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Issue # 14                                                                                           September 2011 
 Greetings!

  

It's that time of year again. Summer's over and it's back to school for some, back to work for others, and back to the busy routine that occupies most families. Hopefully, you're going into this active season with fond memories of a summer well spent with family and friends, and an anticipation of things to come.

 

Throughout the summer and into these early days of fall, the ESC has been occupied with a number of initiatives that will benefit the industry as a whole through workforce growth, education, and training. As well, your Council is hard at work addressing and resolving issues for our stakeholders.

 

Currently, the Council is examining an issue of concern to our stakeholders: the announcement from Human Resource and Skills Development Canada that sector council funding will be withdrawn effective March 2013. At first glance this appears to be a serious blow to the over 30 sector councils throughout Canada. However, what is seen by some as a setback is seen by others as an opportunity. The ESC subscribes to the latter viewpoint.

 

The cuts have brought about the need to develop strategic plans to assist in a refocus and restructure. As with any organization, this analysis will only serve to strengthen our Council. We have a window of approximately 18 months and intend to fully explore all opportunities available to us. And we'd like your help. Over the coming months the ESC will be reaching out to our stakeholders to find out how you envision the Council best representing your needs as an industry.

 

Our foundation is solid. With an extremely high level of industry involvement, and a high degree of credibility and stability in our industry and with other stakeholders, the ESC is well poised to face the challenges - and opportunities - we will encounter. We are confident that the work of the ESC is valued, and we are intent on ensuring that we can further this work for the benefit of our sector.

 

Of course, this is not all that the ESC has on the go. This newsletter contains updates on the soon-to-be-available Labour Market Information Study; the launch of the Aboriginal Bright Futures project, a report on the Lac Seul Aboriginal Youth Camp, and much more.

 

Take a few moments to read through this issue of the ESC Newsletter. You'll find all sorts of information on what the ESC is doing on your behalf.

 

Here's to a happy and healthy fall season.

 

Sincerely, 

Norm Fraser's signature 
Norm Fraser
Chair, Electricity Sector Council Board of Directors
Chief Operating Officer, Hydro Ottawa Ltd.
 
Hydro Ottawa Limited is the third largest municipal electricity distribution company in the province of Ontario, and is responsible for the safe, reliable delivery of electricity to more than 296,000 residential and business customers in the City of Ottawa and the village of Casselman. As a community company, Hydro Ottawa is committed to delivering value to its customers by providing reliable service at competitive rates. Hydro Ottawa also plays an important role in promoting energy conservation in our community.

ESC's Board of Directors             

ESC is pleased to announce two new appointments to the Council's Board of Directors: Tom Levy (Canadian Wind Energy Association), and Doreen Cole (EPCOR).

 

Departing are Elizabeth MacDonald (CanSIA) and Zoltan Bodas (SaskPower), both of whom the Board would like to thank for their support and contributions to the Council and the industry.

 

 

Feature Projects

 

2011 Labour Market Information (LMI) Study

 

Thanks to all of you who participated in the research for the electricity sector's LMI update. The highly anticipated final report will be released in late Fall of 2011 to all LMI program partners. If you haven't joined the program, you can access the results in early 2012. Information on joining the program can be obtained by contacting Debra Beauregard at  [email protected].

 

The LMI website is here:  www.brightfutures.ca/lmi/en/index.html

 

 

Aboriginal Workforce Participation Initiative - Bright Futures

 

 

September 20th saw the launch of www.brightfutures.ca/aboriginal. This exciting new resource is the culmination of the Aboriginal Workforce Participation Initiative - a three year project that ultimately seeks to increase participation of Aboriginal people in the Electricity and Renewable Energy sector.

 

In addition to career information for Aboriginal people, www.brightfutures.ca/aboriginal includes an HR toolkit for employers, complete with a cohesive attraction, recruitment and retention strategy based on research and best practices, two demonstration projects, documentation of best practices and the adaptation of HR tools targeted to industry needs.

 

The ESC is looking for any additional resources or job postings that the industry would like to include on the website. For more information, please contact Kevin Joseph, Junior Project Manager - [email protected]

 

Aboriginal Youth Camps

 

Lac Seul 1
A camper with a piece of heavy equipment at the Lac Seul Bright Futures Aboriginal Youth Camp held this August.

 

 

Lac Seul 2
A happy camper at the Lac Seul Bright Futures Aboriginal Youth Camp held this August.

 

  

This past August 15th to 19th saw the delivery of the final Bright Futures Aboriginal Youth Camp as part of the ESC's 3-year Aboriginal Workforce Participation Initiative. This week-long summer camp was held in Lac Seul, Ontario to the delight of 17 boys and girls from the Lac Seul First Nation. Programming consisted of a variety of hands-on activities designed to inspire an interest in math, science, and electricity as well as teaching the youth that learning can be fun. Each activity is designed to introduce the principles of electricity and how it is generated, transmitted, and delivered while also informing the campers of the various careers our industry offers. Camp activities include building solar cars, dancing robots, exploring how electricity is created, how to create a series circuit, and much more.

 

As is standard practice with all of our camps, the Lac Seul Bright Futures Aboriginal Youth Camp ended the week with a closing ceremony used to showcase the activities of the camp to the local community members. This is always a favourite part because it gives the children a chance to show their family and friends all they have learned during their time at the camp.

 

"It was obvious that throughout the award ceremony the kids were proud of the knowledge and experience they gained at camp." - Candace, Camp Instructor

 

This camp would not have been possible without the following sponsors: Canadian Union of Skilled Workers, Power Workers' Union, Hydro One, Ontario Power Authority, Engineers Canada, Canadian Union of Public Employees, Bruce Power, and the Aboriginal Human Resource Council.

 

For more details on the camps and how you can be involved visit www.brightfutures.ca/aboriginal

  

  

For information on other ESC's projects visit our website at www.brightfutures.ca.  


Industry News

Jim Kellett Appointed President of the Electrical Contractors Association of Ontario

  

ECAO Logo  

  

ESC Board and Executive Committee member Jim Kellett was recently appointed president of ECAO. Kellett, Senior Vice President of Operations and Engineering with K-Line Group of Companies accepted the two-year term this summer.

 

Please see http://www.ecao.org/news/VOL49NO2E.pdf for the full story.

 

Hydro Ottawa Prepares for the Future Through Education Partnerships

  

Hydro Ottawa Logo  

  

In 2010, Hydro Ottawa collaborated with Algonquin College to develop a two-year Powerline Technician Program. The College will provide the classroom instruction portion and the diplomas for the graduates. In turn, Hydro Ottawa will deliver the classroom "Line Safety" and the field practical "Line Work" portions of the program. Graduates will be ideal candidates for apprenticeships in our industry, and will require fewer hours of training before becoming qualified journeypersons. The first semester of the technician program began this September.

 

This partnership with Algonquin will enhance Hydro Ottawa's internal trades apprenticeship programs, which includes Power Line Maintainers, Station Electricians, Cable Jointers, System Operators and Meter Technicians.

 

From the Hydro Ottawa news release:

 

"As we prepare for the future, workforce planning is a key priority to ensure we support our core business.  As a result, we have taken a proactive approach to revitalizing our human resources in order to be prepared for impending retirements."
  

 

 

CEA Supports New Ecoenergy Efficiency Initiatives

 

CEA Logo  

  

OTTAWA, Ontario - September 7, 2011. Investment of $78 million to encourage energy efficiency is a positive development for Canadians who want the means to effectively manage their electricity use.

 

The Canadian Electricity Association (CEA) and its members welcome the announcement by The Honourable Joe Oliver, Minister of Natural Resources, that the Government of Canada will maintain its momentum in supporting improved energy use in Canada through additional funding for the ecoENERGY Efficiency Initiatives Program. For full new release click http://www.electricity.ca/media/news/NewsRelease_CEAResponsetoEEFunding_E.pdf

 

Electricity Sector to Play a Key Role in Reducing Canada's GHG Emissions

  

OTTAWA, Ontario - August 29, 2011. The federal government this weekend published a draft of a proposed new regulation aimed at reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from electricity generation. The proposed regulation is focused on reducing CO2 emissions from coal-fired generation and will require new and existing coal units to meet an emissions standard equivalent to combined-cycle natural gas or to shut down after 45 years of operation. For full news release click http://www.electricity.ca/posts/electricity-sector-to-play-a-key-role-in-reducing-canada2bcs-ghg-emissions-77.php

 

Electricity Distributors Association Executive Symposium - October 18, 2011, Royal Ontario Museum - Toronto, ON

 

EDA Logo 

Transformational Leadership

The Electricity Distributors Association brings Ontario business leaders together for an exclusive and prestigious symposium that tackles the challenges faced by today's business leaders. This year's theme is transformational leadership. Speakers will share with delegates the strategies they used to transform their businesses, and also how they altered the essence of leadership itself to be the catalyst for change.

 

Speakers:

  • John Beck | Chairman & CEO, Aecon
  • Will Stewart | Political Commentator
  • Don Bell | Co-Founder, WestJet Canada
  • Bill Johnson | Former President & CEO, McDonald's Canada
  • His Worship, Rob Ford | Mayor of Toronto (invited)

For online registration click https://www.eda-on.ca/eda/activityreg.nsf/ActivityRegWeb?OpenForm&activityselect=2011ExecutiveSymposium

 

If you have any industry news you'd like to see here, please contact us at (613)235-5540, or email us at [email protected].    

 

 

 Career Focus Initiative Showcase


 Enmax Logo
 

Company Name:    ENMAX Power Corporation

  

Supervisor:            Tania Wan, 2011 EIT Program Manager 
Graduate Hired:
    Ikem Mbeledogu
   
 After graduating with honours in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Windsor, Ikem Mbeledogu chose to pursue his engineering career by joining the EIT Program at ENMAX. Ikem was hired as a permanent employee, but before settling into his area of choice, he - along with all the EIT's in the program - will spend his first ten months rotating through the company. This was a big draw for Ikem, as it will broaden his experience in the company and allow him to make contacts in different areas. Currently Ikem is working with the Transmission Projects Group automating breaker switches. Next he will rotate through the Brand and Residential Markets group, and then one other group of his choice. Upon completion of his rotations, he will settle into the Generation group and focus on his passion: Power Generation.     

 

Tania Wan answers a few questions:

 

Can you briefly explain how your organization heard about Career Focus and how the program has been beneficial to both the employee and the company?

 

Luckily, our Human Resources team was on the ESC mailing list. After reading about the grant programs offered, our HR Recruiter was intrigued by the possibility of using them towards our EIT Program, and brought it to the Program Manager's attention.

 

After a one year hiatus in 2009, gaining the support from groups like ESC has allowed us to continue hiring young engineers. Our EIT Program offers a unique opportunity for young engineers by giving them the initial 10 month rotation to experience various areas of the company. The experiences can range from transmission, distribution, and generation to telecom and LRT design. Many EIT's have commented that this was a major draw in choosing ENMAX.

 

As well as the rotation, there are also many training opportunities available to EITs such as safety awareness, first aid, tours of power generation and industry facilities, and field rotations along side power system electricians and linemen. After completing these rotations and training, the EITs will have gained a well-rounded experience that is extremely beneficial to both the individual and the company.

 

Tania, was the process of getting involved easy, and would you recommend it to other companies that might be interested?

  

It was very easy to participate in this program. The online forms were straightforward, and the requirements during our EIT program are minimal. We have already recommended this program to other ENMAX subsidiaries and would definitely recommend it externally as well.

ENMAX CFI
ENMAX Employee Ikem Mbeledogu

 

Resources  

Electricity Sector Council - www.brightfutures.ca

Labour Market Information Study -  www.brightfutures.ca/lmi/en/index.html 
Electrical Contractors Association of Ontario -  www.ecao.org

Hydro Ottawa -  www.hydroottawa.com

Canadian Electricity Association - www.electricity.ca

Electricity Distributors Association -  www.eda-on.ca

 

Contact Us
 
Address: 130 Slater Street, Suite 600, Ottawa, ON  K1P 6E2
Phone: (613) 235-5540
Fax: (613) 235-6922
In This Issue
ESC Board of Directors
Feature Projects
Industry News
Career Focus Showcase
Resources
Contact Us
What's New
Upcoming Events
In Our Next Issue

What's New

Aboriginal Workforce Participationi Initiative Website Launched on September 20th! www.brightfutures.ca/aboriginal


Interested in joining our provincial/ regional working groups? E-mail us for more info.
 

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Upcoming Events
 
The ESC's Ontario Working Group will be meeting on October 27th in Toronto
The intention of the working groups is to create collaborative action on workforce issues that are being dealt with from coast-to-coast, but more province-specific.  The ESC considers these consultative groups extremely beneficial when seeking industry input on various matters.
 
If you are interested in joining or learning more about your provincial / regional group, please contact us at [email protected] or 613-235-5540.

 

  
In Our Next Issue
 
NEW PROJECTS... hear about the Council's newest project! 
 
PLUS... The launch of ESC's Training and Learning Development Study and website 

AND... how you can get involved with the ESC!