Automotive Industries Association of Canada to Take Over Canadian Collision Industry Forum

The Automotive Industries Association of Canada will be taking over the management of the Canadian Collision Industry Forum next year, the organizations have announced.

In an announcement made by CCIF chair Tom Bissonnette at the well-attended forum meeting in Toronto in late January, the need for more continuity of action was noted as one reason for the move.

While the value of the CCIF has been regularly hailed by participants across the collision industry, as pressure on the repair segment has increased both on the economics and on the regulator fronts, the need for the CCIF to evolve into something more has also been the topic of discussion in the industry.

“I think we’re going to have a lot more resources, so we’ll be able to offer a lot more resources of the AIA,” said Bissonnette. “The point man for the AIA at this time will be Andrew Sheppard who is of course your I-CAR representative.”

The AIA already operates the I-CAR collision industry training programs in Canada and also recently took over the management of the Heavy Duty Distributors Council, an association of truck and other heavy duty parts distributors.

Bissonnette said that the chairman’s council would be reviewed and ways to get more new people involved was a priority. “It’s good to get new people, new faces. There are so many people who have such great ideas, and maybe we just haven’t taken it upon ourselves to extend an invitation.”

He also emphasized the need to engage more insurance industry individuals on the chairman’s council.

“We’re going to need insurance people on the council. Some of the issues we are talking about, wouldn’t it be great to sit down and work out an agreement and work together to make it better for everyone.”

Bissonnette also called for more shop participation in the council.

Administratively, the linking with the AIA should provide more ongoing resources, but it also requires a tighter organizational structure. Accordingly, Bev Cook, a long-time executive with the association, has been recruited to help put together the business plan and the governance model of the CCIF.

“The key thing is that we need to identify people, we need to identify a strategy that is going to move forward,” said Bissonnette.

The goal is to have a business and governance plans in place by the time the next CCIF event St. John’s Newfoundland, May 25, 2013.

Register at www.ccif.net.