Embarking on strategic planning

By Sherry Cooper

It has been some time since I have written an article for COPA and this is certainly a first as your newly appointed Chairman. 

While summer is usually a great time for all of us with an increase in flying and the great weather to do it in, it was also bittersweet with the sadness of the passing of our chairman and long time director for southern Ontario, Herb Cunningham. Our fondest thoughts go out to Denise and the rest of the family.

The tasks fell to me to finish what Herb had started from our June board meeting and AGM. At the board meeting in October the board saw fit to appoint me as the chair to serve out the rest of the current term, which ends in June 2006, at the next convention when a new executive will be elected.

So that’s how governance for the board works. 

As well, my congratulations and thanks go out to fellow Alberta NWT Director, Bob Kirkby, accepted the appointment for Western Vice-Chair.

After a great deal of consideration, the board members felt that with so little time left until the election for directors early this coming spring, we would leave Herb’s Southern Ontario director’s position open. As well, the election this coming year will include the other two for Southern Ontario, two for Quebec, and two for B.C. 

We look forward to the process giving us the best of the best and depend on our members to vote. We need your voice to truly represent you.

In order to be your voice the other directors and I spent some time in Ottawa at a reception we hosted where government officials at several levels as well as policy makers and representatives from other associations in aviation and some of our local members attended. 

It was a great opportunity to network and share ideas and also discuss the proposed changes to aviation policy in Canada. As most of you I’m sure are aware downloading by government continues, changes in technology are challenging us to keep up, and the airports we try to access, we have reached a point where we must be ready with a plan of our own to work with or counter each of the players.

As a board, we have recognized this and have taken the next step to ensure that our organization stays strong and the board continues its effectiveness by embarking on strategic planning.

We have been making arrangements since the AGM to go through this exercise. We realize that this is necessary to serve members and your needs, as well as giving quality representation to the issues that face us. 

To allow the process to give the guidance we need to go down the right path, we will be looking for members input as well as our directors spending more time together in planning sessions, not just board meetings. 

My thanks go out to Kevin Psutka and COPA staff who have been instrumental in the transition for our new executive. I also want to thank the directors for their efforts in their local areas and taking the time away from their busy lives to give even more of their time to the board which is an investment in the future of COPA.

I look forward to working with all of you and appreciate the confidence the board has shown by choosing me to lead us through this exciting future ahead!