Convened at the Belleville Club.
Members in attendance:
Dr. Suzanne Lane, Dr. Gilbert Brodeur, Dr. Adrianna Sage, Dr. Koos Toxopeus, Dr. Kristina Bennett, Dr. Bob Green, Dr. Chris Rogers, Dr. Clare Craig, Dr. Pat Stapley Chase, Dr. Naomi Scromeda, Dr. Vince Politi, Dr. Karen Godfree, Dr. Olga Peck and Dr. Fiona Gilchrist.
Outgoing president, Dr. Politi brought the meeting to order.
1/ Treasurer’s report
Treasurer, Dr. Scromeda, made her report, indicating there is approximately $10,800 in the Association account which is “about normal” for the time of year. She clarified that the current meeting charge of $35 per member is not covering fixed costs of $25 per plate for dinner and $12 per person for the room. The costs for providing speakers which are generally thousands of dollars must be covered by sponsors or directly from the QDVA bank account.
Dr. Olga Peck volunteered to audit the financial records as is required by the QDVA constitution.
2/ Report of the Continuing Education Coordinator
Dr. Bennett reminded us that the QDVA no longer offers “clinic” memberships and fees are charged for each individual veterinarian who wishes to join.
The increase in attendance at Association meetings in the past several years has made QDVA events much more popular with industry representatives, said Dr. Bennett. Sponsors are asking to be involved, not waiting to be solicited, she said.
An agreement has been reached with the Ontario Association of Veterinary Technicians to provide official continuing education credits for members attending QDVA meetings. To co-ordinate the necessary paperwork, a local OAVT member is needed. Although there will be some groundwork to lay, the job should not involve more than 3 to 4 hours a month during CE season, said Dr. Bennett.
3/ Report of the Kingston Liason Representative
Dr. Toxopeus spoke about an offer from the now defunct Kingston District Veterinary Association to transfer the balance of money in its accounts to the QDVA in exchange for certain concessions. The group asked that QDVA extend two-year memberships to the approximately 30 veterinarians that last remained on KDVA rosters. They also requested we consider a later start to meetings to accommodate the longer drive for Kingston members. A suggestion to organize one meeting per session in Kingston was shelved as unmanageable.
Dr. Bennett made a motion to accept the cheque for $4,700, to provide the memberships as requested and to further discuss possible ways to make the meetings more accessible to Kingston attendees without inconveniencing local members. These discussions are to take place at an upcoming meeting of the executive. The motion was seconded by Dr. Gilbert Brodeur and passed without opposition.
4/ Fees
There was discussion of current membership and meeting fees. Dr. Politi noted that when meetings are not sponsored, the association is faced with paying thousands of dollars to pay for speakers. There are also concerns that current fees do not fully cover our fixed costs.
A motion was made by Dr. Toxopeus to increase membership fees to $65 from $60. To help reduce the increasing hassle of chasing people for their fees, the cost of membership was proposed to go up to $90 if paid after Sept. 30th. Meeting costs were proposed to go from $35 to $38 for members and $55 to $60 for nonmembers. The motion was seconded by Dr. Bennett and passed without opposition.
5/ Emergency Clinic Technicians
Due to the unusual nature of ownership of the Pet Hospital of Prince Edward and Hastings Counties, technicians working there have been unsure of their status for attending QDVA meetings. This item was shelved for discussion at the next executive committee meeting.
6/ Election of executive
With the exception of the President who is required to step down after two terms, the remainder of the QDVA executive offered to stay on in the absence of new members stepping forward. With Dr. Politi moving into the Past President’s chair, Dr. Adrianna Sage was proposed as President. Dr. Suzanne Lane was proposed as the new Vice President.
Acceptance of the new roster was moved by Dr. Chris Rogers and seconded by Dr. Gilbert Brodeur. The motion passed without opposition.
The QDVA executive for 2013/14 will be:
President Dr. Adrianna Sage
Vice President Dr. Suzanne Lane
Past President Dr. Vince Politi
Treasurer Dr. Naomi Scromeda
Director of Continuing Education Dr. Kristina Bennett
Secretary Dr. Jinni Demine
Kingston Liason Dr. Koos Toxopeus
Director of Communications Dr. Fiona Gilchrist
The meeting was adjourned with thanks to Dr. Politi for his hard work over the past several years.
Quinte District Veterinary Association 