By Kenzie Love
CWCF held our 2022 AGM on November 18, and as always it was an important exercise in fulfilling our commitment to the second co-operative principle of democratic member control.
Evan Proven was acclaimed to a second term as director for the Prairies/NWT/Nunavut region, while the seat for the Atlantic region remains vacant. Anyone interested in serving in this position is asked to contact Jared Blustein of the nominating committee, copying Executive Director Hazel Corcoran. President Reba Plummer also thanked the departing Atlantic region director, Frank Bezanson-Harris, for his hard work and dedication during his term.
We received reports from the President and Executive Director, both of which can be read in CWCF’s annual report. As both Reba and Hazel noted, despite the many challenges facing the co-operative movement, our members’ continued resilience is something to celebrate.
CWCF’s Treasurer, Kelly Storie, shared our Audited Financial Statements, which confirmed CWCF is in a strong position, thanks in part to rising interest rates. Reba noted that as CWCF has sufficient funds in its reserve, the board is discussing how best to spend the surplus money. Bishop & Company was again appointed to be the auditor for the current year.
Because of a technical error, two resolutions initially slated for a vote at the AGM were instead presented for discussion only. One resolution focused on expanding director eligibility, while the other would allow for extending membership in CWCF to unincorporated collectives. A special virtual meeting of members to vote on these resolutions will be held in the spring (watch the newsletter in the coming months for more details). Delegates were generally supportive of both resolutions, while also raising valuable questions about them that the board will consider before they are presented again.
The CWCF 2022-23 budget was also presented to the membership, affirming that our commitment to racial justice in the worker co-op sector will continue through the coming year with our BIPOC grants and bursaries and JEDI (justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion) social acquisitions project.
The meeting concluded with a call for volunteers for CWCF’s JEDI committee and nominating committee. Anyone interested in serving on these committees should contact Reba, copying Hazel.
We wish to thank our sponsors for their support of our Conference and AGM: major sponsors: BC Coop Association, Cooperators, and Vancity, as well as Just Us Coffee Roasters, the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada, La Siembra, Saint Mary’s University International Centre for Co-operative Management, Iler Campbell LLP, Community Savings, and the Ontario Co-operative Association.
CWCF’s next AGM will be in Quebec City in November, 2023. We hope to see you there!