Shaken and Stirred
The scoop on Ontario’s new towing regulations By Max Reid This past year has shaken the Ontario towing industry to its very foundations, and we aren’t even talking about COVID. Widespread corruption, on the part of Ontario police departments at both the municipal and provincial level, as well as within the towing community itself, has […]
Open for Business
In some parts of Canada, hiring is no longer easy as 1-2-3 By Bianca Mazziotti With the seemingly ever-present skills shortage looming over the industry, Canadian collision centres have been getting creative in attracting new staff to their businesses post-pandemic. 1. ALBERTA Although Canada’s automotive industry has been having difficulty hiring people, not all hope […]
Reflect, React and Repeat
OARA representatives talk informed, ‘disciplined’ buying decisions By Allison Rogers With salvage in such short supply and buyers vying for any vehicle they can get their hands on; the role of the educated and disciplined buyer has never been more important. During a May 2021 Ontario Automotive Recyclers Association (OARA) virtual training session, led by […]
Electric Evaluations
Andrew Shepherd gives insight on I-CAR’s new courses By Max Reid With automakers the world over announcing wide-scale conversions of their fleets to battery-electric vehicles (EVs) and telematics systems becoming nearly commonplace, the collision repair industry is no longer simply on the verge of a technological revolution—we’re in the midst of it. That is why […]
Tomorrow’s Techs
The state of the modern autoshop class By David DiCenzo Matthew Lyle clearly remembers helping lead the inaugural Electric Car Team at Guelph Collegiate Vocational Institute as somewhat of a “catastrophe.” In 2016, Lyle, the Head of Technical Education at the Guelph-based high school, partnered with his Transportation Technology teacher colleague Dennis Ashley to form […]
The Artist’s Eye
How Keegan De France finds zen By Max Reid If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life. An old cliche adage that, for artists, often reads more like a statement on the difficulty of making a living than it does an encouraging line about passion for one’s work—a lack […]
MIND THE GAP
Canada’s ADAS calibration conundrum By Bianca Mazziotti and Allison Rogers The time to tackle advanced-driver assistance system (ADAS) calibration questions is now. Last year, Canadian startup adasThink unveiled a whitepaper wherein the company revealed 88 percent of calibrations were missed by Canadian bodyshops. Out of 100 estimates analyzed, 85 were missing a line item for […]
The Keys to Successful Staffing
Seven tips to secure top talent By Maddy Kylie Welcome to the Canadian aftermarket, where the average age of the collision repair technician is 49, and the average age of the apprentice is 29. In other words, the nation’s skills shortage has situated the industry in desperate times. Pile on a pandemic and the conundrum […]
The 411 on 410N
SATA Canada’s new apprenticeship course offering Do you have a trusted, skilled painter on your staff roster? If not, you better get to brushing up. It’s a secret to none that Canada’s automotive aftermarket is in the drawls of a skills shortage—and painters are no exception. In a July survey issued by Collision Repair magazine, […]
