Important Message from the CRCAG Board

October 1, 2014 by CRC Action Group in News

Message from Emma May

I am thrilled to accept the position of Executive Director of the Premier’s Office in Southern Alberta and to have the opportunity to work directly with Premier Prentice. 

Shortly after the Premier’s announcement on flood mitigation he invited to meet to discuss his vision for transforming McDougall Place into a vital community hub. A place where government and community come together and connect. A place welcome to Albertans where we can share our stories, hopes and create transformation together. 

After spending well over a year advocating on behalf of Calgarians for flood protection and suitable recovery I have learnt what amazing things can happen when you bring people together to work constructively on creating solutions. 
Transformation is a collaborative process and the house of the Government in Alberta should be a hub where we collect and harvest all the incredible energy in this Province. I humbled by this opportunity to be a part of Premier Prentice’s team. 
I want to take this opportunity to thank the members of CRCAG for their commitment and support over the past 15 months. You have shared you sadness, grief, fear, hope and frustrations with me and it has moved me in a way that will stay with me forever. The past year of my life has been the most meaningful work I have ever done. And so when the Premier asked me to continue to serve I said yes.  My views on flood mitigation and recovery are well known and in the public domain.  And I have no doubt that the incredible team at CRCAG will continue the great work we started. 
Sincerely,
Emma May
Message from the CRCAG Board

Dear CRCAG Members, You may have read about Premier Prentice’s announcement today or seen Emma’s earlier post on this site, regarding her new role as Executive Director of the Premier’s Office in Southern Alberta. CRCAG’s loss is southern Alberta’s gain. And through another lens, CRCAG’s gain as well. Emma May, co-founder and President, has truly been an inspiration and guiding force to the CRCAG Board, and has not only advocated tremendously for our Members and communities, but most certainly for all Calgarians. As we’ve come to understand the scope of risks we all share in living in a river City, we’ve seen the real importance of addressing it head on and immediately, for our families and livelihoods. Its been hugely challenging work for everyone involved, including Government and numerous stakeholders, and few have been as incredibly committed to getting to the right outcomes, as Emma. We wish to state clearly that CRCAG’s work continues and we reiterate our key organizing principles:

 

  1. We believe there should be a clear commitment on behalf of all three levels of Government to flood mitigation infrastructure for Calgary and other vulnerable communities in Alberta.
  2. We seek to maintain the fundamental integrity of our established river communities.
  3. We seek policy and means by which property and value can be restored.

 

We will continue our non-partisan advocacy for the protection of Elbow and Bow River communities and will let you know of changes to our leadership structure in the near future. We will soon issue our objectives for this very important year ahead, some of which have been recently addressed by our Provincial Government, with our thanks. But much work lies ahead and we look forward to seeing dirt move.

 

We could not imagine a more committed advocate for the protection and betterment of Calgary and southern Alberta, than Emma. She will be in a position to have conversations that CRCAG could not, and given that she really understands the issues and what needs to happen, we are confident that she will have the best interest of all Calgarians and Albertans in mind. If we have to lose her to any other opportunity for her, from our selfish perspective, this is a pretty good outcome.

 

At our AGM in June, we said this about Emma:

 

“There are really just two reasons we’re here tonight. One is of course the calamity in the early morning of last June 21. And the other is Emma May. Emma has been fully engaged in this odyssey since mid-July, and we mean fully engaged. She has arranged and attended more meetings, made more phone calls, answered more distressed emails, written more communiqués, posted more information, bent more ears and twisted more arms, than anyone could possibly imagine or expect of any volunteer. All this while managing a family and starting a new business. She’s absolutely determined and resolute, she’s kept her wits about her and she’s been able to keep productive conversations continuing with very many people who would really rather not have us in the room. We believe that each person in this meeting and, we think without exaggeration, this City, has benefited from her tenacity and approach and we all owe her a huge debt of gratitude. So on behalf of the rest of the Board and I’m sure the entire Membership, thank you Emma.”

 

Thank you Emma, very much.

 

All the best,

 

Your CRCAG Board