APSA Annual General Meeting

November 23rd, 2021

12:00pm to 1:30pm

Due to the Covid-19 Pandemic, this AGM was conducted over Zoom.

Quorum was achieved with 182 members attending via zoom as of 12:05 pm, and the meeting was called to order.

  1. Approval of Agenda

Motion to approve the agenda:

  • Moved by Kris Nordgren, seconded by Jasper Stoodley.
    • Motion Carries.
  1. Approval of the 2020 AGM minutes

Motion to approve the 2020 AGM minutes:

  • Moved by Jasper Stoodley, seconded by Kris Nordgren.
    • Motion Carries.
  1. President’s Report

David Agosti gave an overview of his report, which can be found linked above.

Questions from the Floor:

  • I was wondering if APSA has any responsibilities or obligations to the members for reports to be released prior to the AGM. I noticed that the President’s Report, Treasurer’s Report, Total Compensation Review, and University Affairs were not available prior to this meeting for review. This could restrict the ability of members to review these reports in advance and prepare questions.
    • While APSA has not done this in the past, the Association does intend to start publishing an Annual Report prior to the AGM.
  1. Treasurer’s Report
    1. Engagement Review (Accountant’s Full Financial Report)
      1. Statement of Financial Position
      2. Statement of Operations
      3. Statement of Changes in Net Assets
    2. 2021 - 2022 Budget

APSA’s Treasurer, Jasper Stoodley, presented the financial statements and the 2021/2022 budget, which are linked above.

Questions from the Floor:

  • Do we have any investments in fossil fuel companies? If yes, are we divesting?
    • APSA invests only in government GICs. APSA does not invest in the open market.
  • What are the APSA assets intended for? I would think that APSA overall should be non-profit.
    • APSA needs to have legal reserves funds to peruse a court case all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada. APSA’s legal counsel has indicated the cost of defending its members that far would be in the multiple of millions. Additionally, APSA’s legal costs are highly variable.
  • What are the internally restricted funds for?
    • These are the legal reserve funds.
  • How many members do we have now?
    • APSA has approximately 1500 members.
  • Committee meetings line seems really high, especially in a mostly virtual world.  Can you share details on types of expenditures?
    • That line item also includes any consultancy fees for those committees. For example, APSA uses a consultant for the Salary & Benefits Committee.
  • Did you say that the budget was prepared to by the board?
    • The budget is prepared by myself and Andrew Boden, then reviewed by the Finance Committee, then brought to the board for final approval.
  • Is there plans for consultation by members in the future?
    • If you are interested, please consider joining the finance committee.
  • Where can we find a list of all the APSA committees? Plus, which are looking for members?
    • The list of committees can be found on the APSA central website. If you are interested in volunteering, we can connect you with committees in need of members.
  1. Year in Review - Committee Reports
    1. Salary & Benefits
    2. Pension Advisory
    3. Total Compensation Review
    4. University Affairs
    5. Advocacy

Committee reports can be found at the links above. Committee chairs gave brief overviews of their reports.

Questions from the Floor:

Salary & Benefits

  • I’m’ wonder what process the committee uses to put together the proposal from APSA to the University?
    • APSA put out a comprehensive survey of members in 2019 to find out the priorities of the membership. Using the results from his survey, the committee developed its proposals.
  • We’ve lost a number of members due to moving to other organizations or retiring. Will they receive retroactive pay if they are no longer employed by SFU?
    • Yes, those who have left the University will get retro pay as long as they were on payroll sometime within the term of the agreement.
  • Given the increased difficulty in negotiating, dealing with bullying and harassment and other issues with the employer, has APSA recently seriously considered the possibility of unionizing?  SFUFA was able to successfully move from an Association to Union and now appears to have more power with the employer.  I realize this would be a huge endeavour, but I think it would be worth considering or at least understanding the process.
    • This would be a very significant change. We assume most members are more comfortable with an association.

Advocacy

  • No Questions

Pension

  • Are there any updates for future hopes and plans for the pension?
    • The pension committee has been revived, and the committee is working towards the future.
  1. Introduction of the 2021 - 2022 Executive Board

Jeff Bryer, Arlette Stewart, Vince Wong, Camilla Cao, Lutte Brink, and Jasper Stoodley will continue their board terms.

Matthew Menzies was re-elected for a 3-year term.

Newly elected to the board, for 3-year terms are:

Jill Sutherland – Director, University Curriculum and Institutional Liaison

Cindy Li – Communications Officer, Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences Dean’s Office
 

Finally, with great thanks, APSA thanks outgoing board members Mitch Stoddard and Claire Wilson.

  1. Other Business

Other Questions from the Floor:

  • For APSA OT:  why is it that APSA who manage others only gets 1.0 times the extra hours and cannot receive it through a payout vs non-manager APSA gets 1.5X the extra hours and can be paid out?
    • This is due to the employment standards act, and how it defines managers vs non-managers. Some APSA members are considered managers under the Act, and the Act excludes those who are managers from the section of the Act which mandates overtime pay.
  1. Adjourn

The meeting was adjourned at 1:13 pm