Ever wonder the origin of the phrase Dog Days of Summer? Well, they run from July 3 to August 11 and are generally the hottest days of the year. The phrase is a reference to Sirius, the Dog Star. During the Dog Days, the Sun occupies the same region of the sky as Sirius, the brightest star visible from any part of Earth. Sirius is a part of the constellation Canis Major, the Greater Dog. In the summer, Sirius rises and sets with the Sun. On July 23rd, specifically, it is in conjunction with the Sun, and because the star is so bright, the ancient Romans believed it gave off heat and added to the Sun’s warmth. They referred to this time as diēs caniculārēs, or dog days. The term Dog Days of Summer came to mean the 20 days before and 20 days after this alignment of Sirius with the Sun.
Well, as we come to the end of the Dog Days of Summer, staff are keeping cool and keeping busy. Staff have begun work on our 2023 Roster and Product Guide. Via email, members will be asked to verify the company contact information listed in the Roster. Our affiliate members will be sent their product listing from last year so this will be your only opportunity to update your lines for inclusion in the 2023 book. As always, there will be opportunity to advertise in the book and that email should be hitting your inbox early next week. This is a labour intensive and time-consuming project for our staff as not only the book gets updated but website as well. Please try to be respectful of the deadlines so that we can have the guide ready for distribution in January.
Member Services Coordinator Roma Green and I will be reaching out to our newest members to arrange a visit to your office. We want to stop in for a quick visit, perhaps bring a few doughnuts for your staff, and talk about your membership. We want to ensure you are taking advantage of all aspects of your membership.
In early July our Liaison held its second meeting. The committee is comprised of representatives from TSASK, SATCC, CIPH, SaskEnergy and members of MCAS. The group covered a wide range of topics including labour mobility, upcoming enforcement of cross connections and backflow installation requirements, SaskEnergy’s Heat Pump project, and the shortage of licensed gas fitters. A small working group will be formed to examine viable solutions to the issue of the shortage of general gas fitters in the province. I will continue to keep you updated on this committee’s activities.
I hope you have the opportunity to enjoy the final Dog Days of Summer and remind you that your association is here should you have any issues or concerns.