There is still a need for strong equipment supplier associations

As the directory of associations in this issue demonstrates, Canadians are well served by a multitude of water, wastewater, engineering and environment related organizations, which represent the common interests of their members.

It is my pleasure to serve as the 2019 – 2020 president of the Ontario Pollution Control Equipment Association (OPCEA). Having first been elected to the board in 1990, this is the third time I have had the honour of holding this position.

Founded in 1971, OPCEA strives to advocate, inform, and connect members with key policy- and decisionmakers and help them increase their competitiveness and profitability. The association presently has 150 member companies who are engaged in the manufacturing and/or distribution of environment related equipment and services in Ontario.

As OPCEA enters its 50 th year, I contacted our first president, John Reid, co-founder of Napier-Reid Ltd., to find out why equipment suppliers felt the need to first band together.

“OPCEA was founded mainly for the purpose of forming a representative body of ‘suppliers’ to the Ontario wastewater construction industry. At the time, the Ontario Mechanics Lien Act required that a purchaser of goods and services on an Ontario construction contract must pay at least 85% of the invoiced value of these items within a certain number of days from the date of an invoice. Failure to pay this amount within the required time period rendered the purchaser delinquent and subject to certain actions to the benefit of the supplier under the terms of the Act. And, the payment terms for the remaining 15% of the contract value were also dictated by the Lien Act.

Unfortunately, the terms of payment dictated by the Ministry of the Environment (MOE) preselection documents paid no attention to the terms dictated by the Mechanics Lien Act, with the result that the MOE terms resulted in equipment suppliers losing the protection offered by the Act. This situation alone was reason to form OPCEA for the purpose of convincing the MOE to change their payment terms for preselected equipment to terms that would provide suppliers the payment protection provided by the Act.

I still feel 50 years later that it is essential that equipment suppliers stick together as an ongoing working body and that OPCEA is important to the smooth operation of the Ontario water environment industry.”

As with many industry associations, the OPCEA executive is made up of dedicated volunteers who work extremely hard to serve member companies. This year, we entered into an agreement with ConstructConnect, which allows users to track project information from the bidding to completion stages (www.ConstructConnect.com). We are also keeping abreast of new changes to the Ontario Construction Lien Act, which became the Construction Act last year. Payment terms and hold backs are a key issue for equipment suppliers.

OPCEA’s mandate is similar to the Water and Wastewater Equipment Manufacturers Association (www.WWEMA.org), a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit trade association founded in 1908.

WWEMA advances the unique interests of the equipment manufacturers and their representatives in the areas of policy advocacy, regulatory education, and training, to support member-company operations and growth.

According to Board Chairman, John Dyson of Aqua-Aerobic Systems, “WWEMA, with its 110-year-plus history, continues to support improving the stateof-the-art of water treatment. Because of WWEMA, barriers to treatment innovation are being addressed to ultimately improve water quality, public health, and positively impact municipal budgets.”

There are other equipment associations across Canada, including the Ontario Water Works Equipment Association and the Atlantic Branch Equipment Association. New on the scene is the Ontario Clean Technology Industry Association (www.OCTIA.ca), which aims to promote, foster, and grow the broader clean technology sector in Ontario, including but not limited to renewable energy, energy storage, and water solutions.

“OCTIA joins other provincial organizations, such as ACTia in Alberta and Ecotech in Quebec, that are supporting their homegrown clean tech companies. OCTIA also represents Ontario in the CanadaCleantech Alliance, a national consortium with a mandate to advocate for clean tech companies, help brand Canada’s clean tech sector, and open doors to business opportunities for our members,” says Executive Director Kerry Freek.

Having had the opportunity to serve on numerous association boards, I would encourage all young professionals and the firms that employ them, to get involved with associations serving your fields. In addition to building personal networks at a face-to-face level, this is a chance to make a lasting impact on current and future generations.

Steve Davey is editor and publisher of ES&E Magazine. Email: steve@esemag.com