What’s New: In Brief (May 16, 2008)

Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) is calling for a national action plan to upgrade water and sewage infrastructure across Canada.
The country’s critical infrastructure, particularly water and sewage systems, were built according to weather pattern assumptions that have become totally obsolete in the face of climate change, according to an IBC release.
During his “Climate Change and Canada’s Infrastructure Challenge” address to the Vancouver Board of Trade, IBC president and CEO MarkYakabuski outlined practical steps that could be taken to address the problem of climate change. He stressed the key is adaptation and improved infrastructure.
Among his recommendations, Yakabuski urged governments to:
improve aging infrastructure
strengthen building codes and build to stronger climatic design values
consider sweeping land use revisions.
“We cannot squarely face the future in this country if we do not accept the reality of climate change and take positive action before the calamities associated with it become totally unmanageable,” Yakabuski said.
In 2003, the federal and provincial governments in British Columbia announced 35 new “green” infrastructure projects, with a total value of nearly Cdn$127 million, under the rubric of the Canada-British Columbia Infrastructure Program.
Yakabuski applauded the initiatives of the British Columbia government in bringing forward what he said is arguably the most spirited climate change plan in Canada, including putting attention to the need for adaptation.
“This is a government that gets it, that has made climate change a real priority,” he said.

PPG is offering a broad range of classes throughout 2008, including:
collision refinish, including color (theory and application), Deltron and global certification and paint shop productivity training;
commercial coatings, including commercial truck estimating, Delfleet spot repair and color tinting, Delfleet training, color-accurate systems and commercial performance coatings;
distributor operations;
MVP business training and MVP green belt training; and
Nexa Autocolor products.