Milton MP Adam van Koeverden visits Fix Network’s training centre
MP meets with Fix Network’s leadership and discusses “Right to Repair” bill, among other aftermarket industry issues
Adam van Koeverden, federal Member of Parliament for Milton, visited Fix Network’s Regional Training Centre in Milton the week of April 25 and met with Steve Leal, Fix Network World’s President and CEO, and Daryll O’Keefe, Regional Vice President – Ontario.
The visit comes close on the heels of a recent meeting between O’Keefe and van Koeverden at an Innovation Round Table, hosted by the MP as well as the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, Francois-Philippe Champagne. Van Koeverden and the Minister both expressed a keen interest in Fix Network’s initiatives to keep the automotive aftermarket industry updated with the ever-increasing complexity of vehicles. The MP discussed the promotion of a private member’s bill on Right to Repair legislation, Bill C-244.
The intent of Bill C-244, which was brought forward by Wilson Miao, MP of Richmond Centre, BC, in February this year, is to amend the Copyright Act “in order to allow the circumvention of a technological protection measure in a computer program if the circumvention is solely for the purpose of the diagnosis, maintenance or repair of a product.”
“Fix Network has always advocated a strong and coherent approach to the Right to Repair issue that involves engaging all parties connected with the automotive aftermarket sector,” says O’Keefe. “As vehicles become increasingly sophisticated, we need to start preparing Canadian technicians for the future by educating and training them in the latest repair technologies.”
Van Koeverden saw firsthand the degree to which aftermarket operators must invest to stay current and underlined his support to the “Right to Repair” bill. If passed, the bill would ensure OEM-approved tools and parts are available to the automotive aftermarket. This would allow consumers the freedom to choose where their vehicles are repaired as all shops would have access to what they need to repair vehicles.
Fix Network World’s Steve Leal was on hand to discuss the status of the aftermarket industry and the challenges of today, the threats of tomorrow and the opportunities to meet these head on.
