PRESIDENTS MESSAGE 2024-2025

From Marc Gaudet, President of Velo NB.

Velo NB has embarked on a new project in 2024, executing on a 3 Year Strategic Plan, led by Board member France Gauthier, and worked on by all the board of directors, and stakeholders in the organization. We identified our Strategic Pillars to help guide us along the way, using the Cycling Canada Strategic Plan as a guide. I have built this message around our Velo NB plan and the pillars included within it. If you would would like to see the plan, please visit our Strategic Plan Page.

Community

Our Advocacy efforts have been led by Wayne Arrowsmith and assisted by Stephen Marr over the course of the last year. We have been meeting with the Provincial Government, and we finally feel accepted and wanted at the table. Meeting with new government officials in 2024 went extremely well, and the Minister of Public Safety is engaged and suggested continuing the dialogue and creating opportunities to improve and educate New Brunswickers on Motorists/Bicycle safety.

In 2024 we debuted a new website. Our Communications Chair Aimee Jorgensen led the project and was assisted by Chris Foster. Velo NB worked with Fredericton based “Creative Juices” to create our new, interactive Website, bringing us into a modern mode of communication in both official languages. We continue to update and provide more resources and information on it as we progress in its development.

Not seen in many years (pre-Covid) Velo NB has brought back our annual Awards and Recognition of athletes and volunteers. Saying Congratulations and Thank you to our members and volunteers cannot be done enough. Combining this with an in-person AGM has been a pleasant and engaging experience that has been a positive for all in attendance.

Our community is continuing to grow, with membership increasing over the past three years as we engage with individuals around the province. 2022 – 512 members, 2023 – 598 members, 2024 – 719 members.

Grassroots

Hop-On/Embarquez now has 6 Programs (up from 4 in 2023) in the province and more being targeted. With a total of 265+ kids (up from 220) are participating and operated by the many volunteers. A special thank you to Chris Foster and Jeff Currie for leading this initiative. Cycling Canada continues to contribute financially to this program, and supporting the efforts to help grow and maintain it.

Events

We continue to maintain relationships with Nova Scotia and PEI on “Maritime Cooperation” project, each province protecting 2 Marquis events (MTB & Road), which helps create a higher turnout for all of these events.

We continue to grow New Brunswick events, as these are no longer small events. New Brunswick is now producing Provincial, Regional, and National level representation with events such as the Canada Cup Dieppe, Crankworx at the SugarLoaf Bike Park, and Ellen’s Tour de Sussex. All combined bringing over 2,200 individuals to our events

We still need to fill the Officials pipeline, and we have the tools in place to train individuals. This is a national problem, not only afflicting our province, and we will continue to produce tools to support current officials, and those that would like to become one.

Development & Performance

We are working on plan for the Coaching positions to continue post Canada Games and develop Team NB for multiple disciplines. This helps fulfill a goal of continues programming a high level for athletes, and preventing a cyclical system that has been attached with a focus on just Canada Games years.

Coaching is in place with Remi Mantion coming back for MTB and Kristine Cormier joining us for Road. In the fall of 2024 we had talent ID camps for interested athletes and 2025 is underway with a full slate of activities and races for the athletes for Team NB selection.

Our Finances are in place, with a Term Deposit that has made us money (4.75%) and we will continue with this model to earn dollars with our Reserves, New partnership starting with RBC to support development and performance activities.

The 2029 Jeux Canada Games will be held in New Brunswick, hosted by Moncton and the Saint John, Fundy Region. Velo NB has been actively involved in discussions with Organizing Committee Chairs and will be pursuing opportunities to create an atmosphere of full cooperation and events guidance to the Organizing Committee and Host Society.

Operational Excellence

Our long term financial stability is in place, but our present funding Model has weakness, and we can never be too prepared to deliver repeatable programming. We continue to make improvements and explore opportunities to diversify revenue resources. Reserves give us permanence and ability to deliver as we continue to move forward.

This includes our ability to have a Full-Time Employee with Chris Foster, our seasoned Executive Director who has helped drive new programs and growth

In 2019, the year before the Covid-19 outbreak, Revenue was $81,272 and in 2024 Revenues were $219,630, with a Budgeted $285,527 for 2025. We have come a long way from the small little PSO that we once were. We continue to maintain high revenues and supporting the programming that happens.

We will continue to work on improving the BOD and make it more modern, we continue working towards a Governance Board and moving away from a Working Board. This is supporting best PSO best practices from similar PSOs in the province. We will work towards more regional representation as it will be part of the make-up of a modern BOD moving forward, as we recognize that other regions need better represented.