Resources

SMART, the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers, is one of North America’s most dynamic and diverse unions with 203,000 members. SMART’s members produce and provide the vital services that move products to market, passengers to their destinations and ensure the quality of the air we breathe. We are sheet metal workers, service technicians, bus operators, engineers, conductors, sign workers, welders, production employees and more. With members in scores of different occupations, we advocate for fairness in the workplace, excellence at work and opportunity for all working families.

The Sheet Metal arm of SMART, formerly the Sheet Metal Workers International Association, represents 136,000 members in the sheet metal and related trades. Our union has a reputation for providing its signatory partners and customers a professionally trained work force that strives to always deliver excellence in workmanship, training, skill and integrity.

SMART strives, through its industry’s code of excellence, to be honest, trustworthy, productive and reliable for a long-lasting relationship. SMART construction apprentices and journeymen use the newest equipment and training in their day-to-day work. The training SMART members receive is done through a 5-year apprentice program, on the job and extensive classroom training. SMART journeymen continue to advance their skills and certifications utilizing our world class training centers to stay abreast of changes in technology and work practices.

SMART members are unique in the construction industry as the only trade that designs, manufactures and installs our own products. These skilled craftspersons take ordinary types of flat metal and make them into specialized products for various duct and ventilation systems, as well as architectural and specialized metal fabrication. Members of the trade are proud of its special distinction: They not only build; they create.

Founded in 1943, The Central Ontario Building and Construction Trades Council (COBT) was originally known as the Toronto Building Trades. Our name was changed to better reflect the geographical areas we represent, including: Northumberland County, the County of Peterborough, the County of Simcoe, the County of Haliburton, the District Municipality of Muskoka, the City of Toronto, Regional Municipality of York, the Regional Municipality of Peel and the portion of Halton east of Trafalgar, the Regional Municipality of Durham and the City of Kawartha Lakes (formerly the County of Victoria). The COBT represents 25 trade union affiliates and tens of thousands of skilled men and women, united as one voice for the construction industry. We are very proud of the collaborative relationships we enjoy with our affiliates as we advocate on behalf of them and our members to support the families and communities that we represent.

The Provincial Building and Construction Trades Council of Ontario is an organization that represents 12 craft unions in the construction sector, totaling 150,000 workers throughout the province. Our mission is to give construction workers a collective voice in the workplace, to help ensure that workers are well-trained to meet industry needs, and to promote healthy and safe work conditions with decent wages, pensions and benefits. Part of our success stems from the effective partnerships we have established with our signatory contractors and owner-clients who work with our affiliates to achieve public and private infrastructure needs.

The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) – a voluntary federation of 57 national and international labor unions.The AFL-CIO union movement represents 11.5 million members, including 3 million members in Working America, its new community affiliate. We are teachers and truck drivers, musicians and miners, firefighters and farm workers, bakers and bottlers, engineers and editors, pilots and public employees, doctors and nurses, painters and laborers and more.

Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) – The Canadian Labour Congress is the largest democratic and popular organization in Canada with over three million members. The Canadian Labour Congress brings together Canada’s national and international unions, the provincial and territorial federations of labour and 130 district labour councils.

The Ontario Construction Secretariat (OCS) is a dynamic, not-for-profit organization focused on enhancing Ontario’s unionized ICI construction industry. For the past two decades, OCS has helped facilitate positive labour relations by providing value-added research and creating opportunities for dialogue between our labour, management and government partners. OCS is a trusted leader in Ontario’s unionized ICI construction industry.

Unionized Construction Works. FACT: The unionized construction industry has the best trained and most highly skilled workers and contractors in the entire industry. This means that major and minor projects alike benefit from the superiority of this workforce – better quality, commitment to safety and innovative best practices. All of this adds up to better long-term value for buyers of construction – just a few of the many reasons why Unionized Construction Works.

Helmets to Hardhats Canada (H2H) has been incorporated in Canada as a Not for Profit Organization. It is similar to its sister H2H program in the United States, but is designed to provide an opportunity in Canada for anyone who has served (or is currently serving and looking to transition to a civilian career) in either the Regular or Reserve Force Components of the Canadian Forces. The program offers the required apprenticeship training to achieve journey person status in any of the applicable trades within the building and construction industry. Depending on existing qualifications and experience, the apprenticeship training process may be shortened or by-passed so as to enable a fast-tracked achievement of journeyperson status.

Government of Ontario (Main Website). Ontario's vibrant multiculturalism and varied landscapes make this a great place to live and to visit. Find out more about Ontario’s people, places, and history.

The Legislative Assembly of Ontario is made up of members of provincial Parliament (MPPs) who are elected by Ontarians to represent them and their constituencies. The Legislative Assembly’s main responsibilities are to debate and pass legislation, to hold the government to account, and to approve government spending. The Legislative Assembly meets in the Legislative Building located in Queen’s Park in Toronto. Information on members of the legislature, Bills and Committees can be accessed through the website.

Government of Ontario (Ministry of Labour, Skills and Development) Working to prevent workplace injuries and illnesses, promoting and enforcing employment standards, helping settle workplace disputes and collective agreements, supporting apprenticeships, the skilled trades, industry training and employment services in Ontario.

Work in your profession or trade

Learn about the services available in Ontario to help you continue working in your profession or trade if you’ve been trained in another country.

e-Laws – a database of Ontario’s statutes and regulations, both consolidated and source law. The e-Laws database is updated continually. Specific information about the currency of consolidated law on e-Laws is contained within each consolidated statute and regulation. New source law is usually published on e-Laws within two business days.

The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) promotes workplace health and safety, and provides a workers compensation system for the employers and workers of Ontario. There is extensive information on this site about prevention, forms, health issues, return to work programs, and links to other health and safety organizations.

The Office of the Employer Adviser provides Ontario employers with expert, free and confidential advice, representation and education on all workers' compensation issues under the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, and on unjust reprisal issues under the Occupational Health and Safety Act.

The Ontario Labour Relations Board is an adjudicative agency of the Government of Ontario. The Board is an independent, adjudicative tribunal issuing decisions based upon the evidence presented and submissions made to it by the parties, and upon its interpretation and determination of the relevant legislation and jurisprudence. It plays a fundamental role on the labour relations regime in Ontario and encourages harmonious relations between employers, employees and trade unions by dealing with matters before it as expeditiously and as fairly as reasonably possible. The OLRB's mandate is to provide, as an independent tribunal, excellence in administrative justice through the effective resolution of labour and employment disputes.

The Ontario Dispute Adjudication for Construction Contracts (“ODACC”) is the Authorized Nominating Authority (“ANA”) under the Construction Act. As the ANA, ODACC is responsible for administering construction-related adjudications and for training and qualifying Adjudicators.

Government of Canada (Main Website)

Structure of the Government of Canada Information on the Crown, Governor General of Canada, Prime Minister, Ministers, Cabinet, Parliament. Departments and agencies.

The Senate is Parliament’s Upper Chamber. Senators are appointed by the Governor General, on the advice of the Prime Minister, to represent Canada’s regions, provinces and territories. The Senate’s 105 seats are distributed by region to ensure equal representation across the country. Senators are Canadians of accomplishment and experience from various professional backgrounds. Senators refine legislation, suggest amendments, introduce bills and debate on current issues. Much of the Senate’s work is done in committee, where Senators use their expertise and hear from witnesses to study bills.

The House of Commons is Parliament’s elected Lower Chamber. Each of the 338 Members of Parliament (MPs) represents a specific geographic area in Canada, known as a constituency. MPs bring the concerns of the people who elected them to the House of Commons. They spend much of their time debating, voting and participating in committees.

Information on Bills and Committees can be accessed through the website.

Service Canada is a federal institution that is part of Employment and Social Development Canada.

Service Canada provides Canadians with a single point of access to a wide range of government services and benefits. We are committed to improving services for Canadians by working with partners to provide access to the full range of government services and benefits that Canadians want and need through the Internet, by telephone, in person or by mail.

Infrastructure Health and Safety Association (IHSA) – is a leader in health and safety education. Through skills-based training, auditing, and evaluation, we provide safety solutions to those who perform high-risk activities such as working at heights, working with energized high-voltage power systems, driving motor vehicles, transporting dangerous goods, working on suspended access equipment, and utility line clearing.

We incorporate a research-based educational methodology in everything we do, from the needs assessment stage through to program development, delivery, and evaluation. This comprehensive evaluation framework, which measures program and performance outcomes, is a critical element in high-risk activity education.

The Sheet Metal Occupational Health Institute Trust (SMOHIT) was founded in 1986 to address the impact of decades-long asbestos exposure on those working in the sheet metal industry. While screenings and research on asbestos and other hazardous materials continue to be the cornerstone of SMOHIT’s efforts, our expanding mission now includes being the sheet metal industry’s leading resource for health and safety products and services. Our mission is to provide industry-leading health and safety solutions to minimize occupational illnesses and injuries for sheet metal craftsmen.

We serve more than 216,000 members of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (SMART) and 4,500 members of the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors’ National Association (SMACNA).

We offer the highest quality of safety training available, making their workforce more productive and economical. The well-being of sheet metal workers remains, as always, our primary focus.

The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation is passionate about Conquering Cancer in Our Lifetime. In January 2017, we successfully achieved our Billion Dollar Challenge, a historic five-year campaign securing more than $1 billion, in partnership with Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, for personalized cancer medicine. With the funds and the generosity of our community of supporters, we are now in the early days of delivering on our promise of Personalized Cancer Medicine.

De Novo is an alcohol and drug treatment service operated as a partnership between management and unionized members of Ontario’s construction trades. We serve unionized construction workers, employers and their families.

Prompt Payment Ontario - Ontario Construction Act Trade Contractors Guide 

Ontario Sheet Metal Contractors Association was an active member of Prompt Payment Ontario. PPO has published the guide and it is free for download.

Ontario Building Code

ASHRAE was formed as the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers by the merger in 1959 of American Society of Heating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHAE) founded in 1894 and The American Society of Refrigerating Engineers (ASRE) founded in 1904.

Technical standards and manuals developed by SMACNA members have worldwide acceptance by the construction and code community, as well as local and national government agencies. ANSI, the American National Standards Institute, has accredited SMACNA as a standards-setting organization. SMACNA standards and manuals address all facets of the sheet metal and HVAC industry – including duct construction and installation, indoor air quality, energy recovery, roofing and architectural sheet metal, welding, and commissioning.

The Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA) promotes and enforces public safety. It's our vision to be a valued authority for a safer Ontario. We deliver public safety services on behalf of the government of Ontario in four key sectors: Boilers and Pressure Vessels and Operating Engineers; Elevating Devices, Amusement Devices and Ski Lifts; Fuels; Upholstered and Stuffed Articles.
Established in 1997, we are a not-for-profit and self-funded organization. Our head office is in Toronto and we employ approximately 400 employees, 70% of whom work in operations. We are governed by a 13-member board of directors and accountable to the government of Ontario, the residents of Ontario and our other stakeholders. We fund our operations by charging industry customers a fee for the services that we provide.

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is a global self-funded nonprofit organization, established in 1896, devoted to eliminating death, injury, property and economic loss due to fire, electrical and related hazards. NFPA delivers information and knowledge through more than 300 consensus codes and standards, research, training, education, outreach and advocacy; and by partnering with others who share an interest in furthering our mission. Our mission is to help save lives and reduce loss with information, knowledge and passion.

CSA Group is one of the largest standards development organizations in North America – conducting research and developing standards for a broad range of technologies and functional areas.

Underwriters Laboratories of Canada (ULC) is an independent product safety testing, certification and inspection organization. We have tested products for public safety for 100 years and we are accredited by the Standards Council of Canada and International Accreditation Service, Inc.

The Air Movement and Control Association (AMCA) is an international, not-for-profit organization in the air movement and control industry.

Our mission is to advance the knowledge of air systems and uphold industry integrity on behalf of AMCA members worldwide. Through education and active advocacy, we do our best to provide a forward-moving environment for each of our members. Above all else, we strive to advance the industry and improve the community that it encompasses.