Report: SAAA Annual Conference 2017
September 13-15, 2017
Shirley Bomak and Jennifer Brandt
After an afternoon drive up in Grandview Manitoba, I spent the night at Shirley’s home. We left early the next the morning for the conference in Sasktatoon, Saskatchewan, arriving in great time, we were able to check in early to the hotel, and get ready for the afternoon.
After registration and opening ceremonies, lunch was served. Over lunch, the sister associations brought greetings from their jurisdictions. In our association’s greetings, we spoke about reassessment and the Pictometry projects the Province recently undertook.
One of the highlights from the afternoon was the presentation by Saskatoon Police Department’s “Bomb Squad”. Sgt. Paul Pitzel presented information and a slide show on what to look for and what not to touch as it might be explosive residue. Biological, chemical, drug labs, military trophies were discussed, all of which can blow up easily if we are not careful in what we are looking at or doing.
Thursday morning began with breakfast and a presentation from Pete Rodda, Past President of IAAO. This was followed by a very educational presentation on asbestos and how to identify and handle potential asbestos containing material.
The next presentation of the day was on the “Top 3 Habits of Highly Resilient People” by Carla Reiger. This gave us great insight on how to bring humour and balance to your everyday. Ask “what’s good?” instead of dwelling on the negative.
After lunch, a presentation on the GIS technology being used by SGIC was given. Various methods of capturing imagery were discussed including Pictometry.
Later in the afternoon, we put on our walking shoes and had a behind the scenes tour of the SaskTel Centre, home of the Saskatoon Blades. The asbestos training was fresh in everyone’s minds, and there was a heightened awareness to carefully look around at our surroundings, not only for asbestos but so you didn’t get lost in the vast complex.
That evening, we were treated to a delicious buffet while the SAAA presented various awards to their members. After the formal presentations at the banquet we were treated to entertainment by Matt Falk, a comedian from the Steinbach area, who had everyone laughing so hard there were tears!
Friday morning began with a light breakfast and a presentation on Big Data by David Chevrier of ISM Canada. After a quick break, Myron Peters from Family Services Bureau presented on dealing with difficult people. Valuable discussion and tools were presented which can be used in both our professional and personal relationships.
The 2017 SAAA conference was both educational and enjoyable. It was a great way to network with like-minded individuals on common topics.
We thank the SAAA for the invitation to their 2017 Workshop and look forward to seeing new and old acquaintances in the future.
