The 2019 Organizational
Excellence Retreat
Vi Oko | Strategic Planning and Advocacy Committee Member
Eighty-two people, including members of the ARTA Board of Directors, standing
committee members, branch representatives, and staff, gathered May 26 to
28 at the newly constructed The Malcolm Hotel situated on the south bank of
Policeman’s Creek in Canmore for ARTA’s annual retreat.
Paul Huschilt
ARTA president Marilyn Bossert
opened the retreat with words
of welcome, followed by a buffet
dinner and inspiration from
actor and satirist Paul Huschilt.
In his presentation, “Climb
Your Mountain—the unEverest
Keynote,” Paul challenged
retreat attendees to set goals and
stay focused while scaling the
mountains in their lives.
24 | arta.net
On Monday morning, Todd
Hirsch, the chief economist
for ATB Financial, provided an
overview of the current health
of the Alberta economy. He
indicated that Canada has little
influence on the global economy
and is vulnerable to the impact
of change. Todd surmised that
old ways of thinking must be
shed in order to successfully
diversify the province’s economy.
Without a flexible, adaptable,
and specialized workforce, he
foresees a job loss of forty per
cent and an increase in economic
disparity that could lead to
troubling political outcomes in
the future.
Dr. David Posen
After the morning break,
Dr. David Posen, a family
physician and lifestyle counsellor,
stressed that it is important to
take care of yourself if you are
going to take care of others.
Self-care involves staying
active and engaged, making
wise lifestyle choices, and
maintaining control over what
you can control. Good health
habits optimize energy levels.