You, our members, are the reason the board  is here and we carry that truth with our every action.  At meetings across the province we heard you loud and clear that perhaps we missed the boat on communication.  We have learned from this and will do better going forward.  We pledge to listen to what you have to say. 

 

Without a doubt our industry suffered setbacks these past few years due to the economic downturn.  As an association, we reacted by cutting our budget nearly in half thus limiting many of our programs.  When we presented this dilemma at our provincial conference in Jasper in September, many of you rose to the challenge by voluntarily pledging more resources back to the association.  This demonstration of leadership by members exemplifies the strength of our association.  Not to be forgotten are those who continued to support the association through maintaining their membership over the past year.  Thank you.

 

The challenges facing us today are no less than those faced when One Voice – One Industry first began.  We have made great strides with the provincial government although it may not always seem so. We realize that when dealing with government progress can be slow, however we need to continue to remain engaged and at the forefront.  We know government is going to be in our face. We need to work to ensure any intrusion into our business is as limited as possible, and that consumers and our industry are being served by changes proposed by government. We need to get more involved with government before government gets more involved with us. We know legislation will be drafted;  when that happens we need to make sure our voice is heard and that we have a seat at the table to ensure legislation is going in the right direction. With your support and the leadership this industry is blessed with, I have no doubt we will achieve the success we desire.

 

Another challenge we face is to see ourselves united as one association.  We have always seen ourselves as members of our locals, knowing what is going on in our own backyards.  We should also know what is going on across this province and how to deal with issues as they arise.  The decisions made at the provincial government level impact us as an association as they do each local.  Let us all work together to make sure the negative impacts are minimized and that positive workable solutions are brought forward to the benefit of everyone.

Baldev (Deep) Singh Shergill