b'CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICERS MESSAGETANIA JOHNSTON, MCAC Chief Executive OfficerFUTURE-PROOFING A NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE MECHANICAL CONTRACTING SECTORT his past September marked the first time ourthe associations recently released Change Order association has been able to gather for a full- Protocol in June 2022. fledged event since the COVID-19 pandemic.In all cases, the underlying theme was a need to After close to three years, we were finally able toprovide tools and resources that can assist our hold our Annual National Conference in Halifaxmembers in their business. Looking ahead, we (despite some concerns about Hurricane Fiona), andbelieve this will remain a fundamental objective of it was a great return to normalcy as we reconnectedall of the work we do at MCAC.with friends and colleagues.Throughout the week, the overall consensus wasRapidly Changing Landscape Will that the value of our national association is in ourRequire an Agile Associationability to connect and engage with our peers fromFurther to these resources, what has become all over Canada on issues of mutual concern. Butincreasingly evident is a need to adapt quickly to a perhaps just as valuable was the ability to do that rapidly changing landscape in our sector. in person.One example is the issue of supply chain and price So, while it was great to return to an almost pre- volatility. The supply chain challenges brought on as pandemic-type atmosphere, it does beg the questiona result of the pandemic (these include supply issues of what the future of our association might lookas well as price issues) have been significant and like. And, as is the case with many industries,far-reaching. Early on, our office received a number the answer to this question will be vital as weof calls looking for tools and resources to help strategically plan for the years ahead. members address this concern. Examining Association Goals EmergingWhile the issue itself has still not been fully from the Pandemic resolved, it did showcase the need for our national If nothing else, the pandemic did provide anassociation to be nimble in order to provide opportunity to truly recognize what is important tovalue back to our members. This meant timely a business and, in our case, to the association. Oncecommunication on the issue, and reaching out to the dust had settled on a shift to virtual meetingsvarious stakeholder groups to provide concise but and varying degrees of remote work, the importantvaluable information to members dealing withservices and resources for MCAC members stood atthe issue. the forefront of our operations.At the end of the day, many of our members are What became clear was a continued need forstill experiencing challenges in this area. But it resources and education on issues of significance todemonstrated that our association must be agile in MCAC members.order to provide the best support we can in the face of a constantly changing business environment. Early on, these resources were often related toBuilding for the Future While Meeting the pandemic, such as our associations Guide toTodays ChallengesHealth and Safety, released in April 2020, or the BidA key component of that support is recognizing Qualification Clauses, released in the summer ofnot only where the association needs to be today, 2020 to address contractual-related issues broughtbut what the critical issues will be as we look to on by the uncertainty of the pandemic.the future. Whether it is through education and As time went on, these resources have shifted totraining, resource development or our advocacy include more common practice issues, such asefforts, it is incumbent on MCAC to ensure we are 18 www.mcac.ca'