HOW ARE YOU?

Take a mental-health checkpoint BY ALLISON ROGERS Nearly at the year mark in this global pandemic, you are undoubtedly tired. We all are. Days drag on like cold molasses. We miss social contact. A return to ‘normal life’ seems six horizons away. What strategies are you taking to keep yourself sane? Conversations recognizing the importance […]

WHAT MAKES A GOOD MENTOR?

In my experience… BY BEN HART I love this trade. Collision repair has treated me well from an eager apprentice, to a journeyman and now an instructor. With that said, it hasn’t all been a fairy tale of ideology. I had a few rough years, made many mistakes and ventured down the wrong path at […]

NOT FORD—FOSS

CANADA’S FIRST GASOLINE ENGINE AUTOMOBILE BY JULIA LLOYD Have you ever heard of the Fossmobile? In 1897, the vehicle claimed the title of Canada’s first successful gasoline- engine automobile. “We grew up listening to my grandfather and father tell stories of the Fossmobile,” Ron Foss, grandson of Fossmobile inventor George Foote Foss told Bodyworx Professional. […]

GOING GREEN

AXALTA’S HUE OF THE YEAR COMES WITH PRACTICAL PURPOSE BY JULIA LLOYD Axalta has announced its 2021 globaautomotive colour of the year—a striking green bearing the name Electrolight. ElectroLight is an expressively refreshing green-yellow hue inspired by bold, contemporary flavours that echo style, energy and flair. The colour invokes a blend of sport design elements […]

PUT YOUR BEST COAT FORWARD

SEVEN STEPS TO EXCEL IN THE SHOP Finding the right education is important before entering any field of work, whether you receive a formal education at a post-secondary institution or you dive right into an apprenticeship. One way or another, you want to make sure the education and training you’re receiving lines up with your […]

UPS AND DOWNS

STATSCAN UNVEILS 2019 APPRENTICESHIP REPORT BY JULIA LLOYD Registration in apprenticeship programs and certifications in the trades have been on a decrease since 2018, as losses in Alberta offset gains in Ontario and Quebec. Statistic Canada recently reported that registration in apprenticeship programs fell 2.9 percent, and certifications were down 3.9 percent. Before the pandemic, […]

CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS?!

ABANDONMENT ANNIVERSARY A Volkswagen Golf abandoned on the street in the U.K. has been sitting for so long that frustrated neighbourhood residents decided to throw it a birthday party. George Street in Shefford, Bedfordshire, has been home to an abandoned VW Golf since December 2019. The street has also been home to a large community […]

TECH TRENDS

CALIBRATION COLLABORATION AirPro Diagnostics and Car ADAS Solutions announced the establishment of a collaboration to deliver turn-key calibration solutions for shops to include set-up, training, implementation, support, and validation of calibration services. Whether shops want to become a retail calibration centre or calibrate the vehicles they currently repair, this partnership will deliver for collision repairers […]

TRAINING

PLAN AHEAD Sudbury-based Collège Boréal has announced a partnership with mining equipment manufacturer, Epiroc Canada, to offer students a Battery Electric Vehicle Maintenance program. The 40-hour online course kicked off on February 9 and is to be followed by hands-on training provided in classroom and workshop settings. SELLING THE TRADES Ontario’s minister of labour, training […]

INDUSTRY

COVER YOUR ADAS All bodyshop staff should be aware of advanced driver assistance system calibration requirements, a team of I-CAR specialists said during a February Canadian Collision Industry Conference (CCIF) session. “The better question is who doesn’t need to know,” remarked Bud Center, I-CAR manager of technical research and development. “If the CSR answers a […]