JANUARY	EVENT/LOCATION
Jan. 21	Safe Ice Resurfacer Operator Workshop, Hamilton, ON
Jan. 26	Fuel Safety & Handling Workshop, Ottawa, ON Emergency Evacuation Planning Workshop, Ottawa, ON
FEBRUARY	EVENT/LOCATION
Feb. 6-9	Basic Refrigeration Course, Sudbury, ON
Feb. 6-10 and Feb, 13-15	B-Prep Refrigeration Course, York University
MARCH	EVENT/LOCATION
Mar. 2	Regional Information Session, Goderich, ON
Mar. 27-30	Ice Maintenance & Equipment Operation Course, Milverton, ON
APRIL	EVENT/LOCATION
Apr. 3-6	Parks Maintenance & Operation Course, Kawartha Lakes, ON
Apr. 10-14	Aquatic Facility Operations - Level 1Course, Marathon, ON
Apr. 10-14	Ice Maintenance & Equipment Operation Course, Cobourg, ON
Apr. 18-21	Ice Making & Painting Technologies Course, London, ON
Apr. 24-27	Ice Technician Awareness Course Course, Ottawa, ON
Click here for information
FULL Program Brochure and Application Program Summary & Application
ORFA/STAR ALLIANCE TRAINING COURSES

REGIONAL TRAINING COURSES
OR IN-HOUSE TRAINING PROVIDER
O.R.F.A. is currently in the process of soliciting both "Expressions of Interest" to act as training hosts for our 2006 Calendar of Training Events, as well as providing specific "In-House training quotations" to meet your operational needs. For more information, please contact: Terry Piche, Technical Director at 416.426.7062.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE MONTH

NRCAN'S RENEWABLE ENERGY DEPLOYMENT INITIATIVE (REDI) TRAINING SEMINARS: ASSESSING CLEAN ENERGY PROJECT OPPORTUNITIES
You are invited to attend one of the following free one-day RETScreen Training Seminars: Assessing Clean Energy Project Opportunities, sponsored by NRCan's Renewable Energy Deployment Initiative (REDI) and RETScreen International. Click on the events below for details and to register online:

– Boucherville, QC – January 18th, 2006 (French Seminar)
– Ottawa, ON – February 23th, 2006
– Toronto, ON – February 27th, 2006
– Calgary, AB – March 24th, 2006
– Vancouver, BC – March 27th, 2006

The objective of these seminars is to strengthen participants’ capacity to evaluate, plan, finance and implement clean energy projects. In addition to a discussion of clean energy project analysis and implementation process, demonstrations of the RETScreen Clean Energy Project Analysis Software will be made with case studies of real projects, including energy, cost, GHG, financial and risk analysis. Upon completion of the training seminar, planners, professionals and technicians will be in a better position to perform high quality and low cost RETScreen studies for potential clean energy projects.

Please feel free to forward this e-mail to colleagues or other planners, professionals, and technicians who would be interested in attending one of these seminars. Dates and locations for other upcoming training events are listed on the RETScreen Website at: www.retscreen.net/links/calendar.html

THE ONTARIO TURFGRASS SYMPOSIUM
FEB 20 & 21, 2006
The Ontario Turfgrass Symposium (OTS), celebrating 15 years of turf management education and leadership, offers educational programming that is second to none in the country. The Symposium's theme, Strengthening Our Roots: A Growing Tradition, acknowledges the outstanding contribution the Symposium has made to the Canadian turf industry. The 2006 venue, Rozanski Hall - the University of Guelph's newest, leading edge facility, consists of modern classrooms with state of the art presentation capabilities. Proud sponsors of the symposium are the Guelph Turfgrass Institute, Sports Turf Association, Nursery Sod Growers Association, Ontario Recreation Facilities Association, Professional Lawn Care Association of Ontario, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food and Rural Affairs, and the Office of Open Learning, University of Guelph. Members of the O.R.F.A. save $60.00 on a full symposium pass, $25.00 on a 1-day pass, and for even more savings, others from the same facility/organization are able to register at the same low member rate if registered at the same time as the O.R.F.A. member! A summary of sports turf related sessions is attached. The full program brochure has been mailed with your Winter edition of Sports Turf Manager. In the interim, visit www.open.uoguelph.ca/ots for all the details.

JUNE IS RECREATION AND PARKS MONTH
Just over four months left for planning your June is Recreation and Parks Month (JRPM) activities! Visit www.recandparksmonth.ca to list your events on the Events Calendar and to check out what others are doing across the province

FOCUS ON FACILITIES
Legislation:
CIAF Fund - Communities across Ontario will benefit from new sport and recreation opportunities as a result of the Communities In Action Fund (CIAF), Health Promotion Minister Jim Watson announced today. [more…]

In "Terms" of Facilities - Terms, phrases and definitions relevant to your operation…

Injuries: Working in Cold Weather - (Terms from Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety for details on first aid treatment of these conditions) [more]

Chilblains: mild cold injury caused by prolonged and repeated exposure for several hours to air temperatures from above freezing (0°C or 32°F) to as high as 16°C (or about 60°F). In the affected skin area there will be redness, swelling, tingling, and pain.

Immersion foot: occurs in individuals whose feet have been wet, but not freezing cold, for days or weeks. It can occur at temperatures up to 10°C (50°F). Primary injury is to nerve and muscle tissue. Symptoms include tingling and numbness; itching, pain, swelling of the legs, feet, or hands; or blisters may develop. The skin may be red initially and turn to blue or purple as the injury progresses. In severe cases, gangrene may develop.

Trenchfoot: "wet cold disease" resulting from prolonged exposure in a damp or wet environment from above the freezing point to about 10°C (50°F). Depending on the temperature, an onset of symptoms may range from several hours to many days but the average is three days. Trenchfoot is more likely to occur at lower temperatures whereas an immersion foot is more likely to occur at higher temperatures and longer exposure times. A similar condition of the hands can occur if a person wears wet gloves for a prolonged period under cold conditions described above. Symptoms are similar to an immersion foot.

Frostnip is the mildest form of a freezing cold injury. It occurs when ear lobes, noses, cheeks, fingers, or toes are exposed to the cold and the top layers of a skin freeze. The skin of the affected area turns white and it may feel numb. The top layer of skin feels hard but the deeper tissue still feels normal (soft).

Frostbite: caused by exposure to extreme cold or by contact with extremely cold objects (especially those made of metal). May also occur in normal temperatures from contact with cooled or compressed gases. Frostbite occurs when tissue temperature falls below the freezing point (0°C/32°F), or when blood flow is obstructed. Blood vessels may be severely and permanently damaged, and blood circulation may stop in the affected tissue. In mild cases, the symptoms include inflammation of the skin in patches accompanied by slight pain. In severe cases, there could be tissue damage without pain, or there could be burning or prickling sensations resulting in blisters

AN ICY REMINDER: Anybody who is required to work outside, especially during the winter months, is exposed to Cold as an occupational hazard. It is important to recognize, assess and control the hazards of cold stress in the same way that you deal with other hazards in the workplace, and that you take the necessary steps to protect your workers from the risks of extreme cold exposure.