CLUB CANIN CANADIEN SYNOPSIS OF THE 2015 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Transcription

1 CANADIAN KENNEL CLUB CLUB CANIN CANADIEN SYNOPSIS OF THE 2015 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING The following is a synopsis of the key items of business that were addressed at 2015 Annual Meeting of Members held at 11 a.m. on March 21, 2015 at the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC), University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario. Please note that the proceedings shown below are paraphrased for the sake of brevity. In the event of dispute, the specific wording should be taken from the official minutes. The detailed minutes of the meeting will be formally approved at the next Annual Meeting of Members. Seventy members and guests attended the meeting. Many thanks go out to the Ontario Veterinary College and Pet Trust for hosting the meeting, to CKC members Alan Ewles and Patty Milton for their assistance in planning the event and to the event sponsors: BDO Canada, BMO, BFL, Gowlings, Pets Plus Us and Ricoh Canada. Before the meeting was convened, the Board of Directors were given an opportunity to tour the OVC, the cancer centre and the OVC specialty hospital. Bob Rowbotham, Chairman of the Board, opened the meeting by welcoming everyone and thanking them for attending. The Board of Directors, members of the management team and distinguished guests were introduced. This was followed by a moment of silence in memory of all those members who have passed away since the last Annual General Meeting. The 2013 CKC Honourary Veterinarian, Dr. Elizabeth Stone, was invited to the podium. Dr. Stone, who is the Ontario Veterinary College Chair, made a presentation on the work that is done at the OVC and by Pet Trust. Bob Rowbotham thanked Dr. Stone for making the presentation and for serving as the 2013 CKC Honourary Veterinarian. He then announced the appointment of the 2015 Honourary Chair (Ed Graveley from Boucherville, Québec) and the 2015 Honourary Veterinarian (Dr. Michel Carrier, Université de Montréal). Don Wallace from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia was not able to attend the AGM; however Mr. Rowbotham expressed appreciation to him for serving. Minutes of the 2014 Annual General were adopted with no changes made. The 2014 audited financial statements were presented by Marcus Sconci, auditor, BDO, LLP. 1

2 The Chair reported even though he has only been in the Chair's position for two months, it has been a busy time. The Westminster Show occurred where Canadians and Canadian dogs did us all proud and congratulations go out to the winners. Also during that period, the CKC embarked on a market expansion initiative which is generating momentum and engagement and we are moving forward in improving our information technology to better serve our membership. He noted that membership remains stable but we aren't gaining headway. Our core revenue sources, Registration and Shows and Trials, continue in decline. Executive Director, Lance Novak, delivered a report on operations. It included a PowerPoint presentation of key performance indicators which have been designed to illustrate the well-being of the Club from a variety of perspectives that align to the four strategic imperatives in the strategic plan, i.e., the health and well-being of purebred dogs, the growth of the Canadian dog fancy, the advocacy of purebred dogs and the Canadian Kennel Club, and internal process changes and improvements. Highlights of the Executive Director's report included: The Club s current financial position is strong. The 2015 Business Plan. We are in the third year of a three-year Strategic Plan and the Strategic Planning Committee has commenced discussions and planning for the term extending beyond Rules of Eligibility: The seven breeds approved in the Referendum are pending final approval by Agriculture Canada. In the meantime, the Committee continues work on developing ROE's for additional breeds. The value proposition of a DNA registry is very clear. We are pursuing this in alliance with the American Kennel Club and one of the benefits of that alliance is we will be able to pursue mutual recognition of data across the borders. The cropping, docking and dew claw removal initiative is still active. We continue to make progress and consult with the national clubs to offer choice. The Market Expansion Fund approved by the Board has three tracks: o A campaign to promote purebred dogs and the CKC; o A sponsorship strategy; and o Re-launch of the Puppy List. The launch of our new and improved website. An update on the status of upgrading our back office computer system. We are reinvesting and making changes to the skill sets within the organization and looking for skills such as leading change, market expansion, communications and as a national organization, maintaining our commitment to bilingualism. 2

3 As part of his report, Mr. Novak commented that the CKC Foundation Board has been very active during the past year. Their accomplishments include: Updating the By-laws to bring the Foundation into compliance with the new Canada Not-for- Profit Corporations Act. Developing a system for awarding research grants and then awarding two research grants. Issuing a call for proposals for funding to support activities that address the promotion of the canine-human bond. Re-branding the Foundation. Updating the Foundation website. Undertaking fundraising activities including a cocktail reception held during the Caledon Kennel Club Show last November. The Annual Committee and Council reports were put before the meeting and are available on the website. The Chair expressed sincere thanks to all members of the councils and committees for their contributions and support. The CKC auditors, BDO. reported on the process followed to conduct the 2014 election of the Board. That election was the first time members had the option of voting electronically or by paper ballot. The floor was then opened to questions and comments from the membership which are summarized below. All items raised were recorded and will be added to the agenda of the next meeting of the Board of Directors for appropriate follow-up or referral. Topic - Minutes of the Annual General Meeting: A request was made by Ted Fahlgren to consider adding an addendum to the minutes before they are put before the membership for approval as an update on the status of the items raised by members at the previous AGM. Topic - Microchips: Bob Whitney made a request for the Board to revisit the decision to rescind motion # which would have made microchip identification the mandatory and sole form of identification for the purpose of registration and recovery when more than 51% of the dogs CKC registers in a year have been identified by means of a microchip. Topic: The International Partnership for Dogs and DogWellNet.com initiatives: In response to a question from Mary Jane Weir regarding what response the current Board has made to the opportunities presented by Dr. Brenda Bonnett to the previous Board, the Executive Director reported that the current Board has requested a semi-annual review and monitoring. Resources remain open without fiscal participation. Topic: Advanced Registry Plan: Mary Jane Weir commented that the Advanced Registry Plan was presented to a previous Board and approved. Implementation was delayed because of 3

4 financial issues and computer software incapacity. She asked for a set of conditions at which point this registry will be implemented. Richard Paquette reported that this was a worthwhile project that Dr. Deborah Boyd had done a lot of work on. He noted we have a Steering Committee and the committee will be asking members across the country what they want our computer system to do. Topic: Standard Poodle - Lack of Diversity and Health Problems Facing Purebred Dogs: Mary Jane Weir reported that U.C. Davis has a commercial genetic profile for the Standard Poodle which translates our analysis of inbreeding from the litter to the individual puppy. This profile is available to other breeds if they go to the work of establishing what the range is. She requested that the Genetics and Medical Committee look at this test as a tool for other breeds in trouble. Topic: Submitting electronically: MJ Nattrass asked when show secretaries will be able to submit their results electronically. Bob Rowbotham commented it is a current priority but we are not able to provide a timeframe yet because we have to get the new computer system up and running before we can accommodate the request. Doberman Breed Standard: Theresa Connors-Chan read a statement from the Doberman Club of Canada with respect to their dispute with requests to change their standard by adding a further description to the Doberman tail. When they polled their membership, the vote was overwhelmingly "no". They informed the CKC of the results of the vote and have received two subsequent requests to change their standard. They are under the impression that as the membership voted against this change, the issue should be closed and they would like confirmation of it. Richard Paquette commented that the CKC is not likely to arbitrarily change a breed standard. As the Chair of the Cropping, Docking and Dew Claw Removal Committee, he reported that the Committee is of the opinion that apart from engaging with clubs on the pros and cons of having choice in their standards, we should respect their wishes. Discrepancies in Doberman Breed Standard: The second part of Theresa Connors-Chan's concern was that on October 23, 2014, they received a letter from Elio Furlan with a listing of changes made to the Doberman Breed Standards since A review of their records revealed only two instances where the changes were approved by their membership. They have also identified changes requested by the DBCC in 2005 that have not been incorporated. The club is compiling a list of discrepancies and expects to submit it by mid April. Bob Rowbotham responded that when the discrepancies are received, this item will be referred to the Breed Standards Committee. Topic: All-Breed Judges Exams to Judge the Beauceron and Rat Terrier: Ted Fahlgren asked whether All-Breed judges who already hold the qualification in the US to judge the Beauceron and the Rat Terrier will be required to write the Canadian exam and if so, will there be a fee? Bob 4

5 Rowbotham responded that there won't be a fee and this item has been referred to the Event Officiating Committee to consider adding something in policy for an exemption where there is a redundancy. Topic: Cancelled Litters of Italian Greyhounds: Trish Cooper, Ontario Italian Greyhound Club of Canada drew attention to the fact that there were 42 litters of Italian Greyhounds and their resulting progeny cancelled in The club is concerned because the breeder is registering them in Bulgaria and the lineage could be at risk of coming back into Canada. She questioned whether the FCI, AKC, etc. has been informed. Leila Bahorie reported that the Registration Committee has informed the clubs where the dogs have been shipped. Trish Cooper responded that the breeder is slipping under the radar because he has transferred the dogs under the names of other breeders. Leila Bahorie took an action item to investigate this. Topic: The APAC Circular advising that judges officiating at "non-fci member" events in the region would be "blacklisted" from judging at events covered in the Asia Pacific Area: Bob Whitney questioned what the CKC has done in response to this? In response, Lance Novak reported that we don't have enough information yet to develop a stance. The action taken to date includes: the Circular was shared with the CDJA; membership was notified; clarification has been sought from FCI, and we will try to arrange a meeting with Rafael Santiago. Topic: The Puppy List: Theresa Connors-Chan asked if there is a criteria that will be used for the people who are listed. Bob Rowbotham reported that the Puppy List and its criteria is under review. We are aware there are issues but it is a work in progress. Lynda Torrance commented that we have many good breeders who can help to develop criteria for the Puppy List. Topic: Love of Purebred Dogs: Lauralee Camilleri wondered if there is something the CKC can commit to in cooperation with Love of Purebred Dogs because they are a very passionate group. Bob Rowbotham reported that we recently met with them and identified many of our goals that are identical. This is a work-in-progress. Funding is not an option; however, there is now a link to them on the CKC website. Dr. Brian Wilcock, whose love of dogs has transformed into a long career as a veterinarian and pathologist, gave a talk on the impact of breed standards, dog shows, and breeding practices in general on the genetic health of the entire dog population. The meeting adjourned at 2:00 p.m. For the first time ever, the Annual General Meeting is expected to be posted on YouTube. Proud sponsors of the 2015 Annual General Meeting are shown below: 5

6 SPONSORS