At the Canadian Auto Care Industry Conference, the collision repair sector sessions again provided great information for those in this very important, far-reaching sector of the automotive aftermarket.

Dan Friedman, Vice President of North American business development, Entegral spoke about ‘Envisioning the Future of the Auto Claims Ecosystem’. He stated that rapidly evolving technology and mobility trends were disrupting the traditional business models for our collision repair shops, insurance providers and vendors! He explored all how all stakeholders in the industry could work together to improve customer as well as employee satisfaction, reduce costs and friction in the claims process thus ultimately contributing to safe, proper repairs for your clients.

The ‘People-first approach’—was a leadership conversation with Amin Youssef of Fix Auto Canada and Wendy Dugas, Donnelly Auto Group. A type of fireside conversation, it explored how people-first leadership and proactive retention strategies drive long-term business performance. It touched on culture, candid lessons learned, empowerment and offered practical insights on how a leader can promote an authentic sense of belonging in today’s workplace.

Profitability
This was a subject everyone is interested in and two concurrent sessions were offered. One session, Succession Planning: Future-proofing your business and was given by Shawn Wilson of Simplicity Car Care.

Future-proofing your business goes beyond fixing cars and he walked shop owners through succession planning plus the key drivers of business valuation. Shawn discussed how to maximize long-term value, to plan smooth ownerships transitions and set their business up for viable growth in a competitive industry.

Human Resources
Classroom to Career: Building the autobody workforce of the future explored how Canada’s 310B/310Q apprenticeship pathway is shaping the future! The discussion by Josh Westgate, apprenticeship and skilled trades accelerator at Fanshawe College, broke down training models, industry partnerships, apprentice supports, and what is really working—plus what is not—in today’s system! He showed that from post-secondary pipelines to digital skills and upskilling opportunities, those in the business could better attract, engage and retain the next generations of skilled auto body technicians.

The other session was ‘Vehicle Technology’ with Jeff Peevy, VP Industry Relations, I-CAR: He addressed ‘Reimagining the future of learning in collision repair: Technology, efficiency and the mindset shift ahead. He acknowledged that the collision repair industry is changing fast and vehicle technology is advancing. Repairs are becoming more complex; safety and accuracy expectations are still rising. To be in the loop, the way techs, estimators and leaders learn must evolve!

Jeff explored the future of learning in collision repair, highlighting technologies that are now in place—AI driven training and immersive simulations that enable faster learning while improving repair quality and consistency.

Ryan Mandell of Mitchell tackled ‘Global trends shaping collision repair’. He took a deep dive into the key trends reshaping this sector. He drew on claims data and global market insights to explore how tariffs, supply chain pressures, advancing vehicle technology and evolving insurer expectations are redefining the needs of the future shop plus what repairers must prioritize to remain competitive.

Olympic gold medalist Alex Kopacz talked about the elements that led him to success—how it could draw parallels between athletes and the collision repair industry.

CAIC 2026 was truly a great learning experience.