Celebrating 20 years of Canadian Wind Energy Association

Canada's wind industry may be looking to the future, but it gave a nod to its roots with a cake and rousing rendition of "happy birthday" to celebrate CanWEA's 20th anniversary. Malcolm Lodge was elected the association's first president, back when, he told delegates attending CanWEA's awards banquet, wind energy was a "rubber boot and pigtail crowd kind of industry." That first conference attracted around 60 delegates, significantly fewer than the 90 speakers on the schedule this year. Past president Mary-Ellen Jones was elected a founding director at the first conference and has not missed one since. "It's too bad it took 20 years, but we've got the makings of a great industry," she told delegates.