The CSBE/SCGAB Annual Conference in Winnipeg, Manitoba, was a very successful meeting. Please join me in congratulating the Local Organization Committee for doing such a splendid job. I would like to thank once again Doug Small, Chair of the Local Organization Committee, and Past-President, Dennis Hodgkinson, of DGH Engineering for their great help and support in taking care of the local arrangements. The field trips were very well organized and very interesting.

The time really flies. I had planned to do so many things for the Society. This is a friendly counsel to the incoming President, Ron MacDonald, to get going from day one. It may be worthwhile to examine the idea of having a two-year term for the Society President so that there is enough time to deliver on the promises and new initiatives.

The Joint ASABE and CSBE/SCGAB Annual Conference in Montreal in 2014 is on-track. The dates for the joint meeting, however, have not been finalized yet. We will be meeting with NABEC in 2012 in the County of Simcoe, Ontario, about one-hour north of Toronto. CSBE/SCGAB is also joining hands with the Engineering Institute of Canada (EIC) by co-sponsoring the Climate Change Technology Conference (CCTC) in Montreal in 2013, from May 27-May 29. Grant Clark is representing CSBE in the planning process for the conference. We have not finalized the venue for the 2013 CSBE Meeting. Did I here Saskatoon?

We accomplished a lot in the last year but significantly more work needs to be done. I want to thank all CSBE members for their confidence in my abilities and their unwavering support over the last year. Under President MacDonald’s leadership, I will continue to do my best for the good of our Society.

Annual General Meetings

I participated to the 2009 annual general meeting (AGM) of the CSBE/SCGAB in Prince Edward Island and this year AGM will be held during the 17th World Congress conference of the International Commission of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering (CIGR) in Québec City from June 13th to 17th. The CSBE/SCGAB will be officially hosting this CIGR World conference.