rules are
made public. One implication is that the PST exemption for ENERGY STAR qualified
windows and doors will end nine months earlier than previously announced - July
1 2010 instead of March 31 2011.
Opinion
on the effects of the new tax has been divided, and as with many tax policy
changes, there will be winners and losers. Manufacturers will certainly
appreciate the benefits of no longer having to deal with the PST. Its
elimination will reduce input costs and could lead to lower prices. However the
extension of the HST to products and services not previously subject to PST
will aggravate consumers and could have a negative effect on several areas of
the economy.
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Past President David Bruce New Energy Efficiency Compliance Enhancement Coordinator
Our Past President David L. Bruce has been contracted as a
Compliance Enhancement Coordinator by the Ministry of Energy, Mines and
Petroleum Resources to support compliance with regulations under the British
Columbia Energy Efficiency Act.
In this position, David will serve as the main contact point
for inquiries and questions from industry players and consumers about the
regulations and standards for windows, glazing, doors and skylights. He will
educate manufacturers, suppliers, distributors and consumers on the
requirements for regulated products. He
will also proactively educate people on the regulations, including leading
workshops and writing articles for magazines and web sites.
In taking this position, David has resigned from the WDMA-BC
board of directors to prevent a conflict of interest. We appreciate his many
contributions to our association, serving as chair of the Technical Committee
for 5 years, as a board member for 8 years, and as president for two years. David is located at his home/office in Delta, BC. He may be contacted at David.Bruce@gov.bc.ca or phone
604-619-9946.
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Door Slab and Door Lite Verification Program Announced
WDMA-BC
member Quality Auditing Institute has announced a verification program for door
slabs and door lites. The BC Energy Efficiency Act requires doors to either
have a maximum U-value of 2.0, or to meet the regulation's prescriptive requirements
for door slab insulation and energy efficient glass. The act requires third
party verification and product labeling for both compliance paths. Now that a
verification program exists for doors qualifying under the prescriptive path,
we look forward to an announcement from the government about when enforcement
of the prescriptive requirements will commence. For more information on QAI's program click here.
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