President’s report from the 2026 Editors Canada annual general meeting

Date Posted: Wednesday July 15, 2026 News type: AGM

Editors Canada held its 2026 annual general meeting (AGM) on June 25 on Zoom.

Attendees

A total of 69 members were registered for the AGM. Additionally, 22 members were represented by proxy.

At the peak of the meeting, 60 participants (including 2 staff) were present.

Parliamentarian

I asked Gael Spivak to be my parliamentarian for the AGM, and I introduced her as such at the beginning of the meeting. Gael’s knowledge of Robert’s Rules of Order was valuable during the meeting.

Approval of various business items

All the following items were approved:

  • the agenda
  • the 2025 draft annual general meeting minutes
  • the 2025 draft special general meeting minutes
  • the 2025 annual report, following corrections to copy and appending the final, approved 2025 financial statements

Financial report

The treasurer, Błażej Szpakowicz, discussed the association’s financials.

  • Membership revenue remained stable in 2025 as compared to 2024 thanks to our membership drive in May 2025. 
  • Webinar program revenue rose noticeably due to the Training Day initiative, while other income streams fluctuated slightly.
  • The lack of an in-person conference in 2025 led to decreased revenue despite reduced expenses as compared to 2024, when the conference turned a small profit.
  • Staffing and administration expenses decreased notably due to the shift from an executive director to an administrative director.
  • The overall deficit in 2025 was $58,714 due to membership revenue continuing to track lower than administration and staffing expenses. Thanks to changes in our administration model, however, the deficit is approximately $20,000 smaller than originally projected.
  • Our 2024 deficit was $99,122.
  • Our unrestricted reserves sit at only $50,165, so it’s essential that we work towards a break-even year in 2026.

Following Błażej’s report, members voted to approve the 2025 auditors’ report.

Substantive motions

There were seven substantive motions that members submitted before the AGM. As noted in the call-to-meeting email, substantive motions from the floor are not permitted because members need time to think about and discuss them, and members who are not at the meeting cannot vote on them.

For the purposes of this report, the following is a summary of how members voted on these motions. Details about member discussion of each motion will be made available later in the 2026 AGM meeting minutes.

  1. Substantive motion submitted by a member: That “important documents such as strategic plans” be added to this clause in the Consultation Policy.
    • “Matters that affect the association and its members include the following:
      • reputational matters, such as appearance, values and broad communication themes
      • governance structures, such as committees, twig co-chairs and executives (branch executives and the national executive council)
      • decision-making discussions, by committees, twig co-chairs, branch executives and the national executive council
      • decisions made by the national executive council
      • volunteer relations”

    Motion carried 96% in favour
  2. Substantive motion submitted by a member: That Editors Canada eliminates the position of executive director and adds the position of administrative director, with duties to be defined in relevant policy documents.

    Motion carried 88% in favour
  3. Substantive motion submitted by a member: That all the association’s policies and procedures/guidelines revert back to all of them being voted on by members, instead of some being voted on by members and some by the national executive council.

    Motion defeated 43% in favour
  4. Substantive motion submitted by a member: That a sentence be added to the Decision Making Procedures to require that the NEC record AGM decisions in the Decision Log for Editors Canada Annual General Meetings, 1979-present by October of each year.

    Motion carried 93% in favour
  5. Substantive motion submitted by a member: That the national executive council set up a task force to determine what areas of artificial intelligence (AI) (including generative AI) Editors Canada should focus on, to take advantage of new work opportunities and to tackle the risks that AI presents for editors.

    Motion carried 94% in favour
  6. Substantive motion submitted by a member:
    • that Editors Canada members develop a strategic plan based on CIEP’s strategic plan, adding some of the ideas from the proposed strategic plan, the comments on that plan, the members’ discussions on the various social media, and discussions among members.
    • that the NEC encourage members to be part of the discussions to develop the plan.
    • that Editors Canada schedule a members’ meeting before the end of 2026 to vote on the plan the members draft.

    Motion carried, with amendments that the timeline be adjusted for a member vote at the 2027 AGM and that members of the current strategic plan working group be invited to participate; 85% in favour
  7. Substantive motion submitted by a member: If the motion to eliminate the position of executive director and add the position of administrative director is adopted, that we amend Section 6.01, subsection e of the bylaw.

    Motion carried 91% in favour

Appointments and elections

Auditor

Members voted to appoint Hogg, Shain & Scheck as the auditor for 2026.

National executive council

The list of nominees for the 2026–27 national executive council was presented.

After nominees were named, there was a call for nominations from the floor. Robert’s Rules of Order says that if there are no extra nominees, the slate is automatically acclaimed, without an election. (See RONR, 11th ed., p. 443, ll. 7–14.)

There were no nominations from the floor, so the slate was acclaimed.

Lee d’Anjou Volunteer of the Year Award

I presented Holly Vestad (Editors / Réviseurs Québec), the winner of the 2026 Lee d’Anjou Volunteer of the Year Award. 

When Holly Vestad stepped into the role of chair of Editors Canada’s career builder committee nearly two years ago, her goal was to better connect members with the job resources that were available to them. The idea for a one-stop destination to help Editors Canada members find work sparked at the association’s annual general meeting in 2012, but the project faced numerous setbacks and remained largely dormant for years. Holly’s leadership was the missing piece. With enthusiasm, care and compassion, she rebuilt the committee and set to work building the Career Development Hub (the Hub). After 14 years of development, the Hub officially launched in March 2026.

Established in 2010, the Editors Canada President’s Award for Volunteer Service recognizes outstanding service to the organization by member volunteers. From among the nominations received for the President’s Award, one nominee is selected to receive the Lee d’Anjou Volunteer of the Year Award.

Recipients of the 2026 President’s Award for Volunteer Service are as follows.

  • Badou Bousso (Editors Ottawa-Gatineau)
  • Carolyn Brown (Editors Ottawa-Gatineau)
  • Heather Buzila (Editors Edmonton)
  • Greg Ioannou (Editors Toronto)
  • Anne Louise Mahoney (Editors Ottawa-Gatineau)
  • Gael Spivak (Editors Ottawa-Gatineau)

Congratulations and thank you to Holly and all of our President’s Award recipients!

Other business

There was no other business to discuss.

Adjournment

The AGM was adjourned at about 8:54 p.m., ET.

Thank you to all members and to our national office staff for your participation and support, which helped this year’s annual general meeting to run smoothly and successfully.

Kaitlin Littlechild
President

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