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LETTER: CLE hiding behind rules

To the editor: In all my years as director of the CLE Board and the Canadian Association of Fairs and Exhibitions, I have never seen anything as egregious as the changes to bylaws that are being proposed by the CLE Board.

To the editor:

In all my years as director of the CLE Board and the Canadian Association of Fairs and Exhibitions, I have never seen anything as egregious as the changes to bylaws that are being proposed by the CLE Board. Drastic actions are being taken to change the bylaws to protect certain Directors from being voted off and keep stop those that ask questions.

I have some questions to pose to the Directors who have supported and approved these bylaws:

Why are you making additions and changes, many of which seem punitive, to over 50 areas of the bylaw document in use since 1996, originally drafted over the course of 12 months with the assistance of a lawyer well versed in these areas,?

Has the board sought legal advice in drafting these bylaws? It surely doesn’t seem so. I have reviewed the Agricultural and Ontario Corporations Acts and many of these changes go against these laws. ( i.e. resolutions requiring changes to the bylaws and removal of a director requiring two-thirds of votes to pass now being changed to a simple majority.)

How do you plan to protect sensitive and private information to be collecting on your new membership application?

Will the current board and members be required to provide this information or only new members? What criteria will you now use to accept members?

Since you are now requiring police records checks for those who want to run for the board, or volunteer, will all current  directors and associate directors be required to provide the same? And if not, why not?

Freedom of speech in Canada is protected as a "fundamental freedom" by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Why do you feel you have the right to limit the free speech of CLE members and directors?

Based on previous experience at the January AGM, I fear that I and others will be called out of order again when raising important questions as mentioned.

In my opinion the only way to voice my concern, is to go public.

Direct communication whether in writing or in person proved fruitless, as requests by me and others for information have been ignored. If these bylaws pass, they may use them to remove me as a member.

If current or past members or the public disagree with the direction this board is taking, get a membership and come out to the three meetings on Sept. 29, 30 and Oct 1.

Contact Helen Scutt, at the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture at 1-888-466-2372, extension 63115 or by email at Helen.scutt@ontario.ca as well as your local MPP to express your concerns.

Laura Harnett,
Thunder Bay

 





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