Minutes of the Annual General Meeting
Thursday, June 20, 2019, 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
La Citadelle, 410 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal

1. Call to Order and Welcome

President Ginette Lamontagne called the meeting to order at 2:00 pm. She welcomed all members to the fourth AGM. The President introduced the members of the Head Table: Diana Grier Ayton, acting as Recording Secretary, Katherine Gray-Donald (Vice-President, External), Kate Maguire (Vice-President, Internal) and Bob Stanley (Treasurer).

2. Approval of the Agenda

Moved by Trevor Garland and seconded by Lawrence Mysak that the Agenda for the meeting be accepted. Carried unanimously.

3. Approval of the Minutes of the Annual General Meeting of June 6, 2018

The Minutes of the meeting of June 6, 2018, had been distributed to the members. The President asked if there were any corrections or amendments. Henry Leighton noted that in a reference to MURA partnership agreements with McGill staff associations concerning eligibility, the phrase “members of these organizations” should be amended to “retirees from these organizations”. The President agreed and approval of the Minutes was proposed by Tony Pfarrer and Susan Czarnocki. Motion carried.

4. Report of the President: MURA in the McGill Community and Beyond

Strengthening Our Roots

1. Principal’s Reception: At MURA’s suggestion, Principal Suzanne Fortier hosted the first-ever reception honouring recent retirees. The Principal, the Provost and the V-P Administration thanked retirees for their service to McGill. The MURA executive was invited and the President spoke briefly, inviting guests to join the association. The Principal was delighted with the event which she said would be held every year from now on.

2. HR: Recruitment and Hiring: The President noted that the HR department has an excellent relationship with MURA that facilitates recruitment of members. She added that HR sometimes looks for candidates well acquainted with McGill to work on special projects and invited anyone interested in occasional work for the University to advise the MURA executive and they will be sent the HR position announcements.

3. Senate-Board Meeting: MURA was invited to participate in the annual Joint Senate- Board Meeting in the fall of 2018, and the executive prepared a presentation for the poster session preceding the meeting. The poster consisted mainly of pictograms describing MURA’s activities and raison d’être. Many Senators and Governors had not heard of MURA, and the occasion was a chance to raise the association’s profile.

4. Intergenerational McGill: At the invitation of the Students’ Society of McGill University, MURA participated in a conversation with students and members of the McGill Community for Lifelong Learning about the concept of intergenerational housing, where a senior offers accommodation to a student in exchange for companionship and some services.

5. Staff Benefits Advisory Committee: The President noted that a report by Board member Kathy Mayhew had been included in the members’ document package and that she was MURA’s “voice” on the University’s Staff Benefits Advisory Committee as policies are developed.

6. Pre-Retirement Seminars: In the past year, MURA has offered information sessions for colleagues who are still working. The President and V-P Internal Kate Maguire make a presentation about MURA, members Joan Wolforth and Gregg Blatchford discuss the psychological aspects of retirement and Treasurer Bob Stanley addresses financial questions. These sessions are very much appreciated by participants and MURA will continue to offer the seminars.

7. Bicentennial Committee: Members of the MURA executive sit on the Faculty and Staff Celebration Committee and the President said that all MURA members will be included in the celebrations. So far, a large party is planned on the lower campus following spring convocation. Details of other events will be passed on as they are known.

   Expanding Our Reach

8. Local Collaborations: MURA has reached out to other retiree associations in Montreal. Members of CUPA (Concordia University Pensioners’ Association) were invited to the spring concert and luncheon at the Schulich School of Music. Eight CUPA members attended. In September, an event is planned with Après l’UM, one of Université de Montréal’s retiree associations, that will be a day out at a vineyard in Dunham in the Eastern Townships.

9. College and University Retiree Associations of Canada (CURAC): The President directed members to a report on the annual CURAC conference, held at the University of Guelph. Several members of the MURA executive attended, to learn what other university RAs are doing and to gather tips on hosting a conference since McGill will host the 2021 CURAC conference as part of Bicentennial celebrations. A committee has been formed and planning is well under way.

5. Report of the Vice-President, Internal

Vice-President (Internal) Kate Maguire reported that MURA and members’ interest groups continue to be very busy, with MURA organizing at least one event per month.

She said that response to a survey of members had been strong, with 109 people heard from and that it would therefore take a while to compile all comments and suggestions. She did note that the monthly Communiqués giving details of upcoming events seem to be well received.

She reported that many retirees live on the West Island and said that if people wanted to launch interest groups there, MURA would be happy to help them get started. She also reported that a French book club will begin meeting in the fall.

The annual holiday luncheon once again proved to be very popular and the Vice-President said that the event will be repeated this year, also at a culinary training school. Other activities being planned include an evening at Centaur theatre, more city tours and a benefits workshop. She encouraged people to suggest areas they would like to visit with a group. She described a recent tour of St. Henri, the idea for which arose out of the book club reading Gabrielle Roy’s The Tin Flute.

6. Presentation of the Financial Review

Treasurer Bob Stanley introduced the Annual Financial Review prepared by chartered accountant Pierre Gagnon of Services Administratifs et Comptables DG Inc. for the year ended March 31, 2019, previously emailed to members. The Treasurer stressed that the accountant had not performed a formal audit but reviewed MURA’s ledgers and accounts and prepared the report for approval by the MURA Board.

The Treasurer noted that the review shows a surplus of $1,733 of revenues over expenses for the year and net assets of $17,494. He added that MURA is in a fortunate situation in that the majority of funding comes from staff associations and unions (MUNACA, MUNASA, MAUT, SEU). The arrangement is unique in Canada and we are the envy of other retiree groups.

Trevor Garland moved, and David Brown seconded, that the Annual Financial Review be accepted and the motion was passed unanimously.

7. Resolution on the Annual Membership Fee 2019-2020

Treasurer Bob Stanley put forward the motion that: “The annual membership fee for individual memberships in MURA, for those individuals not subject to an agreement between MURA and a staff association or union, for the year beginning September 1, 2019, shall be Twenty-Five Dollars ($25.00).” In response to a question from Trevor Garland, the Treasurer said the fee was unlikely to rise in the near future as there were only 40 members who paid the fee and any increase would not significantly affect MURA revenues.

Judy Pharo moved, and Lawrence Mysak seconded, that the resolution be accepted. The motion passed with one abstention.

8. Presentation of the Budget for 2019-2020

The Treasurer introduced the proposed budget for the next year. He said the numbers were very close to last year, with $16,174 in anticipated revenues against proposed expenses of $14, 410. Richard London asked how the 2021 CURAC conference would be paid for. The Treasurer explained that the conference expenses are estimated at $50,000, with $20,000 generated by registration fees (based on 100 attendees) and the remainder covered by fundraising, currently being coordinated by the Bicentennial Office. John Wolforth asked whether members could receive more detail about expense items shown in the budget document. The matter eventually came to a vote, which ended in a tie. As a line-by-line breakdown had already been prepared for the MURA Board, it was decided that the breakdown could easily be distributed to members and that no formal motion was necessary.

Trevor Garland moved, and Bev Tallant seconded, that the proposed budget be accepted. The motion passed with two abstentions.

9. By-Law Change

Treasurer Bob Stanley said that a change to signing authority rules was necessary because the Bank of Montreal could not process electronic transactions with two signatures, as is required by McGill. He therefore proposed the following:

BE IT RESOLVED that By-Law1.d.ii that deals with the responsibility of the Treasurer of MURA with respect to disbursements, be changed to allow for a single person to authorize a disbursement as follows:

1.d. The Treasurer shall...
ii) Arrange all disbursements and ensure that these disbursements are endorsed by at least two members of the Executive, excluding the Past President, following which endorsement, official financial transactions may be processed with a single signature from one of the four Executive members, excluding the Past President.

John Wolforth pointed out that, according to the MURA Constitution, by-law changes required 30 days’ notice which had not been given in this case. He mentioned it only as a reminder and not a point of order, so the motion went forward. Joan Hagerman moved, and Irwin Griffith seconded, that the resolution be accepted. On a show of hands, the motion passed with one abstention.

10. Report of the Vice-President (External)

Katherine Gray-Donald, Vice-President (External) presented membership statistics, indicating that 32 new members had joined MURA. With some people dropping out, the total membership for the year is 411. The Vice-President noted that HR sends out MURA brochures to new retirees, but she urged everyone to make personal contact with McGill colleagues and friends approaching retirement, or even those who have been retired for some time.

11. Report of the Nominating Committee

Chair Linda Jacobs-Starkey presented her report, announcing that she was finishing her third and final year in the role. Maria Keenan had announced her plan to resign from the Board some months before, but no replacement was necessary at the time as 11 members remained. Alan Oliver had stepped down only the previous week and the Nominating Committee had not had time to replace him, so Board membership was now down to 10, although the by-laws require 11 members. Linda Jacobs-Starkey asked anyone interested in filling a one-year Board position to advise Katherine Gary-Donald, the person responsible for Board appointments.

Members of the MURA/ARUM Executive and Board for 2019-2020

Executive

Ginette Lamontagne, President
Kate Maguire, Vice-President (Internal)
Katherine Gray-Donald, Vice-President (External) Bob Stanley, Treasurer

Board

James Coulton
David Kalant
Kathy Mayhew
Eduardo Pereira
Judy Pharo
Beverlea Talant

12. Final Comments

Richard London raised a final question concerning membership revenues which didn’t seem to match increased numbers. Treasurer Bob Stanley explained that contributions from groups like MUNACA varied according to the number of their members and not ours, in accordance with contractual arrangements. The only revenues that changed were fees paid by members not covered by staff associations or unions.

13. Closing Remarks

The President offered thanks to MURA Board members for their service in the past year, and expressed warm appreciation to colleagues on the Executive for their dedication. She also thanked members for attending the Annual General Meeting and for their participation and interest in MURA activities.

14. Adjournment

There being no further business, the President proposed that the meeting be adjourned. Moved by John Wolforth, and seconded by Bev Tallant, the meeting was adjourned at 3:00 pm.

Respectfully submitted, Diana Grier Ayton Recording Secretary