LEED 2009 PASSES MEMBER BALLOT

LEED 2009, the long-awaited update to the internationally recognized LEED green building certification program, has passed member ballot, and will be introduced in 2009 as the next major evolution of the existing LEED rating systems for commercial buildings. It includes a series of major technical advancements focused on improving energy efficiency, reducing carbon emissions, and addressing other environmental and human health outcomes.

LEED 2009 will also incorporate highly anticipated regional credits, extra points that have been identified as priorities within a project’s given environmental zone. LEED has also undergone a scientifically grounded re-weighting of credits, changing allocation of points among LEED credits to reflect climate change and energy efficiency as urgent priorities. This will be one of the most significant changes to the rating system, and will increase the importance of green building as a means of contributing immediate and measurable solutions toward energy independence, climate change mitigation, and other global priorities.

LEED 2009 incorporates eight years worth of market and user feedback in the form of precedent-setting Credit Interpretation Rulings, which will ensure clarity for project teams. Coupled with a credit alignment structure designed to create a more elegant and harmonized rating system, LEED 2009 will reset the bar for the certification of high-performance green buildings.

Process innovation in how new technical advancements are incorporated into LEED will also be introduced alongside LEED 2009, including a “pilot process” for individual credits that will allow major new technical developments to be flexibly trialed, evaluated, and incorporated into LEED.

“The conclusion of the balloting process marks the culmination of tireless work done by representatives from all corners of the building industry,” says Brendan Owens, vice-president, LEED Technical Development, U.S. Green Building Council. “We have the deepest gratitude for our volunteer leaders, and for their bold steps towards resetting the bar for green building leadership and challenges the industry to move faster and reach further.”

The first public comment period for LEED 2009 opened in May 2008, followed by a second in late August. USGBC had received nearly 7,000 comments from members and stakeholders at the conclusion of the second public comment period on September 2. The final step is the consensus development process for LEED 2009 was to be balloted for a pass/fail vote among USGBC’s 18,000 member organizations. LEED 2009 successfully passed member ballot on November 14. Detailed information about specific proposed technical changes to the rating system can be found in the background documents that accompany the public comment forms at <www.usgbc.org>.

The Construction Safety Association of BC (CSABC) was recently presented with the Education Leadership Award at the Vancouver Regional Construction Association Awards of Excellence.

The Construction Safety Association of British Columbia is the construction industry’s trusted partner in construction safety training. A non-profit organization owned and operated by BC’s construction industry, CSABC builds safety through training, offering a range of safety courses that provides safety training at all levels – owner, manager, supervisor and worker, and includes the Certificate of Recognition Program (COR), a WorkSafeBC incentive rebate program that offers COR certified companies up to a 15% rebate on WorkSafeBC assessment payments..

In just three and a half years CSABC has trained over 10,000 construction employees and trades students and COR certified over 150 companies.
“Construction is a potentially dangerous business with hundreds of accidents and injuries occurring every year. Many accidents are preventable through awareness and training. CSABC is committed to building an awareness and communicating the importance of safety knowledge,” explains Cathy Lange, CSABC executive director.

To learn more about CSABC and other safety initiatives  please visit  <www.csabc.ca> or contact 877.434.3222.

COCA SUCCEEDS IN SECURING COVERAGE FOR APPRENTICES

In December 2007, COCA reported that the WorkSafeBC coverage for apprentices was going to be withdrawn because of a change made to legislation within the Ministry of Advanced Education.

Originally, the WorkSafeBC coverage was due to expire on December 31, 2007. COCA met with WorkSafeBC officials and they agreed to extend coverage until October 1, 2008 in order to try and resolve the issue. This decision could have had far-reaching impact, at a time when the industry and the province of BC desperately needs to encourage new apprentices to help build our province. COCA also worked with the Sheet Metal Industry Workers Training Centre Society and others to obtain move this issue forward.

As a result of ongoing discussions over almost a year, WorkSafeBC and the Ministry of Advanced Education have agreed to provide coverage. The WorkSafeBC Board of Directors Minute on this topic reads, in part:

1. Individuals registered as apprentices with the ITA, attending ITA-approved apprenticeship technical training at ITA-designated private training institutions (“Apprentices”), are deemed to be workers of the Crown in right of the Province under section 3(6) of the Act;
2. Compensation under the Act is payable out of the accident fund for injuries arising out of and in the course of training for Apprentices as described in section 1 of this Resolution. Where the injury results in a period of temporary disability with a loss of earnings, compensation will be payable in accordance with the policies of the Board, but where the injury results in a period of temporarydisability with no loss of earnings,
   (a) a health care benefit only is payable except as provided in section 2(b); and
   (b) where training allowances paid by Canada or the Province are suspended, the Board may, for the period it considers advisable, pay compensation in the amount of the training allowance.

COCA thanks WorkSafeBC for recognizing the need for coverage and for working to a successful conclusion. For more information contact Grant McMillan, president, Council of Construction Associations at 604.241.7667.

MANPOWER EMPLOYMENT OUTLOOK SURVEY REVEALS EMPLOYERS EXPECT A STEADY HIRING CLIMATE FOR THE FIRST QUARTER OF 2009

Canadian employers expect a mild hiring climate for the January to March period of 2009, according to the latest results of the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey.

The survey of more than 1,800 Canadian employers reveals that 16 percent expect to increase their payrolls in the first quarter of 2009 while nine percent anticipate cutbacks, for a Net Employment Outlook of seven percent.  Of those polled, 72 percent expect no change and three percent are unsure of their staffing intentions for the upcoming quarter.

With seasonal variations removed from the survey data, the Net Employment Outlook climbs to a favorable 18 percent. This is a four percentage point increase from the previous quarter, indicating a hopeful hiring climate for the first quarter of 2009.

“This quarter’s Net Employment Outlook indicates that the steady hiring climate experienced in the previous quarter will continue into the first quarter of 2009,” says Lori Rogers, VP of operations for Manpower Canada. “Despite the global slowdown, seasonally adjusted data reveals employers in Canada will continue to expand their payrolls and at a slightly stronger pace than in the previous quarters.”

“In Western Canada, Quebec, and Atlantic Canada the hiring forecasts are ahead of the national forecast,” adds Rogers.  Employers in Western Canada and Quebec anticipate respectable hiring climates, both reporting Net Employment Outlooks of 12 percent. In Atlantic Canada employers project a moderate first quarter with an employment outlook of 10 percent, while employers in Ontario anticipate a quiet January to March period with a Net Employment Outlook of three percent.

Of the 10 surveyed sectors, employers in the Wholesale and Retail Trade as well as Construction sector report the most prosperous results for the first quarter of 2009 with projected Net Employment Outlooks of 34 percent and 31 percent respectively, once seasonal variations are removed from the data.  Employers in the Construction sector anticipate a robust hiring climate with a seasonally adjusted Net Employment Outlook of 31 percent. While hiring projections have increased by nine percentage points from the previous quarter, they have decreased by five percentage points from the same time last year.
Visit Manpower Inc. online at <www.manpower.com> and enter the Research Center.

SMJ