Board of Director’s Meeting
141400 hrs April 2016
Centurion Room Officers’ Mess – Garrison Petawawa
Persons in attendence
PresidentMr. M. Macdonald
Vice PresidentMr. B. Price
CEOMr. S. Graham
Secretary/TreasurerMr. R. Cameron
DirectorsMr. P. Marois
Mr. J. Maerz
Mr. J. Andrechek
Mr. J. Mierins
Mr. D. Saucier
Mr. N. Forsyth
Mr. M. Robertson
Mr. S. Larouche
Mr. B. Padvaiskas
Mr. R. Bride
Mr. J. Barrett
Mr. C. Smith
Strategic PlannerMr. B. Forsyth
Governance Committee Co-ChairMr. T. Burnie
Archivist Mr. A. Halpfer
Serial
/ Discussion / Action ByI / Introductory Remarks
Mr. Cameron called the meeting to order. He explained the purpose of the meeting, to include welcoming new directors, updating the board on Guild activities and reviewing the budget for FY 16/17.
Mr. Macdonald welcomed everyone, and made note of the progress the Guild had made since the last meeting, and how it has grown into a functioning entity. Mr. Cameron showed the new Guild tab on the website to the board. Mr. Macdonald introducedMr. Hebert to the Board. Mr. Cameron then introduced Mr. Maerz, Mr. Marois, Mr. Barrett, Mr. Larouche, and Mr. Robertson to the remainder of the Board. Mr. Macdonald formally welcomed all new members.
Mr. Cameron reviewedthe Guild membership and governance structure breakdown. These include the Regimental Family, The Guild Members, The Board of Directors and the individual committees. / Nil
II / Approval of the Last Minutes
Mr. Cameron called for vote to approve the last minutes, which will be found on Dragoons.ca in the future. Observations were made about the differences between titles and Directors. Mr. Cameron had spoken to a lawyer to clarify the differentiation between titles; officers cannot be directors because they are not elected to be on the board.
A motion was made by Mr. Muise to accept the minutes as amended, seconded by Mr. Smith. / All in favour, none opposed. Motion carried.
III / Discussion
The point was raised that the list of attendees on the previous minutes did not reflect directors. Mr. Cameron clarified that Mr. Amyotte and Mr. Averbrook were not directors. It was clarified that officers are not directors, as discussed with an outside lawyer who was consulted, and this is due to the fact that they are not elected to the board.
IV /
Old Business
- Activities Update
b. Springbok/Dragoon II
Mr. Halpfer spoke about Dragoon II on behalf of Mike McNorgan. They are progressing well but are struggling to find reference material from the 80’s to present. There is plenty of older material, but newer material, especially from 2000 on, is limited. Perhaps because it’s not seen as history yet or perhaps because we rely on digital records. Pictures used to be treasured and cared for due to their delicate nature but Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan are not as prevalent because these photos and stories are still with the individuals. Mr. McNorgan is conducting face to face research but requires a push to conduct a communication plan to find more material; they require the Regiment’s help to gain more information. Mr. Macdonald suggested using some of the space in the Springbok to point out that there is a lack of information at this time to reach the entire audience. Mr. Graham mentioned that the “present” information for Dragoon II needs to have a cut-off date, to ensure that we do not continue to try and develop Dragoon II rather than finally publishing it.
A motion was made by Mr. B. Forsythfor the material collected for Dragoon II to be from 1983-2013. Mr. Smith seconded the motion, no abstentions, motion carries.
c. Digitization Update
Mr. Halpfer reviewed the digitization program break down and mentioned that most of the issues from the last update had been rectified. He emphasized that there are a large number of historical artifacts and treasures in B-102 and that they are priceless. There has been a significant attempt to fix this collection; however, it is still very neglected. The team is currently 2/3 finished sorting through and tagging the artifacts, which are then being digitized by members of the RCD, and once complete it will be eternal and backed up. There are 1.5 million images for 150,000 artifacts. They are close to the end state which will see all digital information on a research computer provided by the patron. This information will be available to everyone allowing them to find reference material without messing up the archives. The intent is to post information on Dragoons.ca so it will be made available to all Canadians as this information is part of Canadian history. The research terminal will have all records while Dragoons.ca will have items that have been screened for publication. This will be an ongoing project as we continue to make history and therefore this work will need to continue and a communication plan will need to be developed. Mr. Halpfer will help with the transition once his work is complete for the project to continue smoothly.
Mr. Cameron asked Mr. Halpfer to have a dog and pony to display what has been archived. A suggestion was made to link the archive to the War Museum. Mr. Halpfer said the suggestion has been accepted already but have not yet followed up to have the link displayed on their webpage. The Springbok will eventually be downloadable along with association newsletters. This will include full pages from the Springbok all the way back to 1936, readable, and will also include publications of the Goat. Videos and photos from Sgt. Jay Macdonald have provided a wealth of Afghanistan footage, including war fighting, operations and personal experiences. This will be a responsibility for the History & Heritage Committee in the future along with a meeting for the future of the archives.
Mr. Macdonald asked if we could afford a draft proposal by Mr. Halpfer to see the next step for the Archives within his current contract and whether or not it was condition or activity based. Mr. Halpfer said he would be able to make it if it is before the Corps Conference. Mr. Cameron noted that with two budgets the funds would be available for this. Mr. Macdonald opened the discussion to the Board and Mr. Halpfer left the room.
Mr. Macdonald said there would be no motion, it was open to the secretary and at the November meeting there would be a proposal from Mr. Halpfer. Mr.B. Forsyth said that depending on the cost this could be approved outside of budget and otherwise good to go. Mr. Macdonald asked who should decides what goes online with regards to size and content. Mr. Graham explained that WW1 is publishable, WWII will be not be publishable until there are no more living veterans but we must establish hard dates on what is and is not publishable. Mr. Cameron suggested for it to be up to the History & Heritage Committee. Mr. Macdonald asked if classified documents were being archived. Mr. Cameron explained that those documents were archived in hardcopy only. Mr. Macdonald said that by Leliefontein there must be a program in place on how to transfer and a decision made on what is published.
d. Historical Vehicle Troop Update
Mr. Padvaiskas provided an overview of the start state, the Staghound and Ferret, and the future of the HVT. This began in 2015 on a volunteer basis to create “active” history. He was assisted by Mr. Mierins’ historical expertise. They began working on the Ferret in 2012 without a handover, overview, or employment package. It ran for Leliefontein; there were no repairs, only maintenance. Through the CFR the history of the vehicle was discovered. It now has an ORL to allow for tracking and logging work to avoid misuse in the future. A civ company insures both the Ferret and Staghound. The Staghound was received in 2015, but they were not able to have it in running condition for Leliefontein. It is now running and has been painted to reflect Don White’s vehicle.
Mr. Padvaiskas explained that the future of HVT must continue on a voluntary basis to ensure there is passion for the work involved. The 1-3 year plan will see the Ferret maintained and used at Regimental, Brigade, and civilian historical events. The Staghound‘s inside needs to be touched up, the gun must be rebuilt, and repainted. We have a bren gun carrier that is in good condition.
Mr. Macdonald asked if the Bren gun was on the Regimental Orbat? Mr. Padvaiskas said he would look into it.
The 3-5 year plan will hopefully see the acquisition of a Lynx. There is a lot of knowledge and experience for that vehicle and parts could be readily available. They will also look into having a Coyote, but it will depend on the divestment project. If it’s possible to identify a Coyote to keep for the HVT now we can develop and maintain parts early on. Looking forward 1-10 years they would like to have a Sherman. The Regiment already has one but there is no engine. The base museum has an engine that we may be able to acquire. The inside of the vehicle needs to be looked at now to begin sourcing parts. The next 20 years will see the fleet maintained and can create a link between the Regiment and Canada, allowing for positive PR for the Regiment.
The Lav Barn was suggested as a location to store the historical vehicles. Mr. Grahamexplained that the issue with the LAV barn would be in regards to its ownership and stated that we must find a permanent location for these vehicles. He also inquired as to who owns the vehicles around base with RCD on them.
Mr. Macdonald asked if there was potential for a Dingo in the future; as well what about the Centurion and Leopard. He suggested having soldiers in period dress and travelling with the Historical vehicles. He said the immediate plan should reflect progress of history. In the next 1-3 years we should focus on wheels and what other vehicles we can acquire.
Mr. Mierins noted that we could bring them to tracked shows at the war museum and they could be used to fundraise, but they are more expensive. Mr. Macdonald asked to have a concrete 1-3 year plan by November for vehicles and uniforms.
Mr. Mierins asked how we handle these vehicles and what the reality was to construct a building on base for these vehicles owned by the Guild. Mr. Macdonald noted possible issues with security and how to handle soldiers going in there. He said that we must clarify the wheeled plan for the next 5 years. Mr. Padvaiskas said there are currently 10 pers in the HVT, but they will need 4-5 pers.
Mr. Macdonald was happy and said that we need to continue to build link between HVT and pers from the Regiment. He said that 2021 was a big enough window to plan for HVT and not overdraw our planning and volunteer base.
Mr. Macdonald called for a 10 minute break at 1514. Mr. Cameron called the meeting back to order at 1524
e. Budget 15/16 Review and Financial Sitrep
Mr. Cameron went over the budget very briefly as the details had been discussed in depth during the AGM the day prior. He explained that from 01 Oct 15 to 31 Mar 16 we had not made as much progress financially as was originally expected due to the nature of the markets. This has resulted in a Net Income of -$14,066.35 and a total liabilities and equity drop from $1,297,508.64 to $1,269,279.66. There were no issues reported with the Audit and the Guild Investor is still IG. There were no serious concerns or discussions.
f. Strategic Planning
Mr. Forsyth Snr said his job is to develop a plan that enables the Guild to achieve its vision which is a Regimental Family whose unity, heritage, and quality of life are enhanced by the Guild. This vision is a result of the new relationship between the Guild and the Regiment.
Mr. Macdonald said that the vision uses good terms and that we should continue to follow the three thrusts. Mr. Forsyth Snr said the Guild at the front reflects the new focus on Guild to support Regimental Family. How many generations constitute as family? It is better to leave that and deal with it on a case-by-case basis to allow for more freedom.
Mr. Graham said the bursary is a good benchmark line for who is and who is not family. Mr. Forsyth Snr stated that cadets, not individually, but rather the Cadet Corps and non-Armour Corps are only family when they are at the Regiment. Mr. Saucier noted that the By-law explicitly states who is and isn’t family. Mr. Forsyth Snr said the wording does not include families; change is required to include all Dragoons.
Mr. Macdonald said he did not think the cadets should be included in the Regimental Family. Bernie said the cadets are Unit supported but not part of the Unit. Mr. Forsyth Snr said not to remove the Cadets from the Guild or Board.
Mr. Macdonald said the membership should be canvassed to determine what the Regimental Family is, and would be decided upon in November, and told Mr. Cameron to conduct a survey to define Regimental Family. Mr. Forsyth Snr said we need a 1-3 year plan on all the thrusts of the Guild, not just the HVT. Mr. Cameron said these are the windows for the sub-committees to plan for.Mr. Macdonald said that there must be a 20 year plan for all thrusts, and a clear 1-3 year plan.
f. History & Heritage
Mr. Maerz said we need to start developing an overall 1-3 year plan for History & Heritage subcommittee. The thrust includes all goals and activities related to the preservation and promotion of Regimental History. The objectives align with the Guilds strategic vision. It promotes unity, establishes clear and measurable outputs and enables a strategic funding of thrust objectives as applicable. It encompasses historical vehicles, Memorials & Remembrance, Ceremonial Uniforms, Guild property, and ceremonial activities.
Mr. Macdonald asked for a list of the memorials that we are responsible for. Mr. Graham stated that in 2008 we went around and retro fitted the known plaques and monuments. Mr. Maerz said we should focus on what we know we have instead of searching for new memorials. They are looking into building a Leliefontein memorial in South Africa, although there may be issues with upkeep in a foreign country. Mr. Macdonald suggested building a Leliefontein memorial here, possible for the 125th anniversary. Mr. Maerz said he would provide an update in November on what we have/find. In terms of Guild property we will maintain and look at future 125th Leliefontein and Leeuwarden memorials.
The goal is set to mount and maintain a ceremonial dismounted guard or 100 men, with additional uniforms tied to and maintained by HVT. As well as the potential for ceremonial tack sets to support limited mounted Dragoons. Mr. Maerz raised the point that we need to define “mounts”. The most expensive part of a historical vehicle is the hull and there are lots of Hulls around base but need to know who owns them.
He explained that memorials do not just constitute Dragoon park, what do we do for other significant occasions? What about Leliefontein and Leeuwarden and the 75th and 125thanniversaries. There will need to be deliverables for these significant events in the coming future.
For ceremonial uniforms we want 100 man guard to be maintained. There is now a CANFORGEN addressing the potential for Public Funds to provide scarlets and this is something that would need to be discussed in depth especially in terms of ownership and taskings.The intent is to look into period piece uniforms similar to the ones worn for Leliefontein by the artillery. What will be the workload for this? What are our options and the cost? These all need to be determined before moving forward.
Mr. Forsyth Snr asked if it will be a HVT would also be responsible for the uniforms. Mr. Maerz answered that the persons manning the vehicle would be in period dress. Mr. Macdonald reasoned that if you are doing the work you should have first opportunity to be involved in actually presenting these vehicles to the public. Mr. Forsyth Snr suggested separate teams for procurement. Mr. Maerz said the wearers would be part of HVT.