TAC Board of Directors Fall Meeting Update

The TAC Board of Directors met for a full day in conjunction with the Association’s Conference & Exhibition in Edmonton. This was the first Board meeting for a few Directors, the first in-person Board meeting for some others, and for everyone involved it was a chance to connect with colleagues from around the country.

The morning was dedicated to receiving valuable updates from TAC’s Chief Engineers Panel, Councils, and the Governing Task Force of the Canadian National Committee of the World Road Association. Each reported on the active and emerging topics being addressed at their respective tables, which generated good discussion among all meeting participants. Sarah Thiele, TAC President and Board Chair, acknowledged the great work of the dedicated volunteers in TAC’s network and highlighted the impressive breadth of topics being advanced through the Association.

The afternoon included an interesting presentation by Alberta Transportation about protecting roadside worker safety. There was also an engaged roundtable discussion of priority issues being experienced in member organizations. Follow-up is planned to identify services or resources that TAC could provide to assist organizations dealing with those issues.

Decisions were made to invest some Board funds in important initiatives. As a result, a new reserve fund will be established to support the development of courses to be delivered as part of TAC’s recently-launched online training centre. Another new reserve fund will be created to enhance support for the TAC Foundation through the next five years. And TAC’s Foundational Guidelines Reserve Fund will benefit from an allocation to improve its growing balance and help maintain the Association’s core documents into the future.

The Board also heard from staff about operations to date in the fiscal year. Performance indicators for 2021/22 were offered as evidence that TAC had a successful year with respect to its financial situation, building and disseminating knowledge, and meeting the needs of members and volunteers.

Officers were named for the next year. Sarah Thiele will continue as TAC President, along with Scott Stewart and Michael Thompson who return to their roles as Vice President (Members-at-Large) and Treasurer, respectively. Joining TAC’s Executive Committee are Peter Hackett as Vice President (Federal/Provincial/Territorial) and Lon LaClaire as Vice President (Municipal). Sarah Wells stays on as Executive Director and Corporate Secretary.

The Board of Directors is TAC’s highest authority and is responsible for the governance and strategic direction of the Association. It comprises 25 senior leaders representing federal, provincial and territorial departments of transportation, municipalities, private sector firms and other associations. TAC is fortunate to have their guidance and support.