President Power hoped that everyone had a good summer and was ready to go to work in the coming months. He stated this would be the second meeting since the AGM in Whitehorse and one of the main objectives of the coming year was to have the Constitution and Bylaws revised and ready for the AGM 2010 in Regina.

3. CONFIRMATION OF MINUTES BOD#6:

Moved/Seconded: Maxwell/LeBlanc as amended APPROVED

4. APPROVAL OF AGENDA

Moved/Seconded: APPROVED

5. TREASURER’S REPORT

Treasurer’s report accepted with no additions/deletions. Nick Shaigec asked about the inventory of wedge caps. Religa advised it is the official headdress of the Association and more members are ordering these caps. General discussion followed. There is not a generally regulated order of dress and no recourse if a member does not comply. Religa also advised that the inventory stock of medallions have been combined in one total. Moved/Seconded Religa/Shaigec CARRIED

Veterans Benefit Trust Fund Moved/Seconded Religa/LeBlanc APPROVED

Reserve Fund Moved/Seconded Religa/Hoban APPROVED

6. SECRETARY’S REPORT

Bill Maxwell tabled three pieces of correspondence,

Letter to Paulette Vinette acknowledging her contribution and support in the production of the Governance Study;
Letter to Commissioner William Elliott on the Veterans Independence Program
Letter from the Royal Canadian Legion inviting six members of the Association to attend the Ceremony at Government House. Maxwell advised that the six members identified would be Rick Morris, Ian Cooper, Bryan Neville, Gaston Desormeaux, Al Rivard, and Cal Small.

No correspondence was tabled from the National Office or Committee Chairs.

7. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

The President asked whether there was anything else to add from the update reports. Mr. Gidley advised the VIP issue would be addressed by D/Commr. Martin. Gidley also addressed the Mental Health Committee and advised he had not as yet attended a meeting of this new committee. President Power expressed concern about the ability of one individual to handle all of the committee meetings and other expected responsibilities in the National Office. However, he will leave it up to the Executive Director at this time. Bill Maxwell advised that participation by the Executive Director involving the Veterans Charter was approved by the Board to permit the Association to remain current with developments in that area. The RCMP is not involved in that initiative. The RCMP is part of the Mental Health Initiative and Tim Hoban has been involved in these in New Brunswick. Maxwell expressed support for the continued involvement of the Executive Director in both of these initiatives. President Power stated that the more the Executive Director becomes involved in these initiatives as an Ambassador then we would have to look at appointing Gidley as an Ambassador and not as an Executive Director. The National Operations Committee will continue to monitor the situation.

8. REPORT ON THE QUARTERLY

Cal Small advised that the Quarterly submitted a report to Heritage Canada for assistance in translation costs of the Quarterly which cost an estimated $30,000 annually. The Quarterly is looking at going fully coloured as well but it is expenses and some other things would have to be given up. This issue comes up from time to time. The latest initiative is a mail out of 200 free Quarterly Magazines to various retired people and offering them a free one-year subscription. Small advised the Magazine is holding its’ own, maintaining its circulation but with a tough time in increasing it. Dave LeBlanc asked about the Cadet program and the success rate of subscriptions. John Religa advised that the first free one year subscription to Cadets would be expiring shortly and the Quarterly will have a better idea if the program is working or not in the next few months. Nick Shaigec advised that the Quarterly had received some excellent remarks for it colour and content and Shaigec wanted the Quarterly Board to know they are doing a good job. Shaigec also wanted to know the circulation figures. John Religa will email these figures to the Board, both free and paid subscriptions.

9.REPORT FROM THE ADVOCATE

Dale Lively reported on his meeting with the Minister of Veterans Affairs of that morning (25 SEP). He advised the Minister has never seen or heard of the RCMP Quarterly, either in his office in Ottawa or at his constituency office. Lively will provide a copy for his local office and will ensure that Cal Small will provide the Quarterly to the Minister’s Ottawa office. Lively’s meeting with the Minister was one-half hour. Lively provided an overview of the RCMP Veterans’Association to Minister Thompson who stated he was not aware of the Association and knew we were a group of retired RCMP members but not that it was a Canadian Corporation. Lively advised Thompson that we had 4500 paid members but had an opportunity for 12,500 or more. Lively also talked about Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) and the service problems being encountered by our former and retired members. Lively also stated that there is a significant difference in the issues facing our retired members vs those of the Canadian Forces and that it is often difficult to get that message across to Veterans Affairs Canada. Lively solicited the support of the Minister for the Veterans’ Independence Program (VIP) once it is received by the Minister and that the Public Safety Minister, Peter vanLoan has the neighbouring office to Mr. Thompson. Lively also mention the post traumatic stress problems and in particular the Clinic in Fredericton. The Minister is also aware there is a lack of representation by RCMP Veterans on the Veterans’ Review and Appeal Board (VRAB) and felt that the RCMP Veterans should be represented. The Minister was unaware of the total population of the RCMP Veterans community and thought that it was much smaller. Minister Thompson is going to convene a meeting on Parliament Hill with Mr. Lively for the 7/8th of October along with serving RCMP Members, VAC employees and a couple of other RCMP Veterans to attend. The purpose of this meeting would be to discuss the whole issue of RCMP Veterans programs including what we expected out of VAC for RCMP Veterans. Lively said it was a pleasure to meet with the Minister and that now Minister Thompson knows who we are and what we represent. The Minister has a great affinity for the Force and our meeting with the Minister should provide us with a greater understanding of what can be done for our Veterans. President Power advised that the Association had corresponded with the Minister’s predecessor on VIP and had received a reply. Power also said his department (VAC) should be aware of the Association if not the Minister personally. Power also stated he wrote the Commissioner about VIP as to where the submission from the RCMP stands. The Association was led to believe that the submission had gone to the Minister’s office when in fact it has not left the Commissioner’s office subject to final drafting. The President believes that D/Commissioner Martin can clarify to us what is happening with this submission in his presentation at this meeting as there has been a lot of false information on this issue from various sources over the past several years.

President Power also discussed the use of the word “veteran” and reference to military veterans as our “brothers”. The RCMP has used the word “veteran” for the past one-hundred years. However, Power finds it difficult to equate a “veteran” of the RCMP with a military veteran from the First or Second World War or even in the current situation in Afghanistan. RCMP members face danger but a different kind of danger from our serving “brothers” in the Military. The question as to whether we change our name should be discussed such as “RCMP Association of Former Members” or “the RCMP Fraternity” or some other designation. Canadian Forces veterans are receiving benefits from the VIP Program because the National Defense Act defined what a “veteran” is. The RCMP “veteran” is called a veteran because that is what we called ourselves when we formed the Association. Perhaps it is time for a change of name under our new by-laws and also to seek clarification of the status of RCMP Veterans under Veterans Affairs and included in a formal definition of veteran under Federal legislation. Power asked Nick Shaigec to consider this in the Committee’s review of the Constitution & By-laws. Shaigec commented that he could see a name change being a long and drawn out issue which could take four to five years to finalize by way of resolution. However, Shaigec feels that the definition of veteran has to be acceptable by Veterans Affairs and to the Military, etc. as to who we are.

Dale Lively also advised that Veterans Affairs Canada is our service provider because the RCMP has selected VAC and that it was time that the Association had an opportunity to provide input into such decisions. It is very difficult for a serving member of the Force to equate to what our veterans feel and need and the veterans should have a little autonomy in the areas of veterans’ affairs benefits. Dave LeBlanc also advised that all members of our Association are not retired members as only one day’s service in the RCMP makes one eligible for membership and should take that into consideration in any change of name of the Association.

Bill Maxwell advised that Lorne Hall had provided some material on the definition of veterans which basically covers this discussion and will distribute this to BOD members.

10. CONSTITUTION & BYLAWS

Nick Shaigec advised that as a result of the decision at the AGM in not passing the revised Constitution & By-laws, five Divisions have come on board to assist in reviewing any new version of the Constitution & By-laws for presentation at the AGM 2010 in Regina. Shaigec was appointed as Chair of this Committee by President Power at the BOD meeting in Whitehorse. Shaigec advised that he was disappointed the by-laws had not passed in Whitehorse and had in fact been approached by two voting delegates at the AGM who stated that they had not even seen the by-laws and didn’t care if they did. Shaigec sent out letters to all Committee members to set the stage for a review by asking what they liked, what they didn’t and what they would add on. Shaigec is receiving input from various participants on the Committee and the members of the Board on the committee are reviewing this material. The Committee is working on a final draft version and a consensus based on the submission from the Division volunteers at which time it will be sent to the Board Members and to Divisions for consideration at AGM 2010. This would be more user friendly, incorporate changes to the “Blue Book” and by-laws passed in subsequent AGM’s now in effect but not readily available to all Divisions. As a result of the Resolution being tabled at the last AGM 2010, President Power suggested one of two possible courses of action if there are not appreciable changes; 1) reintroduce the current version presented at AGM 2009 or 2) present an amended version with changes illustrated. Shaigec stated that during the AGM 2009, there was considerable misunderstanding about the tabling of the Resolution on the Constitution & By-laws and that by tabling this Resolution, it would not be considered until AGM 2010. Shaigec advised that at AGM 2010, the importance of passing these by-laws should be emphasized and that any small changes could be made later.

11. COMMUNICATION & MEMBERSHIP

Report from the Chair

Dave LeBlanc advised that since Whitehorse, the Committee has been formulated. As Chair of the Committee, LeBlanc has sent out a mandate to the group which includes Rick Morris, Bill Maxwell, Cal Small, Alex Geddes, Andy Anderson George Savage and Doug Langevin. This mandate would include a national application for membership on the website, and a national distribution of our package for our retirees as well as working with divisions and the RCMP to develop a disclosure area for retirees to allow us the name and address for retiring members. Also to develop a brochure to include with the RCMP and veterans pay envelopes and investigate how to get this done. Dave Leblanc stated that Howard Kearley of Manitoba Division passed away this year and he will be missed very much on this Committee. LeBlanc is going to follow up on Kearley’s suggestion that there be an award for either an individual or a division for membership activities and may entertain the name “Howard Kearley Award”. Dave LeBlanc as also sent a message to Assistant Commissioner Keith Clark asking for his support for Divisions to support the Veterans’ Package including the membership form, etc. At this time, policy in this area is not applied equally between Divisions and/or Regions of the RCMP. Tim Hoban advised that New Brunswick Division has developed a new membership form and will send it to LeBlanc along with the cover letter when approved. Any standard form would have to be translated before being placed on the National Website.

Website Update

Dave LeBlanc advised that Manitoba Division has requested to be placed on the national server as their webmaster has resigned. Bill Maxwell advised that there is an application form on the National Website at this time. It is an older version and could be easily updated as well. Maxwell advised he has had Bryan Neville connect with Manitoba Division as well as Kingston Division and Newfoundland & Labrador Division. The present server can handle all of the Division websites while Divisions would retain publishing rights. Bryan Neville will be updating the information on the committees, Board Members, etc. in the near future to reflect the last AGM. Maxwell advised that the webmaster is not receiving updated information from the National Office on Division Executives, etc. We had put the entire directory on the website and it is necessary to receive this input to keep our information current in an electronic format. We are getting submissions on a regular basis and they are placed on the website.

Newsletter

Rick Morris was not present at the meeting and no report received. President Power

suggested that there would be a newsletter published in the near future after the Board meeting.

12. BENEFITS COMMITTEE

Report from the Chair

Cal Small had no further information on the VIP Program to supplement the information provided by Deputy Martin and our correspondence to the Commissioner.

Report on Insurance Committee

Cal Small had a conversation with Supt. Gilles Moreau, Director of Compensation Services, who advised that the Pension Plan would be administered by PWGSC. The Insurance Plan administration has not been resolved as yet and Morneau Sobeco may be interested in continuing this service and there will be other expressions of interest. Treasury Board is now the Policy Holder and has been since April 1, 2009 and controls the meetings and the agenda. As a result, Small has no idea when there will be another meeting of the Insurance Committee. At the present time, they are looking at the roles and responsibilities and their (Treasury Board) future involvement. Small advised they are trying to improve benefits however the issue of increased premiums would be of concern to serving members. Up until recently, they have been trying to increase the benefits under the Optional Dependent Life Plan with the $5000 benefit to the spouse ends at age 60. One of the possibilities would be to increase the benefit to $10,000 at age 60 and this might be able to be accomplished. Small suggested that there could be benefits in the Optional Plan similar to the Basic Plan where there would be benefit at the time of death with a payout of $15,000. This could be a fairly expensive option and has yet to be discussed at the Insurance Committee. Small asked for input from Board members. Jim Forsyth asked whether there was any way to extend insurance coverage past age 70 or even 75. Small advised that the change to time of death could meet this gap. However it has yet to be discussed and if so, would be a greater benefit to those beyond age 60.

13. BENEFIT TRUSTS COMMITTEE:

1. Report from the Chair

Tim Hoban advised there is no problem with the BTF, with a couple of new applicants with about six on the go at any given time.

Benefit Trust Funds

John Religa advised there are three claims at the moment that he is awaiting a decision from the RCMP. President Power suggested that if there was a problem with these, then Deputy Martin be contacted. Religa stated that he suggested that these files be turned over to the RCMP Benefit Trust Fund Committee for a decision and if they are not approved, then the RCMP Vets’ Benefit Trust Fund would have to consider them. President Power suggested to John Religa that he determine whether the resources are being assigned by the RCMP to properly process these files. Religa advised there is a new Officer in Charge who is learning the procedures and he (Religa) will continue to monitor.

MARKETING COMMITTEE

1. Marketing Report

In regards to the pending discounts:

1: The Aviva Insurance discount will be available to be hooked-up to the web site on October 9th. They apologized for it taking so long. Now the question we need to answer to Kurt Insurance the Broker is how do they identify their customers as Vets? We could make it so that everyone needs to have an ID card from the Vets and they can fax a copy of it to the broker. Does anyone have a better idea? I don’t think everyone has a Vets ID card but it might get them going to get it.

2: Tip Top Tailor has not gotten back to me with a letter or graphics to use to install on the web site to advertise the 10% discount and how they want to identify us as Vets and to get a discount. We do not want them to issue cards to use because we then have to ship it all over the country and we have to carry another card in our wallets. I am trying to get him to put a sticker on our Vets ID cards to identify us a qualified for discounts. We have been having trouble in getting together for conversations. This is pending.

3: Avis/Budget has not sent the links for the internet. We are all signed for the discounts but can not connect with them yet to make the requests. This has been very maddening. I am waiting and continually calling her answering machine.

4: I have used the Nerds on Site and it worked great and it was a nice discount.

Rick Morris, Chair.

Dave LeBlanc requested the minutes to reflect recognition and appreciation of the good work that Rick Morris is doing in this area.

2. Update on the RCMP Foundation

Rick Morris was not able to attend this BOD meeting as he was attending the meeting of the Foundation in Toronto. He will report at the next BOD meeting on 1 DEC.

NATIONAL OPERATIONS COMMITTEE

Report from the Chair

John Religa advised the Committee had sent a three page report to Board members. The Committee will concentrate on the Operations Manual and has developed an outline. The objective is to have the Operations Manual ready when the By-laws are approved at the AGM 2010 and to place it on the website. Dave LeBlanc suggested that the new Operations Manual be placed on the website and then downloaded as and when required. President Power advised that this may be rather expensive at the Division level with someone’s personal computer. This will have to be discussed further by the Committee. President Power also requested that in the interim, any amendments to the Constitution & By-laws and the Operations Manual passed at previous Annual General Meetings be incorporated into a revised version for the interim. Dale Lively says he has such an electronic version and will forward it to John Religa at the earliest opportunity. Dave LeBlanc advised that the National Membership List and the History Project would be discussed by his committee at its next meeting and report back to the National Operations Committee.

OLD BUSINESS

AGM 2009

President Power advised that the new Constitution & By-laws was established as a result of the tabling of the Resolution on the By-laws. He advised that there were compliments on both the National Council meeting on Friday and the AGM on Saturday as to how efficiently they were conducted. The National Operations Committee will continue to review the format of these meetings and will report back to the Board. Nick Shaigec had been talking to Ron Pond who advised that there would be an accounting for AGM 2009 by the end of September but that Yukon Division had met its financial obligations.

Cypress Hills Division

Nick Shaigec advised that he had been in contact with this new division. The Division presently has thirty-six signed charter members. The Board did give provision approval for the formation of Cypress Hills Division on the 29th of April and under the provisions of the current by-laws, there is a window of opportunity of 6 months for current Divisons to oppose their application for a full Division status. That period will expire on the 28th October and the Division is all ready to accept the Charter once the Board gives the approval for full status if there are no objections received under Sec.127.4. Shaigec will be requesting Board approval by email after 28 October. In addition, Shaigec requested the Charter be prepared and that the President’s Medallion be presented at the same time. There are two members of Lethbridge Division who are prepared to transfer to Cypress Hills Division. President Power questioned the presentation of the Charter and asked Shaigec if he was prepared to go to a presentation or Dave LeBlanc if it was closer and more convenient. Shaigec advised that he would be able to fly there from Kelowna and is prepared to attend if the Board approves. There will be a dinner and both Lethbridge and Calgary Division will be represented.

President Power asked Shaigec to include a request for travel in his motion. Cal Small suggested that there could be a presentation at the AGM in Regina but it was felt that the Division would not want to wait until next June for official status and would prefer to attend the AGM as a full division. They would also prefer to present the Charter in the presence of all charter members of the new Division rather than to one representative in Regina. Shaigec will explore costings and get back to John Religa. Dave LeBlanc asked for tentative dates as he planned to be in Saskatchewan in November and could possibly drive to Medicine Hat for the presentation.

Update on NWT Division

Nick Shaigec advised that Dave Grundy is the current Acting President. He has a Secretary and has assumed all of the files from the late Paul Craig. They are attempting to reorganize and recruit members to heighten interest in reviving the Division. NWT Division is currently under suspension for non payment of dues and failing to comply with a holding of regular meetings. Grundy also advised they are not in a position to consider/discuss by-laws or other issues at this time. Shaigec will continue to monitor and hopefully NWT will be in a position to collect regular dues and be reinstated at a later date. Bill Maxwell advised that NWT is held in abeyance and will not need a new Charter at the time of their reinstatement.

NEW BUSINESS

Presentation by D/Commissioner Peter Martin, CHRO

Deputy Commissioner Martin was introduced by Bill Maxwell who provided a brief overview of D/C Martin’s career. Deputy Commissioner Martin stated that the Human Resources challenge has been an interesting one and that he has the interests of both serving and retired members issues. He proceeded to go over several issues that were of concern to the Association and then went on to provide an overview of the processing of the Veterans Independence Program. He stated that the package is moving ahead within the RCMP and that the Commissioner is a strong supporter of this initiative. The Force has requested a meeting with the Public Safety Minister and Central Agencies as the first step in the approval process and it will be given a priority basis. Hopefully approval will be received within this sitting period after which regulations would be developed. General discussion followed on the particulars of the proposed package. Dale Lively also advised the Deputy of the proposed meeting with Minister Thompson on the 7/8 of November and that he (Martin) may be interested in representing the Force at this meeting. Further information to follow on this meeting.

Deputy Martin stated that about one-half of the recommendations of the Change Management Initiatives are human resource issues and they have been working extremely hard to correct issues that have been outstanding for quite some time. One of the issues that he raised is the dental benefits in Alberta, with members not getting full reimbursement for their dental fees. He discovered that the dental fee structure had not been updated in approx. ten years and most findings were not in the members’ favour. He reviewed the entire situation and as a result ended up clearing 1400 files to serving members and 240 members that had subsequently retired. Martin has also ordered a review of the dental program across Canada. He is also reviewing some of the medical entitlements under Admin ll.18 some of which were out of date since 1992 and other revisions. Veterans affected by these reviews will be automatically paid.

In the area of Compensation, there is a lot of bureaucracy and Martin is reviewing some of the processes, such as approval of chiropractic services for members. For example, presently members have to have approval of the Health Services Officer when in fact such treatment could be approved by the member’s personal physician. In the area of forms, the Force currently has 48 forms and there is an initiative to reduce this to 4 or 5.

Priorities for the year ahead include governance, labour relations, including a new framework on the staff relations program and third, leadership. Martin is also concerned about wellness. In reference to the Change Management, RIC report and its overview of the process that along with improving communications, that Human Resources have been told to move ahead on leadership issues.

As for the relationship between the Force and the Veterans’ Association, a lot of work and contact is done through the Committee in the Ottawa area. As a result of this, the CHRO is prepared to fund a clerical and administrative support for the Veterans’ Association and provide a more interactive relationship. He sees this as a full time position and we would have to work together to ensure the role requirements are adequate. He has also discussed this with the Senior Deputy who is also in favour of this. As to reporting relationship, he stated that it would depend on how much independence would be required, whether the individual works out of the Office of the CHRO or in our National Office. Most of the Veterans involved in the Association are volunteers and one advantage of being in the Office of the CHRO is that initiatives can be monitored and moved along from/to the various policy centres. Bill Maxwell also mentioned that as a Public Service Employee, there would have to be a formal arrangement with the CHRO in any event.

Martin also stated that since he became CHRO, his dealings with Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) and the Military have improved including participation in an Advisory Committee which goes over the services provided by VAC and how they are being delivered, how they can be improved, etc. So by funding this support service, he can see the Association in a closer relationship and being able to participate in more of these types of committees for the Veterans Community. He also stated that VAC is keenly interested in working with the Force and its veterans and is interested in putting more emphasis on this relationship to solve some of the outstanding issues. President Power advised that he is very interested in the offer for clerical support to assist our National Operations. Bill Maxwell advised that in discussions he had with Deputy Martin, there was strong support for a working relationship between the Force and the Association from Deputy Martin’s office. Maxwell also advised that the National Operations Committee would work with Deputy Martin to establish the requirements for this position. Maxwell also asked Deputy Martin about a one-stop point of contact between the RCMP and the Association for veterans’ issues. Deputy Martin advised that if there is any issue involving the Association, his office would be the sole point of contact. President Power thanked Deputy Martin for his time and clarification of issues. He also advised Deputy Martin that correspondence had gone to the Commissioner on the VIP issue.

AGM 2009 Red Deer Insurance Motion

John Religa provided a briefing note. There were problems with the AGM Red Deer Resolution including the fact that it does not take into consideration the non-payment of life members to the Insurance. General discussion then followed on various options.

It was suggested that a resolution be presented at AGM 2010 increasing the per capita to$25 which would include the insurance premium presented to Divisions of $3.00. The reason for this change is that life members were not included in the calculation in the Red Deer resolution. It would then be up to Divisions to either charge their life members the $3.00 or not. The shortfall for this year is out of general funds. Dave LeBlanc suggested that the National Treasurer send out a notice to the Divisions highlighting the situation and advising that the situation may be clarified by a resolution at AGM 2010. John Religa will have this prepared for the next Board meeting.

Benefit Trust Fund(s) Charitable Donation Contributions

John Religa stated that as a result of a resolution from Manitoba Division, the RCMP Benefit Trust Fund would be matched by a $50 donation from the RCMP Vets BTF on the death of a Veteran. Religa advised there are inconsistencies in the application of this policy, with some Divisions giving two donations @ $50 each to different charities, etc. Some Divisions only donate $50 and other Divisions look after their own. It has become very difficult to administer. Religa is proposing that the Board direct where monies from the BTF go directly to a specified charity or organization such as the Heritage Centre which is a registered charity in memory of members who have passed away in the past year. The RCMP BTF will pay up to $100 on the death of a former member and the RCMP BTF will pay $50 to a chartable organization on the death of a former member. At the AGM in Winnipeg, it was decided that the RCMP Vets BTF also donate $50 to a chartable organization on the death of a former member if the Division requests it. There was some discussion on the wording of the resolution in Winnipeg. Dave LeBlanc explained that the policy at the time was for the RCMP BTF $100 floral, $50 chartable. For the RCMP Vets BTF, it was decided that the Association would “top up” the chartable donation from the Vets BTF so that both were $100. There had been a resolution passed in Kelowna that the RCMP contribute $100 to a chartable donation. Subsequently, the RCMP was approached and declined to change its policy.

Bill Maxwell suggested that if the $50 would go to a chartable donation selected by the Board such as the Heritage Centre, then the calculation would be based on the Honour Role which is presented at each AGM. John Religa said if this policy were adopted, then $50 would come out of the RCMP BTF to a charity of choice and the other $50 from the RCMP Vets’ BTF would be donated to a charity of the Board’s choice such as the Heritage Centre. Dave LeBlanc advised that a resolution to this effect should be presented at the next AGM.

President Power questioned how the families would be notified of such a donation. Tim Hoban agreed with Dave LeBlanc that a resolution be prepared for the AGM 2010 and then let the Divisions decide which policy they could work with. Dale Lively stated that the Heritage Centre has a card which the Centre uses to acknowledge donations. This could be used to let the family know that such a donation has been made by the Board of Directors.

John Religa will prepare a resolution for the next BOD meeting. DEFERRED

BOD Meeting 25 February

President Power advised there was a proposal to have a BOD meeting in 25 February and that consideration of this matter was deferred from our last BOD meeting. General discussion followed and the National Treasurer advised that there was money available and could come out of the Reserve Fund. Dave LeBlanc felt that there would have to be a good agenda with results to show to the membership. Bill Maxwell advised that this meeting would have to be coupled with a meeting with the Senior Management of the RCMP and other areas. President Power said he had no strong opinion either way but would leave it to the Board. John Religa advised that we should be looking at the Canadian Police College to keep costs to a reasonable level. Tim Hoban stated that he works with people in Compensation and other areas and has never met them. He felt that a meeting in Ottawa would be an excellent opportunity for sidebar discussions over the two or three days.

The Board voted for a meeting in February (4 voted for and 3 abstained). President Power assigned the Executive Director to look after the logistics for the February meeting and arrange costs which could then be discussed and approved at the November meeting.

APPROVED

GOOD OF THE ASSOCIATION

Dedication of Monument at Pink Mountain

Nick Shaigec provided an overview of the dedication of the monument at Pink Mountain and the history of this area. In the company of representatives from Prince George Division, they drove to Pink Mountain and the monument. Shaigec also provided a description of the monument and the ceremony. There was also a representative from the BC Tourism and the Federal Government as well as current Force from Fort St. John and a First Nations representative. There were photographs available and Shaigec provided his greetings from the RCMP Veterans’ Association and the Board of Directors. Shaigec felt it was a very beneficial exercise for the Association. Jim Forsyth asked whether there was any representation from the BC Provincial Police. Shaigec advised there was not.

National Secretary

Bill Maxwell announced his resignation as National Secretary effective as of the next Board meeting. President Power asked that he stay on as long as possible until a replacement is identified and asked Board members to identify a suitable replacement. The Board will make the final decision on a replacement to fill the term until the AGM 2010 in June. The President thanked Bill for his help to himself and the Board.

** Nick Shaigec- subsequent to the Board Meeting, Director Shaigec resigned as of September 30th. Resignation to take effect immediately.

Suggestion Box:

Nick Shaigec asked whether the Board sees a need for a suggestion box. Dave LeBlanc suggested he liked the idea and would bring it in front of the Membership & Communication Committee.

19: NEXT MEETING:

*BOD #8 December 1, 2009 at 0830 Ottawa.

All members of the Board of Directors present in Ottawa.

NOTA: Subsequent to the Board meeting of 25 SEP, arrangements were made to have the Board of Directors meeting with all participants in Ottawa on December 1, 2009 instead of 25 Nov.

20:CLOSING REMARKS:

President Power closed the meeting and thanked everyone for their participation.

W.E. Maxwell

National Secretary

Ottawa

2009.11.21

bmaxwell@trytel.net

Royal Canadian Mounted Police Veterans' Association

Board of Directors Meeting 7 - September 2009

Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Veterans' Association