The national executive council (NEC) met in Toronto on September 21 and 22, 2019. We also met with several Toronto branch members and twig members from Kitchener-Waterloo-Guelph and Hamilton-Halton who came to the Saturday-evening social event we hold for local members. It was great to see them all.
Expectations
I followed the lead of former Editors Canada president Gael Spivak and began the meeting with introductions and expectations. This was especially important for me, since I’m fairly new to the NEC and am still learning about the many ways that directors work for the association. Also, beginning with expectations the directors have of me, themselves, and their time on the NEC helps set the tone for the year.
As in past years, many directors requested that I, as the chair, work to keep the discussion on track and focussed. This will be something I’ll need to work on throughout the year myself, since I’m still learning what sorts of discussions are best conducted at the NEC level and what is best left to the various committees.
Branch and twig business
Maxie Bai Martin and Angela Gradish (co-chairs of the Kitchener-Waterloo-Guelph twig) came to speak to us about their twig activities. (Sophie Blom, the third co-chair, was unable to join us in person but did join via Zoom.) Maxie and Angela discussed the difficulty in maintaining members who leave freelance jobs to move to in-house jobs and were interested in hearing ideas from the NEC.
Catherine Dorton and Rochelle Jobard (co-chairs of the Toronto branch) came to speak with us about the activities their branch has planned for the year. While they are currently looking for a seminars chair, they do have a programs chair and already have ideas for upcoming meetings.
Financials
The NEC devoted a large portion of Saturday afternoon to discussing the association’s financial situation. Michelle Waitzman, the Editors Canada treasurer, compiled a presentation that explained the association’s financial history and how it led to our present deficit. The NEC has many ideas for how to work toward improving Editors Canada’s current financial position.
Other items
- The Finding Work for Members Task Force and the Honorary Life Membership Task Force are both getting closer to sending their findings out to members for consultation.
- The director of marketing and communications is working on initiatives for GivingTuesday and webinar sales.
- The NEC is looking at ways to implement the suggestions received on the rethink document.
Next meeting
Our next meeting will be in Ottawa on November 16 and 17, 2019. It’ll be the budget meeting, where funds for 2020 will be formally allocated and voted on.
Heather Buzila
President