2020 President's Message

April 24, 2020

To our Members and the General Public:

The Canadian Association of Pipeline and Utility Locating Contractors provides leadership, promotes safety, and works to enhance the value and reputation of the underground facility locating industry in Canada

Before I begin, I would like to personally thank each one of our members for your continued membership and welcome our new members to CAPULC. I would also like to recognize our sponsors for your continued support of our association. Without the support from our members and our sponsors, none of our efforts would be possible.

This has been another exciting and successful year for our association. We have seen some changes over the year, and I would like to thank the Board of Directors for their ongoing dedication in representing CAPULC. We went through an administration change in November and welcomed Wendy Gibbons to our team. I would like to thank her for her efforts in keeping business flowing.

The CAPULC website has been seeing some updating to showcase our videos and pictures from past events. Please visit it and promote CAPULC amongst your colleagues and business associates. Word of mouth is a great promotional tool to help our association grow to seek more opportunities. I would like to remind all of our Regular members you can add up to four (4) additional team members to your bundle membership. I encourage all members to login into your member profile to keep your information current and updated to ensure you are receiving regular communication from CAPULC. Please include your service areas and services you provide to your profile so your business and contact information are listed under the Locate a Locator section on the website.

Do not forget to peruse the Members Only section where you will find all our meeting minutes and presentations under Association Business. Please continue to visit the CAPULC Marketplace to find special member discounts on products from various suppliers, the list has grown over the past few years and will continue to grow. Also, members can post a job ad on our Careers Page that is advertised on our Home Page. If you have any questions on how to access any of this information, please email the CAPULC office at admin@capulc.ca or call 1-888-492-8279.

Our 2019 Annual General Meeting, Safety Conference, and inaugural Locate Rodeo was hosted on April 17^th and April 18^th; both were a big success. Special thanks go to our sponsors and exhibitors. I appreciate your dedication and the time and resources you shared with us. A great big THANK YOU to the Locate Rodeo Committee for doing an outstanding job. I appreciate everyone’s time and effort in planning and organizing our first rodeo event. We had great attendance from a diverse group of people in the industry throughout Canada. The Rodeo was a chance for everyone to showcase their knowledge and skills, have a good time and learn a little something. Congratulations to the winners and thank you to all that participated. I am already looking forward to our next one!

The “The Locator” was released in January 2020, a bit delayed because of our recent administrative transition. I would like to thank everyone for their contributions to

The Locator, your submissions are respected and greatly appreciated. We plan to release the next year’s issue in October 2020 keeping this timeline in the future. This annual publication is the first magazine in Western Canada geared towards Line Locating and Ground Disturbance. The annual publication focuses on CAPULC initiatives, Industry Best Practices, new Legislation and Damage Prevention related topics. CAPULC welcomes all suggestions for topics and invites everyone to submit papers for possible inclusion into future magazine editions. We aim to give readers the answers and information they need with each issue, and we hope you enjoy reading them.

This past year I continued to represent our association as a member of the Board of Directors on the Canadian Common Ground Alliance (CCGA) and theAlberta Common Ground Alliance (ABCGA). I actively participated in those Association Director’s meetings on a regular basis ensuring CAPULC’s members voices were heard.

CAPULC continues to work towards the Underground Facility Locator: Designated Occupation Application. Our efforts to resubmit a new application for recognition for UFL’s in Alberta has been delayed. We have been working with Michelle Tetreault, Executive Director with the ABCGA and with like-minded and similar goals, the opportunities and benefits of working collaboratively would bring the industry together. A Competency Task Force Committee is planned to be in place this coming year and will be reaching out to all members to join this initiative. Please contact admin@capulc.ca if you are interested in becoming a part of this important committee.

CAPULC is responsible for establishing and sanctioning the minimum health, safety and environmental protection standards that govern the locating industry and its members business operations. As part of these responsibilities, CAPULC has continued to endorse Locate Management’s Underground Facility Locator (UFL) certificate program. The program adheres to the CAPULC’s Underground Facility Locator (UFL) Competency Cycle which can be found online by downloading our Code of Ethics Form. Just a reminder, the CAPULC MEMBERSHIP OATH must be signed each year upon your membership renewal and sent to admin@capulc.ca.

We have faced many challenges this year, but with these challenges come an opportunity to celebrate our successes as we continue to thrive with over 100 members. While our association continues to grow during a volatile economy, our industry is not exempt during these unsettling times and our members are being impacted at all levels. We understand the challenges related to the impact of COVID-19. Although a lot of time and planning went into the 2020 Safety Conference and Trade Show, having to redesign our AGM to demonstrate social distancing to help stop the spread of this virus yet keep in line with our bylaws allows us to gather. The safety and wellness of our members and sponsors is our top priority.

Hosting our 1^st National Locate Rodeo at our 2019 AGM and Safety Conference was extremely exciting. CAPUL C is continuing our work as the Canadian voice of the industry and we look forward to continuing to work towards the Underground Facility Locator: Designated Occupation Application. It is important that we continually receive recognition for our industry and our profession.

On behalf of the Board of Directors, we would like to extend our appreciation to our members who continue to support our association and our goals. Our members are valued, and we look forward to serving you again this upcoming membership year. Together we will continue to promote our association and the Board will continue to be your voice on important legislation and changes that affects the locating industry and the damage prevention community.

We are all in this together. Take care. Stay safe.

Sincerely,

Randy Palaniuk