Please note that this webpage will be updated with SGM information as it becomes available
Notice of Special General Meeting of Members
NOTICE is hereby given that a Special Meeting of the Members of the Canadian Seed Growers Association (the “Corporation”) is called for and will be held on November 26, 2024, from 10:30 am – 11:30 am MT at the Sheraton Suites Eau Claire in Calgary, Alberta, for the following purposes:
- To consider and, if amenable, approve the replacement of the Corporation’s current By-laws with new By-laws which:
- Substantially change the categories of membership and
- Improve and update the Corporation’s governance to align with appropriate best practices
- To transact such other business as may properly be brought before the meeting.
Pursuant to Section 197 of the Canada Not-for-Profit Corporations Act (SC 2009, c. 23), a special resolution of the members is required to make any amendment to the articles or the By-laws of a corporation to create a new class or group of members. Under the interpretation section of the Act, a special resolution means a resolution passed by a majority of not less than two-thirds of the votes cast on that resolution.
Event Details
This will be an in-person meeting at the Sheraton Suites Eau Claire in Calgary, Alberta, in conjunction with this year’s Interprovincial meetings.
In the coming weeks, meeting registration and hotel information will be available to the Association’s members through Seed Scoop. If you don’t receive the e-newsletter and wish to sign up, please email us directly.
Background
Pursuant to By-law 5:08 of the Corporation’s By-laws, the following By-law change motion was approved by the Board of Directors of the CSGA on August 21st, 2024.
WHEREAS the Board of Directors has determined, after extensive consultation with the members of the Corporation, that the Corporation would benefit from opening its membership to a wider community of individuals and organizations connected to the seed sector; and
WHEREAS the Corporation would benefit from making certain other administrative updates to the current By-laws to align with emerging governance best practices
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT:
The current By-laws, approved by the Board of Directors on August 21st, 2024, are replaced by By-law 1, as attached hereto.
Availability of Background Information and Documents
The proposed new By-laws (By-law 1 as per the motion), as well as an annotated version of the current By-laws showing the changes and providing explanations, are available online. Members are encouraged to review the previously circulated Membership Class Discussion Document and the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document.
This Special General Meeting follows extensive consultation by CSGA, which included presentations at the Provincial Branch Annual Meetings last winter, a presentation at our Annual General Meeting in June, and an eight-week public consultation. CSGA has released a “What We Heard Report” from the public consultation, which showed strong support for moving these By-law amendments forward.
To help members prepare for the vote, we encourage you to watch the recorded presentation on the CSGA membership proposal from the town hall portion of our AGM. In the coming days, CSGA will also provide information about a virtual town hall session. This session will offer an overview of the key elements of the By-law amendments and give members the opportunity to ask questions and hear from fellow members.
