The voice of the welding industry in Canada
April/May 2003, Issue No. 16

WESTERN BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING

CWA’s Board of Directors met on May 3 in Winnipeg. The board discussed issues of importance to the association’s future – finances, membership, communications and value for members.

The board set new membership rates, established an editorial board to oversee the new Canadian Welding Association Journal, set a plan for recruiting new members and endorsed the Education Committee’s direction for standardizing welding education in Canada.

CANADIAN WELDING ASSOCIATION JOURNAL

It has gone to the printer. You should see your copy by early June.

Now it’s time to begin the production process for the next issue scheduled for delivery in November 2003. The June issue had a short editorial cycle. We are looking for articles related to the issue’s theme, Alberta’s oil industry and the tar sands and the various welding practices involved in extraction, transportation and refining processes. We need welding stories and research papers conducted on petroleum-related welding issues. Contact the Editorial Committee by email, at journal@cwa-acs.org.

We would also welcome stories on small welding projects, any welding story of general interest to members or suggestions for future stories, articles, papers or topics.

STUDENT AWARDS

CWA’s Hamilton and Region Chapter made the following awards for excellence in welding:

• David Benassi, Mohawk College – $250 for excelling in Welder Training
• Shawn Bobinski, Niagara College – $500 for excelling in the 40-Week Welder/Fitter Course
• Stephen Novak, Mohawk College – $250 for excelling in Welder Training
• Brandon Olsthoorn, Conestoga College – Gooderham Centre for Industrial Learning welding learning modules for excelling in the Welding Engineering Technology Program

MIKE IRVINE MEMORIAL GOLF TOURNAMENT

The Mike Irvine Memorial Golf Tournament will be held at King’s Forest Golf Club in Hamilton on Wednesday, June 18. The golf tournament supports the Skills Canada welding competition in sending its winners to the Skills Olympics. This is the 11th time the tournament has taken place.

The welding community thanks Dave Rogalsky for managing the tournament for the last 10 years. He established a pool of funds, which ensures that the tournament will support Skills Canada for years to come. From now on, the Golden Triangle, Hamilton and Toronto Chapters will host the tournament jointly.

INSURANCE

Several members have asked CWA for information about sources of insurance for welders. Rapidly increasing insurance costs remain a problem for independent welders and welding shops alike. In some cases, insurance has not been available. CWA has found a source of insurance through Lombard Canada, a major commercial insurance company. Lombard can provide commercial general liability, property and vehicle insurance. Contact Mark Lowry of Dale & Morrow Insurance Brokers at 905-451-1933 or 1-877-229-7272 for further information.

This group could be a source of better insurance and lower rates for you or, as a basic minimum, it could provide you with a quotation to validate what you are currently paying.

CWA’S WEBSITE

It attracted 2,000 visitors last month.

The areas of highest interest to visitors include the Human Resources area, which includes job opportunities and résumés (and several members found work through this area), and chapter information. A few employers and job seekers are using the site for their employment needs. And CWA’s Chapters are using the site to advertise their events and publish their newsletters.

We are currently developing a page that will identify welding-education institutions across Canada. For each institution we will show contact information, a short description of courses offered and a link to its website.

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