Greetings from Prince Edward Island where the morning frost has finally arrived to remind us that winter is on its way. It’s hard to believe it’s December as we turn our minds to the post-fieldwork duties that keep us occupied until spring. Since I last wrote, the Board has met frequently and much has been underway. A note of thanks to all Board members for graciously making the time to bring your knowledge and experience to our work. Thanks also to the committees and working groups for their contribution. So far I have had the pleasure of meeting with some of you individually and I look forward to a full gathering of committee chairs in the coming weeks.

I hope this message finds you all well and looking forward to a restful holiday season, even if it will be quieter than originally planned.

If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s patience, flexibility and resilience. Omicron is going to demand those things of us again as we move into 2022 and I wish you all strength and hope as we continue to navigate these uncertain times. The virus has also highlighted many inequities in our society and provided a space for reflection on the way we practice archaeology in Canada, and how we might begin to make our discipline more diverse and equitable. I’d like to share some updates about our work along these lines, and other CAA news. The board and our committees have been very busy behind the scenes and I’m so grateful to our many wonderful volunteers who keep these initiatives moving forward.

When I last wrote, Canada was beginning to emerge from lockdown and we were heading into an uncertain summer. That uncertainty is still with us as we now watch the COVID-19 case counts climb rapidly in many parts of Canada. Many of us continue to experience major disruptions in our professional and personal lives. As an association, we are mindful of these demands and recognize that under the circumstances many of our volunteers have little time to devote to CAA activities. The Board of Directors has therefore decided to pause our strategic planning efforts and focus on a few key priorities over the winter, as outlined below.

On behalf of the CAA Board of Directors I would like to wish everyone a happy and prosperous New Year. Let’s begin the annual winter message with a summary of the Board’s plans for the upcoming year. At the fall directors’ meeting we did a complete review of the CAA Strategic Plan and tried to set some manageable goals for the next three years. To begin with, we have reorganized the CAA committees and have given them a stronger web presence. We now have seven standing committees and two working groups. The former includes membership, student affairs, advocacy, ethics, indigenous issues, and member safety, as well as an exciting new committee on climate change chaired by Matt Betts. We also have two temporary working groups on equity and diversity, and media, the latter to be chaired by Dave Norris. A list of members and terms of reference for each of these committees/working groups is now posted on the CAA website. Please check out the new pages. I will soon be making an open call to the membership for volunteers to fill vacancies on these committees. I encourage interested individuals to contact me if they see a vacant position they would like to fill.