DISTRICT NEWS

On December 5th, 2023, Districts 1, 5, 6, 7, & 10 joined forces to host the IMA’s first Cross-Canada Combined District Meeting. We caught up with the District Executives who planned and executed the event and gained insights into why it was important.

1. What inspired your District’s to join forces to do the IMA’s first Cross-Canada Combined District meeting?

“District 7 has been combining forces with fellow Districts since the pandemic and has had enormous success in terms of attendance and content delivery. The opportunity was presented to deliver a meeting that covered areas across Canada. We felt that this was a fantastic opportunity to collaborate with areas outside of Ontario and deliver content that was relevant to all members regardless of their geography. This was an opportunity to be a leader and bring our members together to deliver content that matters to all IMA members, and more importantly, create a sense of community across Canada. I was honored to host this first ever across Canada meeting and to have the opportunity to strengthen our membership and share timely relevant content that was well received by attendees.” says Amy Raycroft, District Chair for IMA District 7. Amy was the powerhouse behind this new initiative and led the coordination of this meeting.

Jane Sokol-Kennedy, District Director for District 1, agreed and mentioned, “who would not want to be involved in the first ever cross Canada meeting. I loved the idea of joining in and being part of this event. I also thought it would be interesting as there was the potential for topics and speakers that would be different that the ones we had thought of for our previous meetings. It would be a chance to meet members from other Districts and forge a relationship for future collaborations. Lastly, it was also a chance to have members of District 1 obtain any CPD credits they needed for the Cycle 5 which ends March 31, 2024.”

District 10’s new District Director, Janice Sooley echoed this comment and added, “...Unfortunately, District 10’s in-person meeting was postponed until the fall of 2024. This collaboration by hosting an online Districts’ meeting was a terrific opportunity to provide members with an avenue to acquire the learning credits needed for the CPD Cycle 5 end.”

The District 5 Executive Team also noted that, “The larger combined meeting committee between the Districts opened a much larger possible idea pool for meeting materials, as well as a much larger selection of speakers with a wider range of subjects and content.”

Mark Lindquist, District Director from District 6 says... “The main factor was a chance to give our District membership a chance to access a varied agenda with speakers providing content that was applicable not just to our District, but to the assessment and valuation industry. We have been combining forces with Districts 5 & 7 for the past few meetings which has proved to be a real “team effort” but by expanding to include even more Districts, it gave an opportunity to learn from more varied experiences and see what might be top of mind in other parts of Canada.”

2. What were some of the take aways from the Combined District meeting you think the wider IMA audience would be interested in?

Amy says, “The ability to network with fellow Districts was invaluable, and the collaboration between professionals across Canada was a unique experience that allowed us to bring learning hours to our membership in terms of CPD hours. This is always a top-of-mind initiative when we create content for members. The virtual option allowed our Districts to bring quality presenters to speak on matters that are affecting us in the industry across Canada. This experience allowed for exposure and reinforcement of why it is important to seek accreditation and take pride in being a professional in the Assessment Industry.”

For District 10, Janice noted, “We have learned how effective a meeting of this magnitude was and learned that it was very achievable no matter where we were joining from! It also gave us an understanding of whether the topics were related to assessments in our District, some were beneficial to our learning. Knowledge is power!”

From District 1’s perspective, Jane agreed and mentioned, “the main takeaway for District 1 was, that although we are divided out into Districts, we really have no boundaries when it comes to holding meetings and planning events. Virtual meeting options allow us to come together regardless of our physical location. This means that more people share the task of finding speakers and thinking of topics to share with our members. Also, most meetings offer a follow-up survey, so it is important for our members to realize that we do look at their feedback and take their suggestions into consideration. The goal always is to have meetings that are informative, interesting, and engaging.”

Bill O’Connor, IMA Director from District 5 noted his team echoed these comments, ‘The combined District meeting provided a much larger scope of the interests of the District members, such as the possible issues dealing with Assessment across Ontario and the Eastern provinces. Providing a wider range of topics, representing the Assessment related industry (i.e., MPAC, Tax Agent/Representatives and Municipalities).

For District 6, Mark agreed that “the takeaway for the District Directors was planning the agenda and securing speakers, this showed the collaboration and networking capabilities of the IMA when we work together. He continued that, ‘The takeaways for the wider IMA audience included learning that we face the same issues in valuation across the country and that by meeting virtually, it opens the options for members as far as meeting attendance and the potential to choose a meeting that provides new learning experiences for them. Not to mention more options for CPD hours!”

3. What is your District focused on for the upcoming year?

District 7 will be focused on continuing to be a leader and look for opportunities to broaden our exposure and educate our membership. They will be looking at hosting an in-person meeting in the Spring and will explore joining forces to experience a Hybrid meeting format. They are inspired by our membership and want to continue to deliver quality content along withbeinganambassador on the benefits of being a member of the IMA.

District 10 will be focusing on an in-person meeting this coming fall and hopefully start the planning process early to secure a venue, accommodations, and speakers. The recruitment of new members will always be a priority to help broaden their membership.

District 1 wants to ensure that they hold at least two meetings per year for their members. They would like to hold a virtual one in the Spring, as the weather in their area can be a bit temperamental. They would like to hold an in-person meeting for their Fall event. As they have recently held elections for their District, the focus will be on coming together as an Executive Team, and planning meetings based on feedback from our members regarding speakers, topics and virtual vs. in-person. They are also going to try and focus on ensuring that any new employees at their workplace are made aware of the IMA and what it is, including the benefits of being a member.

District 5 will focus on continuing to provide members with more meaningful content, and like many of the other Districts, will continue to be an ambassador for being an IMA member

District 6 echoed these comments and concluded that their focus will be to provide more meaningful learning opportunities for their members as they begin a new educational cycle. This includes continuing to partner with some of the other Districts to provide a virtual meeting option, while at the same time looking at the viability of bringing District 6 back together for the first time since the pandemic. Mark noted, “the key is to ensure we are providing timely and worthwhile content to our members that continues to show that the IMA is a leader in valuation education.”

All Districts are looking at the opportunities to offer in person meetings to allow our members to best connect with each other and grow their professional networks, while maintaining the accessibility and convenience of online meetings. Stay tuned for more!