Hi again,

I have continued to spend time unwinding from two whirlwind events prior to my holidays – the Governor General Leadership Conference and the Independent Living Canada spring national face-to-face board meeting which was held in Shippagan, New Brunswick.

We were invited to hold our annual spring face-to-face meeting in Shippagan by the local Centres’ board and staff.  Generally, we hold the board meetings and annual general meetings in big cities that can accommodate our accessibility needs; however, the local board and staff were determined to make this event happen.

Gilbert Brunette, IL Canada’s Franchophone Liaison Officer and Emilie Haché, the Executive Director at the Shippagan IL Centre, worked against the odds.

There are 18 people on the National Board of Directors to plan for, the majority being people with disabilities. They also had to organize a face-to-face francophone network meeting that was to take place a day ahead of the National Board of Directors meeting, as well as an Accreditation Committee meeting which was held on the same day as the francophone network meeting.

It was touch and go for a while, especially when one of the motels where we booked their accessible rooms and other rooms closed down; however, Emilie, with her dedication and connections, managed to configure local resources to ensure we had enough rooms.

The National Board of Directors and Francophone Network began to arrive in Shippagan on May 28th.  We stayed at both the University of Moncton (Shippagan) Campus student residence, and the Super Eight Motel in Caraquet (which is beautiful and on the waterfront).

I must admit that I was skeptical in the beginning and didn’t believe that we would be able to pull this event off, keeping in mind that it isn’t just the accessible rooms that we need.  We also need accessible transportation from Moncton and Bathurst, accessible restaurants, and simultaneous translation.

By the time we arrived, the town and the Centre were ready for us. Everyone pitched in to make the event run as smoothly as possible. 

At one time, Emilie Haché worked as an assistant to a federal cabinet Minister and it shows. She has impeccable organizing skills and she is a master of “making things happen.”  She and the Shippagan IL Centre Board Chairperson, Mr. Arisma Losier, mobilized the University, the community, other organizations, the province and politicians to make this event possible.  Mr. Losier, who is also on the Independent Living Canada Board of Directors, is not only charming and charismatic, he is incredibly passionate about the Independent Living Movement and a valued ambassador of our association.

On Friday, May 30th, the Centre held a wine and cheese event on campus for us.  Prior to the reception, Mr. Losier recognized local employers for their commitment to IL and employing people with disabilities. Certificates were given out to approximately 70 employers! 

The next evening, the Shippagan Centre board and staff coordinated a lobster dinner for our gang and invited numerous politicians from all levels of government, such as the provincial Minister of Transportation, the Mayor and local politicians, including Jocelyn Roy Vienneau, Jonathan Rock Noël and Nicole Savoie.   Politicians who became involved in the local “Adopt an MLA” program were honoured, including Paul Robichaud, MLA for Shippagan-Lamèque-Miscou; Denis Landry, MLA for Centre-Péninsule-Saint-Sauveur; Claude Landry, MLA for Tracadie-Sheila; and Hédard Albert, MLA for Caraquet.  These politicians were adopted by families that have a child or adult with a disability.

Although there was incredible excitement in the town due to our national meeting, there was also a very sad mood in the community due to the tragic motorcycle accident that claimed the life of their local NHL hero, Luc Bourdon, who was a new member of the Vancouver Canucks hockey team.  The accident happened the day of the IL Canada francophone meeting and as the Board members were arriving, it was noted that the town was in incredible shock.  Luc was Shippagan’s pride and joy and despite this tragedy the politicians took time to spend an evening with us.  The local Mayor welcomed us while trying to hold back his tears at the same time.  Shippagan is small enough that everyone knew Luc and his family.

Despite the loss of their local hockey hero, community members continued to try to make our event memorable and enjoyable.

Since our return, Emilie has sent newspaper articles that featured our national board meetings in Shippagan.  All the politicians have stated privately and publicly how much they appreciated the fact that a national organization held its national meeting in Shippagan, New Brunswick.  They now know, understand and truly appreciate the philosophy and work of the Centre and the national association.   All have promised ongoing support.


Photo: Shippagan and IL Canada  board and staff

Lessons Learned from the Experience – Maybe we should do this more often!  The board meeting in Shippagan was a significant event due to the fact that a national association, despite the accessibility and logistical difficulties, made a point of holding a national meeting in a rural and somewhat remote community.  Although there was a lack of full accessibility, roughing it made a point to ourselves and to the community and it obviously had an impact.  I have no doubt that accessibility and Independent Living Canada will have a higher profile and the town will probably work to improve accessibility because of our visit.

The IL Canada Board of Directors is committed to doing this again. If we need to parachute IL Canada in, so be it. It’s good for all of us.

In closing, on behalf of the IL Canada Board of Directors, we would like to thank the staff, board and volunteers of the Shippagan IL Centre for hosting our visit and providing us with an excellent opportunity to learn more about the issues that rural communities face.

PS – In my next posting, I will continue to write about the Governor General’s Leadership Conference.