Another year has just come to a close and it's safe to say that the Réseau des ingénieurs du Québec has come a long way. As we said during our Annual General Meeting, we're definitely maintaining our momentum! And although 2009 has barely just begun, the RéseauIQ has already sprung into action for you. See for yourself…

Two new services have been launched in January. First, a new and enhanced professional liability insurance plan has been developed in partnership with the insurance firm Marsh, offering you wider coverage. Second, we moved our mobile phone offering to TELUS thanks to an agreement with its dealer Communication Mobilenet, resulting in more attractive rate plans for you. These two changes are a great way to start the new year!

Furthermore, the months ahead promise to be just as busy, with at least six other services to be unveiled soon, including a new offering for engineers who own a small or medium-sized business or who are self-employed.

Obviously, many of our habits and projects will need to be adjusted in light of the economic situation. In a world where environmental concerns will become increasingly important, we'll have to learn to justify our priorities based on more than just financial factors. Employment statistics remain favourable for engineers, although certain sectors are harder hit than other. The diversity of Quebec's economy plays to our advantage, while automobile-centric Ontario is suffering more. 

On a professional level, the Ordre intends to make continuing education mandatory very soon. This will require all of us to put more emphasis on developing our skills, and the RéseauIQ will be ready to support you in this endeavour with its most comprehensive engineer training program ever.

In 2009, we'll also be focusing on energy, most notably with the publication of the most important study on energy development in a sustainable development context. You can expect to see the RéseauIQ even more present in the media and in public forums. We invite you to join us in our positioning efforts via several activities to enter in your agendas, including our Montréal and Québec City career fairs, as well as year-round conferences.

I hope that 2009 will be an excellent year for you all, filled with great projects and lots of success!