Despite the onset of the COVID-19 Delta variant, plans are continuing to resume CCIAP audits during the fall of 2021.

Over the last decade, with vehicle complexity increasing at a rapid pace, there has been a growing need to benchmark collision repair standards to ensure that vehicles are repaired safely and properly.

This benefits everybody involved in the process, from the consumer, to the collision centre, network, insurers, OEMs and vendors.

In 2016, the Automotive Industries Association of Canada (AIA Canada), recognizing a need for such a standard, announced the launch of the Canadian Collision Industry Accreditation Program (CCIAP).

Run by the Canadian collision industry and administered by AIA Canada, the program was designed specifically to fit the needs of Canadian collision repairers.

With support from major repair networks in Canada, including CARSTAR, CSN, Fix Auto, ProColor and Assured Automotive, CCIAP was conceived as an affordable, practical program that meets the requirements of vehicle OEMs in Canada, allowing vehicle manufacturers, shops and networks, to measure shop repair performance against OE requirements.

Rapid adoption

The very first shop to achieve CCIAP Accreditation was Fix Auto North Bay, in North Bay, Ont.

Within the first six months of operation, over 1,000 collision centres had signed up to join the program.

In October 2018, CCIAP and the Corporation des carrossiers professionnels du Québec (CCPQ) teamed up to offer the program to repairers in the province of Quebec.

By March 2019, more than 300 collision centres in the province had joined the program.

During 2020, the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic and provincially-mandated lockdowns saw a steady decline in regular repair work for many collision centres across Canada. Despite this, and the inability to conduct on-site audits, progress regarding CCIAP was still made.

In the August 2021 issue of Autosphere Mag, AIA Canada President JF Champagne explained that the Insurance Bureau of Canada had placed its support for CCIAP, and in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, government-run insurers SGI and MPI had recognized significant benefits in having a benchmark for collision repair standards.

Additionally, in Ontario, the provincial government also recognized the importance a program like CCIAP plays in helping reduce insurance premiums for consumers, which are currently among the highest in Canada.

Resuming audits

Moving into 2021, plans were put in place to resume audits of shops in the program as well as to sign up new members.

The onset of the Delta variant and a spike in COVID-19 cases across Canada has somewhat impacted this initiative due to safety concerns that have delayed the return of people to work environments.

Nevertheless, JF Champagne and the team at AIA Canada remain optimistic about the future.

“The reality is that the program will be moving forward, and we are looking to have audits resume in the fall of 2021 so shops can complete their CCIAP Accreditation.”