REFLECT ON YOUR PERSPECTIVE
LOVE YOUR JOB—THE MOT TO FOR 2025 BY ALLISON ROGERS As we wrap up this issue of Bodyworx Professional, let’s take a moment to reflect on the wild ride we call the collision repair industry. From paint mismatches to dent dilemmas, we’ve all navigated the ups and downs. Some days, it feels like we’re living […]
BREAKING BARRIERS AND SETTING STANDARDS
FOR CYNTHIA VILEZ, CSR AT CARSTAR TORCAM GROUP, EVERYDAY IS ABOUT SHOWCASING BEST PRACTICES BY SARAH PERKINS In an industry traditionally dominated by men, achieving excellence often requires not just skill and dedication, but also an unwavering commitment as a stand out woman. This is particularly true in the collision repair industry where technology and […]
THE FUTURE OF COLLISION REPAIR
TROPICANA COMMUNITY SERVICES HONOURS CLASSES OF 2023, 2024; SETS THEM FREE FOR APPRENTICESHIP LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES Tropicana Community Services recently celebrated the graduation of its 2023 and 2024 classes in the Auto Body and Collision Damage Repairer 310B Pre- Apprenticeship Program. Marking 14 years of the organization’s dedication to skills development in the Canadian collision repair […]
FROM THE SEMA STAGE
A LOOK BACK ON SEMA 2024 BY ALLISON ROGERS AND SARAH PERKINS This year’s SEMA Show——which took place from November 5 to 8, 2024—may have come and gone, and with it, the afterimage of the bright lights of Las Vegas, Nevada in attendees eyes, but when it comes to the hottest products for the collision […]
EMBRACING THE COLLISION COURSE
FOR CHRIS CHINN, DRIVING CHANGE IN THE COLLISION REPAIR INDUSTRY HAPPENS IN THE CLASSROOM AS MUCH A S ON THE SHOP FLOOR BY SARAH PERKINS For Chris Chinn, Network Operations Managerat Consolidated Collision Services (CCS) and professor at Centennial College, educating is similarly an effort to create connections within the industry and spark interest for […]
FROM RUST TO RADIANCE
SASKATCHEWAN POLYTECHNIC’S AUTOBODY STUDENTS BREATHE NEW LIFE INTO A 1959 IMPAL A CONVERTIBLE BY SARAH PERKINS For students pursuing careers in autobody repair, gaining diverse hands-on experience is essential. Engaging with a wide array of materials, techniques and vehicle types— both old and new—not only builds technical skills, but also instills the confidence needed to […]
CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS?!
FEELING RIVIAN BLUE A recent report from Bloomberg shares a history of serious health and safety violations at automaker Rivian’s plant in Normal, Illinois, including a former employee claiming to have experienced “Rivian Blue” bile after painting R1T pickup trucks without PPE. Notably, 20-year-old Addison Zwanzig told Bloomberg that within weeks of beginning to work […]
ELECTRIC VEHICLES
SCATTERED SAVINGS A new report from Clean Energy Canada, “Opening the Door,” indicates that switching to an electric vehicle can lead to significant household savings in all provinces except for Alberta. While the savings vary for detached homes, townhouses and condos, in all provinces except Alberta, households are saving money over time by making sustainable […]
TRAINING
AN ELECTRIC INVESTMENT On October 15, Vance Badawey, Member of Parliament, Niagara Centre and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport, announced a $365,854 investment from the federal government into Niagara College’s Motive Power program. This funding will be matched by the college through the 2023 Canadian Apprenticeship Strategy ‘Investments in Training Equipment’ program stream. […]
INDUSTRY
BUDDY UP Manitoba is reinstating its one-to-one apprentice-to-journeyperson ratio as of October 30, though collision centres may apply for exemption to keep the two-to-one ratio via the Automotive Trades Association (ATA) of Manitoba. ATA of Manitoba President Norm Bruneau said the organization will link the applicable apprenticeship forms on its website. “We’re happy to assist […]
