It is simply amazing how time flies. It seems like just yesterday we were dealing with an ice storm here in Ontario, and now we are battling some of the most intense heat we have had in years. I guess we can’t complain.
I hope this latest edition of the TIAC Times finds everyone well. If you just received the magazine hot off the press, I hope your plans to join us in Banff in September are made. We look forward to seeing everyone there. If you are viewing this issue for the first time in Banff at TIAC’s 56th Annual Conference, Welcome! We are glad you made it. The program this year, similar to last year, is well-balanced with both social and educational events. There is definitely value in attending this year’s conference and we hope you enjoy your time with us to the fullest.
In May, this year’s board met in Banff to address elements that have been on our agenda for a number of meetings and this was the meeting we were going to come to a resolution on various hot topic items. I am pleased to say we are moving forward on a lot of our key initiatives. There is resounding support at the board level to support some form of quality assurance program—the details of which now need to be worked out with various provincial associations. Hopefully, by the time we arrive in Banff we will have more information for you. It is also the board’s sincere hope that we will have new membership from the contractors in Alberta and we look forward to welcoming them in Banff. We have also made some progress with the Best Practices Guide and have moved documentation to a third party for review—we will report on this in the fall. All in all, May brought a very productive meeting.
I encourage those new to the industry to contact Shaun Ekert prior to the Banff Conference so we start receiving information from the grassroots as to how TIAC can be improved in both the short and long term. If you don’t get the chance to connect with Shaun in advance, be sure to track him down at the conference and say hello. For the board, hearing your feedback, ideas, and suggestions is extremely important—it’s difficult for us to understand the needs of all and would hope that we are going in the right direction. If we aren’t, then please tell us.
I also encourage you to check out the “Where’s Steve” page in the TIAC Times (page 15)—we have had a lot of volunteers lately and hope our members will start to share some of their success stories with us. We would love to hear from you.
Enjoy Banff!
