Celebrating John Marshall

Posted Tuesday November 24, 2020

Posted By: Elizabeth Leal

Category: Fuels,Boilers & Pressure Vessels,Safety Exchange Blog

John Marshall gracefully performed in his role of Director of TSSA’s Fuels Safety Program: enforcing provincial safety regulations in Ontario’s fuels-related sectors, while considering the practical implications and impacts on businesses and individuals.

Marshall’s success in achieving this harmonious equilibrium—while fulfilling his primary priority of keeping Ontarians safe—is cause for both the company and industry to celebrate his 14-year TSSA tenure.

“Some years ago, TSSA identified the aging workforce and growing shortage of qualified tradespersons as one of the most pressing issues facing the heating industry and, when he learned that HRAI (Heating, Refrigeration & Air Conditioning Institute of Canada) was actively addressing this challenge with its Industry Careers Promotion Committee, he quickly volunteered to participate,” explained Martin Luymes, Vice President, Government and Stakeholder Relations, HRAI. “For more than five years, John was a highly valued resource to the committee.” 

Marshall has also been an active supporter of HRAI’s involvement in the heating systems technician competition at annual Skills Ontario events. “For that, we are also grateful,” said Luymes.

On Thursday, November 26, at 1 p.m., watch as Marshall receives HRAI’s 2020 President’s Award in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) industry.

Serving with Honour

Appointed Statutory Director of the Fuels Safety Program in December 2006, Marshall is a two-time recipient of the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) Award of Merit, 1999 and 2006, for his extensive contributions in the development of codes and standards, and a 2020 CSA Service Recognition award winner.

With 50 years of experience in the fuels industry, his involvement in the energy business has resulted in significant exposure to several industries, associations and regulatory authorities in Canada and the United States.

Designated as a Chartered Industrial Gas Consultant by the Institute of Gas Technology in Chicago and Certified Fire and Explosion Investigator by the National Association of Fire Investigators, Marshall is also certified as a Gas Technician and Pipeline Inspector in the Province of Ontario.

In His Own Words…

Foray into Fuels: When I left school with my technical training, I became an electrical draftsman for Northern Telecom but soon figured out that sitting at a desk, day in, day out, watching the clock, wasn't for me. A friend of mine whose father was in the fuels business was in need of a helper, so I took a day off work and went working for one of his crews. I had a bit of an epiphany that day and realized I had to get out of the office and out in the field handling tools – I really wanted to work in the trades, in some fashion. I kind of landed in it by accident, but it really was a turning point for me.

Muses & Mentors: I've had different mentors along the way – some positive, some negative. What I’ve tried to do is to take a learning from every situation I was in. I've had some very great bosses in the past who taught me a lot about dealing with people, and I've had other bosses who were absolutely terrible at staff relationships, and I learned from them as well. I took whatever I was working with and tried to learn from it to shape and develop my operating style.

Fuelling the Fire: First of all, I absolutely love my job. No two days are the same, and every day is exciting. Certainly, in this job, I get to work with a lot of dedicated professionals and people who really are of the same ilk, in terms of safety. For me, the variety of my work and being able to give back to the industry and provide flexibility and compromise, when it’s appropriate, but still maintain safety, is what makes it for me, day in, day out.

Most Pride-Inspiring TSSA Experience: Over the past 14 years, we’ve accomplished so many great achievements in fuels; it’s hard to name just one. For me, it's really the whole idea of being able to give back to the industry and keep a whole province safe that makes me proud.

Most Memorable TSSA Moment: We’ve had some fairly significant incidents over the years. For example, the Auditor General really made us step back, re-evaluate how we do things and look for ways to do things better.

Words of Wisdom: First and foremost, take advantage of every experience and situation to learn and improve. Certainly, I did that, and I think for me, learning and education was really a lifelong journey. I got my degree at night while I was working full time. I can't think of when I wasn’t participating in some sort of training or self-improvement activity, up until not that long ago – but it’s also important to find a balance between your work and home life.

Fuels Safety Future: You know, in one sense, the sad part for me is that I really hoped to be here when we got to the end of the OASIS (IT system) journey. And now we’re now rolling out the new business model and fee structure – it certainly has been a wish of mine to have a structure like this since I came to TSSA. Although I won't actually see it implemented, I'm very, very happy to see the outcome-based regulator transition come to fruition. While we’re in for a challenging time, in terms of transformation, I think it's also really exciting to be part of initiatives like this that are ground-breaking, so to speak.

Parting Words for Colleagues: Keep up the good work. We’re in the midst of a huge transformation. There are going to be some bumps in the road, but I think the end result is worth it. Make this journey the best you possibly can for yourself, the company and the industry. At the end of the day, I think you're going to have an organization that’s well-equipped to handle anything that comes up, which is going to lead to a safer Ontario, and I think we’re going to see an industry that really values TSSA and what we’ve been able to accomplish in our transformation.

Parting Words for the Fuels Sector: Keep up the good work, stay in touch and feel free to lean on TSSA, as we move into these new areas and finish our transformation. We’re hoping that we’ll be a valued safety partner for you, and that you will see us that way as well.

Parting Words for the People of Ontario: The one thing that we haven't really wrestled to the ground in my tenure at TSSA is the CO issues in private dwellings. I think we’ve come a long way, but for the people of Ontario, a message that I keep pounding away to anybody who will listen is that the most important thing you can do to protect your family from fuels-related risks is to make sure your fuel-fired equipment is properly maintained and checked on a regular basis by certified technicians – and please, please, please use CO alarms because they do save lives.

Final Thoughts: This job was a culmination of all my life experiences and training that allowed me to take on the highest role in fuels in the province – so that was very pleasing for me. It's been a privilege and an honour to serve TSSA and to serve as the Statutory Director for Ontario. Hopefully, I'm leaving the place a little better than I found it.

TSSA wishes John Marshall all the very best in his retirement and will truly miss him.