2023 AGM
The purpose of this page is to Help the Executive Committee document the plans and preparations for the 2023 Annual General Meeting. While preparing these plans it would be helpful to review The 2022 AGM page.
Coreen - Would there be objection to us having a convention vs. an AGM? I feel like we need more of a reset than a check in. I welcome any thoughts on that.
Objectives[edit]
Jim suggested we should have a plan to get 50 members to attend. Does anyone disagree, or have an alternate or additional objectives? If so, please add them here (with your name).
Coreen - I'm always open to seeing more attendees. Not sure how to attract them between elections, though being in person and near Toronto could help. I would like to have productive conversations about Party direction and governing documents on the agenda. We have to figure out who we are and how we are going to move forward. It feels to me like we are partly at a crossroads over platform. Jim wants to explore more of what Larry Zalmers proposed. Is there a way to incorporate that into what we already have, or is it going to be either/or? That will impact who stays, leaves, or joins before the next election so it's pretty significant.
Jim - I definitely agree we need to figure out how we are going to move forward, given our declining membership. And I have proposed the first step in our next EC meeting. That is why I recommended we figure out how to get 50 members to register for the AGM. - As far as I know, Larry has not prepared a 'platform'. But I do agree with him that we need to find more members, not get more votes by pretending we would not get rid of government monopolies. We do not approve of a government which "robs Peter to pay Paul", or Ford or VW. (I am in the process of drafting a platform that will attract the "prolifically homeless." He claims to have a lot of experience chairing and getting cooperation with volunteer organizations so he could be a good addition to our EC.
Post Mortem[edit]
The 2023 AGM was held on October 29 at the General Sikorski Hall in Oshawa. The registration fee was $50. This did NOT include membership renewal, Members were advised to renew before the meeting,
Jim prepared and sent 3 different emails to Current Members, Grace Members and Donors. He included an overview of the AGM Program in the Fall Bulletin.
Coreen set up the Registration Page for In-Person and Virtual Registrations and Proxy Registrations. Jim sent a proxy form to Jay Miller, the only member who requested one. He signed and returned it to Jim.
Dean provided microphones, speakers and stands. It turned out they were not required. The acoustics were not very good, and tended to echo.
We tried to use Zoom for the virtual Registrant (Scott) on the Treasurer's laptop. However the laptop crashed the Tuesday before the AGM. Windows and Microsoft were re-installed and Zoom would not work.
The Speakers, Pierre Desrochers and Joanna Szurmak, gave PowerPoint presentation using the lap top and Mark's projector and screen. Jim reimburse them $120 for travel expenses from Guelph.
Jim was able to capture and display nominations, nominators and vote results during the elections. Unfortunately there were no nominations or volunteers for Secretary, Recording Secretary or a second Member at Large.
Agenda[edit]
Venue: General Sikorski Hall, 1551 Stevenson Road, Oshawa
Date: October 15,2023
Fee: $50 per attendee (online $25 Proxy $10)
Agenda
8:00 - setup (Dean and online equipment)
8:30-9:00 a.m. - Registration and Continental Breakfast
9:00-10:00 am - Welcome and Reports of Officers
10:00-11:00 am Guest Speaker: Pierre Desrochers, Associate Professor of Geography, Geomatics, and Environment at the University of Toronto Mississauga will give a talk on the negative environmental consequences of banning carbon fuels and plastics.
11:00-11:15 am—Break
11:15-12:15 pm Guest Speaker: Joanne Szurmak, Associate Librarian, Library & Learning Services at the University of Toronto will speak on Population Bombed! Exploding the Link Between Overpopulation and Climate Change.
12:15-1:00 pm - Lunch
1:00-2:30 pm - Nominations and Elections for open positions on Executive
2:30-2:45 pm—Break
2:45-4:30 pm - Other Business (Includes amendments to the Bylaws and Constitution, and Party Strategy for the next election and beyond)
4:30 - Adjournment, remove equipment
Constitutional Requirements[edit]
Article 10 - General Meetings. the last three items specify
- A General Meeting may make changes to the Platform, the policies, and the Bylaws of the Party. 25% of the Delegates shall constitute a quorum for this purpose.
- A General Meeting may remove or elect Ethics Committee members and Executive Committee members except the Party Leader and Deputy Party Leader. Notice of this intention must be given at least four weeks prior to the date of the meeting, and one-third of the Delegates shall constitute a quorum for this purpose.
- At a General Meeting called for the purpose of removing or electing Officers, Delegates may assign their votes by proxy to any Delegate. The Executive Committee shall be responsible for notifying the Delegates of the procedure for registering proxy votes no later than four weeks prior to the date of the meeting.
Article 11 - Annual General Meeting
- At intervals of not more than 13 months the Executive Committee shall hold a General Meeting which it shall designate as an “Annual General Meeting.”
- Except as noted in this article, all rules pertaining to General Meetings shall apply to Annual General Meetings.
- At each Annual General Meeting the positions of Members-at-Large, and all Executive Committee positions filled under Article 6 Section 7 of this Constitution, shall become vacant, and an election shall be held to fill those positions.
Article 13 - Delegates
The maximum number of Delegates to a Convention or General Meeting shall be 500. This shall be divided among the constituencies and membership as follows:
- Where the number of Members who wish to become Delegates is equal to, or less than, 500, all registrants will become Delegates.
- Where the number of Members who wish to become Delegates exceeds 500, ... [Not applicable at this time.]
Confirmed Items[edit]
Sunday October 29, 2023
$50 In Person, $25 Virtual Registration, $10 Proxy Fee. No membership renewal included
General Sikorski Hall, 1551 Stevenson Road, Oshawa - Reserved 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM, Fiber Internet
- Costs - Room = $350,00, Food = ~ $31.82/person. Total = $1625 for 40 Attendees, break even at 13 Registrations.
- White Room, can accommodate 96, set up tables lecture style,
- Park at back of building with ground level entrance to room.
Agenda - 8:30 Registration, 12:00 Lunch, 3:00 break, 4:30 Adjournment. Program TBD.
Dean to provide setup equipment for virtual Attendees.
Coreen to create Registration Page.
Jim to publish Fall Bulletin including AGM announcement.
Location[edit]
Jim recommends a location in or near the GTA. We are likely to get more in-person Registrations. CRM shows 32 of our 223 members in "Current" or "Grace" status live in Toronto (Postal codes starting with "M").
Coreen agrees with Jim and added that most were held in November.
Should we include virtual (online) attendees and voting? (Dean? Scott?)
Past General Meetings[edit]
- Kingston, Seaway Coworking + Zoom (Online, November 20,2022, 16 Registered Delegates + 1 Proxy);
- Scarborough + Zoom,106 Hymas Rd. (Convention, October 24,2021, 18 Registered Delegates + 6 Proxies);
- Zoom Call (November 28, 2020, COVID, 19 Registered Delegates + 3 New Members + 3 guests);
- Ajax, Annandale Golf and Curling Club, gone (November 2, 2019, 18 Registered Delegates);
- Markham, Monte Carlo Inn (November 3, 2018, 31 Registered Delegates + 6 guests).X
Catering[edit]
Should get prices for each location to provide lunch and breaks.
We should include morning and afternoon coffee/pop breaks? Coffee and donuts prior to start? Pick up from Tim Hortons?
Possible Venues[edit]
| Item | Per Person | 40 people |
|---|---|---|
| 8AM coffee & muffins | 4.50 | 180.00 |
| 10AM coffee | 1.50 | 60.00 |
| 3PM coffee and juice | 2.00 | 80.00 |
| Caesar Salad
Schnitzel, Cabbage Roll Mashed Potatoes, Gravy |
18.00 | 480.00 |
| Total food per person | 26.00 | 1040.00 |
| HST | 135.20 | |
| Gratuities | 100.00 | |
| "White Room" - back of building, separate entrance, limited parking |
350.00 | |
| TOTAL | 1,625.20 | |
| Per registrant | 40 | 40.63 |
| Item | Per Person | 40 people | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8AM Coffee
& Muffins |
$14/pot
$20/dozen |
$70
$80 |
9 8oz cups/pot
48 muffins |
| 10AM Coffee
& Juice |
$14/pot
$2.25 Each |
$42
$45 | |
| 12PM Sandwich Tray
& Veggies |
$259.80
$138.50 | ||
| 3PM Coffee
& Pop (per item consumed) |
$14/pot
$2 Each |
$126
$30 | |
| Service Charge (tips) | 18% | $155 | |
| HST on food | $132.12 | ||
| Room | $550 | ||
| HST on Room | $71.50 | ||
| TOTAL | $1,770 | ||
| Per registrant | 40 | $44.25 | |
Not sure if HST charges on tips.
The Party held 2-3 meetings here.
| Item | Per Person | 40 people |
|---|---|---|
Greyfriar Meeting Package (food)
|
$43 | $1,720 |
| Room Rental | $1,000 | $1,000 |
| SetupFee | $2,000 | $2,000 |
| Total | $4,720 | |
| Per Registrant | 40 | $118 |
They have October 28th and 29th as well as November 4th and 5th available. Aberdeen Room
Date[edit]
NOTE: 30 Jul, 2023 - Mark recommends Proposed Date of Sunday 15 Nov, 2023, as per Schedule, : Oshawa, General Sikorski Hall, 1551 Stevenson Road
Notice of the meeting MUST be sent 4 week prior to the date.
Jim recommends it should probably not be announced until we have a location. Should probably be in October to avoid bad snow storms. Must be before December 20, 2023. However we should decide on 2-3 possible dates for venue selection.
Sept 6/23 - I am ok with suggested October 28th or 29th date (Coreen)
Speaker[edit]
A good speaker with an interesting topic will attract more registrations.
Jim will see if the Epoch Times will provide a speaker. John Robson is one of their regular Opinion writers and has spoken at our AGM. Michael Cloud (Secrets of Libertarian Persuasion) has spoken at our AGM in the past as well.
Jim Suggested it may be time to invite Dr Whatley again for his update on the healthcare catastrophe. Gene Balfour invited him last time. NOTE: The Libertarian Party of Canada reached out to him for the convention in September in London, Ont, but he is busy and can't attend. I agree the OLP should contact him. He has a website or if Gene or you have a personal relationship that's even better.
Neal Winokur, AKA The Grumpy Accountant might be interested. He isn't available for the federal convention Sept 30-Oct 1 but he might be able to attend in October. Once we finalize the date we can connect with him again.(Coreen)
Past Speakers[edit]
2022 AGM - Jeff Bogaerts from OLA
2021 Convention - Jacques Boudreau, Gene Balfour, Jim McIntosh
2020 AGM - Elizabeth Marshall - Property Rights 101, Tony D'Orasio, 1st Vice-Chair and former Chairman at the Libertarian Party of New York (LPNY)
2019 Convention - Jean Serge Brisson, Tea Party of One
2018 AGM - Dr. Shawn Whatley, Slide presentation "Why is healthcare delivery in Canada on the verge of catastrophic meltdown?”
Fees[edit]
Fees for business meetings are eligible for refundable Political Tax Credits. A $100 fee would cost only $25, We have had a policy of including the renewal fee for expired (or grace) members as part of the fee.
Jim recommends a different invitation to those whose membership expires prior to the date of the AGM, mentioning the "membership renewal included" bonus.
Registration Page[edit]
All of the above (except the Speaker) must be decided before the Registration page can be published.
Catering[edit]
We should include morning and afternoon coffee/pop breaks? Coffee and donuts prior to start? Pick up from Tim Hortons?
Coreen - Attendees have not had an issue with getting their own lunch the past couple of times. Morning and afternoon coffee/tea/pop and donuts/muffins are good to offer. Also picking up food from Costco works.
Given the somewhat remote location of he chosen venue. Jim decided to uve the Hall provide the catering.