By Stéphane Niles, Board of Directors Chair (stephane.niles@skipatrol.ca)
Now that we are getting into the thick of summer, it is great to hear about and see on social media how CSP members are helping to ensure the safety and well-being of Canadians across the country at numerous 365 events, whether they are sporting events, festivals, or other community events. The fact that we are asked to participate in so many 365 events speaks to our level of professionalism and skills, and the value of the services we offer to our communities.
As YETI, the new membership management platform, approaches its first full year of operation, I want to thank everyone involved in the planning, launch, operation and support of this new system, in particular Diane Lemay and Greg McCormick for their hard work leading the implementation, and the project steering committee members for their valuable guidance. This was a big step forward to modernizing our operations and will allow us to implement new features soon, such as a tighter integration with Moodle (the e-learning platform) and digital membership ID cards. Stay tuned for more information on those in the coming months. As with many new IT system implementations, it didn’t come without some challenges, some bugs, and new processes for all to learn along the way. The team continues to work with members and our service provider to address any questions or issues raised as quickly and efficiently as possible.
If you haven’t done so yet, I encourage you to visit the CSP’s new eShop, where several fun and useful CSP-branded items can be ordered online. The eShop was developed in partnership with and is managed by Portage Promotions, a CSP national brand partner. The online ordering process is simple and orders are processed and shipped within a few days.
The success of the CSP depends on the engagement and contributions of members, at all levels. If you are interested in helping shape the future of the CSP, learning new skills, having fun and meeting even more patrol friends, I encourage you to raise your hand and get involved. Whether at the patrol, zone, division or national level, or on special projects or committees throughout the organization, we are always looking for more members to get involved, share ideas and help improve the CSP.
Summertime is a great time to start “spreading the word” to friends, acquaintances and family members that might be interested in joining the CSP in time for the fall training season, and to share with them some of the benefits of joining – advanced first-aid training, pro-deals, camaraderie with other patrollers to name a few. If you know of anyone interested in joining the CSP, please put them in contact with your patrol leader or zone president, or have them visit our website at www.skipatrol.ca for more information.
As outlined in another article in this issue, this year’s CSP annual general meeting (AGM) will be held virtually on September 24, 2022 at 1 p.m. EDT. In preparation for the AGM, a meeting to present the annual financial statements to the members and a question and answer session with candidates for the board of directors will be held virtually on September 13, 2022 at 7 p.m. EDT. Information on how to join online will be distributed to the membership in advance of the meetings. Both meetings will include simultaneous interpretation services to ensure the meeting are accessible to all members.
On behalf of the board of directors, I wish you all a wonderful summer. Hope we will see you in the upcoming training season.