 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| EDAC History | EDAC Board | EDAC Membership Benefits | Philosophy of EDAC EDAC History In 1968 a group of municipal industrial developers, principally in Ontario, discussed the idea of developing a national association of industrial developers. This idea was transmitted to other provinces where municipal people were involved in industrial development activities. It became evident that numerous federal employees of the (then) Department of Industry were also very interested. A number of these federal employees had previous municipal experience. Through a series of informal meetings, correspondence and telephone calls, the idea was discussed, by the Department of Industry, under the leadership of the Director General, Industrial Development, Wally Lavigne, to call for a meeting in Ottawa. The purpose was to determine if such a national association was needed, would be supported, and to develop goals and objectives. The Department of Industry funded the general meeting, charging delegates a very nominal sum to attend. This was in the Spring of 1968. Eighty-two persons attended. The meeting took the form of a 2 day workshop, with each delegate given an assignment to discuss in a workshop forum, the need, the role, procedure, goals, objectives and general format of a proposed association. Following two full days of very meaningful and serious discussion, it was agreed that we would form the Canadian Industrial Developers Association, (now known as) The Economic Developers Association of Canada., with a Board of Directors elected at large, and the Executive elected from within the Board. All present were considered to be Charter Members. The first Board: Ronald Cooksley, Robert MacPherson, Robert Peel, John Scholes, Ken Ford, Larry McIssac, Larry Small, Bert Patterson, Alex Baptist, Tom Flood. R.J. Cooksley was elected founding President, and given the responsibility of developing a constitution, incorporation, a program for membership, program of education, public relations, and the general management of the Association. This included the approach to the Department of Industry for assistance in funding. A budget of $5,600 was developed, approved, and forwarded to the Treasurer. The Department of Industry gave us an excellent start, both financially and with manpower support. In the formative years, 1968/70, the Association had many set-backs. First was our name - C.I.D.A. - which conflicted with the well established C.I.D.A. We would not use that name. Several of our members changed jobs, were promoted or were otherwise unable to continue. Our constitution, however, except for the name change, was moving well, as was our program to obtain members and to put ideas about education, public relations and development on paper for discussion. Most discussion took place informally as most of the Directors were located in Ottawa and Toronto. In 1969, a second meeting was held in Ottawa. A review of all that transpired in the founding year was fully discussed, and specific action plans brought forward. Major planning was directed to education, communications, constitution and name, membership, budget and finance. A new Board was elected with most Board members remaining.President, Larry Small, Peel, MacPherson, Scholes, Ford, McIssac, Seversen, Flood, Cooksley and Baptist. A major decision was made by the Board and members to emphasize education. An Education Committee was formed, headed by founding President, R. Cooksley, with authority to discuss ideas and plans with an outside agency; Continuing Education Department of the University of Waterloo, and to bring back a full report at the next meeting. The third meeting, in Ottawa (1970), saw the formal approval of the constitution and name, the development of an education program, and the formation of basic policies that are the very foundation of the Association as it is today. 1969 - First Education Committee R. Cooksley, R. MacPherson, A. Gillies, D. Deverall 1970 - 1972 Board of Regents R. Cooksley, R. Peel, R. MacPherson, S. Seversen, A. Gillies, Dr. D. Walker
The above history was written by Mr. R.J. Cooksley on August 12, 1983. |
|
