The annual general meeting of the Lac La Biche and District Chamber of Commerce that had been slated for the night of Wednesday, January 18 has been postponed to a later date.
The Chamber's annual meeting is held to review the previous year's activities, set plans for the coming year, and to elect a new set of directors and executive board members to represent the organization.The Chamber's role is to provide a collective voice for the business and commercial sector in the area.
The call to cancel the meeting — which had been advertised for the last two weeks — was made just days after the departure of the organization's executive director Karen Collins. In the role for three years, Collins officially left the office last Friday after handing in her notice a week earlier.
Although an annual meeting can be held without an executive director in place, current Chamber President Dave Phillips said the departure was a factor in the decision to cancel.
"It was part of it," he told Lakelandtoday.ca.
Phillips hopes to take a week or so to re-group and try again. He is also hoping that extra time might drum up a bit more support for the meeting.
"We also hadn't had a great response from members for the meeting," he said.
Busy times
The Chamber president said he was pleased with the effort and work that Collins had contributed to the organization — especially through the mostly uncharted challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. As the Chamber's only full-time employee, Phillips said Collins was working in a busy and unusual time.
"Actually, during the pandemic, the Chamber really did have some success. We were giving out rapid tests and getting a lot of attention for it. Karen was a big part of that. It helped with awareness for the Chamber. We gave out 35,000 rapid tests," he said.
Collins was also instrumental during the discussions between the Chamber and Lac La Biche County over the Visitor Information Centre contract, as well as grant funding applications.
Phillips said the plan is to re-hire for the position, and there has already been some interest interest in the job. The executive director role had a salary of approximately $60,000 per year.
Contacted by the Lac La Biche POST newsroom Collins said her time in the community has been memorable.
"I met some wonderful people and beautiful souls. Lac La Biche will always hold a place in my heart," she said, expecting to visit the area and the people regularly. "I’ll be back to visit and help out with the Winter Festival of Speed. From a tourism point of view I’ll continue to be an ambassador and sing the praises of the incredible nature and culture within the region."
While no specific date has been set to re-schedule the meeting, Phillips expects an announcement will come quickly.
"We are planning to have it soon. We may be making an announcement about it next week," he said.
