10th Annual CURAC Conference - April 18th to 20th, 2012, Victoria, BC



Welcome

The 2012 CURAC/ARUCC Conference and AGM is being hosted by the UVic Retirees Association, in cooperation with the UBC Assocation of Professors Emeriti and the SFU Retirees Association.

Our social events will be at the Harbour Towers Hotel, one block from the Inner Harbour, with our programs being offered at the UVic University Centre Conference Room.

Accommodation and Hotel Reservations

To encourage you to enjoy your stay in Victoria, we invite you to extend your stay at the conference hotel. The hotel will offer their discounted conference-rate, from $79/night (single or double), for up to three days before, and after, the conference. See: Harbour Towers Hotel for details on how to reserve your room at the special rate.

Please make your hotel reservations by April 3, 2012, to obtain the special rate.

Click for general information about the hotel.

Hotel registration is separate from conference registration. See Conference Registration below.

The Conference Program

Sessions include:

  • Are we ready for Facebook? -- challenges and opportunities of communicating with the membership
  • Keeping a healthy mind and body -- how active do you have to be to be healthy?
  • Sharing best practices -- the experience of local associations
  • Regional CURAC groups -- exploring their potential
  • Issues in Pension Plan governance
  • Options for seniors' living arrangements
  • The upcoming revision to the Canada Health Accord -- a senior's wish-list
  • The geographic distribution of health & wellness among seniors

The full conference program is online, in English and French -- subject to minor changes.

Conference Registration

With your credit-card, registration can be done online or by telephone (250-472-4747) during UVic business hours.

Alternatively, download the registration form, either in English or French, complete it, print it, and mail it.

Your registration does not include accommodation -- please see the above section about accommodation at the conference hotel.

Travel, Transportation and Parking

UNIGLOBE Geo Travel is the preferred travel agent for the CURAC 2012 conference. They have discounted their customary service fees, and will provide the best-available fares at the time of your booking. E-mail them: uvic-(at)-geo.ca or call them at 250-386-8444 or 1-800-457-6449 (M-F, 8:30-5:00). They can also provide rental-cars and travel-insurance.

For surface travel from the Vancouver International Airport, or from downtown Vancouver, there is a coach-style bus service, including ferry, to downtown Victoria.

See the BC Ferries web-site for ferry-travel with your own vehicle from the Tsawassen ferry-terminal to the Swartz Bay terminal on Vancouver Island.

AKAL Airport Shuttle runs between the Victoria International Airport and downtown Victoria hotels. It departs every half-hour from the arrivals-area of the Airport. The cost is $21 (including HST), with discounts for multiple persons. A taxi from the Airport to the Conference Hotel will be approximately $60.

Door-to-door bus transportation on Thursday and Friday mornings from the conference hotel to UVic will be provided, as will return transportation at the conclusion of the day's proceedings. UVic is a major transit-exchange for BC Transit.

Overnight parking for conference attendees staying at the Conference Hotel is complimentary.

Parking for private vehicles at UVic is $7/day. We suggest that you park in Lot 2 or Lot 3 or Lot 4, which are closest to the University Centre.

Need directions for driving to UVic? If so, use this customized Google Map -- on this map, Lot 2 is to the left of the 'A' marker, Lot 3 is to the right, and the nearest ticket-spitter is close to 'Hut E' on that map. Near the left-edge of the web-page, just below and to the right of the red 'A' marker, Click 'Directions'. Enter your starting address, e.g., '555 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC', and then click 'Get Directions' on that page.

Post-conference and partner/spouse activities

We have some suggestions:

  • visit the world-famous Butchart Gardens; Royal BC Museum and IMAX Theatre; island wineries, cider works, a local distillery;
  • walking tour of downtown Victoria, James Bay, Chinatown, Beacon Hill Park, Fisherman's Wharf;
  • harbour ferry transportation and tours of Inner Harbour and Gorge waterway;
  • whale-watching, brew-pubs, restaurants;
  • complimentary round of golf at Victoria's Uplands Golf Club -- limited availability;
  • round of golf at the ocean-side Victoria Golf Club at members' guest-rate ($75 plus HST) -- limited availability;
  • on Saturday, a bus tour of Victoria and Butchart Gardens -- sign-up at the registration desk;
  • see the Tourism Victoria web-site for a calendar of Victoria events and local attractions.

Conference Sponsors (to-date)

We gratefully acknowledge the generous support of the following sponsors:

Platinum Level:
  • Johnson Inc.
  • Mercer (Canada) Ltd.

Gold Level: Tapestry UBC (Concert Properties Ltd)

Silver Level:

  • UBC Provost
  • UVic Community Relations
  • SFU President
  • University of Victoria Retirees Association
  • UBC Association of Professors Emeriti
  • SFU Retirees Association

Bronze Level: SFU Community Trust

In-kind:

  • Monk Office
  • UVic Bookstore

Questions?

Contact the University of Victoria Retirees Association: http://web.uvic.ca/retirees or 250-472-4749.