Synopsis of BCOTFA Executive Meetings

This page has been inserted in response to a request for more information / feedback to the Branches and indeed to all our members on the proceedings and activities of the Provincial Executive.
The in-depth details of the roles and responsibilities of the BCOTFA is contained in the By-Laws which apply to the Provincial Executive as well as all the Branches and their members, however the basic roles and responsibilities of the BCOTFA Provincial Executive are:

– To offer guidance and assistance to Branches in matters related to our By-Laws
– To share ideas and activities throughout the province as they relate to fiddling
– To make recommendations of candidates for the Canadian Grand Masters invitational competition
– To provide insurances as approved by membership at the AGM

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SYNOPSIS OF AUGUST 31, 2023 EXECUTIVE MEETING VIA ZOOM:

 Correspondence: “Thank You’s” were received from the Quesnel Branch re our participation in their 50th contest celebration, and from Central Fraser Valley Fiddlers re our participation at their 50th year celebration in Abbotsford.
 Old Business: Jackie has not yet had any feedback from Branches having workshops, etc. as to recommendations for the 2024 Canadian Grand Masters which will be held in Whitehorse,
Yukon. 2025 CGM in Kamloops has not yet been confirmed.
 Our Association had 388 members at the end of 2022.
 CGM 2023: Max Francis placed 5th & Michael Burnyeat placed 8th at the CGM in Truro, NS.
 Provincial Contest & AGM: Will be in Kamloops September 16/23 – AGM to start at 9:00 am
at Heritage House
 Some wording changes to the contest rules will be recommended at the AGM: those being“Contestants must play a waltz, a jig, and a breakdown (Tunes in 2/4, 4/4 time; ie hornpipe, reel,
polka, two-step, hoedown are accepted). All tunes must be played in the old time style.” Also,
Rule #8 would need to be changed to match. And changing Rule #13 to read “that out of
Province competitors may enter all categories except the Championship Class”.
 The treasurer received approval to pay the Insurance which comes due in September on behalf of all the branches

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SYNOPSIS OF MARCH 16, 2023 EXECUTIVE MEETING VIA ZOOM:

 Correspondence: Request from Kamloops Branch to be discussed under new business.

Sympathy cards have been sent to the families of Evan Sanyshyn of Surrey  & Cress Farrow of Merritt who both passed away recently.

• Old Business: Jackie has been in touch with some of the branches holding Workshops etc. to see if they can submit any names of people who might be recommended for the 2024 Grand Masters.
• CGM 2023: Will take place in Truro, NS.  Florence was in touch with our 4 recommendations.  Alex Randall is not a member, the other 3 – Max Francis, Nolan MacFarlane & Andrew Goulet were excited that we had considered them & appreciative of travel assistance should they be invited & attend.
• Provincial Contest & AGM: Will be in Kamloops September 16/23 – AGM to start at 9:00 am at Heritage House.  Kamloops requested and received approval for up to $525 to assist them in increasing the prize money for Out of Province category at this years’ contest.
•  CGM 2025: The Kamloops Branch requested & received a commitment of $3,500 (1^st prize) + $ 2,392.70 which came to us from the 2019 CGM.

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Synopsis of FEBRUARY 9, 2023 EXECUTIVE MEETING VIA ZOOM

· Correspondence: Note from Yazmin Casal thanking the BCOTFA for an informative Website which assisted her daughter while working on a Girl Scout badge project. Also a note from Dale McGregor was received with an idea of livestreaming dances/events. Dale will be contacted for next possible steps.

· Old Business: Regarding the status of Branches AGM’s, not all Branches had submitted the requested information & it will be necessary to follow up further.

· CGM 2023: Will take place in Truro, NS. If they are members, we will recommend the top 4 Championship placements from our two 2022 BCOTFA contests. Those recommended members who attend the CGM, will receive $ 500 from our Association to assist with travel expenses.

· Newsletter: Elizabeth Ewen was thanked for taking on the task of putting together the Feb/23 issue.

· Provincial Contest & AGM: Looking for different locations to hold.

· Discussion re Contest Rules regarding Reel/Breakdown: Hal Giles & Doreen Rail were asked to come up with a change to the wording that could be taken to the next AGM for approval.

· CGM 2025: The Kamloops Branch is attempting to get information with respect to hosting.

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Synopsis of Executive Meeting of September 19, 2022

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Minutes of February 3, 2022 Executive Skype meeting

Minutes of the October 13, 2021 Skype meeting were accepted as provided on Motion by John Tribe, 2^nd Karen Omit & Carried.

Treasurer’s Report: Florence Tellier reported that the bank balance at December 31, 2021 was $16,824.89.  Some branches are now submitting the per capita dues & approximately $1,600.00 was deposited in January.  The above report was accepted on Motion by Florence Tellier, 2^nd John Tribe & Carried.

Correspondence:  Note from Hal Giles indicating that Williams Lake is struggling to carry on.

    Letter from Mark Sullivan requesting financial support for a CD project (discussed under new business).

Total membership information:  With only 7 of the 13 branches having reported so far, total membership not available.

Old Business:  None.  

New Business:  AGM – Jackie advised that we must have an AGM in 2022.  Motion by John Tribe, 2^nd Jean Gelinas to plan for an October 2, 2022 Zoom meeting at 10:00 am.  Carried.  This could be changed to an in person meeting or it could be a combination of in person & Zoom.

Mark Sullivan request for financial assistance – Motion by John Tribe to not support with $$ in advance, 2^nd Karen Omit.

Amended Motion by John Tribe to not support with $$ in advance of production of CD, but would support once produced, 2^nd Jean Gelinas & Carried.

Next meeting tentatively Thursday September 1, 2022 at 7:00 pm

There being no further business the meeting adjourned at 7:34 pm 

Florence Tellier, Secretary-Treasurer

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Synopsis of BCOTFA Skype Meeting of February 4, 2021 

Synopsis of BCOTFA Skype Meeting of September 24, 2020:

–         Motion was passed to carry forward the Nov/19 motion with respect to our recommendations to the 2020 CGM (which did not place), to 2021.

–         Funds were received from the 2019 CGM & a motion was made to hold these funds in general revenue for the time being.

–         A motion was passed  to waive the per capita dues and Provincial Contest fees from the Branches for the coming year.

–         Motion was passed to renew our insurance coverage coming due on October 1, 2020.

–         Order from the Registrar of Companies re AGM’s during Covid-19 was reviewed & tabled until next meeting (tentatively in February, 2021)

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March 12, 2020 Skype meeting.

Re:  Judging for Contests:  John Tribe had prepared a report on some inconsistencies in Judging of contests.

-Suggestions that rules should be brought up at any BCOTFA contest so Judges & competitors are aware of & abide by these rules.

-The executive will recommend that the Contest Committees should attach a copy of the rules with Judges invitation & also to as many competitors invitations as possible, & that at time of registration competitors be given a copy of the rules if they do not already have one.

– A letter will be prepared with respect to the above & sent to all Branches

$35.00 Provincial Contest Fee:  There had been some discussion as to what the funds were to be used for.  Motion by John Tribe, 2^nd Jean Gelinas that we remind branches that a portion of the funds collected by the Provincial body & then forwarded to the Provincial Contest host branch be used to cover the cost of engraving on Provincial perpetual trophies.  Carried.

Funds From 2019 Canadian Grand Masters:  Jackie has been advised that we will receive some funds from the Canadian Grand Masters held in Abbotsford, BC.  but has not been able to get any more details at this time.

Merritt Branch:  John Tribe & 3 others attended their open house about 3 weeks ago which brought out around 30 to 40 people.  From those people, 3 or 4 fiddlers & about 6 guitar players appeared.

Next meeting tentatively August 6^th at 7:00 pm

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Skype Meeting of November 21, 2019

–         The Association will be recommending Kai Gronberg, Chloe Davison, Anita Mamela, Hunter Grosse Pearen & Michael Burnyeat as possible competitors at the 2020 CGM in Winnipeg.

–         The BCOTFA will provide travel grants of $300 each to the above, provided that they are invited, attend and are current members of the BCOTFA

–         We will be increasing our Liability Insurance to $5 Million, from $2 Million, as certain venues used by some Branches have requested the $5 Million.

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Skype Executive Meeting May 14, 2019

•  Having missed this at the last Skype meeting, it was decided that if our Junior Showcase recommendation is invited to perform at the 2019 CGM, we will provide him with $250 as a travel grant.  This would be the same as we are providing any of our recommended competitors who are invited & able to attend.
•   2019 Annual General Meeting is to be held in Kamloops on September 15^th, following the Provincial Fiddle Contest.
•  It was decided that the Provincial Association will pay for the 2019-2020 Insurance on behalf of the Branches and will continue to do so as long as funds permit.
• It was noted that the total number of members in down by 35 in 2018, with total being 505.
•  Jackie Davis will act as the nominating committee for the 2019-2020 Board.

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SYNOPSIS OF FEBRUARY 6, 2019 EXECUTIVE MEETING

Correspondence:  A note was received from Chloe Nakahara thanking us for the financial support re the 2018 Grand Masters & John Tribe had received new contact info for the Gronbergs.

CGM 2019:  Mark Sullivan was supposed to have joined this call to update us on the progress of plans but we were not able to connect with him.  The $3,500.00 sponsorship for 1^st prize has been sent.  Some other help will be needed.  We do not know if our recommendations re competing at the CGM have been contacted as yet.

Provincial AGM location:  Will take place after the CGM on Sunday August 25/19 at the Sandman Hotel in Abbotsford.

Travel Funds for 2019 CGM:  It was decided that we would support our recommended competitors with $ 250 each.

Review of 2019 Financials:  We will be asking Ada Brown if she will do this for us again.

Next meeting scheduled for Wednesday May 8, 2019.

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 SYNOPSIS OF OCTOBER 17, 2018 EXECUTIVE MEETING 

 Correspondence: A note was received from Michael Burnyeat thanking us for recommending him to the 2018 CGM committee & for the travel grant. 

 CGM 2019: An update had been received from Mark Sullivan. At this time they have $12,000 pledged towards their $30,000 Budget and are asking the Branches for help with fundraising ideas, sponsorships, etc. 

 Newsletter: Very little feedback has been received re the new format (PDF file to each of the Branches). 

 Grand Masters 2018: Michael Burnyeat, Lia Gronberg, & Quinn Etheridge Pedden attended from BC. Barry Nakahara advised the Chloe Nakahara had also attended. 

 Website: Jackie Davis requested information for activities to be posted on the event calendar & asked for ideas for any other information on the site. 

 Feedback on online registration: It worked well for Kamloops contest, but for Quesnel there was a problem with e-mails not going through to the Quesnel contact. 

 By-Laws Registration: The new by-laws as approved at the June 3, 2018 AGM have been received by BC Registries – it was confirmed on September 26th that the filing had been received & transition completed. 

 By-Law Booklets: A request had been received for a smaller version of the By-Laws to be posted to the Website & Jackie has done that. 

 2019 CGM: We will be recommending that the following be invited to compete: Michael Burnyeat, Kai Gronberg, Chloe Nakahara, Anita Mamela & Lia Gronberg + Chloe Davidson. 

 Junior Showcase: We will be recommending Hunter Pearen as a possible Jr. Showcase performer. 

 Travel Funds: Tabled until the next Skype meeting. 

 Insurance: The Provincial Association paid for the insurance on behalf of all Branches for the 2018-2019 year. The cost of insurance remained the same as last year. 

 Discussion re AGM in conjunction with the CGM: Tabled ‘til next Skype meeting. 

 Discussion re how to help Branches get a full Board of Directors: Encourage them to keep trying to fill all positions. If they can’t, the Provincial body is to be advised. 

 CGM 2019 Advertising: It was decided that we should advise the CGM committee that they can have a full page ad in each of the next two issues of the B.C. Fiddle News at no cost. 

 Next meetings scheduled for Wednesday’s January 9, 2019, May 8, 2019, August 16, 2019 & November 6, 2019. 

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Synopsis of Skype Meeting of May 9, 2018

• Grand Masters 2018:  We understand that the selection committee has invited 3 of our recommendations Michael Burnyeat, Lia Gronberg & Quin Etheridge-Pedden and our alternate Chloe Nakahara has been invited.  We don’t know about Anita Mamela.
• Junior Showcase:  We had made two recommendations but Maria Newton was considered too old for the Jr. Showcase & Hunter Grosse-Pearen was not invited due to the large number of recommendations from across the country, of which the committee could only invite 3.
• Grand Masters 2019: The Provincial BCOTFA has been asked if we would sponsor the 1^st Place position for the 2019 CGM which will take place in BC.  We will recommend that we provide the $3,500.00 sponsorship.
• New By Laws:  We will be making a recommendation at the AGM that the section regarding Proxy Voting will be removed & we will leave 4.11 as it was previously “Voting by proxy is not permitted” and that instead we add the ability for members to vote by electronic means, and those who attend the full meeting by electronic means will count towards the Quorum.
• Newsletters:  The increasing costs of newsletter printing & postage was discussed.  We will be making a recommendation at the AGM that we send a PDF version of the newsletter electronically to each Branch and that each Branch could then choose to print as many copies as they require.
• Nominations:  Jackie Davis has made a few calls but more people are needed to run for positions on the Executive.
• Fraudulent emails:  E-mails requesting payments have been received by members of the Executive.  Jackie was able to change the Website so that we can still be contacted by e-mail, but our actual e-mail addresses are hidden.  This seems to have stopped the scammers.
• Website:  Provincial Website has been updated by all except 3 of our Branches at this time.
• Next Meeting:  Scheduled for October 10, 2018

Florence Tellier, Secretary-Treasurer   Kamloops Old Time Fiddlers

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Skype Executive Meeting of Feb. 5th, 2018

–         Florence Tellier reported that income is down slightly and expenses are going up, in particular the cost of the newsletter.   Membership is down, but only by about 10 members in total across all Branches

–         Re:  Provincial Website – John Tribe is still looking after, but Jackie Davis has taken over events page & anyone wanting events posted should let her know.  About 50% of the Branch pages on the website are not up to date.

–         Canadian Grand Masters 2018 will be in Orleans, Ontario on Aug 25^th

–         The BCOTFA has recommended that the following be invited to the 2018 CGM – Michael Burnyeat, Quin Etheridge-Pedden, Lia Gronberg & Anita Mamela, with Chloe Nakahara as an alternate.  If they are invited and are current members, they will be provided with a travel grant from the BCOTFA to a total of $1,400 with a maximum of $400 per person.  Should our Jr. Showcase recommendations (Hunter Grosse-Pearen & Maria Newton) be invited we will provide a travel grant of $300 each.

–         Letter was received from Mark Sullivan re hosting 2019 CGM in BC – February 15^th is the date he will receive the anticipated approval for BC to host, & it would likely be in Abbotsford.

–         There was no objection to Branches setting up their own Facebook page, if they wished to do so.

–         Jackie Davis has recommended to the Branches that they attempt to fill all 9 Executive positions at their AGM, & if not able to at that time, that they continue to do so throughout the year.

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Skype Executive Meeting of November 20, 2017

 –         The idea of a Skype contest has been put on hold for now as it has been too difficult to get competitors interested.

–         Draft #5 of the proposed new By-Laws will be voted on at the 2018 AGM.

–         Canadian Grand Masters 2018.  We have not been able to get any information yet as to where & if it will be held.  Possible recommendations of contestants were discussed should a CGM competition take place in 2018.

–         Canadian Grand Master 2019.  There is a proposal to bring this to Mission, BC.  All branches have indicated support.  All executive were in favour of Mark Sullivan spearheading a committee for this event.

–         Kelowna Branch has agreed to host the 2018 AGM in Kelowna in June.

–         Kamloops Branch is planning to host an Old Time Fiddle Contest on September 8, 2018.

–         Jackie Davis is to follow up on who will continue to update the Website.

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Skype Executive Meeting of July 10, 2017

– the only item of significance was that – A motion was made for the Association to again pay for the D & O and Liability  insurance on behalf of all the Branches for 2017-2018.

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Skype Conference Call of April 24, 2017

– A draft statement of income & expense for the fiscal year end March 31, 2017 was distributed showing Income of $ 9,112.47 & Expenses of $ 5,903.24.

– Skype Contest – no further progress at this time as it has been difficult to get contestants interested.  Suggestion to try a “mock” Skype contest – maybe next November.

– Concerns of Branch # 4 – a letter was finalized & sent to the Branch & an e-mail was received back from Vivienne Chin with thanks.

– Status of CGM recommendations:  From what we have heard, it would appear that all four of our recommendations (Chloe Davidson, Brittany Iwanciwski, Kai Gronberg & Chloe Nakahara) have been invited & are planning to attend. We have also heard that Lia Gronberg has been invited by the committee as well.

– There is a request from the Quesnel Branch re the Oct 7, 2017 Provincial Contest.  They are needing some help with auditing & also at the door.  The word is being put out in Kamloops, Kelowna & Prince George.  Quesnel has also asked for suggestions re MC & Judges.  Doug Borden was suggested as a possible MC & names brought up re Judging were Ben Beveridge from Vernon, Sydney Wilson, Chloe Davidson & an Ingrid “someone” from Williams Lake.

– In preparation for the transition to the new B.C. Societies Act (deadline of Nov, 2018 to transition) Jackie Davis has done some research, as has Florence Tellier, but more information is still needed.  There was a discussion as to which of the 4 types of Societies we would best fit into. Jackie & Florence to get further info in the next week or so & then send out an e-mail to all Branches looking for feedback from them.

– Next meeting to be July 10, 2017

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Skype Meeting January 23, 2017

– Treasurer reported that during the period April 1/16 to December 31/16 income was $ 5,281, Expenses were $ 4,145 for a gain during that period of $ $ 1,135.

– Skype Contest:  John Tribe has not yet been successful in his attempts to arrange this, but is willing to continue trying.

– There was a query as to whether one round of play at a contest would be acceptable & it was felt that there is nothing in the Provincial Contest rules to indicate that there must be two.

– 2017 Canadian Grand Masters:  Based on only two contests in 2016, we are recommending to the Grand Masters committee that the following four be invited from BC:  Chloe Davidson, Chloe Nakahara, Brittany Iwanciwski and Kai Gronberg.   We are recommending Lia Gronberg and Micki-Lee Smith as alternates if needed.

– 2017 CGM is in Quebec and it was recommended that the travel grant for this year be increased from $300 to $ 400.

– The new Societies Act was brought up and is to be investigated further prior to the the next Skype meeting which is scheduled for April 24, 2017.

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Skype Meeting of April 17, 2016

• Old Business:
• Fiddle contests an idea to have a contest via Skype
• When to do?   Skype contest: possibly in November 2016
  • Shamma, Patti, Mark, agree that they would be interested in participating as JudgesEach branch could find a center venue to set up Skype contest, possibly a school, hall, board room.Venue to have for best connection would be hard wired internet, Wi-Fi or telephone speaker access.Hold the event on a SaturdaySkype has 25 connections for Audio and 10 connections for VideoMarks from Judges might be able to be texted to a location to be totaled.
• Canadian Grand Masters Cash Contribution has been sent out.
• CGM Contestant recommendations: Confirmation to be sought
• All branches to provide the Provincial Secretary  a current board of Directors, their contact information, along with a list of all the Branch members.
• New business
• Branch #4 update: An in camera session was held with the Branch.
• Nominating committee
•  Report:
  • All Branches have been contacted however not many have got back to us
  • We will again to contact all the Branches before the AGM in Kelowna in June 2016
• Motion Made and Carried to Not make any changes to the bylaws until the Government has given a list of requirements. Discussion on the change of time on the AGM in Kelowna to be earlier in the day.
• Action: all Board members to have a look on the web for the Synopsis of BCOTFA Executive Meetings
• Next Skype meeting is scheduled for May 29, 2016