2024 Annual General Meeting Minutes

Held during CANQUA-CGRG 2024 (Regina, SK, Aug. 18-21) and online (Teams)
Monday Aug.19 at 12:15-1:15 PM (CST, 3h behind Halifax, 1h ahead of Vancouver)
In person: University of Regina, Room RIC209. Online: Teams

Members in attendance at commencement:
Manuel Bringué (CAP President-Elect, meeting chair), Scott Cocker, Julia Hathaway, Zhen Li, Sandy McLachlan (Recording secretary), Peta Mudie, Vera Pospelova (CAP Councillor to IFPS), Diana Tirlea, Mary Vetter. Quorum reached.

Joined just prior to adjournment (due to time zone mix-up in calendar invite):
Alwynne Beaudoin, Simon Goring, Elizabeth Levac and Vincy Winefred.

Call to Order – 12:16 PM CST

 

1. Acceptance of agenda

MOTION: to accept agenda; Vera P. moves and Peta M. seconds. Motion carried.

2. Minutes of the 2023 Annual General Meeting

MOTION: to accept previous minutes; Peta M. moves and Diana T. seconds. Motion carried.

3. Business arising from previous Minutes

No business arose.

4. President(-Elect)’s report, Manuel Bringué

Manuel B. explained CAP President Jennifer Galloway sends her regrets (delayed fieldwork) and remains fully engaged. Thanks were re-iterated to several individuals, in particular to CAP Secretary-Treasurer Francine M. for her continued hard work for the association this year. Main updates, as recently provided in the May Newsletter, include Julia Hathaway as newest recipient of CAP student award, and CAP’s successful bid to host the next International Palynological Congress-International Organization of Palaeobotany Congress (IPC-IOPC) meeting in Calgary, tentatively set for mid-August of 2028. Vera P. noted scheduling of the congress should be optimized to make sure Canadian and international scientists and students can attend (e.g., late August would conflict with European colleagues’ academic schedule). Manuel B. noted that initial discussions considered scheduling it right before the IGC 2028 (38^th International Geological Congress, Canada/Calgary currently bidding to host it 12-20 Aug.) to allow travellers to attend both meetings. Discussion only, no actions.

5. Secretary/Treasurer’s report, Francine McCarthy

Manuel B. noted from Francine M.’s report that current number of members in good standing is 29, but at least three people have rejoining since, and that the target membership is thirty-six to cover organization expenses. Vera P. suggested that membership email addresses should be updated (leveraging ResearchGate and other professional resources) for the individuals’ latest contact information. Diana T. said she had started this updating effort, but CAP Executive needs to clarify who, between Secretary/Treasurer and new Outreach Officer, keeps track of members’ contact information. Manuel noted that in the past, the Secretary/Treasurer would keep track of memberships, but proposed that there should be a shared sheet (Google sheet or other) that the broader executive could access, maintain and edit. Discussion only, no actions.

6. Auditor’s statement

An independent auditor (Dr. Kelly Biagi, Brock U.; external to CAP) was sought by Francine M. upon Terri Lacourse’s recommendation. A review was conducted and everything was found to have checked out. CAP thanked Dr. Biagi.

7. Newsletter Editor’s report

The position is currently vacant. Francine M. kindly put together the last newsletter.

8. Website Editor’s report, Simon Goring

Manuel B. met with Simon G. in late January and handed over the website files to Simon G., but hasn’t heard back since. Manuel B. provided a short report – the website, now free of ads, continues to work well for CAP.

MOTION: to make the Website Editor position vacant; Sandy M. moves, Zhen L. seconds. Motion carried.

9. CAP Councillor to IFPS’ report, Vera Pospelova

Vera P. attended the IOPC-IPC meeting in Prague (May 27-31) where she represented CAP Councillor to IFPS (International Federation of Palynological Societies) Terri Lacourse on the first day and herself on the second day. Vera P. noted that CAP President Jennifer Galloway made a great bid, and everyone unanimously agreed to host the congress in Calgary. Martin Head was present along with Kelsey Koerner (PhD candidate, UQAR) from Canada. Jim Riding (IFPS president) discussed the option of removing all federation fees for the members. Anyone willing to write interesting pieces about lab work or research was encouraged to submit a piece to the IFPS newsletter, PALYNOS.

MOTION: to accept all reports; Zhen L. moves and Sandy M. seconds. Motion carried.

10. Appointment of auditor, Francine McCarthy

CAP is thankful to Dr. Biagi for this year’s audit. Ideally, CAP will seek another auditor to spread the load and remains open for suggestions.

11. Amendments to the by-laws, Manuel Bringué

Manuel B. noted that the main change in the eight-page document is to Section 5, subsection 7.8 to make official the position of Outreach Officer, mainly for management of a CAP’s social media presence and help boosting membership. Diana T. has been in an unofficial role of managing an Instagram account on behalf of the association for several years (with help from Nick Riddick). Manuel B. also noted changes to language in the document so that all pronouns are gender neutral, and that all timelines for resolutions have been changed from 2 months to 1 month. Any change to the by-laws requires a Special Resolution, which could be carried out at the meeting since more than 25% of membership was present and able to vote.

MOTION: to hold a vote (Special Resolution) to accept changes to the by-laws as proposed (sent to membership on May 2, 2024); Manuel B. moves and Peta M. seconds. Motion carried unanimously.

SPECIAL RESOLUTION: Vote to accept all proposed changes to CAP by-laws, voted in favor unanimously.

ACTION: Francine M. and Manuel B. will update the by-laws with Corporations Canada.

12. Vacancies on Executive, Manuel Bringué

With the position of Website Editor moved to be vacant, Julia H. put her name forward.

MOTION: to instate Julia Hathaway as Website Editor; Sandy M. moves and Mary V. seconds. Motion carried. Julia H.’s nomination accepted by acclamation.

Julia H. indicated her preference for a post-September start. Vânia C. (not in attendance) communicated that she would be happy to contribute as well, and her willingness to fill the position of Newsletter Editor was confirmed by email to Manuel B. earlier in the day.

MOTION: to instate Vânia Correia as Newsletter Editor; Vera P. moves and Julia H. seconds. Motion carried. Vânia C.’s nomination accepted by acclamation.

Welcome to the CAP Executive, Julia and Vânia!

 

13. The Future of CAP – Priorities and Goals

The 2028 IOPC-IPC meeting in Calgary will be a high priority for CAP in the coming years. CAP will be able to leverage a solid representation in Alberta.

Manuel B. suggested that the use of testate amoebae in freshwater systems could be showcased in the next newsletter as a means of presenting another avenue of diversity within our discipline. Peta M. indicated that she could contribute a Newsletter article on brackish water non-pollen palynomorphs (e.g., ostracods, crustaceans, parasites).

Manuel B., recalling CAP’s recent recognition of Dr. Pierre Richard (at 2022 AGM in Montreal), fielded recommendations for other professionals that CAP could recognize.

Thoughts on the perennial subject of encouraging professionals and students to (re-)join CAP were shared. Manuel B. noted that CAP traditionally approached lab leaders who could in turn introduce their students to the organization. Scott C. highlighted CAP should communicate the value of participation and capture interest, particularly to students. Vera P. noted the importance of the association in fostering a sense of belonging. Julia H. proposed direct outreach to student unions, and Diana T. suggested short email notifications. Peta M. wondered if more could be done to expand membership through outreach to the francophone community.

14. Rob Fensome’s AASP-The Palynological Society Medal for Scientific Excellence

Vânia Correia provided a short text summarizing Rob Fensome’s AASP-TPS Medal of Scientific Excellence, the association’s highest award – congratulations, Rob F.! Vânia C. will contribute a short piece to the next newsletter.

15. Other business

No other business

16. Adjournment
    
    Meeting adjourned – 1:25 PM CST

2024 CAP AGM attendees. From top left to bottom right: Manuel Bringué, Peta Mudie, CANQUA attendees (Mary Vetter, Scott Cocker, Diana Tirlea, Julia Hathaway), Vera Pospelova, Zhen Li and Sandy McLachlan.
The following members also joined in at the end of the meeting due to a time zone mix-up in the calendar invite: Alwynne Beaudoin, Simon Goring, Elizabeth Levac and Vincy Winefred.