Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/144909
speaker'scorner Good on All Counts ON BEHALF OF THE WHITEWOOD TOURISM and Heritage Committee, I would like to thank you for publishing the story about the French counts ("Yves de Roffignac Was Here," Spring 2012). The article was very enjoyable and informative. We have received many positive comments about it. I would say it was appreciated by all. –Boyd Metzler Secretary-Treasurer Whitewood Tourism and Heritage Committee Campaign Complaints As a retired highways employee for Saskatchewan, I find the Worst Roads Campaign (Take Five, Spring 2012) a shot against all employees that look after Saskatchewan highways. We have no control over what the government does with its budget. Record spending on the highways' budget covers inflation from the costs of fuel and oil that we put on the roads, which have gone up five-fold. We have a great bunch of highway employees across this province who are dedicated and do their best with the budget they get. –Steve Lane, via email Yes, we have some bad highways in Saskatchewan (Take Five, Spring 2012). Our expenditures for highways have increased by almost $2 billion, but when you take into consideration that the costs of fuel, oil for asphalt and machinery, as well as wages, have gone up significantly since 2007, overall we are probably not able to build any more miles of road in 2011 as we did in 2007. You guys need to take this into consideration. We are not a bunch of dummies out here. –Eloy Schermann, via email Editor's note: The goal of the Worst Roads Campaign is to gather input from the driving public about which roads are most in need of improvements and then forward that information to the government to use when identifying priority roads to receive attention. Write Us: Speaker's Corner, Westworld Saskatchewan, 200 Albert Street N., Regina, SK S4R 5E2; email: caa.admin@caask.ca . Letters may be edited for clarity and brevity. CAA and AJAC: Working Together AS PART OF CAA'S EFFORTS TO ENHANCE our advocacy program and reach as many ears as possible with our important messages on road safety and eco driving, CAA National forged a partnership with AJAC, the Automotive Journalists Association of Canada, in 2010. To date, we have reaped many benefits from this initiative, including: • Establishment of a CAA booth at AJAC's annual TestFest, where top automotive journalists from across Canada gather for a four-day test-drive evaluation of more than 150 new vehicle models. CAA used the opportunity in 2010 to launch our Eco Choice calculator (caask.ca/ecodriving) and in 2011 to launch our new ebook, Gas, Hybrid and Electric: What You Need to Know (caa.ca/newengines), written by two leading AJAC journalists. • Establishment of the annual CAA Road Safety Journalism Award, presented to an AJAC member at AJAC's AGM. • Posting of all CAA National media releases on the AJAC website. 6 WESTWORLD p06-07_Spkrs_Crnr.indd 6 >> • Most recently, CAA and AJAC joined forces to produce a new publication on automobile information and driving advice. Test Drive magazine showcases AJAC's 2012 Canadian Car of the Year Awards program, also a part of TestFest, offering an inside look at the process AJAC members use to test and review new cars and make their best new-vehicle selections in 14 categories. The magazine also includes safe- and eco-driving tips from CAA. testdrivemagazine.ca • As part of Test Drive, CAA and AJAC also ran the Drive to Win contest, with the lucky grand prize winner (announced after press time on May 9, 2012) receiving a four-year lease of AJAC's Car of the Year. CAA looks forward to continuing its work with AJAC and seeing many more benefits from our partnership in the future. –Ted Hillstead, Weyburn Chair of the Board SUMMER 2012 4/16/12 9:28:46 AM