The BNIA Annual Meeting of Members was held in late July and we had a crowd of 55 people (35 voting members) attending at the Pointe au Baril Community Centre, followed by a social luncheon.
John Beaucage (above) — a respected Indigenous leader who was raised on the Shawanaga First Nation and is a member of the Order of Canada — was our guest speaker. He gave an engaging and informative talk on First Nations reconciliation and the Robinson Huron Treaty settlement, which was in the news recently.
Our new Articles of Amendment and Bylaws were unanimously approved by the members gathered (photo above). President Anne Stewart and Board member Nichola Martin led this project, with help from member-at-large Kathleen Ritchie. They put in many hours to facilitate its smooth adoption, bringing the BNIA into compliance with Ontario Non-profit Corporations Act, an essential legal step.
The proposed slate of directors was approved, with Deborah Tyrrell joining and Alice Lurie stepping down. Rob Reed succeeds Anne Stewart as president, with no other changes to the executive roles. We heard updates from the various BNIA committees, our first responder Butch Folland, and our councillor, Peter Frost. See here for the full list of BNIA Board of Directors including photos!
