MINUTES OF A MEETING OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE CANADIAN COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS ASSOCIATION HELD AT THE DELTA QUEBEC HOTEL, QUEBEC CITY, QUEBEC, ON THURSDAY, MAY 25, 2006

PRESENT:
Peter Kvarnstrom, Chairman of the Board
Lynn Hennigar, President
Cam McKnight, First Vice-President
Coleen Campbell, Second Vice-President
Heather Dickson, Treasurer
Lana Meier, Corporate Secretary
Steve Robertson, BCYCNA
Brian McCristall, BCYCNA
Brad Alden, BCYCNA
Frank McTighe, AWNA
Richard Holmes, AWNA
Chris Ashfield, SWNA
Neil Thom, SWNA
Terry Jenson, SWNA
Greg Nesbitt, MCNA
David Armstrong, OCNA
Mike Williscraft, OCNA
Rick Shaver, OCNA
George Bakoyannis, QCNA
Paul MacNeill, ACNA

GUESTS:
George Affleck, BCYCNA General Manager
Dennis Merrell, AWNA Executive Director
Steve Nixon, SWNA Executive Director
Rick Major, MCNA Executive Director
Bill Laidlaw, OCNA Executive Director
Greg Duncan, QCNA Executive Director
Ken Sims, ACNA First Vice-President
Nelson Becker, BCYCNA President
Bernadette Jordan, ACNA President

STAFF:
John Hinds, Chief Executive Officer
Tina Ongkeko, Managing Director (Recording Secretary)
Eileen Barak, Government Relations Representative
Crystal MacLaren, Marketing Associate

1. CHAIRMAN’S REMARKS

Peter Kvarnstrom called the meeting to order at 9:00 AM and welcomed all present to Quebec City. Peter introduced guests in attendance: Nelson Becker, BCYCNA president; Ken Sims, ACNA; and Bernadette Jordan, ACNA president. Peter also introduced the newest CCNA staff member, marketing associate Crystal MacLaren, who will be promoting Community Media Canada to advertising agencies.

2. APPROVAL OF AGENDA

“Regional Representation” was added under Other Business.

MOVED by Rick Shaver, seconded by Frank McTighe, THAT THE AGENDA BE APPROVED AS AMENDED. CARRIED.

3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES

The following change was noted in the minutes of the meeting held on February 24, 2006, in Toronto:

Item 11 – ComBase report – “…ComBase is anticipating posting a loss of $15,000 after four years…”

MOVED by Steve Robertson, seconded by Chris Ashfield, THAT THE MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD FEBRUARY 24, 2006, IN TORONTO BE APPROVED AS AMENDED. CARRIED.

4. BUSINESS ARISING FROM THE MINUTES

Item 8 – Human Resources Stewardship – John reported that staff are working on it.

5. IN-CAMERA SESSION

An in-camera session was held with the CEO in attendance. There were no motions arising.

6. PRESIDENT’S REPORT

Lynn Hennigar thanked the board and staff for a wonderful year. Lynn noted that she especially enjoyed meeting members across the country and seeing how the different associations function.

MOVED by Lynn Hennigar, seconded by Brad Alden, THAT THE PRESIDENT’S REPORT BE ACCEPTED AS PRESENTED. CARRIED.

7. TREASURER’S REPORT

Heather Dickson presented the April 30, 2006, financial statements for review and discussion.

MOVED by Heather Dickson, seconded by Richard Holmes, THAT THE APRIL 30, 2006, FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND TREASURER’S REPORT BE APPROVED. CARRIED.

8. CCNA ACTIVITY REPORT

a) Staff Report

John Hinds presented his written report and provided an update.

The CCNA office has assumed responsibility for ComBase administration and business management. The staff are working closely with manager of client services Kelly Levson.

The office has been very busy in recent weeks with ComBase, the Better Newspapers Competition, convention, and hiring of Crystal MacLaren.

John reported on the recent resignations of information systems coordinator Tiffany Conroy and accountant Yan Gong, but to CCNA’s benefit, the staff have a tremendous loyalty to the association – both Tiffany and Yan were willing to come back periodically and help out. John is planning to talk to Steve Nixon about a pension plan. CCNA has been able to be flexible with work arrangements, etc., but it needs to work on the monetary aspect.

b) Ottawa Report

Eileen Barak reported that the federal government is developing its communication strategies and she has been involved in high-level discussions. She has several meetings schedules over the next six weeks and has established good, solid contacts at the Prime Minister’s Office and the Treasury Board.

John reported that the 2004-2005 Annual Report on Government of Canada Advertising Activities was recently released and community newspapers have increased their share from five or six percent to 14 percent. Dailies are at 17 percent, radio is at 11 percent, and magazines are at three percent. Although the total amount spent has decreased, our share has really increased, which is a huge vote of confidence in our industry. It also shows that ComBase numbers work. (see http://www.pwgsc.gc.ca/advrptpub/text/ann_rpt-2004-05-e.htmlfor the full report)

ACTION: Eileen to send weblink to this report to regions.

John noted that the total amount is expected to increase gradually, although it is unlikely to reach the levels at which it used to be.

MOVED by Brian McCristall, seconded by Frank McTighe, THAT THE STAFF REPORTS BE ACCEPTED AS PRESENTED. CARRIED.

9. COMMITTEE REPORTS

a) Better Newspapers Competition

Greg Nesbitt reported that the competition will culminate in award presentations on Saturday, May 27, at the closing event of the convention.

b) Community Media Canada

Paul MacNeill reported that Crystal MacLaren was hired earlier this month as CMC’s new marketing associate. The CMC committee will meet on Friday, May 26, at 3:15 PM.

c) Convention 2006

Heather Dickson reported that the committee has developed a strong program, but they were disappointed in the attendance numbers—there were 234 delegates last year, but only 181 this year. As well, unfortunately, due to logistical conflicts, they were unable to arrange a joint event with Hebdos Quebec, which is also holding its convention in Quebec City this weekend.

d) Distribution and Publications Assistance Program Committee

John presented the written report and provided an update. PAP has been a real challenge recently, with the Minister of Canadian Heritage trying to find money in order to not implement previously planned cuts. She is also looking for ways to make it a long-term sustainable program. This happens every year, but with changes to the entire PAP team, there is a whole new group of people there bringing their ideas to it. They are supportive of our industry, and we continue to ask for our own program and not to get lumped in with magazines.

With regard to Canada Post, there have been some regionally based challenges pertaining to delivery service in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. The team at Canada Post’s corporate office has been very helpful in resolving them. However, there is a general frustration among publishers that they cannot get a set of clear rules from Canada Post. There is some discussion of a rework of Publications Mail and Addressed AdMail for January 2007, but we have not seen anything confirming it yet, and it may be too late to do it for that date.

A discussion took place about Canada Post becoming aggressive in flyer business again. John noted that CCNA has been pushing them on the commitment to rural Canada delivery. However, we have to be careful what we ask for—do we want more public policy or more private?

e) Verified Circulation

Frank presented the written report.

MOVED by Terry Jenson, seconded by Rick Shaver, THAT THE COMMITTEE REPORTS BE ACCEPTED AS PRESENTED. CARRIED.

10. COMBASE REPORT

Lynn Hennigar reported that ComBase board and annual general meetings were held on Wednesday, May 24.

Lynn noted that ComBase’s Vancouver office was closed on May 1 and thanked the staff of BCYCNA for their help with the transition. Manager of Client Services Kelly Levson has been integrated into the CCNA staff.

The ComBase board determined that future ComBase board meetings will be held in Toronto since their agency and advertising directors are Toronto-based.

The ComBase board is looking into member pricing options for the next study, perhaps with tiers to distinguish between those seeing a greater benefit from the study versus those seeing less benefit. They reconfirmed that they are unwilling to change the type of research that ComBase does. They agreed that ComBase has produced quality research, and implementing any proposed changes to its standards would really devalue what it has created to this point.

The ComBase board remains committed to creating a better financial situation to avoid problems such as paying bills on time. The board seems more cohesive now and willing more than ever to move forward. Sean Murray was named as the new chair, with Kathy Shapka as vice-chair. Outgoing chair Joseph Wuest agreed to stay on the as corporate secretary, and Sandy Muir is the new treasurer. Thom McInnis and Shauna Barker stepped down from the board, while Rick O’Connor and Sara Hill were reelected for another term. David Stanger has indicated he will remain on the board for one more year. This leaves the board with one agency and two advertiser positions vacant.

A discussion took place about the upcoming member renewal process. Directors expressed their concerns about how many would renew if not all markets were to be surveyed. Lynn noted that there was some recognition around the ComBase board table, particularly from the advertiser and agency directors, that there are some markets in ComBase that may never be included in national or regional ad buys. Lynn added that knowing this, member publishers will have to make the return-on-investment assessment for themselves when considering whether to renew.

Cam McKnight reported that the ComBase board received a clear financial report and now has the potential to eliminate their deficit by the end of the year. This is due to both the Vancouver office closure and upcoming negotiations with the past supplier regarding the performance holdback amount to be paid. The ComBase board felt that not all conditions were met so ComBase should not have to pay the full amount.

MOVED by Lynn Hennigar, seconded by Greg Nesbitt, THAT THE COMBASE REPORT BE ACCEPTED AS PRESENTED. CARRIED.

11. REGIONAL REPORTS

a) BCYCNA

George Affleck reported that BCYCNA’s annual meeting took place on April 22. BCYCNA had set a goal seven years ago to have whole newspaper teams attend—a goal which they have now achieved, due in part to vouchers offered to members.

b) AWNA

Dennis Merrell reported that the three prairie regions met in March to discuss AdWest and established the five major goals of AdWest. Effective June 1, AdWest is going to implement and incorporate a sales and marketing function with Jeff Beardsworth and Tiffany Teslyk as the two primary employees.

c) SWNA

Steve Nixon presented the association’s written report and added that significant bylaw changes were approved at their annual general meeting. In particular, SWNA now allows associate members that meet all membership requirements except frequency into membership, giving them access to all member rights and services except a vote and a seat on the board. Another bylaw was changed regarding the proximity of a member’s office location to its distribution area.

Steve is planning to talk with John Hinds about the CCNA membership rate card.

d) MCNA

Rick Major reported that CCNA’s 88th national convention will be held May 8-11, 2007, in Winnipeg in conjunction with the Canadian Newspaper Association. CCNA director Lana Meier will serve as chair of the convention planning committee.

e) OCNA

Bill Laidlaw presented the association’s written report.

f) QCNA

Greg Duncan presented the association’s written report.

g) ACNA

Lynn Hennigar presented the association’s written report.

MOVED by Mike Williscraft, seconded by Steve Robertson, THAT THE REGIONAL REPORTS BE ACCEPTED AS PRESENTED. CARRIED.

12. OTHER BUSINESS

a) Quill Awards

The board reviewed Silver Quill nominations submitted and approved by the AWNA board: George A. Brown, Diana Marilyn Walker, Helen Elizabeth Ball, Kerry Anderson, Neil Sutcliffe, Joyce Webster.

MOVED by Coleen Campbell, seconded by Chris Ashfield, THAT ALL SILVER QUILL NOMINATIONS APPROVED AND SUBMITTED BY THE AWNA BOARD BE APPROVED. CARRIED.

John reminded all present that Quill nominations must be received at the CCNA office with the approval of the regional association’s board of directors. This is a procedural issue that requires that the regional association scrutinize the nominations to confirm that they meet the qualifications.

MOVED by Lynn Hennigar, seconded by Lana Meier THAT NOMINATIONS TO THE CCNA BOARD FOR SILVER AND GOLD QUILL AWARDS ONLY BE ACCEPTED AFTER THE PROPOSED RECIPIENTS’ QUALIFICATIONS HAVE BEEN MET…CARRIED.

b) CIDA Awards

John reported that the current CIDA Awards two-year contribution agreement is up for renewal. CIDA is keen to renew and is awaiting the board’s decision. The board decided that staff should explore other ways to promote development work, since some CCNA members have actually gone out and done development work.

MOVED by Cam McKnight, seconded by Heather Dickson, THAT THE CONTRACT WITH CIDA NOT BE RENEWED IN ITS CURRENT FORM. CARRIED.

c) Logo/name change

Paul MacNeill summarized the discussion at the previous CCNA board meeting, and indicated that it may not have been clearly explained at the time that the formal name of the association would not be removed. Rather, it would would remain the legal name, with the trade name becoming Community Media Canada.

ACTION: Paul and John will prepare a package explaining the strategy and rationale that will go out to the regions.

Paul also indicated that this discussion is not an invitation to revisit the branding exercise for CCNA. The name Community Media Canada has been in use for several years. The next step is about brand continuity.

The motion from the February 26, 2006, meeting remains on the table to be brought back for further discussion at the next meeting.

d) Convention format review

Lynn Hennigar noted that a recent member survey on this topic indicated that declining attendance is due to a number of factors, including newspaper chains that don’t allow staff to attend; the location selected, and travel costs. Declining attendance also leads to other financial challenges, including difficulty obtaining and retaining sponsors.

Holding a joint event in Winnipeg in 2007 with the Canadian Newspaper Association will give members a chance to experience sessions with high-level speakers and interact with their colleagues from the daily newspaper industry.

MOVED by Lynn Hennigar, seconded by Cam McKnight THAT CCNA HOLD JOINT CONVENTIONS WITH THE CANADIAN NEWSPAPER ASSOCIATION IN 2007 AND 2008. CARRIED.

e) Regional Representation

A discussion took place regarding a recommendation arising from the February 23, 2006, governance planning session that regional representation on the CCNA board reflect the ownership realities of the membership in each region. The recommendation is under review by the regional boards.

13. NEXT MEETING DATES

The next meetings of the CCNA board of directors will be held on:

• May 25, 2006, at 3:00 PM in Quebec City – board elections to be held immediately following the CCNA annual general meeting

• October 26-27, 2006, in Toronto – in conjunction with the launch of the results of ComBase’s 2006 wave

14. IN-CAMERA SESSION

An in-camera session was held with no motions arising.

15. MEETING EVALUATION

All present commented on the proceedings.

16. ADJOURNMENT

There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 12:28 PM on a motion by Chris Ashfield.