Annual general meeting 2025

Motion for Editors Canada 2025 AGM: Decision Making Procedures

Moved by Gael Spivak

Motion: I move that the Decision Making Procedures make it more explicit that the association’s governance documents are listed in order of precedence.

Background

Editors Canada has a custom that its policies and their accompanying procedures or guidelines function as important governance documents. And that these documents hold a position in the governance hierarchy after legislation, the association’s bylaw and member votes at annual general meetings.

This is not explicit in the association’s Decision Making Procedures. To preserve this custom, and to clarify that members’ decisions—as expressed in our policies and procedures/guidelines—are critical to how the association is run, the procedure should be updated to reflect this.

Right now, the Decision Making Procedures says this:

Governance documents

All decisions must be in line with the following governance documents:

• federal legislation (including the Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act and the Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Regulations),
• the association’s bylaw,
• member votes at annual general meetings,
• the association’s policies and procedures/guidelines, and
• any other guidance documents issued by Editors Canada.

It should be revised to say this:

Governance documents

All decisions must be in line with the following governance documents, which are in order of precedence:

• federal legislation (including the Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act and the Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Regulations),
• the association’s bylaw,
• member votes at annual general meetings,
• the association’s policies and procedures/guidelines that require member approval,
• the association’s policies and procedures/guidelines that require national executive council approval, and
• any other guidance documents issued by Editors Canada.

At a meeting of members (either an annual general meeting or a special meeting of members), Robert’s Rules of Order is used, as indicated in the bylaw. At those meetings, the association’s policies and procedures/guidelines that require member approval hold the status of special rules of order, as defined by Robert’s Rules of Order section 2:16 (“Special rules of order supersede any rules in the parliamentary authority with which they may conflict”).

Motion

Moved by Greg Ioannou

Motion: I move that Editors Canada’s members reject the strategic plan that has been discussed by the National Executive Council and instruct the NEC and staff to immediately stop following the plan.

Supporting statement

1. The text of the Strategic Plan has not been shared with members. All the members have about the content of the plan is this video. These next points are based on the content of that video and the member discussions of it.
2. The Strategic Plan is based on Editors Canada being an “arts organization.” That was true years ago, but over the past 10 years we’ve intentionally broadened the association to include corporate and government editors. Much of the feedback we’ve had on the 2024 Professional Editorial Standards was along the lines of “finally the Standards describe the work I actually do.” It still describes arts editing, but now includes corporate and government editing functions too. The Strategic Plan would roll back that growth and evolution.
3. One of the advantages of bringing government and corporate members into the association is that they are paid much better than arts editors — they serve as a model for what we can all earn. We’ve opened the doors for editors to increase their earnings. The strategic plan not only moves away from the focus on increasing our incomes, but it closes that door.
4. From 15:39 to 22:32 in the video is the model they say all not-for-profits should hold to. There are MANY models of not-for-profits, and we chose a different one, with considerable expert advice, for very good reasons. And those reasons haven’t changed.
5. The plan was prepared by a consultant who didn’t understand the organization and that person proposed how to move forward. The proposals would reduce member involvement in decision making and roll back the last decade of progress.
6. Members have no indication if the concerns raised in online discussions are being addressed or even being considered. The NEC minutes indicate that they are not; the minutes talk about having to “manage intense organizational change.” This is change that members have not yet agreed to.

Motion

Moved by Greg Ioannou

Motion: I move that the NEC follow the association’s Consultation Policy regarding its plan to change the nomination process for the President’s Award for Volunteer Service, and that it appoint a disinterested third party to collect people’s comments and share all those anonymized comments with members (as was done with the 2019 Rethink project).

Supporting Statement

The minutes from the February 2025 national executive council (NEC) meeting show that there was a discussion about changing the Awards and Scholarship Procedures. The main change is removing the requirement to have three members to support a nomination for the President’s Award for Volunteer Service.

The NEC voted to remove that requirement entirely, so anyone can nominate someone for the award with no support from any other members (or from student affiliates, which were also added as being able to nominate someone for the award).

This procedure does fall under the responsibility of the NEC to revise. However, one director deemed that this particular revision to it should trigger the association’s Consultation Policy because the change could affect the association’s reputation.

The minutes of the March 2025 NEC meeting show some directors trying to undo that motion to consult by claiming it was invalid. They said that the vote to consult members was an attempt to block the initial motion.

This may not be resolved before the deadline for substantive motions for the AGM, so I am making a motion now for this change to go to all members, to ensure that it happens, no matter what the NEC decides about the procedures for its votes. The details of why this change may or may not be harmful to the association can be discussed in that consultation and then be voted on at the 2026 AGM.

Substantive motion for the 2025 Editors Canada AGM

Submitted by Heather Buzila

Motion: I move that we adopt the Editors’ Association of Canada Strategic Plan for 2025–2030.

Background

The previous Editors Canada strategic plan ended in 2021. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic and financial concerns, work did not begin on a new strategic plan until 2024.

An extensive consultation process was held in 2024 and 2025 with staff, NEC directors, volunteers, members and student affiliates to get the most representative feedback possible. The consultation process included the following:

• Four strategic plan task force meetings.
• Three staff consultation meetings, with the option to provide feedback after the meetings.
• Three NEC consultation meetings, with the option to provide feedback after the meetings.
• Two options to attend two-hour sessions for consultation with committee, branch and twig chairs, which included the option to provide feedback after the session, even for those who weren’t able to attend.
• Several one-on-one chats between the consultant and people who reached out and asked for further conversation started at the above sessions.
• One two-hour session open to all members who indicated French as their primary language in Editors Canada’s membership database, with the option to provide feedback after the meeting.
• Consultation throughout the weekend at the 2024 Editors Canada conference in Vancouver, BC, through the use of a pop-up booth.
• One in-person conference session presentation held during the 2024 Editors Canada conference; this session was recorded for distribution to members after the conference.
• Full membership consultation in which members were provided with the conference presentation recording, the presentation slides, and a transcript of the conference presentation (which was also translated into French) and then asked to complete a survey and provide feedback.

Feedback about the draft strategic plan was solicited at the 2024 Editors Canada conference in Vancouver. Of the people who submitted feedback

• 100% agreed with Strategic Direction 1;
• 100% agreed with Strategic Direction 2;
• 89% agreed with Strategic Direction 3;
• 90% agreed with Strategic Direction 4;
• 100% agreed with Strategic Direction 5;
• 80% agreed with the vision statement; and
• 88% agreed with the mission statement.

Feedback was also solicited during a full membership consultation in the fall of 2024, in which members were asked if they agreed, disagreed, or were unsure of the vision and mission statements and the five strategic directions. Of the people who completed the questionnaire

• 87% agreed with Strategic Direction 1 (as opposed to 4% who disagreed);
• 91% agreed with Strategic Direction 2 (as opposed to 4% who disagreed);
• 90% agreed with Strategic Direction 3 (as opposed to 5% who disagreed);
• 86% agreed with Strategic Direction 4 (as opposed to 4% who disagreed);
• 70% agreed with Strategic Direction 5 (as opposed to 2% who disagreed);
• 72% agreed with the vision statement (as opposed to 11% who disagreed); and
• 80% agreed with the mission statement (as opposed to 6% who disagreed).

Feedback given at the conference and in the questionnaire was used to revise and create the final draft of the strategic plan.

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 20, 2025, 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 20, 2025, 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 26, 2025, 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 20, 2025, 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 20, 2025.

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 20, 2025.

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 20, 2025.

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 20, 2025.

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.

Would you like to help shape Editors Canada at the national level, develop new skills and broaden your professional network? The 2025 nominating committee of Editors Canada is looking for engaged, dedicated people to serve on the national executive council (NEC) or chair national committees.

You can find details on the following in the Nominations Fact Sheet:

• eligibility (for members and student affiliates)
• roles and responsibilities for each director position
• mandates and responsibilities for each committee
• expected time commitment
• the overall nomination and election process

In accordance with our bylaw, we are providing official notice of the call for candidates to all members via this email.

National executive council

Under our bylaw, the NEC members serve staggered two-year terms. At the NEC’s first meeting following the annual general meeting, NEC members will appoint themselves into offices and portfolios:

• President
• Vice-president
• Past president
• Treasurer
• Secretary
• Director of branches and twigs
• Director of communications
• Director of member recruitment and retention
• Director of professional standards
• Director of publications
• Director of training and development
• Director of volunteer relations

We are currently seeking four candidates for the NEC:

• Treasurer
• Director of branches and twigs
• Director of training and development
• Director of volunteer relations

Committee chairs and national positions

Most committee chairs serve a one- or two-year term; all committee chairs are appointed by the NEC. (Two people may also serve as co-chairs of committees; please indicate if you would prefer to co-chair a committee.) Here is a list of committees for which we are seeking chairs:

• Awards
• Certification steering committee (You must be a certified editor to apply for this position.)
• Marketing and communication
• Publications (We are seeking a co-chair for this position.)
• Student relations
• Volunteer management committee

These are the national positions that we are seeking to fill:

• Managing editor for The Editors’ Weekly

Submit your nomination

To submit your nomination, complete the nomination form (it’s a Google form). Self-nominations are welcome.

Submit your completed form by Wednesday, April 30, 2025.

If you have questions, contact

Suzanne Aubin
Director of member recruitment and retention
Director_Retention@editors.ca

Alex Benarzi
Vice-president
ambenarzi@outlook.com