News
Peel school board launches 2019 skilled trades education program
October 24, 2018The Peel District School Board has launched its Regional Skilled Trades Program, which aims to prepare students to enter the skilled trades. “We’re excited to expand the number of Regional Learning Choices Programs offered and try to help meet the…
Industry associations respond to OCOT wind down
October 24, 2018The provincial government will “wind down” the Ontario College of Trades (OCOT) as part of a bill to reform labour laws put in place by the former Liberal government. If passed, the Making Ontario Open for Business Act–or Bill 47,…
Grundfos unveils new facility in Kansas
October 23, 2018Grundfos opened the doors to its new office in Lenexa, KS at a ribbon cutting ceremony on October 10, 2018, two years after the project broke ground. The building includes a Grundfos Engineered System pump house, which maintains water level…
The Master Group kicks off construction of Vaughan, ON distribution centre
October 22, 2018The Master Group recently held a ground breaking ceremony with employees and senior management to officially launch the start of construction on its new distribution centre in Vaughan, ON. At 193,500 square feet, the building will bring together all the…
Fluke invites entries for 70th anniversary $6K prize package
October 19, 2018Fluke Corporation is celebrating its 70th anniversary with sweepstakes for trades professionals. The company is giving away a prize package valued at $6,000. To see the list of prizes and learn how to enter the sweepstakes, visit www.content.fluke.com/70th-anniversary/en/en-us.html. Entries must…
ASHRAE announces call for papers for student competition
October 18, 2018ASHRAE student members have until November 30, 2018 to enter the 2019 HVAC/R Student Paper Competition. The competition is open to those pursuing a bachelor (BS) or master’s (MS) degree. The winning entry will represent ASHRAE at the 2019 HVAC…
Canada’s first net-zero supermarket receives $1.4M in federal funding
October 17, 2018A project to construct Canada’s first net-zero supermarket is underway in Stouffville, ON. The federal government provided $1.44 million to build the 40,000 square foot Longos Brothers Fruit Markets Inc. store, which aims to produce 65 per cent of its…
Asahi/America completes purchase of Performance Plastics
October 16, 2018Asahi/America, Inc.–a Lawrence, MA-based thermoplastic valve and pipe manufacturer–has acquired Louisiana-based fabrication shop Performance Plastics, Inc. The purchase aims to allow Asahi/America to expand its existing fabrication capabilities and broaden its engineered plastic products and services offering. Jason Roussel, president…
Watsco acquires Ontario-based tech company, releases smart HVAC sensor
October 15, 2018Watsco, Inc. has completed the acquisition of Kitchener, ON-based technology company Alert Labs Inc. The companies also released Sentree, a jointly-developed IoT smart sensor. The technology attaches to an existing HVAC system and remotely measures, collects and analyzes performance analytics…
Tips for attending the 2019 AHR Expo
October 12, 2018The AHR Expo hosts thousands of HVAC/R professionals and more than 2,100 exhibiting companies each year. The 2019 show will return to Atlanta for the first time since 2001, from January 14-16. The exposition will spread across two halls at…
Beedie rebrands, unveils new ethos
October 11, 2018B.C.-based Beedie Development Group has rebranded its company under a single name: Beedie. The company, launched more than 60 years ago, is a private industrial developer and residential developer in Western Canada. It also has a private investment arm. “Bringing…
Acquisition affirms Johnson Controls’ commitment to thermostat portfolio
October 10, 2018Johnson Controls recently announced it has acquired the assets of Lux Products Corporation (LUX), a manufacturer of residential thermostats and smart home products. LUX markets several residential and commercial lines ranging from timers to smart home thermostats, including Kono and…
Watts, Planet Water Foundation to install water filtration systems at Cambodian schools
October 10, 2018Watts Water Technologies has partnered with U.S.-based non-profit Planet Water Foundation to fund and help install two water filtration systems at schools in Cambodia’s Svay Leu District in Siem Reap Province. The filtration systems aim to remove harmful particles, bacteria…
Companies awarded for innovative HVAC/R products
October 9, 2018The 2019 AHR Expo Innovation Award winners have been selected ahead of the show, to be held from January 14 to 16, 2019 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, GA. Presented annually, the awards recognize innovative HVAC/R products,…
Noble celebrates 25th anniversary at packed trade show
October 5, 2018It was a full house as more than 1000 attendees made the trek to the Paramount Event Space in Woodbridge, ON for Noble’s 25th anniversary trade show. The event, held September 27, 2018, featured more than 75 vendor exhibits, five…
Triangle Tube training academy opens its doors
October 5, 2018Triangle Tube has unveiled its live fire training room at its new corporate facility in West Deptford, NJ. At the Triangle Tube Academy, technicians train contractors on real-world applications of Triangle Tube products. The course offers training on proper installation…
2018 Doug Crawford Memorial Award Goes to Dan Milroy
October 4, 2018The 2018 recipient of the Doug Crawford Memorial Award is Dan Milroy, director of sales and marketing, Bradford White, Canada. The Doug Crawford Memorial Award recognizes an individual, individuals or company who has made a significant contribution to MCA Canada…
CIPHEX West speaker lineup tackles forefront industry topics
October 3, 2018The Canadian Institute of Plumbing and Heating Exposition (CIPHEX) West will return to Calgary, AB, on November 7 and 8, 2018. The trade show features more than 250 global exhibitors. It will focus on plumbing, hydronics, HVAC/R and water treatment.…
Manitoba, Alberta schools recognized for sustainability initiatives
October 2, 2018Two Canadian schools have been awarded in the annual Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) Greenest School in Canada competition. Lacombe Composite High School in Lacombe, AB and Trinity College School in Port Hope, ON were recognized for the use of…
Wolseley Canada opens new branch in Ottawa, ON
October 1, 2018Wolseley Canada has extended its operations in Ottawa, ON with a new facility. The 11,000 square foot branch is located at 1050 Baxter Road, Units 7A/8A, and includes both plumbing and HVAC/R inventory. The expansion is part of the company’s…
CNL earns LEED Silver for sustainable laboratory
September 28, 2018The Canadian Nuclear Laboratories’ (CNL) Harriet Brooks Building joins a handful of laboratories across Canada to earn LEED Silver certification. Incorporating a slew of energy-efficient features, the 137,000 square foot material sciences facility is the latest project by CNL to…
hilmor invites entries for its Retool Your Future scholarship contest
September 28, 2018hilmor has kicked off its sixth annual Retool Your Future contest for HVAC/R technicians. The company will grant five winners a $5,000 scholarship, a starter kit of hilmor-branded tools valued at $900 and a trip to AHR Expo, to be…
Saniflo partners with sales agency to support Quebec market
September 27, 2018Saniflo Canada has partnered with Quebec-based sales agency Les Agences Lambert & Bégin Inc. to support its wholesale sales channel in the province. “Quebec is a growing market for us and there is significant demand for above-floor plumbing technology in…
Daikin launches smart HVAC unit in Las Vegas
September 26, 2018A new smart HVAC system from Daikin North America LLC aims to “revolutionize the future of condensing units.” The company unveiled Daikin Fit September 25, 2018 to employees, distribution management, Daikin Comfort Pro contractors and news media in Las Vegas,…
ONCAP acquires Walter Surface Technologies
September 26, 2018ONCAP, a private equity platform of Onex, has purchased a majority stake in Walter Surface Technologies. Its parent company, the Walter Group, will retain a minority interest in the company. Walter Surface Technologies is a provider of metal working solutions,…
Nortek Air Solutions unveils a cool solution for Facebook data centre in Singapore
September 25, 2018StatePoint liquid cooling technology will be used to maintain temperature levels for Facebook’s first data centre engineered in Asia. Since 2015, Nortek has worked with the Facebook engineering team to develop a cooling solution that could handle Singapore’s high humidity…
J.K Seidner distinction goes to Ipex codes and standards manager
September 24, 2018Larry Gill, manager of codes and standards at Ipex Inc, is the eighteenth recipient of the Canadian Institute of Plumbing and Heating (CIPH) Joseph K. Seidner Award. In recognition of his contributions to Canadian plumbing codes and standards, Gill was…
Industry Training Authority appoints interim COO, CEO
September 21, 2018Industry Training Authority (ITA), a provincial government skilled trades training agency in British Columbia, has tapped Shelley Gray, its chief operating officer (COO), to take over as interim CEO following the departure of Gary Herman. In its search for a…
Nova Scotia Education Department partners with Skills Canada for 2019 competition
September 20, 2018Nova Scotia has partnered with Skills Canada to encourage students to attend the 2019 Skills Canada National Competition (SCNC), to be held in at the Halifax Exhibition Centre from May 27 to 30. The province’s Department of Education and Early…
Edmonton hotel fails health inspection after pigeons contaminate HVAC units
September 19, 2018A hotel in downtown Edmonton is dealing with unwanted guests of a different species. The Hyatt Place Hotel at 9576 Jasper Avenue West failed an Environmental Public Health inspection in August–just two years after opening–when inspectors found pigeon feces and…