2016 ANNUAL REPORT mission MESSAGE FROM THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER To encourage and facilitate message the growth and development of curling in co-operation with our network of affiliates. I BEGIN MY FIRST ANNUAL REPORT MESSAGE AS doubles last season as our Canadian team of Marliese and Girls Curling Championships, which will take Curling Canada’s chief executive officer with a Kasner and Dustin Kalthoff of Saskatoon finished place next April in Moncton, New Brunswick. Both sincere thank you to all curlers, to all of our member fifth at the world championship to earn valuable moves fill significant gaps in our long-term athletic associations, to our partners in corporate Canada and qualifying points for the 2018 Olympic Winter Games development plan. all levels of government, our sport partners, and to our in PyeongChang, South Korea, where mixed doubles staff. I don’t take lightly that curling is an institution will debut as a medal sport. Curling Canada Foundation vision in our country, with traditions and achievements in Our philanthropic program continued to build In the year 2014 and beyond, which we can all take pride. I feel humbled to have this Season of Champions momentum as donors did their part to support youth curling in Canada — from opportunity and see many areas in which we can take Our series of national and international curling in Canada. our sport to even greater heights in Canada. championship curling events continued to thrill fans, Having said that, we do face a challenge in replacing the grassroots to the The successes of the 2015-16 season were both in person and watching on television with our Rachael Wilson, who resigned as foundation director highest levels of competitive numerous. As the governing body for our sport in longtime broadcast partner TSN. earlier this year for a new opportunity with the Ottawa this country, Curling Canada didn’t just enjoy success The season kicked off with the 2015 Home Hardware Food Bank. play — will be strong and on the ice in terms of national and international Canada Cup, presented by Meridian, in Grande During her time with us, Rachael had the unique vibrant. Curling clubs and excellence, we saw it off the ice as well as we Prairie, Alberta, and featured stops in Las Vegas for opportunity of creating a fundraising program from the associations in Canada continued working toward making curling a sport the 2016 World Financial Group Continental Cup, ground up. In two and a half years, she developed the that can be enjoyed by all, regardless of age or presented by Boyd Gaming; Stratford, Ontario, for the program to more than 1,400 donors and $500,000 in will offer a wide variety of physical ability. 2016 Canadian Junior Men’s and Women’s Curling annual revenue, and she leaves the foundation on solid participation opportunities Here are some highlights: Championships, presented by Egg Farmers of Ontario; footing going forward. We wish Rachael great success Grande Prairie for the 2016 Scotties Tournament in her new position and thank her for her hard work on for all residents of their International Performance of Hearts; Ottawa for the 2016 Tim Hortons Brier; behalf of curling in Canada. communities. Opportunities Our Canadian teams continued to thrive, despite and Swift Current, Saskatchewan, for the Ford to participate will reflect the pressure of wearing the Maple Leaf at international World Women’s Curling Championship, presented Member Associations events. Of the 10 major world-level championships by Meridian. One of the great pleasures in my first weeks on the the changing needs of this past season — nine world championships and As always, our events were operated professionally job was getting to know the people who work on behalf the cultural mosaic and the Youth Olympic Winter Games — our teams were and seamlessly and presented our sport and athletes of our 14 member associations, and seeing so many in the top five in nine of them, a world-best statistic. in the best possible light, thanks to the efforts of our commonalities, despite their regional disparity. We lifestyles of Canadians, We also had five podium finishes — also best in the thousands of volunteers, our event staff and our senior all want the very best for our sport, whether it’s for and allow for a healthy world — highlighted by three gold medals. Two came management team. our high-performance athletes or our Tuesday-night, cross-section of recreational from teams skipped by Mary Fay of Chester, Nova rental-league players. There is a passion for curling and Scotia, at the world junior women’s championship and Youth Feeder Program a desire to share that passion that stretches from coast through competitive play. Youth Olympics, and Calgary’s Kevin Koe won gold at Thanks to a generous $2 million anonymous to coast and I look forward to working alongside our Furthermore, the management the 2016 world men’s in Switzerland. Randy Neufeld donation to the Curling Canada Foundation last year, member associations to keep building our sport. of LaSalle, Manitoba, captured a silver medal at the we are going full-speed ahead with building our youth I wish you all good curling! practices of clubs, member world senior men’s championship and Winnipeg’s feeder program. associations and Curling Matt Dunstone won bronze at the world junior We have appointed Helen Radford as our manager Katherine Henderson Canada will parallel those men’s championship. of program development for youth curling and Chief Executive Officer We also took some significant strides in mixed have established the first Canadian Under-18 Boys Curling Canada of successful businesses by always keeping the best interests of curlers in mind. 2 CURLING CANADA 2015-16 ANNUAL REPORT CURLING CANADA 2015-16 ANNUAL REPORT 3 staffSTAFF AND SUPPORT SERVICES messageMESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR IT GIVES ME A GREAT DEAL OF PRIDE celebrated the one millionth participant, and efforts are ramping — not to mention some mixed feelings — up to get to two million as quickly as possible. to present this annual report on behalf of In April, we welcomed our new chief executive officer, Curling Canada’s board of governors. Katherine Henderson, who has worked tirelessly to meet as many Pride because Curling Canada is a stakeholders as possible in her first few months on the job while leading-edge national sports organization bringing new insights from her past roles in the world of marketing that consistently produces best-in-class as well as with the Toronto 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games KATHERINE HENDERSON AL CAMERON RACHEL DELANEY LOUISE DELORME JACOB EWING Chief executive Director, communication Co-ordinator, development Co-ordinator, national Web application results, both on and off the ice. Organizing Committee. officer and media relations and championship athlete services and developer services coaching And mixed feelings because this And this fall will see another transition, as our longtime chief report marks the end of my journey operating officer, Patricia Ray, retires. Patricia made contributions with the board of governors after six wonderful years of working to this organization that will be remembered long past her final alongside my fellow volunteers on the board and with our amazing day on the job, and she will be difficult to replace. On behalf of operational staff. the board of governors — indeed, the entire Canadian curling We head into the 2016-17 season on sound financial footing community — I simply say: “Thank you, Patricia, for everything thanks to the efforts of our senior management team and event you’ve done on behalf of Curling Canada. You will be missed.” staff, who work hand-in-hand with thousands of volunteers across For both me and Cindy Maddock, the 2015-16 season was DANNY LAMOUREUX ROBYN MATTIE GORD MCNABB LOUISE MÉNARD PAUL NOBLE the country to make our Curling Canada events so special. Another our final year on the board of governors, and I think I can speak Director, championship Manager, Interim director, Administrative Manager, event key component of our long-term stability is the continued support for both of us in saying that the opportunity to work on behalf of services and curling club curling club event operations assistant administration development championship of our business partners, who do so much to support the sport of Canadian curling was both an honour and a privilege. It was truly curling from coast to coast. humbling to visit arenas and curling clubs across Canada and Having that support and commitment is a crucial factor in the see the efforts being put in by curling club staff, volunteers and ability of our curlers to rise to the occasion time and time again event organizers to make our sport better; those are the kinds of on the national and international stage. This past season, in the memories that will stay with both Cindy and me for a lifetime. 10 major international events — nine world championships and My sincere thanks to all of our fellow board members with the Youth Olympic Winter Games — Canadian teams had nine whom we served during the past five years. And to incoming chair top-five finishes; no other country had more than six. We also had Peter Inch and the 2016-17 board of governors, I wish you another GERRY PECKHAM PATRICIA RAY KAREN RYAN NOLAN THIESSEN GLENN VAN GULIK Director, high Chief operating Executive Consultant and athlete Director, information a world-best five podium finishes, including three gold medals. year of success for Curling Canada. performance officer assistant liaison services