Report 2021

Minutes, Annual General Meeting, Canadian Association of Palynologists
Thursday, November 4, 2021, 12:00 PM EST, GAC-MAC/hybrid meeting

Members present:

Florin Pendea (Meeting Chair, President-Elect and outgoing Newsletter Editor), Manuel Bringué (Meeting Secretary, Website Editor), Estelle Allan (Newsletter Editor), Alwynne Beaudoin, Francine McCarthy (Secretary-Treasurer), Sandy McLachlan, Peta Mudie, Matthew Peros, Nicholas Riddick, Diana Tirlea, Cesar A. Vera Florez. Quorum reached.

Meeting called to order by Florin P., 12:00 pm EST

  1. Acceptance of agenda

Peta M. moved to accept the agenda, seconded by Diana T. Motion carried, agenda accepted.

  1. Reading of the Minutes of the 2019 Annual General Meeting, Québec, QC

Florin P. gave members in attendance a few moments to read the Minutes of the 2020 CAP Annual General Meeting.

  1. Business arising from Minutes

Francine M. reminded members in attendance that CAP still plans on submitting a bid to host an upcoming IPC conference in Canada, only now for the 2028 meeting as the Prague meeting, delayed due to the pandemic, will take place in 2024. Given the new timeline, Francine remains happy to help but won’t lead the effort. Manuel B. will update the webpage to reflect the new timeline.

  1. President’s report, Anna Pieńkowski (in absentia)

There is no President’s report due to extenuating circumstances. There may be a statement in the December Newsletter.

  1. Secretary/Treasurer’s report, Francine McCarthy

Francine M. provided a summary of her report as Secretary Treasurer. Membership is stable at ~ 35 members, which is still quite low and reiterates the need for a new Engagement Officer to boost CAP membership. E-transfers make things much easier. Membership dues are barely enough to cover the CAP Student Award.

 Auditor’s statement, Diana Tirlea

Diana T. provided a summary of her audit, things are in order. She brought up that no donation helped fund the Student Award this year, which constitutes a potential risk for future years if membership cannot offset the Student Award.

  1. Newsletter Editor’s reports, Estelle Allan and Florin Pendea

Two reports were provided this year, since Estelle A. relieved Florin P. as Newsletter Editor in the winter of 2021.

Florin P. read a summary of his Newsletter Editor’s Report, thanking contributors such as Peta M. Diana T. thanked Florin for his numerous years of service and dedication to producing high-quality Newsletters for CAP; all in attendance echoed Diana T.’s comment.

Estelle A. provided a summary of her report, thanking several contributors including Rolf Mathewes, Konrad Gajewski and Pierre Richard. Besides her commitment to continue including “fun” items in the Newsletter, Estelle invites contributions in French for a better representation of diversity within CAP ranks. Francine M. suggested adding a “mot caché” to her cross-words to promote French in the Newsletter. Estelle A. was congratulated and thanked by all for taking on this position.

  1. Website Editor’s report, Manuel Bringué

Manuel B. gave a summary of the Website Editor’s report. CAP’s web presence is healthy, and the Opportunities page remains a great way to reach the membership (and beyond) about openings in Canadian palynology labs. The CAP membership form was recently converted to an electronic format, which should ease to process of joining/renewing. Francine M. and Florin P. thanked Manuel B. for modernising the CAP website.

  1. CAP Councillor to IFPS’ report, Terri Lacourse (in abstentia)

No news from IFPS to report.

  1. Appointment of auditor

Florin P. moved to nominate Diana T. and Sarah Finkelstein as possible auditors for next year’s review. Francine M. seconded. Everyone was in favor, motion was carried.

The purpose of the second nomination was to ensure no conflict of interest would arise in case Diana T. becomes a member of the Executive (see item 13), as the review of CAP’s finances should remain “external”. 

  1. Location of 2021 AGM

CANQUA (UNBC, Prince George, August 2022), GAC-MAC (Halifax, May 2022) and GSA (Denver, October 2022) were suggested as possible venues. A hybrid (online) format is to be adopted no matter which venue is chosen.

Matter was put to the vote: 8 were in favor (1 abstaining) of CANQUA, 2 in favor of GAC-MAC. CANQUA (UNBC, Prince George, August 2022) was thus chosen as the preferred option for a hybrid AGM.

Francine M., as CAP Secretary-Treasurer, will formally ask CANQUA President Matthew P. by email, to inquire if the organizing committee would agree.

Alwynne B. and Diana T. suggested proposing a CAP special session to encourage attendance and showcasing Canadian palynology, provided there is still time to do so. 

  1. Vacancy on Executive

The position of President-Elect will be vacant as of January 2022, when current President-Elect Florin P. will relieve CAP President Anna Pieńkowski. A call for nominations will be put forth in the December Newsletter. The new President-Elect will be elected at the 2022 AGM.

Manuel B. intends to nominate Dr Jennifer Galloway (Geological Survey of Canada) who previously expressed interest, which Francine M. would also support. Additional nominations are of course welcomed.

  1. New executive position: Engagement officer

As discussed at the 2020 AGM and within the Executive, there is a need for a new Engagement officer, to boost membership and increase engagement among our community and beyond. For practical reasons, it was decided that creating an ad hoc position would be far easier than creating a new position on the Executive.

Peta M. moved to create an ad hoc position of Engagement Officer for CAP, seconded by Alwynne B. Motion passed.

Manuel moved to nominate Diana T. for the position of Engagement Officer, seconded by Francine M. Everyone was in favor, motion was passed.

Diana T. will take on that new role and gather a team that will help her in her tasks: Nicholas R. volunteered and Scott Cocker had also previously expressed interest.

  1. Priorities and Goals

CAP’s priority remains to boost membership. Newly appointed Engagement Officer and her team will tackle this pressing issue.

Florin P. suggested to compose more personal/targeted emails to the heads of palynological labs, promoting the association to their group members.

  1. Other Business

Peta M. asked if donations to CAP were tax-deductible. Francine M. confirmed the associated is registered as a non-for-profit and she can issue official receipts upon request, but she will confirm at a later date.

  1. Adjournment

Francine M. moved to adjourn the AGM, seconded by Florin P. Meeting adjourned at ~ 1:15 pm EST.

2021 CAP AGM attendees2021 CAP AGM attendees (Alwynne B. had to leave before the group picture).