On Saturday, January 31, Standardbred Canada elected its Officers & Executive Committee for 2009
. Elected to office are:
• Jackson Wittup – Chair of the Board
• Tammy McNiven – Vice Chair
• Chuck Ibey – Chair of the Breeders Committee
• Ross Galbraith – Executive Committee Member
• Jim Lehman – Executive Committee Member
• Richard Veilleux – Executive Committee Member
Continuing in their terms of office are Ted Smith as President & CEO, Rosenna So as Chief Financial Officer and Caren Brown as Corporate Secretary.
The Board voted to fill two vacancies on the Board in the Quebec region. Appointed to fill the unexpired terms for the next two years are Marcel Lacaille of St. Bernard de Lacolle, Quebec, as a Breeder Director and Guy Talbot of Quebec, Quebec, as an Active Director. Their appointments are effective immediately and restore the Board’s full composition to 29 directors.
Further, the Board appointed four members-at-large to the Association’s Audit & Governance Committee for a two-year term. Bob Roach, from New Brunswick, will continue for another term and will be the new Chair of the committee with past Chair, Ken Morden, staying on for one year to ensure a smooth transition. Joining Roach and Morden on the A & G Committee for the first time are:
• Peter Berry – Ontario
• Joe Janega – Nova Scotia
• John Floren – British Columbia
• Dean Leifso – Ontario
The Board met for an extra day during this session in order to address the topic of Governance and its implications on the Association. A professional facilitator led an open and frank discussion by Board members and staff on the strengths and weaknesses of the current governance structure. Recommendations were brought forward and the Board agreed to form a Governance Committee that will review all recommendations from the Governance Session and bring forward a report to the Board in November 2009. SC Directors appointed to the Governance Committee are:
• Bill Pambrun – British Columbia
• Roland Rey – Manitoba
• Eric Johnston – Prince Edward Island
• Byron Beeler – Ontario
• Guy Talbot – Quebec
• Dr. Maurice Stewart – Alberta
• Jackson Wittup – Chair of the Board
The Board also agreed to form a new committee of Active Directors who represent Owners, Trainers, Drivers, Grooms & Officials. The Active Committee will meet at the same time as the Board and will bring forward recommendations to the Board in the same manner as the Breeders Committee and Racetrack Committee have over the years.
For further information on the Board and Annual Meetings, please contact Caren Brown, Corporate Secretary at 905-858-3060 (Ext. 242) or [email protected].