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Jean-François Champagne
CAE, President and CEO – AIA Canada
Shannon Spano
Wakefield Canada Inc.
In reflecting on my tenure as Chair in 2023, I am immensely proud of the accomplishments of AIA Canada and its members. It has been a truly gratifying experience to witness the association’s achievements throughout the year. Witnessing the subsequent success, especially during in-person events, has been a source of great pride.
AIA Canada and our dedicated members seamlessly transitioned into hosting in-person events once again. The attendance at conferences, events, and golf tournaments reflected the pent-up demand to reconnect and collaborate. Personally, it was a joy to engage with key members of the Canadian auto care sector at various events. In-person networking, a crucial aspect of our industry, was revived, bringing a renewed sense of camaraderie.
On the government relations front, Alana Baker and her team made significant strides, collaborating not only with Canadian leaders but also counterparts from associations worldwide. Advocating for the auto care sector to Members of Parliament from all parties proved to be a crucial and impactful effort.
In addition, we provided our members with research and data about current industry trends, challenges, and consumer behaviours regarding electric vehicle maintenance and repair, e-tailing trends, and vehicle travel trends across the country. This data provides our members with valuable industry insight to help drive strategic business decisions.
My heartfelt gratitude goes to the volunteers on the Board of Directors, committees, and divisions for their unwavering support of the industry. The tireless work behind the scenes, often unnoticed, is truly commendable. I extend my thanks to Jean-François and the AIA Canada staff for their daily contributions and continuous support to the Board, committees, and divisions.
To our members, serving as your chair over the past year has been an absolute honor and a deeply fulfilling experience. Looking back, this period will always stand out as one of the highlights of my ongoing career in the industry.
AIA Canada continued to advocate for the right to repair. In 2023, AIA Canada has seen several wins, including:
AIA Canada staff and members hosted a federal lobby day on Parliament Hill in October. In face-to-face meetings with Members of Parliament, we promoted the auto care sector and defended the rights of Canadian consumers.
AIA Canada partnered with the Government of Ontario, Plug N’ Drive, and three colleges across Ontario: Conestoga College, Fanshawe College and St. Lawrence College, to help address the industry’s labour and skills shortage through career exploration opportunities and up-skilling programs.
Over
90%
graduation rate
participants
AIA Canada’s research and knowledge products provide members with the strategic information they need to make sound business decisions. Our four focus areas for 2023 were economics, innovation, market research, and policy.
The Labour market research report dives deeply into market dynamics, retention, and attrition rates of the workforce in Canada’s auto care sector. The research, data, and recommendations in this report help Canadian auto care businesses better understand labour market challenges.
This report contains yearly annual salary information for nine different job descriptions. This report provided readers with insight on how they can make informed decisions about compensation that will help keep businesses competitive and attractive to current and future employees.
The Vehicle travel trends in Canada tool presented data on four different metrics: distance travelled, trip count, trip duration, and average travel distance. The data points are provided on a national and provincial level.
The Auto care landscape in Canada is an interactive digital map detailing Canadian automotive retail businesses including collision repair, mechanical repair, and new car dealers—over 25,000 validated facilities in total.
As part of the Consumer Behaviour Series, this report presents a closer look at Canadian consumer online purchasing trends when it comes to the purchase of automotive parts and fluids.
As part of the Consumer Behaviour Series, this report will take an in-depth look at the behaviours and attitudes related to Canadian electric vehicle (EV) ownership.
In 2023, we held numerous in-person events that focused on networking, learning, connecting, and collaborating.
AIA Canada welcomed members from across the country to attend the National Conference for two days of networking and learning, including a networking reception and various insightful sessions about current trends and challenges in the industry.
Date: April 25th to 26th, 2023
Venue: Delta Hotels by Marriott Toronto Airport & Conference Centre
198
attendees
Members of AIA Canada attended the Annual General Meeting attended over the Annual General Meeting over Zoom to vote on the direction of the association for the year to come.
Date: April 10th, 2023
AIA Canada Quebec Division golf tournament
Date: June 1st, 2023
Venue: Golf Parcours du Cerf à Longueuil
158
attendees
AIA Canada Alberta Division golf tournament
Date: September 12th, 2023
Venue: Alberta Springs Golf Resort
59
attendees
AIA Canada Day, hosted by the Quebec Division, introduced industry professionals to students in auto mechanics and body repair programs at vocational training centres across Quebec to learn about the industry and what career opportunities are available.
Date: January 18th, 2023
Location: Seven different schools across the Greater Montreal Area
Over 800
students attended the sessions
Organized by the Young Professionals in the Auto care sector (YPA), Student Aftermarket Day provided students from the Automotive Business School of Canada at Georgian College with the chance to learn about auto care sector careers with informative sessions and make connections with professionals from 17 different companies across Canada’s auto care sector.
Date: November 22nd, 2023
Location: Barrie, Ontario
161
attendees
The Automotive Industries Association of Canada held its most anticipated networking event held in Las Vegas, Nevada during the AAPEX and SEMA trade shows. This gala evening provided Canadian businesses from the entire auto care supply chain an unparalleled opportunity to build and maintain relationships with who is who of the Canadian auto care industry.
Date: October 31st, 2023
Venue: The Venetian Resort Las Vegas
602
attendees
The AIA Canada Manitoba Division invited auto care industry peers to network and learn about the division and AIA Canada’s 2023 accomplishments over a festive lunch. This event collected over 500 pairs of new socks and underwear to be donated to the Main Street Project to keep community members warm in Winnipeg throughout the winter.
Date: December 15th, 2023
Venue: Viscount Gort Hotel Banquet and Conference Centre
53
attendees
YPA Community members and other auto care industry professionals joined together at the Holiday Networking Reception to see what they had been up to the past year.
Date: December 14th, 2023
Venue: Amsterdam Brewhouse
65
attendees
We continued to offer online webinars so our members from all across Canada had the chance to attend and learn about our research—no matter where they resided.
November 29th, 2023
86
attendees
Speakers
Dr. Mauricio Zelaya, Jean-François Champagne, and Alana Baker
May 31st, 2023
99
attendees
Speakers
James Channer, Rick Nadeau, and Jean-François Champagne
September 21st, 2023
190
attendees
Speakers
David Giles, Rick Nadeau, and Jean-François Champagne
The Curbside Chat vodcast series returned for another year of insightful conversations with industry experts—this time, with a new host for season 4, Lorraine Sommerfeld.
Developing the next generation leaders in the auto care sector
Date: February 21st, 2023
Host: Jason Yurchak
Guest: Patrick Verriet, Key account manager at MANN+HUMMEL
The right to repair in the auto care sector
Date: October 10th, 2023
Host: Lorraine Sommerfeld
Guests: Emily Chung, owner and licensed automotive technician at Auto Niche, and Alana Baker, vice president of government relations and research at AIA Canada
The right to repair continues to make strides in Quebec
Date: October 18th, 2023
Host: Jean-François Champagne
Guests: Élisabeth Lambert, president of the AIA Canada Quebec Division and vice president at Pièces d’Auto Joliette, and David Boudeweel-Lefebvre, CEO at Boudeweel Public Affairs
The future of the collision sector in Canada
Date: November 1st, 2023
Host: Lorraine Sommerfeld
Guests: Ryan Bruno, President and CEO, CSN Collision, and Rocco Negia, President and CEO of Dumfries Mutual Insurance Company
Over
171,000
website visits
Over
14,600
follows across all social media channels
Over
732,000
impressions on AIA Canada social media
Over
1,900
Monthly Minute subscribers
In 2023, AIA Canada continued to support the collision sector with the Collision Repair’s Council, the CCIF Steering Committee, and holding three Canadian Collision Industry Forums.
Name | Company | Title |
|---|---|---|
Jeff Labanovich | Leader Auto Resources LAR Inc. | Chair – Executive |
Paul Prochilo | Simplicity Car Care | Past Chair – Executive |
Roy Pelletier | Pelletier’s Auto Body | Repairer – Independent |
Emily Lowe | OpenRoad Richmond Auto Body | Repairer – Independent |
Sylvain Seguin | Fix Network | Repairer – National Chain |
Shannon Tardiff | CSN Collision | Repairer – National Chain |
Kyle Strong | Assured Auto | Repairer – National Chain |
Brandi Brydges | Auto Canada | OE Dealer |
Mike Beier | Consolidated Collision Services | OE Dealer |
Steve Gallace | 3M | Supplier |
Phil Jennings | Uniparts OEM | Supplier |
Michael Thibault | Enterprise Mobility | Supplier |
Anita Zeitler | Wawanesa Canada | Insurer |
Rich Zamperin | Insightful Consulting and Support Services | Special advisor (past member) |
Matthew Mauro | Driven Brands | Young leader |
Andrew Shepherd | Automotive Industries Association of Canada | AIA Canada Collision programs management representative |
Stuart Klein | Automotive Industries Association of Canada | AIA Canada Collision programs management representative |
Ornella Mukele | Automotive Industries Association of Canada | AIA Canada Collision programs management representative |
Maruk Ahmed | Automotive Industries Association of Canada | AIA Canada Collision programs management representative |
The Canadian Collision Industry Forum (CCIF) returned to Toronto after a two-year absence from the largest auto care market in Canada. The event brought collision industry professionals together for two days of sessions and networking.
Date: February 2nd and 3rd, 2023
Venue: Delta Hotels by Marriott Toronto Airport & Conference Centre
480
attendees
The second CCIF conference of the year once again brought together collision industry professionals for networking and insightful sessions covering various topics and issues of interest to the sector.
Date: June 8th and 9th, 2023
Venue: Delta Hotels by Marriott Beausejour
172
attendees
The two-day event brought collision industry professionals together in one central location to attend informative sessions and to discuss industry trends and challenges.
Date: October 5th and 6th, 2023
Venue: The Westin Calgary Airport
301
attendees
I-CAR Canada continued to be the leader in automotive skills development in Canada in both English and French. Representing over 150 hours of course credit, students can now study topics ranging from electric vehicles, welding, to refinishing.
243
Independent Learning Courses completed
15
live classes completed
26
webinars
Over
4000
people enrolled in an
I-CAR course
1452
new students joined I-CAR
Through the AIA High Fives for Kids Foundation, AIA Canada and its members continued to support Canadian children’s charities and provide scholarship funding across the country.
given in 2023
Amount | Name |
|---|---|
$7,000 | YWCA of Calgary |
$5,000 | Kerr Street Community Services in Oakville |
$5,000 | Junior Achievement of Northern Alberta and Northwest Territories |
$2,500 | Manitoba Ukraine Support |
$2,500 | Ottawa Ukraine Support |
Thanks to the generosity of our donors–both corporate and personal–the Chairman’s Challenge raised over $34,000.
Thank you to everyone who lent their support.
In 2023, the Young Professionals in the Auto care sector (YPA) continued to hold in-person events, such as Student Aftermarket Day at Georgian Colleges’ Automotive Business School of Canada, the YPA Holiday Networking event in Toronto and a networking gathering during AIA Canada’s Nationall Conference.
In 2023, the YPA Community was introduced allowing for a broader scope of young professionals to join this dynamic group. The YPA Community consists of AIA Canada members under the age of 45 looking to climb the ladder in the auto care sector through mentoring, thought leadership opportunities, and network building opportunities.
The YPA Committee is made up and mandated to speak for young professionals in the auto care sector. We thank the members of the Committee who volunteered their time, expertise, and insight.
Name | Company |
|---|---|
Patrick Verriet | MANN + HUMMEL Filtration Technology Canada |
Brad Cochrane | NAPA Auto Parts (Corporate office) |
Brad Irving | Uni-Sélect Canada Inc. (Corporate office) |
Chris Kinghorn | NAPA Ontario |
Derek Suen | Dorman Products Inc. |
Devin Termarsch | DRiV |
Georgia Ludwig | Wakefield Canada |
Jeff Austin | Uni-Sélect Canada Inc. (Corporate office) |
Jennifer Fox | Auto Electric Service Ltd. |
Kari Hann | Specialty Sales & Marketing |
Mark Potts | DRiV |
Nathaniel Willsie | Grote Industries Co. |
Rory Sones | Matthew Scott Data Marketing Solutions |
Shannon Tardiff | CSN Collision |
Peter Bulmer | Turnkey Media Solutions Inc. |
Stephanie Cooney-Mann | UAP Inc. (Head office) |
Tara Hammer | Lordco Parts Ltd (Corporate) |
Zakari Krieger | Barton Auto Parts Ltd. |
The Young Leader of the Year Award is presented annually on behalf of the Young Professionals in the Auto care sector (YPA) Committee to an outstanding young professional in the auto care sector.
Brad Cochrane, Director of Sales Operations and Business Analytics – NAPA Auto Parts
The AIA Canada Distinguished Service Award recognizes a lifetime of outstanding service and leadership. It is the highest award presented by AIA Canada to an individual member.
Brad Shaddick, Director of Sales Canada – Tenneco/DRiV
Name | Position |
|---|---|
Afeefah Fathima | Research and knowledge coordinator |
Alana Baker | Vice president, government relations and research |
Alyssa Munro | Events coordinator |
Andrew Shepherd | Senior director, industry programs and executive director, I-CAR Canada |
Andrew Stacey | Communications coordinator |
Ayah Stretch | Executive assistant and governance officer |
Beth Steel | Project Manager, Innovation in Automotive Training |
Brendan Mullen | Vice president, digital and user experience |
Chenqu Zhong | Senior finance officer |
Chloé Devine Drouin | Director, digital marketing and communications |
Elise Bulhoes | Collision sector coordinator |
Emily Reed | Content and media coordinator |
Emma Shi | Senior finance officer |
Enaya Serhane | Finance officer |
Gabriel LeBlanc | Digital marketing coordinator |
Grace Moreland | Manager, Member relations |
Ibti Ridha | Vice president, finance and operations |
Jean-François Champagne, CGA | President and CEO |
Kalli Foster | Manager, events |
Katelyn Young | Team leader, I-CAR |
Lucy (Yanchun) Xie | Finance officer |
Maruk Ahmed | Project coordinator, collision programs |
Maude Giroux | Manager, regional division |
Micaela Korb | Senior Project Coordinator, Innovation in Automotive Training |
Ornella Mukele | Senior coordinator, collision programs (CCIF) |
Pamela Fraser | Senior coordinator, collision programs (CCIF) |
Rosa Azizi | Senior operations and membership coordinator |
Sebastien Guindon | Graphic designer |
Shamsia Quraishi | Manager, research and knowledge mobilization |
Sophie Meunier | Collision sector coordinator |
Stewart Kerr | Collision sector coordinator |
Stuart Klein | Vice president, collision programs |
Susan Ramroop | Senior Project Coordinator, Innovation in Automotive Training |
Tanya Scheidl | Director, I-CAR |
Zoe Zhou | Finance manager |
Shannon Spano
Chair
Wakefield Canada Inc.
Ryan Bruno
First Vice-Chair
CSN Collision
Tony Kuczynski
Second Vice-Chair
Mister Transmission
Jason Yurchak
Past Chair
WorldPac
James Channer
In Motion Brands
Pamela Lee
Mr. Lube
Joey Miceli
Groupe Del Vasto
Craig Jalbert
3M Canada Company (Automotive Aftermarket Division)
Derek Suen
Dorman Products Inc.
Jasna Smiljcic
Gates
Michael O’Callaghan
Craftsman Collision
Jason G. Herle
Fountain Tire
Micheline Davies
Canadian Tire
AIA Canada established a Labour Taskforce in early 2022 comprising current board members to guide labour-focused research. The task force was responsible for identifying current labour challenges, selecting research vendors through an RFP process and guiding the research project for successful completion of outcomes. The industry stakeholders who contributed to shaping the 2023 research to its final forms are:
Name | Company |
|---|---|
Graham Jeffery | Canadian Tire |
Derek Suen | Dorman Products |
Ryan Bruno | CSN Collision |
Jason Yurchak | Worldpac |
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