Dec 20, 2022

It’s hard to believe (for me at least), that this is the last Boating Industry Canada News Week Digest edition for 2022. I feel like that was the year that just flew by!

Maybe it was the acceleration out of the COVID situation, or the red-hot boating market, or a host of other factors that you could name, but I’m excited about the prospects for 2023. The Toronto International Boat Show will return after a two-year absence and that will kick things off with a bang. 

I know you will see a number of boat brands and designs that are new to the Canadian market

and that should get the discussions started. You may see some important players at the show who are new to the scene as well. Traditional major exhibitors like Mercury Marine will be back of course, showing their V-12 600 and V-10 400 and 350’s that are brand new engines and that will bring big excitement for show-goers.

I’m expecting a big showing of new electronics technology that will introduce expanded big-boat control and navigation functions to smaller and more affordable boats, both for the new and the re-fit markets.

Overall, show-goers are likely to see a wave of new features and equipment like never before but for the dealers and marinas, there will also be the challenge of personnel and education necessary to support all these new products. The boats I’m seeing are impressively bigger, more complex and much more expensive. We can anticipate that this will raise customer expectations. Will we be geared up to deliver?

For older techs there may be a steep learning curve and we know there has long been a major shortage of young people joining the industry. Perhaps the new products will attract more young people but it’s a competitive world. Dramatic changes are happening with hybrid and electric vehicles and we certainly compete with automotive for those bright young techs.

The Boating Industry Canada Employer of Choice program is a way to help better manage your human resources and there were more participants this past year than ever before. At the Toronto Boat Show, we will be announcing the larger-than-ever group of marine businesses that achieved Award status. It’s not expensive to join the successful marine businesses that are increasing their success by becoming an Employer of Choice. You can learn more about the program here. 

Treating your people well and fairly reminds me that there is a key person here who is something of an unsung hero. It’s Elissa Campbell who is really the source of knowledge and talent that turns my editorial into the Boating Industry Canada News Week Digest that arrives in your in-box 51 Tuesdays a year. She’s amazing and I absolutely could not do this without her. Elissa – take a bow!

As we start into 2023, we begin our 17^th year together doing News Week Digest for the industry and the readership continues to grow every year.

The Career Opportunities section is still free for marine industry businesses to post their employment opportunities – take advantage of that and remember, people who want to work in the marine industry, are often willing to move or relocate for a great career move.

At the bottom of this edition of News Week Digest we present our Gallery of Canadian Marine Graduate Profiles. There are six different individuals profiled and each has shared their own story including their reasons for the choices they have made.

It’s great reading for the holiday season and it’s easy to forward this edition of News Week Digest to your staff and business associates.

The more people we share these stories and the Career Opportunities (below them) with, the better the chances are that we will attract more people into the industry.

To close, watch for the January 3^rd edition of News Week Digest where we will be releasing details about the 2023 NMMA Canada Industry Breakfast would be held again on Tuesday, January 24, 2023.

From all of us at Canadian Yachting Media and Boating Industry Canada News Week Digest, we wish you and your loved ones a wonderful Christmas and a safe and happy holiday season!

Andy Adams - Editor