President’s Message
A remarkable bunch of people
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efore we look ahead to the future, it is probably prudent and correct to spend some time and reflect on what has just gone past. The AGM in St. John’s was excellent. The organizing committee excelled themselves in hosting a varied and interesting AGM and our sincere thanks go to them for a job well done. The entire weekend’s events ran smoothly and the locals were among the friendliest people you could ever wish to meet. Talking of friendly people, the AGM also saw the departure of three of our Council members as they completed their terms. Herve Couture, Bert Bois and Jeff Logan all leave Council with our gratitude for the hard work that they have put in over the years. Their strong characters and forthright opinions will be sadly missed and we wish them all the very best. Looking forward towards the coming year, we welcome new Council members Pat Cantin, Roy Howes and Jean Paradis to the fold. As I mentioned at the AGM, it is not a case of what I am looking to achieve this year, it is what Council collectively are looking to achieve this year. I recall Past President Ian Duncan once mentioning to me after a Council meeting “What a remarkable bunch of people” - and he was right. Aside from the ever present Lois Metcalfe, whose contribution to the Institute is without comparison, it is through the combined efforts, individual talents and work ethic of your elected representatives that make Council tick. We also have the benefit of the continued and ongoing presence of our Past President Roy Lewis and Vice President Mark Gardin to help us along the way. I am delighted to have both of them on Council for this upcoming year. Last, but by no means least, we
We need to ensure that our presence on the international stage is maintained. have Dave Burns continuing his work on the Marketing portfolio, the unrelenting David Lai once again fulfilling the Education portfolio and Joshua Mutize continuing as Editor of the Construction Economist. Now that the plaudits are over, it is time to look at what work is heading our way this year. Council, at the start of every year, inevitably set themselves an ambitious workload and goals to achieve. This year is no different as we continue with the implementation of the marketing plan, notably the launch of the new website, expand the accreditation of colleges and universities across the country, maintain and encourage relationships both at home and internationally, and also carry out the regular business of Council. We have only gone partway along the path of the re-branding. We have the new logo, re-named Affiliates, new textbooks, new promotional material and the basic tools with which we can push the marketing of this great Institute. The marketing plan evolves as we get further into the details of what is actually required; the need to market to the existing members in order to retain both their interest and look after their interests, the need to promote the Institute to potential new members and students, the need to market our services to other Professions and organizations, the need to support
4 | CONSTRUCTION ECONOMIST | www.ciqs.org | Summer 2012
Mark Russell, PQS(F)
the Affiliates as they carry out the promotional work at a local level, and the need to resurrect our involvement with all levels of government. Our aim is to start seeing some of this come to fruition in the next few years but the challenge is not insignificant. In terms of international relations, we need to be cognizant that more of our members are coming from overseas than before and that we are also seeing fluidity within the global marketplace with many members working abroad and overseas firms moving into Canada. With this in mind, we need to ensure that our presence on the international stage is maintained through our participation as a lead nation within PAQS and to ensure that the people moving to this wonderful country are welcomed and encouraged to join and participate. In closing, it would be remiss of me not to mention the inspirational and thought provoking keynote speaker we had at the AGM. Justin Mercer is a young member of CIQS who graduated a couple of years ago, is currently working his way through the CIQS exam syllabus (with aplomb it should be noted), is working full time and participates with the Institute at a local level. I am not sure whether I would have had the courage to give a presentation to a CIQS AGM at the age of 22, whilst making it amusing and engaging at the same time. How many of us would? So, where is the inspirational and thought provoking part? Justin has Cerebral Palsy. He has overcome the naysayers that said “he couldn’t” with tremendous spirit, dedication and sheer single-mindedness. What a remarkable bunch of people indeed.
