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Annual General Meeting Monday, June 3, 2019, 10:30 am

Alumni Hall, Victoria College Minutes

1. Welcome to the Annual General Meeting

Sharon Harris welcomed all to the Annual General meeting of the Academy for Lifelong Learning, 2019.

2. Approval of Minutes of the 2018 Annual General Meeting The minutes for the 2018 AGM were presented by Sharon. There was no discussion. Moved, that the Minutes of the Annual General Meeting of June 5, 2018 be approved: Eileen Garber; Seconded, Susan Swartz. 3. Report of the President, Sharon Harris At the AGM last year then President Brian Gaston adapted Dickens opening line from “A Tale of Two Cities” by commenting that the year had been “the best of times, and the worst of times.” All I can say about this past year is “ditto”. Regarding the best of times, many very positive things were accomplished this year and I will now itemize some. The Academy Handbook: The extensive revisions to our handbook that were started last year are now complete. For those of you who do not visit our website often, the handbook is the basic operating manual of the Academy. It details the responsibilities of the executive, the Board, and all the committees. It is now what we refer to as a “living” document and can be easily be revised if needed, with the consent of the Board and is in Word format, thanks to the considerable effort of Cathy Spark.

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Membership Numbers: Our membership continues to grow despite the fact that, for various reasons, we lose about 11% of our members each year. New members seem eager to fill these vacancies. Because of that, our Outreach Committee, that had sought to recruit new members, has been disbanded. One source of new members this year was the Academy’s participation in two large events held by the Retired Teachers of Ontario, Toronto chapter. Doug Wilson and Cathy Spark accompanied me to these events and the newly retired teachers showed great interest in the Academy and the programs we offer. We intend to continue to promote the Academy at these venues. Third Age Network (TAN): Our Vice-President is the Academy’s representative to TAN, the association of over 30 seniors’ learning programs throughout the province. This spring, Sheilagh Hickie and I attended the TAN symposium held in Guelph. At that time our webmaster Cathy Spark was confirmed as the incoming president of TAN. Congratulations Cathy! The Past Presidents’ Advisory Council: As a result of a suggestion by past president Linda Tu, a group of 17 former Academy presidents met for the first time last month. These individuals, with their experience and knowledge of our institutional history, will meet periodically and will be happy to advise the President and Board if asked. Academy Archive: The Academy’s archive is now digitized and available online. Our paper records will be discarded soon. Many thanks to Annelise Jorgenson for keeping our archive up to date and complete. The School of Continuing Studies, U of T: The Academy has established a close and supportive relationship with the administration of the School of Continuing Studies. Our members have been invited to some of their special programs this year. In return we have invited SCS staff and students to attend our Spring Talks free of charge. Both the Academy and SCS now acknowledge each other’s associations in all printed material. Now for more worst of times! Academy Code of Conduct:

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A few years ago, our Code of Conduct was approved by the membership at the AGM. This document stressed members’ right of free speech and listed behaviours that were not appropriate at the Academy. If the Code were very general principles to follow were outlined. Unfortunately, this year there were two formal complaints regarding alleged breaches of our Code. The Past-President, Vice-President and I discovered that there were insufficient detailed procedures in place to investigate the allegations and resolve the situations. The three of us had to determine the procedures to follow, decide on mediation strategy, work through agreement statements, and ensure that the privacy of the people involved was protected. My sincere thanks to Doug Wilson and Brian Gaston for their time and commitment in order to achieve successful outcomes to these unfortunate situations. These two incidents made us aware that the Academy needed a more formal process for handling alleged breaches of its Code of Conduct, as well as detailed procedures to follow if there were another alleged breach. The Vice-President, Doug Wilson, headed up a superb team consisting of Board members Virginia Clark, Deborah Del Duca, and Thea Herman to revise our Code and develop all necessary supporting documents. Doug will tell you more about the Code but I want to take this opportunity to thank the four members of this Code of Conduct team for their considerable effort and outstanding achievement. Our residency at Knox: For the last seventeen years, we have had annual contracts with Knox College beginning on May 1st and ending on April 30th. Even though this past year’s contract started on May 1st, it was not prepared and signed until six months later. We all assumed that our residency would continue as it always had, secure in the knowledge that our annual contract for this coming year was set. Therefore, I was shocked to receive an email on March 14th from the administrator at Knox College informing me that Knox would not be renewing our contract and they wanted us to vacate by April 30th. When Doug and I met with this administrator we were informed that Knox required our space as they had two new popular programs and that we must vacate in just a few weeks. We certainly did not agree with this abrupt termination. So Doug and I then met with, and negotiated with, the Reverend Dr. John Vissers, the Principal of Knox College. He agreed to extend our contract for an additional year and we confirmed that we would depart by April 30, 2020.

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But now back to good news: Past President Brian Gaston has headed up an excellent relocation committee and they have been investigating a great many possible new homes for the Academy. Brian’s team consists of John Weatherburn, Randall Halloway, Philip Wong, Sue Gaston and Huguette Blanco. Many thanks for all their effort. Brian will tell you the state of their relocation search in a few minutes. Finally I must express my gratitude to all those who have volunteered to make important contributions to the life of the Academy this year. First, I thank all the workshop facilitators. Without you, there would be no Academy. Thanks also to all committee members for your tireless work behind the scenes. You make things appear to be so easy but I know all the time and hard work you put in to achieve these seemingly effortless results. In addition I am grateful to our indefatigable and immensely talented webmaster, Cathy Spark, for the innumerable ways she has helped the Academy this year. Thanks also to Rhona Wolpert, our volunteer coordinator, and Ken Snelson and Roma Donatelli our walks co-ordinators. Special thanks go to our superb Board this year, including our secretaries and treasurers. You made our meetings, even with trying situations, professional, collegial and productive. As the apocryphal Chinese curse says, “May you live in interesting times”. In order to overcome the “interesting times” we have encountered this year, I am most grateful to the two rocks I have depended upon — Doug Wilson and Brian Gaston. I have relied on their wise counsel, support, and tireless commitment to the Academy. I am eternally grateful. Finally, I thank all of you for giving me the great honour of leading the Academy this year. This has definitely been my best of times.

4. Report of Vice-President, Doug Wilson

During the Board year of 2018/19 the Vice President led a group of board members in revising the Academy’s Code of Conduct passed in 2016/17, and in developing a standard process to guide future responses to complaints that the code had been breached. These adaptations to the initial code were found to be necessary as the President and the Vice

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President had had to conduct two complaints during the year and had found that there were no procedures in place to guide them. The Vice President reported on the results of the work on the code to the AGM. He explained that the resulting work had adapted the initial code, and produced supporting documents to guide future complaint management. These additional documents are:

x Terms of Reference, which establishes a “Conduct Review Team” which will be convened in an ad hoc fashion in the event that a complaint is made. The team will be composed of the Past President, as Chair, and two members chosen from the Academy at large. The Terms of Reference document lays out the responsibilities of the Conduct Review Team. The Terms of Reference will be accessible through the Board Only password on the Website.

x Process for Handling a Complaint, a procedural document which provides a guide for the Conduct Review Teams to use in managing complaints. “Process for Handling a Complaint” will be accessible only through the Board Only password on the Website.

x How to Make a Complaint, which guides members in making a complaint. This document summarizes the content of both the Terms of Reference and the Process for Handling a Complaint, and explains the steps in making a complaint.

All of these documents had been reviewed and passed by the Board. Doug explained that the Board was asking for a vote on the revised Code of Conduct only as the rest were procedural.

Doug explained that a form for members to use to lodge a complaint was under development and would be placed on Members Only section of the Website, along with the revised Code of Conduct and How to Make a Complaint.

5. Code of Conduct, Vote, Sharon Harris The President called for discussion and a vote on the revised Code of Conduct.

Discussion was undertaken. Doug Wilson responded to various of the comments:

x David Kister said that he was uncomfortable voting for the Code of Conduct without seeing the accompanying documents, and that these should have been added to the AGM announcement email. He noted that it was always the practice in his career as a professional engineer that all such documents were available.

x Vivian Monty raised a procedural matter, saying that in order to vote for a new Code of Conduct it would be necessary to remove the old code.

x Linda Tu spoke in support of the efforts to prepare guidance for complaints in the future and said that she hoped that all Academy members would treat each other with respect.

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x Bridget Hough had questions regarding the process and felt that the management of complaints should not be characterized as a “jury”. She supported the formation of the Conduct Review Teams as a democratic form of review as it meant the resolution of complaints was not a function of the Board only.

x John Liphardt said that he was very uncomfortable with the entire process as it seemed like overkill. He also asked if the University of Toronto had approved it.

x Mary Pat Moore congratulated the Board in spreading out the responsibility for handling complaints to the membership. She suggested that an orientation session be held for members on the process of complaints.

x Joan Cullemore noted that her career as a chartered accountant, a CPA member and chair of the ICAO Discipline Committee had taught her that organizations require as much transparency as possible.

x Karen Melville said that the 2017 Code of Conduct includes instruction to those wanting to make a complaint to take the complaint to the President and Past President. As the proposed Code does not include this directive Karen considered that the change in composition of those reviewing a complaint was a change in policy.

x Mandy Thompson, in response to Karen’s statement, said that the matter of who reviews the code is procedural and as such not a policy.

x June McNamee asked if there was an appeal process for decisions brought by the review team

x Ralph Garber suggested approval in principal as he would like to see the accompanying documents to the Code

These points were responded to by Vice President and discussed, and the President called the vote. A majority by show of hands voted yea for the revised Code of Conduct. Six members were noted as nay, and six were noted as abstaining. Moved: that the revised Code of Conduct be approved, Sandra Gold. Seconded, Randal Holloway.

6. Report of the Treasurer, Mohammed Bakir

The Academy is in a very sound financial position. Total revenues increased slightly while total expenditures decreased by 6%. As a result, excess of revenues over expenditures reached $14,635 compared to $9,343 last year. The highest share of expenditures, 38%, was spent on special events, which include the Wednesday Forums, the Spring Talks, the luncheons and the New Members Reception. The next highest expenditures share, 35%, was spent on rent, followed by other fixed administrative costs, 19%, and the bursary contribution to U of T, 8%.

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We have a healthy cash balance and we do not anticipate any difficulty in meeting all of our commitments. The Academy has a relocation reserve of $40,000 which is estimated to cover all the relocation expenses expected for moving to a new location by April 30th, 2020."

[will attach Annual Financial Statement]

7. Annual Financial Statement 2018/19: Vote, Sharon Harris

The President called for discussion and the vote for the Annual Financial Statement. There was no discussion.

Moved, that the Annual Financial Statement for the year 2019/19 be approved: Ann Mummenhoff. Seconded, Connie Uetrecht.

8. Committee Reports: x Communications: Gillian Long, Assist Chair, for Cathy Spark, Chair

Cathy Spark has asked me to report on the Communications year. First of all she is most grateful to all members of the committee for their support of her new initiatives to update and streamline our internal and external communications.

These have included

1. Continuous enhancement of the services offered by the new website - which celebrated its one-year anniversary this past January.

2. Completion of a year of issues of the new format “newsletter” - the AQR – which seems to be popular.

3. Increasing the number of photos used in our communications outputs, which the members seem to enjoy. Thank you, Matt and other photographers.

4. Revamping the “look” of our Next Week at the Academy emails and establishing a regular schedule. Thank you, Mike Foss, for years of “fossograms”.

5. Streamlining the online processes for event and workshop registration, in collaboration with Membership and Special Events

6. Creating a ’toolkit’ of tip sheets and working details to make processes easier to understand

Cathy has worked tirelessly to do all this. I am in awe of her accomplishments and thank her for her efforts on our behalf.

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I also thank all those Committee members who have written reports for the News page after Forums, Spring Talks and Special Events such as the Holiday lunches. A special thank you goes to Mary Doucette for preparing those colourful paper flyers that grace our notice boards at Knox.

Next year will bring some changes as the roles of Webmaster and Communications Chair diverge, since I do not have Cathy’s web skills. She will continue to be Webmaster but I hope that Committee members will play a much larger role in supplying material for the News page and AQR. To this end, I have tried to recruit more committee members who have demonstrated reporting skills. I am grateful to everyone, especially to our new Assistant Chair, Lorna Poplak, who is making time for us in her hectic schedule as she prepares to publish her second book.

I wish everyone a very happy and peaceful summer.

x Curriculum: Susan Murphy, Asst. Chair, for Philip Wong, Chair

Philip Wong, Chair of the Curriculum Committee was at the last minute unable to attend the AGM. Susan Murphy presented the Curriculum Committee’s report on behalf of the Committee’s Chair, Philip Wong.

The main task of the Curriculum Committee over the preceding year was to produce the line-up of workshops, some forty of them, to be offered this coming September. Work on this task began in late November and by the end of January, something resembling the final slate had emerged. Some originally promising ideas withered on the vine while other late proposals took on a life of their own – it is an endlessly fascinating process.

Thanks are extended to those who continue to facilitate our “old favourites” – those repeat workshops which have a following of faithful participants and also draw in new members each year. We are also grateful for those members who come up with fresh topics of inquiry and commit to designing and facilitating exciting new workshops.

This year offered its own special challenges - having finalized our workshop schedule we were devastated to hear of Knox College’s decision not to renew our lease. Thanks to the negotiating skills of Sharon Harris and Doug Wilson, we were extremely relieved to be granted another year at Knox. We did have to reschedule some workshops which had been slated to be held on Mondays – which was to be a new arrangement in 2019/20 -- but the situation could have been so much worse.

In the late fall, the Curriculum Committee conducted a survey of members in each workshop which allowed participants to anonymously comment on their experience and to make suggestions for improvement. The feedback is useful for both facilitators and the Curriculum Committee and is read very carefully. This was followed in March by the

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year end survey of facilitators. Comments and concerns expressed in this survey are useful in suggesting themes for the annual Facilitators’ Forum. Both questionnaires are sent out in the form of Survey Monkey surveys and the Committee is taking steps to ensure the continuing ability to run these surveys regardless of transitions in the Committee’s membership.

The Curriculum Committee is dedicated to promoting the use of the website as the chief source of up to date information on the Academy. To that end, a number of guides – Information for Participants, Information for Presenters, and Information for Facilitators – were revised and posted on the website. The Committee is very grateful for the cheerful support and hard work of our webmaster, Cathy Spark, who takes a proactive role in anticipating and solving many problems on our behalf.

The annual Facilitators’ Forum was held at Hart House on a cold mid-April day. Attendance was excellent and we enjoyed a spirited discussion time. Improved use of the website was a dominant theme as well as finding ways to identify ideas for new workshops throughout the year. A summary of the table-by-table discussions was distributed to participants following the event. Many thanks to Special Events Committee for organizing all the practical aspects of the Forum and for the delicious Volunteers’ Lunch which followed.

The Curriculum Committee is responsible for the AV equipment in the classrooms. We are grateful for the work of the Tech Team in maintaining this equipment and helping Academy members with the technical aspects of making their presentations as well as training tech team reps. Plans had been made to replace/upgrade some of our equipment but this decision has been placed on hold until we know what will be required in our new home. One purchase that has been made is additional microphones. Each classroom will now be supplied with four handheld microphones to facilitate their use by all discussion participants.

On behalf of outgoing Chair, Philip Wong, thanks are extended to all the hardworking and fun-loving members of our Committee. Special recognition is extended to past Chair, Joan McCordic, whose calm wisdom and generous spirit will be sorely missed as will the experience and many valuable contributions of retiring member, Sheilagh Hickie. We look forward to welcoming three new members in the fall and coming up with the first exciting line-up of workshops for the Academy in its new location.

x Membership: John Weatherburn, Chair

Comparison of Member numbers:

2017-2018: 420 members including 72 new members

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2018-2019: 435 members including 74 new members

2019-2020: (as of May 28): 385 members including 38 new members (last year at the AGM it was 31 new members). There will be more registrations over the summer. We have contacted last year’s members who have not renewed and also individuals who attended Spring Talks to see if they are interested in joining.

We conducted a test run last year of a half term registration for new members joining in December or January. We will see how many renew for this year and decide whether to continue this.

We have been working with Special Events, Communications, Curriculum committees, and are updating the Membership manuals to clarify processes (a brief overview and a detailed procedures manual).

I would like to take this opportunity to express my thanks to the members of our dedicated and hard-working Membership Committee who have worked many hours managing the database and members’ records:

Susan Gaston, Past Chair Vivienne Monty, Ex-Officio Randal Holloway, Assistant Chair Karen Kwan, Database Manager Rhona Wolpert, Volunteer Co-Ordinator, Ex-Officio Doug Wilson, Ex-Officio Roma Donatelli, Ex-Officio Margaret Robertson, Ex-Officio New Members for next year are: Patricia Maltby, Member Patti Stoll, Member

x Special Events: Deborah del Duca, Assist. Chair, for Trudi Armstrong, Chair

Over the past Academy year our committee has arranged and carried out the Welcoming Reception in September 2018, the Holiday Luncheon in December 2018, the Spring Luncheon in April (which follows our scheduled classes) and the Facilitators Forum and Volunteers Luncheon, also in April. All events were well attended and the feedback was positive.

Following the Holiday Luncheon, we initiated a survey of the entire membership for the purpose of finding out how the membership felt about the events we were organizing and assisting in determining the direction to go in the future. The results indicated that over all we should carry on as we have in the past with very little change.

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For the coming Academy year 2019 - 2020 we have initiated an Orientation Session for New Members to be held at the Faculty Club on September 5, 2019, prior to the start of classes.

Thank you to the members of the Special Events Committee for your input and contribution over the last year. Committee members were Deborah Del Duca, Niki Warrington, Debrah Weiss, Pam Baillie and Dorothy Tenero. Together it has been a great team.

Thank you also to Ken Snelson who continues to arrange the walks for Academy members.

John Weatherburn has accepted the nomination as Chair and Janet Tyrell as the Assistant Chair for the coming year.

x Talks: Thea Herman, Chair

The Talks Committee has had a very busy and rewarding year, organizing 10 Forums and 6 Spring Talks.

The presentations included Academy member presentations and a debate and invited speakers. In approaching potential speakers and developing the program, the Committee attempted to have a range of presentations that would be of interest to Academy members.

The Fall Forums opened with Present the Presenters, three outstanding presentations by Academy colleagues: Jeff Biteen on Boolean logic; Susan Murphy on poetry in the New Yorker; and David Kister sharing pictures of Old Toronto. Robin Elliott gave us an engaging presentation on history of Canadian patriotic songs. Tom Vassos led us on “A Fascinating Tour of the Universe”. George Davies discussed Urban Planning and Transportation, a topic of interest to many Academicians. The Fall Forums ended with a rousing debate: “Resolved: The 21st Century Belongs to China”.

In spite of extreme weather conditions on Winter Forum Days, we had a series of wonderful Winter Forums. Mervon Mehta discussed his experiences running Koerner Hall. George Elliott Clarke discussed African-Canadian Experiences in Poetry and enthralled us with readings of his poetry and the poetry of other African Canadian poets. Christine Tu eloquently covered the science, economics and politics of climate change, focusing on the Toronto area. The Winter Forum season ended with stand-up comedy from the Academy’s Stand-Up Comedy for Seniors workshop. Unfortunately, due to the weather, one Winter Forum had to be cancelled (it has been rescheduled for the fall) and attendance at several of the other Winter Forums was lower than usual.

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The other challenge we experienced in running this year’s Forums was space. We had to use Room 5 for about half of the Forums, instead of the much larger Room 4. This was problematic both in terms of technical set-up and limited space.

The Spring Talks were help in April and May at Innis Town Hall. As has been the case in previous years, the staff at Innis were both extremely helpful and a pleasure to deal with. Each of the six speakers addressed issues of contemporary importance: Bernie Farber on the resurgence of anti-Semitism and extremism; Stephen Gaetz on preventing homelessness; Edward Greenspon on Canadian journalism and democracy in the era of “fake news”; Ann Cavoukian on privacy; Michael Crabb on tradition versus innovation in the performing arts; and Kerry Bowman on ethical questions surrounding new medical technologies. Attendance at the Spring Talks averaged about 150, with a total of 188 paying guests.

There are several people, besides Talks Committee members, who helped ensure the success of this year’s Talks and Forums. Many thanks to Mary Doucette, who did such creative posters for all the Forums; to Mike Foss and Cathy Sparks, who sent out weekly notices of the Forums and the Talks; to Matthew Segal, who took pictures at all the Forums and Talks and prepared the Talks brochure; and to members of the Communications Committee, who provided lively reports on the Forums and Talks.

And, of course, none of this could have happened without the tremendous work and commitment of members of the Talks Committee. The members of this year’s Committee were: Clare Mian, who will be next year’s chair; Liz Guccione, next year’s assistant chair; Bob Accinelli; Ian Darragh; Jill Humphries; Kennedy Marshall; Priscilla Platt; Adele Robertson; Charlotte Snider; Linda Tu (past chair); and Sharon Harris (ex officio board representative). Many thanks to all of you. It has been my privilege to chair this wonderful group and be part of the team that brought this year’s Talks and Forums to the Academy.

9. Report and call for nominations of new Board Members, Brian Gaston, Past President Brian expressed thanks to all whom he worked with during his three year tenure on the Board – a responsibility that all incoming vice presidents must look forward to as they take on their duties as vice president, president and, finally, as ex officio past president. Brian noted that over the course of the year there was need to make some mid-term committee appointments due to unforeseen circumstances. He also noted that after an exhaustive search for an Academy member willing to stand as nominee to the Chair of Special Events Committee – which had become vacant due to the unavailability of committee members for the role – no one had stepped forward to do the job. John Weatherburn, current chair of the Membership

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Committee, had offered to fill in for the role on a one year basis, and the Board is recommending that this be accepted by the new board under a vote invoking By-Law 9 on a one-time basis. Brian’s report was ended with encouragement to all Academy members to seriously consider the great benefits of volunteerism– both to the individual and to the Academy as a whole. Nominations to the 2019-2020 Board were:

Vice-President: Sue Kralik

Sue is a retired educator. She earned a Master of Education from U of T, and taught high school English, Latin and Drama before becoming an elementary school principal. She specialized in drama teaching and conducted and accompanied school choirs. For 12 years she was a chorister in the Mendelssohn Choir and is also a member of the Royal Astronomical Society (Toronto Chapter). She has facilitated workshops at the Academy and is a past chair of the Membership Committee. Along with other interests, Sue follows world affairs and social justice issues.

Assistant Secretary: Connie Uetrecht

Connie is retired from a long career providing leadership in nutrition, health promotion, and public health focusing on chronic disease prevention. Before moving to Canada in 1985 she was the Dietetic Internship Director at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. After moving to Canada, she served as a manager in public health at the City of Toronto (and two of its former municipalities) and as the Executive Director of the Ontario Public Health Association. Throughout her career, she facilitated ongoing professional development and mentorship among her employees, students and fellow professionals. Connie has been of the Special Events Committee and was secretary to the Board 2017-18. Connie’s interests include gardening, music and culinary art. She and husband, Jack, have two daughters and a mini poodle, Max.

Assistant Treasurer: Joan Cullemore

Joan qualified as a Chartered Accountant in Canada and worked at Price Waterhouse until 1975. After that she was partner in a small firm until 2013, and until 2018 had her own firm. She became a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario in 2006, became a member of the ICAO Discipline Committee in 2002, a deputy chair in 2007 and chair from 2011 to 2017. Joan was a Board Member and Treasurer of Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra for two six- year terms until 2006, and was a Board Member and Treasurer of Necessary Angel Theatre Company for three years.

Assistant Chair, Communications: Lorna Poplak

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Lorna is a Toronto-based writer, editor, and researcher with a fascination for the stories behind historical events. After studying law and English and French literature at university, she worked in information technology, then technical communications. Lorna has written creative, technical and scientific articles for online and print publications. Her debut non-fiction book, Drop Dead: A Horrible History of Hanging in Canada, was published by Dundurn Press in July 2017. Lorna is a member of Crime Writers of Canada and Sisters in Crime. She is currently working on a second book, which focuses on the dark side of Toronto’s history.

Assistant Chair, Curriculum: Jeff Biteen

Jeff has been an active member of the Academy since 2015, as a workshop participant, facilitator and committee member. Jeff is a retired Human Resources executive and consultant, and taught extensively and held Board positions for the Canadian and American Compensation Associations. Jeff holds degrees in Applied Mathematics. While working overseas, Jeff and his wife traveled throughout South and East Asia. They continue traveling widely, and have visited more than 50 countries around the world. Jeff’s other interests range from music and art to history, social anthropology and physical sciences.

Assistant Chair, Membership: Caroline Gray

Caroline is a recently retired learning & development leader. Her last full-time position was as Head of KPMG's global technology-based learning, where she introduced learning systems and global standards for online instruction. Previously, she created accredited online learning programs and learning infrastructures for use by global financial institutions. Her early work on E-Learning and Blended Learning has been recognized in college textbooks and has won a range of awards. She advised on the ISO Standard on design principles and framework for multimedia user interfaces, and served as an industry judge, speaker and adviser in the fields of learning design and technology for the last 30 years. Her academic background was in Philosophy and Education. She is currently Board Chair of the Canadian Training Institute and is writing a book on the Self in a digital age.

Chair, Special Events: John Weatherburn

John retired in 2013, following an IT career with several software companies. His most recent role was in Professional Services, managing staff and clients around the world using the company's financial software. Outside of work, his main passion is photography, particularly with the Toronto Digital Photography Club, as past president and program/outings committee chair. This is also an excuse to get outdoors and explore the world. He has been involved with the Academy Membership and Communications Committees. His best new 'hobby', is being a grandparent!

Assistant Chair, Special Events: Janet Tryell

Janet has been a member of the Academy since 2007. She has served as Academy Archivist, a member of the Long-Term Planning Committee and a member of the Social Committee.

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She enjoys writing stories of growing up in Nevis, W. I. and is currently a tri-facilitator of the Memoir Reading and Writing workshop. Janet graduated from the University of Western Ontario with a Masters in Library Science and did several stints as a librarian, the longest being her 17-year employment at the Ministry of Labour Library. She has also worked as Office Manager for the Family Responsibility Office, Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services. She and is currently People’s Warden and choir member at Church of the Ascension in Don Mills.

Assistant Chair, Talks: Liz Guccione

Liz has had a long career researching and writing documentaries for the CBC Television and Radio, as well as articles as for Canadian magazines. She also worked for many years for the Government of Ontario, where she was the Communication Director for the Environmental Commission of Ontario.

10. Election of New Board Members: Sharon Harris

Before opening the discussion prior to the vote for a new Board Sharon explained that an exhaustive search had been made for a member who would accept nomination as Chair of the Special Events Committee but no-one had been found. As a result, the Board unanimously accepted John Weatherburn’s offer to stand as nominee for Chair. This appointment can be made by the new Board after the AGM using Section 9 of the Bylaws. The 2018-19 Board, Sharon explained, wanted make its intentions known to Academy members at the AGM in the interest of being open and transparent, as Bylaw 2 of the Board establishes a limit of two-year tenures on the Board. As is the intent of Bylaw 9, the appointment of John to the role by the 2019-20 board will be a one-time only appointment for a one year term by the 1019-20 Board.

Moved, that the nominees presented for the Academy Board of 2019/20 be accepted, Mandy Thomson. Seconded, Vivian Monty. 11. Report on search for new accommodations for the Academy: Brian Gaston,

Past President and Head of the Relocation Committee Brian reported on the progress of the relocation team finding new accommodations for the Academy. The team consists of Brian, Philip Wong, John Weatherburn, Randal Holloway, Susan Gaston and was added to by Huguette Blanco upon her return from vacation. Brian noted that as of April 1, 2020, the Academy is ending its 17-year tenure at Knox College, and must find a new location. The activity of the relocation team by the end of May had been extensive and included 78 locations and contacts. There were a large number of outright rejections and a number of locations with potential did not meet the needs and requirements of the Academy. The team determined at the outset that a location on the St. George campus of U of T would not be a possibility as all of its approaches were referred to the central booking

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agency of the university, which informed it that there was no room for the enterprise. Brian said that while there were a few possibilities that looked promising and were being pursued it would be premature to reveal the locations. The floor was opened for discussion, and Academy members were interested and engaged in the issue. Brian noted that the relocation team would continue to do its work under the leadership of the new Board and that the Academy membership would be informed as soon as a positive outcome had been assured. He noted that Academy members that had suggestions were welcome to be in touch with the Relocation Team. 12. Meeting open to the floor: Sharon Harris Sharon invited questions and comments from the floor. There being none, she handed the mic to the new President, Doug Wilson 13. Farewell to outgoing President: Doug Wilson Doug presented a heartfelt thanks to Sharon on behalf of the Academy for her terms as Vice President and President. He made reference not only through her profound professionalism and dedication but to her management of the crisis occasioned by the announcement by Knox College that it was terminating the Academy’s tenure, commenting that her tact and determination could have given Teresa May some lessons. He wrapped up by saying that Sharon’s vision, kindness and generosity always shone brightly

14. Adjournment The AGM was adjourned and lunch was announced.