By / Mathieu Hamel • TIAC president
Dear TIAC Members and Future Members,
We are already approaching the end of summer, and soon it will mark one year since I had the privilege of serving as president of this outstanding organization, TIAC. Time truly flies!
Over the past several months, I have taken time to reflect on the progress we have made and the accomplishments we have achieved together. None of this would have been possible without the dedication, commitment, and leadership of our Board of Directors, as well as the many volunteers who serve on TIAC committees. A sincere and heartfelt thank you to each and every one of you. Your continued dedication is helping move our association forward in meaningful ways. The strength of our individual expertise, united within one national organization, makes TIAC a powerful voice for advancing the mechanical insulation industry across Canada.
One of the key objectives of our 2025–2027 Strategic Plan is to strengthen industry advocacy with government stakeholders regarding carbon policy, industry standards, and workforce development. To support this objective, Tristan Bertram has developed a clear action plan and strategic approach that will help us achieve meaningful results.
On October 5, TIAC will participate in Ottawa Advocacy Day, hosted by New Economy Canada. This full-day event will bring together business leaders, policymakers, and industry partners for keynote presentations, roundtable discussions, networking, and an evening reception. TIAC’s participation will help raise the visibility of mechanical insulation, strengthen important relationships, and ensure our industry’s contribution is reflected in national discussions about Canada’s growth and competitiveness. We are also working with New Economy Canada, provincial associations, and other industry partners to identify additional opportunities to promote mechanical insulation and demonstrate the value our sector brings to Canada. We look forward to sharing more about these initiatives as they develop.
Another important objective of our Strategic Plan is to drive innovation in education and training, and we are making excellent progress toward achieving this goal. Through the Alberta Industry Skills Grant, funded by the Government of Alberta, TIAC has developed a comprehensive foundational training program for people interested in entering the mechanical insulation trade. The program combines self-paced online learning with two weeks of hands-on, in-person instruction covering both commercial and industrial insulation. Participants are introduced to the materials, tools, safety practices, technical knowledge, and practical skills required to better understand the trade and pursue employment or further apprenticeship training. The program is already reaching hundreds of learners while helping raise awareness of mechanical insulation as a rewarding and essential skilled-trades career. The curriculum and training platform are also being developed to continue supporting the industry beyond the grant, with the potential for broader use across Canada following the project’s completion in March 2028. This is another tangible example of how we are advancing initiatives directly aligned with our Strategic Plan and investing in the future of our industry.
I would like to personally invite you to join us at the TIAC Annual Conference, which will be held in Québec City from August 19 to 22. It will be a great honour to welcome you to my home province. For those who have not yet registered for the conference, there is still time to do so!
Thank you, dear members, for your continued trust and support. I look forward to connecting with many of you in Québec City and to working together to further strengthen and advance our industry on a national scale.
I look forward to seeing you there. ▪
