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EVENTS - 2009 Sept. 21 to 23: OCS 2009 Annual General Meeting & Conference (Ontario Construction Secretariat) Water Tower Inn , Sault Ste. Marie, ON T: 1.705.949.8111 Sept. 23 to 26 : IIDEX /NeoCon / Green Building Exposition & Conference Direct Energy Centre,Toronto T: 416.960.4518 or www.iidexneocon.com December 2 to 4 : Construct Canada Toronto, Ontario www.constructcanada.com
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NEWSFor immediate release TTMGO APPOINTS NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR The Board of Directors recently announced the appointment of David Montisano to the position of Executive Director of the Terrazzo, Tile & Marble Guild of Ontario, Inc., the Terrazzo, Tile & Marble Trade School and The Toronto & District Marble, Tile & Terrazzo Contractors' Association, effective June 15, 2009. In a six-year stint In the construction industry, Mr. Montisano was the General Manager of the Residential Framing Contractors' Association of Toronto & Vicinity, and negotiated two Collective Agreements with the Universal Workers Union L.I.U.N.A. Local 183. He has extensive experience in governance issues gained as a consultant to both national and international public and private companies. He also worked with the gaming industry in Ontario and was directly involved in the development of an industry structure for the electronic Bingo initiative for OLG, including developing roles, rules and responsibilities for all stakeholders. David looks forward to connecting with all members of the Guild and all other signatory terrazzo, tile and natural stone contractors. "It is critical for us to increase our membership and speak as a united front on issues relevant to the industry," he said.
Mr. Montisano holds a B.A.-Economics (York University) and an M.B.A.-Finance/Marketing from the Schulich School of Business. He is a recipient of the Gil Samson award as a member of Labour-Management Health and Safety Committee, Construction Safety Association of Ontario, for outstanding contribution in health and safety. For more information, contact: TTMGO Tel: 905.660.5094 Email: jean@ttmgo.org
Release: May 19, 2009 NEW PRESIDENT TAKES OVER AT TTMGO The Board of Directors has elected Rick Giacomini as President and Director of the Terrazzo, Tile & Marble Guild of Ontario, Inc. (TTMGO), effective May 12, 2009. Mr. Giacomini, Vice-President of Toronto-based Gem Campbell Terrazzo & Tile Inc. and President of Gem Campbell (Eastern) Inc., joined the company as Controller in 1995 and was promoted to VP in 1999. He has a strong management and financial background and brings over 26 years of industry experience to the table. Rick has been active in the Guild as a Director and Officer in various capacities for six years, most recently as Vice-President, as well as a member of the Negotiating Committee. The Terrazzo, Tile & Marble Trade School and The Toronto & District Marble, Tile & Terrazzo Contractors’ Association have also benefited from his dynamic leadership. Rick is a member of the Provincial Advisory Committee (PAC) and the Local Apprenticeship Committee and is a strong proponent for apprenticeship training for the trade. “Training skilled apprentices is key to the future success of our industry and we need a strong program to attract and prepare young people for our trade.” he said. "Developing new directions to revitalize the Guild is a key priority", Giacomini said. "We need to encourage active participation from a broad spectrum of members to address common issues as well as critical concerns that may only impact specific geographic areas." On another front, Rick intends to work with Guild Contractor signatories and the Brick & Allied Craft Union/OPC to create and implement strategies to promote the value of using unionized trade contractors/labour and strengthen market share for the betterment of the industry. “We need to educate our Clients, Architects and Developers on the myriad benefits derived from using TTMGO unionized Contractors. We have a great deal to offer and it makes good business sense,” he added. Rick Giacomini succeeded Mel Merker, a founding member of the Trade School and a driving force at the Guild for over 20 years. Mr. Merker is President of Richmond Tile Corp. in Woodbridge, Ontario. The Guild is active in many aspects of the Hardsurface industry and represents Ontario contractors who are signatory to the Union Agreement for natural stone, tile and terrazzo trades in the ICI and Residential construction sectors.
For more information, contact: Jean Quelch - TTMGO Tel: 905.660.5094 Email: jean@ttmgo.org
Dec. 4, 2008 - OCS Appoints CEO
The Ontario Construction Secretariat has appointed Sean Strickland to the position of Chief Executive Officer effective January 5, 2009.
The Skilled Trades ShortageIt’s a worsening Canadian problem. The Canadian Federation of Independent Business reports that 48.7% of its members in 2003 said the shortage of qualified labour was the most important issue they faced. Five years ago, a Conference Board of Canada survey indicated that 83% of the employers who responded, experienced shortages of skilled labour. Almost two-thirds believed the shortages would get worse over the following five to ten years. Ten percent of firms had widespread problems in recruitment; more than 70% had problems recruiting employees with particular skills. All experts agree that the situation will get worse if nothing is done about it, now! The problem is the aging population. Baby boomers are retiring. And there aren’t enough young people getting trained to take over. The first baby-boomers will reach the retirement age of 65 by 2012. By 2015, the government estimates that almost half the workforce (48%) will be between the ages of 45 to 64. By 2020, most boomers will be in retirement and 17.9% of the population will be 65 or over, compared to 12.5% in 1999. By 2026, Statistics Canada expects that more than half the population will be over the age of 43. As a result, by 2020, Canada could be short about 1 million workers. The Conference Board of Canada survey in 2000 showed that shortages were a particular problem in sectors such as natural resources, construction and manufacturing. Skilled trades in high demand included industrial mechanics, electricians, building trades, steel and iron trades, automotive trades and welders. The problem is already evident in some sectors. In the construction industry, 12% of the workers were aged 55 and older. In 2002, a third of private sector managers surveyed by the Canadian Labour and Business Centre expected that 10-25% of their workforce would retire over the next five years. Does a skilled trades shortage affect the whole country? Yes! Economists say that a skilled trade worker shortage will definitely affect Canada's ability to compete in a global market in the future, which will affect our economic growth in the long-term. The shortage of skilled trade workers also means that, as consumers, we may be paying more for skilled trade services, wait for these services to be available to us, and it may take longer for important infrastructure projects, such as roads and hospitals to be completed. Why aren't more young people choosing a career in skilled trades? A touchy topic. The facts of career life today: skilled trades are still considered a second or third career choice. An Ipsos-Reid survey in 2004 reported that university was the first choice of 67% of young people aged 13-24 and of 55% of adults, ahead of college and apprenticeship or trades programs. Only 26% of young people aged 13-24 said they would be likely to consider a career in the skilled trades. There is also a lot of peer pressure facing young people. The survey found that young people say their friends and family do not encourage skilled trades careers. Parents have a huge impact on the career decisions of their children. Most young people (59%) say their parents have not encouraged them to consider skilled trades as a career option. Statistics indicate that schools have a very important role to play to encourage students about skilled trades career options. But most young people (72%) say their guidance counselors have not encouraged skilled trades. The survey also found that 37% of young people aged 13-24 said that their schools did not have readily available information on skilled trades careers. For all the relevant information about a skilled trade career in marble, terrazzo and tile ---just click on the Trade School.
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