2024 Convention Planning

The purpose of this page is to document the plans and preparations for the 2024 Convention Planning. Titles with an asterisk (*) have not been updated for the 2024 Convention. Remove the asterisk if you make any changes.

Post-2023 AGM Report

These are some of the lessons learned from the 2023 AGM Post Mortem to take into consideration in the plans for the 2024 Convention.

Action Items *

To Do *

June/July

1. By early July - Send email blast to members and non-members to let them know about upcoming Convention (open positions, proxy vote info, general location). Let them know about membership rules (90 days ahead of Convention) to prompt them to confirm or renew their memberships.
   • Leader
   • Deputy Leader
   • Chairperson
   • Vice-Chairperson
   • Treasurer
   • Campaign Manager
   • Members-at-Large (2)
   • Ethics Committee (3 - see note in Credentials Committee)
2. Propose possible dates and venues to Executive Committee. Provide contract details. Vote at meeting July 11^th.
3. Confirm with venue and send payment to reserve.
4. Executive Committee to determine registration fee based on venue cost and food.
5. Gather nominations for Leader.
6. Solicit questions for Leadership candidates from members for Q&A to be posted on website and sent via email.

August

1. Create online registration page.
2. Create 2024 Convention page on website (to contain names of nominees, Constitution and Bylaw amendments, etc.).
3. Solicit Constitution and Bylaw Amendments from members (up until 30 days before Convention).

September

1. Upload to our web site profiles for leadership candidates and a list of candidates for other positions (and profiles if provided).
2. Post Leadership candidates answers to questions on website and send via email to members.
3. Attach to the Proxy page the document with the amendments published with Bulletin and correct the link to the Amendments on the menu.
4. Post Constitution and Bylaw Amendments on website and in Bulletin.
5. Send out Bulletin no later than 30 days before Convention.

Early October

1. Advise venue of number of attendees, provided the Registrar provides an estimate by (contract date).
2. Treasurer to prepare Income and Expenses statements for 2024 compared to 2023 and for January to September 2024 compared to the same period in 2023, to be included in the handouts for attendees.
3. Print sufficient copies for attendees of the Income and Expense statements and Proposed Amendments.
4. Request Officers to prepare written reports.
5. Assign someone to set up and manage the Live Streaming of the Leaders’ Debate (and possibly the Convention).
6. Assign a member to chair the elections who is not running for election and will be in attendance in person.
7. Jim to produce Ballots for the election of Executive and Ethics Committee members to be included in Delegate handouts at registration.
8. Jim to produce Name Tags identifying “Delegates”, “Members” (joined after <date>) and “Guests”, as long as the Registrar provides a list of attendees with Join and Expiry Dates 3 days prior to the meeting.
9. Assign a Registrar who can prepare a list of participants to check off members and guests as they arrive, collect “Pending” fees, provide Name Tags and give handouts.

At the Convention

1. At the Convention, request 3 members to volunteer as scrutineers. According to Bylaws Article 9, it “shall consist of at least three members of the Ethics Committee who are not themselves candidates for Party office.” See Credential Committee section for details.
2. Decide who will provide laptop and projector to display nominated candidates and vote results, presentations, Amendments, and other items from the handouts as required.
3. After close of elections, Treasurer to get all new Executive Committee and Ethics Committee members to sign Oath of Office. Anyone remote will be sent the form to complete and send back (mail or email?)
   

Credentials Committee *

Traditionally we have asked for volunteers to be on the Credential Committee at the start of Elections, to distribute and collect ballots and to tally the votes. Bylaw Article 9.1 states, "There shall be a Credentials Committee for each Convention and General Meeting. The Credentials Committee shall consist of at least three members of the Ethics Committee who are not themselves candidates for Party office."

Recent Ethics Committee Election results:

2021 Convention: Jim McIntosh elected, resigned in 2022 to take over the open Treasurer position.

2022 AGM: Mark Dickson (resigned?), Gene Balfour, James Jolley

2023 AGM: James Jolley was elected as Vice Chairperson so had to step down from Ethics Committee. Jean-Serge Brisson, Paul Herriot, Gene Balfour elected at AGM.

• As of 2024, there are 3 open positions on the Ethics Committee.
• Jean-Serge Brisson, Paul Herriot, or Gene Balfour could participate if they attend in person.

Completed Items

Move Action Items to here when complete.

Date and time

The AGM must be held within 13 months of the previous AGM or Convention. The 2023 AGM was held on October 29^th, 2023 at the General Sikorski Hall in Oshawa. A suggested date for this AGM is October 19^th, 20^th, 26^th, or 27^th, but it can be pushed into November.

Updated:

October 27 was agreed to by emails from the EC on August 17.

Location *

Previous conventions and AGMs have generally been held in or around Toronto where we have more members.

• Whitby Chamber of Commerce is only available Monday to Friday.
• Oshawa, General Sikorski Hall - not an option - see Updates in section.
• Ajax, Ajax-Pickering Board of Trade - not available on weekends.
• Bowmanville, Bowmanville Older Adult Association - a good option for us.
• Ajax, The Work Hub - More expensive at $565. Can't tell from online booking system if they are even available on the weekend.

Bowmanville, Bowmanville Older Adult Association, 26 Beech Avenue

Phone: (905) 697-2856

Email: info@apboardoftrade.com

Update: Activity Room available the 19^th, 20^th, and 27^th . We could also ask about the Craft Room.

Details	Cost	Wifi/Audi-Visual	Cancellation Policy	Notes
The Activity Room can hold up to 30 people seated. Will have to ask about seating with tables. Approx: 25 feet x 30 feet	Saturday 8am - 1am: $140 Sunday 8 am - 1am: $140	Included in rental fee Mic & Podium	TBD	Included in rental fee Plastic Table Covers Tables & Chairs Additional Costs Kitchen Coffee/Tea Service ONLY - $75 Kitchen (Food prep, etc.) - $150 Dishes - $2 per place setting 4 x 8 Staging Section ($20 per unit) Each rental requires a signed rental contract. A $200 damage deposit is required for all rentals to cover the cost of any extra cleaning or facility repairs. All rentals using the BOAA kitchen MUST receive training from BOAA staff member in regards to proper operation of all equipment.
The Craft Room can hold up to 40 people seated. Will have to ask about seating with tables. Approx: 32 feet x 28 feet	Saturday 8am - 1am: $140 Sunday 8 am - 1am: $140	Same as above	TBD	Same as above

Menu

Likely N/A. We could bring our own food and use the kitchen if we want to incur the additional cost.

Oshawa, General Sikorski Hall, 1551 Stevenson Road N R.R. 1

Notes: Coreen contacted them June 23^rd to see venue is available in October for our requested dates.

Update: Venue is available but Jim and Dean determined that improvements to the room were not sufficient to remove the echo we encountered last year. Not a consideration for us this year.

Details	Cost	Wifi/Audi-Visual	Cancellation Policy	Notes

Menu

Item	Per Person	40 people
8AM coffee & muffins
10AM coffee
3PM coffee and juice
Caesar Salad Schnitzel, Cabbage Roll Mashed Potatoes, Gravy
Total food per person
HST
Gratuities
"White Room" - back of building, separate entrance, limited parking
TOTAL
Per registrant

Ajax, Ajax-Pickering Board of Trade, 3 - 144 Old Kingston Road

Phone: (905) 686-0883

Email: info@apboardoftrade.com

Notes: Coreen contacted them June 23^rd to see venue is available in October for our requested dates.

Details	Cost	Wifi/Audi-Visual	Cancellation Policy	Notes
Boardroom Seats 16 comfortably	Full Day Rental ($300/8hours) Optional Flipchart $15 Coffee/Tea $3/Per Person	55" television and free WiFi for use.		Conveniently located on the border of Ajax and Pickering, nestled between HWY 401 exits Brock Rd. and Westney Rd. S., Ajax-Pickering Board of Trade offers a fully functional boardroom available for rent to both members and non-members. Our boardroom seats 16 comfortably, offers a 55" television and free WiFi for use. Free parking. Checking to see if they rent out space on the weekend. An option only if we expect fewer than 20 attendees.

Menu

Likely N/A. We could bring our own food.

Ajax, The Work Hub, 190 Harwood Ave. S.

https://theworkhub.ca/

Notes: Appear to be available October 20, 26, 27 (19 already booked)

Details	Cost	Wifi/Audi-Visual	Cancellation Policy	Notes
Boardroom Up to 25 people	8:30 - 5:00 $565.00	The space is also equipped with: Wifi 55" Smart TVs with Chromecast (2) White Board		A spacious meeting room at The Work Hub, the Ajax Boardroom can accommodate up to 25 people. This boardroom is fitted with multiple tables and chairs, a lounge area, and a small kitchenette, making it a great option for a workshop or seminar. Free Parking

Menu

With a kitchenette we could probably bring our own food. Possibly free coffee, tea, water.

Registration Fee *

Once decided, add details regarding registration fee.

At the August 11 EC Meeting it was agreed the fee should be $50 in person and $25 if attending by Zoom.

Agenda

Draft agenda based on ? speakers.

Time	Activity
8:30	Registration and continental breakfast
9:30	Welcome by Leader and Reports of Officers
10:00	Speaker?
10:45	Break
11:00
Noon	Lunch
1:00	Elections
2:15	Break
2:30	Amendments to Constitution and Bylaws
3:30	Other Business
4:30

Possible Speakers

Scott Cordier, Infinite Banking Canada

Scott was well Received at our April 17/24 Toronto Libertarians Meetup. The following is the text include in the Meetup announcement.

TAXATION IS THEFT!

That got your attention didn’t it.

Our Speaker for this meeting is Scott Cordier, CFP, CLU, Authorized Infinite Banking Practitioner. He will explain the benefits of the Infinite Banking Canada Group (IBC) and how you can avoid taxes on your savings and investments. The IBC is founded in the principles of Austrian Economics, so you know they understand and agree with libertarians on the problems created by Keynesian ideology.

Points to be discussed are:

1. “The Apple Tree”: how to turn your expenses into assets that will make money for generations
2. “Seed vs Crop”: the issue with RRSPs and why you should not participate in this government scam
3. “2 partners in a mortgage”: the more interest you save the more interest you lose
4. “Fractional Reserve Banking, Central Banks, Q.E. and the lie about CDIC Insurance”: and how to get your money out of the system.

Jim McIntosh, Treasurer and CFO

1. Formally announce his Resignation as Treasurer
2. Discuss the critical roles of the Treasurer and CFO
3. How politics has changed since 1900, and our challenge. (SHOULD THIS SAY 2000, not 1900? No! I want to start before government decided to take care of our problems. I could also comment on how the Party was more active before 2000 and the Internet. )
4. Members --> money ---> message ---> more members, etc.

Create Online Registration Page *

Coreen - check if this is for the current website or the old one.

Once the date, venue and fee are decided, an Event Registration page should be created for the Convention.

1. Copy and modify the Proxy (Word document) for the previous annual meeting. Create a PDF and, if you have a suitable program, make it a form that can be completed online.
2. Modify the existing Proxy page as required. Replace the previous Proxy Form attachment with the new one.
3. If there are amendments to be voted on at the meeting, It would be a good idea to create a web page describing the procedure and attach the PDF document containing the proposed amendments to the Constitution and Bylaws. Create an alias for this web page (ontariolibertarian.ca/Amendments). Aliases make it easier to create links in Bulletin and emails.
4. Select >Events >Event Management> and search for all events. Select the most recent AGM or Convention to see what needs to be included.
5. In a separate browser window, select >Events >Event Management> Add new Event. Use the previously accessed event as a model for completing all of the sections required.
6. There is no option to create an alias for an event page in Drupal. Instead go to /admin/config/search/path and create a new alias to civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=3. Go to https://civicrm.stackexchange.com/questions/87/how-do-i-change-the-default-urls-to-contribution-or-event-registration-pages/146#146 for these instructions and for how to do it in WordPress (if it doesn't provide it for events).
7. Finally, create a Menu item for the event. The parent menu should be the event name (e.g. Convention 2019) and have sub menus for Registration, Proxy, and Amendments. It may also include an item for Candidates, if there is a list and profiles. In Drupal go to the Drupal Home page and select Structure (as I recall). This should take you to the menu editing option. You can either make changes to an existing event item (e.g. the previous annual meeting, which in likely disabled) or create a new one

Candidates *

N/A

Constitution and Bylaws Amendments *

Bylaws Article 10:

1. The Constitution and Bylaws Committee shall meet in open session to consider amendments to the Constitution and Bylaws originating with itself or with other Members or Associates. (Emphasis added)
2. At least 30 days prior to the Convention the chairman of this committee shall mail, to all Party Members and Associates, all amendments which the committee has reviewed. These amendments shall be placed on the Convention agenda for consideration by the Delegates.

The amendments proposed by the Committee as of the end of May were published in the Summer issue of Bulletin. This is likely the format as it will be presented to the Convention. One or two additional amendments have been added. Follow the link in the Agenda for the latest set of proposed amendments.

Price Comparison

Here are the prices for 40 people for each menu comparing...

Description	40 @$?? Meal	40 @$?? Meal	40 @$?? Meal	40 @$?? Meal
General Sikorski Hall
General Sikorski Hall per person
Ajax-Pickering BoT
Ajax-Pickering BoT per person
The Work Hub
The Work Hub per person
Savings