Notice of Special Members Meeting
Friday, April 26, 2024 @ 10:00 am EDT via Zoom
Motion to Adopt new ONCA Compliance By-laws
Hello CPIO Members,
I hope you are all enjoying the start of spring and the promise of warm days ahead! The Not-for-Profit Corporations Act, 2010 (Ontario) or (ONCA) is finally taking effect on October 18, 2024. As has been mentioned in previous correspondences, and at both the PD Day and Special Members Meeting afterward on November 16, 2023, we have been re-writing the CPIO By-laws to ensure our compliance. We have had a few setbacks, which has delayed the AGM, but after a great many hours of hard work by Vanessa Greenblatt (who started the process in December 2020) and the expert guidance of Corporate Governance Lawyers, PooranLaw Professional Corporation (at an estimated cost of $5,000), we now have a finished product that we proudly present to you, the membership, for approval and adoption.
There are many changes to the old By-laws, some due to compliance issues and some, to provide clarification to matters that were either missing, ambiguous or confusing.
There are also some major changes designed as a statement of principal to:
1. Protect of the CPIO Designations Program.
2. In the short-term, to provide continuity and stability in the CPIO leadership during the early stages of the Designations Program. A by-product is that it also, allows for those with an interest in a higher position on the Board to gain the experience and knowledge to move forward.
3. In the long-term, to provide a purposeful structure for the transparent continuity of leadership through experience.
4. To protect the CPIO from being used by Directors/Officers/Presidents for their own agenda.
The Designations Program has been a huge success and is gathering momentum everyday. We have over 70 Designation holders of various levels, more than 150 people have taken courses, and we now have a candidate for the Designations Program from BC (who is also licensed in Ontario). The Designations Program has moved the CPIO to a new level of a professional organization, and we feel that it is imperative to protect the program in its embryonic stages. To do this, we have proposed that Officers of the CPIO have an extra term on the Board (giving them a total of 8 years if they so wish). We are also proposing that all Directors have a Designation or obtain a Designation within their first term on the Board.
The amended By-laws allow for any changes to be made to the Designation Protocols, but only with the full knowledge and agreement of the Members. The By-laws also allows for the CPIO to expand beyond the borders of Ontario if needed.
The proposed By-laws, the old By-laws and crib sheet of the major changes are attached to this email.
Please review the documents and direct any questions to info@cpiontario.ca at least three (3) days prior to the Special Members Meeting so that they may be answered in plenty of time. The voting will be made by secret ballot. As a reminder, Agency Members are entitled to two (2) votes and Individual Members one (1) vote. A member can also carry a maximum of two (2) proxy votes.
Thank you everyone!
Martin O. Jaekel, CFE, CII, CCPI, CPIO-MI
Director of Ethics and By-Laws
**For those CPIO Members in good standing who cannot attend, they may complete the Proxy Vote Form and email it, as indicated on the form**
CPIO By-laws 2016.pdf
CPIO Amended By-Laws-Member Approval .pdf
Important Amendments To CPIO By-laws (1).pdf
CPIO Proxy Vote Form-Friday, April 26, 2024.pdf
