2023 Annual General Meeting (AGM) Minutes

Minutes of the Annual General Meeting (AGM)
of the Canadian Science Fiction & Fantasy Association (CSFFA)
via Zoom, June 25, 2023.

Thirty minutes’ meeting. Minutes by Murray Moore.

Attending at 1 p.m. E.S.T. were board members Murray Moore (President), Cliff Samuels (Aurora Awards Administrator), Shannon Allen (Publicity & Media; Professional Development Grant Programme).

Also present were Christian Sauve (Webmaster) and members Alyssa Karon, Melanie Marttila, Don Miasek, Michael Simon, Garth Spencer.

Twenty members of CSFFA voted on every motion presented to the membership before the 2023 CSFFA AGM. Twelve members were needed for the required quorum. Elected to the CSFFA board of directors are David Clink and Kalin Stacey: re-elected are Shannon Allen, Clint Budd, Jeanette Dover

The 2023 AGM covered the months since the previous AGM, to the end of 2022.

*

Murray reported that July 20-23, 2023, during Pemmi-Con (NASFiC 15, Winnipeg), CSFFA will be represented with a social tea in the convention hotel and an exhibit in the Exhibits Hall.

*

Cliff, and Shannon, explained CSFFA’s policy is that writers and artists who use artificial intelligence can not be nominees for an Aurora Award. Further, should a nominee deceive the Awards Administrator, that nominee for life will be banned. No part of a finished work can be created artificially; the story, the words, the editing, must be by the creator. All the words must be the creator’s  words. Similarly, art can not be art generated by putting variables into a program and submitting the result.  Art can not be begun by a human but finished by software.

*

Shannon explained CSFFA’s new Professional Development Grant. CSFFA’s Treasurer Jeanette Dover is the co-grant administrator. {{Details, see https://www.csffa.ca/csffa-professional-developmental-grant/ .]]

*

David Clink has succeeded Clint Budd as CSFFA’s Hall of Fame jury co-ordinator. [[Details, see https://www.csffa.ca/the-csffa-hall-of-fame/ ]]

The jury of four persons each year ideally is composed of two persons from Western Canada and two persons from Eastern Canada, two men and two women.

*

As reported to members in the June newsletter, in 2023 buying a membership to CSFFA closes one week prior to close of voting. Option to download the voter’s package similarly closes one week prior to close of voting.

*

Planned for 2024 are video explanations of how to vote, etc.

*

Board Secretary position remains open. Board meetings average one hour, the last Tuesday of the month, January through November.

Shannon Allen moved, Melanie seconded, end of the 2023 AGM.