Overview of the Alberta Motor Association
The Alberta Motor Association (AMA) is the largest membership organization in the province, with more than 908,000 members representing about 1 in 3 Alberta households. Growth of AMA has been steady, with a 3 to 5 per cent increase in members each year. From humble beginnings, AMA now has more than 1,500 employees serving members from 16 centres throughout Alberta.
AMA's vision
AMA's overall vision is to be the proactive advocate of our membership's consumer and safety needs and a champion in the community for the rights of motorists and travellers.
Since 1926, AMA has been both advocate and servant for the motor vehicle owner and traveller. It is now the province's leading proponent on motoring and related consumer issues, and the premier supplier of automotive and other travel services, as well as providing a full range of insurance and registry services to members.
AMA has represented its members' interests to all levels of government, proposed reasonable legislative initiatives, and promoted travel and tourism within the province – including development of an adequate road network and the safe use of these highways. Indeed, the early AMA not only lobbied governments on this issue, it actually completed construction of the first motor road to Jasper from Edmonton. Some of the other key issues AMA has been a key advocate with over the years include drinking and driving and seatbelt legislation.Beyond traffic safety, AMA's current advocacy efforts include travellers' rights, crime prevention as it relates to automobiles and homes, and the environment as it relates to personal mobility.
From the beginning, AMA's activities in the public interest and in the service of its members have been conducted to the highest standards and through democratic process.And from its earliest days, AMA has been affiliated with the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA), giving Alberta a strong voice at the national level as well.
How AMA is governed
AMA is a grassroots organization, guided by directors from throughout the province. Many have been active participants for many years.
AMA is a non-profit organization operating under its own Act of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. The Alberta Motor Association Insurance Company, Alberta Motor Association Insurance Agency Ltd., Alberta Motor Association Travel Agency Ltd., and AMA Services Ltd. are wholly owned, taxable subsidiaries.
Each subsidiary company has its own board of directors, elected from among the regional directors of the association.
AMA is divided into six regions, each with its own regional advisory board of volunteer directors chosen from among the membership: Medicine Hat, Lethbridge, Calgary, Red Deer, Edmonton, and Grande Prairie. The chairman of each regional advisory board also sits on AMA's provincial Board of Governors.
Public policy process
AMA's Advocacy and Community Services (ACS) Board identifies issues relating to motoring, insurance, travel and related consumer interests, and recommends policy to the association's annual meeting of delegates. The regional advisory boards also have input into this process, independently and through the ACS Board.
Official AMA policies that emerge from the annual meeting are communicated to members and the appropriate levels of government through three primary vehicles: Westworld Alberta magazine, provided to all members as another benefit; comments to the news media by official spokespeople of the association; and through regular meetings with local, provincial and federal legislators and administrators.
Click here to read a copy of our Statement of Policy online.
Services to members
AMA delivers a wide and increasing range of services to its members. Members also enjoy automatic access to services offered by more than 150 affiliated auto clubs in North America and 2,500 affiliates worldwide.
Services from AMA include but are not limited to the following:
AMA services
- Roadside Assistance, the best known of AMA's broad range of offerings.
- AMA Road Reports®, available daily to all Albertans, using information provided by Alberta Transportation road maintenance contractors.
- School Safety Patrol™, with more than 17,000 children at 550 schools participating.
- Crime prevention programs to combat auto, property and identity theft in Alberta.
Other free member benefits
- Used car prices, repair histories and safety information
- Approved Auto Repair Services, which designates garages meeting our criteria
- Auto Travel services, such as routing, maps, hotel and car reservations
- Show Your Card & Save, offering discounts of up to 50 per cent from participating retail partners
- Westworld Alberta magazine, the largest-circulation publication in the province
More AMA services
- Driver Education, as the largest single provider of this critical service in Alberta, training about one-quarter of all new drivers
- Vehicle Inspection Service by approved shops, providing unbiased assessments of used vehicles
- AMA Travel Services, Alberta's largest vacation travel agency
- AMA Insurance, with property, personal, commercial, farm, life and auto products
- Licence and Registry Services for members
- Toll-Free Teleservice, and a website at www.ama.ab.ca with a growing range of online services and information for members
