January 31, 2012

GREEN GECKO PHOTOGRAPHY

Don Sloat, outgoing president of the Ontario Sewer and Watermain Construction Association, left, passes the torch to incoming president Mark Van Bree. The OSWCA is celebrating its 41st year at its AGM this week.

Mark Van Bree takes over as Ontario Sewer and Watermain Construction Association president

TORONTO

The Ontario Sewer and Watermain Construction Association is celebrating its 41st year at its annual general meeting and conference this week.

The conference, which began on Jan. 28 and runs until Feb. 4, marked a changeover in presidents. Outgoing president Don Sloat passed the torch over to incoming president Mark Van Bree.

Sloat told the over 200 conference attendees that “it has been an honour and a pleasure to serve as the OSWCA’s 37th president.”

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Sloat accomplished a great deal during his presidency. He visited local OSWCA associations to gain a deeper understanding of their issues and bring those points of view back to the board. He also renewed the association’s focus on education, offering more courses than ever before with 14 new courses focusing on industry related issues.

The OSWCA worked with other organizations to re-introduce the One Call Act, which went through first and second reading at Queen’s Park. If passed, the Act would establish Ontario One Call Ltd. as a not-for-profit call centre , single point-of contact, for all underground utility location services in Ontario.

“Having all party support should ensure that we move a mandatory one-call system in a timely fashion,” said Sloat.

The province’s 10-year infrastructure plan garnered support from all provincial parties as well.

“We worked closely with the Ministry of Infrastructure on the official 10 year infrastructure plan and were pleased to see a section in the plan specifically referencing water and wastewater. The plan addresses the need for the municipal sector to institute comprehensive system audits and maintenance programs,” he said.

As Van Bree assumes the 38th OSWCA presidency he said he will continue to support the current membership and looks forward to hearing about concerns first hand.

“Making the OSWCA a true Ontario association is an important next step for a bright future. We will actively seek out new Ontario locals,” he said.

“I want to ensure that our young men and women have access to the tools they require to grow our industry now and into the future. Therefore, a continued focus on education and training will be of the upmost importance.”

The conference also features open forum round table discussions and keynote speaker Don Yaeger, a New York Times best-selling author and long-time associate editor for Sports Illustrated.

DCN NEWS SERVICES

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