(Ottawa, ON) – Wrestling Canada Lutte (WCL) is pleased to share updates related to various work recently approved and endorsed by the Board of Directors and Members during annual meetings held in Ottawa from June 23-25, 2017.

Board of Directors

Don Ryan from Fredericton, NB was re-elected as President of WCL for a 2-year term at the Meeting of Members on June 24^th. Ryan, who was recently re-elected as Vice-President of the United World Wrestling Americas (UWWA) Council, will be joined by returning directors Owen Dawkins, Leo McGee, Martine Dugrenier and Jerry Derewonko who will also serve 2-year terms. Newly elected to the Board for a 2-year term is Jay Jordon, President of the Ontario Amateur Wrestling Association. Board appointments for the Management Team and officer positions will take place in the coming weeks.

“We have made some significant changes in the last year and continue to strive to make the association best-in-class”, said President Don Ryan. “We thank our membership and our board for their involvement and continued commitment and engagement as stewards of WCL”.

Governance Modernization Project

The Board of Directors committed to a Board Development Program in early 2017 following a review that was conducted in 2016 by the Sport Law & Strategy Group. One of the recommendations was for WCL to provide assistance in the area of Board development to help ensure the Board was continuing to transition into a more policy focused one. Among other things, a document outlining Governance Modernization Principles was produced to support the work of the Board. Following a workshop on June 23^rd, the Board endorsed the ongoing work in this area, which is based on the three guiding principles that relate to there being clear distinctions between the responsibilities of the board and the staff; ensuring that WCL has board structures and processes that enable it to govern in an effective and professional manner and that WCL’s relationships with its members and governing organizations reflect accountability, alignment, responsiveness, transparency, and clarity in communications.

Code of Conduct

The Board approved an updated Code of Conduct which focuses on broad principles of conduct and ethical behaviour, including conflict of interest, confidentiality, harassment and privacy. The document will be made available in both official languages shortly.

Strategic Plan 2020

Building on the comprehensive strategic process undertaken in 2012, WCL began a review of its current strategic plan in the fall of 2015 to identify targets we would be looking to achieve over the 2017-2020 quadrennial. Using the critical information provided from a community-wide survey, a draft framework was developed and shared with the BOD and Members at the 2016 Annual Meeting. Following various debriefs and third-party reviews in the last 18 months of the quadrennial, additional information was made available to support the key priorities identified. A revised framework was then presented to the community in the spring of 2017, prompting final feedback.

The plan was approved by the BOD and endorsed by the Members during the annual meetings and includes revised foundational statements including Vision, Mission and Values. WCL’s four core strategies include Podium Performance, Sport Development, Governance & Management and Strategic Communications & Recognition. Updated priorities and performance indicators complete the 2020 plan.

WCL would like to thank everyone who provided feedback to the development of the Strategic Plan. Through this plan, WCL is committed to making positive changes for our Members and becoming more focused in our activities.

A more detailed copy of the plan will be available by the end of the summer.

Policy on Organizational Structure & Committees

Following recommendations from an independent review completed last year, WCL tasked a working group to draft an organizational structure framework. The committee, guided by the 2020 strategic framework, HR review and high performance health check, developed a proposal that included key considerations on board standing and program advisory committees as well as terms of reference that would be used to define WCL’s committees and their mandates.

The Board approved the policy and terms of reference for seven committees. Details including calls for interest will follow at a later date.