3. Reflecting and Remembering A moment of silence was held to remember and give respect to those no longer with us.

Transcription

1 Positive Living Society of British Columbia MINUTES Annual General Meeting held on August 14, 2014 at 6:00 pm at the Chateau Granville, 1100 Granville Street, Vancouver, BC 1. Registration of Members Meeting Chair: Micheal Vonn Number of Full Members in Attendance: 51 Number of Guests/Others: 12 Number of Member Ballots Received: 160 (159 useable) 2. Call To Order The meeting was called to order at 6:00 pm by John Bishop, Chair of the Positive Living Society of British Columbia. John welcomed the members attending and thanked them for their presence, he also reminded attendants of the Community Forum, Our Lives, Our Future, Living Longer with HIV, that would be taking place immediately after the Annual General Meeting. 3. Reflecting and Remembering A moment of silence was held to remember and give respect to those no longer with us. 4. Adoption of the Agenda Moved by Robert S, seconded by Romari U; BE IT RESOLVED THAT the agenda be adopted as presented. 5. Motion to Appoint the Independent Chair Moved by Joel L, seconded by Neil S; BE IT RESOLVED THAT Micheal Vonn be appointed the Independent Chair of the meeting. The Independent Chair remarked on her role and her hopes for the meeting. It was determined prior to the meeting that ASL Interpretation was not required. The Returning Officer for the AGM, Jane Talbot, was recognized. The Recording Secretary for the meeting, Stephen King, was recognized. Positive Living Society of British Columbia Minutes of Annual General Meeting - August 14,

2 Moved by Darren L, seconded by Romari U; BE IT RESOLVED THAT the BCTF Rules of Order Fourth Revision, August 1984, be the rules by which the meeting is conducted. 6. Motion to Approve the Minutes of the AGM of August 15, 2013 The Board of Directors of the Society, having previously approved the Minutes of the Society s Annual General Meeting of August 15, 2013, recommend them to the membership for their consideration and approval. Moved by Nathan B, seconded by Walter P; BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Minutes of the August 15, 2013 Annual General Meeting be approved as presented. 7. Business Arising from the August 15, 2013 AGM 7.1 Evaluation of Member Priorities for the Society Wayne Campbell presented the highlights of the of the results of the Member Priorities survey that arose out of the ordinary motion passed at last year s AGM. A survey was created with the intent of determining which services members were aware that the Society offered, which services members accessed, and how often members accessed the services. Members were also asked which services they accessed from other agencies and then given an opportunity to identify which services they would like the Society to offer. A total of 45 programs and services were listed and the survey was launched at the Positive Gathering in March, 2014 and ran until May 16, responses were received. The most popular programs and services accessed by the membership in the 12 months prior to the survey fall into three broad categories: (a) (b) (c) Information Sharing Positive Living Magazine, and enews. Empowerment Programming Community Forums, Income Tax Assistance, and the Internet Café. Outreach Peer Navigation, and the Community Health Fund (CHF). The programs or services that the membership requested that Positive Living BC provide were: (a) (b) (c) Food Security a hot meal program or food bank. Satellite Services Positive Living BC offices for members living outside Vancouver centre. Population Specific Services services targeting women, an aging population, etc. The programs or services that the membership accessed from other ASOs were: (a) Food Security programs from 13 distinct organizations, (b) Complementary/Alternative Therapies programs from 8 separate organizations Positive Living Society of British Columbia Minutes of Annual General Meeting - August 14,

3 (c) Counseling/Support services from 10 different organizations. The survey highlighted a couple of unique challenges. Some of the programs offered were initiatives developed and staffed by specialized volunteers. These specialized programs presented distinct challenges - the number of weekly appointment slots available were limited and also dependent upon the availability of the volunteer. This resulted in low awareness and uptake of the services. Other programs and services offered by the Society were only available for a limited time or were offered seasonally. The results suggest that many members are unaware of the number of programs and services that Positive Living BC offers. The programs and services that rated the lowest were reexamined - some were discontinued prior to the survey due to either a lack of attendance or budget considerations, and others will have to be marketed or promoted better in the future. Results also suggested that although members may have an awareness of programs and services that are offered, they chose not to access them at that point in time. The report will be used to: (a) Inform the Board of Directors of the member-identified priorities as the Society moves forward. (b) Assist Positive Living BC departments in developing their departmental goals as we move into the annual Strategic Planning cycle. (c) Continue to seek guidance from the membership on follow-ups to this survey. The full survey report is available on request from the Society. 7.2 Inclusion of Hepatitis C Co-Infected Individuals John Bishop reported that the question of whether or not to specifically name Hepatitis C co-infected individuals in the Society s mission statement arose out of the ordinary motion passed at last year s AGM. The following special resolutions was sent to the membership in a mailout with the Society s Positive Living Magazine asking members to respond to the question: Should the Society change to specify our services to include both HIV-positive individuals and people co-infected with viral hepatitis? 164 completed usable ballots were received % voted yes, 27.8% voted no, and 21.3% were unsure. Special resolutions require a 75% vote in favour to pass, so the motion failed. The will of the membership at this time is to not change the Society s foundation documents to include specific mention of Hepatitis C Co-Infected individuals. 8. Reports 8.1 Report from the Chair John Bishop, Chair of the Society, gave the following report on the work of Positive Living BC from April 1, 2013 to March 31, 2014: Positive Living Society of British Columbia Minutes of Annual General Meeting - August 14,

4 Positive Living BC s mission is to empower each other through mutual support and collective action. Your attendance tonight shows commitment to that mission. As many of you already know, I am stepping down as Chair after tonight. I will be staying on the Board to see out the last year in my current term. In my report in the Annual Report I look back over some of the successes since I began serving on our Board of Directors. This evening I want to cast a look ahead, from a personal perspective, and highlight what I believe are the significant matters that we will need to address in the coming years. First and foremost is the criminalization of HIV. Positive Living has prepared what I believe to be one of our best position papers on HIV and criminalization and makes several recommendations with regard to New Charge Guidelines, guidelines that are used by Crown Counsel to ascertain whether to pursue criminal charges or not. Dr. Perry Kendall, the Provincial Health Officer has issued a statement that significantly aligns with our position paper. Our challenge now is to get the attention of Suzan Anton, Minister of Justice. Second is our funding. Recent cutbacks in the Ministry of Health s budget have resulted in $100 million cut. A significant portion of our funding comes from Provincial Health Services Authority and I personally believe this cutback could be passed on to us in some form. And, while not new news, the Public Health Agency of Canada s changes to its AIDS Community Action Program are still evolving and we simply do not know what impact that might have on us yet. And lastly is our new building. We will be vacating our current premises come mid-january 2015 for between two to three years. What that is going to be like is, again, still evolving. Before I introduce our Executive Director, I want to thank you for attending tonight and to remind you that Positive Living BC needs your support not just tonight but throughout the year. Please get involved. And finally, thank you for all your support over the past 10 years. I love this Society and I love the work we do. A Report from the Chair of the Board may be found in the Annual Report, 2013/ Report from the Executive Director Ross Harvey, Executive Director of the Society, gave the following report on the work of Positive Living BC from April 1, 2013 to March 31, 2014: I am continually amazed by the dedication to the Society of its members; the voice of the people remains strong in Positive Living BC, as can be seen by Positive Living Society of British Columbia Minutes of Annual General Meeting - August 14,

5 such a full room tonight. Since July 2, 1997, when I began as the Executive Director, the quality of the Board and especially of the Chairs has always been amongst the most impressive of any organization. John Bishop is no exception to this and he has served the Society and its members very well. In reviewing the last fiscal year, we see we finished it with a tiny bit of a surplus due to some last minute funding that was received; the Treasurer s Report will discuss these matters. There were three highlights this year: 1. Reorganization of the staff and management took place which amalgamated the former Support Department with the former Health Promotion Department into one new department, Programs and Services, and created a completely excluded (from the bargaining unit) five person management team. 2. There has been progress made towards the new. There is still a long way to go but the process has begun and the Society will be leaving the current building and moving into a temporary location by the end of December this year. 3. The New Charge Guidelines position paper was completed, with input from the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network and other organizations. Previously, letters signed by AIDS Vancouver Island, the BC Civil Liberties Association, the Pacific AIDS Network and Positive Living BC had been sent to functionaries within the Justice Ministry calling for new charge guidelines to govern the decision of prosecutors in determining whether or not persons living with HIV were to be charged with aggravated sexual assault in instances of non-disclosure of their HIV status in intimate circumstances. But no progress was made, so Positive Living BC decided to do considerably more. Paul Goyan, a former Board member, did a thorough analysis of the Supreme Court s decision and their implications, and of many of the factors affecting the issue in BC; he also drafted a series of recommendations; the Board reviewed and approved the entire paper, which was thereafter sent directly to the Justice and Health Ministers and to several other senior interested parties. Everyone is urged to read the paper and submit an to the Justice Ministry regarding this and in support of the recommendations made. This was a good year and there are more good years to look forward to. A Report from the Executive Director may be found in the Annual Report, 2013/ Report from the Treasurer Mahmoud Virani, the Society s Auditor, was in attendance at the meeting. Wayne Campbell, Vice-Chair of the Society spoke on behalf of Keith Morris, the Treasurer: In March, 2013, there was a projected deficit of $55,000 (Fifty-five thousand dollars) in the approved budget, yet by the end of the year there remained a small surplus of Positive Living Society of British Columbia Minutes of Annual General Meeting - August 14,

6 approximately $4,000 (Four thousand dollars). There was a drop in revenue, partly due to the fact that this was not one of the years that the biannual event, AccolAIDS operates. Events such as REINSPIRE did not bring in as much revenue. The AIDS WALK shows a decrease in expenses as well as revenues. Since 2011 there has been a reduction from $277,000 (Two-hundred and seventy-seven thousand dollars) to $191,000 (One-hundred and ninety-one thousand dollars) in revenues from the WALK, a 31% (Thirty-one percent) decrease with signs that this will continue to decrease. A plea was made that if you access the Community Health Fund, please consider signing up and helping to raise funds for it. Moved by Wayne C, seconded by Robert S; BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Audited Financial Statements of the Positive Living Society of British Columbia, 2013/14, be accepted as presented. Moved by Romari U, seconded by Nathan L; BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Annual Report of the Positive Living Society of British Columbia, 2013/14, be accepted as presented. 10. Motion to Appoint the Auditor Moved by Darren L, seconded by Valerie N; BE IT RESOLVED THAT Mahmoud Virani Inc be appointed as Auditor for the 2014/15 fiscal year. 11. Ratification of Appointment of Board Members Walter Petram and David Murdoch were appointed to the Board on January 22, 2014 to fill two vacant positions. Both terms run for two years, from 2013 to The appointments of Walter Petram and David Murdoch to the Board of Directors require ratification at the AGM. Moved by Neil S, seconded by Roger M; BE IT RESOLVED THAT the appointments of Walter Petram and David Murdoch, on January 22, 2014, to the Board of Directors of the Positive Living Society of British Columbia be ratified. 12. Announce the New Board of Directors There were five vacant seats on the Board of Directors and eleven nominees for the positions, so a vote for the Board of Directors was conducted by mail in ballot. One of the nominees withdrew before the votes were counted and their name was therefore not included in the final count. The Returning Officer, Jane Talbot announced the results of the vote for the Board of Directors as follows: The successful candidates for the Board of Directors of the Positive Living Society of British Columbia for the 2014/16 term are: Wayne Campbell ( ) Positive Living Society of British Columbia Minutes of Annual General Meeting - August 14,

7 Keith Morris ( ) Amberley Smith ( ) Robert (Bob) Sung ( ) Romari Undi ( ) Continuing Board Members are: John Bishop ( ) Claudette Cardinal ( ) John Dub ( ) Valerie Nicholson ( ) Board Members whose appointments were ratified at the AGM are: David Murdoch ( ) Walter Petram ( ) 13. Statements by New Directors The new Directors made personal statements to the meeting. 14. Special Resolutions There were no Special Resolutions submitted for consideration. 15. Ordinary Resolutions There were no Ordinary Resolutions submitted for consideration. 16. Nomination of Voting Committee A Voting Committee was not required. 17. Thanks to AGM Volunteers John Bishop thanked the independent chair, Micheal Vonn, for her skilful chairing of the meeting. Micheal Vonn thanked everyone for coming out for the AGM and the volunteers who made the meeting possible. 18. Adjournment Moved by Darren L; BE IT RESOLVED THAT the meeting do now adjourn. The meeting adjourned at 6:55 pm. John Bishop, Chair Claudette Cardinal, Secretary Positive Living Society of British Columbia Minutes of Annual General Meeting - August 14,