CBA Council voted itself out of existence at the August meeting in Ottawa.
By voting to accept the governance model that was the culmination of nearly three years of work by the Re-Think steering committee, Council sent the CBA on its way to a more streamlined, more member-centric model of doing business.
“Every organization has to go through this exercise at one time or other,” Steve Mandziuk, former chair of the Rethink steering committee, said in a presentation to council introducing the governance resolution. And those that go through this kind of exercise to determine what they’re doing and why are the organizations that thrive, he added.
First of all National Council will be replaced by an annual general meeting which will be both in-person and virtual, open to all members who will then be able to participate in the development of association policy.
“What we know is that members want to engage with the CBA but face barriers of time and cost if they must travel to an AGM to participate. The opportunity to participate virtually will allow our members to engage more easily,” said vice-president Kerry Simmons. “We need to address and meet the needs of members and they want to get together in ways that are useful to them.”
The size of the board of directors will fall to 14 members from the current 23, making it a more nimble decision-making body. There will be one member from each province and territory, making it regionally inclusive, but candidates for the board will also be chosen for the skill-set they bring to the table, and also with an eye to diversity. The board will be responsible for the sustained health of the CBA and board members will be given training on how to do their jobs effectively.
The CBA president will sit on the board, and the vice-president will be chosen from among its members.
The CBA currently has 18 committees, that will come down to three: governance and equality; policy; and finance.
There will also be a Leadership Forum that will come together once a year, and the board will also be able to reach out to it whenever necessary before making decisions.
Both Janet Fuhrer, who moved the resolution on governance, and Michele Hollins, who seconded it, acknowledged that it’s not going to please everyone, but agreed it’s the best we can do at this time.
“Is the model perfect?” Fuhrer asked. “No. As is often the case with national associations, there are competing polarities.”
“I have lived with this for a long time and while I can tell you that there are a number of things that I don’t love, it is unequivocally, in my view, years ahead of where we are now,” said former CBA President Michele Hollins. This is just a taste of the changes that will come with the new governance model, which is the tool to implement the strategic direction adopted by Council in February. Transition teams have been put in place to manage the change from past to present, and it will all be overseen by the Chair of the Governance Task Force, Kerry Simmons. All members are urged to go to the Re-Think website for more information.