RE: 2020Network/AB Chamber of Technology/Knowledge Management Presentation I Could Make - Due to Work in Calgary

Although I wanted to attend your dinner tonight, work and life conspired to keep me in Calgary while your group discussed the exciting possibilities of an Alberta Chamber of Technology.

As someone who spends much of their time in political, corporate, and marketing communications for firms in the new and old media industries, as well as e-learning, e-government, and e-democracy technologies, I am acutely aware of the issues that are not being addressed for the people involved in the technology industries in Alberta, especially the SME's or basement based dream and ideas.

Through my various past associations as a vice president in one of the new media associations in Alberta, and a charter board person who helped to form a national E-Learning association in Canada, I also understand the ineffectiveness of the current Special/Industry Interest Groups' government relations has been in both Edmonton and Ottawa, to have a comprehensive, logical, and workable technology strategy created, that is more than ribbon cutting, and handing out envelopes to many, without a reality based plan to make sure the projects being funded are needed, and feed into a big plan for the future.

Our province is a prime example. Do an 'Alberta Technology Strategy,' Google. Not much but a look at what has been done, not what is over the horizon twenty, thirty or forty years away.

Nothing to tell us how much will be allocated, a timeline, and measurement tools to find out if we are on the right course, if we need to change course, and what sort of human resources we will need. Will need now, and will need to grow for the future.

To that end I have attached the PowerPoint Presentation I would have given if I could have been there in person. It is rather blunt, and offers some food for thought as we look down the road to see where we want to go with this Alberta Chamber of Technology idea.

Comments and corrections to my presentation are always wanted.