The Barrie Construction Association’s committees co-ordinate association’s key activities and responsibilities. If you would like to participate and serve on a BCA committee, please call Alison Smith, executive director, 705-726-5864 ext. 3 or email alisonsmith@barrieca.com.
Committee involvement and participation is truly an effective opportunity to contribute to the association, participate in activities which you enjoy and for which you have expertise, and to network and build lasting relationships.
Here’s what committees have been up to over the past year. They are always looking for new volunteers!!
Charitable Donations – Josh O’Connor/Cassie Frengopoulos/Jeanne Kempffer/Mike Sanfilippo
Responsibilities:
- consider donation and/or participation requests from community organizations. To spearhead charitable endeavours that promote the BCA in the community
- evaluate Jordan Abercrombie Bursary applications
BCA members supported the following charities and organizations in our community this past year:
- Festival of Trees – Festival of Trees lights are lit during the Santa Claus parade and remain lit until the spring. Fundraising proceeds go to the Rotary Club of Barrie
- Barrie Food Bank – The Barrie Construction Association was proud to be a community supporter through the launch of the Food Bank Challenge. For every dollar that was donated by our members, the BCA matched it up to $2000. In total, members raised over $29 000!!
- Christmas Cheer – BCA Board and staff volunteered to assist in providing food and toy hampers to those less fortunate in our community
- Three deserving students received the Jordan Abercrombie Memorial Bursary Award – Kevin Buset, Luke Charlebois and Alex Oostveen
- Camphill Communities – Working with members and Camphill Communities to provide assistance with the new build of a community home in downtown Barrie
- BCA’s Women in Construction group spear-headed campaigns to assist the Women & Children’s Centre
- Big Brothers/Big Sisters Bowling – members participated in a bowling challenge and supported the littles with donations – The Construction Challenge was the most successful campaign this year raising over $29 332
- BCA members supported the Canadian Mental Health Association by raising over $1000 at our annual Spring Golf Tournament
- BCA’s Rowdy Ride fired up motorcycles to raise funds for youth seeking assistance from the local chapter of the Canadian Mental Health Association and raised over $3 000
- BCA Adopted a Highway – board, staff and members removed debris from a section of County Road 22 in Minesing
Thank you to each and every member of the BCA for supporting our community. Whether you volunteer in person or make financial donations, simply by continuing to be a member of the BCA – you are making a difference.
Government and Procurement Relations – Cassie Frengopoulos/Mike Sanfilippo/Chantal Seguin/Anita Stacey/Dennis Tuck/Geoff Unwin
Responsibilities:
- ensure that the Association protects the industry’s interests regarding fair, open and transparent procurement
- develop and maintain relationships with the public buyers of construction and local government
Here are some of the activities that the BCA government and procurement relations committee completed this year:
- In January 2024 Alison Smith, BCA’s Executive Director made a presentation to Minister of Finance in advance of the 2024 Ontario Budget. Ms. Smith stressed the need for reforms to the building permit procedures and suggested a multi-ministry task force to streamline the process for ICI construction.
- Multiple meetings were held with municipal staff from the City of Barrie and Bradford West Gwillimbury to explain the procedural difficulties and inconsistencies that BCA members experience
- BCA hosted a roundtable discussion with members in order to make determinations on how to best effect changes municipally and provincially
Public Relations & Business Development – Jeanne Kempffer/Chantal Seguin/Scott Everton/Colleen Ewart/Josh O’Connor/Mike Sanfilippo/Anita Stacey
Responsibilities:
- explore opportunities for membership attraction and retention
- increase sustainability through expansion of revenue streams
- promote the Association to our industry and community
The committee assisted with organizing amazing networking events including the annual
- Member Appreciation BBQ
- Hockey tournament (WMI Engineering took home the cup!)
- Annual General Meeting/Trivia Night
- May Member Meet & Greet at the Sandbox
- The always popular Spring Golf Tournament at Bear Creek
Skilled Trades Promotion – Brian Westermann/Randy Dignard/Scott Everton/Jeanne Kempffer/Chantal Seguin/Geoff Unwin
Responsibilities:
- raise the profile and awareness of skilled trades as a viable career option
The Committee fulfilled its mandate by attending Career Fairs at Bradford District High School, Orillia District High School and Georgian College. BCA partnered with InvestBarrie to host a job fair at Allandale Recreation Centre with over 400 of the general public in attendance.
Our annual student site tours are being expanded this year to accommodate additional schools and boards.
On May 17, students from St. Joan of Arc and Innisdale toured both a Commercial and Civil construction site, on May 22 we hosted guidance teachers from across Simcoe County to share with them the benefits of promoting construction as a career choice to their students. They visited the high-rise residential construction on Johnson Street and road reconstruction on Lockhart Road. In the fall we will be hosting the French School Board and Nantyr Shores Secondary School.
