Incorporated in 1965, the Masonry Contractors Association of Alberta (MCAA) was created to serve as a venue for contractors in the masonry industry to have a forum through which they could have input into the direction of Alberta’s masonry industry, as well as a place where professionals in the field could socialize and both exchange and learn new technological information regarding innovations and changes occurring in the masonry industry. The objectives of the Masonry Contractors Association of Alberta are to create a community that allows individuals working in the masonry industry are supported in their search for safety on the job, to encourage efficiency and appropriate work standards, to facilitate connections and cooperation between individuals and corporate entities, and to make sure that masons are appropriately represented in federal, provincial, and municipal legislation for the improvement of the masonry trade and masonry safety laws.
In 2007, the MCAA established the MCAA – Northern Region Chair in Masonry Systems at the University of Alberta, and in 2017 the efforts of the MCAA also led to the creation of the Masonry Centre at the University of Alberta, a first-of-its kind research group that conducts multidisciplinary research, training, and teaching with the goal of developing safer, smarter, and greener infrastructure using masonry materials. The concerted efforts of the University of Alberta’s Masonry Centre and the MCAA have supported masonry research and technological development since the Centre’s foundation.
The MCAA and its scientific arm have been working towards the development of safer, more durable, and more energy-efficient masonry systems with the material support and expertise provided by MCAA members and researchers at the University of Alberta. To date, several large-scale tests of flexural and shear masonry walls have been successfully completed, helping to establish a better understanding of the structural performance of masonry wall systems and how to continue improving on designs into the future.
The MCAA and its members are committed to supporting and recruiting engineering students interested in the field of masonry, and have created the MCAA Award, the Mirko Ambrosic Scholarship, and the MCAA – North Graduate Recruitment Scholarship at the University of Alberta to support students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.