Society for International Development
Ottawa-Gatineau Chapter

History of the SID Ottawa-Gatineau Chapter

The Society for International Development (SID) was formed in 1957--a global network of individuals and institutions with headquarters in Washington, D.C., and chapters throughout the world.

In 1971 the twelfth SID World Conference--the third to be held outside of the United States--took place at the Chateau Laurier Hotel in Ottawa. Interest kindled at that meeting added more members to the handful of Canadians who had already joined SID. Subsequently, a number of those Canadian members attended the SID World Conference in San José, Costa Rica in 1973, and were then instrumental in establishing the Ottawa Valley Chapter of SID.

The main organizers of this Canadian chapter included President Roland Lamontagne (then Head of the Institut de cooperation internationale at the Université d'Ottawa), Lewis Perinbam, Douglas Mayer, Norma E. Walmsley, and Tom Barnett. The Ottawa chapter had been formally constituted on January 15, 1973, and the Constitution was finalized on November 26th of that year. 1973 and 1974 saw a number of new members enrolled, and the beginning of regular meetings and programs that have continued over the years. In October 1976 the Chapter suffered a major blow with the sudden deaths of Roland Lamontagne and Douglas Mayer--both of whom had been basic to the Chapter's creation.

At the international level, one of the first Canadians on the SID International Council (and a country Vice-President of that Council) had been Roland J. Lamontagne. Following his death, in December 1976 Norma Walmsley and Romeo Maione were elected to the International Council, a position to which Norma was elected for the next eight years. During most of those years, she served as a member of SID's International Executive and was also very active in the Ottawa Valley Chapter. In 1977 the SID headquarters was moved to Rome, where the Council and Executive met--at least four times a year. In addition to this, Norma joined such Canadians as Maurice F. Strong, Louis Perinbam, and Douglas Roche as they participated in sessions of the SID North South Round Table (invitational intellectual forums instituted in 1978 and held in various parts of the world over the years, that have given rise to publications and to a world wide impact on policy in international affairs). One of the SID Round Table meetings was held in Ottawa in 1980.

The Society for International Development is unique, in that only members of SID International can be local Chapter members. This has required local chapters to keep in close touch with the International Office in order to assure that members receive all the benefits the Society offers, and has placed special demands on local chapter officers. The Ottawa Valley chapter of SID has ebbed and flowed over the years, with membership as high as 190 (in March 1976). It has been maintained by some outstanding leaders and hard-working volunteers, and has featured many remarkable programs, while providing SID publications and facilitating participation by its members in SID conferences around the world.