Our Mission

Our mission is to act as the voice of the electrical contractors in Saskatchewan.  This will be accomplished by increasing contractors' knowledge and efficiency through improved communication with our members.  The association will foster and promote the interchange of thoughts and ideas between all industry sections relating to electrical contracting.  We will act as the government liaison for apprenticeship training, qualifications and regulations.  Our primary objective is the overall improvement of the electrical industry for our members.

Vision Statement

Represent and Service all Electrical Contractors within Saskatchewan

Successes

• early in ECA of Saskatchewan history - member activities and engagement cross the province
• credibility as an association
• credibility as a member of the association in the industry
• strong working relationship with SaskPower Liaison Committee - openness of people on the committee to work together
• newsletter
• training
• started lobbying government
• to maintain a core group of members
• scholarships
• training - Trade Board and Saskatchewan Apprenticeship and Trade Certification Commission (SATCC)

 Shortfalls

• benefits of membership not clear
• attracting new members
• lack of interaction between members
• small group of companies that does bulk of the work for the
• need to strengthen affiliation with other organizations (e.g. Mechanical Contracts Association of Saskatchewan (MCAS), Saskatchewan Construction Safety Association (SCSA))
• people not responding despite better communication - easier to ignore it
• Annual General Meeting and activities not as well attended
• membership not representative across the province

 Strengths

• part-time Executive Director

• new partnership with Federated Insurance
• committee membership
• members with national exposure who bring back info, etc. to our association
• members who have volunteered for local associations who also volunteer at provincial level
• relate well to SIAST
• relate well to Saskatchewan Apprenticeship and Trade Certification Commission (SATCC)
• training for apprentices is good for industry as whole

• SIAST considers our input and is willing to work with  us
• members are communicating and sharing with each other
• united group gives us a united voice to government and manufacturers, etc.
• membership in other associations
  • Saskatchewan Construction Association (SCA)
    • Advisory Council
    • Standard Practices
    • Human Resources
  • Canadian Electrical Contractors Association (CECA) - opportunities to link ECA of Saskatchewan with contractors on a federal level
  • National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) - opportunity to broaden exposure to information
• sharing of information and experience

 Weaknesses

• not getting the positive response that we expect from government, Crown corps, etc.

• part time Executive Director
• not true widespread representation of membership across the province
• not consistent communication with members
• don't have good vision of who we are or what we do
• no big issue uniting us - a rallying issue
• not promoting membership effectively
• lack of opportunity to interact with members
• lack of overall coordination of the association
• weak relationships with government and crown corps, etc.
• ability to communicate not optimized
• regional issues - smaller vs. larger - perception of engagement benefits, perception as competition or as intrusive, lack of positive participation experiences

 Opportunities

• Career days involvements
• develop literature and banners for use in Career days and other events
• host national conference
• promote benefits of being part of professional group
• investigate different models and best practices of other electrical contractors associations
• strong economy = get more members, get more resources
• change of government
• develop relationship with licensing
• rally membership on issues such as fee structure
• develop membership package - reasons to be a member of ECA of Saskatchewan
• dedicate some resources for recruiting new members
• encourage people (members/potential members) to become involved
• develop relationships with government and crown corps, etc.
• include ECA of Saskatchewan logo in ads
• toot own horn
• encourage more rural participation, participation of smaller contractors
• beef up webpage - more exciting (flashy), member input comments - positive experiences from membership, increase awareness of website, reason for people to visit it,
• make former inactive contractors honourary members for their experience and input
• working with supplier for courses - e.g. arc flash
• keep costs low for members
• organizing different activities for employees (social event that helps to unite and strengthen us), questionnaires for employee input, etc.
• talk to Engineers about permit issues
• optimize membership in Saskatchewan Construction Association (SCA), Canadian Electrical Contractors Association (CECA), National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) - access to information they can provide and advocacy for us
• make communication with members more efficient and effective
• more opportunities for meaningful communication
• create positive experiences from participating
• improve timing - timely discussions, timely feedback
• proactive approach rather than reactive approach
• have regulation that all electrical contractors in Saskatchewan must be members of ECA of Saskatchewan in order to practice here
• more courses to level playing field
  • improve awareness of how to estimate, bid, be safe, etc.
  • meet members part way - regional courses
• union could be an ally on some issues e.g. licensing issues

 Threats

• too many unqualified companies
• no compelling reason for contractors to join ECA of Saskatchewan
• change of government
• SaskPower - their non-responsiveness
• low profile of ECA of Saskatchewan may weaken membership levels
• government etc. not responsive to ECA of Saskatchewan
• discouragement and burnout
• decreasing membership
• concern about unqualified, unlicensed people doing electrical work
  • takes away out livelihood
  • increases charge out rates
  • decreases credibility of the industry
  • SaskTel
• weak enforcement of regulations
  • journeyman to apprentice ratios
  • permits
• improper bidding practices
• SEL

 Important Issues

• membership

• expanding membership
• retention
• more representative across the province
• Licensing - firefighters, etc.
  • moonlighting and underground work
  • conflict of interest work
• proposed fees (SaskPower)
• enforcement issues
• ratios
• poaching from ECA of Saskatchewan by public sector
  • How to impose and regulate
  • Wages not keeping up
• communication wiring
  • not going to be inspected at all
  • not going to need a license to install
• government - fair wage issues
• COMMUNICATION with membership
  • Website
  • newsletter

 Priorities

• SaskPower Inspection fees
  • very immediately important to members
  • members and potential members need awareness of what is going on and what ECA of Saskatchewan is doing about it
• Licensing
  • conflict of interest / on the side work
  • Low-voltage wiring
  • Communication cabling
  • underground
• Membership
  • number of employees we represent
  • dollar value of business we represent
  • promotional opportunities and strategies
  • mandatory membership possibilities
  • rallying issue(s)
• Ratios
  • survey membership about this - gather information about success of the ratio arrangement (set for 1 year term)
• Communication with membership
  • Website
  • Newsletter
  • Events

Goals

• Communication
  • regular newsletter for better information flow
  • newsletter should highlight every facet of Association
  • webpage should be more interactive and full of useful information
  • membership drive should be considered for non-members across the Province
  • regular media events, Press releases
  • Website needs to be "pumped up" with more content
  • lack of information on the website
  • mirror the National office newsletters, Web space, conventions, etc

Member Benefits

• what are the benefits of becoming a member?

•  the benefits need/should be highlighted in communication flow

• expand the membership benefits; more bang for your buck

• General Contractor involvement - how do we get there?

• physical contact- more than phone calls, knock on doors, site visits etc. on-site visits from the Board

• interaction with members via special meetings.  i.e. golf, educational programs, training, socials, etc.

• set up interactive meetings with Local Electrical Contractor's Associations

• provide other options for Insurance

• honour past pioneers of industry

 Advocacy/Lobbying

• response to fee structures with government gets info out to non-members of the activity in the Association

Licensing/Regulations

• restricted licensing is already set
  • set up a meeting between ECAS Board, the SaskPower Liaison Committee and Inspectors to talk about restricted licensing
  • Red Seal Certification needs to be addressed. i.e. ALBERTA/SASKATCHEWAN
  • Apprenticeship Board is going through changes = it may be a while before ECA of Saskatchewan get anywhere with them.
  • blending restricted licenses, apprenticeship, should be under one roof - needs to go back to the old philosophy
  • address Cabinet with PowerPoint presentation to the  Minister
  • press conference
  • regulation should be set down so that all Electrical Contractors in Saskatchewan must be members of the ECA of Saskatchewan in order to practice in SASKATCHEWAN.
  • tap into other resources from ALBERTA model; i.e. advocacy/best practices to adopt in SASKATCHEWAN.

Objectives of the ECA of Saskatchewan

• To act as the voice of the Electrical Contractors in the Province of Saskatchewan

• To encourage, support and promote the advancement of all aspects of the electrical contracting industry

• To unite the Members of the Association in an association for their mutual improvement, protection and general welfare

• To promote better relationships between the Members, Owners, Architects, Engineers, Suppliers, Manufacturers, other Contractors and other segments of the electrical contracting industry

• To acquire, compile and distribute all information useful to and concerning the electrical contracting industry

• To provide the forum whereby Members may exchange opinions, thoughts and ideas and coordinate their efforts on all matters pertaining to the electrical contracting industry

• To make representation with respect to legislation for the improvement of the electrical contracting industry

• To promote and foster the training of apprentices in the industry

• To conduct promotional activities including advertising, publicity and the holding of meetings, conferences, shows and exhibitions and otherwise apprise the public of the scope and character of the electrical contracting industry

• To exchange information and opinions with the legislature and departments of government and other agencies concerning all of the problems affecting the electrical contracting industry within the scope of the Association and to carry on negotiations leading to the solution of problems with the agency concerned

• To affiliate with Associations, Societies and Organizations having objects in whole or in part similar to those of the Association

• To do all such things as may, directly or indirectly, seem to be incidental, conducive, convenient or proper for the accomplishment of the purposes or the attainment of the objectives of this Association or expedient for the protection or benefit of its Members