September 2007 Issue
PNWER Honours APEGGA Leader
For Second Time
 |
NEIL WINDSOR, P.ENG. |
For his work on labour mobility, APEGGA Executive Director & Registrar Neil Windsor, P.Eng., is the first-ever recipient of a prestigious new award. The Pacific NorthWest Economic Region presented Mr. Windsor with the Robert F. Day Memorial Award in late July in Anchorage, Alaska, during the PNWER Annual Summit.
PNWER named the award after the late Robert F. Day of Alberta. While working for TransCanada Pipelines, Mr. Day was a consistent and tireless PNWER supporter, says a news release from the group.
The Pacific NorthWest Economic Region is a statutory, public-and-private partnership of legislators, governments and businesses in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, Alberta and the Yukon. PNWER promotes greater regional cooperation from governments and business to enhance the region’s global competitiveness, while striving to maintain or improve its environment.
The new award recognizes private-sector leaders who nurture and build relationships between legislators and industry to foster economic development in the region. While doing so, recipients must see beyond the goals of their own company or industry.
“Neil truly deserves to be the first recipient of this award and epitomizes the spirit behind it,” said PNWER President the Hon. Jim Kenyon, Yukon Minister of Economic Development. “He has done a remarkable job bringing the public and private sectors together throughout the entire region.”
Upon receiving the award, Mr. Windsor thanked PNWER for the opportunities it provides, calling it “a unique organization.” He added: “The strength of PNWER is the opportunity for the private sector to interface directly with the public sector, and to then have input and direct influence on policy matters that affect everyone.”
For seven years Mr. Windsor has chaired the PNWER Workforce Development Workshop, building a team of public and private sector participants to identify opportunities and challenges in meeting workforce demographic needs.
“PNWER has been effective and supportive in helping us with the cross-border mobility of professionals,” Mr. Windsor said. “It has played a vital role in passing resolutions on the accreditation of engineers, which state boards are starting to follow.”
Three years ago, Mr. Windsor jointly won the PNWER Hot Potato Award with David Curtis, P.E., Executive Director of the Idaho Board of Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors.
The award recognized their work to reduce workforce
barriers between the U.S. and Canada
PNWER’s four-day conference in Anchorage included sessions on a range of
issues, among them regional energy cooperation and planning, border issues, pandemic
preparedness, regional workforce needs, sustainable development and water policy.
Other sessions focused on health care, transportation, agriculture and the environment.
Edmonton hosted the summit the year before.