Minutes of the Meeting of the CIRA Board of Directors held via teleconference on February 19, 2009 at 1:00 p.m. Ottawa time
Directors attending: Paul Andersen, Kerry Brown, John Demco (ex-officio), Heather Dryden (ex-officio), Christopher Goodfellow, Byron Holland (ex-officio), Ron Kawchuk, Ross Rader, Bill Reid, Jeff Rybak, Barry Shell, Rick Sutcliffe, Tom Williams
Regrets: Richard Anderson, Lynne Mackan-Roy
Corporate Secretary: Michael Stewart
Recording Secretary: Lynn Gravel
1. Approval of Agenda
Be it resolved that the agenda distributed with the material for the meeting be adopted.
(Moved: K. Brown, seconded: R. Sutcliffe)
2. Composition of the Nomination Committee
The Board was impressed at the quality of the applicants. After review and discussion of the details provided by the applicants, and in consideration of Section (b)(vii) of CIRA’s By-law and Board Members’ recommendation, the Board of Directors carried the following resolution:
Be it resolved that the Board of Directors appoint the following people to the Nomination Committee:
1. Ash Abhyankar for a 2 year term;
2. Malcolm Andrew for a 2 year term;
3. Gaston Gohou for a 2 year term; and
4. Susan Mitchell for a 2 year term.
(Moved: B. Reid, seconded: R. Rader, unanimously carried)
3. Net Neutrality Submission
The Board of Directors discussed the Executive Summary and Conclusions that had been circulated the previous day regarding the submission on Net Neutrality to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) and the full document which had been circulated that day. Staff apologized to the Board of Directors for the short timelines and notification noting that the documents had only been finalized the previous day but the overall process for submitting comments to CRTC was very tight.
Staff provided background to the matter, indicating that CIRA was uniquely positioned to add value to this debate because of its DNS and technical expertise and as a resulted drafted the document. In addition, staff felt that CIRA was not taking any sides in the debate, but simply expressing an opinion that there were certain things people should be mindful of, and that there needs to be a balance. While the timing for this submission was not ideal, since CIRA has a well-founded role in commenting on this issue, staff decided that it would be worthwhile to go forward with drafting the document, as CIRA could bring a valuable contribution to the debate.
Several board members expressed concern that from the executive summary CIRA was taking a position that the Board had not had a proper chance to discuss as a group. Some Board members commented that it was very difficult to adequately consider the materials presented and the questions posed by staff given the late presentation of the proposed submission. Some of the Board members wondered whether stakeholder input should have been sought. Others felt that it was an important issue and that it was appropriate for staff to express an opinion on such issues and contribute its expertise. The Board of Directors agreed to discuss this further during the in camera session.
4. 2009 Election Rules
This item was deferred to an online resolution.
5. Selection of Returning Officer
This item was deferred to an online resolution.
6. Other Business
There was no other business to discuss.
7. Next Meeting
The next meeting of the Board of Directors will be held in Ottawa on Tuesday, March 17, 2009.
L. Gravel, B. Holland and M. Stewart withdrew from the meeting.
8. In Camera Session
The Board of Directors held an in camera session.
Following the in camera session, the Board of Directors informed staff that, given the concerns raised on the submission, it was the consensus of the Board not to proceed with the submission at this time.
9. Adjournment
There being no further business, on motion by R. Rader and seconded by J. Rybak, the meeting was concluded at 3:35 p.m.
