Annual general meeting 2024

Call to meeting—AGM 2024

All members are called to attend the annual general meeting (AGM) of the Editors’ Association of Canada (Editors Canada). The purpose of the meeting is to conduct the annual business of the association.

Date:
Thursday, June 27, 2024

Time:
6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. (EDT)

Location:
This meeting will take place on Zoom. At its May 2022 meeting, the national executive council (NEC) voted to continue holding the AGM online each year, even when the conference is held in person. For more information about this decision, please see the June 2022 e-news update.

Simultaneous interpretation

Editors Canada is a bilingual association and we are committed to providing access to the AGM in French for those who require interpretation. However, this service is rarely used and, as the cost to provide it is significant, we offer interpretation upon request only. If you require simultaneous interpretation for the AGM, please email secretary@editors.ca no later than Friday, June 7, 2024.

Member registration

You must register ahead of time to attend the AGM on Zoom.

Registration: Registration is now closed.

Registration closes: Friday, June 21, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. (EDT)

• Once you have registered, you will receive a confirmation email that contains a unique URL to access the AGM (which takes place on Thursday, June 27, 2024) on Zoom.
• You will also receive an automatically generated reminder email the day before the meeting.
• Only one person can use each unique URL. This URL has been personalized for you. Please do not share it. If another person uses your unique URL before you, you will not be able to log into the meeting.
• Although Zoom provides a call-in option for meetings, please do not use this option as it will not allow you to participate in the voting procedures.

For more information about participating remotely using the online platform, please see our FAQs.

Student affiliate registration

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).

Voting procedures

Only members of the association are eligible to vote. Student affiliates are not permitted to vote. If you are a member, you may cast your votes in 1 of 2 ways:

1. Vote on Zoom

Members attending the AGM via Zoom can vote using the online polling system. See the online meeting FAQs for more information.

2. Vote by proxy

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

a) download and complete the proxy form (for association members only) and
b) 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 (see FAQs).

If you wish, you may appoint the national secretary as your proxy holder. To do this, email your signed proxy to secretary@editors.ca by Friday, June 21, 2024.

A note on electing directors

The federal legislation that governs not-for-profits requires that directors be elected, as directors, at a meeting of members. The directors are then to decide, by a vote among themselves, who takes which role on the national executive council. Members do not run for a particular position.

The nominating committee solicits for particular positions, with the caveat that the national executive council discusses and votes on the positions after the AGM.

Rules of order

The national executive council has created a guide to help members and the chair with the rules most likely to be needed at AGMs.

The Editors Canada bylaw states that meetings will be conducted according to Robert’s Rules of Order (section 3.09). Various policies and procedures/guidelines may also come into play at an AGM.

While many association members are friends or colleagues, the AGM is a formal meeting. In order to have a successful meeting, the business of the AGM is conducted through motions.

Download the Rules of Order Guide for the Editors’ Association of Canada Annual General Meetings.

Agenda

1. Call to order
2. Parliamentarian
3. Approval of agenda
4. Approval of 2023 draft annual general meeting (AGM) minutes
5. Approval of the 2023 annual report
6. Financial report
7. Approval of the 2023 auditors’ report (included in the 2023 annual report, as required by law)
8. Substantive motion submitted by a member: That members approve the updates to the English Guidelines for Ethical Editing of Student Texts to align them with the updated Professional Editorial Standards 2024.
9. Motions from the floor
10. Appointments and elections
11. Lee d’Anjou Volunteer of the Year Award
12. Recognition of newly certified members
13. Other business
14. Adjournment

Motions at the 2024 annual general meeting

The deadline for members to submit substantive motions for the AGM was Tuesday, April 30, 2024, as advised in the Wednesday, March 13, 2024, email to members (“Motions at the 2024 annual general meeting“). Substantive motions from the floor are not permitted, as members need time to think about and discuss them, and members who are not at the meeting cannot vote on them. Nominations from the floor for positions on the national executive are allowed. Motions on matters such as thanking a member or committee or awarding a surprise honour are also allowed.

Motion on English Guidelines for Ethical Editing of Student Texts: 2024 Update

I move that members approve the updates to the English Guidelines for Ethical Editing of Student Texts to align them with the updated Professional Editorial Standards 2024.

Supporting statement

Expert volunteers updated the guidelines in 2018 and the national executive council posted them for members to use. Members voted on accepting those extensive changes at the 2022 annual general meeting.

The new changes in 2024 are limited to only one section in each of the guidelines called “Limits to editing.” And they change only the references to sections of the Professional Editorial Standards, to update the 2016 sections to the 2024 sections.

The changes are described (in English only) in this chart.

Submitted by Gael Spivak, Editors Ottawa–Gatineau

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?

Here is the agenda, including the supporting documents.

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.

Nominees for 2024–25 national executive council

Want to know more about the Editors Canada members who have put their names forward for the 2024–25 national executive council (NEC)? Here’s where you’ll learn more about the nominees. The new NEC will be elected at our annual general meeting (AGM) on June 27, 2024. The new NEC term will run from July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025.

Candidates for two years

Suzanne Aubin

Editors Quebec
I have been editing and translating for 20 years. I was an active member of the association until family life took priority and am now happy to have time again to dedicate to our profession, to our association. If elected for this position, I plan on helping to find ways to improve membership retention and recruitment, in both official languages.

Tara Avery (she/her)

Editors British Columbia
Technically, my editorial career began in grade five, when I decided my school needed a magazine and that I was just the gal to start it. I’ve worked in a professional capacity since 2003. I’m a Professional Member of the CIEP, CAA and AIPP. Though my experience is wide-ranging, I work predominantly with fiction, creative non-fiction and dramatic texts as a coach and developmental/line/copy editor. I’m interested in serving on the NEC to give back to Editors Canada and its members, who have welcomed me so warmly.

Alex Benarzi (he/him)

Editors Calgary
Hello! I am Alex Benarzi. I am a freelance editor, writer and educator from Calgary, Alberta. In 2022, I completed my editing certification through Simon Fraser University. Since then, I grew my freelance practice, working with amazing clients in the world of fiction and academic writing. I joined Editors Canada in 2021, and in 2023, I joined the career builder committee. Last December, I hosted Editors Canada’s Linkedin page.

My passions are community and accessibility. Editing can seem isolating and daunting, especially online. Editors Canada is a hub where we can support each other as we all grow our successes.

Ali Cayetano

Editors British Columbia
I’ve been working in editing and communications for six years, with a focus on academic and non-fiction editing. In 2018, I was the alumni relations assistant and newsletter editor for the School of Kinesiology at the University of British Columbia. In 2021, I began training and working as a copy editor at Writing Short is Hard, and I’ve been working as a freelance copy editor since. I currently edit texts in healthcare, the humanities, business and, occasionally, video game marketing!

With my skills in outreach, collaboration and communications, I’m eager to tackle the role of director of volunteer relations.

Mina Holië

Editors Calgary
I am a versatile professional with backgrounds in business, accounting, auditing, and forensic accounting. As a recent graduate with a master’s in information security management, I furthered my expertise by obtaining a Technical Writer Graduate Certificate from Algonquin College. Currently, as an information security analyst at an organization specializing in cybersecurity education and advisory services, I provide guidance and education on cyber risk management where I also serve as a technical writer crafting newsletters about latest threats. I previously served as secretary of Editors Canada’s national executive council and am eager to contribute more to the community of professional editors.

Ellen Keeble

Editors Toronto
I have been working as an editor/writer for more than 14 years. I hold a bachelor of journalism from Carleton University, a publishing certificate from Ryerson University and Editors Canada Structural Editing certification. I love this industry because I’m constantly learning. I provide editorial services for a variety of corporate clients, both in-house and on a freelance basis. In 2021, I received the President’s Award for Volunteer Service for my contributions as a designer.

Lori Perrie (she/her)

Editors Hamilton-Halton
My educational background is in English, writing, and library & information science, and I have worked in both libraries and archives. My work as a solo archivist included a great deal of writing and editing. I am currently pursuing freelance writing and editing work. I began working with the NEC two years ago in the role of recording secretary. I look forward to continuing to explore Editors Canada’s offerings so that I can become further educated in the field of editing.

Returning directors

Here are the NEC members who will stay on, as they have one year remaining in their term. (Members are elected for a two-year term.)

Arija Berzitis (she/her)

Editors Toronto
I am a former associate editor and typesetter and currently proofreader in financial documents. I have a degree in English Language and Literature and am a native speaker of English (my parents emigrated from Latvia to England and then Canada following the Second World War). My schooling from kindergarten took place in Canada and although I finished my Hon. B.A. many years ago, I am currently working on the Publishing Certificate at Ryerson. I have had freelance copy editing experience in journals for about 10–15 years now. I was recently a technical editor for the Canadian journal TESL Canada from the University of Western Ontario. This involved editing references and their citations. However, I have also copy edited scientific and highly technical journals from the United States, including in such fields as humanities, social sciences, philosophy, futures, management, ultrasound, and medical and education. A current project includes copy editing a memoire written by a first-time writer, something I’m not used to but enjoying very much for the complete about-face from my usual activities.

Maria Frank

Editors Edmonton
Since beginning my editing career in 2008, I have edited government documents, K–12 study materials, fiction and nonfiction manuscripts, and corporate communications. I currently work for Athabasca University and edit primarily content for undergraduate- and graduate-level business courses.

I am an editor because I am passionate about language and the power of the word, particularly in the evolution of language to reflect societal values. I see the values of equality and inclusivity reflected in Editors Canada communications, conference sessions, and webinars, and I strive to uphold and further these values while serving on the NEC.

Kaitlin Littlechild

Editors Atlantic
I am both a freelance editor and writer and work as a communications and marketing specialist for an environmental consulting firm. I frequently edit works written by Indigenous authors and works written about Indigenous Peoples. I commonly edit (and occasionally write) in the areas of business communication, health, public health, biology, environmental issues and marketing pieces of all types.

When (if) I have spare time, I can be found outside enjoying all that New Brunswick has to offer—beautiful beaches, waterfall hikes, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, camping. There is always something to explore with my kids and dogs.

Błażej Szpakowicz

Editors British Columbia
A former academic with a PhD in history, I’ve worked as an editor for four years, specializing in academic and fiction editing. As a member of the Editors British Columbia, I’ve participated in Vancouver-based branch meetings and seminars. I’ve also served on the Editors Canada training and development committee since 2017, helping run the successful ongoing webinar program. If elected, I shall help guide the further development of this program and ensure it offers a wide range of ongoing professional development, in both French and English, to all Editors Canada members across Canada, regardless of location, background or expertise.