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1999 Canadian Celiac Association Conference Highlights
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summarized by Tom & Carolyn Sullivan and Jim Lyles
General Comments
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The conference was, as usual, very well organized and run. The
two-hour Sunday morning Q & A session is both unique to CCA
conferences and, in our estimation, one of the high points of the
conference each year. The speakers handle questions submitted ahead
of time as well as questions from the floor. The answers are
challenged, follow-up questions get asked, and in general it is a free
form discussion which exposes the issues, the different participants'
positions, and the reasons behind them. The high caliber of the
participants in the last two years has resulted in a very good
learning experience.
It was gratifying to see the increase in USA attendance this year:
Janet Rinehart, Houston, CSA past president
Cynthia Kupper, Seattle, Executive Director of GIG
Ann Whelan, New York, editor of *Gluten-Free Living*
Bette Hagman, Seattle, author of the *Gluten-Free Gourmet* cookbooks
Aileen and George Bennett, cookbook authors and CELIAC e-mail list
contributors
Don Wiss, New York, celiac web site owner and CELIAC e-mail list
contributor
Sam Wylde, Seattle, from Ener-G, a well-known vendor of gluten-free
products
Jim Lyles and Carolyn and Tom Sullivan, from TCCSSG.
This was a good representative cross section of our country. Next
year's conference will be in Hamilton, Ontario. Hamilton is about 40
miles south of Lester B. Pearson International Airport in Toronto,
making it easy to fly into. It is about 60 miles west of Buffalo and
200 miles east of Detroit, well within driving distance of either of
these locations. On top of that, the conference is scheduled for
Memorial Day weekend (May 26-28), so that a "mad dash" back on Sunday
night will not be necessary for most US citizens. Finally, consider
the favorable currency exchange rate. All these factors, when added
together, make next year's CCA conference well worth putting on your
calendars.
General Meeting
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The annual general meeting of the CCA, which opened the conference,
was chaired by new president Jillian Mac Donald. She noted with
gratitude the grants from Health Canada which helped some chapters
send representatives to the conference, so that all chapters except
Prince Edward Island were represented. She introduced a
representative from Health Canada (whose name we did not get). He
stated that a change is occurring in the relationship between the
government of Canada and Canadian volunteer health organizations. The
government, particularly at the senior management level, recognizes
the existence and capabilities of the volunteers. CCA is one of about
50 such joint working groups.
In the 1993 conference in Regina (Saskatchewan), the talk was about
the need for people and money. While those needs still exist, what
has been added is the structure and organization of the volunteer
health groups and their marketing. However all volunteer groups and
members must realize:
1. The national office is nothing without the local units.
2. The local units are NOT effective without a good national office.
3. Both must tell their story through marketing.
The [Canadian] government's function is not to be involved with
details. It just sets the stage and clears hurdles out of the way.
The actual work is done by the volunteers.
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