Logo - CHF Canada

Call for Candidates: bring your skills to CHF Canada!

Published January 23, 2019

The cover of a flyer, with a stylized illustration of a person speaking, and text reading "Call for Candidates"
CHF Canada is looking for qualified candidates to run for positions available on our Board of Directors, Ontario Council and Finance and Audit Committee.

Please read the flyer or see below for the positions up for election and the skills we’re looking for.

We welcome and encourage candidates from any and all walks of life and backgrounds (political, religious, colour, race, gender, sexual orientation, country of origin, age, physical ability and income). If you have any questions, you can contact a member of our Nominating Committee – whose contact details are on the flyer, and included below.

Please share this exciting opportunity with members in your co-op.

 

 

Positions up for election in 2019

  1. Regional Director (Board of Directors, three-year term)
    Quebec/Nunavut
    Elected at the AGM in London
  2. Finance and Audit Committee
    One (1) two-year position
    Elected at the AGM in London
  3. Ontario Council (three-year terms)
    At-large Council members: Two (2) positions
    Elected at the Ontario Members’ Meeting in London
  4. Council member representing Federations:
    One (1) position
    Elected at the Ontario Members’ Meeting in London

Bring your leadership skills to CHF Canada!

CHF Canada is looking for qualified people to run for positions on our Board of Directors, Finance and Audit Committee, and Ontario Council. Before each year’s Annual General Meeting (AGM), regional elections are held for positions on CHF Canada’s Board of Directors.

At the AGM itself, elections are held for at-large positions on the Board of Directors, and on the Finance and Audit Committee. And at the Annual Meeting of Ontario Members, elections are held for positions on the Ontario Council.

This year’s AGM will be held in London, Ontario June 5–8, 2019.

Why you?

CHF Canada is a dynamic national association looking for people to represent members and key stakeholders to participate in the governance of a strong federation driven by co-operative values. CHF Canada has over 900 member co-ops, along with regional federations, co-op management companies, staff associations, and many other stakeholder organizations in all parts of Canada.

Members look for representation on their governing bodies that mirrors the diversity of people in our housing co-op communities across the country.

CHF Canada needs strong leaders, and it starts with you.

Here are some of the qualities CHF Canada looks for:

  • An understanding of the co-operative principles, and how to apply them,
  • A commitment to help CHF Canada grow, and to serve our members,
  • Proven leadership skills—either within the co-op sector, or from other experience;
  • Flexibility, collaboration, and good communication skills.

We also feel it is very important for our younger members to get involved at a governance level, and so would encourage emerging leaders to consider running for election.

Who we are

CHF Canada Board of Directors

The Board of Directors governs CHF Canada according to the by-laws and rules approved by the members.

It oversees CHF Canada’s overall direction and is accountable to members.

There are 16 directors on the CHF Canada Board.

  • Each province elects one regional director
  • Five (5) directors are elected at-large (by all the delegates at the annual meeting), and
  • One (1) director is elected to represent the Aboriginal community by co-ops that have at least 10 percent (10%) of their units occupied by Indigenous peoples.

Directors serve a three-year term and can be re-elected for up to two consecutive terms.

Finance and Audit Committee

CHF Canada’s Treasurer, another member of CHF Canada’s Board of Directors, the Treasurer of the Ontario Region, and two members at-large elected at the AGM sit on CHF Canada’s Finance and Audit Committee. Their role is to review CHF Canada’s finances on behalf of the membership, advise the board, and report directly to the members.

You can find more information about the duties of Finance and Audit Committee members on CHF Canada’s website, or call the office at 1-800-465-2752, ext. 234.

Ontario Council

The Ontario Council directs the work of the Ontario Region, which represents Ontario members and delivers services that affect only Ontario. It is elected by Ontario members of CHF Canada.

There are eight or nine Ontario Council members:

  • Four (4) are elected at-large by all Ontario members at the Ontario members’ meeting
  • One (1) is elected by members from Northern Ontario using an electronic voting system
  • Two (2) more are elected at the AGM, one each by staff organizations and local federations
  • The Ontario regional director on the CHF Canada Board also sits on the Ontario Council
  • Finally, if it decides to, the CHF Canada Board can appoint one more at-large director from Ontario to sit on the Council.

Ontario Council members serve a three-year term and can be re-elected for up to two consecutive terms.

You can run for these positions if you are:

  •  a member in good standing, director, officer, or employee of a CHF Canada member (Board and Finance and Audit Committee positions) or,
  • a member in good standing, director, officer, or employee of an Ontario member (Ontario Council positions)
  • 18 years of age or older
  • mentally competent
  • not an undischarged bankrupt.

Nomination process

You can nominate someone (including yourself) for election by sending a completed Nomination Form to our office before the nominations deadline.

Candidates for all positions must fill out the Confirmation of Good Standing form before their nomination can be accepted. This is to make sure that all candidates are qualified to serve in the position they are seeking.

To send in your nominations:

  1. Mail them to:
    CHF Canada Nominating Committee
    311–225 Metcalfe Street
    Ottawa, ON K2P 1P9
  2. Fax them to 613-230-2231
  3. Email them to CHF Canada’s Corporate Secretary, Christine Seguin, at cseguin@chfcanada.coop.

Please make sure your email requests a delivery notification.

Election material

We strongly encourage all members to declare their nominations as early as possible. We will help candidates by:

  • allowing them to tell members about themselves on CHF Canada’s website and on CHF Canada’s electronic voting site (for regional elections), and
  • for those candidates elected at the AGM, allowing them to tell members about themselves on CHF Canada’s website and placing election material in the participants’ kits at the AGM.

Nominations deadline

The deadline to receive all nominations is March 31!

The nominations deadline for ALL positions up for election this year on the Board of Directors, Finance and Audit Committee and the Ontario Council is 5 p.m. EST (Eastern Standard Time) on Sunday, March 31, 2019. Nominations will be accepted at the CHF Canada national office until that time.

For more information

If you would like more information on what’s involved to run for any of these positions, please see “Being on a Board”.

If you have any questions about the elections, you can call Linda Stephenson at the CHF Canada office at 1-800-465-2752 (613-230-2201 in Ottawa), ext. 234. Or contact the Nominating Committee member nearest you:

Diversity means (but isn’t limited to):

  • Including people from any/all walks of life and backgrounds (political affiliation, religion, colour, race, gender, sexual orientation, country of origin, age, physical ability and income).
  • Respecting the differences that are inherent in any group of people and that distinguish
    one group from another.
  • Accepting one another as unique individuals.

Please tell your members about this report and about the 2019 AGM elections!


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