Community and Governance

The Board of Directors consists of 14 persons. 13 members are appointed by the Government of Canada whereas the President and Chief Executive Officer is an ex-officio member of the Board. The Board is responsible for overseeing the strategic direction and management of the Corporation, and reports on VIA’s operations to the Minister of Transport.

During the second quarter of 2011, three (3) Board meetings and nine (9) Board Committee meetings were held. The average attendance rate by Directors at these meetings was 89 percent. The cumulative fees paid to Board of Directors members for the second quarter of 2011 was $55,899.

VIA held its first Annual Public Meeting on June 14 at the Ottawa train station. Broadcast simultaneously on the Internet, the meeting provided an opportunity for the public to learn about VIA’s business operations, financial performance and VIA’s projects for improvements. It also gave the public a chance to speak directly with VIA’s Chairman, President and executive officers. The Chairman, President and executive officers also answered questions sent by email from members of the public who could not attend in person.

In conjunction with the meeting, VIA held a reception for local stakeholders, business partners, Members of Parliament and VIA Preference program members, and met with the newly appointed federal transport ministers.

VIA is committed to the principles of the Official Languages Act. VIA employees share this commitment with customers through “active offer” – demonstrating a willingness to provide service in either English or French. All internal and external communications are written in French and in English, and VIA uses both languages in its business practices.

During the second quarter of 2011 VIA received zero complaints from the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages.

VIA has launched an active outreach program working with Official Language Minority Community (OLMC) organizations to support linguistic duality across Canada. The program includes engaging with organizations to discuss VIA’s bilingual services available to them, and sponsorships for community fundraising events. During the second quarter of 2011 VIA provided sponsorship support to the Société francophone de Victoria and Francofonds in Winnipeg.

VIA launched its official Facebook page in April, and received an immediate and positive response. Within a few weeks, VIA had more than 40,000 Facebook “fans” – more than many other passenger services, including well-established airlines.

The VIA Facebook page provides an opportunity for people to share their thoughts and train travel experiences with VIA, as well as learn about the latest VIA news, offers and promotions. Along with Twitter, email, and VIA’s award-winning website, Facebook is part of VIA’s strategy to recruit more customers, establish a strong online presence, and engage in a more dynamic dialogue than is possible through more traditional media.

VIA continued its commitment to environmentally sound practices in the second quarter of 2011.

In June, VIA’s Montreal Maintenance Centre successfully maintained its ISO 14001 certification for the year following an external audit. During the audit, no non-conformities were found. The system weaknesses related to training and hazardous material management that were identified, are presently being addressed by VIA management.

At VIA’s Toronto Maintenance Centre, a new fuelling storage and distribution system was activated during the second quarter of 2011. The new system not only meets all current environmental regulations and standards, but also improves fuelling practices and performance, ensuring a more efficient process overall. Access to real-time information on the consumption of fuel also allows VIA to more accurately manage its fuel usage.

VIA receives and responds promptly to information requests under the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act. During the second quarter of 2011 VIA received 14 such requests, which were in process at the end of the quarter.

VIA works with a variety of local, regional and national charity groups and non-profit organizations to support community activities, fundraisers and initiatives across the country. Promotional travel credits are donated to qualifying organizations that have submitted requests through VIA's website.

During the second quarter of 2011 VIA supported 266 non-profit and charitable organizations with travel credit donations representing a total value of $290 000

The following travel, hospitality and conference expenses were submitted during the second quarter of 2011:

Paul G. Smith, Chairman of the Board - $ 2,300
Marc Laliberté, President and CEO - $9,800
Executive management committee members - $ 26,700
Board of Directors members – $21,500

During the second quarter of 2011, the President and CEO travelled to Poland to attend the Annual General Meeting of the International Union of Railways (UIC), for which he is an Executive Board member. Expenses associated with this conference totalled $7,000, and are included in the above sum.

Travel expenses submitted by the Board of Directors reflect the diverse geographical locations of the members.