Present: Ron Friesen, Karen Pauls, Michelle MacAfee, Saleem Khan (chair), Jennifer Fowler, Trudi Beutel, Erica Johnson, Paul Schneidereit, John Dickins

Regrets: Amanda Pfeffer, Charles Bury, Robert Cribb, Maria McClintock

Recording Secretary: A. Hawkins

1.Agenda Approval - S. Khan

K. Pauls moved to receive the agenda, T. Beutel seconded.

S. Khan noted that Beth Ryan should be corrected to read Beth Raymer in his chapter report. Discussion of awards hall of fame added under new business.

E. Johnson moved to approve the agenda as amended, K. Pauls seconded. Approved by consensus.

2. Approval of Past Minutes - S. Khan

June Teleconference

P. Schneidereit moved to receive the minutes, M. MacAfee seconded.

T. Beutel moved to approve the minutes as presented, M. MacAfee seconded. Approved by consensus.

January board meeting

E. Johnson moved to receive the minutes, K. Pauls seconded.

P. Schneidereit noted that several people were absent from the regrets, including himself.

M. MacAfee moved to approve the minutes as amended, E. Johnson seconded. Approved by consensus.

Task list

P. Schneidereit noted that regarding item 4, Edmonton decided they don't have the numbers to host the spring conference.

J. Dickins noted that regarding item 5, Canjet wanted exclusivity, and Westjet was "quite keen." Jetsgo hasn't been approached yet, nor Cathay Pacific. No luck with US Air and United. The CAJ did get five tickets this year from Air Canada, and used three for the national conference. The other two will be used for NWS.

Item 9 stricken from the list.

Item 10 is in progress.

T. Beutel noted that regarding item 11, it could be pushed onto the photojournalism caucus. M. MacAfee suggested that a display could be put up at the national conference. It was referred to the Vancouver conference committee.

M. MacAfee moved to accept the task list, E. Johnson seconded. Motion passed.

3. Election of Committee Chairs and Make Up - S. Khan

S. Khan noted that the committees needed to be drawn up from scratch.

Budget committee members: A. Pfeffer, T. Beutel, and J. Fowler.

T. Beutel questioned whether the fundraising committee's mandate is still accurate, now that the CAJ has a fundraiser. K. Pauls suggested there be some more long term planning involved. E. Johnson suggested that fewer committee members be board members. Committee members: T. Beutel, K. Pauls, A. Pfeffer and P. Schneidereit. T. Beutel will chair.

Advocacy committee members: R. Cribb, C. Bury, T. Beutel, E. Johnson, and Murray Brewster.

E. Johnson noted that the awards judges should be thanked in the conference program. M. MacAfee suggested the names of all judges be published, as with the NNAs, in the interest of transparency. Awards committee members: E. Johnson, M. MacAfee, J. Fowler. M. MacAfee will chair.

K. Pauls tasked to approach Wendy Cumming to join the membership committee. Committee members: Trevor Hache, J. Fowler, R. Friesen, K. Pauls, S. Khan, M. MacAfee, and A. Pfeffer.

Chapter liason: Trevor Hache has been very keen on taking the position. Appointment tasked to the membership committee.

4. President's Report - P. Schneidereit

T. Beutel moved to receive the report, E. Johnson seconded.

P. Schneidereit presented the report. K. Pauls asked why the CAJ was only mentioned at the bottom of the Reporters Without Borders press release dealing with Kazemi case. P. Schneidereit noted that the four groups mentioned in the first paragraph did a lot of work drafting the letter to the prime minister. The CAJ was unable to attend meetings.

E. Johnson suggested that membership packages include press releases and statements that we've issued so members know why it's important to be a member. Members could even be e-mailed releases as they are issued. R. Friesen noted that the CAJ isn't visible to the grassroots. P.Schneidereit commented on the importance of reaching out to non-members. The CAJ needs to demonstrate "passion for the craft." Also, the board needs to approach students more aggressively.

P. Schneidereit thanked the board for support to date.

Motion passed - Report Accepted.

5. Executive Director's Report - J. Dickins

E. Johnson moved to receive the report, P. Schneidereit seconded.

J. Dickins presented the report. Discussed the move of the head office from Carleton to Algonquin.

J. Dickins noted that support from Carleton was never very strong. Board thought there had to be more promotion of the CAJ to students through local chapters and CAJ board.

CIDA Fellowship

There were 40 applicants this year. There was a lot of discussion following the breakfast, and great interest at the fellowship presentations at the national conference.

J. Dickins commented that in his fifth year he was looking forward to working with P. Schneidereit.

Online Registration

J. Dickins reported that the online registration system is almost ready to go. E. Johnson enquired about the cost. J. Dickins responded that it would cost $500 for the initial setup and $400 per year. Conference, membership and chapter event registrations could be set up through this. S. Khan addressed concerns about the organization's security and reputation which he will speak on in his report. K. Pauls enquired about the process for the system to be put into place. J. Dickins noted that he'd like to put it in place. No additional motion is needed, the project has already been tasked to J. Dickins and the cost is already allowed for in the budget's operations account.

Motion accepted - Report presented.

6. Budget Committee - A. Pfeffer

E. Johnson moved to receive the report, K. Pauls seconded.

J. Dickins presented report in A. Pfeffer's absence. While we are carrying a deficit of around $3,000 for the year, the year isn't finished yet. The summer and fall is often a difficult time for cash flow. We're budgeting to have a surplus of $23,900 by the end of the year. J. Dickins clarified the financial statements regarding Advocacy, OGC, Board Development, and Hiring Activities. J. Dickins tasked to enquire about the status and activity of OGC.

T. Beutel moved to accept the report, E. Johnson seconded. Motion passed.

K. Pauls moved to recess for lunch, M. MacAfee seconded. Motion passed.

7. Conferences

K. Pauls moved to accept the conference reports, E. Johnson seconded.

Report from Toronto 2003 Conference

J. Fowler reported that while a few workshops had low attendance this was partially the result of the diversity of sessions. T. Hache was thrilled to have five people at his session, despite Pierre Berton speaking in the next room. She noted that the organizers had been possibly "a little ambitious" with the number of sessions. What is unknown is just how much effect SARS, innoversity conference had on the conference but it's believed these were definitely factors.

K. Pauls moved to accept the report, R. Friesen seconded. Motion passed.

Montreal IRE Workshop

M. MacAfee spoke on the upcoming event. For each Canadian speaker there was to be an American one. Registration is going pretty well. 10 to 15 are expected from Concordia alone. Getting 50-60 delegates should be no problem. Because of cost concerns and other problems the focus is no longer on investigative reporting. M. MacAfee commented that the conference has become "NWS lite" without the keynote speakers. Originally Americans were supposed to be present to share their ideas, but because of poor attendance that hasn't happened.

K. Pauls suggested the relationship with IRE be maintained without the logistical problem of the conference.

P. Schneidereit noted that last year we made $800 and this year it's shaping up the same. Considering the amount of J. Dickins' time that is taken up perhaps this event isn't worth it. It has been tried in Vancouver and Montreal, two major border towns and few American delegates. The IRE needs to be approached with the CAJ's concerns.

T. Beutel noted that IRE doesn't seem to be fully committed.

E. Johnson suggested a decision be put off until January and questioned whether other CAJ events suffer because of it. Maybe IRE members should be brought up to symposia and National Conferences instead.

J. Fowler suggested an alternating-years model. Between NWS and IRE. K. Pauls also supported the idea or suggested that it might become a stream at the national conference, the way CAR was a part of the conference this year.

J. Dickins noted that the alternating-year system might lead to a loss of momentum, and the NWS conference is necessary for fundraising.

J. Fowler noted that she couldn't see Americans coming to our National Conference.

P. Schneidereit moved to strike a special committee to examine the future of the CAJ/IRE conference, and to report by January with options. Members: K. Pauls, M. MacAfee, and R. Cribb. E. Johnson seconded. Motion passed.

E. Johnson moved to accept the report, R. Friesen seconded. Motion passed.

Saskatoon NWS

M. MacAfee reported that Elaine Shein left the committee in great shape. They're trying to get someone to do a broadcasting session. Sponsorship is going well, with a couple of E. Shein's friends taking over. $15,000 in sponsorship has been raised so far. We're hoping for $35,000 in sponsorship and $10,000 for registrations. Telus, CBC and some government departments have been approached. Agricultural companies have been unresponsive. There's still plenty of time left. T. Beutel asked if the $15,000 figure was cash and contra. J. Dickins responded that it was just cash.

Board brainstormed potential broadcast speakers for NWS.

E. Johnson moved to accept the report, J. Fowler seconded. Motion passed.

Vancouver 2004

The conference will be hosted at the Hyatt-Regency. The room rates and fees for the breakout rooms are reasonable. It's currently booked for the weekend of May 7-9, 2004.

J. Fowler suggested organizers look into what else is running that weekend to make sure there aren't any competing conferences. J. Dickins noted that April 6 is the only other date available but with the complexity of our conferences early April is too hard on organizers and the awards process. T. Beutel will look into it.

The awards video has been problematic because CBC doesn't have anybody to produce it at this time. T. Beutel wants to see it and the workshop leaders "50% booked" by December.

P. Schneidereit moved to accept the report, K. Pauls seconded. Motion passed.

Board discussed places for next national conference. P. Schneidereit suggested Montreal. J. Dickins raised the issue of fundraising in Montreal, because of the language differences. J. Fowler raised the idea of having a bilingual conference with a Quebec journalism association. It was noted that there would be logistical problems. K. Pauls asked if Edmonton could do it. P. Schneidereit noted that there wasn't enough activity there. R. Friesen suggested the CAJ consider going out of country. M. MacAfee tasked to look at support in Montreal, to report back in October. She'll talk to Diodora Bocur. J. Dickins to talk to A. Pfeffer. K. Pauls suggested Julian Sher might also help rally the troops.

8. Media Magazine - D. McKie

K. Pauls moved to receive the report, R. Friesen seconded.

D. McKie noted that Media had been in the red because of the deal with Sable. The magazine is now in the black due to switching to three issues per year.

M. MacAfee moved to accept the report, K. Pauls seconded. Motion passed.

9. Awards - J .Dickins

K. Pauls moved to receive the report, E. Johnson seconded.

J. Dickins reported that the awards went really well this year, both the CAJ awards for investigative journalism and the CAJ/CIDA fellowship. K. Pauls reported that working with Sasa Petricic, a former winner for the CIDA awards, was very helpful.

J. Fowler moved to accept the report, R. Friesen seconded. Motion passed.

10. Advocacy - P. Schneidereit

P. Schneidereit presented the report. R. Cribb tasked with having a press release ready for the Macintosh case.

T. Beutel moved to accept the report, E. Johnson seconded. Motion passed.

K. Pauls moved to recess for the day, M. MacAfee seconded. Motion passed.

Meeting called to order at 10:18 a.m. on Sunday

S. Khan passed chair to T. Beutel.

12. Membership Committee- K. Pauls

K. Pauls presented membership committee report. R. Friesen suggested that there be a breakdown by organization. K .Pauls noted that this would be difficult to do with the way the database is currently set up.

P. Schneidereit presented his ideas for a membership drive. He suggested that the CAJ show journalists what we do for "the craft." Also, packages could be sent out to newsrooms that need to be targeted. The "welcome" letters need to be more personalized. It doesn't make sense for someone who's been a member for five years to get a letter welcoming them to the CAJ.

P. Schneidereit moved that the board approve of the membership initiative detailed above, including the projected cost of $1.45 per package sent. S. Khan seconded.

T. Beutel asked that the number of packages to be sent out be pinned down. R. Friesen said his experience showed that return envelopes don't increase returns. J. Dickins said that an increase in returns of about 20% resulted from past efforts that included return envelopes. Stamps aren't really necessary because people usually send them through their employers anyway.

T. Beutel asked how much money was available to go towards the project. J. Dickins responded that about $1,000 could be put toward the project. T. Beutel suggested we focus on two or three newsrooms at first.

R. Friesen moved the motion be amended to add "to a maximum of $1,000" to the end , M. MacAfee seconded . Motion passed with K. Pauls abstaining.

J. Fowler moved to accept the amended motion, E. Johnson seconded. Motion passed with K. Pauls abstaining.

13. Chapter Reports

R. Friesen presented Manitoba chapter report.

T. Beutel presented Southern BC chapter report and then handed chair back to S. Khan.

T. Beutel commented that if one chapter is not going to go by the bylaws by not charging for events, other chapters cannot be expected to as well. She noted the Southern B.C. chapter had been criticized in the past for co-hosted events.

K. Pauls read past motions regarding the issue of co-sponsored events. The board discussed whether co-sponsored, free events are allowed at all, or whether the only stipulation is that they do not count toward the minimum of two events per year (one event in 2003). T. Beutel commented that the intention of the bylaw was for co-sponsored events to be the exception, not the rule.

Membership committee tasked to come up with a new letter for chapters with the new amended rules.

E. Johnson noted that there's value in showing what the CAJ does for members when they can get into local events for free or very low cost.

S. Khan handed chair to T. Beutel in order to deliver Toronto chapter report.

S. Khan presented chapter report. Noted that Beth Raymer's name should be noted as the chapter communications director, not Beth Ryan.

T. Beutel handed chair to S. Khan.

P. Schneidereit noted that R. Cribb set a precedent for not being a chapter rep. and CAJ president at the same time. Nobody in his chapter has asked to send somebody else to the board, although he hasn't had the time to spend on his chapter.

14. New Business

SEJ and CAJ

The SEJ has invited us to a meeting to discuss collaboration.

CAJ Hall of Fame

S. Khan handed chair to T. Beutel.

The hall of fame would be a black-tie gathering once per year to showcase the best in Canadian journalism. This would help application for charitable status. M. MacAfee commented that it would be difficult to organize given the similar event held by the Canadian National Newspaper Association. E. Johnson noted that such an event "wouldn't fly" without charitable status. J. Fowler commented that there are already a lot of awards for journalists. S. Khan will continue working on it and present options to the board.

T. Beutel passed chair to S. Khan.

J. Fowler tasked to ask Keith Branscombe to design a new award certificate and will report back to the awards committee.

15. CIDA Judging

E. Johnson moved to receive K. Pauls' report on CIDA judging, T. Beutel seconded.

K. Pauls delivered report. Excellent process and some excellent submissions. In some cases it would have been easier for would-be entrants if some of the guidelines were a bit more clear. It would probably make it easier for the judges too. These suggestions will be made to CIDA and the awards committee will look at making the guidelines clearer.

K. Pauls to draft recommendations based on her report, to be reviewed by the Awards Committee and forwarded by J. Dickins to CIDA.

16. Next Meeting

Next meeting scheduled for the weekend of January 31.

Date for June teleconference will be decided in January.

Next year's September board meeting to be determined through e-mail.

M. MacAfee moved to adjourn . Meeting adjourned at 12:24 PM.