Membership Directory
The Membership Directory will be mailed in the next few days. It includes 208 membership listings, and was well supported by advertisers. Listings of non-members were not included. The listings for suppliers/affiliates have been expanded and we have added international members in Bermuda, France, India, Malaysia and United Kingdom.
Identity Kit
CAM has designed an identity kit, which is intended to make you more visible to your customers. The kit is being mailed with the Membership Directory. It includes a framed membership certificate, decals for your front door and your vehicles, and a sheet of logos to be used for printing. Logos in digital formats, suitable for your PCs, MACs and websites, may be downloaded from our website.
American Moving and Storage Association
CAM members (Denis Frappier and Scott Naylor) and association staff (David Long and John Levi) met with staff of the American Moving and Storage Association (AMSA) in mid June to discuss how the two organizations can work together to the advantage of their respective memberships. CAM is now a member of AMSA and vice versa. This means that we as an organization will be better plugged in to what is happening in the US and they in Canada. Information will be exchanged for each organization's newsletter.
Certified Moving Consultant's Course
CAM has entered into an agreement with the AMSA to exclusively administer and distribute the Certified Moving Consultant's course in Canada, as well as to add Canadian content. The course has been distributed to the directors of CAM for their input and should be ready for distribution in October or November. CAM will be assisting AMSA on July 7 when we act as "proctors" for three Mackie Moving employees who will be taking the exam.
The line in last month's bulletin should have read: "CAM will be working with AMSA to produce a Certified Moving Consultant's course", not a Certified Management Consultant's course.
Year 2000 Computer Problems
Finance Minister Paul Martin announced tax relief for small and medium-sized business in addressing the Year 2000 computer compliance problem. Under the tax relief, accelerated capital cost allowance (CCA) deductions of up to $50,000 will be provided to small and medium-sized firms for computer hardware and software acquired to replace systems that are not Year 2000 compliant. The Year 2000 compliance problem is a design flaw in software applications that could play havoc when the calendar changes from 1999 to 2000. An accelerated CCA deduction will be provided to firms on the cost of computer hardware and software acquired between January 1, 1998 and June 30, 1999. Accelerated CCA deductions combined with regular CCA claims will result in 100% of the cost of eligible expenditures being deductible in the year of acquisition.
Hour of Service Regulations
The CAM office has a copy of the minutes from the April 28 - 29 Hours of Service Working Group meeting organized by the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators (CCMTA). As a full participant on the working group, CAM has been asked to keep confidential those discussions as "no final positions or consensus had been reached on any of the issues." Chairman Derek Sweet (Transport Canada) has noted that "although considerable progress has been made, further consultation and analysis will be required before changes to the regulations are proposed."
Truck Inspection Results Best This Decade
The Ontario Trucking Association reports that the percentage of trucks taken out of service during the recent three-day annual truck inspection blitz for failure to comply with all maintenance standards, is the lowest it has been this decade. The OTA also reports that the 1996 results indicate a 25% decrease in fatal truck-related crashes since 1998.
Golf Tournament
CAM's 1998 Annual Golf Tournament is scheduled for Tuesday, September 15 at the Cardinal Golf Club just north of Toronto. Registration forms will be faxed out to you shortly. Get a foursome together and attend.
Bottom Line
It's new; it's yours; use it; help us keep it going - contribute a news item! Give a copy to a non-member and encorage them to join.
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