Annual general meeting 2024

Editors Canada’s 2024 annual general meeting (AGM) will be held on Thursday, June 27. The call to meeting will go out to members 21 to 35 days before the AGM, as required by our bylaw [3.01].

Motions at the 2024 annual general meeting

Editors Canada’s 2024 annual general meeting (AGM) will be held on Thursday, June 27. Our association has a long tradition of member involvement, and any member is entitled to make a motion to be put to a vote at the meeting.

The Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act requires that substantive motions must be on the agenda that goes out to members in the call to meeting notice. See sections 162 (9) to 163 (6) of the Act. The call to meeting will go out to members 21 to 35 days before the AGM, as required by our bylaw [3.01].

This requirement fits with the association’s long-time value of member consultation.

Certain types of motions from the floor can be accepted on the day of the meeting:

•  thanking a member or committee
• awarding a surprise honour
• nominating a director to sit on the national executive council (See the National Nominations Procedures: “Further nominations are accepted at the final call for nominations held at the annual general meeting.”)

If you would like to make a substantive motion at the AGM, please submit the motion to the national secretary by Tuesday, April 30. You are encouraged to include a supporting statement (up to 500 words) to be included in the notice. (This maximum word count is set by the Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Regulations [section 64].)

Online meeting participation

1. Why do I have to register in advance?

Members always need to register to attend a general meeting of the association. When members attend in person, they do this on-site, at the door. To allow members to participate online, we need some lead time to sort out the logistics of the platform, including buying a large enough virtual meeting space for everyone who wishes to attend.

2. What is the deadline to register if I want to attend the meeting online?

You must register no later than Friday, June 21, 2024, at 11:59 p.m., EDT (four business days before the meeting).

3. I’m not sure I can attend. Should I register anyway?

Yes, please do. You must register by the deadline to receive a link to the meeting. You will not be able to attend without this link, so it’s important to register if you think you might attend the meeting online.

4. How do I register?

Please visit the registration page by Friday, June 21, 2024, and follow the steps to register. You will then receive a confirmation email that contains a unique registration URL that will allow you to access the AGM on Thursday, June 27, 2024, on Zoom. You will also receive an automatically generated reminder email the day before the meeting.

5. Can I share my registration URL with anyone else?

No. Each member who registers will receive a unique URL to access the online meeting. Please do not share your URL. If another person uses your unique URL before you do, you will not be able to log in to the meeting.

6. I’m a student affiliate. Can I register for the AGM?

Student affiliates are allowed to attend the AGM, but they are not permitted to vote. Because we can’t prevent an online participant from voting on Zoom, students who wish to attend this year’s AGM must do so by phone. Please note that Zoom does not offer a Canadian toll-free number to join meetings and webinars, so long distance charges may apply. See Zoom’s international dial-in numbers.

If you are a student affiliate who would like to call in to hear this year’s AGM, please email communications@editors.ca by Friday, June 21, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. (EDT).

7. Who do I contact if this doesn’t work?

If you have technical difficulties, see the Zoom FAQ page. We recommend logging into Zoom using your registration URL at least 10 to 15 minutes ahead of the meeting time to check that everything is working and to become familiar with the virtual meeting room.

8. Where can I find the agenda for the meeting?

The agenda, including the supporting documents, will be posted in the “Call to meeting” section on this page when they are available.

9. What if my computer breaks down, or I lose my Internet connection, or there is a power outage during the meeting? What if I have to leave the meeting?

If something happens at your end that is beyond our control, and you cannot solve it while the meeting is in progress, you will miss the rest of the meeting. Be sure to test your equipment and Internet service ahead of time and have a backup plan if needed.

The meeting can continue even if some members leave before it is over. According to the Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act, “If a quorum is present at the opening of a meeting of members, the members present may, unless the by-laws otherwise provide, proceed with the business of the meeting, even if a quorum is not present throughout the meeting.” (Section 164.3)

If there is a prolonged power outage at the hosting end, or if the software we are using fails, we may need to reschedule the meeting. We will contact you by email if this happens.

Proxy information

1. I can’t attend the meeting. Can I vote by proxy?

Yes. Members who cannot attend may authorize another member to vote on their behalf by giving that member a signed proxy.

To do so, download and complete the proxy form (for association members only) and send it to the member you wish to empower to vote on your behalf.

Your chosen proxy-holder must be a member and must register the signed proxy by sending it to the national secretary by Friday, June 21, 2024.

If you wish, you may appoint the national secretary as your proxy-holder. Email your signed proxy to the secretary at secretary@editors.ca by Friday, June 21, 2024.

2. How will online proxies be managed?

During the AGM, online proxies will be counted along with all other online votes. In this case, the secretary will receive the list of online proxies ahead of time to confirm which proxies have been assigned to which members. Those members who are proxy-holders and attending the AGM online will be able to vote on behalf of those who appointed them by using the messaging feature in Zoom. The secretary will record the votes manually during the voting process.

Please note, if you give someone your proxy, you can’t attend the meeting. We can’t set up an arrangement that would technically permit someone to vote twice (once by the proxy they gave to someone else ahead of time, and once themselves during the meeting). (Learn how to revoke a proxy.)

3. What does the Editors Canada bylaw say about proxies?

Proxy voting is covered in section 3.11 of the bylaw: Absentee Voting at Members’ Meetings.

4. Can I mail in my proxy to the national office?

Yes. The national office receives scans of mail sent to a virtual mailbox and will forward any proxies to the national secretary by email.

Mail your proxy to:

Editors Canada
2967 Dundas Street West #1449
Toronto, Ontario M6P 1Z2

Proxies sent by mail must be received by the national office no later than 11:59 p.m., EDT, on Friday, June 21, 2024.

5. What if I give my proxy to someone and then decide to attend the online meeting myself?

In this case, you must revoke your proxy. If your proxy-holder planned to attend online, send an email to the secretary (secretary@editors.ca) by Friday, June 21, 2024.

6. What if I register for the online meeting but then find out I cannot attend?

You can still participate by giving a signed proxy to someone who will attend online so that person can vote on your behalf.

A proxy form was sent with the call to meeting; you can also download one here (see above for more information on proxies).

If you appoint a proxy-holder, you must withdraw your registration for the online meeting by using the link in your Zoom confirmation email or by sending an email to secretary@editors.ca.

Online voting

1. How will online voting work?

During the AGM, a poll will be posted within Zoom. Members will vote using the poll function and the secretary will tally the votes.

Any member attending online who is a proxy-holder will also be able to vote on behalf of the absentee member(s) who appoints them, using the messaging feature. The secretary will record these votes manually.

More information on how to participate online will be sent to those who have registered closer to the meeting date.