Did ARA and CRA actually split-up over a magazine?

The short answer is no.

However, after a 50-year partnership, North America's national rental associations are officially parting ways.

The Canadian Rental Association (CRA) also considered Region 10 of the American Rental Association (ARA) plans to become a fully independent organization during Q2 of 2020.

What caused friction in the relationship?

In the weeks since the official announcement, there has been plenty of speculation about what exactly caused this decision.

A popular theory emerged that pointed responsibility at the CRA's official bi-lingual magazine SOURCE, which the CRA launched in 2019.

On January 28, 2020, during a webinar to discuss membership changes, the CRA revealed there was tension between the organizations surrounding the SOURCE launch. But, they assure members that it was not the only factor that led to the separation.

An announcement from CRA President, Dan Spencer, explains that when the partnership began 50 years ago, "CRA was not in a position to properly serve its members, and the partnership granted access to ARA products and services to Canadian members."

But with that in mind, today, only about 10% of Canadian members take advantage of ARA products and services.

The underutilization of these offerings posed a concern for the CRA as, "the majority of member dues were transferred to the ARA so that we could pool our resources and they could provide better membership services."

What's going to be changing for Canadian members?

As mentioned earlier, nothing will be immediately changing. All renewals until late spring will continue to be processed by the ARA in US dollars.

After the yet to be announced cutoff date, the CRA begin invoicing membership renewals in Canadian dollars.

The Canadian Rental Association has decided to set a rate structure exclusively based on the number of branches to help keep your revenue private.



Renewal payments will be processed online at crarental.org or by mailing payment to the Stoney Creek, Ontario office (1100 S Service Rd #217, Stoney Creek, ON L8E 0C5).

The CRA also confirmed there would be no changes to the upcoming events surrounding the ARA Show in Orlando.

Although no official agreement has been made for CRA members to receive preferential access to the ARA Show in 2021 and beyond, those who chose not to renew with ARA can still attend the show at non-member rates.

The CRA will be holding their Hospitality Event on February 9, and also encourage members to visit their booth (#4666) during the show.

Ultimately, every business has the option to enroll in the CRA, ARA, or both.

What will the CRA offer your rental businesses?

The Canadian Rental Association will start its new chapter with a variety of offerings focused on the needs of the north.

In addition to the CRA Insurance Program, the continued distribution of SOURCE, and the popular Ready to Rent tags, your CRA membership will include access to:

• Industry experts and advice
• Regional trade shows
• Provincial member meetings
• Networking events
• Government affairs committee
• Party and event shared interest group
• Safety shared interest group
• Canadian Red Cross partnership
• Legal care program
• First data credit card program
• Deluxe print program
• Deluxe payroll program