REPORT OF NOVEMBER 2022 MEETING OF THE CGS BOARD OF DIRECTORS

This meeting was held via a Zoom call on November 22nd.

The following topics were addressed:

-Entries for the cover photo contest for the 2023 yearbook are being forwarded to the Yearbook committee for review.

-The 2023 Yearbook will be sent to all 2022 members and to any new members with memberships before mailing time.

-The third CGS newsletter of 2022 will contain the notice of the Annual General Meeting on February 18, 2023.

-All certificates for championship show legs or Star M milk awards will be mailed the week of November 21st.

-Work is underway with the investment counsellor at our financial institution to increase the interest rate earned on our investment portfolio. Great success is being obtained!

-Movement on final approval of our new Youth Program is proceeding. The components of the program will be released on the CGS website and in the 2023 Yearbook.

-Reports from each director re activities in their region will be included in the 2023 yearbook.

-A successful meeting of our classifiers’ team was held at the very end of October. The team came up with many recommendations for consideration by the Board and the Board is in the process of responding to the thoughtful recommendations. There was extensive discussion re the recommendations during this online meeting. The Classification team has volunteered to review all documents relating to the program to ensure that there is consistency of message across the materials and that no key points are missed.

-The Board engaged in follow up discussion on a special meeting held earlier in the month regarding proposed by-law amendments to ensure all steps are being taken so that the amendments can be discussed by members at the AGM in February.

-Work is beginning on a full review of the policies and procedures manual for Judges Licensing Conferences. A report of the working group led by Chris Grab and Jonathan Dugdale will be presented at the December Board meeting.

REPORT OF OCTOBER 2022 MEETING OF CGS BOARD OF DIRECTORS

This meeting took the form of a Zoom call.

The following reporting, discussion and decision-making took place:

-The Secretary-Manager reported that a date of October 30th had been set for a meeting with the classification team to review the past year and make recommendations for forward motion.

-Follow up work on a modest number of overdue accounts receivable has taken place and will continue until all funds have been received by CGS.

-In an upcoming newsletter notice will be provided of a board decision that, going forward CGS newsletters will be distributed to all members with a valid email address on file at CLRC unless they indicate a desire for mailing of a hard copy of newsletters. For those without valid email addresses at CLRC newsletters will be mailed.    

-The Board reviewed a number of recommendations for action by the Pedigree Committee and approved them.

-A motion was made and approved to forward $400 to the Canadian National Goat Federation as a contribution toward additional funding needs for the production of a new National Code of Practice for goats.

-The 2022 Eastern Judges Licensing Conference (JLC) had been held in Central Ontario just before the October Board meeting. A report from the Coordinator had bene received and additional comments were received from Board members who had been present at the conference. A process of reviewing and possibly revising the Policies and Procedures manual for JLCs will begin and report back to the Board.

 

-Some initial action has taken place by the Animal Registration Officer at Agriculture and Agrifood Canada regarding providing guidance to breed associations on content of by-laws and matters that can be addressed by associations via policies and procedures manuals.

-The Youth Committee has actively revising their proposal for a National Youth Program.

-The Board was informed that proposed amendments to CGS by-laws would be forthcoming.

REPORT OF SEPTEMBER 2022 MEETING OF CGS BOARD OF DIRECTORS

This meeting took the form of a Zoom call.

Topics discussed included:

-The Canadian National Goat Federation (CNGF) has been the lead organization for a total revision of the National Code of Practice for Goats. They reported to industry goat associations that there had been an over run in costs of producing the new version of the Code. They were looking to allied goat associations for financial assistance in covering the over run in costs. The CGS Board considered this request. They requested a tally of support from other associations before making a decision on support from CGS.

-A status report on both the level of CGS investments and the current bank account balances. Successful efforts are being made to increase interest income as anniversary dates for investments are reached.  A study of levels of financial resources  touched off a discussion of upcoming expenses, levels of fees for services and prospects for expanding the CGS investment portfolio. No definite decisions were taken on any of these topics at the September meeting. The discussion of future direction for the association’s programs and business activity was however; very helpful.

-Planning for the 2023 AGM in February was in motion at the time of the meeting.

-In order to stimulate further action on new activities two committees from within the Board were struck.  One, for the 2023 Yearbook includes Tanya McCarthy, Raynald Dube, Susan Frazer and Jonathan Dugdale.  The other committee working on a Youth Program includes Chris Grab, Jonathan Dugdale and Tanya McCarthy.

 

-In reviewing challenges with processing of certain items of registry work the Board decided to call upon the services of the pedigree committee. The composition and role of this committee is defined in CGS by-laws.

-From time to time incorrect information regarding the identity of animals can appear on Reports of Awards (ROAs) for sanctioned shows. A member had requested that steps be taken to revise show rules such that when inaccuracies or missing information re animals appeared on ROAs a process be developed for correction of this information so that animals would still receive championship legs. The Board approved a process whereby inaccuracies or omissions are identified, correct information is supplied and the respective Judge, Show Secretary, Show Chairman and Exhibitor sign a form noting the inaccuracies and information needed. When these steps are completed championship leg awards will be processed.

-Notice was provided that classifiers would meet in late October to discuss functioning of the 2022 program and make recommendations for Board consideration regarding revisions ot the program and ongoing improvements.

REPORT OF JULY 2022 MEETING OF CGS BOARD OF DIRECTORS 

This meeting took place on July 12th and was held via Zoom.

Present: Sandy Howell, President; Chris Grab; Arnold Steeves, Tanya McCarthy, Jonathan Dugdale.

Regrets: Raynald Dube; Susan Frazer.

 

After reviewing the agenda and minutes of the previous Board meeting attention turned to a review of CGS finances. The association has a significant amount of money in its regular operating bank accounts, partially due to the fact that classification work had just started the week before the meeting and so classification expenses to that point were minimal. In addition income from registry work processed at CLRC has been very strong and their a tight controls on expenses.  The association has also been able to rebuild reserves over the past year.            

 

Staff were asked to contact Holstein Canada regarding the devices that that company uses for collecting classification data.

 

Processing of results from one day milk testing was up to date at the time of the meeting and a wave of show results was expected at meeting time.

 

Their was discussion about development of an expanded program to certify classifiers. A review of scheduling for classification work, that had just started at the time of the meeting, was presented.

 

Ongoing work on registry matters was reviewed and discussed and plans made for next steps in the work with a target of maintaining integrity of the herd book and completing individual projects. The association has mechanisms to assist both sellers and buyers with completing registry work. CGS works regularly with staff of CLRC who process our registry work to assist members with questions and challenges with registrations, transfers and related work.

 

-Dates for the 2023 Annual General Meeting in British Columbia have been narrowed down to February 18th or the 25th.

 

-A report was received that staff at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada are working on a document providing guidance to breed associations like CGs re content of by-laws and what topics must be addressed in by-laws and how to address them.

 

The Board reviewed applications for the hosting of CGS West and East National Shows in 2023. Via motions the Board accepted the application to hold the 2023 West National Show in Edmonton, Alberta during K Days in July and an application from the Royal Agricultural Winter fair to host the 2023 East National in November of next year.

 

The next regularly scheduled Board meeting will take place in mid-September.

REPORT OF JUNE 2022 MEETING OF CGS BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The meeting took place on June 13, 2022 via Zoom.

Six board members, Sandy Howell, Chris Grab, Susan Frazer, Tanya  McCarthy, Jonathan Dugdale and Arnold Steeves. Regrets were received from Raynald Dube.  

 

Topics discussed and motions made and passed during the meeting included:

 

  • A report of an upcoming meeting of classifiers and trainees at Howcroft Farm in Ontario took place. The goals of the meeting would be to have classifiers work together with the classification program and on evaluation of animals so that consistency in evaluations was constantly improving. As part of the discussion regarding classification a request was made to determine if enough data had been collected on research traits thurl placement and locomotion for them to be considered as official traits, part of calculation of final scores. This request would be made to the company responsible for creation of genetic evaluations, the Canadian Centre for Swine Improvement (CCSI). In addition CCSI staff would be asked about a question which had arisen about prospects for introduction of genetic evaluations for Nigerian Dwarf goats.     
  • A motion was made and carried to add directors Chris Grab and Tanya McCarthy as additional administrators for the CGS Facebook page.
  • The matter of an ongoing review of CGS by-laws was discussed. Notice was provided that the Animal Registration Officer at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada had indicated that he was creating guidelines for associations on appropriate content and wording for by-laws and also guidance on what topics were more appropriate for inclusion in association’s policies and procedures documents. The CGS President indicated she would contact the ARO for an update on progress on this valuable work.
  • A motion was made and carried that the 2023 Annual General Meeting of CGS be held in British Columbia.  Likely time frame for the meeting would be February.
  • The Board approved a motion supporting the presentation of an award in memory of the late Keith Van Camp of Blackstock, Ontario. The award will be known as the Honourable Mention award. The Judge will select a doe that best displays a combination of exceptional dairy strength and overall correct conformation. The award is sponsored by Mr. Van Camp’s family.
  • A report of a small ruminant industry meeting with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency on import regulation changes with regard to scrapie disease, held earlier on the day of the meeting was provided and received.
  • CGS has consistently working with members and buyers and sellers of goats to ensure that proper processes are being followed regarding registration and transfer of ownership of animals in alignment with CGS by-laws and the animal pedigree act. This work has been undertaken to ensure the integrity of the CGS herd book. During the meeting steps to collect information in specific cases to aid ongoing investigations were taken.

 

 

 

 

 

 

REPORT OF MAY MEETING OF CGS BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The May meeting of the CGS Board was held via Zoom with all Board members participating.

Highlights included:

  • A report from Chris Grab on the Western Judges Licensing Conference (JLC) held in mid-May near Edmonton, Alberta. Fourteen embers participated with ten auditing and four previously licensed judges in the group. Three advanced level judges from Western Canada participated as part of maintaining their status as judges. The panel consisted of Ed Cavanagh, as Coordinator, and Eugenia Carnegie and Lorraine Keeping. Alex Cripps, Chris Grab, Callum McLeod and Shannon Skulmoski were the four previously licensed judges adding longevity to their licenses. The CGS Board has thanked Chris and her associates in Alberta for their finesse in organizing a successful conference. The Board also appreciated the dedication of the panel. The Can
  • The report of the Western JLC was a starting point for an extensive discussion of current processes for JLCs and how JLCs could look in the future. A working group to conduct a full review of review of the policies, processes and procedures for JLCs has been established and will be at work in advance of 2024 JLCS.
  • The Board approved plans for an Eastern JLC to be held in the Ancaster/Caledonia area of Ontario from October 14 to 16, this year. Further details will be forth coming for currently licensed judges and those who would like to participate as aspiring apprentices or auditors.
  • CGS by-laws include processes for work of a  Pedigree Committee. This committee can address status of registrations, transfers and membership. The committee had been tasked with addressing delayed transfers and registration work. Their decisions were reviewed by the Board and added to minutes of the meeting.
  • The Board then discussed the need for more education on proper and timely processing of registry work by sellers and buyers to be in line with the by-laws of CGS and the Animal Pedigree Act. An education program with regard to the requirements in this documents will be instituted.   
  • The Board received a report of plans for a June meeting of classifiers and trainees for the CGS classification program. As follow up action to this meeting planning for 2022 classification work will continue at an advanced pace.
  • In order to obtain best returns on funds in CGS bank accounts the Board approved a further expansion of CGS investments in term GICs. This decision based on careful analysis of needs for immediate access to funds and gaining optimal benefit from all funds.

REPORT OF APRIL 2022 MEETING OF CANADIAN GOAT SOCIETY BOARD

The CGS Board met by zoom on April 12th. All six current Board members were in attendance and participating.

President Sandy Howell chaired the meeting.

Topics addressed during the meeting:

  • Following the creation of a vacancy on the CGS Board for the province of Quebec all current CGS members in Quebec were contacted to determine if they wished to submit an expression of interest in filling the position.  Raynald Dube from Ange Gardien had submitted an expression of interest. The Board approved a motion appointing Mr. Dube to fill the position and complete the current term.
  • After the March Board meeting all current CGS Licensed Judges had been invoiced for renewal fees. The Board received an update on the volume of renewals-the meeting was held prior to the deadline for payment of fees.
  • The Board has recognized a need to review and potentially revise the Policy and Procedure Manual for CGS Judges Licensing Conferences. After both JLCs for 2022 have been held a working group led by Director Chris Grab will conduct the review and propose revisions.
  • A report was received on the upcoming JLC West scheduled for mid-May in Alberta. A motion was approved to have the exam, which is always part of the process available for completion online for the first time, with hard copies available also.
  • Ongoing investigations into the future of registry systems and service for CGS had yielded some fresh information. This information was shared with other small ruminant groups involved in registry services and discussions continue.
  • An application to host a JLC in Ontario in October was reviewed.
  • A complaint and accompanying fees were received by CGS from a member regarding violation of Section 25 of the CGS by-laws. The Board of CGS investigated the matter and found the complaint to be correct. The Board approved a motion that parties against whom the complaint was made will be denied the privilege of renewing a CGS membership or becoming a CGS member during 2022.
  • The Canadian Nigerian Dwarf Association had created a valuable Buyers’ Guide document and made it available for use by CGS. This offer was accepted and the document will be shared by CGs for educational purposes especially for first time and newer buyers and owners of registered goats.
  • A progress report on plans for a 2022 CGS Yearbook publication was delivered. First step in the process is a contest to find a superb cover photo for the publication. The contest involving goat-related photos is now open. Entries are to be sent to the CGS email address info@goats.ca by August 31, 2022. At upcoming Board meetings rates for advertising will be determined.
  • The Board requested establishment of a calendar of upcoming events and deadlines on the CGS website at www.goats.ca . (Now available on the website.)
  • The Board reviewed a proposed and detailed CGS Youth Recognition Program developed by a committee led by directors Tanya McCarthy and Jonathan Dugdale. Work will proceed on this topic toward full introduction of the program.
  • In answer to questions about adding breeds to the herd book of CGS the Board asked that direction be provided to owners of animals of these breeds on the process for recognizing them, and also direction on whether the breed is best suited for the CGS herd book or the Canadian Meat Goat Association herd book.
  • CGS finances to March 31, 2022 were reviewed along with current bank and investment balances at the time of the meeting.

Next meeting will take place on Tuesday, May 17, 2022.

REPORT OF MARCH 2022 MEETING OF CGS BOARD

This meeting took the form of Zoom call on March 15, 2022.

The following topics were addressed:

-Determination of a resource for parliamentary procedure for CGS meetings.

-Confirmation of the Executive Committee for CGS for 2022 President Sandy Howell; First Vice-President Susan Frazer; Second Vice-President: Chris Grab.

-Given the resignation of Quebec director Catherine Lord the Board addressed filling the vacancy. A motion was approved to contact all current CGS members in Quebec to solicit expressions of interest in filling the Board position. ( Quebec members were contacted very soon after the meeting.)

-Nomination of a panel of Ed Cavanagh, Coordinator; Eugenia Carnegie and Lorraine Keeping for the JLC West in May was approved.

-The Board approved sending of invoices for renewal of licenses for 2022/2023 for all Judges on the official list with a deadline for payment by April 15, 2022.

-The Board determined that there is need for a full review of the Policy and Procedure manual for Judges Licensing Conferences. Chris Grab and Jonathan Dugdale were asked to lead the review.

-Further work on determining a roster of classifiers and trainees for classification and work to ensure uniformity in performance of classifiers took place.

-The Board approved a motion to expand our reserve/investment fund by a further $5,000.

-The Board engaged in a discussion about expanding education for buyers and sellers of purebred, registered breeding stock so that all requirements of the CGS by-laws and the Animal Pedigree Act are met.

REPORT OF FEBRUARY 2022 CGS BOARD MEETING

This meeting was held in mid-February prior to the CGS AGM.

Highlights of the meeting:

-President Sandy Howell expressed thanks to Callum McLeod, Karen Cavanagh and Ed Cavanagh for their service on the Board during their terms in office.

Howell also welcomed three new members to the Board-Chris Grab from Alberta, Tanya McCarthy and Jonathan Dugdale both from Ontario.

-All Board members provided an introduction including a recounting of their experiences working with goats and with other organizations and boards.

-The 2021 financial statements, reviewed by our chosen accounting firm, were approved. In 2020 the margin of revenue over expenses had been $2127 while in 2021 the same margin was $31,050. During the year a reserve/investment fund of $30,000 had been established.         

-Topics addressed during the meeting were the on-going review of by-laws and work that had been done with Agriculture and Agrifood Canada, the re-launch of classification in 2022, ongoing review of options for registry services either through an updating of the system used by our current service provider or investigation of other options, publishing of a high quality Yearbook of accomplishments at the end of 2022, ideas on establishing a CGS Youth Recognition program, approval of a budget for 2022, approval of an application to host a Judges Licensing Conference in Alberta in mid-May 2022, work on a proposal for a Judges Licensing Conference in Ontario during 2022.

The Board approved naming Barry Van Camp of Blackstock, Ontario as the CGS nominee to the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair.

Report of January 2022 CGS Board Meeting

This meeting was held via Zoom.

Present: Sandy Howell, President; Callum Mcleod; Susan Frazer; Arnie Steeves and staff-Russell Gammon.

Regrets: Ed Cavanagh; Karen Cavanagh; Catherine Lord.  

In calling the meeting to order President Howell paid tribute to retiring Board members Callum McLeod and Karen Cavanagh for their input into making CGS a better organization.

Sandy has been doing a great deal of work on ongoing proposed revisions to the CGS by-laws and is moving forward with more drafting of revisions.

In addition she has led on making some revisions to the Milk Testing programs booklet. CGS will also be revising some of the application forms for programs in the very near future.

The Board spent considerable time discussing the future of registry services for CGS. Options are being explored through much work in cooperation with our current registry system and other industry partners. CGS is also doing some independent research.    

Chris Grab from Alberta and Jonathan Dugdale will be welcomed to the Board in February. The Board invested time outlining contents of an onboarding package that will be supplied to the new Board members.

It was with great regret that the Board received the resignation of Catherine Lord from the province of Quebec. Catherine brought the prospective of a larger herd owner to the Board table.

The Board will follow steps outlined in the current by-laws to find a replacement.

 In other business it was decided that a hard copy of the upcoming Yearbook publication will be mailed to all members. Newsletters will be emailed to those who have requested digital copies of publications only. The yearbook is more of a reference keeper item. The Yearbook will be published in late March/early April.

Work is underway to confirm a team of classifiers for 2022.

The pre-AGM Board meeting date has been set and this meeting will take place after reviewed financial statements have been received and reviewed. The Board has examined internal financial statements to the end of December. Current assets of the association now exceed $40,000. The review of 2021 financial performance is already underway.

Reminder that the Annual Meeting will take place on Saturday, February 19th, beginning at 12:00 noon eastern time and will take place via Zoom! Guest speaker at the AGM will be Dr. Jacques Chesnais who is heavily involved in supporting work on the Integrated Databases project.