20210531_Minutes of BOD Meeting 31 May2021

Minutes of a Board of Directors Meeting Held on 31 May 2021 Prepared by Mark Connolly, Recording Secretary Approved by Sandy McQuarrie, Chair, The RCR Association

Board of Directors Meeting Minutes 31 May 2021 This page deliberately left blank 2

Board of Directors Meeting Minutes 31 May 2021 MINUTES OF A MEETING OF THE BOARD Held by Zoom at 1900 hours on Monday 31 May 2021 ATTENDING Leo Boyd Eric Christensen Mark Connolly Geordie Elms Anthony Jones Sandy McQuarrie Bob Near Rick Reid Jim Davis Denis Thompson ABSENT Jim Simms Jim Cox 1. OPENING OF THE MEETING a. Call to Order The Chair, Sandy McQuarrie called the meeting to order at 1900 hrs EST. b. Roll Call At Roll Call, ten directors were present. c. Establish Quorum The Chair declared a quorum for the meeting. 2. STANDING ITEMS a. Review Agenda The Agenda was approved by consensus. b. Membership Report Membership Secretary Rick Reid provided an update on the membership status. He indicated that since the end of February 2021 membership enrollment and renewals had been quite active. As of May 30, 2021, there were 1207 active and 96 archived memberships which is an increase of approximately 270 since the last report in April 2021. Rick advised the BOD that membership tracking attributes the increases to the elimination of fees last October, the introduction of Membership Cards at the end of February 2021 and more recently the sale of RCR Association coins in April 2021.The Membership Secretary also emphasized that there has also been an increase in communications between members on social media such as the RCR Facebook sites which has also influenced the enrollment of new members. 3

Board of Directors Meeting Minutes 31 May 2021 The Membership Secretary noted that archived records include information on names of members where we have received a notice of death which is kept for historical purposes. Archived records also include members where there has been no contact or activity and they are in arrears for over 2 years. The information on file is retained but archived as inactive. There was a brief discussion regarding members that have registered an affiliation with a Branch. Rick indicated that 314 members or just less than 26% have declared an affiliation to a Branch on Membership 365. Although Branch records may show different numbers, unless members have indicated an affiliation on their profile, they are considered members at large. The Chair indicated that there some more work to be completed to reconcile the Branch membership rolls with Membership 365. This in turn will ensure the appropriate $10.00 per affiliated member allocation is transferred to Branches early next year. 3. NEW BUSINESS a. New Directors The Chair indicated that with the recent resignation of Don Denne, President of the London Branch, and member of the BOD there were two vacancies on the Board. The nomination committee has indicated that John Redmond will stand for election at the next AGM to be held June 30, 2021. Additionally, the committee is in the process of identifying another suitable candidate for consideration by the membership at the AGM. A replacement for Don Denne, London Branch President has not been found but in the short term the Branch Secretary, Mike Stapleton will act as president. Denis advised the group that Gary O’Brien has agreed to assist the acting president as well as help in the search for a new president. b. Donations The Chair led the discussion on the current financial status and the increased revenue raised through voluntary donations received from the successful issuance of membership card and sale of coins. Initially 900 membership cards were issued, and 229 donations were made totalling $4,357.69, after production, shipping, and mailing costs the net amount realized was $1,825.36. The Chair noted that the plan is to issue the remaining 300 plus cards in late August or early September. The sale of 298 coins generated $10,482.38 which included significant donations and after production and shipping and handling costs of $5079.79 were deducted a surplus of $5,402.59 was realized. Net revenues realized from sales and donations totalled $7,227.95 bringing our current bank balance as of May 3, 2021, to $20,798.92. The BOD was asked to consider three options for the disposable funds or a combination of one or more. The options suggested were to: • Retain the funds in the Association account 4

Board of Directors Meeting Minutes 31 May 2021 • Transfer the funds to the RCR Trust • Add an additional bursary, or After some deliberation it was decided by consensus to retain the funds in the Association account and based on the number of applications qualifying for a bursary, the Bursary Committee could recommend and request funding for one additional bursary if needed. A question was raised concerning whether these donations were considered charitable and eligible to receive a receipt from the Trust and if so, what process was necessary to be followed. The Chair will raise the issue with the Trust accountant and advise the BOD. c. New Volunteer The BOD discussed the qualifications of a new volunteer Stuart Proctor and based on his background and experience where he could best help the Association. Although he is unknown to the BOD, he lives in close proximity to Geordie Elms (GTA). Geordie indicated that he could use some help within the Toronto Branch and will speak with Mr. Proctor. A brief discussion ensued on volunteerism and putting in place a mechanism to encourage and seek out volunteers. Communiques such as a general call for volunteers could be issued once or twice a year as well as calls for volunteers for specific needs. Mark will prepare a discussion paper outlining communication options for seeking volunteers and post it on the BOD workspace for review, comments etc. d. Paper on Connecting with Former-serving Royal Canadians The Chair referenced proposals outlined in a comprehensive document prepared by Jim Simms and Jim Davis to support the Strategic Plan. The document, “How to More Broadly Connect with Royal Canadians,” is currently nearing the final stages and the Chair has just recently commented on the current draft and recommended that it be shared more broadly with others, specifically the Branch Presidents. The Chair noted that once published it will lead into seeking volunteers for specific jobs. Jim Davis indicated that most comments on the draft version made by BOD members have either been captured or considered. Once the authors have reviewed the Chair’s additions, they should be able to give the document a wider distribution. He spoke to specific points within the document related to the Royal Canadians about to leave the service or retire, their broader understanding of Regimental Ideals as well as the active Battalions understanding their role in promoting the Association. Additionally, he noted the document addresses the need for a harmonized approach on how the branches connect. Jim also noted that the paper has both short- and long-term initiatives on how we get people to join and be more active. Jim noted that the Association is not for everybody, and everybody is not for the Association. Understanding that difference will help us further understand what it is we are trying to achieve and what is our end state moving forward. 5

Board of Directors Meeting Minutes 31 May 2021 e. Open Discussion Leo Boyd Leo raised the need to broaden our reach/communication to people from other trades who served with RCR units and have left or retired. Many may not know of the RCR Association and their eligibility to join. Although the RCR website currently says that they are eligible and it appears on the Facebook page from time to time, it may be appropriate to post a communique on other service websites. Leo will endeavor to identify appropriate websites. Bob Near Bob requested a SITREP on the status of the Afghan Memorial. Denis advised the group that Tim Robinson is monitoring the progress and most of the silverwork is completed but the memorial has not been assembled. Denis indicated that the bigger question is does the regiment have a plan for Pashmul Day, September 10, 2021, which is the 15th anniversary of the battle of Operation Medusa and the 10th anniversary of the end of combat operations in Afghanistan. Anthony indicated he had no information on the plans possibly due to the pandemic and suggested contact be made with RCWO or General Whalen. Denis will follow-up. Jim Davis Jim discussed potential uses for surplus funds such as possible contributions to the refurbishment of A Block in London, Ontario and whether consideration should be given to the erection of a plaque in Sicily at a battlefield site or heroic event by the Regiment to mark the 80th anniversary of that campaign. Jim noted it is not necessarily an Association issue per se but certainly a Regimental one with a potential for collaboration on an event with the Association. Denis Thompson Denis discussed the Museum committee and the current Association representative Gary O’Brien and the need to have a report on the activities from time to time. The Chair The Chair spoke briefly to the AGM on June 30, 2021, to be held virtually on Zoom. The Chair indicated that approximately 50 members had already expressed their interest to participate in the meeting. He noted that the agenda and supporting documents would be sent out in the next week. A BOD will follow the AGM where new members of the Board Directors will be elected and a selection of the Chair and other positions. 4. NEXT MEETING Wednesday 30 June 2021, 1500 hrs EDT 5. ADJOURNMENT Approved by consensus. 6

Board of Directors Meeting Minutes 31 May 2021 Prepared by Approved by M. Connolly A.D. (Sandy) McQuarrie Recording Secretary Chair ATTACHMENTS Annex A – Membership Report Annex B – Card and Coin Revenue Summary 7

Board of Directors Meeting Minutes 31 May 2021 ANNEX A To BOD Minutes Membership Report A1

Board of Directors Meeting Minutes 31 May 2021 A2

Board of Directors Meeting Minutes 31 May 2021 ANNEX B To BOD Minutes Card and Coin Revenue Summary B1

Board of Directors Meeting Minutes 31 May 2021 B2