Annual General Meeting - UNAPPROVED MINUTES November 27, 2011 SFU Harbour Centre, 515 West Hastings St., Vancouver Chair: Robin Puga Minutes: Leela Chinniah Meeting called to order at 3:35pm with 56 members in attendance. Introduction and welcome by Robin Puga. 1 – MINUTES OF THE LAST MEETING Motion: To approve the 2010 AGM Minutes. Moved by Lorraine Chisholm; seconded by Brady Marks. Approved with amendment. Motion: To amend the minutes to read Bill Lightbown instead of Bill Lightbawn. Moved by Korky Day; seconded by Sid Shniad. Approved. 2 - AGENDA Motion: To approve the Agenda as presented. Moved by Sid Shniad; seconded by Molly Caron. Approved. 3 - NEW MEMBERS Motion: To approve all members who joined in 2011 until the November 7, 2011 Board Meeting. Moved by Brian Campbell; seconded by Dan Keeton. Approved. Motion: To approve all members who joined from November 7, 2011 until Nov. 27, 2011. Moved by Korky Day; seconded by Amanda Chalmers. Approved. 4 - REPORTS Motion: To receive the Board and Staff Reports as presented. Moved by Sid Shniad; seconded by Jen Efting. Approved. 5 - FINANCIAL STATEMENTS Motion: To receive the Financial Statements as presented. Moved by Mordecai Briemberg; seconded by Jane Williams. Approved. 6 - BOARD OF DIRECTORS ELECTION There were 5 spaces open. The Board of Directors put forth a list of 6 nominees: Dale Beyerstein, Amanda Chalmers, Jen Efting, Teresa Goff, Jessica Grajzcyk, Gunargie O’Sullivan (incumbent), Kerry Regier (incumbent). Dale Beyerstein was not present. Molly Caron nominated Korky Day from the floor and he was added to the ballots as a write-in candidate. Motion: To give 30 seconds for each candidate to present themselves to the membership. Moved by Don Larson; seconded by Jay Hamburger. Approved. VANCOUVER CO-OPERATIVE RADIO, CFRO, 100.5FM PAGE 1 OF 13 2012 DRAFT AGM REPORT Amanda Chalmers, Jen Efting, Teresa Goff, Jessica Grajzcyk, Gunargie O’Sullivan, Kerry Regier and Korky Day presented themselves to the membership. Motion: To allow questions for Board candidates to be limited to a total of 3 questions (to be answered by each candidate) with a limit of 30 seconds per response. Moved by Mordecai Briemberg; seconded by Lorraine Chisholm. Approved. Questions asked to Board candidates: 1 – What are the fundamental responsibilities of being a Board Member? 2 – What are your comments on the decisions with regards to democratic procedure and the swap? Motion: To forego the last question to Board candidates. Moved by Bruce Triggs; seconded by Allan Jensen. Approved. Motion: That Anju Singh and Nicole Deagan count the votes. Moved by Mordecai Briemberg; seconded by Lorraine Chisholm. Approved. Newly elected Board Members: Kerry Regier, Gunargie O’Sullivan, Teresa Goff, Jen Efting and Amanda Chalmers. 7 - NEW BUSINESS Resolution: “Whereas many Coop Radio members were questioning the Board’s decision to keep the frequency swap application secret from the membership, Whereas no ratifying vote for the deal was conducted to allow the membership a voice prior to proceeding with the CRTC application, And whereas Coop Radio is entering a new phase and should reaffirm its commitment to democratic and progressive principles; Be it resolved that the general membership of Coop Radio elect an independent committee of five Co-op Members who were not involved in the swap decision, and That this committee will be empowered to investigate the process by which the frequency swap agreement was signed under a non-disclosure agreement and interview Co-op Members who were involved in the swap deal including the members of the last 2 boards and the staff (within their time constraints), and Within nine months the Committee will draft a report to be publicized prior to a member consultation session, after which the report and any recommendations will be presented for approval at the next Co-op Radio general meeting in 2012.” Moved by Marion Kawas; seconded by Hanna Kawas. Defeated. Resolution: “Whereas Coop Radio has a long tradition of social justice advocacy in many areas and Whereas in 2005, Palestinian civil society issued a call for a campaign of boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israel until it complies with international law and Palestinian rights, and Whereas both The World Association of Community Broadcasters AMARC and our national network in Canada, NCRA, have supported the call for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against Israel – Therefore be it resolved that Vancouver Cooperative Radio supports the call for Boycott Divestment and Sanctions against Israel, And be it resolved that Co-op Radio will explore ways to implement that support, And be it further resolved that we will support alternative media outlets in Palestine/Israel.” Moved by Hanna Kawas; seconded by Marion Kawas. Defeated (For: 9; Opposed: 23; Abstained: 11). Motion: To adjourn the meeting. Seconded. Approved. Meeting adjourned at 5:35pm. VANCOUVER CO-OPERATIVE RADIO, CFRO, 100.5FM PAGE 2 OF 13 2012 DRAFT AGM REPORT VANCOUVER CO-OPERATIVE RADIO 2012 REPORT TO THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING NOVEMBER 18, 2012 BOARD MEMBERS STAFF COLLECTIVE MEMBERS Amanda Chalmers Emily Aspinwall, Director of Financial Administration Tiffany Chong Leela Chinniah, Director of Programming Administration Jen Efting Nicole Deagan, Director of Member Services Teresa Goff Anju Singh, Director of Technical Services Brady Marks Kerry Regier Bruce Triggs Gunargie O’Sulivan Freya Zaltz BOARD OF DIRECTORS Co-op Radio Board Report 2012 - DRAFT By Bruce Triggs, President I’ve been involved and volunteering at Co-op Radio since 2004. When I first started coming to AGMs, there was always a point where people lamented the precarious state of the organization. Faced with this, there were never any firm solutions to the chronic problems of not enough funds, and day-to day crisis- management. This has changed. For the first time in more than a decade, the next Board of Directors will begin the year in the black, with no debts. Our job now is to build on this foundation. The Board's most dramatic activity this year was obviously overseeing the frequency swap that happened successfully on Sept. 10. The change went smoothly because of the combined efforts of the staff, members, consultants (Thank you Dan Roach!), and, it must be said, the representatives of the Pattison Organization who have followed through and fulfilled their part of this business arrangement, including an ongoing advertising budget which put up billboards which you’ve all probably seen. 2011’s Board Report mentioned consultations with members and community experts to create detailed strategic plans for the future after the swap. This year we began putting those plans into action and seeing the results of this once-in-a-lifetime deal. We must now solidify the financial future of the station, without compromising the values of community access to information and the unrepresented voices and opinions that make Co-op Radio what it is. Co-op Radio is finally able to put long-term dreams into action. In 2012 we followed through on what then- president Robin Puga wrote in last year’s Board Report, “The 5-year Swap Action Plan, approved by the board in October, identifies a prioritized list of high-impact strategic investments to help improve Co-op Radio fundraising and operational capabilities. A few top-priority strategic investments include an integrated online membership database, a consultant to assist with updated branding and messaging, and new on-air equipment like CD players, microphones and headphones. Also outlined in the 5-year Swap Action Plan is a detailed savings plan that, at the end of 5 years, will see Co-op Radio have savings in the credit union of over $390,000!” VANCOUVER CO-OPERATIVE RADIO, CFRO, 100.5FM PAGE 3 OF 13 2012 DRAFT AGM REPORT All of these are in process or already have been implemented. We have a new website with ongoing improvements, and a remodeled control room C in preparation for the renewal of Control Room A. Planning and assessment proceeds for the new membership database, which should include fundraising tools for easy online donations and tracking to make sure each show gets credit for the donations they bring in. And we are depositing those cheques in our account at CCEC, with ongoing plans for savings and strategically using the funds. Previous years’ issues like our aged transmitter and our tower rental agreement have been resolved or significantly addressed through the swap. Our new tower rental agreement with the Terasen corporation will last for five years, and save us as much as $200,000 over quoted commercial rates during those years. Negotiating our future tower rental is already a priority going forward. Staff and Human Resources This year has seen results from improvements in the hiring and evaluation/probation policies for employees. Our Technical Director Anju Singh passed her probation (with flying colours) and is a fantastic new asset to our outstanding staff collective. Several temporary employees and contractors were also brought in successfully for short-term projects with the help of these HR policies. A critical ongoing role of the Board is working to promote a culture of civility within Co-op Radio. If there are organizations where it's ok to be rude or cruel to workers, we don't want to emulate those organizations. When one of us is disrespectful toward another person, we hope to be told and, if necessary, held accountable. This Board has striven to support the staff’s effort to create a safe workplace. Everybody at Co-op Radio already faces the ongoing difficulties of the physical environment, with bedbugs and blasting- heat/freezing-cold. These make the space a physically discouraging workplace. If our amazing employees didn’t share the values of the organization and really want to work here, they would not.