Power of a million

2023 Impact Report

Welcome

Letter from our CEO

As a membership club representing more than a third of Alberta households, AMA has long understood that the sheer number of people who put their trust in us is one of our greatest strengths. But when we welcomed our millionth member in 2023, the idea of “strength in numbers” took on a life of its own.

From community mobilization projects to grassroots advocacy, we continued our storied legacy by investing in even more ways to make a difference in our communities, working hand in hand with fellow Albertans who shared our passion for positive change.

The road ahead was clear: to make a bigger collective impact, we needed to focus on smaller individual goals. We needed to imagine what would happen if a million people each did one small thing to create a better tomorrow. The world around us required it.

A record number of Canadians don’t have enough to eat. Climate change is having radical effects across the province, from devasting wildfires to extreme weather. The economy is forcing some families to make difficult choices.

It’s a lot to take in, and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. But when you parcel out small, manageable actions across a large group of people, our prospects as a province don’t feel quite so scary. In fact, they feel exciting.

Hopeful, even.

We each create impact—our very own ripple effects—through the choices we make. Our second annual Impact Report highlights some of the ways AMA staff, board members, and members chose to do that in 2023, showing once again that taking care of each other is in Alberta’s DNA.

Because together, our ability to create a better tomorrow is beyond measure.

Michelle Chimko
President and CEO, Alberta Motor Association


We’re living in a time of remarkable change—from virtual health care to developments in clean energy, to artificial intelligence that will forever change the way we live and work. But what’s even more extraordinary is the fact each of those changes began with one person believing things could be different, then taking steps to make it happen.

Our unique strength as a province is our willingness to rally around the causes, issues and challenges that matter to us. In fact, that’s how AMA got its start in 1926: auto enthusiasts in Calgary and Edmonton banding together to lobby for lower fuel taxes and safer roads.

Nearly 100 years later, the ripple effects of that decision have multiplied exponentially to create the club we know today—a million members strong, residing in every corner of Alberta.

The AMA Community Foundation, established in October 2023, is our way of tapping into that spirit and scale for the greater good. Previously known as the AMA Foundation for Traffic Safety—which for decades has funded traffic safety research—the newly named AMA Community Foundation expands our commitment and now includes childhood safety, climate good, and food security.

It’s an exciting evolution that allows us to better mobilize our members around the issues that matter to them. Each of the Foundation’s four pillars of focus has one thing in common: supporting lasting change for the next generation of Albertans.

Donations to the AMA Community Foundation can be made at amacommunityfoundation.org, directly supporting programming within our province. Imagine the good we could do if every AMA member donated just $1.

That’s the power of a million.

Jane Flower
Vice-President, Corporate Purpose

People

It’s a special thing to be part of a community—and it feels even better when you give back. We’re passionate about bringing together our members, partners, employees, and board members to create  the change we want to see in our communities. In 2023, this included a huge number of employee-led initiatives.

  • As part of Edmonton’s CANstruction competition, our Legal team created a 10-foot tow truck entirely out of nonperishable groceries—all donated by AMA staff. The building materials were directed to the local food bank, contributing to a combined event total of 21,107 lbs of food.
  • Staff logged thousands of AMA Volunteer Day hours in support of causes that have special meaning for them. These included tree-planting, packing soup kits for local shelters, supervising educational field trips, buying and parceling school supplies for children in need, and helping out at the Terry Fox Run, to name just a handful.
  • Through voluntary Shift Swaps, employees set aside their day-to-day responsibilities to support members in everything from fraud prevention (Shredding events) to vehicle maintenance (Car Care events) to waste reduction (Electronics Recycling events).
2022
2023

0

Volunteer Hours
(VS. 3,345 in 2022)
2022
2023

0

Voluntary Member Service (Shift Swap) Hours
(VS. 1,056 in 2022)

HumanKind

We introduced our HumanKind platform in early 2023, making it easier for staff to participate in corporate giving initiatives, find volunteer opportunities, and donate to causes close to their hearts. 

Externally, the platform also serves as a hub for our members and fellow Albertans to support Fill Our Fleet and other AMA Community Foundation causes that improve our communities.

0

Percent of staff participation

0

Thousand dollars donated by staff

0

Causes supported
= 5 % of Staff
= 1,000 dollars
= 10 causes

HelloAlberta

We can only imagine how challenging, and even a bit frightening, it can be to move to an entirely new country. So, we designed a special outreach program, HelloAlberta, to support new Canadians in our province. In 2023, we helped protect 4,959 HelloAlberta newcomers on the road, while also connecting them to their community, critical resources, and even winter driving lessons. Everything needed to start life in Alberta on the right foot! Because the first step to a place feeling like home, is having someone roll out the Welcome mat.

AMA Mobile App

One of the most exciting features of our new AMA Mobile App, introduced in March, is the addition of digital communities. These in-app groups not only help members better connect with AMA but also with each other, over topics of shared interest. 

This year, nearly 3,900 members exchanged ideas, inspiration, and tips across our four debut communities: EV Life (electric vehicles), Cost Cutters (deal-seekers), Smart Traveller (travel enthusiasts), and HelloAlberta (welcoming newcomers). We look forward to adding more groups in 2024. 

Climate
Good

As climate change continues to impact Alberta, we know this beautiful landscape we call home needs our protection more than ever—and we’re grateful that 80% of our members agree. In 2023, grassroots efforts to reduce AMA’s footprint shared a common theme: the power of small individual actions to create meaningful change.

Reducing Our Carbon Footprint

In Roadside Assistance, a new policy around “conscious idling” was developed, with a goal to reduce fleet idling time from 40% to 20% over three years. Our service vehicle operators were so passionate about this change and their role in it, AMA exceeded that target in just four months. This represents a significant reduction in fuel use and greenhouse gas emissions as an organization (check out the full story in the video above).

Another bright spot was AMA Insurance, where we continued our commitment to reducing paper. As of November 2023, the department had shifted nearly a quarter (24%) of payments to Electronic Funds Transfer, while the use of DocuSign—saving an average 15 sheets of paper per agreement—climbed 36% year-over-year. 

2022
2023

0

Percent of transactions sent as EFTs
(VS. 8 in 2022)
2022
2023

0

Number of times DocuSign was used
(VS. 2,100 in 2022)
2022
2023

0

Sheets of Paper saved with docusign
(VS. 31,500 in 2022)

Recycling

Our second annual electronics recycling event resulted in 36,602 lbs of recovered resources. We also added e-recycling bins to select centres, providing Albertans with a year-round way to safely and responsibly dispose of computers, phones, and other electronic devices.

At 13 Shredding events across the province, we supported members in recycling 426,879 lbs of personal documents. 

During renovations to our administrative offices, we gave staff the option to “purchase” unneeded filing cabinets—otherwise destined for a landfill—for a $25 donation to the food bank. 

We also held our first employee swap meet for used goods (“swap, don’t shop”), helping rehome—and divert from landfills—clothing, appliances, and other items. Anything left after the event was donated to local shelters. 

0

Filing Cabinets Re-Homed

0

Dollars Donated from Cabinet Sale
= 10 Filing Cabinets
= 100 dollars donated
Shredding Events

0

Shredding events
(VS. 12 in 2022)

0

Communities
(VS. 8 in 2022)

0

participants
(VS. 8,820 in 2022)
2022
2023

0

Pounds shredded
(VS. 366,998 in 2022)
2022
2023

0

Trees saved
(VS. 3,670 in 2022)
2022
2023

0

Lbs of Food Bank Donations
(VS. 30,019 in 2022)
2022
2023

0

Cash Food Bank Donations
(VS. 51,163 in 2022)
Electronics Recycling
2022
2023

0

Communities
(VS. 2 in 2022)
2022
2023

0

Members Served
(VS. 521 in 2022)
2022
2023

0

Tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions saved
(VS. 15 in 2022)
2022
2023

0

Lbs of Recovered Resources
(VS. 35,073 in 2022)
2022
2023

0

Lbs of Food Bank Donations
(VS. 150 in 2022)
2022
2023

0

Cash Food Bank Donations
(VS. 6,905 in 2022)

Forever Forests

In 2022, AMA pledged to plant 100 hectares of “forever forest” across Alberta by our centennial in 2026, helping rewild the land that’s given us so much. In 2023, we seeded our second and third forest sites, Flatbush and Benoit. We also hosted educational lunch-and-learns with our partner, Project Forest, and held offsite events that gave staff and board members the chance to experience the power of planting firsthand. 

0

employees planted willows in their yards

0

Trees Planted by Ama in 2023

0

participants at 4 planting events

0

Trees planted by staff at 4 planting events

0

staff participants at Project Forest Lunch-and-Learns

0

metric tonnes Annual Carbon Capture of Trees over 150 Years
= 100 trees
= 10 Participants
= 20 Metric Tonnes

Electric Vehicles

In 2023, we piloted a number of initiatives targeted at EV owners and the EV-curious, helping support our members’ transition to new modes of mobility. These included an EV show-and-shine event, attended by roughly 300 people in Edmonton; an EV scavenger hunt in Lethbridge, with 11 teams competing for prizes while learning about EVs and the city’s rich history; and a Plug’n Drive EV Roadshow, which saw an interactive education trailer brought to seven AMA centres.

Finally, 2023 saw the completion of our 22 EV “Juice Bar” charging station installations, which are now present in eight cities across the province. The latter project was partially funded by Natural Resources Canada’s Zero Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Program and the SouthGrow Electric Vehicle Charging Program, administered by the Municipal Climate Change Action Centre.

Food
Security

Pollinator Program

Sometimes, the smallest things make the biggest collective impact. Directly tied to food security, pollinators are connected to one out of every three bites we eat. Honey bees, for example, pollinate 80% of all flowering plants, including more than 130 types of fruits and vegetables.  

To engage and educate Albertans about the importance of pollinators, AMA installed beehives at five centres in Edmonton and Calgary in 2023. The hives will eventually be home to about a million bees— roughly one for every AMA member. Each bee can be “adopted” and named for just $1, with proceeds going to the AMA Community Foundation. 

Public education and awareness efforts will be expanded in 2024 to include all pollinators, providing a more holistic view of this delicate ecosystem.

0

Bees Adopted

0

Hives installed
= 500 bees
= 1 hives

0

Bees Welcomed

0

Money Raised for AMA Community Foundation
= 50,000 bees
= 100 dollars

Fill our Fleet

A historic number of Albertans don’t have enough to eat—and more than a third are children. The province’s food banks now see more than 174,300 people turn to them for aid every month, which far surpasses last year’s record demand.

A problem this big required equally large ambition. So, we rallied our million members to help, calling on them to support Fill Our Fleet, our AMA Community Foundation campaign for community food banks. This year, we provided three ways for people to help:

  • Participate in our first-ever “virtual food drive:” shop our online grocery store, select desired food items, and we direct the equivalent value to the food bank of the donor’s choice on the donor’s behalf. 
  • Make a monetary or food donation in-centre or through our HumanKind donation page.
  • Book a free Community Mobilization Kit, which provided everything needed to host a neighbourhood food drive.

Our 2023 goal was to raise $225,000 and 50,000 lbs of nonperishables. While we didn’t hit our target in a challenging economic year, support for the program was significant.

2022
2023

0

Lbs of Food Bank Donations
(VS. 54,999 in 2022)
2022
2023

0

Cash Food Bank Donations
(VS. 194,869 in 2022)

Historical Campaign Totals

0

Cash Donations

0

Pounds of food donated
= 100,000 Dollars
= 10,000 lbs

Childhood
safety

AMA School Safety Patrol

The AMA School Safety Patrol (SSP) marked its 85th year of community service in 2023. The legacy program plays an integral role in our commitment to protecting children—Alberta’s most vulnerable road-users—while helping them develop life-long leadership skills.

The milestone year saw the SSP host its first end-of-year celebrations for patrollers since pre-COVID. Our sponsored events were attended by roughly 10,000 excited students and supervisors across Alberta, while we supported a further 2,300 patrollers in hosting their own celebrations.

Looking ahead, we plan to explore crosswalk safety more holistically and evolve the patrol program to meet changes in mobility. For example, electric vehicles are faster, heavier, and almost silent, which creates new risks in school zones.

2022
2023

0

Patrollers
(VS. 11,800 in 2022)
2022
2023

0

Crosswalks Patrolled
(VS. 452 in 2022)
2022
2023

0

Participating schools
(VS. 342 in 2022)

0

Percent Program satisfaction
(VS. 94.8 in 2022)

AMA School Garden Studio

In 2023, we launched our pilot AMA School Garden Studio program, which plants the seeds for positive changes in childhood well-being. Touching all three pillars of our corporate responsibility work—childhood safety, climate good and food security—the Garden Studio is a private online space for Alberta teachers who are looking to create or maintain school gardens.

In collaboration with leaders in school gardening, the program provides a hands-on approach to food literacy and sustainability. It also makes it easier for teachers to bring applied learning and STEM into the classroom.
The one-stop site for resources, expertise and discounted equipment is the first of its kind in the province and is supported by partners in Edmonton, Lethbridge, Sherwood Park, and Bronx, NY.

We believe the transformational experiences that young people have in school gardens will benefit Alberta as a whole. The program—set to be expanded province-wide in 2024—will share case studies of how Alberta teachers have amplified curriculum and created leadership growth by connecting to food insecurity in their communities and improved Alberta’s food system.

Safety by the Numbers

The children of today are the leaders of tomorrow, so caring for their safety isn’t just the right thing to do; it’s an investment in Alberta’s future. Here are some other 2023 highlights from our commitment to young people’s well-being—everything from Kids Go Free, which protects youths when their parents can’t be with them, to reflective Halloween armbands.

2022
2023

0

Kids go free members
(VS. 58,609 in 2022)

0

Free Reflective armbands Distributed
= 1,000 Armbands

Advocacy &
Safe Mobility

Catalytic Converter Engraving

Building safer communities is a huge part of who we are: Albertans protecting Albertans. It’s why, for decades, we’ve taken a leading role in improving awareness of common crimes affecting our members, and sharing tangible actions they can take to support prevention.

In July 2023, we launched Tag Your Cat, a catalytic converter engraving program operated in partnership with Kal Tire and law enforcement in Calgary, Camrose, Edmonton, Lethbridge, and Medicine Hat.

Our goal was to support the tracing of stolen converters, which makes it easier for police to stop thieves from profiting from this crime, while improving successful prosecution. The program returned in January 2024, with an expansion into additional communities across Alberta.

0

Engravings Completed