MINUTES OF A MEETING OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE CANADIAN COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS ASSOCIATION HELD AT LE CENTRE SHERATON HOTEL, MONTREAL, QUEBEC ON WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, 2009, AT 8:00 AM

PRESENT:
Coleen Campbell, Chairman
Brian McCristall, President
Mike Williscraft, First Vice-President
Lana Meier, Second Vice-President
Abbas Homayed, Treasurer
Chris Ashfield, Corporate Secretary
Brad Alden, BCYCNA
Chuck Bennett, BCYCNA
George Brown, AWNA
Frank McTighe, AWNA
Richard Holmes, AWNA
Clark Pepper, SWNA
Neil Thom, SWNA
Greg Nesbitt, MCNA
Rick Shaver, OCNA
George Bakoyannis, QCNA
Heather Dickson, QCNA
Lynn Hennigar, ACNA
Paul MacNeill, ACNA

 
STAFF:
John Hinds, Chief Executive Officer
Tina Ongkeko, Managing Director, Community Media
Kelly Levson, ComBase General Manager

GUESTS:
Alan Allnutt, Co-management committee
Peter Kvarnstrom, Co-management committee
George Affleck, BCYCNA General Manager
Dennis Merrell, AWNA Executive Director
Steve Nixon, SWNA Executive Director
Anne Lannan, OCNA Member Services Manager
Greg Duncan, QCNA Executive Director
Mike Kierstead, ACNA Executive Director

REGRETS:
Don MacLeod, OCNA
 
1. CALL TO ORDER & CHAIR’S REMARKS

Coleen Campbell called the meeting to order at  8:15 AM and welcomed everyone to the meeting and to the association’s annual conference. Coleen welcomed Alan Allnutt of the CNA/CCNA co-management committee.

2.APPROVAL OF AGENDA

Added to Other Business:
• Terms of reference for executive committee
• Nominations committee
• Association de la presse francophone letter

MOVED by Rick Shaver, seconded by Lynn Hennigar THAT THE AGENDA BE APPROVED AS AMENDED. CARRIED.

3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF LAST MEETING

a. February 24, 2009 - Vancouver

MOVED by Lynn Hennigar, seconded by Chris Ashfield THAT THE MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD FEBRUARY 24, 2009, IN VANCOUVER BE APPROVED AS CIRCULATED. CARRIED.

4. BUSINESS ARISING

John Hinds reported on meetings with Scott Shortliffe, director of the Publications Assistance Program, as well as the Minister’s office to discuss the Canada Periodical Fund that will be replacing PAP in 2010. PAP hopes to announce a funding formula and application procedures by October. There have been some discussions about where the circulation cutoff for eligibility should fall. It is currently at 25,000, and some consideration is being given to lowering it. CCNA staff plan to meet with Minister James Moore about the issue.

Clark reported that SWNA met with their MP caucus and with Canadian Heritage in Ottawa last week. They were told by Heritage officials that any changes to the new program would have to be the result of a political process. John noted that CCNA is trying to meet at the political level before eligibility rules and the funding formula are formalized. The minister is the one who will give the blessing to move it forward, so we need to meet with him before then.

5. IN-CAMERA SESSION

An in camera session was held with the chief executive officer present. There were no motions arising.

Co-management committee chair Peter Kvarnstrom was welcomed to the meeting.

6. PRESIDENT’S REPORT

Brian McCristall referred to his report in the 2008 annual report. He noted that it has been an interesting and encouraging year for him in some respects and difficult and discouraging in other respects. He felt that the co-management arrangement was a brilliant decision made by the board at exactly the right time.

MOVED by Brian McCristall, seconded by Brad Alden THAT THE PRESIDENT’S REPORT BE APPROVED AS PRESENTED. CARRIED.

7. TREASURER’S REPORT

a) March 31, 2009, financial statement

Abbas Homayed presented the March 31, 2009, financial statement and reported that year-to-date, the association is slightly below budget. It is tracking on budget everywhere except for awards and conference.

MOVED by Abbas Homayed, seconded by Lana Meier THAT THE TREASURER’S REPORT BE APPROVED AS PRESENTED. CARRIED.

8. CCNA ACTIVITY REPORT

John Hinds presented his written report and provided updates as follows:
• CNA and CCNA are working on a bi-weekly e-newsletter to agencies and advertisers
• CCNA has filed a statement of defence in the lawsuit launched by JMG Enterprises, a former service provider to CMCA members.
• The federal government recently released the report of the Canada Post mandate review. The report focused on economic sustainability, which means higher prices. It does say that better governance and accountability are required, but the overall tone of the report was that mail delivery is a dying industry and Canada Post should be free to raise revenue. Staff are looking to meet with the Minister of Transport to discuss governance and accountability issues.
• John reported one recent success story: After it was discovered that some postmasters were not delivering papers due to the Consumer’s Choice rule, Canada Post head office told them that papers are exempt from Consumer’s Choice.
• Staff are working on an industry ad campaign and hope to release it in the next couple of weeks.

ComBase:
• John reported that although ComBase had hoped to have launched and be promoting the new study by now, there have been some challenges and ComBase had to go back into field in 22 markets. Data could not be released because there was at least one issue in each region. ComBase has retained Smart Research, who did the weighting for the last study, to reweight the study. It is hoped that this will enable us to release the study soon. The ComBase board is committed to addressing these issues and getting it right.
• Kelly Levson provided an update on the steps taken to address the issues.

MOVED by George Brown, seconded by Heather Dickson THAT THE CCNA ACTIVITY REPORT BE ACCEPTED AS PRESENTED. CARRIED.

9.COMMITTEE REPORTS

a) CMCA

Frank McTighe reported that the CMCA committee met via teleconference last week and presented their recommendations.

MOVED by Heather Dickson, seconded by Brad Alden THAT THE RULES FOR THIRD-PARTY BULK SALES, MUNICIPAL CONTRACTS AND INCENTIVES BE AMENDED AS FOLLOWS:

THIRD-PARTY BULK SALES

Copies bought by a third party, such as an advertiser, sponsor/donor, or municipality, in quantities of 2 or more for distribution to individuals or organizations, and to promote the interests of the third party.

The copies must have been paid for at any net positive price, after taking the value of any premiums or incentives into consideration.

A summary of bulk sales, dated and signed by the publisher, shall be submitted as backup documentation.

SECTION 5. Returns and Special Campaigns

5.2, 5.3, 5.4 Specify any premiums, incentives, or reduced rates offered (e.g. seniors rate). When premiums or incentives are offered with a subscription, the value of the premium or incentive must be deducted from the price of the subscription. If the net price is a positive amount, then the subscription is considered paid circulation. If the net price is zero or a negative amount, then the copies must be reported as controlled circulation. Example: Subscription price is $20.00. Mugs given away as premiums cost $5.00 each, which means the net subscription price is $15.00. If the mugs were $20.00 each, then the copies distributed to that individual/company would be considered controlled.
 
Premiums may be pens, magnets, bags, caps, mugs, etc.
 
Incentives may be prizes or draws for cinema tickets, sporting events, dinner at a local restaurant, etc.
CARRIED.

MOVED by Richard Holmes, seconded by Brad Alden, THAT RULES FOR NEWSPAPERS IN EDUCATION AND EDUCATIONAL COPIES BE ESTABLISHED AS FOLLOWS:

Copies ordered for delivery to students or schools and for the purposes of teaching students. These copies can be requested or purchased by instructors or sponsors or through school funds.  (Copies that are purchased shall be subject to rules governing third-party bulk sales).

Newspapers in Education and educational copies shall be reported under Third-Party Bulk Sales if they were purchased, or Other Controlled if distributed free of charge. Members would indicate if Newspapers in Education and educational copies were distributed as part of Third-Party Bulk Sales or Other Controlled on Section 5-Returns and Special Campaigns on Form X: Publisher’s Circulation Report.

CARRIED.

MOVED by Rick Shaver, seconded by Chris Ashfield, THAT THE LIST OF SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION FOR CMCA REPORTS BE AMENDED AS FOLLOWS:

For interim and annual reports, members shall be required to send:
• Supporting documents for the month of the analyzed issue
• Supporting documents for the last month of each reporting period (note: analyzed issue cannot be from the last month of the reporting period)
• Form X: Publisher’s Circulation Report
• Form X.3: Distribution Summary
• Form Z: Single Issue Circulation Report or Weekly Circulation Report (Dailies)  – for all issues
• Form Y: Press Run Certificate – for all issues
• Form G: Publisher's Deliver to Carriers, Dealers, Distributors, Street Boxes and Apartments  – for the month of the analyzed issue
• Subscriber list – for the most recent issue

For initial reports, members shall be required to send:
• Supporting documents for all 6 months of the reporting period
• Form X: Publisher’s Circulation Report
• Form X.3: Distribution Summary
• Form Z: Single Issue Circulation Report or Weekly Circulation Report (Dailies)   – for all issues
• Form Y: Press Run Certificate – for all issues
• Form G: Publisher's Deliver to Carriers, Dealers, Distributors, Street Boxes and Apartments  – for all issues
• Subscriber list – for the most recent issue

Initial reports would require more documentation than annual or interim reports so that auditors can perform more checks to ensure that new members are able to comply with the existing rules of the program.
CARRIED.

MOVED by Heather Dickson, seconded by Rick Shaver THAT THE SUBSCRIBER LIST SUBMITTED BY CMCA MEMBER PUBLICATIONS AS SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION:
• Subscriber first name, Subscriber last name
• Subscriber address
• Batch date for payment
• Batch number
• Price
• Amount paid or payment status
CARRIED.

b) Distribution Committee

Neil Thom reported that SWNA and QCNA have been having some meetings with Canadian Heritage and are working with John Hinds on issues with PAP and the Canada Periodical Fund.

A discussion took place regarding CPF and eligibility of controlled-circulation papers. There is some concern that we have been receiving conflicting messages. There is also concern that there is a lack of understanding of the difference between controlled and free circulation. Because the CPF will not be bound to Canada Post for delivery, usage of the Fund is expected to increase.

CPF officials are mindful of cashflow issues for newspapers and are looking into CCNA suggestions that payments be made in advance, perhaps quarterly or annually.

MOVED by Neil Thom, seconded by Chris Ashfield THAT THE DISTRIBUTION COMMITTEE REPORT BE APPROVED. CARRIED.

c) Better Newspapers Competition Committee

Greg Nesbitt and Tina Ongkeko reported on the 2009 competition, which concludes at the conference with the awards gala. The complete financial picture for the competition will be known by the end of May.

MOVED by Greg Nesbitt, seconded by Frank McTighe THAT THE BETTER NEWSPAPERS COMPETITION COMMITTEE REPORT BE APPROVED. CARRIED.

d) Conference Committee

George Bakoyannis provided an overview of the conference schedule and speakers. A discussion took place regarding options for 2010.

MOVED by George Bakoyannis, seconded by Chris Ashfield THAT THE CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REPORT BE APPROVED. CARRIED.

e) New Ideas Committee

Brad Alden reported that following the February board meeting, there has been more focus on education regarding newspapers’ web presence. With this in mind, regular columns on technology and the web by Bill Dunphy of the Hamilton Spectator and Andrew Powell of CCNA have been introduced in The Publisher. The conference also has a sizeable new media component.

MOVED by Brad Alden, seconded by George Bakoyannis THAT THE NEW IDEAS COMMITTEE REPORT BE APPROVED. CARRIED.

10. REGIONAL ASSOCIATION REPORTS

a) BCYCNA
Chuck Bennett presented the written report and added that provincial ad campaigns that the association secured for its members have been very successful.

b) AWNA
George Brown presented the written report and provided an update on the collection of $775,000 owed to AWNA by Highwood Comunications at the time it closed its doors last July.

c) SWNA
Steve Nixon presented the written report and added that the provincial government has signed an agreement for a minimum ad spend.

d) MCNA
Lana Meier presented the written report and noted that MCNA had great success in negotiations with the provincial government on recycling. The province has agreed to honour a 1993 agreement to allocate tax dollars collected since that time towards recycling.

e) OCNA
Anne Lannan presented the written report and noted that a number of association bylaw amendments pertaining to membership were approved at their April meeting. Associate members can now include specialty publications and online publications, although they will not have access to Ad*Reach, awards and network classifieds. Ad*Reach will begin selling online advertising into member sites this summer.

f) QCNA
Greg Duncan presented the written report and provided an update on government relations activities.

g) ACNA
Mike Kierstead presented the written report and noted that the International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors is holding its annual meeting in PEI from June 24 to 28.

MOVED by Clark Pepper, seconded by Richard Holmes THAT THE REGIONAL ASSOCIATION REPORTS BE ACCEPTED AS PRESENTED. CARRIED.

11. OTHER BUSINESS

a) Quill Nomination

MOVED BY Brian McCristall, seconded by Chris Ashfield THAT THE GOLD QUILL NOMINATION FOR HARTLEY COLES, EDITOR OF THE NEW ACTON TANNER IN ONTARIO BE APPROVED. CARRIED.

b) Terms of reference for Executive Committee

MOVED by Paul MacNeill, seconded by Rick Shaver THAT THE FOLLOWING BE ADOPTED AS POLICY:

Executive Policy:
The Chairman, 1st vice president, 2nd vice-president, Treasurer and Corporate Secretary of the CCNA Executive must at all times be full-time employees in a senior management position with a member paper in good standing. If a sitting CCNA President ceases to be a full-time employee in a senior management position, but has served for more than 6 months, he or she, with board approval, may complete the one-year term.

CARRIED.

c) Nominating committee

Brian McCristall presented the slate thus far for CCNA officer elections.

MOVED by Clark Pepper, seconded by George Bakoyannis THAT THE CCNA BOARD REAFFIRM THE APPOINTMENTS OF LYNN HENNIGAR AND COLEEN CAMPBELL TO THE CNA/CCNA CO-MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE. CARRIED.

d) Association de la presse francophone letter

A discussion took place regarding a letter received from the Association de la presse francophone expressing interest in CCNA membership.

MOVED by Heather Dickson, seconded by Richard Holmes THAT CCNA OPEN DISCUSSIONS WITH THE ASSOCIATION DE LA PRESSE FRANCOPHONE REGARDING MEMBERSHIP. CARRIED.

12. NEXT MEETING DATES

• Board elections will be held at 11:30 AM on May 20.
• The fall board meeting will be held in late October as determined by the president.

13. IN-CAMERA SESSION

An in camera session was held with no motions arising. Brian McCristall expressed gratitude to the board, staff, and co-management committee and summarized the high points of his term.

14.ADJOURNMENT

There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 11:05 AM on a motion by Chris Ashfield.