ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT

Date: October 19, 1998
Author/Local: R. Birch/7292
RTS No. 00216
CC File No. 1301

TO:	Vancouver City Council
FROM:	General Manager of Engineering Services
SUBJECT:	Support for 1998 Canadian Technical Asphalt Association Conference

RECOMMENDATION

That Council approve a contribution of $1,500 to the 1998 Canadian Technical Asphalt Association Conference, with source of funds to be the 1998 Engineering Operating Budget.

POLICY

On December 16, 1993, Council approved the following guidelines governing financial support to local conferences:

- the topic of the conference must be particularly relevant to the business of the City;
- senior staff, serving in their professional capacity, must be directly and actively involved in hosting and organizing the conference;
- the City contribution is limited to a maximum of $4.50 per paid delegate, with a maximum contribution of $5,000 (1994);
- conference organizers must demonstrate that the conference budget includes a significant level of financial support from other government or private sector sources; and
- the City s contribution must be appropriately recognized in the conference program.

PURPOSE

This report requests financial support in accordance with Council policy for the CanadianTechnical Asphalt Conference to be held in Vancouver in November, 1998.

BACKGROUND

The Canadian Technical Asphalt Association (CTAA) is a research-oriented organization with membership from all levels of government (municipal, provincial and federal) and from a wide range of participants in the asphalt industry (asphalt producers, aggregate companies, technical laboratories). There are approximately 550 members in the organization from all provinces in Canada, and with a small number of members in the United States.

Vancouver will be the site of the 1998 CTAA Conference, which will be held from November 15, 1998 to November 18, 1998. The conference will present approximately 20 technical papers detailing the results of the most recent research related to asphalt in Canada. At least 350 delegates are expected to attend.

As required by Council policy, Vancouver staff are involved in the preparation for this conference. The City's Materials Engineer, Rowan Birch, has been a member of the Conference Local Arrangements Committee since November, 1997 and is very involved in planning and organizing the conference.

Over $50,000 has been raised already through donations to the Conference, mainly from corporations which do business in British Columbia. A contribution from the City of Vancouver would be acknowledged in the conference program and on conference signage.

The conference meets the requirement for Council support, and approval is recommended.

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(c) 1998 City of Vancouver