Chair/Executive Director’s Message
Highlights from May 2018 Board meeting
T
he CIQS National Board of Directors held a quarterly meeting in Montreal, Quebec, May 10–12, 2018. The CIQS – Quebec annual general meeting was held on May 10, 2018 and the CIQS National Board had the opportunity to meet and network with CIQS – Quebec members at a reception following their AGM. In addition to the annual Congress, the National Board will be rotating one of its quarterly meetings across the country to provide opportunities for designation holders across Canada to personally interact with the leaders of their institute. The following are highlights from the May 2018 Board Meeting.
Staffing The CIQS has posted a job ad for a Public Relations/Marketing staff position. More information can be found on LinkedIn and Association Jobs. This position will be responsible for building and maintaining a range of external relations, as well as liaising with corporate, education and government sectors as part of the CIQS mission to promote and advance professional quantity surveying and construction estimating. Lobbying Some jurisdictions have experienced a decline in mandatory participation by qualified Quantity Surveyors on government contracts. This motivated the board to seek out potential services of a third party to assist the Association to more actively engage both federal and provincial governments in order to reverse this trend. This includes the longer-term goal of becoming a key stakeholder to government. The CIQS has selected a firm and will begin Phase One of an environmental scan, which will include: • Federal Government, with a focus on Public Services and Procurement Canada • Province of British Columbia, with a focus on Partnerships BC • Province of Alberta, with a focus on Infrastructure Alberta • Province of Ontario, with a focus on Infrastructure Ontario CPD CIQS Podcast – Knowledge Counts – Construction Professional Development on the Go comprises shows about a diversity of topics of interest to Professional Quantity Surveyors, Construction Estimators Certified, and a wide variety of other construction professionals. It features one-on-one interviews, presentations, and informative discussions from construction industry economists, influencers, and experts. 6 | CONSTRUCTION ECONOMIST | www.ciqs.org | Summer 2018
David Dooks, PQS
Sheila Lennon, CAE
The National Board will be rotating one of its quarterly meetings across the country to provide opportunities for designation holders across Canada to personally interact with the leaders of their institute. The first two podcasts available for members are: Eye in the Sky – Using Drones for Surveying; and Caring about Client Care – The Building Blocks of Excellent Client Relations. New CIQS Committees To achieve greater results as an association, we need the active support of our designation holders. One of the best ways to do this is through the formation of committees. Most of the current CIQS Committees comprise the volunteers on the Board of Directors; while progress is being made, it is limited and slow. Through the collaboration of Committees, the CIQS can work with volunteers from our group of designation holders and industry partners to identify goals, develop action plans, and implement those plans. We have an amazing group of professionals possessing many skills and hidden talents. In development of our Committees, it should be our goal to find volunteers to create a team with balance of experience, commitment, and passion for their goals. Currently, we are looking for members interested in working with us to re-establish the Education Committee, YQS Committee, Lobbying & Marketing Committee, Congress Committee, and ICMS Committee (to mention a few). Sheila Lennon, our Executive Director, is working to develop terms of reference for each Committee so that volunteers are provided the necessary guidelines, limitations and resources available to them. Those who volunteer will be identified as Committee members in publications and through our website. Those committing the time to be involved with their Committees are eligible to earn CPD points. If you are interested in participating on these and future Committees, or if you have suggestions for the formation of other Committees and/or goals for current Committees, we hope you will let us know. To return to Table of Contents CLICK HERE
