The 2021 Equestrian Canada (EC) Annual General Meeting (AGM) took place on Sept. 28, 2021, with the current and incoming EC Board of Directors and EC Voting Members attending via virtual meeting and the community invited to tune in through Facebook livestream.
The AGM agenda included five items of business, as well reports and updates from EC leadership and the Finance & Audit and Nominating Committees. In addition to a Q&A period in the meeting, the community/license holders were requested to send questions to their category by Sept. 21, 2021. EC President, Chris Sorensen addressed questions submitted by the Category A, B and C Voting Member groups.
Approval of Agenda & Adoption of Minutes
After Gilles Seguin (Category C) motioned to approve the agenda “as corrected”, with the bylaw change section of the meeting withdrawn, and Karen Swantje (Category B) seconded the motion, the motion was carried with none opposed.
Geri Sweet (Category B) followed with the motion to approve adoption of the minutes from the 2020 AGM. The motion was seconded by Janice Tyndall (Category C). With none opposed, the motion was carried. The adopted minutes from the 2020 AGM are available on the EC website here.
President’s Report
After completing the first two items of business, Sorensen provided an opening address that encompassed a high-level overview of information contained in the Board of Director’s Annual Report of Activity and CEO Management Report for the fiscal year 2020-2021. Click on the links below to view the full reports.
Sorensen introduced Stephanie Parker, Senior Program Analyst, Programs Division from Sport Canada. Though a Sport Canada presentation was initially scheduled on the AGM agenda, due to continued restrictions from the caretaker’s convention, Parker’s presentation will be circulated following the meeting.
Finance and Audit Committee Report
Robert Mitchell, Chair of the Finance and Audit Committee, delivered a report outlining the financial activity of EC over the past year. He then welcomed Kirsten Gilles from Auditors, KPMG, who provided a recap of the 2020-2021 Audited Financial Statements report.
The next agenda item was the acceptance of the 2020-2021 EC Financial Statements, whereby Sorensen confirmed that the Voting Members have received the 2020-2021 audited financials and are provided with the opportunity to ask questions. No questions were asked. Click on the links below to view the full report and 2020-21 Audited Financial Statements.
Appointment of the Auditors
Regarding the appointment of the Auditors for 2021-2022, Mitchell recommended EC remain with KPMG. The motion was made by Gilles Seguin (Category C) and seconded by Cindy Klassen (Category B). None were opposed, and the motion was carried.
Q&A Period
Prior to the 2021 AGM, the community had the opportunity to submit questions to the EC Voting Members, with each Category bringing questions forward for the EC Board to address during the AGM. Any questions not addressed during the AGM due to time restrictions will be responded to directly. The 2021 EC AGM Q&A transcript will be available on our website.
Nominating Committee Report
Sorensen introduced the new Directors elected for a 2021-2024 term: Melanie Biron and Chris Lowe, who are new to the Board in 2021 and Dr. Wayne Burwash, who was re-elected.
Information on the current Board of Directors can be found at www.equestrian.ca/about/governance/board and the full Nominating Committee’s report can be found here.
Watch the Full Video of the 2021 EC AGM
The AGM was recorded and streamed live on EC’s Facebook page, and the full video is available here.
For more information on EC governance, visit www.equestrian.ca/about/governance. Full information and access to AGM documents can be found here.
2021-22 First Board Meeting
Following the AGM, the new Board of Directors met on Oct. 4, 2021 at 12:00pm ET to elect the Board Officers for the 2021-22 Board year. Sorensen was acclaimed as President, while Lisa Robertson was elected as Vice President 1 and Charles Cue re-elected as Vice President 2.