The world has changed due to the pandemic and we are leaning quickly how to adapt. Since taking office in May as PEO Vice President, I have attended 25 PEO meetings or events, with an estimate of 89 hours of Zoom meetings. Who would have imagined that so much could be possible without leaving your home office?
This campaign is like no other in PEO’s history. I am grateful to the chapters who have invited candidates to send video greetings or to speak for a few minutes in an upcoming meeting hosted by the Chapter. Inclusive leadership fundamentally requires a level of engagement and more importantly, time to listen and learn.
In the 2017 election I set a goal of visiting 50% of the chapters during the campaign and I achieved it. By visiting the 18 chapters I listened and engaged with EITs, seasoned P.Eng.s and newly licensed P.Eng.s in Chapter AGMs, License Ceremonies, tours and pub nights.
I have also had the opportunity to attend several Regional Congress meetings, GLP Academy and Congresses, Volunteer Leadership Conferences (VLC), Chapter Leaders Conferences and PEO Government Relations Conference and PEO Queen’s Park Receptions.
As your future President-Elect I am setting a goal to visit all 36 chapters during the year leading up to taking the office of President. (What a great training ground to engage with chapters and P.Eng.s across the province in preparation for the role of President.)
During this campaign I’ve been asked what I think the top three goals that should be delivered in the next one year by PEO. My answer is:
- Continue governance roadmap (which will be completed by spring 2022). This will enable PEO to focus on right touch regulation.
- Improve licensing process (i.e. reduce waiting time).
- Put a plan in place to achieve right touch regulation.
I look forward to working closely with the next President, Christian Bellini, in moving PEO forward to meet the expectations of the public in being a modern regulator.
If we haven’t already met at one of the PEO events that I’ve attended in the past, I look forward to meeting you in the future and learning from you as we build the future together.
Chapters Visited (2017 – 2020)
(in alphabetical order)
- Brampton
- Brantford
- Chatham-Kent
- East Toronto
- Etobicoke
- Georgian Bay
- Grand River
- Hamilton-Burlington
- Kingston
- Kingsway
- Lake Ontario
- Mississauga
- Niagara
- Oakville
- Peterborough
- Scarborough
- Sudbury (host of regional candidate meeting 2018)
- Toronto-Humber
- West Toronto
- Willowdale/Thornhill
- York (host of All Candidates meeting 2017)
Darla Campbell, P.Eng. for President-Elect 