CAM's 1998 Annual Conference
Toronto, November 23 - 24, 1998
The 1998 Annual Conference was a great success. Everyone got value from the speakers' presentations and there was good participation in the Annual General Meeting. On average, the approval rating for speakers was 4.4 (on a scale of 1 to 5) and 4.5 for overall satisfaction.
- Robin Sharma kicked off the event with a meaty and imaginative talk on leadership in business.
- Nick Seiersen (KPMG) observed that moving was one of the most stressful events in a person's life and he emphasized the importance of responding well to customer needs.
- Andrew Pierce (Department of National Defense) brought us up to date on the status of the bidding process for performing government moves.
- Calvin Anstey (Workplace Safety & Insurance Board) showed members of CAM the new face of workers' compensation, one which puts the emphasis on safety, prevention and getting the worker back to work.
- Harold Johnson (BDO Dunwoody) laid out some of the basics for financial planning in an industry with very seasonal cash flows. He presented some strategies and methods for working with a bank to smooth out some of the low periods.
- Rick Egelton (Bank of Montreal) presented a forecast for the world's economy in 1999 and the effects that it will have on the business climate in Canada.
- MaryScott Tuck (American Moving and Storage Association) talked about the progress of the Certified Moving Consultant's course and CAM's role in developing the Canadian content and distribution for it.
- Lisa Vescio (Ministry of Transportation of Ontario) presented the MTO's Vehicle Impoundment Program, its origins, objectives, regulations and the impact on the transportation industry. She handled a heated discussion with a great deal of tact and understanding.
- Jim Lockington (Royal LePage Relocation Services) took the members through a history of the relocation industry and his view of its future, one in which larger relocation companies work with quality movers to deliver moving services.
- Ken Dryden (Toronto Maple Leafs) closed the Conference with a moving and insightful speech on his observations of how a team works in an athletic environment and how those lessons apply to the building of a team in any type of business.
CAM appreciates the efforts of all the speakers who made this a quality program.
Annual General Meeting
At the Annual General Meeting, members were presented with the "state of the association" reports from the Chairman, Executive Director and Treasurer. In summary, the reports indicate CAM has built a foundation for its future and has resources in place to continue into 1999, BUT it needs the support of the members and a concerted effort to build the membership in Canada. The executive and directors for 1999 are as follows:
Chairman: Paul Van Remortel
Vice Chairman: Randy Hoyt
Treasurer: Howard Bigham
Secretary: Darrell Powell
Past Chairman: Denis Frappier
Directors:
Graham Acreman
Talal Agha
Scott Hickling
Brad Krulicki
Martin LeDrew
Jacques Leroux
Richard Lortie
John Muise
Larry Rosenberg
Update on Recent Legislation
In her speech at CAM's conference, Lisa Vescio (MTO) reminded the membership that the scheduled implementation date for the Vehicle Impoundment Program had been moved to February 1999. To allay some fears, she stated that freight could be offloaded from an impounded vehicle, only the tractor of a tractor-trailer unit would be impounded and that carriers practising "due diligence" would feel little impact from the program.
Tractor Trailer Safety
Just to make you feel good, the OTA reports that in a 1992 to 96 study, Transport Canada rates tractor trailers and their drivers as the safest vehicles on the road with 1.8% of the 1.1 million accidents in the period. Further the number has been dropping since 1994.
Hours of Service
The Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators (CCMTA) is reviewing options for the hours-of-service rules. The next meeting is scheduled for mid January 1999. Following agreement on the revised rules, the National Safety Council standard will be reviewed to put it in sync with any new rules.
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