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more business oriented. She was a huge advocate of the community and started laying the foundation for her campaign to champion local business. In retrospect, her work proved very successful.” Seeing red One of the most significant of Slater’s achievements while at the Chamber was her work in creating the Regional Economic Development Link (RedLink), a local business initiative developed in conjunction with the FMCA and the Northeastern Alberta Aboriginal Business Association (NAABA). The procurement tool was designed to enable local businesses to express interest in contracts made available by companies involved in the oilsands. “I would say that RedLink was Diane’s main passion for the majority of her term with the Chamber,” says Mike Allen, past president of the Fort McMurray Chamber of Commerce. “She managed to pull together a small team of people to put it together. The program did achieve some success initially but it eventually grew and grew as those companies that began participating started putting pressure on others to join in.” RedLink remains a valuable procurement tool in Fort McMurray to this day. Allen remembers Slater fondly, describing her as a feisty and respected individual. “When I first joined the Chamber, I was running a small local business,” he recalls. “On occasion, I would attend the Chamber luncheons and it was there that I first met her. She had this huge smile on her face — at all times I would later discover. She always had

an opinion and she certainly wasn’t afraid to express it.” In addition to his involvement with the Chamber, Allen also served two terms on regional council and one term as a provincial MLA. “I was by Diane’s side on many occasions where she proved very passionate,” he says. “I was in governance at the time and she was in a staff position. We would argue across the table but it was clear that she was aware — at all times — of her role. I learnt a lot about governance from her and I often sought out her advice many times during my tenure as an MLA.” Another huge success for the FMCA, while under Slater’s direction, was the creation of the Future Projects departments would engage with the local businesses to discuss upcoming work projects. The Summit provides the opportunity for valuable one-on- one networking. It remains in effect today. Boots on the ground “Diane had a lot of credibility at all levels of government and industry,” says Charles Iggulden, president of the FMCA. “She had a type-A personality and didn’t pull any punches. And she was always fair. She never made it personal.” According to Iggulden, Slater’s position with the FMCA was a “pretty critical” one as it involved a lot of government lobbying at the municipal, provincial and federal levels. He worked with Slater for about 15 years. Summit, where oil companies and government procurement

The FMCA was a 10-member association when Slater took over. It grew to include 400 companies at the time of her retirement. “Her big focus was to show value for membership,” states Iggulden. “She believed that the whole is stronger than the individual.” And although Iggulden admits that Slater could be a bit intense at times, he believes that it was just part of the package — and rightfully so. “If you got heck from Diane, you deserved it,” he jokes, adding he was often on the receiving end himself. Ken Gibson, executive director of the Alberta Construction Association (ACA), is another individual who worked with Slater. “My first impression of Diane arose out of some work that ACA was involved with concerning the administration of COOLNet, the online plansroom,” he recalls. “Diane called to let me know of FMCA’s concerns with the approach that ACA had taken. For those that have been on the receiving end of Diane’s displeasure, I’m sure they can relate. Diane could be a formidable personality but her facts were bang on, her analysis was sound, and she brooked no disagreement.” “From there we became friends and, despite being an extremely busy person, Diane would make the time I requested of her to help me out,” continues Gibson. “Diane was a good mentor, in particular, helping me out on some issues of proper governance and association operation, including a transparent process for the ACA board to invest surplus funds to the benefit of members. Diane was extremely Despite this awkward introduction, the two became strong associates.

“She was a real go-getter,” Iggulden says. “She was a very active advocate.”

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