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Good evening to all of you. Thank you for attending this year’s Annual General Meetingo of NBRS.

     This is my third year as your Chair – and my last. Shortly after the festivities conclude tonight my time on the board will end and I just wanted to say a few words before I give up the gavel.

     It has been a privilege for me to work with all of you.  

     After all, how many people get the chance to work with a broadcast service that is unique in the world?

     How many people get the opportunity to work with a winning collection of talented staffers and volunteers, who labour so hard to break barriers so vision- and print-restricted Canadians can have greater access to news, information and entertainment?

     And how many people are fortunate to be involved with an organization that continues to envision new – and even better – ways to serve its stakeholders?

     As I look back on the six years I’ve been on the Board of NBRS I’m awed by how dedicated everyone is and how everyone pulls together to get the job done, no matter the challenge.

     Never has that been more evident than in all the activity last year and this year that lead up to our formal application to the CRTC for The Accessible Channel.

     It started life as an idea from Bob Trimbee, NBRS President, whose “noodling” has done so much to make the organization such a vibrant force.

     Then the Board and senior management gave it serious consideration – and discussion. Gradually, a more detailed concept was put together and a plan for impressing the CRTC was formulated. It was during this stage that we called on external experts as they were needed.

     After that we formed relationships with supporters in the broadcast industry.

     We also asked for – and received – support from other organizations that serve our target audiences.

     We asked that staff, members, volunteers and the Board all put in their comments of support to the CRTC. Many of us also asked our friends and families to do similarly.

     We applauded in appreciation as several people, including many of you here this evening, attended the CRTC hearings in Ottawa to give heart-felt and moving in-person interventions that drew much positive reaction from all who heard these presentations.

     Though there is no guarantee that we will succeed in getting a license for The Accessible Channel, I do know that I witnessed a tremendous effort by an impressive number of people, many who worked behind the scenes – all working together for the cause that unites us: reducing barriers to media and information.

     I can also speak for my fellow board members in extending our deep appreciation to staff and volunteers alike who have shown us that going above and beyond the call of duty is, well, part of our duty if we are to successfully serve our audiences.

      But despite all the excitement associated with The Accessible Channel the board of NBRS also recognizes that there have been some difficult challenges this year as the organization continues to grow and evolve so it will continue to be a dynamic presence in the Canadian media spectrum.

     Tonight, though, is an opportunity to celebrate the successes as a result of everyone’s positive spirit of working together to get key projects accomplished. Your determined and sparkling spirit:

• That sees VoicePrint staff and volunteers record 150 shows every week, about 80 in the national office, all read by volunteer readers.  No radio station or production house comes close to the volume of programming VoicePrint records at a breakneck speed every day.
• That sees AudioVision staff hunker down and fulfill large orders from, for example, the CNIB and NFB in addition to producing the best quality description anywhere for such clients as CBC and CTV.
• That sees us open a new Local Broadcast Centre somewhere in Canada at least once a month so that now there are 70 across Canada
• That sees us continue to fine tune the VoicePrint program schedule and improve the quality of our broadcasts based on listener feedback and focus groups
• That sees us actively recruit skilled and talented volunteers – who truly are the heart of VoicePrint – and do whatever we can to ensure that they continue to be happy, satisfied members of the NBRS family by offering training, meaningful opportunities to serve their communities, superior communication with staff and, of course, lots of encouragement and recognition of the valuable job they do for our listeners
• That sees staff and board members come together to win philanthropic dollars from organizations such as Alberta Lotteries, federal government departments and numerous foundations as we fundraise to complement the pass-through fee for VoicePrint as it only supports 70 percent of our operations
• That sees us, through our application for The Accessible Channel, take full advantage of a great opportunity to educate the CRTC commissioners, cable operators and other key audiences we work with about the great work of NBRS 

In closing, I want to emphasize how much of an honour it has been to serve on the board of NBRS.

     How much of an honour it has been to work together with my fellow board members.

     How much of an honour it has been to work together with management, staff and volunteers.

     And, finally, how much of an honour it has been to work together with so many to better the lives of 4.5 million vision- and print-restricted Canadians.

     I wish you much more continued success.

     Thank you.