1. Welcome and roll call: Graham Tyler, Vice President of the NRCC welcomed all in attendance for the annual general meeting. Graham advised all in attendance that in order to vote on matters one must be the recognized delegate/proxy of a member club in good standing of the NRCC.
Motion: Dan Danforth moved that the Agenda be approved Seconded by Gail Komadoski. Motion carried.
3. Minutes of the AGM from Brighton, Ontario on October 3, 2015
Motion: Gail Komadoski moved to approve the minutes from the AGM of 2015 held at Brighton, Ontario. Seconded by John McDonald. Motion carried
4. Business arising from the minutes.
a. Ammendment to By Law resulting from motion at 2015 AGM. Ammendment to By Laws requires 90 days notice. Therefore formal approval at 2016 AGM necessary.
Motion: Gail Komadoski motioned to change the By-Laws for clubs hosting a field trial from 2 to 5 years before becoming ineligible to be a voting member.. Seconded by Bruce Macdonald. Motion carried.
5. 2015 Financial Statements, 2016 Cash Flow
The Financial Statements were presented on behalf of Treasurer Mark Laberge. There were no questions from the floor.
Motion: Dan Danforth motioned that the Financial Statements be approved. Seconded by Murray Murphy. Motion carried.
a. 2016 National Amateur - Dona Martin reported that the host club (Northern Ontario Retriever Association) and the judges put on a great 2016 National Amateur. Everyone felt welcome at the various venues. The tests were challenging and fair and the judges were generous with their callbacks.
b. 2016 National Report - Doug Hildebrand, Field Trial Marshal reported to the Board of Directors that setup was going well with no major problems.
c. Set fee schedule for 2017 club dues, running dog fee and national entry fees. No change to current fee structure. $75 annual club dues (voting member), National running dog entry fees $275 with $150 to host club and $125 to NRCC Addition of $50 non-voting member fee for Hunt Test clubs using the NRCC website to post Premium Lists and results.
d. Future of National Amateur Task Force announced. Members Dan Yeomans, Connie Swanson and Dan Danforth. Will be investigating options, conducting a survey to ensure everyone is heard, and providing recommendations by July 1, 2017. Decision will be made by 2017 AGM. Dan Danforth announced he would be available for discussion during the National. Need to be proactive in bringing new people into the Field Trial sport. Saskatchewan has 50 family members. They have an established mentoring program where over 2 years they have mentored 24 people resulting in 1 field trialer. Many potential field trialers are introduced to field trialing through demonstrations at sportsmen shows and Cabela's. There is a need for a network to follow up.
g. Retriever Results - Dona Martin reported that the Retriever Results reporting system was successfully rolled out over the past field trial system. A few growing pains initially. Clubs using dogshow.ca found that they were required to report results separately to Retriever Results due to incompatibilities with data structures. Clubs are welcome to produce catalogues however they wish, but they are required to report results including all entries and scratches using the Retriever Results online results management system.
h. Sponsors Report - Bruce Macdonald, Corporate Sponsor Liaison, presented the report on the Corporate Sponsorship Program.
i. Policies and Procedures Report - The Policies & Procedures are separate from the By Laws and are subject to change as needed. They were voted on and approved by the Board of Directors, and will be posted on the NRCC website. Numerous small operating committees have been defined and are in need of volunteer members.
8. Recognize retiring directors:
Newly elected directors: British Columbia Jan Spearing
9. Nominations for 2017 Executive:
No nominations received from the floor. Executive to be voted on at the first Directors meeing following the Annual General Meeting.
a. Motion by Mike Zelman to skip Auditor for 2016. The Financial statements are prepared by a public accounting firm. Seconded by John McDonald. Motion carried.
Motion by Dan Danforth to adjourn the meeting. Seconded by Murray Murphy. Motion carried. Dona Martin recorded the minutes.