November 19, 2006 (Ottawa, Ont.) — The CCA held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Ottawa this weekend, Nov. 17-19 with provincial delegates gathering from across the country to review existing programs and projects and plan ahead for the future of the sport.

The association welcomed new CEO Lorraine Lafrenière (effective Jan. 2, 2007) and other new faces Keith Ryan (CEO of Cycling BC), and Laurie Wilson (Executive Director, Alberta Bicycle Association). CCA President, Pierre Blanchard, was happy overall with the progress made over the past year since he took over the presidency adding “there’s much work to be done and lots of challenges ahead.”

Financial
The CCA’s revenues increased by $424,582 (16% over 04/05) and 2005/06 saw the association break the $3 million mark for the first time in its 124-year history ($3,070,593). Sport Canada funding, Tim Hortons 3-yr. renewal and the EPCOR Evening of Champions Gala were the primary reasons. Spending increased as well up 10.4% over 04/05 ($281,811) with much of this directed to the high performance sector. A breakdown of expenditures by business unit is as follows:

– High Performance – $1,435,588 (48%)
– Domestic Programs – $586,962 (19%),
– Finance/Admin/Marketing – $576, 463 (19%)
– Insurance – $414, 266 (14%),

International
The CCA continues to work with the UCI and stress the need for the recognition of the unique characteristics of North America with respect to the new continental approach to the road cycling qualification system for the Worlds and the Olympics to address Canada’s disadvantages. The CCA hopes to see some progress in this area through the coming year and into 2008.

Marketing
Developing the CCA as a premium brand continues to be a key focus for the organization. in 2006 Tim Hortons renewed for another three years as a gold sponsor marking 13 years as a CCA partner. Louis Garneau also renewed its 22-year partnership with the CCA in 2006 (their sponsorship commitment over that time frame is over $750,000), and saw the launch of a new National team kit. HR Block was added as a gold level sponsor and new official suppliers include Timex, MKI Travel and Conference Management, and Best Western. The Bank of Montreal made a presentation with respect to a potential partnership that would see a CCA affinity Mastercard program with several benefits including Air Miles.

Elections
The following positions were up for elections but there were no contests for the positions — here are the results.

Board of Directors
– Director at Large – Bill Kinash (2 years)
– Director at Large – John Tolkamp (2 years)
– Director at Large – Andrew Feenstra (2 years)

Program Committee Chairs
– Chair High Performance – Louis Barbeau (2 years)
– Chair Events Committee – Henry Pejril (2 years)

High Performance Committee
– Development Team Program Representative – Luc Arsenau (2 years)

Athlete and Coach Development Committee Members
– Mountain Bike Representative – Richard Fletcher (2 years)
– BMX Representative – Sue Morrow (2 years)

Events Committee Members
– Road & Track Representative – Francis Rancourt (2 years)

Officials Committee Members
– Road & Track Representative – Louis Lalonde (2 years)
– BMX Representative – Loyal Ma (2 years)

CCA-AGM 2007
The 2007 CCA-AGM will be held in Alberta — dates to be confirmed so as not to conflict with Grey Cup or Canadian Olympic Committee AGM.