2008 was another good year for our foundation in terms of philanthropic activities and refining our administrative procedures.

The Board awarded a total of $47,754 as 4 IEEE McNaughton Learning Resource Centre Grants (all upgrades), 8 IEEE Canadian Foundation Scholarships, 6 IEEE Canadian Foundation Special Grants, 1 IEEE Canada Power Quality Scholarship, 1 IEEE Canada Women in Engineering Prize and 2 IEEE Canadian Foundation Québec Science Fair Prizes. In terms of the previous year's income, we received $38,500 in interest and $22,150 in donations for a total of $60,650.

Our special grants supported the "student paper competition awards" at the 2008 Canadian Conference on Electrical and Computer Engineering, the 2008 IEEE Canada "student branch training workshop", 2008 IEEE Sections Congress, an "engineering week by IEEE" at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology, a "space elevator racing team" at the University of Alberta, and a "robotics competition" at the University of New Brunswick. The upgrade grants to 4 of the about 30 IEEE McNaughton Learning Resource Centres continues to keep these centres as exciting and dynamic supplements to the academic experience. The centres supported this year were at the University of British Columbia, the University of Saskatchewan, Red River College and the Université de Sherbrooke.

Our 2008 unrestricted donations will be reported by our Treasurer. In addition, we have received $20,000 from TELUS to endow the IEEE Canada R.A. Fessenden Medal. We have also received $20,000 from the Canadian Heads of Electrical and Computer Engineering departments (CHECE) to endow the IEEE Canada Outstanding Engineering Educator Medal. Both of these developments concluded about two years of interaction and the cheques were received in early 2009. While not a donation, I note that our Board voted in December to sponsor the IEEE Canada W.S. Read Outstanding Service Medal.

We are taking steps to recognize our donors by developing an Honour Roll of Donors - this is taking some time as it requires the development of a suitable database from our records. We are currently asking donors whether they prefer to donate anonymously or be noted in our Honour Roll. Additionally we are asking donors if they would consider making our foundation a beneficiary in their will. Our Canadian online donations site now accepts donations to the IEEE Canadian Life Members Fund in addition to the General Fund.

An essential part of requesting donations is to explain how donations will be used. Both the IEEE and the IEEE Foundation have a public mission statement and this AGM will be asked to adopt a mission statement that is consistent with current IEEE practice so that our campaigns can be consistent with IEEE and build on those campaigns.

We are not immune to the recessionary trends of the global economy but our balanced investment portfolio will minimize the damage and keep us ready to take advantage when the economy recovers. Our new Investment Advisory Committee is now in place and the Chair, Mike Sosa, will in attendance and present his committee's report. The biographies of the three "investment professionals" are provided in item 5j of our agenda

The IEEE Board approved at its February 2009 meeting our proposed bylaw changes - defining the creation of an Executive Committee, an Investment Advisory Committee, and the ability to have more than one Vice President. For the coming year, our grants and donations committees will each be chaired by a Vice President. One small additional change to our constitution will need to be approved by our board - bylaw changes are now approved by the IEEE Board of Directors as the IEEE Executive Committee has been discontinued effective January 1, 2009.

Congratulations to the following IEEE Canadian Foundation members

• David Whyte is being awarded the 2009 IEEE Canada Central Canada Merit Award for outstanding contributions to the IEEE Toronto Section and the IEEE Canadian Foundation over the past 25 years.

• Dave Kemp is being awarded the 2009 IEEE Canada W.S. Read Outstanding Service Award in recognition of 45 years of dedicated leadership and service to IEEE at the local, national, and international levels.

Closing Comments

I thank all my fellow members of the IEEE Canadian Foundation, the volunteer leadership of both IEEE Canada and the IEEE Foundation, and associated staffs, for your inspiration, advice and support

Robert T.H. (Bob) Alden, Ph.D., P.Eng., F EIC, LF IEEE
President