1. Canadian Organic Growers Annual General Meeting June 19th, 2018 Ottawa

2. CANADIAN ORGANIC GROWERS
Agenda
Call to Order
Welcome from the President
Motion to approve the Agenda
Motion to approve minutes of 2017 AGM
Presentation of the Financial Results
Motion to approve WPG Professional Corporation Chartered Accountants for 2018 Audit
Election of 2018 Board of Directors
Review of election process
Nomination of Directors
Election (Approximately 10 minutes or until counting is completed)
Announcement of results after ED report
Executive Director’s Report
Question and answer forum between Members and the Board of Directors and Staff
Motion to adjourn

3. CANADIAN ORGANIC GROWERS
Motion to accept Agenda for
2018 AGM

4. CANADIAN ORGANIC GROWERS
Motion to accept minutes from
2017 AGM

5. 2017 Financial Statements

6. 2017 Financial Statements

7. Thank you to everyone from the COG Chapters who helped with the audit!
2017 Financial Statements
Thank you to everyone from the
COG Chapters who helped with the audit!

8. Motion to appoint WGP as COG’s Auditors for 2018
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Motion to appoint WGP as COG’s Auditors for 2018

9. Current Board of Directors
Marilyn Crowley
Treasurer
Rochelle Eisen
President
Av Singh
Vice President
Janine Gibson
Secretary
Trevor Aleman
Georgina Bencsik
Sarah Dobec
Sheila Hamilton
Niki Jabbour
Shannon Jones
Jordan Marr
Tara Scott
Maryruth Thiong’o

10. Election of 2018 Board of Directors

11. A very special thank you to Board Member
Outgoing Board Member
A very special thank you to Board Member
Niki Jabbour

12. 2017 BOARD NOMINEES Katharine Herringer Allison Squires Gillian Flies
Georgina Bencsik

13. Results will be announced before the meeting is adjourned.
BOARD ELECTION
Please finish submitting your electronic ballots now – the voting period will close at the start of the next slide.
Results will be announced before the meeting is adjourned.

14. 2017
Year in Review

15. COG National Sponsors

16. COG National Sponsors

17. 2017 National Office Highlights
Thank you
Ashley St. Hilaire
Director, Programs and Government Relations
Eric Ochaya
Graphic Designer
Sarah Chisolm Ryder
Project Coordinator

18. 2017 National Office Highlights
New Staff for 2018
Marketing and Communications Coordinator
Stakeholder Relations Manager

19. 2017 Year in Review
Program Delivery
Launched the third edition of the Organic Field Crop Handbook

20. Launched of the first edition of the Organic Backyard
2017 Program Delivery
Launched of the first edition of the Organic Backyard

21. Completed the Trillium funded Organic Success project in Ontario
2017 Program Delivery
Completed the Trillium funded Organic Success project in Ontario

22. 2017 Program Delivery
Transition to Organic Production: Understanding Risk and Identifying Mitigation Strategies

23. Forty case studies of organic farms Nine focus groups across Canada
2017 Program Delivery
Forty case studies of organic farms
Nine focus groups across Canada
Project completed in March 2018
Includes a new Handbook on Organic Vegetable Transition
Total budget of the project is $704,000

24. Thank you to everyone who volunteered their time and expertise
2017 Program Delivery
Thank you to everyone who volunteered their time and expertise
Thank you to the Project Management Team
Publishing results in July

25. Project Management Team
2017 Program Delivery
Project Management Team
Jérôme-Antoine Brunelle
Coordonnateur au développement de l’agriculture biologique
Tara Scott
ACORN
Becky Lipton
Organic Alberta
Karen Snethum
Prairie Organic Grain Initiative
Keith Everts
Owner, Producer

26. Project Management Team
2017 Program Delivery
Project Management Team
Rob Wallbridge
Organic Specialist
Carolyn Young
Organic Council of Ontario
Paddy Doherty
Organic Value Chain Round Table
Jen Gamble
Executive Director
Janine Gibson
Manitoba Organic Alliance

27. Project Management Team
2017 Program Delivery
Project Management Team
Marla Carlson
SaskOrganics
Cody Straza
Board Vice President, Producer
Marion McBride
TCO Cert
Joanne Johnson Jackson
Owner/Operator,
Karen Murchison
Organic PEI

28. Final Report to be published early July
2017 Program Delivery
Final Report to be published early July

29. COG library continues to grow!
2017 Program Delivery
COG library continues to grow!

30. Launched of the Canadian Organic Grower Magazine website
2017 Program Delivery
Launched of the Canadian Organic Grower Magazine website

31. Delivered the first Organic Vegetable Seed Production Course
2017 Program Delivery
Delivered the first Organic Vegetable Seed Production Course

32. Worked on new COG website (now launched!)
2017 Program Delivery
Worked on new COG website (now launched!)
Developed the User’s Guide to the Canadian Organic Standards

33. Manage the online bookstore
2017 Program Delivery
Manage the online bookstore
Produce the Canadian Organic Grower magazine.

34. Stakeholder Relations
2017 Year In Review
Stakeholder Relations
COG informing you, listening to you and representing you to our partners and the government
L to R: Ashley St Hilaire (COG), Paddy Doherty (Organic Farmer), Minister Lawrence MacAulay, Nicole Boudreau (OFC), Tia Loftsgard (COTA), Francois Handfield (Organic Farmer).

35. 2017 Stakeholder Relations
Safe Foods for Canadians Act consultation with membership
Standards Funding Initiative
Next Agricultural Policy Framework

36. 2017 Stakeholder Relations
Member of the Organic Value Chain Round Table
Presented before the Standing Committee on Agriculture and AgriFood

37. 2018 Stakeholder Relations
Continue to inform and engage our membership on important issues
Upcoming Standards Review
Communicate with federal government on issues important to COG’s membership

38. 2016 National Office Highlights
Marketing and Communications
COG has a large and influential following
1,100 members
5,000 e-news subscribers
10,000 supporters on
10,000 followers on facebook
7,700 followers on twitter

39. Updates from our Chapters
CHAPTER HIGHLIGHTS
Updates from our Chapters
6 Senior Organic Garden (SOG) locations involving diverse seniors from many cultures with language interpreters as needed.
350 participants at Eco Farm Day.
Growing Up Organic in 20+ schools and built 5 new gardens in Ottawa, in collaboration with and funded by the Ottawa Carleton District School Board.
50+ participants in 2017 Urban Organic Gardening Seminars

40. CHAPTER HIGHLIGHTS
OSO Chapter
Senior Organic Gardeners (SOG) is in 9 locations this year gardening with diverse seniors.
We offer two models of program delivery: gardening on-site and offering workshops to seniors who use that knowledge to garden at home.

41. CHAPTER HIGHLIGHTS OSO Chapter
Over 350 participants at Eco Farm Day.
Saturday workshops, Saturday evening movie night, 2 Sunday all day workshops
60+ participants in 2018 Urban Organic Gardening Seminars
Growing Up Organic in 20+ schools and built 6 new gardens in Ottawa

42. COG Island Natural Growers
CHAPTER HIGHLIGHTS
COG Island Natural Growers
Hosted another successful Seedy Saturday in February, their biggest education and fundraising event
Sponsored the organic certification of the Salt Spring Abattoir

43. COG Island Natural Growers
CHAPTER HIGHLIGHTS
COG Island Natural Growers
Monthly meetings with farm tours & guest speakers
Hosted tour for Canada C3 expedition participants

44. CHAPTER HIGHLIGHTS
Toronto Chapter
COG Toronto continues to be an advocate for organics in Toronto by attending trade shows and events where we provide information and field questions about the current state of organics in Ontario, Canada and the world. 

45. CHAPTER HIGHLIGHTS Toronto Chapter
We send out information about organic related events in the GTA
We were part of the Big Carrot’s courtyard event for Organic Week,
Attended Whole Life Expo
Presented at Mackenzie House in the fall,
Had information available for the Gen-Earth event at City Hall on Earth Day in April.
We continue to hold space for any members interested in organizing organic related events

46. Organic Food Council of Manitoba
CHAPTER HIGHLIGHTS
Organic Food Council of Manitoba
COG Book Sales & distribution of “Our Nature is Organic” Activity book at Brandon AG Days, Think Whole Farm Conference, Gardens MB event, Direct Farm Marketing event . Free pdf on COG website!
Organic Week Talk on “Healthy Eating, Healthy Growing” opened Organic week & closed with Indian Cooking class with chef/speaker Nandita Silvanathan.
Responded to questions and
from our face book page & gr
with COG book sales

47. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US!
Motion that the COG 2018 AGM be Adjourned