You’ve heard the warnings about retiring baby boomers and the consequent labour shortage—the Conference Board of Canada, for one, is predicting a shortfall in Ontario of 564,000 workers by 2030.

At Dial One Wolfedale Electric, we’re already feeling the pinch. Experienced electricians are hard to come by. And without more electricians, we can’t hire more apprentices: Ontario legislation demands a ratio of three journeymen for every one apprentice. In most other provinces the ratio is one-to-one. So, Dial One Wolfedale Electric has issued a challenge to the Ontario Government:

Make the ratio of electricians to apprentices one-to-one and we’ll hire 15 apprentices immediately.

We are a growing company; we want to expand our services and ensure that you, our customers, continue to be served well. We also want to maintain the health of our industry and our economy—one that has lost almost 200,000 manufacturing jobs over the past two years, and continues to experience a significant gap between jobs available and the skills needed to fill them. The government is spending millions of dollars to improve those skills—as a result, currently there are upwards of 100,000 apprentices in training in Ontario (though not in the compulsory construction Trades as the ratio in these Trades restricts the registration of new apprentices). Unfortunately, many of them will find their job prospects dim despite the fact that employers like us want to hire them! Help us to keep Ontario working!

(If you’d like to add your voice to this challenge, contact your local MPP and ask for a change that will give an important Ontario trade the one-to-one ratio it urgently needs for healthy, continued growth!)

Now you can improve office lighting quality and efficiency with some of the many new lighting applications available. For example, Columbia and Armstrong/Zumtobel have recently introduced two new, energy efficient products: Columbia’s EnerygyMax Intersect and Armstrong TechZone-compatible lighting fixtures. The EnergyMax Intersect uses a two-lamp, 66W louvered luminaire to provide controlled lighting. The Intersect also comes with a dimmer switch to allow you to control the power settings without having to turn off the lights, so you can select between 100% and 50% power for energy conservation of up to 22%.

The TechZone fixtures are ideal for large, open areas where a sleek, professional appearance is required. These lighting fixtures rid ceilings of clutter, creating a smooth, uninterrupted ceiling that is very attractive in a large office space. Three separate products have been developed: the RB, the RL and the RRLC. They all provide a clean lighting approach perfect for office spaces, libraries, medical facilities and other open areas.

There are many new lighting applications on the market that both improve light and energy efficiency. Talk to us about lighting needs for your office or industrial facility and we’ll be happy to help you make the right choice for maximum employee comfort, productivity and energy efficiency.

If you are planning a move, building a new facility or renovating your existing facility, there are government rebates available to help fund the installation of the newer, energy efficient systems. And, in your existing facility, you can make a difference starting this summer by giving power back to the grid - and be paid for it!

Talk to our knowledgeable service representatives about the options available and start saving! Just give us a call at 905-564-8999 or visit www.dialonewolfedale.com today!