OSPE Annual General Meeting 2024 Recap

OSPE’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) is held in accordance with our Bylaws on an annual basis. This year, it was held virtually on Tuesday, May 7 at 6:00 PM.

Members and guests who attended the meeting got a chance to celebrate OSPE’s advocacy wins of 2023, recognize incoming and outgoing Board Directors, and conduct official OSPE business.

Here is a summary of the events of the AGM:

Introduction

The AGM opened with remarks from OSPE Chair, Stephanie Holko, P.Eng. She offered a land acknowledgment for the evening’s proceedings and thanked OSPE’s Annual Partners and the 2023-2024 Board Directors. Following these introductory statements, the members voted to approve the Minutes of the 2023 AGM.

Report from the Chair & CEO

OSPE CEO Sandro Perruzza joined OSPE Chair Stepanie Holko, P.Eng. to highlight some of the exciting progress and achievements OSPE has made in 2023. These highlights include:

• The Voice Magazine, OSPE’s signature publication transitioning to digital only, leading to more timely content, less waste, and more opportunities for members and partners to reach our engineering audience.
• OSPE’s largest Engineering Conference to date, with over 5200 attendants in Toronto, coming to see 50+ subject matter experts and over 120 engineering employers in attendance
• OSPE’s implementation of a new Association Management System to serve members better
• Central to this technology upgrade is access to OSPE’s video learning library, which we have branded our EngLearn platform, where visitors can find recordings from past conferences, our Thought Leadership Thursday series, and so much more. All with the ease of navigation we are accustomed to from YouTube.
• Exciting advocacy wins from throughout 2023:
  • PEO initiating a continuing professional development program for license holders
  • PEO eliminating the Canadian experience component to make it easier for internationally trained engineers to use their skills in the workforce faster
  • OSPE realized a 37% increase in meetings with government policymakers, and an increase in policy papers and reports published by 60% over 2022 levels
  • OSPE remains very active on the critical files of energy management, housing development, infrastructure renewal, and public safety.
• The return of OSPE’s Annual Holiday Celebration, representing the beginning of getting back to being more physically present for our members. (In 2024 we are hosting a series of member engagement events across the province.)
• The great work of OSPE’s Task Forces. This past year we were more active than ever, especially on critical issues of indoor air quality, smart construction, and sustainable procurement.

Report from the Nominations Committee

Meggen Janes, P.Eng., Nominations Committee Chair delivered the report.

This year, there were four open Board positions.

The following professional engineers shall become Directors of the Society to hold office for a three-year term.

• Nicholas Burgwin, P.Eng.
• Nick Colucci, P.Eng.
• Dr. Marilyn Powers, P.Eng.
• Beatrice Sze, P.Eng.

Report from the Treasurer

OSPE Treasurer, Stephen Pepper, P.Eng. delivered the report on OSPE’s financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, including a summary of OSPE’s revenue and expenses.

Report from the Audit and Finance Committee

OSPE Treasurer, Stephen Pepper, P.Eng. presented the report and the motion was carried to appoint BDO Canada, LLP as auditors of the Society.

The Ontario Not-for-Profit Corporations Act

OSPE Vice Chair Dave Carnegie, P.Eng joined Stephanie Holko to move forward with the motions regarding the new ONCA (Ontario Not for Profit Corporations Act) Compliant By-Law #1-2023 and Special Resolutions.

Some main points in regards to ONCA:

• Under ONCA it is necessary to formally establish the range of Board Directors with a minimum and maximum number.
• OSPE will be simplifying our categories of membership into 3 classes. Regular Members, Corporate Members and Affiliate Members (students)

 The following motions were carried:

1. Approval of Special Resolution #1, which will amend the Letters Patent and apply for Articles of Amendment in order to be compliant with ONCA legislation.
2. Approval of By-Law Number 1-2023, which will replace Bylaw Number 2 in its entirety in order to be compliant with ONCA legislation.
3. Approval of Special Resolution #2, with respect to Section 11.8 of Bylaw #1-2023, membership not being transferable between classes.
4. Approval of Special Resolution #3, with respect to Notice of Member Meetings in order to be compliant with ONCA legislation.
5. Approval of Special Resolution #4, which will fix the number of Directors of the Corporation to 12.

Member Questions

There were two questions on the following topics:  Support for students and advocacy on behalf of the profession.

On the first topic, members were reminded of the suite of career related services available to student members to help them navigate from the classroom to the workforce.

In terms of advocating on behalf of the profession, it was shared how OSPE has been active in explaining to all levels of government that there needs to be a focus on increasing the number of engineers employed, in addition to those in skilled trades. OSPE is also active as part of many alliances to make sure that engineers are recognized as necessary for the smart economic growth of the provincial and federal economy.

Closing Remarks

Chair Stephanie Holko took a moment to individually thank each outgoing Board Director for their special contributions to OSPE.

The directors who completed their 3-year terms this year are Jerome James, P.Eng., Stephen Pepper, P.Eng., and Peter Marcucci, P.Eng.

Thank You to Chair Stephanie Holko, P.Eng.

Vice Chair Dave Carnegie, P.Eng. reflected on and thanked Stephanie Holko for her many contributions to OSPE.

Stephanie Holko is now an honorary lifetime member of the Ontario Society of Professional Engineers.

(A video recording of the AGM will be made available to members in the near future)

2024-2025 OSPE Executive Committee

The OSPE Board of Directors convened after the AGM. At this meeting it was determined that the Executive Committee of Board will be as follows:

OSPE Chair, Dave Carnegie, P.Eng.
Vice Chair, Nicholas Burgwin, P.Eng.
Treasurer, Raymond Mantha, P.Eng.
Secretary, Meggen Janes, P.Eng.
Past Chair, Stephanie Holko, P.Eng.