CHHMA - EYE ON OUR INDUSTRY
Volume 11, Issue 21, June 08, 2011
Stewardship News
EEQ Update: 2009 Schedule of Contributions Now Effective; Reports Due August 31st
The 2009 Schedule of Contributions was published in the Gazette officielle du Quebec last week and became effective as of June 1, 2011. All stewards may now log on to the ECO-D online reporting system from EEQ's website to start filling out their 2009 Company Report. The deadline for submitting your Company Report is August 30, 2011, and September 29, 2011, for paying your contribution.
Before beginning your report, stewards should note:
• You should have received a new alpha-numeric password on May 27, 2011. You will need it to access your online company file. If you did not receive your password, contact Member Services to validate your e mail address.
• You will need to enter 2009 data for your 2009 Company Report.
• A credit for printed matter with post-consumer recycled content is available for companies who report printed matter that meets or exceeds prescribed thresholds.
• To be granted a credit for recycled content, you must:
- fill out the "Credit for Recycled Content" section of your Company Report, which will be displayed if you report printed matter on the "Data Entry" screen;
- submit your Company Report by the deadline;
- pay your entire contribution by the payment deadline;
- send in your credit request and supporting documentation accepted by EEQ before the contribution payment deadline; and
- obtain favourable results from EEQ's analysis of the admissibility of your supporting documentation.
More info
News and Highlights on 2009 Schedule of Contributions
Stewardship Ontario News
Register now for Stewardship Ontario's 2011 Sustainable Packaging Summit on June 21, 2011. The half-day steward summit will feature guest speakers who will share their experience, insight and information about global trends in sustainable packaging and what it means to consumer and recycling systems in Ontario.
The summit is taking place at the St. Andrew's Club & Conference Centre, 150 King St. W., 27th Floor, Toronto, 8:30 a.m. - 12 p.m., networking lunch from 12 p.m. - 1 p.m.
All attendees must register. Space is limited. Registration will close on Monday, June 13th or earlier if venue capacity is reached.
On May 26, 2011, Stewardship Ontario held a consultation meeting/webinar to review the Blue Box Program fee setting methodology.
Click here to see briefing materials and information from the presentation.
Industry News
Battle for Target Name in Canada Continues
Target Corp. and Fairweather Ltd. failed to reach a mediation settlement in Federal Court last week over who has the legal right to use the Target name in Canada. Justice Roger Hughes met with both parties together and separately last Thursday but reported that no settlement could be reached and no arrangements have been made for further meetings.
Target Corp. is seeking an injunction to block the Canadian company that owns the Fairweather women's wear chain from using the name "Target Apparel" in its stores. Toronto based Fairweather Ltd. has owned the Canadian rights to the name for 10 years, when it bought the assets from now defunct Dylex Ltd. Last year, Target Corp, filed a challenge with Canada's trademark office, claiming the Fairweather owner hasn't been using the Target name. Fairweather has been operating a Toronto clothing store under the name "Target Apparel" since 2005 and has ramped up the number of stores in Canada bearing that name in the last few months. Target Corp.'s request for an injunction is part of the company's response to a $250 million lawsuit filed against it by Fairweather Ltd., alleging trademark infringement.
The case is scheduled to go to trial in late 2012.
Member News
King Marketing Ltd. Announces Organizational Changes
On June 1st, King Marketing Ltd. announced that Roger Plante has been named Vice President of Sales for the agency. Mr. Plante has been a partner of King Marketing for 15 years and has been with the company for 21 years. He was previously the territory manager for the Prairies. Reporting to Mr. Plante will be Joel Broughton who recently transferred from the western regional manager position for King Marketing's service group Mentor Merchandising. Joel works out of King's head office in Richmond, B.C. Also reporting to Roger will be Steve Guterres, King's long serving Ontario manager. Roger, Steve and Joel will be directing an experienced sales team in Ontario and Western Canada.
King Marketing recently expanded its manufacturer's agency to the Western United States. Brian Denney who had previously worked with Moen and American Standard joined King at the beginning of April and is based in Corona, California.
King Marketing is one of the largest manufacturer's agencies in Canada and represents leading manufacturers in the retail home improvement channel. For further information please contact Paul Crawford, King's President at 1 866 462 5810.
Association News
CHHMA Welcomes New Member Companies
The CHHMA Board of Directors is pleased to announce the following new CHHMA member companies:
Fusion Glass Works Inc. - Canadian owned manufacturer of doorlites (windows) stained and leaded glass cabinet doors, mirrored doors etc. They are located in Brampton, Ontario.
Multinautic International - Canadian manufacturer of dock and marine hardware kits and floats. They are located in St. Sauveur, Quebec.
Southwire Canada - Manufacturer of wire and cable products here in Canada. A division of a USA parent company. They are located in Stouffville, Ontario.
SnowBear Limited - Manufacturer of utility trailers and snow plough blades for pickups and small tractors. They are located in Guelph, Ontario.
CHHMA Scholarship Program Deadline July 15th
The CHHMA is once again pleased to be able to offer the opportunity for children of employees of our member companies to apply for a scholarship to help offset the cost of post-secondary education. The Association recognizes the importance of education and therefore encourages children of our member companies to attend University or College.
Five to seven scholarships are awarded each year. Successful candidates receive $1,000 CDN per year for the first two years of study leading to a diploma or degree from an accredited community college or university.
The scholarship program is available to the dependents of any current full-time employees of the CHHMA or member companies. The program is only offered to Canadian companies or divisions of companies based in Canada which are members of the CHHMA. The member company must remain a member in good standing in order for the student to qualify for the second year of the scholarship. The student's parent or guardian must be an active full-time employee with at least one year seniority with the CHHMA or member company as of July 15th in the year of application. Applicants must be high school seniors preparing to enter an accredited community college or university in the fall term, and attain a minimum average of 75% in the last year of high school. The decision of the Selection Committee and the CHHMA is final and not open to appeals. The CHHMA reserves the right to withdraw a scholarship should the student's parent(s) or guardian(s) voluntarily leave the employment of the CHHMA or member company, or if employment is terminated for just cause prior to the start of the school year, or if the company terminates its membership in the Association.
Complete details and application forms can be found at http://www.chhma.ca/Public/Scholarship-Program.
The CHHMA must receive applications from potential candidates no later than July 15th.
Since 2001, the CHHMA has awarded $108,000 towards scholarships and some 54 young people have benefited from the scholarship program.
Still Time to Register for the CHHMA Night at the Races
The 15th Annual CHHMA Night at the Races is taking place next Wednesday, June 15 at the Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto. This year's event is being held in the Favourites Dining Room, which offers a spectacular view of the track from any table. Sample from the mouth-watering buffet while you cheer on your favourite horse or catch all the replay action on the TV located at each table. The traditional CHHMA betting challenge also offers a chance for you to win some prizes too.
So invite some customers or bring a group of your colleagues out for an evening of fun, camaraderie and team building (spouses are welcome too).
Click here for further details or to register.
RONA Breakfast Seminar
Last Tuesday, CHHMA members in Quebec were treated to a breakfast seminar by Jean-Luc Meunier and Vincent Legault of RONA inc. Mr. Meunier is Senior Vice President, Affiliate Dealer-Owner Network Development and he explained the succession program that RONA has in place for its independent dealers. Mr. Legault, a second generation owner of a RONA hardware store in Riviere-des-Prairies, Quebec, discussed his experience in the industry and the opportunity to now own his own store and the help he received from the RONA succession program.
Economic News
Housing Starts Up Modestly in May
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) released its latest data earlier today that showed that the seasonally adjusted annual rate of housing starts was up 2.7% to 183,600 units in May from 178,700 units in April.
"Housing starts increased modestly in May due to an increase in multiple construction in most provinces and in rural starts," said Bob Dugan, Chief Economist at CMHC's Market Analysis Centre. "The increase in multiples and rural starts was partly off-set by a decrease in single starts."
The seasonally adjusted annual rate of urban starts increased by 0.8% to 161,000 units in May. Urban multiple starts were up by 4.0% in May to 100,000 units, while single urban starts decreased by 4.1% to 61,000 units.
May's seasonally adjusted annual rate of urban starts increased by 33.3% in B.C., by 13.5% in Quebec, by 11.0% in the Atlantic region, and by 10.0% in the Prairie region. Ontario posted a decrease of 22.9% over the same period.
Rural starts were estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 22,600 units in May.
Analysts see some softness in the housing market. "Note that housing starts and building permits reached a cycle peak of around 200,000 back in Q1 of last year and since then the trend has been a slowly declining one, despite a low interest rate environment," said economist Krishen Rangasamy of CIBC World Markets in the Globe & Mail.
April Building Permits Drop 21%
Statistics Canada reported on Monday that the value of building permits fell 21.1% to $5.3 billion in April, after increasing 16.8% in March and 9.8% in February. Compared to April 2010, permit values were down 19.7%. The value of permits decreased in seven provinces, with Ontario posting the largest decline. Alberta, Newfoundland & Labrador registered gains.
In the non-residential sector, the value of permits fell 33.2% to $1.9 billion, after reaching high levels in the previous two months. The drop was due primarily to lower construction intentions for institutional buildings in Ontario. Decreases were also posted in six other provinces.
In the residential sector, the value of permits fell 12.6% to $3.5 billion from March mainly due to declines in Ontario multi-family units. Municipalities issued $1.3 billion worth of building permits for multi-family dwellings in April, down 31.3% from March, when the value of multi-family permits more than doubled. Ontario and Quebec accounted for much of the decline. In contrast, seven provinces posted increases, led by Alberta and B.C. The value of permits for single-family dwellings rose 3.7% to $2.2 billion in April, a second consecutive monthly increase. The advance was attributable to gains in six provinces, led by Alberta and B.C.
Municipalities approved the construction of 15,4127 new dwellings in April, down 10.4% from March. The decline was the result of a 20.3% decrease in multi-family dwellings to 8,342 units. Single-family dwellings rose 5.1% to 7,075 units.
Emanuella Enenajor, at CIBC World Market was quoted in the Financial Post as saying that "the softness in residential permits continues to suggest home building activity will ramp down this year, with roughly a 10% drop in housing starts for 2011 from the previous year."
U.S. Job Growth Slows in May
U.S. companies hired fewer workers than expected in May and the jobless rate rose to 9.1% as high gasoline prices, bad weather and disruptions to motor vehicle production because of a shortage of parts from Japan after March's earthquake bogged down the economy.
The Labor Department said last Friday that non farm payrolls increased 54,000 in May, the weakest reading since September. Private sector employment rose just 83,000, the least since June, while government payrolls dropped 29,000 jobs. Also, the department revised employment figures for March and April to show 39,000 fewer jobs created than previously estimated. Economists had expected payrolls to rise 150,000 and private hiring to increase 175,000 in May.
The data suggests the U.S. economy has hit a soft patch after a strong start. The pace of hiring in the U.S. has weakened dramatically from the previous three months, when the economy added an average of 220,000 new jobs per month. Local governments have cut jobs 22 straight months and have shed 446,000 positions since September 2008. Officials at the Federal Reserve see the current downshift in the U.S. economy as temporary.
High gasoline costs hurt consumer spending in the first quarter and slowed economic growth to a 1.8% annual pace after the economy expanded at a 3.1% rate in the previous quarter. The U.S. economy has regained only a fraction of the more than 8 million jobs lost during the recession. Economists say job growth above 300,000 a month is needed to make significant progress in reducing the pool of 13.9 million unemployed Americans.
The unemployment rate rose in May to 9.1% from 9.0% in April as some more people re-entered the labour market after the hiring pick-up in April.
May's hiring weakness was widespread. Retail employment, which recorded its largest increase in 10 years in April, fell 8,500 last month. Manufacturing payrolls contracted 5,000 in May, the first decline since October, and included a drop of 3,400 in the auto sector. Car makers cut back on production because they are having difficulties purchasing parts. Construction employment rose 2,000 positions. The Leisure and Hospitality sector cut 6,000 jobs, after an average addition of 43,000 jobs in the previous three months.
The average work week held steady at 34.4 hours and there were few signs of wage inflation, with average hourly earnings rising 6 cents.
CHHMA Events For 2011
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Night at the Races
Wednesday, June 15
Woodbine Racetrack, Toronto, Ontario
Soiree Karting/Go Karting Night
Thursday, September 1
Circuit ICAR, Mirabel, Quebec
Industry Memorial Golf Classic
Tuesday, September 27
Blue Springs Golf Club, Acton, Ontario
Industry Cocktail
Tuesday, November 29
Location TBA, Montreal, Quebec
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To register for all events visit our website at www.chhma.ca or call Pam Winter at (416) 282-0022 ext.21.
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"Eye On Our Industry" is published by the CHHMA as an information resource for our members. Member input regarding content and format is welcomed. Please contact Michael Jorgenson by email: mjorgenson@chhma.ca, or call at (416) 282-0022, ext. 34. CHHMA is located at 1335 Morningside Ave., Suite 101, Scarborough, ON, M1B 5M4 www.chhma.ca