Letter from new MCC Chair Chris Bourque

To our valued membership, 

I am happy to announce that the Motorcyclists Confederation of Canada has recently held its Annual General Meeting, and as a result, we are pleased to welcome some new members to our Board of Directors. 

The MCC has elected Hélène Boyer from Quebec as a Director. Hélène brings a wealth of motorcycle experience and expertise to our leadership team. She has an extensive background in public relations and marketing around the sport, not to mention being a celebrated author and journalist. She has assumed the role of Chair of the Women Riders Council, and we are fortunate to have her.

We have also elected Geoff Jilg from Alberta to our Board. Geoff is an avid off-road and adventure rider, and the President of the Rocky Mountain Dirt Riders Association (RMDRA). An advocate for fair and thoughtful land use in the west, I am certain his expertise will be a benefit to the rest of us in Canada. 

Part of our annual general meeting also involves our election of officers, so I am pleased to announce our new Board Executive. 

Grant Lingley, our past Secretary, moves into the role of Vice Chair, Paul McGeachie stays on for another term as our Treasurer, and we welcome François Cominardi as our new Secretary. David Millier, our former Chair moves to Past Chair. 

I want to thank David for his tireless efforts these last four years. David leads a busy life outside of the MCC, and I was always amazed at how he was able to accomplish what he did for us considering that fact. He was a strong mentor for me, and set a good example on operating with a focus. As Past Chair, I am sure he will continue to provide valuable guidance to the Board. Thank you, Dave!

Kellee Irwin leaves the executive as former Past Chair. Thankfully for us all, Kellee will remain on our Board as a Director at Large. She has an incredibly broad network of colleagues in the motorcycle world from Canada and the USA to the UK and beyond. Riding since she could walk, she has earned the respect and admiration of us all and those before us. I am not sure we could operate as effectively as we do without her. Thank you Kellee!

I am pleased and honored to be elected to the Chair, from Vice Chair last term. I will strive to serve the membership to the best of my abilities, as well as the broad motorcycling community in Canada. I am a lifelong rider in almost all forms of motorcycling: on and off-road, competition and recreational riding, commuting and touring; I have been blessed to have experienced such a broad range of two wheeled activities. 

We have a mandate, and as such a challenging few years ahead of us. The MCC will be charged with strengthening our already strong relationships with regulators across this great country. We will also work to broaden our relationship with riding groups, both on road and off, competition and recreational, while always working to make riding in Canada safer for all. These are exciting times, as road use is undergoing its own transformation around the world. Autonomous vehicles, a shift to greener transportation, as well as increased traffic density trends make for both challenges and opportunities. Off-road, we are seeing increased limitations around land use and riding restrictions. I am confident in our team to ride this wave of change for the benefit of all riders. 

I look forward to my term ahead. 

Yours Very Truly,

Chris Bourque 

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