Message From
Board Chair Greg Kwong
I was honoured to take the seat as Chair of the WinSport Board of Directors at the 2023 annual general meeting.
We’re at an important time both for the business of sport and for the mission of WinSport as we are grappling with the need to ensure sport participation is safe, healthy, and empowering for all athletes. We are also working to ensure that our organization is increasingly inclusive, diverse, equitable, and accessible, not to mention financially and environmentally sustainable. There are important challenges ahead!
Professional board governance is important to maintaining public trust in this historic Calgary institution. While WinSport’s Board of Directors is made up of community volunteers, we take our responsibilities as directors seriously and follow best-practice standards for not-for-profit organizational governance. Our directors are senior leaders in their respective fields who pair their skills in various business disciplines with a passion for sport.
Accordingly, I would like to thank former chair Peter Cohos for guiding the board through the dark days of the COVID-19 pandemic and I am grateful for his ongoing counsel as Past Chair. As Peter noted in last year’s letter, the 2023 annual general meeting saw the board terms end for three excellent former directors, Don Archibald, Rebecca Morley, and Perry Spitznagel. We have added fresh perspectives, however, as we welcomed Kristin Cerny, Chad Leier, and Shannon Young to WinSport’s Board of Directors. We look forward to their contributions over the coming years.
It’s wonderful to see the public spaces at WinSport facilities teeming with people again! The management and staff of WinSport did an extraordinary job of keeping these vital sport and recreation facilities as open as possible throughout the pandemic while meeting all health restrictions and keeping people safe. Even while struggling to manage the ever-shifting operating environment of a global pandemic, WinSport’s management and board have not lost sight of our longer-term mission and challenges. Management keeps the board well informed of the significant changes underway at WinSport, ensuring that the organization can continue to fulfill its purpose of activating human potential through the spirit of sport.
As civic leaders, board members work to build awareness within the city and the province of WinSport’s central role in Canada’s sport ecosystem. The endowment from the 1988 Winter Olympic Games that has, incredibly, been supporting WinSport operations for 35 years, is in urgent need of recapitalization. Your board is focused on securing the capital investment required to revitalize WinSport’s facilities and maintain everything this remarkable organization does for the community.
Attaining the federal and provincial government funding to renovate the day lodge was a tremendous start. The federal funding came from the Green and Inclusive Community Buildings program so the upgraded day lodge will be designed to a net-zero emissions standard. Unlike the old lodge, it will also be fully accessible. We have seen the building designs – they are beautiful, and it is generating a lot of excitement.
I encourage you to read President and CEO Barry Heck’s letter for details of WinSport’s continued evolution. The story of what WinSport achieved in its first 35 years is impressive. I am optimistic that the next 35 years will take that legacy in exciting new directions. As stated in our vision, we are building a sustainable and bright future for WinSport where Canadians can participate, activate, and excel for years to come!