Thank you everyone who joined us at this year’s AGM! The recording of the AGM is available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsNblP-WoFU
Congratulations to the candidates that were voted onto the Board of Directors:
- Colin Brumelle
- Katherine Enns
- Eleri Harris
- Kevin Johnstone
- Steve Lionais
- James Nadel
When: Thursday, November 17th / Sign in @6:30pm / Start @7pm
Where: Pinnacle Hotel (Main Ballroom) – 138 Victory Ship Way
Please note that there will be no live streaming of the AGM this year. A recording of the AGM will be available for those who cannot attend.
What is an Annual General Meeting (AGM)?
An AGM is where an association formally reports to it’s membership regarding the business conducted during the year, votes on a Board of Directors and the pass of any pending resolutions.
What happens at the AGM?
The NSMBA will be presenting accomplishments during 2022 and the vision for 2023 and beyond. There will also be a vote to determine the 2023 Board of Directors as well as the passing of a Special Resolution.
The meeting is open to the public but only current members will be eligible to vote on the board of directors and the passing of any pending resolutions.
You can review the following links in preparation for attending the AGM:
2021 Annual General Meeting Live Stream Recording
NSMBA Bylaws
Board of Directors Elections
The Board of Directors consists of 12 members, elected at the AGM by NSMBA members. Each Director serves for 2 years at which point they can seek re-election. This year there are 6 spots open.
All Candidates are listed here: https://nsmba.ca/2023-board-of-directors-candidates/
As the AGM will be in-person this year, all voting will be done through paper ballots. In order to vote you must be present at the AGM and be a current NSMBA member.
Vote to Pass a Special Resolution
All members will have the opportunity to vote on the passing of a special resolution that will update the NSMBA Bylaws by removing Bylaw 3.19 (No Electronic Participation or Voting in General Meetings).
Voting will be done by show of hands.
Letter from the NSMBA President, James Nadel, regarding the Special Resolution
Dear NSMBA Members,
To say the past few years have been tumultuous is an understatement. Throughout the pandemic our society has experienced a variety of “new normals”, each with different expectations and demands placed upon how we interact with each other. Although the emergency orders and prohibitions on physical distancing have expired, the NSMBA (like all organizations and businesses) is still in the process of adjusting to the changing times.
We’re fortunate that the lifting of all provincially mandated restrictions on gatherings allows us to hold our Annual General Meeting in person again. Things have changed, however, since the days when our total NSMBA membership was in the double digits, voting could be conducted by counting hands, and the watermark of technology was a VHS recording of NorthShore Extreme. Regrettably, some of our bylaws are vestiges of that same era, and like a worn-out drivetrain, they need replacing so we can operate efficiently.
Notably, our bylaws presently prohibit electronic participation and voting at General Meetings. For the past two years the province’s Order under the Emergency Program Act excused non-compliance with this bylaw, but with that Order’s expiry we are constrained to meeting in the flesh for this year’s AGM. Moreover, in order to conduct any business at the General Meeting we require a quorum of members, which our bylaws define as the greater of either (a) 3 members in good standing (easy peasy lemon squeezy); or (b) 3% of the Members in good standing, i.e. ~3000 members (difficult difficult lemon difficult).
Persuading 90 members to venture into the dark, dank North Vancouver night is a tall order (particularly if the meeting place isn’t a trailhead). We know making quorum this year is going to be challenging, but it is absolutely necessary so that we can do the important work of electing new board members, and passing a Special Resolution to allow electronic voting so we don’t find ourselves in the same pickle next year (more on this below). With this imperative in mind, and because electronic participation and voting is not allowed for the time being, we made the difficult decision not to live stream the AGM this year.
We intend to conduct a thorough review of our bylaws in the approaching year to help us achieve our goals, rather than hinder us. For the time being, though, we will commence this project by proposing a Special Resolution to delete bylaw 3.19 that forbids electronic participation and voting. Once passed, this Special Resolution will expand the inclusivity of our governance and oversight to those for whom physically attending our General Meetings would be inconvenient or imprudent.
Which brings us back to the bottom line–come to the AGM! The staff and volunteers are all excited to meet you. Clink a glass with the awesome members of your cycling community. Heap some deserved praise upon your trailbuilders, and buy them a drink. Pick up some NSMBA merch and win some prizes! And contribute to the development of your local trail association by choosing its directors and bringing its bylaws into the 21st century. Masks and sanitizing stations will be provided, and there will be ample space for physical distancing.
James Nadel
NSMBA President
Thank you to Vancouver’s North Shore Tourism Association for generously providing the space and beverages for the night!
