b'REPORTS award would be readied and presented at the Banff 2020 Congress, the cancellation of that event meant that we had to defer launch of this significant new award. Stay tuned however, as we anticipate that the 2020/21 year will see the intended launch. All boards are encouraged to recognize promising practices that seek to achieve reconciliation. To conclude this years report, we would be remiss if we did not take time to remember our shared history as a country. This is certainly not the first time a pandemic has been introduced to Canada with grievous results. All First Peoples of this nation indeed are survivors of initial contact with what once was an outside world. Todays communities are inheritors and legacy-holders of the resiliency and triumph of the human spirit passed down from ancestors who became subject first to unintentional, but then later to purposeful exposure to a series of devastating illnesses. It bears highlight that, by some informed estimates, over 90 percent of Indigenous Peoples living on this continent at the start of the 15th century lost their lives due to the arrival of pandemics.With all of the hardships, adaptations and stresses it has brought with it, a pandemic therefore ought to awaken our collective memory and reinforce our resolve to do and be better in respect of one another, as we continue our journey towards reconciliation between First Peoples and settlers in this country. In this respect let history be our guide all Canadians must carefully heed the lessons passed down to us from those same Indigenous ancestors who demonstrated very clearly that, though immense trial and tribulation may visit themselves upon us, we can and never should allow them to prevail. We must not allow anyone or anything to overcome or conquer us, knowing that a bright and promising future lies ahead. As a public education system, we must strive to ensure that all children share in the prosperity and opportunity that is Canada, by laying for them the foundations of our experience and knowledge. May that experience and knowledge then grow into better tomorrows for all of our students, staff and communities, Indigenous and non-Indigenous. Emergent Issues Work TeamThe Emergent Issues Work Team, under the leadership of Vice President Alain Fortier met as required. Copyright, student transportation, and vaping were discussed. These items, along with advocacy related to democratic representation concerns are addressed elsewhere in this report.The Work Team recommended and the Board approved a review of charter schools throughout Canada. The report will be discussed at the September Board meeting.The Emergent Issues Work Team will continue to address issues and concerns as they arise.'