Telecommunities Canada

Minutes of the Annual General Meeting
2023-24

Zoom conference
Dec. 12, 2024
4-5 EST

Attendees:  Garth Graham, Marita Moll, Kathryn Carruthers, Adrian Schmidt, Ivan White, James Van Leeuwen, Tracey Axelsson, Mildred Weiss, Fred Campbell

AI Summary

The Telecommunities Canada AGM 2024 covered several key points. The minutes from the 2022-2023 AGM were approved unanimously, and the financial report indicated a projected year-end balance of $4,905.03. The appointment of an auditor was waived due to insufficient financial activity. The President's Report highlighted efforts on the Global Digital Compact and WSIS+20, and the establishment of a Wikipedia site. The election of directors proceeded smoothly. Garth Graham discussed listserv issues, and Tracy Axelsson reported on digital skills projects. Participating members presented their current projects and priorities. The meeting concluded with a call for focus groups to engage in internet governance consultations.

Action items
•	Contact Joel Templeman (ISOC Man.) to see if he is interested in joining the board of directors.
•	Participate in the upcoming consultations on the WSIS+20 review process
•	Explore the possibility of a session on FreeNets at the upcoming ICANN public meeting in Seattle.
Agenda

1. Approval of minutes of the 2022-2023 AGM

Motion: That the minutes of the 2022-202 AGM be approved 
moved: Kathryn Carruthers
seconded: Tracey Axelsson
Motion unanimously carried

2.Financial Report

Chris Cope, the treasurer, was unable to attend. Marita Moll reported on the financial statement submitted indicating a projected balance of $4,905.03 in the bank with no outstanding payables or receivables. Bank charges total $96.25 and we received  six donations totalling $50 which means we can avoid bank charges for inactivity. 

Motion: That the financial report be accepted
moved: Garth Graham
seconded: Tracey Axelsson
Motion carried unanimously

3. Appointment of Auditor

Once again we do not have enough financial activity to warrant an auditor. 

Motion: That the need for an audit be waived
moved: Garth Graham
seconded: Clarice Leader
Motion carried unanimously

4. President's report

Marita Moll provides a brief summary on already circulated President's Report, noting that this year included  communication challenges due to a list server issue and personal health problems. Last year, 2023) TC did successfully file a statement to the UN initiative on the Global Digital Compact (GDC), highlighting that the digital commons must be preserved as a public good. Marita presented some details about the complex process at the UN the led to the eventual adoption of the GDC. She also noted that this was a multilateral process, essentially government to government negotiation. Early engagement in the process is essential when it comes to such negotiations and, with the World Summit for the Information Society (WSIS) +20 review scheduled for 2025, and this could be an important focus for TC for the next year. The WSIS agreement 20 years ago (Tunis 2005 meeting) led to recognition of the importance multistakeholder governance in the internet ecosystem and recognition that civil society was one of the stakeholders. In order to preserve these principles, there is an international push for all stakeholders to engage as much as possible to ensure that their voices are heard. To this end, in Feb. 2024, TC members held a focus group to consider responses to questions posed by the UN Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD)  about the WSIS+20 review. The completed questionnaire is posted on the TC website.   

In the fall, the Goverment of Canada, through Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) and Global Affairs Canada (GAC) started an on-line multistakeholder consultation to create a Canadian stakeholder vision of internet governance to underpin their positions in the forthcoming multilateral negotiations. I will be bringing TC perspectives that were already determined in our focus group activities, to that table over the next year.

Garth Graham and I were active virtual participants in the NetMundial + 20 meeting in Brazil in April 2024.  Netmundial 2005 established some basic principles regarding internet governance which continue to be essential. The +20 meeting was held to reaffirm those principles. We made a number of interventions. The need to recognize endusers as a particular stakeholder group, as is the case at ICANN, was one of the improvements we were looking for.

Thanks to Chris Cope, who introduced us to Adam Hunt, we now have a wikipedia page. That required a lot of homework to find enough third party references to our existence as a legitimate group going back to 1994.  

Beyond this, I have been co-chairing the Operations and Finance working group in the ICANN At-Large community. 

Motion: That the President's report be received
moved: James Van Leewen
seconded: Garth Graham
Motion carried unanimously

 5. Election of Directors

Following is a slate of potential directors for 2025, all of whom have agreed to be on this list. 

Clarice Leader (Man)
Chris Cope (Ont)
Garth Graham (BC)
James Van Leeuwen (AB)
Marita Moll (Ont)
Tracey Axelsson (BC)
Kathryn Carruthers (Que)
Ivan White (Quebec)
Fred Campbell (Atlantic)

Motion: That the above slate of directors be approved for the year 2025
moved: Tracey Axelsson
seconded: Adrian Schmidt
Motion carried unanimously

6.. Member updates
*Note: below is the AI summary of the member update section. But lost is the detail of an incredibly rich discussion. A fulsome account of that discussion is presented in the appendix to these minutes.

•	Garth Graham reports on the difficulties with the listserv, explaining the technical issues and the efforts to resolve them.

•	Tracy Axelsson offers updates on the Vancouver Community Network, mentioning projects like the Digital Skills for Seniors and the assistance provided to Seattle FreeNet.

•	Chris Cope (through Marita Moll) provides an update on NCF's Community Wi-Fi project, aiming to bridge the digital divide in urban low-income areas.

•	Fred Campbell discusses his ongoing trans-disciplinary PhD focused on rural community survival and the importance of face-to-face communication.

•	Kathryn Carruthers shares her work with Senior Women Living Together, emphasizing the need for digital skills training and community building.

•	Adrian Schmidt and Mildred Weiss provide updates on their involvement in various projects, including volunteering and supporting digital needs in remote areas.

•	Ian Allen, the webmaster, shares his role in maintaining the Telecommunities Canada website and addressing technical issues.

•	James Van Leeuwen discusses his focus on leveraging the interest of hyperscalers in building data centers in Western Canada. He highlights the potential for open access dark fiber networks to disrupt the telecom industry and improve connectivity. The discussion touches on the challenges of network infrastructure and the potential for renewable energy sources to support data centers. James emphasizes the need for a coordinated effort to attract and support the development of new industries and connectivity solutions.

Move to accept member reports as information
Moved by James Van Leeuwen
Seconded by Clarice Leader
Motion carried

7. Any other business

Call for Focus Groups and Final Remarks
•	Marita Moll calls for suggestions on small groups that could participate in focus groups to discuss internet governance and digital equity.
•	Garth and James offer to provide lists of organizations that could be involved in these discussions.

8. Adjournment

Motion that the meeting be adjourned
Moved: Adrian Schmidt
Seconded: Ian Allen
Motion carried