Message from the President

Jean-François Champagne
CAE, President – AIA Canada

Jason Yurchak
Chair – Worldpac

Message from the Chair

While 2022 began with some lingering headwinds in a few provinces, once spring hit, it was full steam ahead.  AIA Canada and our members were once again able to hold in person events.  Conferences, customer trips and golf tournaments were all well attended as there was a pent-up demand to get out and get together. 

The first live AIA Canada Annual General Meeting (AGM) since 2019 was held in May in Toronto. It was great to be able to connect with key members of the Canadian aftermarket in person again at this and other events.  In person networking has always been a key part of our industry.  I want to commend the staff at AIA Canada for the work they did successfully hosting many events in 2022 – the AGM, Canada Night at AAPEX, Student Aftermarket Day and CCIF events, to name a few. 

On right to repair, Alana Baker and her team have done a fantastic job pushing us further towards our goal, working with not only Canadian leaders, but counterparts from other associations worldwide. I also want to thank Alana and the AIA Canada team as well as all of the member volunteers who participated in Hill Day in October.  It was a great experience to work with our industry leaders speaking to Members of Parliament from all parties about the importance of right to repair to the Canadian aftermarket and the overall economy of our country. 

I would like to thank our volunteers on the Board of Directors, our committees and divisions for all their work supporting the industry.  Until you are a part of it, you do not realize how much work goes on behind the scenes.  Jean-François and the AIA Canada staff have been a pleasure to work with, and I would like to thank you not only for your daily contributions, but to all the support you provide the Board and committees.

To our members, it has been an honour and a great experience to serve as your chair for the past year, I will always look back at this time as one of the highlights of my ongoing career in the industry.

Government relations

Right to repair

AIA Canada continued to move the dial on the right to repair. With the introduction of three federal right to repair bills, we continued to grow momentum by tabling a right to repair petition in the House of Commons. Moreover, we launched a right to repair microsite, testified before the government committee studying the issue, and hosted a federal lobby day.

Microsite

We launched a dedicated right to repair website where members and the public can get the latest news on the issue and learn how they can help protect their right to choose where they take their vehicle for maintenance and repairs.

Hill Day

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 industry and defended the rights of Canadian consumers.

Workforce development

AIA Canada and St. Lawrence College, with funding from the Ontario government’s Skills Development Fund, delivered two training programs to address the industry’s labour and skills shortages. The electric vehicle program up-skilled working automotive tradespeople in the diagnosis and repair of new vehicle technology, and the Exploration program introduced and prepared job seekers for a career in today’s evolving auto care sector.

Over
90%
graduation rate

61

participants

Research

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 2022 were economics, innovation, market research and policy.

Our flagship report, the 2022 Outlook study provides in-depth analysis to help you make the strategic decisions you need to succeed.

A companion to the 2022 Outlook study, this interactive tool allows users to sort through and compare data.

Find out where the collision repair sector is headed in the face of consolidation, new vehicle technology and the need for qualified technicians.

Packed with invaluable data about the mechanical repair sector as we pulled out of the pandemic.

Did Canadian drivers change their habits during the pandemic? We let the data speak for itself.

Consumer Behaviour Series

How are independent auto care businesses faring in the face of increased competition from dealerships?

We look at the online trends and habits of Canadian car owners when it comes to buying parts and fluids for their vehicles.

We spoke to 2,000 Canadians to find out what matters most to them when it comes to caring for their vehicles.

What do Canadian vehicle owners know about the data their vehicles collect? How do they feel about who controls it?

Find out where vehicle owners between the ages of 24 and 44 on vehicle maintenance, their relationship with their automotive service providers, and their beliefs are about the right to repair.

Events

The year 2022 saw a return to in person events. After two years of virtual meetings, being able to meet each other face-to-face was exciting for everyone.

Annual Conference

The Annual Conference welcomed members from across the country for two days of learning and networking, including a networking reception and sessions on the auto care sector post pandemic.

Date: May 10-11, 2022  

Location: Delta Hotels by Marriott Toronto Airport and Conference Centre  

207

registrations

Topics covered

Women in the Aftermarket Leadership Forum

The Women in the Aftermarket Leadership Forum brought women in the auto care industry together learn from each other on how to lead equity, diversity and inclusion efforts in aftermarket businesses.

Date: May 11, 2022 

Location: Delta Hotels by Marriott Toronto Airport and Conference Centre  

51

registrations

Topics covered

Annual General Meeting

Members of AIA Canada gathered for the Annual General Meeting Luncheon to vote on the direction of the association for the year to come and to hear top auto care executives in conversation on the state of the industry. 

Date: May 11, 2022 

Location: Delta Hotels by Marriott Toronto Airport and Conference Centre  

125

registrations

Topics covered

Golf tournaments

AIA Canada Quebec Division golf tournament

May 26, 2022  

Club De Golf Parcours Du Cerf 

AIA Canada Saskatchewan Division golf tournament  

June 2, 2022 

Harbor Golf Club

AIA Canada Manitoba Division golf tournament 

June 16, 2022

Shilo Country Club 

AIA Canada Alberta Division annual golf tournament 

September 7, 2022

Alberta Springs Golf Resort 

AIA Canada Ontario Division golf tournament and dinner 

September 9, 2022

Kingswood Golf and Country Club

Grand Forum du Québec

The Grand Forum du Québec returned after a three-year pause for a day of seminars and networking.

Date: December 15, 2022

Location: Saint-Hyacinthe Convention Center

226

registrations

Topics covered

Student Aftermarket Day

Organized by the Young Professionals in the Aftermarket Committee, Student Aftermarket Day was a chance for Georgian College students to learn about auto care sector careers and make connections with industry professionals.

Date: November 26, 2022 

Location: Liberty North, Barrie 

150

registrations

Topics covered

Canada Night

Returning to Las Vegas after a two-year absence, our much-anticipated celebration of the Canadian auto care sector was a night to remember.

Date: November 1, 2022  

Location: The Venetian Resort, Las Vegas  

662

registrations

Noteworthy

This year’s event brought participants of The Spirit of Canada and Canada Night events under one roof.

Networking

Manitoba Division Christmas Luncheon

A great chance to celebrate the season and reconnect with auto care industry friends and colleagues.  

Date: December 16, 2022 

Location: Viscount Gort Hotel, Winnipeg, Manitoba 

42

registrations

YPA Holiday Networking Reception

Young Professionals in the Aftermarket Committee members came together to celebrate the season and reconnect.

Date: December 1, 2022 

Location: Brickworks, Toronto

55

registrations

Webinars

Even with the return of in-person events, we continued to offer online webinars to bring our members a chance to learn no matter where they lived.

E-tailing: Online shopping of vehicle parts and fluids

January 27, 2022 

132

registrations

Speakers
Rick Nadeau and
James Channer

Vehicle maintenance and repair: Perceptions and preferences of Canadian car owners

March 24, 2022

116

registrations

Speakers
Rick Nadeau and
James Channer

The data dilemma: Who owns the data generated by your car?

June 23, 2022

71

registrations

Speakers
Rick Nadeau and
James Channer

Curbside Chat

The Curbside Chat vodcast series returned for another year of insightful conversations with industry insiders.

Curbside Chat Season 2 Episode 4

Rethinking the aftermarket: EVs, e-commerce, and evolving expectations  

Date: March 8, 2022  

Guest: Jasna Smiljcic  

Host: Bob Jaworski

84

registrations

Curbside Chat Season 2 Episode 5

Beyond COVID-19 and what is in store for the automotive aftermarket

Date: July 13, 2022

Guest: John Washbish

Host: Bob Jaworski

100

registrations

Curbside Chat Season 3 Episode 1

What it takes to adapt to servicing EVs

Date: September 22, 2022

Guest: Chris Besemer

Host: Jason Yurchak

50

registrations

Marketing Communications

Over
140,000
website visits

Over
12,300
social media followers

Over
700,000
impressions on AIA Canada social media

Over
2,900
Monthly Minute subscribers

New website

We launched a new website in 2022. With a clean, easy to navigate interface and mobile friendly design, the new puts all of our research, events and news, quite literally, at our members’ fingertips. 

 

Collision

In 2022, AIA Canada consolidated its efforts to support the collision sector with the formation of the Collision Repair’s Council. This new council is dedicated to addressing the concerns of Canadian collision repair service providers, providing them a unified, national voice.

As part of our renewed focus on the collision sector, AIA Canada created a new position–Senior Director, Collision–to join our senior leadership team. Industry veteran, Stuart Klein, joined AIA Canada in this role in February of 2023. Get to know Stuart and his vision for AIA Canada’s collision programs.

Collision Repair’s Council

Name
Company
Jeff Labanovich
CARSTAR
Paul Prochilo
Simplicity Car Care
Rick Hatswell
Craftsman Collision
Ryan Bruno
CSN Collision
Steve Leal
Fix Auto
Sylvain Seguin
Fix Auto
Tony Canade
Boyd Group
ICAR-header

Over
700
Gold Class shops

Over
4690
Platinum certified technicians

Over
41,000
classes and webinars taken

I-CAR Canada continued to be the leader in skills development in Canada–in both official languages–by offering more than 115 online courses in French. Representing over 150 hours of course credit, students can now study topics ranging from damage appraisal to steel sectioning in the official language of their choice.

CCIF-header

Events

CCIF Montréal

This two-day event marked the return of in-person CCIF conferences with an opening networking reception and expert lead sessions on the state of the collision repair sector.

Date: June 2-3, 2022  

Location: Montréal Airport Marriott In-Terminal Hotel  

240

registrations

Topics covered

CCIF Vancouver

Our second in-person event of the year brought us to the west coast for another opportunity for the collision sector to learn and network.

Date: October 7, 2022 

Location: Sheraton Vancouver Airport Hotel  

200

registrations

Topics covered

Webinars

CCIF management webinar

Date: April 6, 2022 

Topic: Parts Challenges 

Speaker: Paul Stella  

350

registrations

CCIF Steering Committee

Committee members

Name
Company
Title
Paul Prochilo
Simplicity Car Care
Chair – Executive
Patrice Marcil
Axalta Coating Systems
Past Chair – Executive
Nick Dominato
adasThink / Repairify
Young leader – Executive
Alan Hughes
Cam Clark Ford
Member
Craig Jalbert
3M Canada
Member
Phil Jennings
Uniparts OEM
Member
Jeff Labanovich
CARSTAR
Member
Ryan Mandell
Mitchell International
Member
Koos Reineking
Lift Auto Group
Member
Tifarah Senkow
Advantage Parts Solutions
Member
Andrew Shepherd
AIA Canada
Member
Murphy Tarves
Craftsman Group of Companies
Member
Michael Thibault
Enterprise Rent-A-Car
Member
Keith Tuttosi
NAPA/CMAX Paint and Body Supplies
Member
Anita Zeitler
Wawanesa Insurance
Member
Ornella Mukele
AIA Canada
Administration

AIA High Fives for Kids Foundation

Through the AIA High Fives for Kids Foundation, AIA Canada and its members continued to support Canadian children’s charities and provide scholarship funding to across the country.

$26,500

given in 2022

Grants

Amount
Name
$7,000
YWCA of Calgary
$5,000
Kerr Street Mission in Ontario
$5,000
Junior Achievement of Northern Alberta
$5,000
The Children’s Breakfast Clubs
$3,000
YWCA Edmonton
$1,500
The Child and Family Services of Western Manitoba Foundation

Scholarships

Arthur Paulin scholarship – $700

  • Ashvyn Kaila
  • Coen Kwon
  • Manroop Singh
  • Mark Tirbany

Georgian College scholarship recipients – $500

  • Marc-Olivier Blouin 
  • Brock Irvine
  • Tyler Mitchell 
  • Joshua Taylor

University of the Aftermarket scholarship program - $1,000

  • Lujayn Ali
  • Reghan Benner
  • Adrian Brennan
  • Kiyomi Burke
  • Karolina Dobiszewska
  • Quinn Legg
  • Asmi Kaur Multani
  • Alex Shibu
  • Emily Truman
  • Alex Zeng

AIA Canada High Fives for Kids Scholarship program - $1,000

  • Blake Wishlof

AIA Canada Quebec Division - $500

  • Sebastien Muller
  • Mathiew Delorme
  • Michael Bluteau-Canzi

Chairman’s Challenge

The Chairman’s Challenge began in 2021 as a response to the increased need during the pandemic.

Thanks to the generosity of our donors–both corporate and personal–the Chairman’s Challenge raised over $24,000.

Thank you to everyone who lent their support. 

Young Professionals in the Aftermarket

2022 saw the Young Professionals in the Aftermarket (YPA) Committee return to in-person events, hosting the Student Aftermarket Day at Georgian College, their Holiday Networking event in Toronto and a gathering during the Annual Conference.

The YPA Committee is made up of and mandated to speak for young professionals in the auto care industry. We thank the members of the committee who volunteered their time, expertise and insight.

Committee Members

Name
Company
Patrick Verriet
MANN + HUMMEL Filtration Technology Canada
Brad Cochrane
UAP Inc.
Chris Kinghorn
NAPA Auto Parts
Derek Suen
Dorman Products, Inc.
Kari Hann
Specialty Sales and Marketing
Georgia Ludwig
Energizer (Armor All/STP)
Mark Potts
DRiV
Nathaniel Willsie
Grote Industries Co.
Norman Cheng
Mitchell International
Rory Sones
Matthew Scott Data Marketing
Scott Gibson
Canadian Tire Corporation
Tara Hammer
Lordco Parts Ltd.
Zakari Krieger
Barton Auto Parts Ltd.
Devin TerMarsch
DriV
Brad Irving
Uniselect
Jeff Austin
Uniselect
Jennifer Fox
Auto Electric Service Ltd.
Peter Bulmer
Turnkey Media Solutions
Shannon Tardiff
CSN Collision Centres
Stephanie Cooney-Mann
Altrom Group (UAP)

AIA Canada Awards

Young Professionals in the Aftermarket (YPA) Young Leader of the Year Award

The YPA Young Leader of the Year Award is presented annually on behalf of the YPA Committee to an outstanding young professional in the aftermarket.

Graham Jeffery, Vice President – Automotive Merchandising, Canadian Tire Corporation

GF-Award
BG-Award

AIA Canada Distinguished Service Award

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.

This year’s winner, Bob Greenwood, passed away in September of 2021. The award was accepted on behalf of his family by longtime friend and past AIA Canada Board of Directors Chair John Cochrane.

Bob Greenwood

AIA Canada Staff

Who we are

Name
Position
Afeefah Fathima
Research and Knowledge Coordinator
Alana Baker
Senior Director of Government Relations
Alyssa Munro
Events Coordinator
Andrew Shepherd
Senior Director, Industry Programs and Executive Director, I-CAR Canada
Andrew Stacey
Communications Coordinator
Ayah Stretch
Executive Assistant
Brendan Mullen
Senior Director of Digital Marketing and Communication
Chenqu Zhong
Finance Officer
Chloé Devine Drouin
Manager, Marketing and Communications
Elise Bulhoes
Collision Sector Coordinator
Emma Shi
Finance Officer
Erin Chreptyk
Policy and Government Affairs Analyst
Gabriel LeBlanc
Digital Content Coordinator
Grace Moreland
Manager, Member relations
Ibti Ridha
Senior Director, Finance and Operations
Jean-François Champagne
President
Kalli Foster
Manager, Events
Katelyn Young
Team Leader
Lucy (Yanchun) Xie
Finance Officer
Maude Giroux
Regional Manager, Quebec Division
Ornella Mukele
Senior Coordinator, Collision Programs (CCIF)
Pamela Fraser
Senior Coordinator, Collision Programs
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
Senior Director, Collision
Tanya Scheidl
Manager, Collision Sector
Zoe Zhou
Finance Manager

Board of Directors

Executive Committee

Jason Yurchak
Chair
WorldPac

Shannon Spano
First Vice-Chair
Wakefield Canada Inc.

Ryan Bruno
Second Vice-Chair
CSN Collision Centres

Bob Jaworski
Past-Chair
Auto Electric Service

Directors at Large

Graham Jeffery
Canadian Tire Retail

Bill Hay
Bestbuy Distributors Ltd.

Craig Jalbert
3M Division Leader

Tony Kuczynski
Mister Transmission

Derek Suen
Dorman Products Inc.

Pamela Lee
Mr. Lube

Joey Miceli
Groupe Del Vasto

James Channer
In Motion Brands

Steve Leal
Fix Network World

Division Chairs Committee

The committee brings together regional division chairs to provide opportunities to network, share best practices, exchange ideas, identify common concerns, and advise AIA Canada with respect to key industry issues.

Name
Location
Steve Pigg
British Columbia
Marcia Hay
Alberta
Nathaniel Willsie
Manitoba
Brad Thomas
Ontario
Elisabeth Lambert
Quebec
Jeff Austin
Atlantic

Communities of Practice

All of AIA Canada’s research is verified and validated by Communities of Practice, made up of industry professionals to ensure the data and analysis brings value to our members. We would like to thank our Community of Practice members for volunteering their time and sharing their expertise.

2022 Consumer Behaviour Series CoP

Name
Company
Derek Suen
Dorman Products
Denise Gohl-Eacrett
Fountain Tire
Natasha Corbett
Canadian Tire
Zineb Ahnou
Uni-Select Canada Inc.
Josie Candito
Master Mechanic
Nathan Naslund
OK Tire
Andrew Shepherd
AIA Canada

2022 Outlook Study CoP

Name
Position
Zachary Zeraldo
Canadian Tire
Murray Voth
RPM Training
Zineb Ahnou
Uni-Select Canada
Mauro Barra
Uni-Select Canada
Nathaniel Willsie
Grote Industries
Brahim Baccouche
UAP Inc.
Chris Kinghorn
UAP Inc.

Special thanks to Michael Chung, Director of Market Intelligence at the Auto Care Association (United States).

Committees

Labour Taskforce

AIA Canada established a labour taskforce in early 2022 made up of current board members to guide labour-focused research, member engagement, marketing and promotion.

Name
Company
Graham Jeffery
Canadian Tire
Derek Suen
Dorman Products
Ryan Bruno
CSN Collision
Jason Yurchak
Worldpac

Financials

Revenue

$7,386,435

Expenses

$7,523,956

Sponsors

AIA Canada acknowledges the support of its 2022 sponsors.

Park N Fly Benefits

How the program works

  • Members select their departure city from the drop-down menu
    1. Choose Valet or Self-Park where applicable
    2. Enter their outbound and return dates
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  • When exiting the lot
    1. Scan the printed Park’N Fly coupon at the Self-Park pay station
  • If members are using a Valet location
    • Hand a copy of the printed voucher to the agent at check-out or give them the discount code 1120313 once the code is entered by the agent the rate will automatically append to the AIA Canada rate program.
  • Discount Code 1120313
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  • When exiting the lot
    • Select form of payment
      1. Credit card
      2. Debit card
    • If they have any difficulties simply
      1. Manually enter 1120313 at the pay station and the rate will be applied
    • Scan the Park’N Fly ticket