I am honoured to take on the Chair’s role in this very critical and important year. 2020 will have long standing impacts on us all and will be a challenge for the association. I am encouraged by the very diverse and committed team we have on the board; I look forward to the new strategies we develop in these unprecedented times.

It is going to be a trying year though. Our finances will come under stress. Our large revenue generating events are postponed or cancelled, our member firms are balancing their income and employee count, which will most likely impact the association. Our opportunity for new large revenue sessions has been significant reduced. And the future is uncertain.

However, we have proven to be adaptive and agile towards change and we credit ACEC-SK staff for seeing these times as OPPORTUNITIES to change the way we do things. We have leveraged our events to on-line platforms providing revenue at significantly reduced costs and constantly assessing effective ways of operating in these trying times. The direction of the Board this year will be to embrace change, seek alternative solutions, strictly monitor our Finances, be agile and make adjustments as needed.

ACEC-SK has made strides in increasing our relevance to government and demonstrating our presence and value to the economy. We are now a name that senior leaders and government officials know. It is critical that we continue to build on that momentum we have started, foster and strengthen those relationships and take stronger steps towards being a long-term trusted advisor.

Communication will be a priority of ours. We will do our best to keep you informed with how things are changing through association bulletins, emails and other means. I encourage you all to take an active role in helping our clients, governments and industry as a whole address the challenges ahead. I look forward to achieving great things with you all!

Sincerely,

Patrick Lalach, P.Eng.

Chair, ACEC-SK Board of Directors

2020-2021