PAAC Annual General Meeting AGENDA Tuesday, December 13, :30 to 5:00 p.m. Borden Ladner Gervais, 22 Adelaide Street West, Suite 3400, Toronto

Transcription

1 PAAC Annual General Meeting AGENDA Tuesday, December 13, :30 to 5:00 p.m. Borden Ladner Gervais, 22 Adelaide Street West, Suite 3400, Toronto 1. Call to Order 2. Approval of Agenda 3. Approval of Minutes of Previous Meeting held December 17, Reports 4.1 President s Report - John Capobianco 4.2 Treasurer s Report Stephen Andrews 4.3 Events Report Jennifer Dent 4.4 Advocacy Report Stephen Andrews 5. Membership 5.1 Membership Report Harvey Cooper 5.2 Motion to approve a membership dues increase Section 8.6 Regular Member $250 to $ Student Member $50.00 Out-of-Town Members $125 to $ Corporate Members (which includes up to five members) $1, All Inclusive Membership $483 to $ Elections Joe MacDonald 7. Other Business 8. Adjournment

2 MINUTES OF THE PUBLIC AFFAIRS ASSOCIATION OF CANADA ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING December 17, :30 to 5:00 p.m. Borden Ladner Gervais, 40 King Street West, 44 th Floor 1. Call to Order Page 1 John Capobianco, President of the Public Affairs Association of Canada, called the meeting to order at 3:43 p.m. and established quorum. Mr. Capobianco welcomed all members and introduced PAAC Board members including: Ryan Eickmeier Vice President Joe MacDonald Immediate Past President Harvey Cooper Chair - Membership Jennifer Dent Co-Chair Events Robyn Gray - Director Rick Hall Co-Chair Events Michelle Wasylyshen - Director Paul Yeung - Director 2. Approval of Agenda MOTION: To approve the agenda as circulated. Moved: Michelle Wasylyshen Seconded: Robyn Gray CARRIED 3. Approval of Minutes of Previous Meeting held December 15, 2014 MOTION: To approve the minutes as circulated. Moved: Ryan Eickmeier Seconded: Jennifer Dent CARRIED

3 4. Reports 4.1 President s Report PAAC President John Capobianco noted that 2015 was a year of renewal and growth for the association. The following key highlights were noted: Operations: Essentient Association Management was retained in late Essentient has helped PAAC to raise the bar through association best practices and systems including: New membership and event registration system: Membership has grown by over 30% since last year at the same time; 16 events in 2015 including tonight s holiday social; Revenue exceeded revenue in the previous year by approximately 28%. Strategic Planning: The Board of Directors participated in a strategic planning session in August and set the strategic priorities for the next couple of years. The board is currently working on the tactical plan to support the strategic priorities which are: Advocacy Membership Professional Development which also includes the Mentorship Initiative Networking Advocacy was a very busy year for PAAC on the advocacy front for lobbyist members across many jurisdictions in Canada. Representatives from PAAC had meetings and made oral and written submissions to federal, provincial and municipal governments. This included consultations on changes to statutes, lobbyist codes of conduct and the establishment of new lobbyist registration regimes. PAAC anticipates similar levels of activity in 2016 as many of these governments implement the reforms being debated in Some of the 2015 activities included: PAAC participated with the Government Relations Institute of Canada (GRIC) in consultations with the Federal Commissioner of Lobbying Karen Shepard, on a new and revised code of conduct. We were successful in securing several amendments to the new code that reflect our members concerns. Held discussions with the Saskatchewan government on aspects of their new lobbying law; Currently in discussions with the City of Toronto over proposed changes to their lobbying by-laws and pushing for less draconian penalties as measures to ensure full compliance. Page 2

4 In preliminary discussions with the Region of Peel over proposed by-laws related to lobbyist registration and discourse rules; BC Chapter is participating in a conference with the Lobbyist Commissioner in BC in late January. This is part of the Commissioners on-going consultation with lobbyists in BC. Anticipating changes to the Ontario Lobbyist Registration Act: We have had discussions with the Registrar in Ontario and are waiting for the changes to the law developed at the end of 2014 to come into force. We also are anticipating a new Registrar to take the reins in early 2016 from the retiring Lynn Morrison. 4.2 Treasurer s Report Constance Wrigley-Thomas, Managing Director reported on the Association s financial position as of December 31, 2014 on behalf of PAAC Treasurer Stephen Andrews. Public Affairs Association of Canada generated $64,552 in revenue in This includes membership fees, and conference and event revenue. PAAC s expenses were $78,399 and included event and meeting costs, legal and accounting fees, travel for advocacy work and administrative and office expense. PAAC finished the year with a loss of $13,847 but it was acknowledged that since 2014 was a transition year for the association as it moved to a new delivery model with its association management company in late 2014, it is not unusual to have some overlapping expenses. In 2015 the Association identified some efficiencies which have resulted in savings. Combined with the Members Equity from the previous year of $48,889 PAAC has a reserve of $35,043 for year ending Public Affairs Association of Canada recently retained the services of a professional association management company. One of their roles will be to assist the association in adopting best practices for effective fiscal management and establishing policies for things like budgeting, investments and financial reporting. MOTION: To approve the unaudited 2014 financial report as presented Moved: Robyn Gray Seconded: Michelle Wasylyshen CARRIED 4.3 Events Report Rick Hall, Events Co-Chair presented the Events Report: Page 3

5 An events committee was established to plan networking and professional development opportunities. PAAC delivered 16 events in Event revenue grew by 5% over the previous year and approximately 600 individuals participated throughout The Annual Conference attracted nearly 100 attendees and the Queen s Park Reception was very well attended. Rick thanked Essentient Association Management for helping PAAC to deliver a higher caliber quality of events. The Events Committee is already planning programming for Membership Membership Report Membership Chair Harvey Cooper presented the Membership Report. Page 4 The Association currently has a total of 247 members compared to 185 the previous year. This represents a 33.5% increase over the previous year. PAAC implemented a new membership database and online membership registration system in early 2015 which has added greater efficiency. The Association attained a 75% membership retention rate in 2015 and will be aiming for 80% in Membership Dues The Board of Directors has recommended that the 2016 dues remain at the 2015 level and that no increase be made but that PAAC review the current situation and consider a membership increase at the end of The proposed dues for 2016 are as follows: o Regular - $250 o Out of Town (more than 100 kilometres from Toronto) - $125 o Corporate - $1,000 o Corporate Discounted - $150 o Student - $50 MOTION: To approve the Membership Dues for 2016 Moved: Jennifer Dent Seconded: Robyn Gray

6 CARRIED Vice President Ryan Eickmeier provided an overview of the All-Inclusive Membership category which would be optional for Regular and Out-of-Town members who attend multiple events throughout the year. The package fees are $483 plus tax and include a membership and unlimited events, but not including the Annual Conference. It was agreed that this would help the Association to grow its membership and because it is optional, there is no risk. 6. Elections Joe MacDonald, Immediate Past President, introduced the elections process and noted that the term of office for the Board candidates is two years. Each of the candidates was invited to introduce themselves prior to the ballot being called. The following candidates addressed the meeting: Stephen Andrews Lucy Becker Jessica Brandon-Jepp John Capobianco Robyn Gray Michelle Wasylyshen Paul Yeung Once the ballot was called and the votes counted, the results were announced for the five Directors elected to the 2016 Board of Directors: 1. Stephen Andrews 2. John Capobianco 3. Robyn Gray 4. Michelle Wasylyshen 5. Paul Yeung Nominations were then received from the floor for the Officer positions including President, Vice President, Secretary-Treasurer and Events Chair. The following Directors were nominated and elected to Officer positions: Page 5 President John Capobianco Vice President Ryan Eickmeier

7 Secretary-Treasurer Stephen Andrews Events Chair Jennifer Dent MOTION: To destroy the ballots that were used to conduct the voting Moved: Ryan Eickmeier Seconded: Lucy Becker CARRIED 8. Other Business Mr. Capobianco thanked Borden Ladner Gervais LLP for hosting the Annual General Meeting and for their support throughout the year. He also thanked Joe MacDonald for managing the Election. 9. Adjournment MOTION: To adjourn the meeting. Moved: Michelle Wasylyshen Seconded: Ryan Eickmeier CARRIED 5:01 p.m. Page 6

8 THE PUBLIC AFFAIRS ASSOCIATION OF CANADA INC. STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION AS AT DECEMBER 31, $ $ ASSETS CURRENT = Cash 32,420 52,683 0 Accounts receivable 3,057 1,014 Income taxes receivable 5,057 2,592 Prepaid expenses 3, LIABILITIES 44,132 56,986 44,132 56,986 CURRENT 0 Accounts payable and accrued liabilities 10,350 10,941 Income taxes payable - 2,007 Deferred membership income 2,500 8,994 12,850 21,943 NET ASSETS Unrestricted Net Assets 31,282 35,043 31,282 35,043 44,132 56,986 Approved On Behalf of the Board: Director Director Unaudited - Internally Prepared

9 THE PUBLIC AFFAIRS ASSOCIATION OF CANADA INC. STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, $ $ REVENUES Membership 57,003 37,721 Events 14,275 16,147 Conferences 13,544 9,933 Advertising 2, ,373 64,552 EXPENSES Professional services 35,052 17,810 Networking event 13,987 14,202 Professional development 1,770 8,015 Government relations 10,536 7,926 Website 2,001 6,647 Sponsorships 5,000 5,000 Communications - membership 996 3,465 Event expenses - 3,416 Marketing and Communications 175 2,916 Bank charges 2,612 2,464 Board of Directors 1,573 2,283 Annual conference 11,412 2,046 General and office 3,565 1,375 Telephone 1, Membership development Insurance ,133 78,399 Excess/(deficiency) of revenues over expenses for the year (3,761) (13,847) Net Assets, beginning of year 35,043 48,890 Net Assets, end of year 31,282 35,043 Unaudited - Internally Prepared

10 THE PUBLIC AFFAIRS ASSOCIATION OF CANADA INC. STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, $ $ CASH WAS PROVIDED BY (USED IN): CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES Cash receipts from members 50,508 41,541 Cash receipts from events 14,275 16,147 Cash receipts from conferences 13,544 9,933 Cash receipts from advertising 2, Cash paid to suppliers (101,141) (77,141) (20,263) (8,770) Change in cash (20,263) (8,770) Cash, beginning of year 52,683 61,453 Cash, end of year 32,420 52,683 Unaudited - Internally Prepared

11 PAAC Annual General Meeting RESOLUTION TO INCREASE MEMBERSHIP DUES FOR 2017 The Board of Directors of Public Affairs Association of Canada recommends a modest increase in PAAC Membership Dues in 2017 as follows: Regular Member $ to $ plus taxes Student Member $50.00 plus taxes (no change) Out-of-Town Members $ to $ plus taxes All inclusive $ to $ plus taxes Corporate Member $1, please refer to matrix immediately below: Proposed Corporate Membership Matrix Rate per Member % Discount from base amount If purchased as a group First Member (base amount) $ $ Second Member $ % discount $ Third Member $ % discount $ Fourth Member $ % discount $ Fifth & Subsequent Member $ % discount $1, Addenda: Current members would have the opportunity to renew at the 2016 rate provided that their payment is received by February 15, After that date, renewals will be processed at the proposed 2017 rate.

12 Background: PAAC has not increased our membership dues for quite a number of years. Now that our membership has grown and stabilized over the last couple of years it would be timely to put PAAC on a much more secure financial foundation. Our research has shown that PAAC have fallen behind comparable organizations: Membership Fee Comparisons Individual Out of Town Other Student Corporate All Inclusive Notes Public Affairs Association of Canada $ $ $50.00 $1, $ Government Relations Institute of Canada $ Canadian Public Relations Society $ $ $50 New Member Initiation Fee AMCTO $ $ $50.00 Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships $ $ $1, Corporate Membership Discount Our current corporate membership rate is $1,000 and allows for two individual memberships and a 40% discount on subsequent memberships beyond the first two. Unless the prospective corporate member takes out a significant number of individual memberships there is little financial incentive under current PAAC Corporate rate. The Board proposed Corporate Membership matrix would allow for important discounts and may well increase this category of membership overall. Currently there are 30 PAAC Members companies who have two or more individual memberships. Of those 30 companies, only 9 are currently corporate members.