Welcome Message

Welcome to the Ottawa Valley Chapter of the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE).

Founded in 1894, ASHRAE is an international organization of 55,000 persons. Its sole objective is to advance through research, standards writing, publishing and continuing education, the arts and sciences of heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVAC&R) to serve humanity and promote a sustainable world.

The Ottawa Valley Chapter was established in 1952, and supports roughly 500 local ASHRAE members, of which approximately 200 are Chapter members. Our membership is comprised of a diverse group of men and women from the various fields in the HVAC&R and construction industries; e.g. consulting engineers, contractors, developers, facility managers, federal, provincial & municipal government, manufacturers, researchers, sales organizations, students, university and college faculty.

Our Chapter meets the third Tuesday of the month from September to May (excluding December) and typically consists of a tour or technical session, followed by a social gathering starting at 5:30 pm, dinner at 6:30 pm and the featured presentation to round out the evening. The meetings are held at Restaurant International at Algonquin College Woodroffe Campus, with the exception of the September meeting, which is occasionally held at a different venue.

The cost of a Chapter Membership is $60.00 and $30.00 for students. Chapter membership gets you a copy of the Ottawa Valley Chapter Roster which contains the contact information of the roughly 500 local ASHRAE members, monthly electronic access to chapter newsletter and discounts on Chapter meetings, seminars and events.

I hope you enjoy our web site and look forward to seeing you at our chapter meetings.

Yours very truly,

Abbey Saunders - NRC
2016-2017 OVC President

Presidential Message September 2016

Another ASHRAE season is upon us and I’d like to welcome everyone to this year’s edition. I hope everyone has enjoyed their summer and is returning, or joining us for the first time, refreshed and excited about the upcoming year.

I am honoured to be serving as OVC President this year and I hope that together with the Executive, Board of Governors (BOG), committee chairs and all our dedicated volunteers, we will meet your expectations providing a program that is enjoyable and educational.

The program committee, led by Jacob Hough, has done an outstanding job assembling a collection of great program topics, technical tours, seminars and social events. We are currently finalizing some outstanding details, but please refer to Jacob’s article later in this communique for a preview of what is to come. We encourage everyone to participate in our various events throughout the year.

We are very pleased to start this year with a Canadiana Trivia Quiz, three years in the making by our very own OVC member, and Past-President Rod Potter. The meeting will take place at the Prescott. More details about the upcoming meeting can be found in the program section of the September communique.

Our theme this month is Membership, and we are fortunate to have our Membership Promotion committee chair, Celine Baribeau, returning for a 2nd year. She will be working hard to ensure members take advantage of the resources membership provides, as well as welcoming new members and assisting them with integration into our chapter.

The participation of numerous volunteers is what makes our chapter so successful, and for all those who volunteer for ASHRAE or elsewhere, thank you. It is well documented that most individuals who do not actively volunteer when asked why they do not volunteer answer with some variation of “I was never asked”. On behalf of the OVC Executive, BOG, committee chairs and members I ask each of you to consider active volunteer participation in our chapter. I encourage anyone thinking about getting involved to contact myself, a BOG member or a committee chair for more information.

To register for the September 20th program meeting please select the September meeting link at right.

In conclusion, don’t forget to purchase your meal plan for the upcoming year, and I hope to see many of you at the Prescott for some fun!

Abbey Saunders - NRC
2016-2017 OVC President