Who is attending the AGM ?

[Bob Gillanders]

As I understand it, nobody can hold more than 10% of the votes.

But as an example, what if:

Governors in attendance = 15
Proxies = 12
Total votes = 27.

What is 10%? 10% of 27 = 2.7 Do we round up to 3 or not.

Assuming for the moment we don't round up, so use 2.

As a governor, do I count my own vote as 1 of the 2.
So, I only get 1 proxy?
As a non governor, can I vote 2 proxies?


I think we should answer the questions before July 12th!!!

[Bob Armstrong]

Hi Bob G:

I just sent your post to Maurice Smith, who dealt with these exact questions last year when he chaired the AGM. I can't remember what he ruled though. It may be in the 2009 AGM minutes ( I haven't looked ).

I asked if Maurice would post a reply so all will know.

Bob A

[Fred McKim]

You can't hold proxies totalling more than 10% of the total vote. If the total vote is 28 you can hold two proxies (plus your own, if you're a governor)...

[Bob Armstrong]

Hi Fred:

I have now looked at the Edmonton 2009 AGM minutes. I don't know if Maurice's ruling last year agrees with you ( Last year I thought it was what you said, but when Maurice ruled, I deferred to his experience, and didn't question his ruling - as I recollect, I started with 2 proxies last year ( von Keitz and Craft ), and had to give one of them to someone else ):

Governors Present - 8
Proxies Filed - 16
Proxies allowed to be held by governors - 1 ( + their own vote; I believe Maurice interpreted it as any governor having a maximum of 2 votes, since 10% of 25 votes = 2.5 votes, and it must be rounded down to 2 )
Proxies allowed to Non-Governors - 1
Proxies held by Secretary - 5 ( because no one else at the meeting could hold any more proxies ).

I think Maurice will have to clear all this up, and confirm whether I'm interpreting the minutes correctly.

Here are the Minutes:

1. Registration of Proxies

Governors holding Proxies
David Steer- Micah Hughey
Michael Barron-Ilia Bluvshtein
Phil Haley-Les Bunning
Eric Van Dusen-Halldor Palsson
Maurice Smith-Lynn Stringer
Bob Armstrong-Michael Von Keitz
Hal Bond-Patrick McDonald
Ken Einarsson-Lyle Craver

Members holding one proxy

Francois Nadeau-Ellen Nadeau
Bill Doubleday-Herb Langer
Hugh Brodie-Richard Keep

Gerry Litchfield acting as secretary of proxies only voting when explicitly instructed:

Nava Starr
Stijn De Kerpel
Gary Gladstone
Chris Mallon
Ken Craft
Egidijus Zeromskis

Total Votes are 25.

Here is the Proxy section from the CFC Handbook:

RULES AND REGULATIONS OF THE CHESS FEDERATION OF CANADA

ARTICLE ONE



PROXIES

21. Any Governor who is unable to be personally present at a meeting of the Assembly may appoint any person to act as his proxy.

Proxies made out to "The Secretary" will be distributed to CFC Members, present at the meeting, who do not have a vote. Preference will be given to members of the same province as the proxy giver. Non-Governors may not receive more than one proxy by this method. Remaining proxies of this type will not be used.

No person shall act as proxy for more than 10% of all possible votes. Any Governor receiving more than the maximum allowed must distribute the excess, first to any alternate designees by the proxy giver and then at his own discretion.



Bob

[Fred McKim]

Section 2.22 - I think the 10% rule was misinterpreted by the chair, and this is why the Secretary ended up holding so many proxies.

If Maurice is acting as chair this year, I think this needs to be cleared up ahead of time.

[Maurice Smith]

There are two ways to interpret thr proxy rule. First, the intent was to not allow a person to be able to vote more than 10 percent of the total votes.
I think that is something that most people would think as reasonable. So if there is a total of 27 votes and a person has two proxies plus his own vote, he has three votes which is more than 10 percent.

However, if you take the ruling literally, it states: "No person shall ACT AS PROXY for more than 10 percent of all possible votes. So that means if there are 27 votes and someone has two proxies, the person is not ACTING AS PROXY for more than 10 percent of the total votes. So under that ruling the person is allowed two proxies.

I get the feeling that most Governors would prefer this rule since it allows more proxies to be used. So therefore between 20 and 29 you may have two proxies, between 30 and 39 three proxies and so on. I don't think there will be many {if any} complaints doing it this way. So unless there is a strong wave of protest, that is what we shall do. Thanks for bringing it up, it is always good to know the rules beforehand.

Maurice Smith

[Bob Armstrong]

Hi Maurice:

Very clearly set out - and I think the vast majority of governors will agree with the interpretation of the Handbook you are intending to follow this year.

So governors attending now know what to expect when the total governors present, and proxies, are registered and totalled at the start of the meeting. As the number of proxies a governor agrees to hold goes up, so does the risk he may have to hand some of them off.

Thanks for clarifying in advance.

Bob

[Pierre Dénommée]

I will be there unless I have a scheduling conflict. I will post a message as soon as I am sure.

[Michael von Keitz]

I will be there, and I am willing to hold proxies if approached.

[Bob Gillanders]

CHESS FEDERATION OF CANADA
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Westin Harbour Castle Hotel, Queen's Quay, Toronto
Room - Dockside 8 - Basement
Monday July 12th & Tuesday July 13th
10:00am - 4:00pm

If you're going to be at the Canadian Open, why not drop in on the annual general meeting. I see the notice is prominently displayed on CFC website.

This is the one time during the year that governors from across the country get together, face to face, to deal with the challenges of promoting chess in Canada. This meeting is open to all CFC members. You do not need to be a governor. If you have questions, comments, suggestions, or just a complaint. We want to hear from you. Who knows, maybe you'll even volunteer to help.

I will be there, and hopefully I will meet a few governors for the first time. Geography is a challenge. For those governors unable to attend, please make use of your proxy vote. Assign your proxy to someone you trust, and remember to give whatever instructions you wish.