Our next annual general meeting will be held on the weekend of October 31st to November 2nd in Montreal at the Days Hotel & Conference Center (Montreal Metro). Click here for more details.

This is an open call for members to submit any resolutions they would like considered at the AGM, as well as nominations for the national board of director positions. Please note Bylaw 59, which requires that membership dues be paid at least 30 days in advance of the annual general meeting in order for a member to be eligible to vote:

59. Each voting member shall be entitled to vote at a general meeting and special meetings of the members provided that the voting member has paid the membership fees or dues for the current year at least 30 (thirty) days prior to the membership meeting.

1. Nominations for Board Positions

This year, the following positions will be up for election:

• President (for a two-year term);
• Vice-President (for a one-year term);
• Treasurer (for a two-year term);
• And up to five (5) directors at large (each for a one-year term)

In the interest of fairness, and in light of the availability of proxy voting for these positions, nominations will not be accepted from the floor at the annual general meeting itself. Only those candidates who are included on the official list (as distributed by GDUC at the end of September) will be eligible for election at the AGM. This will help to ensure fairness to all voters and candidates.

A candidate may be nominated for multiple positions, and in accordance with our Bylaws, any single person may hold up to two offices (President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer); however, they may not hold more than two offices, nor may they hold a position on the executive board as well as a Director at Large position. For example, Edwina Windelhof could conceivably be nominated for and elected as both Secretary and Treasurer, but not as Vice-President and a Director at Large. (See bylaw section 38.)

After verifying that nominated candidates are active members in good standing, candidates will be afforded the option to stand or decline the nomination. If the nominee opts to stand for election, they will be afforded the opportunity to submit an election platform (e.g. a short biography), which will be circulated with the nomination list at the end of September. Candidates who are nominated (but decline the nomination) will be noted.

Nominations for any of these positions must be sent to GDUC no later than Friday, September 19th, 2008.

2. Resolutions

Any active member of GDUC may submit a resolution for consideration by the membership at the AGM. Resolutions provide the board (and organization) with guidance as to our priorities, procedures and policies, and serve as the basis for the future work undertaken by the board. Resolutions can also be used to amend our bylaws when necessary.

If you are contemplating proposing a bylaw amendment, please contact us with your idea and/or a draft resolution. Bylaw amendments must follow a particular format in order to ensure their acceptance by Corporations Canada, and it would be a shame for an otherwise meritorious bylaw amendment to be dropped at the AGM for failing to comply with some minor technical requirement.

We can also assist with drafting of other resolutions, to help ensure that their intent, purpose, and objectives are clear, unambiguous, and not in conflict with any bylaws or other existing policies.

All proposed resolutions (to be included with the AGM call and thus eligible to be voted upon by proxies) must be sent to GDUC no later than Friday, September 26th, 2008. (This is one week later than the deadline for nominations!)

3. For more information

For more information on the nomination, resolution, or electoral process, please contact Anthony Tibbs as Chair, Nominations Committee and GDUC Bylaw Officer at 1-877-285-9805, or email us at guidedogs@gduc.ca.