b'FROM OUR PRESIDENTUncertainty, Complexity and Confidence for the FutureWe are well into 2019 and while we are facing uncertainty and complexity, as an association we have confidence for the future. Some pundits believe the economy of Manitoba and Canada will slow down somewhat in 2019, and weve seen tariffs and trade disputes worldwide. A federal election is on the horizon as the current government deals with questions about pipelines, carbon taxes and immigration. Closer to home, our Manitoba government remains an enigma. There have been significant reductions in capital investment to infrastructure, the government has promised a one per cent cut to the PST, and we remain confused as to the economic development strategy.Despite this uncertainty, our membership growth has remained strong across Manitoba. Weve had membership interest from public owners and members of the design community, as they see the value in our educational program, industry information seminars and standard documents. Well continue to work with the owner community as we have in the past year, and plan on hosting followup sessions to a recent workshop with the Winnipeg Metropolitan Region group.After many months of work, and some tedious delays, we launched our new Association Management System in January. The system is called DNA, and, much like genetic code, we have come to realize our operations are extremely complex, and getting a piece of software to work the way we do can be a real challenge. I apologize now for any confusion members face as they interact with this system, but we do have your interests at heart. DNA is a web-based database linked directly to our new website, which will handle all transactionsnew member registrations, document sales, event and education registration and requires members to sign-in in order to receive member pricing. The upside of all of this, and the rationale for implementation, is that DNA allows WCA staff to carefully review member engagement, offer support to members who want to track education records and communicate with targeted groups of our membership. Member engagement is critical for us: members remain members when they are engaged. This new system will now allow us to track and identify members who arent using our services and to encourage them to explore a training session or a networking event.We continue to devote a lot of time and energy to our advocacy efforts. Prompt payment was front and centre for much of last year, as the movement toward federal and provincial legislation gained serious momentum with the new Ontario Construction Act, and similar legislation in Saskatchewan. WCA is continuing to work with the Manitoba Prompt Payment Coalition to ensure that whatever legislation is introduced is fair and workable.Local construction associations in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta10 in allformed an alliance last year and created BuildWorks Canada. There are many good reasons for this venture and a few challenges. Together we have created a strong platform that offers owners a wider audience and also complies with trade agreements. Members can see what projects are being tendered in other provinces, and view projects on a pay-per-view basis. BuildWorks Canada also includes a new online construction directory that will soon list every provider in Western Canada, and there are intriguing advertising possibilities on the platform as well. We are looking forward to B.C. joining this venture in the coming months, further expanding theprojects reach.At our recent Annual General Meeting we established our 2019 WCA Board of Directors, and I look forward to working with this group on the challenges in our industry, and continuing to work with WCA staff in delivering popular events, education opportunities and top-quality construction information.Ronald Hambley, President6 BUILD MANITOBAwinnipegconstruction.ca'