PIPSC SIMCOE-GREY BRANCH (PSGB) AGM 2023 MINUTES
AGM Date / Time: 11 April 2023 @ 5:30 p.m.
AGM Location: Traditions, Barrie, ON
Attendance: Branch: 15
AFS: 16
IT: 44
Guests: 3
Registration / Meet and Greet. Attending members were provided with a registration package and then had a chance to network with fellow members and guests prior to the meeting.
Opening and Call to Order. M. Doll, Branch President, called the AGM to order at 6:00 p.m. and welcomed the Branch membership and the Guest Speakers, John Purdie, Randy Harvey and Brian Barrett. He recognized the attendance of the AFS Subgroup and IT Sub-Group memberships both of whom are holding their AGMs in conjunction with the Branch AGM.
Approve PSGB AGM 2023 Agenda. M. Doll showed the Agenda and asked for it to be accepted. Moved by G. Heryet and seconded by J.Bonneville. A show of hands indicated that the majority in attendance accepted the Agenda.
Accept AGM 2022 Minutes. M. Doll advised that the AGM Minutes were signed by the President and Vice-President and distributed to members post AGM 2022. He asked that the Minutes be accepted. Moved by S. Bertrand and seconded by S. Labbé. A show of hands indicated that the majority in attendance accepted the Minutes as published.
Branch President’s Report. M. Doll thanked all the members for attending. He recognized the current Branch Executive members and noted that most had become Stewards in the last year. He also recognized the Health Services workplace in Borden and that SH members Carli-Anne Borysenko-Casault and Emma Quinn had become Stewards in the last year. He noted the current workplace issues that we face, and union involvement has never been more important. M. Doll then explained the Branch By-Laws had changed and a vote was required to pass the changes. The vote would be done by a show of hands after dinner.
AFS Subgroup Report and Elections. Lawrence Persaud, AFS Sub-Group President, described the challenges of the Return to Office Policy. K Drope, Treasurer, provided the AFS Financial Report and S. Labbé made the motion to accept. It was seconded by L. Persaud.
There were 2 positions up for election. First is the Vice President position. Recognition was given for the outgoing Vice President Janice Rush for her efforts. No other nominations were presented. Sabrina Labbé offered to stand up for the position and she was acclaimed. The next position available is the Treasurer. Recognition was given to the outgoing Treasurer Kelly Drope for her efforts. Again, there were no other nominations for this position. Louise Malkrab offered to stand up for the position and was acclaimed as the Treasurer.
Dinner. The meeting was paused to allow attendees to have dinner and network.
Branch By-Law Amendment Vote. M. Doll noted that the Branch By-Law amendments had been posted to the Branch’s Facebook page and the PIPSC website for review. There was also a paper copy at the registration desk. He requested that all of the amendments to be voted on in one vote in order to be accepted by the PIPSC By-Law committee. This was moved by G. Heryet and seconded by S. Bertrand. Passed by a majority with a show of hands. A motion to approve the amendments to the local By-Laws as written was made by R. Swithenbank and seconded by S. Labbé. Passed by a majority with a show of hands. M. Doll noted that we now have By-Laws that reflect our local environment and can be updated (amended) easily at any AGM.
Financial Report/Approval. Grant Heryet, Treasurer, presented the Branch financial reports for 2023 and 2024 highlighting the expenditures, forecasts and the balances. A motion to accept Branch reports was made by S. Maxted and seconded by R. Steffler. Approval by all Branch members was given by a show of hands.
IT Subgroup Report. Grant then presented the IT Sub-Group financial reports for 2023 and 2024. A motion to approve the IT Subgroup reports were moved by M. Doll and seconded by D. Scarling. The motion was passed via a show of hands by IT subgroup members.
PIPSC Guest Speaker. John Purdie, PIPSC Ontario Director spoke about the priorities of PIPSC. He detailed the efforts of the ongoing arbitration with the Treasury Board with regards to the contract. He mentioned the National Steward Officer, Judith Leblanc and how this will assist stewards with issues that arise. John spoke of the Young Professionals group and how they are the future of PIPSC and highlighted how the younger generation look at employment differently. He also mentioned that there is Treasurer Training coming this July and how there will be templates for budgets. There was a discussion on the upcoming potential strike by PSAC members and ways to show solidarity while they are on the picket lines were discussed. Questions were taken from the audience and answers were given.
Retired Branch Executive Member Guest Speaker. Randy Harvey, retired Branch Executive member, talked about the first year of retirement. Tips for preparing for retirement and how to keep yourself busy. He then spoke of the paperwork that needed to be filed and budgeting for any deductions they could be made. He also referenced the time it takes for the benefits to kick in. He suggested getting a dog to keep oneself active. That has kept him busy along with personal projects that now have more attention.
Retired Members Guild Guest Speaker. Brian Barrett of the Retired Members Guild was the next guest speaker. Brian is the Guilds representative in Ontario. He also spoke of his passion on the Guild and a desire to have more branches of the Guild in Ontario and of the low cost of retaining membership via the guild and added benefits such as Service Plus. Brian then spoke about guild membership providing avenues for networking and socializing to keep up with peers as well as volunteering in the community.
Door Prizes Draw. PIPSC branded and non-PIPSC branded items sourced from Simcoe-Grey businesses and Branch members were drawn for Branch members. Separate door prizes for AFS Sub-Group members were also drawn. IT Sub-Group door prizes were handed out at registration.
Points from the Floor. Many good points were brought forth. A specific request was made to have the AGM after Ramadan. The point was noted for our next AGM.
AFS members would like to see more activities for the AGM to give the chance to mingle with the different groups and to get to know others in the room.
The Executive then offered members a choice of remaining door prizes for each point vocalized from the floor.
Closing Statement / Adjournment.
Branch President noted the late hour and promised to shorten the event next year. He then thanked everyone for attending and adjourned the meeting.
Distribution
Simcoe-Grey Branch Executive members
Simcoe-Grey IT Subgroup Executive members
Barrie AFS Subgroup Executive members
PIPSC ON Region
PIPSC Website