board of directors 2015-16 - csta · canadian seed trade association l’association canadienne du...

CANADIAN SEED TRADE ASSOCIATION L’ASSOCIATION CANADIENNE DU COMMERCE DES SEMENCES 2039 Robertson Road., Suite 505, Ottawa, Ontario K2H 8R2 Telephone (613) 829-9527

Email: [email protected] http://www.cdnseed.org FAX (613)829-3530

Board of Directors

2015-16

Scott Horner, President

Hy-Tech Production Ltd.

Box 1454 Lethbridge, Alberta T1J 4K2

Tel: 403-308-8152

Fax: 403-345-3489 [email protected]

Brent Derkatch, 1st Vice-President

Canterra Seeds

201 1475 Chevrier Boulevard Winnipeg, Manitoba R3T 1Y7

Tel : 204-988-9758

Fax : 204-487-7682

Cell : 204-794-9758 [email protected]

Dan Wright, 2nd Vice-President

Monsanto Canada Inc.

101-120 Research Lane Guelph, Ontario N1G 0B4

Tel : 519-780-6609

Fax : 519-823-9733

Cell : 519-591-2353 [email protected]

Dave Baute, Past-President

Maizex Seeds

R.R. 2 4488 Mint Line Tilbury, Ontario N0P 2L0

Tel: 519-682-1720


Doug Alderman

Pride Seeds

PO Box 1088 Chatham, Ontario N7M 5L6

Tel: 519-354-3210 x214


Jeff Bertholet

BASF Canada Inc.

1 – 411 Downey Road Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 4L8

Tel: 306-652-6744


Georges Chaussé

La Coop Fédérée

2405, de la Province Longueuil, Québec J4G 1G3

Tel: 450-670-9930

Fax: 450-670-3900

Cell: 514-978-3602 [email protected]

Darrell Dziver

BrettYoung Seeds Ltd.

Box 99, St. Norbert P.S. Winnipeg, Manitoba R3V 1L5

Tel : 204-261-7932

Fax : 204-273-7333 [email protected]

Wayne Gale

Stokes Seeds

Box 10 Thorold, Ontario L2V 5E9

Tel: 905-688-3634 x120

Fax: 905-688-1499

[email protected]

Matt Hynes - ASTA Representative

Growmark Inc.

1701 Towanda Avenue Bloomington, Illinois 61701

Tel:

Fax: [email protected]

mailto:%[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]









Todd Hyra

SeCan

94 Woodington Bay Winnipeg, Manitoba R3P 1M9

Tel: 204-489-9126

Fax: 204-489-3615


Duane Johnson

Syngenta Canada

6700 Macleod Trail South Suite 300 Calgary, Alberta T2H 0L3

Tel: 403-219-5431

Fax: 403- 219-5401


George Lammertsen

Bayer CropScience

3106 9th Ave. N. Bay 10 Lethbridge, Alberta T1H 5E5

Tel: (403) 329-0706

Fax: (403) 329-0698 [email protected]

Kevin McCallum

DL Seeds

Box 2499 Morden, Manitoba R6M 1C2

Tel: 204-331-2360

Fax: 204-325-8052


Ellen Sparry

C&M Seeds

6180 5th Line Minto Palmerston, Ontario N0G 2P0

Tel: (519) 343-2126

Fax: (519) 343-3792

[email protected]

Marty Vermey

Dow Seeds

5 Hyland Drive Box 250 Blenheim, Ontario N0P 1A0

Tel: (519) 676-8146

Fax: (519) 676-6800

Cell: (519) 359-6479 [email protected]







Growing for the World Une croissance axée sur le monde

CANADIAN SEED TRADE ASSOCIATION

L’ASSOCIATION CANADIENNE DU COMMERCE DES SEMENCES 2039 Robertson Road Suite 505 Ottawa, Ontario K2H 8R2

Tel: 613-829-9527 Fax: 613-829-3530 www.cdnseed.org Email: [email protected]

COMPETITION ACT CSTA Compliance

All CSTA Staff, Officers and Committee Chairs must comply with the content and spirit of the Canadian Competition Act. In keeping with that, all CSTA activities will be conducted to abide strictly by the Competition Act. The principles discussed below apply to every meeting or conference call, no matter how informal, in which CSTA members and staff gather under CSTA’s auspices

Procedures

Staff and Board members must understand the Competition Act as it applies to association activities

An agenda must be prepared in advance of meetings and minutes recorded.

A CSTA staff member or Board member must be present at all association meetings

The staff or Board member must stop any discussion which may not comply with the Act

If the Executive Vice-President or President has concern with a topic scheduled for discussion, a legal opinion may be obtained before the meeting takes place.

Topics to Avoid

In general, care should be taken to avoid discussions of topics which may purposely or inadvertently lead to a discussion, and possibly an arrangement, with respect to pricing or activities involving exclusionary, disciplinary or predatory activities in any given market for goods or services. CSTA staff and board members will take steps to terminate discussions relating to competitively sensitive information such as:

territory or customer allocations

sales and production quotas

proposed price increases for goods or services

marketing methods and levels of inventory

terms of delivery, credit, warranties, or other similar terms of sale

specific bids or responses to tenders; and

proposed reductions in production capacity

ClosingBoard#1


Topics that Can Be Discussed

Although all matters to be discussed should be carefully reviewed, the following items could ordinarily be discussed without a problem:

industry management, trends and tools;

economic trends;

technological developments;

government policies, legislation and judicial decisions;

industry-wide public relations efforts; and

educating industry participants generally.

Sharing Information is OK

Information sharing is, in and of itself, not a problem. However, exchanging information which would reduce competition, such as commercially sensitive market information, pricing policies or costs, should be avoided.

Information involving standard terms for contracts, minimum product standardization with respect to packaging, credit information and environmental protection research, typically would not present a problem.

It is important that members of the organization not be coerced into providing information or complying with a plan that arises from the sharing of information. Similarly, they should not be required to modify their methods of carrying on business, their sales strategies, or their pricing policies in order to reflect the results of any of the information sharing.

of 3




AGENDA

CSTA Board of Directors Opening Meeting

Saturday July 9, 2016

Lunch 12:00pm – 1:00pm Meeting 1:00 pm – 5:30 pm

Hyatt Regency Vancouver Seymour Room (34th floor)

Note: Lunch will be provided in the meeting room at 12:00 noon.

Agenda Item Background and Document Action/Decision Requested

1. Call to Order A list of 2015-16 Directors is Opening1 Scott Horner in the Chair

2. Competition Act Compliance

CSTA’s statement of compliance with the Canadian Competition Act is Opening2

Board members and staff are required to step in when they believe that discussion contravenes the statement of compliance.

3. Agenda The Agenda is Opening3

Motion to Approve

4. Minutes The minutes of the February 2016 Board meeting are Opening4

Motion to Approve

5. Financial Report (a) Auditors

Report (b) P&L (c) 5-year

financial projection

The auditor’s report and audited statements for the 2014-15 fiscal year are Opening5a

Appointment of Auditor for 2016/17

The P&L statement to June 30, 2016, is Opening5b

Five-year financial projection (presented at meeting)

Motion to Approve:

2015/16 Audited Financial Statements

Appointment of Auditor for 2016/17

Opening3

of 3

6. Membership Report

CSTA has received new applications for membership. The membership report is Opening6

Motion to Approve new members (can be done in one motion, or individually)

Motion to approve membership report

7. Nominations Committee Report

The report of the Nominating Committee is Opening7

There were no further nominations from the membership after the notice from the Nominating Committee, so there will be an acclamation at the Annual Meeting.

8. CSTA’s Operating Documents

CSTA’s guideline documents have been updated and are presented for approval:

CSTA Operational guidelines have been updated to be consistent with CSTA’s Bylaws. Opening8a

CSTA’s Committee handbook has been updated to clarify work plans and committee operation Opening8b

CSTA’s Privacy Policy has been updated to align with Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation Opening8c

CSTA’s Social Media Guidelines have been created to reflect our social media objectives. Opening8d

Motion to Approve:

CSTA Operational guidelines

CSTA Committee Handbook

CSTA Privacy Policy

CSTA Social Media Guidelines

9. Seed Synergy Next steps regarding the Seed Synergy Project will be discussed

Suggested Motion to ratify May 30, 2016 email vote: That the CSTA Board approve up to $40,000 toward full participation and shared costs in the ‘Next Generation System for Seed in Canada’.

10. Key Issues The Executive Committee and Staff will provide updates and encourage discussion on timely and priority issues:

Value Capture

Coexistence Planning

Plant Breeders’ Rights

Government outreach

International Seed Federation (Ellen Sparry)

Seed Association of the Americas update (Scott Horner)

of 3

11. Preparing for the Annual Meeting

Staff will update on registration and sponsorship. The meeting program will be reviewed.

The program, committee agendas and draft work plans, along with discussion documents as required, have been available on the Board download site.

Opening9

Committee leaders worked with staff to develop agendas and draft work plans. No motions or actions are requested from the Board.

12. Other Business

13. In Camera Session CSTA Board meetings generally include a session without staff present.

14. Adjournment

Must be moved, seconded and voted. (recorded by a board member)

Directors and their spouses are invited to join the Board dinner will be held at the Steamworks Brewing Co. Cocktails will be served at the restaurant. Meet in the lobby at 6:00pm to walk over together (10-15

min walk from hotel). Our keynote panelists are invited to join us as well.

The best way to reach CSTA staff during the CSTA AGM is by text:

Crosby Devitt 519 835 2767

Dave Carey 613 878 5770

Teresa Neuman 613 297 6638

Kristen St Denis 613 882 3827

CANADIAN SEED TRADE ASSOCIATION L’ASSOCIATION CANADIENNE DU COMMERCE DES SEMENCES 2039 Robertson Road Suite 505 Ottawa, Ontario K2H 8R2 Tel: 613-829-9527 Fax: 613-829-3530 www.cdnseed.org Email: [email protected]

MINUTES

CSTA Board of Directors Meeting

ARC the Hotel – O’Connor Room, Ottawa, Ontario February 3, 2016 7:30am – 12:00 pm Eastern

Participants: Dave Baute Jeff Bertholet Georges Chaussé Brent Derkatch Darrel Dziver Scott Horner Todd Hyra Kevin McCallum Ellen Sparry Dan Wright Staff: Crosby Devitt Dave Carey Teresa Neuman Regrets: Doug Alderman Wayne Gale Matt Hynes Duane Johnson George Lammertsen Marty Vermey

Agenda Item Background and Document Action / Decision

1. Call to Order Scott Horner made brief welcoming remarks. Mr. Horner thanked all Board members for participating in the Lobby Day and also thanked staff, particularly Dave Carey, for organizing a quality event. He noted that CSTA spoke with many new MPs and laid the groundwork for relationship building.

The meeting was called to order at 7:34 am with Scott Horner in the chair.


CSTA complies with the Canadian Competition Act. Members are encouraged to be familiar and to act in accordance with CSTA’s statement of compliance.

3. Agenda Changes to the agenda included:

• A decision point on a representative to the ISF Breeders’ Committee

• An update on ISF meetings

Todd Hyra/Kevin McCallum: That the agenda of the Feb 3, 2016, Board meeting be approved as amended. CARRIED

4. Minutes Minutes of the November 5, 2015, Opening Board meeting

Jeff Bertholet/Georges Chaussé: That the



Minutes of the November 19, 2015, Closing Board meeting.

minutes of the November 5, 2015, and November 19, 2015, Board meetings be approved. CARRIED.

5. Strategic Planning

Crosby Devitt, Executive Director, provided a brief update on the strategic planning process that led to the Strategic Plan. Mr. Devitt noted that based on the feedback received on November 20, 2015, the aims were reworded to be clearer and the measures of success have been updated. Strategic goal #5 was clarified. Going forward, the Plan will serve as the core document and the operating budget, staff annual planning and committee work plans will align to it.

As per CSTA’s planning cycle, a full strategic review will be planned for November 2016 at the Semi-Annual Meeting.

Darrel Dziver/Kevin McCallum: That the Canadian Seed Trade Association Strategic Plan be approved as presented. CARRIED

6. Financial Reports and 2016/17 Budget

Crosby Devitt made brief remarks concerning the proposed membership fees for 2016/17:

• Assumes same 127 members in same categories.

• Consumer Price Index at 1.36 • Invoice will be sent to members with

existing classification and the opportunity to adjust member class.

Crosby Devitt provided a detailed review of the proposed 2016/2017 Budget.

Dave Baute/Kevin McCallum: That CSTA’s Board of Directors approve the proposed membership fee schedule. CARRIED

Brent Derkatch/Ellen Sparry: That the budget for 2016/17 be approved by the CSTA Board of Directors. CARRIED

Action Items: Crosby Devitt to review difference between Class J and Class K on member fee schedule and adjust as needed. Crosby Devitt to speak with auditor and provide an update to the Board of Directors

on the reserve fund and any actions CSTA should take to be in line with the Not-for-Profit Act. Crosby Devitt to present five-year rolling budget at next meeting for informational purposes.

7. CSTA Operational Guidelines

Crosby Devitt provided an update on changes to the CSTA Operational Guidelines, noting that updated are being made to align the strategic goals, business at meetings of membership, members calling a meeting, elections, and number of directors, to the Bylaws.

The Board of Directors clarified the process on signing of candidate declarations for elections,

with the slate in place 30 days before Annual

Meeting. The declaration for potential candidates should come in when nominated.

There are a few items still to clarify in the Operating Guidelines such as Board Quorum.

CSTA will build terms of two years for representatives into the Guidelines. This creates a mechanism for review, although it won’t match up with terms established by external committees.

The Board agreed to review and approve the Operating guidelines at the next board meeting, with the changes discussed.

Scott Horner turned the chair to Brent Derkatch to lead a discussion on representation at the Seed Association of the Americas. Scott Horner then left the meeting. The Board noted that when possible, the SAA representative should be on the Board, but CSTA has flexibility to appoint a representative not on Board. Scott Horner rejoined the meeting and assumed the Chair.

The Board communicated to Scott Horner its approval of Mr. Horner continuing on the SAA Board of Directors, including once his role on the CSTA Board of Directors is concluded.

Action Items:

Update Operational Guidelines reflecting board feedback.

Explore a process to include the Board Code of Conduct form in nomination package.

Consider a guidance document to assist CSTA representatives on external committee understand their role and obligations. The document should trigger contact with CSTA around meetings and include applicable policies, position description and how to provide feedback to CSTA.

Consider hosting a calendar on the CSTA website with external committee meetings.

8. Nominations Dave Baute, 2nd Vice-President and Chair of the Nominating Committee gave his report.

The maximum terms of Dave Baute, Jeff Bertholet and Kevin McCallum will be completed in July 2016. Four current board members, Georges Chaussé, Duane Johnson, George Lammertsen, and Marty Vermey have agreed to stand for a second term on the Board.

Todd Hyra has agreed to let his name stand for election to the exec as 2nd Vice-President. No other nominations for 2nd VP came forward from the Board.

The nomination committee is actively seeking interested members to be nominated to the board of directors.

Dave Baute/Dan Wright: That Todd Hyra is nominated for 2nd Vice-President of CSTA. CARRIED.

Action Item: Crosby Devitt to review if CSTA can approve membership outside of July Annual Meeting.

9. CSTA Awards The Board discussed the 2016 CSTA Award Nominations and selected recipients.

Seed Achievement Award: Archie Wilson, nominated by Dave Baute of Maizex Seeds will receive this award.

Honourary Life Membership: John Cowan was unable to receive this award in Windsor in 2015. It will be presented to him in BC. The award will not be given out in 2016.

Canadian Plant Breeding and Genetics Award: Dr. Peter Franck and Dr. Igor Falak were both nominated in past years. Dr. Peter Franck was selected to receive the award in 2016.

Brent Derkatch/Jeff Bertholet: That CSTA present the 2016 Canadian Plant Breeding and Genetics Award to Dr. Peter Franck and CSTA present the 2016 Seed Achievement Award to Archie Wilson. CARRIED.

10. CSTA Representatives

The Board of Directors reviewed CSTA’s Representation document. The directors discussed the representation list and deferred approval to the Closing Board of Directors meeting in July. The nomination process will be reviewed and terms will be set at 2-years with renewal as appropriate. Committees will be asked to nominate representatives at the July Annual Meeting.

CAAR: Todd Hyra noted that he will step off the CAAR Board at its February meeting. There is a CAAR conference call in March. Mr. Hyra’s replacement should be in place for September 2016 in-person meeting.

Darrel Dziver/Kevin McCallum: That CSTA’s Board of Directors nominates Ellen Sparry to represent CSTA on the ISF Breeder and Sustainable Ag Committees. CARRIED

Action Item: CSTA will develop a process to put in place a 2-year term for CSTA representatives on

ISF Representatives to Breeders’ and Sustainable Ag Committees: In early February, ISF issued a call for nominations for its Committees. CSTA can nominate individuals to any of the committees. It is a nomination process, not automatic; however, ISF would like a Canadian nomination for those committees.

Update from ISF on meeting locations: ISF plans to have March committee meetings in the same European location annually. They are planning the October 2017 mid-term meetings in Canada and exploring options in Toronto. CSTA will provide advice on the location and explore hosting a dinner.

external committees. This will be communicated at the July AGM.

11. Seed Synergy A Seed Synergy Meeting Agenda and Issues List were circulated to Board of Directors. The Board agreed with the list noting that value capture should be moved to the short-term list.

CropLife Canada has joined the Seed Synergy table.

The Board of Directors discussed member expectations of the Seed Synergy process. Member communication should be in Trade Winds. Scott Horner and Crosby Devitt will circulate their meeting notes to the Board to be followed by the creation of communication points and a strategy.

Action Item:

CSTA representatives will report to the board after the February 4, 2016 Seed Synergy meeting with next steps and decision points.

12. Issues Updates Staff provided brief updates on the following:

Value Capture / EPR Update

Alfalfa Coexistence Plan for Western Canada:

Weed Seeds Order

Alberta Fusarium plan

Seed treatment regulation

Incorporation by reference/ Seed regulatory reform

Seed Regulatory reform.

FAO Biotechnology symposium – Rome

13. Future CSTA meetings

The Board of Directors discussed future CSTA Annual and Semi-Annual meetings: 2017 (Halifax), 2018 (Montreal), and collaboration with CSGA.

Vancouver, 2016: Planning is under way.

Halifax, 2017: CSTA approached to coordinate this meeting with CSGA and a number of options are possible such as a joint family-fun night. Sponsorship should not be an issue.

Montreal, 2018: The first choice hotel has just come available. CSTA will move forward and extend invitation to CSGA to collaborate.

The 2016 Semi-Annual meeting to be in Ottawa. 2017 and 2018 are coordinated with GrowCanada.

14. Other Business No other business was presented.

15. In camera Staff left the room and the Board of Directors continued the meeting in-camera at 12:10 pm.

Todd Hyra/Dan Wright: That the Board of Directors to move in-camera. CARRIED.

16. Adjournment Georges Chaussé/Kevin McCallum: That the meeting of the CSTA Board of Directors be adjourned. CARRIED.

Financial Statements For the year ended January 31, 2016

DRA

FT -

Subj

ect t

o ch

ange

Canadian Seed Trade Association

L'Association Canadiennedu Commerce des Semences

Financial StatementsFor the year ended January 31, 2016

Contents

Independent Auditor's Report 1

Financial Statements

Statement of Financial Position 3

Statement of Changes in Net Assets 4

Statement of Operations 5

Statement of Cash Flows 6

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies 7

Notes to Financial Statements 11

DRA

FT -

Subj

ect t

o ch

ange

Independent Auditor's Report

To the Members of the Canadian Seed Trade AssociationL'Association Canadienne du Commerce des Semences

We have audited the accompanying financial statements of the Canadian Seed Trade AssociationL'Association Canadienne du Commerce des Semences, which comprise the statement of financialposition as at January 31, 2016, and the statements of operations, changes in net assets, and cashflows for the year then ended, and a summary of significant accounting policies and other explanatoryinformation.

Management’s Responsibility for the Financial Statements

Management is responsible for the preparation and fair presentation of these financial statements inaccordance with Canadian Accounting Standards for Not-for-Profit Organizations, and for such internalcontrol as management determines is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements thatare free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

Auditor’s Responsibility

Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audit. Weconducted our audit in accordance with Canadian generally accepted auditing standards. Thosestandards require that we comply with ethical requirements and plan and perform the audit to obtainreasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free from material misstatement.

An audit involves performing procedures to obtain audit evidence about the amounts and disclosures inthe financial statements. The procedures selected depend on the auditor’s judgment, including theassessment of the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to fraud orerror. In making those risk assessments, the auditor considers internal control relevant to the entity’spreparation and fair presentation of the financial statements in order to design audit procedures thatare appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on theeffectiveness of the entity’s internal control. An audit also includes evaluating the appropriateness ofaccounting policies used and the reasonableness of accounting estimates made by management, aswell as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements.

We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis ofour audit opinion.

DRA

FT -

Subj

ect t

o ch

ange

Independent Auditor's Report (continued)

Opinion

In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position ofthe Canadian Seed Trade Association L'Association Canadienne du Commerce des Semences as atJanuary 31, 2016, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the year then ended inaccordance with Canadian Accounting Standards for Not-for-Profit Organizations.

Chartered Professional Accountants, Licensed Public Accountants(Date to be determined)Ottawa, Ontario

DRA

FT -

Subj

ect t

o ch

ange

Canadian Seed Trade AssociationL'Association Canadienne du Commerce des Semences

Statement of Financial Position

January 31 2016 2015

Assets

CurrentCash (Note 1) $ 91,335 $ 39,383Current portion of investments (Note 2) 354,666 223,438Accounts receivable 2,820 3,691Government remittances receivable 8,421 8,487Accrued government grant funding (Note 6) 14,777 21,399Prepaid expenses (Note 7) 86,288 105,401

558,307 401,799

Long-term portion of investments (Note 2) 1,036,258 1,072,938

Long-term portion of prepaid expenses (Note 7) 11,414 19,552

Tangible capital assets (Note 3) 4,768 4,842

$ 1,610,747 $ 1,499,131

Liabilities and Net Assets

CurrentAccounts payable and accrued liabilities $ 13,665 $ 12,547Government remittances payable - 8,505Deferred revenue (Note 5) 20,000 30,000

33,665 51,052

Net assets Internally restricted

Invested in tangible capital assets 4,768 4,842Operating reserve 1,572,314 1,419,937Plant Breeders Right Project Fund - 23,300

Unrestricted - -

1,577,082 1,448,079

$ 1,610,747 $ 1,499,131

On behalf of the Board:

Director Director

The accompanying summary of significant accounting policies and notes are an integral part of these financial statements. 3

DRA

FT -

Subj

ect t

o ch

ange


Statement of Changes in Net Assets

For the year ended January 31, 2016

Internally Restricted

PlantInvested Breeders

in Tangible RightCapital Operating ProjectAssets Reserve Fund Unrestricted Total

Balance, beginning of year $ 4,842 $ 1,419,937 $ 23,300 $ - $ 1,448,079

Excess (deficiency) of revenue over expenses for the year (2,118) - (23,300) 154,421 129,003

Acquisition of tangible capital assets 2,044 - - (2,044) -

Transfers to reflect internally imposed restrictions - 152,377 - (152,377) -

Balance, end of year $ 4,768 $ 1,572,314 $ - $ - $ 1,577,082

For the year ended January 31, 2015

Internally Restricted

PlantInvested Breeders

in Tangible RightCapital Operating ProjectAssets Reserve Fund Unrestricted Total

Balance, beginning of year $ 5,156 $ 1,340,806 $ 26,722 $ - $ 1,372,684

Excess (deficiency) of revenue over expenses for the year (2,329) - (6,461) 84,185 75,395

Acquisition of tangible capital assets 2,015 - - (2,015) -

Transfers to reflect internallyimposed restrictions - 79,131 3,039 (82,170) -

Balance, end of year $ 4,842 $ 1,419,937 $ 23,300 $ - $ 1,448,079


DRA

FT -

Subj

ect t

o ch

ange


Statement of Operations

For the year ended January 31 2016 2015

RevenueMembership fees $ 803,243 $ 612,832Conventions 289,090 337,823Government grant funding (Note 6) 14,496 30,762Investment 34,552 31,709

1,141,381 1,013,126

ExpensesConventions 173,754 320,469Committees 40,591 37,950Communications 88,862 31,801Meetings 29,940 27,641Membership fees 86,806 72,841Office and general 39,713 38,346Professional fees - administration 48,505 16,050Rental of premises (Note 7) 34,906 33,814Salaries and benefits 405,201 306,439Travel 61,982 50,051

1,010,260 935,402

Excess of revenue over expenses for the yearbefore undernoted item 131,121 77,724

Amortization of tangible capital assets 2,118 2,329

Excess of revenue over expenses for the year $ 129,003 $ 75,395


DRA

FT -

Subj

ect t

o ch

ange


Statement of Cash Flows

For the year ended January 31 2016 2015

Cash from (used in) operating activitiesExcess of revenue over expenses for the year $ 129,003 $ 75,395Adjustment for

Amortization of tangible capital assets 2,118 2,329

131,121 77,724

Change in non-cash operating itemsAccounts receivable 871 (2,883)Government remittances receivable/payable (8,439) 745Accrued government grant funding 6,622 (21,399)Prepaid expenses - current and long-term 27,251 (64,745)Accounts payable and accrued liabilities 1,118 (12,254)Deferred revenue (10,000) 30,000

Increase in the balance of accrued interest and unrealized fair value changes of investments (6,769) (6,984)

141,775 204

Cash from (used in) investing activitiesDisposition of investments - proceeds 447,000 594,936Acquisition of investments - at cost (534,779) (619,661)Acquisition of tangible capital assets (2,044) (2,015)

(89,823) (26,740)

Increase (decrease) in cash during the year 51,952 (26,536)

Cash, beginning of year 39,383 65,919

Cash, end of year $ 91,335 $ 39,383


DRA

FT -

Subj

ect t

o ch

ange


Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

January 31, 2016

Nature and Purpose The Canadian Seed Trade Association L'Association Canadienne duof the Association Commerce des Semences (the "Association") is incorporated under the

Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act.

Through the collective efforts of its membership, the Association iscommitted to fostering an environment conducive to researching,developing, distributing, and trading seed and associated technologieswith the goal of bettering the choices and successes of members'customers.

In accordance with the Association's Articles of Continuance under theCanada Not-for-profit Corporations Act, the Association's statement ofpurpose is to represent the common interests of its seed companymembers regionally, nationally and internationally, in order to foster seedindustry innovation and trade. The Articles of Continuance also requirethat any property remaining on the liquidation of the Association, after thedischarge of its liabilities, shall be distributed under the guidance of aDissolution Committee, which will be established by the Association'sBoard of Directors existing at that time. The Dissolution Committee shalloversee the distribution as follows:

• any membership fees or special contributions made by the members

in the year of dissolution shall be refunded as fully as possible to

those members; and

• assets remaining after reimbursement shall be distributed to plant

breeding and research institutions selected by the Dissolution

Committee.

The Association was organized and is operated for the purposes outlinedabove and as such is not taxable under the Income Tax Act of Canadaon its not-for-profit activities.

Basis of Presentation These financial statements have been prepared in accordance withCanadian Accounting Standards for Not-for-Profit Organizations("ASNPO"), which are part of Canadian generally accepted accountingprinciples and include the following significant accounting policies.

Use of Estimates The preparation of financial statements in accordance with ASNPOrequires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect thereported amounts of assets and liabilities at the date of the financialstatements, and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses duringthe reporting period. Actual results could differ from management's bestestimates as additional information becomes available in the future.These estimates and assumptions are reviewed periodically and, asadjustments become necessary, they are reported in the period in whichthey become known.

7

DRA

FT -

Subj

ect t

o ch

ange



January 31, 2016

Use of Estimates Significant estimates include assumptions used in: estimating the initial(continued) fair value of financial instruments; estimating the amounts and

collectibility of accounts receivable; establishing the useful lives andrelated amortization of tangible capital assets; estimating provisions foraccrued liabilities; and estimating the amount of revenue earned, accruedor deferred, if any.

Financial Instruments Financial instruments are financial assets or financial liabilities of theAssociation, where, in general, the Association has the right to receivecash or another financial asset from another party or the Association hasthe obligation to pay another party cash or other financial assets.

Measurement of financial instruments

The Association initially measures its financial assets and financialliabilities at fair value, except for certain non-arm's length transactions.The Association subsequently measures all its financial assets andfinancial liabilities at cost or amortized cost other than investments inequity instruments and other investments that are quoted in an activemarket.

Financial assets and financial liabilities as at January 31, 2016 measuredat cost or amortized cost include cash, accounts receivable, governmentremittances receivable, accrued government grant funding, guaranteedinvestment certificates (GICs), and accounts payable and accruedliabilities.

Investments in equity instruments as at January 31, 2016 that are quotedin an active market, are measured at fair value. Mutual funds are alsomeasured at fair value.

There are no financial liabilities measured at fair value.

Impairment

Financial assets measured at cost or amortized cost are tested forimpairment when there are indicators of impairment. The amount of thewrite-down is recognized in operations. The previously recognizedimpairment loss may be reversed to the extent of the improvement,directly or by adjusting the allowance account, provided it is no greaterthan the amount that would have been reported at the date of thereversal had the impairment not been recognized previously. Theamount of the reversal is recognized in operations.

Transaction costs

The Association recognizes its transaction costs in operations in theperiod incurred. However, the financial instruments that will not besubsequently measured at fair value are adjusted by the transactioncosts that are directly attributable to their origination, issuance orassumption.

8

DRA

FT -

Subj

ect t

o ch

ange



January 31, 2016

Cash For purposes of the Association's statement of cash flows, cash held inthe Association's investment portfolio set out in Note 2 to these financialstatements is excluded from operating activities cash and forms part ofthe investing activities of the Association.

Revenue Recognition The Association follows the deferral method of accounting for contributions. Restricted contributions are recognized as revenue as therelated expenses are incurred. Deferred revenue therefore consists ofrevenue collected that is applicable to a subsequent fiscal period.Unrestricted contributions are recognized as revenue when received orreceivable if the amount to be received can be reasonably estimated andcollection is reasonably assured. Endowment contributions, if any, arerecognized as direct increases in net assets.

Membership fees are recognized as revenue proportionately over thefiscal period to which they relate.

Convention revenue is recognized as revenue when the applicableconvention is held.

Government grant funding is recognized as the related expenses areincurred.

Investment income is recognized as revenue in accordance with theAssociation's financial instruments measurement policy as previouslydescribed.

Contributed Materials Contributed tangible capital assets are recognized as assets when their and Services fair value can be reasonably determined. Other donated materials and

services are not reflected in the financial statements.

Capital Assets Tangible capital assets are stated at acquisition cost. Amortization isprovided over the estimated useful lives of the assets. Furniture andfixtures are amortized over 5 years on a straight-line basis.

When a tangible capital asset no longer has any long-term potential tothe Association, the write-down, being the excess of its net carryingamount over any residual value, is charged to operations as expense. Awrite-down is not reversed in subsequent fiscal periods.

Intangible assets being computer software are charged to operations asan expense in the fiscal period of acquisition.

Invested in Tangible Amounts invested in tangible capital assets represent amounts internallyCapital Assets restricted by the Association's Board of Directors and equals the net book

value of the Association's tangible capital assets.

9

DRA

FT -

Subj

ect t

o ch

ange



January 31, 2016

Operating Reserve The Association's Board of Directors approved the creation of aninternally restricted fund called the operating reserve. The Board ofDirectors policy regarding the operating reserve follows. The Associationis to maintain a financial operating reserve that is no less than the currentannual operating budget including conventions and not more than 1.7times the current annual operating budget including conventions. Thefunds in the reserve may only be used with approval by motion by theBoard of Directors: to ensure that the Association can continue to operatein situations where extraordinary events, nationally or internationally,result in the Association incurring unexpected losses and/or; to financespecial projects that are determined by the Board of Directors to be in thecommon interests of the Association's members, or of the Association.

Plant Breeders Right During the 2014 fiscal period, the Board of Directors approved a $45,000 Project Fund transfer from the operating reserve to fund the Plant Breeders Right

Project. During the 2014 and 2015 fiscal periods, costs amounting to$21,317 were incurred. As at January 31, 2015 the balance was adjustedwith a transfer of $3,039 from unrestricted net assets to yield a fundbalance equal to the expected costs to be charged to operations uponproject completion of $23,300, which represented costs included inprepaid expenses as at January 31, 2015. During the 2016 fiscal periodthese services were rendered, the above costs of $23,300 were chargedto operations, and the project was completed.

Allocated Expenses The Association does not make any significant expense allocationsamong categories in the statement of operations.

Specifically, the expense categories entitled Conventions, Committees,Communications and Meetings do not include expenses incurred relatedto overall administrative type expenses included in the other expensecategories in the statement of operations. Notwithstanding, certainportions of certain of these other expense categories could be allocateddirectly and indirectly to Conventions, Committees, Communications andMeetings.

10

DRA

FT -

Subj

ect t

o ch

ange


Notes to Financial Statements

January 31, 2016

1. Cash

The bank accounts are substantially all held at a Canadian chartered bank and include $12,670Canadian (2015 - $27,564 Canadian) denominated in U.S. dollars. Substantially all theaccounts earn interest at a nominal rate.

2. Investments

2016 2015

Cash in brokerage account, at amortized cost $ 10,000 $ 3,111Guaranteed investment certificates (GICs),

at amortized cost 1,285,457 1,178,688Mutual funds, at fair value 95,467 114,577

1,390,924 1,296,376Less: Current portion 354,666 223,438

Long-term portion $ 1,036,258 $ 1,072,938

The cash balance represents temporary surplus funds and does not earn interest. These fundsare held by the Association's investment broker and are to be placed in eligible investments sothey form part of the investment portfolio and the Association's investing activities for purposesof the Association's statement of cash flows.

Fixed income securities carried at amortized cost, which is cost plus accrued interest, consist ofguaranteed investment certificates issued by Canadian chartered banks and major Canadianfinancial institutions. They are not traded in the market, bear interest rates from 2.06% to 3.00%(2015 - 2.30% to 3.10%) on their face values totaling $1,233,346 (2015 - $1,133,346), andmature in fiscal 2017 to fiscal 2021 (2015 - fiscal 2016 to fiscal 2020).

As at January 31, 2016 and 2015, there were no fixed income securities carried at fair value.

The mutual funds are interest bearing savings accounts at variable rates.

Should cash be required for operating purposes, the Association's investments can be readilyliquidated if necessary.

11

DRA

FT -

Subj

ect t

o ch

ange



January 31, 2016

3. Tangible Capital Assets

2016 2015

Accumulated Net Book Accumulated Net BookCost Amortization Value Cost Amortization Value

Furniture and fixtures $ 21,503 $ 16,735 $ 4,768 $ 19,459 $ 14,617 $ 4,842

4. Credit Facilities

The Association has authorized lines of credit totaling $60,000 (2015 - $50,000) through the useof four corporate credit cards (2015 - three), of which $2,162 was utilized as at January 31, 2016($nil as at January 31, 2015).

5. Deferred Revenue

Deferred revenue consists of amounts collected that will not be recognized as revenue until asubsequent fiscal period. Deferred revenue is recognized as revenue as described in therevenue recognition policy that is set out in the summary of significant accounting policiesaccompanying these financial statements. Deferred revenue is comprised of the following:

2016 2015

Conference revenue $ 20,000 $ 30,000

6. Government Grant Funding

Funding

The Association has a contribution agreement with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada ("AAFC")under the AgriMarketing Program: Market Development Stream ("AgriMarketing Program") tofund a project called "Fostering Seed Industry Innovation and Trade". The contributionagreement became effective October 3, 2013 and expired March 31, 2016, and providedmaximum funding by period as follows:

October 3, 2013 to March 31, 2014 $ 13,000April 1, 2014 to March 31, 2015 22,300April 1, 2015 to March 31, 2016 19,800

$ 55,100

12

DRA

FT -

Subj

ect t

o ch

ange



January 31, 2016

6. Government Grant Funding (continued)

Funding (continued)

Unexpended amounts of a period cannot be carried forward to subsequent periods.

The agreement requires the Association to contribute a matching amount of goods, services andother non-cash contributions.

Accrued Government Grant Funding

The flow of funds under the AAFC agreement for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2016 and2015 is as follows:

2016 2015

Accrued government grant funding, beginning of year $ 21,399 $ -Revenue recognized to the extent of eligible expenses

incurred 14,496 30,762Payments received (21,118) (9,363)

Accrued government grant funding, end of year $ 14,777 $ 21,399

Balance of Funding

As at January 31, 2016, unused and expired funding was $4,819 (2015 - $3,637) and thebalance of available funding under the AAFC agreement yet to be potentially recognized asrevenue in future years was $5,023 (2015 - $20,701).

7. Commitments

Office Premises

The Association is committed to make minimum payments of $10,472 over the next fiscal yearwith respect to its premises until the lease expires.

As part of the Association's premises lease, the Association is also responsible for its proportionateshare of operating expenses and realty taxes which approximated $13,100 for the 2016 fiscalyear. The Association must also maintain specified levels of insurance, which as at January 31, 2016 was in place.

In addition, during the 2015 fiscal year, the Association made a $10,000 additional leasecontribution to facilitate improvements to the leased premises. This amount is being amortizedto rental of premises expense on a straight-line basis over the balance of the lease term ending August 31, 2016. The unamortized amount as at January 31, 2016 is $2,414 (2015 - $6,552)which is included in the long-term portion of prepaid expenses in the Association's statement offinancial position.

13

DRA

FT -

Subj

ect t

o ch

ange



January 31, 2016

7. Commitments (continued)

Office Premises - continued

Subsequent to January 31, 2016, the Association signed a new premises lease for a differentlocation. The lease is to commence on September 1, 2016 and expire on August 31, 2021. TheAssociation is committed to make minimum payments over the five year term with repect tothese premises, at an annual amount of $15,270 for a total of $76,480 over the lease term. Thenew lease agreement contains early termination payment provisions at the Association's optionof $8,022 after 24 months, $5,335 after 36 months and $2,668 after 48 months. TheAssociation will also be responsible for its proportionate share of operating expenses and realtytaxes, which are expected to approximate $19,000 annually. The Association will also berequired to maintain specified levels of insurance.

Conferences

The Association has entered into several contracts for facilities for its semi-annual and annualconferences. As at January 31, 2016, if all contracts are terminated, the Association would beresponsible for cancellation fees, determined by the amount of advance notice given to thefacility to compensate for the estimated losses.

The maximum amount guaranteed under the agreements is approximately $779,000 beforeapplicable taxes and commissions. As at January 31, 2016 deposits against the abovementioned commitments totals $18,000 which are included in prepaid expenses in the statementof financial position, of which $9,000 is presented in current assets and $9,000 is presented inlong-term assets. Subsequent to January 31, 2016, the Association entered into an additonalaggreement for facilities in connection with an upcoming conference with a maximum amountguaranteed of approximately $173,000. The amounts paid and maximum payment amountsnoted above are exclusive of HST since it is recoverable by the Association.

Other

In connection with its operations, the Association regularly enters into agreements for thepurchase of various supplies and services including operating leases for equipment and withvarious expiry dates. Certain of these agreements extend beyond the end of the 2016 fiscalyear. These agreements are in the normal course of the Association's operations, are notabnormal in amount or nature and do not include a high degree of speculative risk.

8. Financial Instruments Risks and Concentrations

The Association is exposed to various risks through its financial instruments. The followinganalysis provides a measure of the Association’s risk exposure and concentrations as atJanuary 31, 2016.

The Association is not involved in any hedging relationships through its operations and does nothold or use any derivative financial instruments for trading purposes.

14

DRA

FT -

Subj

ect t

o ch

ange



January 31, 2016

8. Financial Instruments Risks and Concentrations (continued)

Liquidity risk

Liquidity risk is the risk that an entity will encounter difficulty in meeting obligations associatedwith financial liabilities. The Association is exposed to this risk mainly in respect of its accountspayable and accrued liabilities, and its ability to provide the activities related to its commitments.

Credit risk

Credit risk is the risk that one party to a financial instrument will cause a financial loss for theother party by failing to discharge an obligation. The Association has credit risk related to itsaccounts receivable, goverment remittances receivable and accrued government grant funding.Although not considered a significant risk, credit risk also exists in relation to the Association'scash and investments balances set out in Notes 1 and 2 to these financial statementsrespectively.

Market risk

Market risk is the risk that the fair value or future cash flows of a financial instrument willfluctuate because of changes in market prices. Market risk comprises three types of risk:currency risk, interest rate risk and other price risk.

Currency risk

Currency risk is the risk that the fair value or future cash flows of a financial instrument willfluctuate because of changes in foreign exchange rates. The Association’s exposure tocurrency risk is mainly on its U.S. cash as set out in Note 1 to the financial statements.

Interest rate risk

Interest rate risk is the risk that the fair value or future cash flows of a financial instrument willfluctuate because of changes in market interest rates. The Association is exposed to interestrate risk on its fixed and variable interest rate financial instruments. The Association's exposureto interest rate risk on its fixed and variable interest rate investments is set out in Note 2 to thefinancial statements. For fixed-rate investments the Association is subject to a fair value risk.For variable-rate investments, including non-interest and nominal interest bearing cash balancesset out in Notes 1 and 2 to the financial statements, the Association is subject to a cash flowrisk.

Other price risk

Other price risk is the risk that the fair value or future cash flows of a financial instrument willfluctuate because of changes in market prices (other than those arising from interest rate risk orcurrency risk), whether those changes are caused by factors specific to the individual financialinstrument or its issuer, or factors affecting all similar financial instruments traded in the market.The Association is exposed to other price risk on its mutual fund investment carried at fair valueas set out in Note 2 to the financial statements.

Changes in risk

There have been no significant changes in the Association's risk exposures from the January 31, 2015 fiscal period.

15

DRA

FT -

Subj

ect t

o ch

ange



January 31, 2016

9. Corresponding Amounts and Disclosures

In certain instances the presented 2015 fiscal period corresponding amounts and disclosureshave been reclassified to conform with the financial statement presentation and disclosuresadopted for the 2016 fiscal year.

16

DRA

FT -

Subj

ect t

o ch

ange

Canadian Seed Trade Association Financial Update Opening5b

Feb 1, 2016 to June 30, 2016 (42% of total year)

Report generated June 30, 2016

YTD Actual

Feb 1 -

June 30,

2016

Annual

Budget

Feb 1/16-

Jan

31/17

YTD Variance

($ from total

budget)

Actual as

% of total

budget)

Income

Memberships 791,292 804,350 (13,058) 98%

Agri-Marketing 13,000 (13,000)

Investment Income 12,722 19,000 (6,278) 67%

Conventions

Annual Meeting - Vancouver

Revenue

Registration Fees 126,436 140,000 (13,564) 90%

Sponsorship 157,300 110,000 47,300 143%

Total Revenue 283,736 250,000 33,736 113%

Event Expenses

Meeting Expenses (36,870) (240,000) 203,130 15%

Total Event Expenses (36,870) (240,000) 203,130 15%

Total Annual Meeting - Vancouver 246,866 10,000 236,866 2,469%

Semi Annual Meeting - Ottawa

Revenue

4532 · Semi Annual Sponsorships 18,500 (18,500)

4531 · Semi Annual Registration Fees 35,000 (35,000)

Total Revenue 53,500 (53,500)

Expenses (40,000) 40,000

Total Semi Annual Meeting - Ottawa 13,500 (13,500)

Total Conventions 246,866 23,500 223,366 1,050%

Total Income 1,050,880 859,850 191,030 122%

Expense

6601 · Special Projects

6697 · Staff Professional Development 7,000 (7,000)

6696 · CSTA Website Redesign 15,000 (15,000)

66941 · Seed Synergy 2,023 5,000 (2,977) 40%

6693 · PBR Outreach 2,868 15,000 (12,132) 19%

6691 · Value Capture Project 10,000 (10,000)

6692 · Coexistence Planning 3,592 3,000 592 120%

6690 · Environmental Projects 3,000 (3,000)

Total 6601 · Special Projects 8,483 58,000 (49,517) 15%

Page 1 of 5




YTD Actual

Feb 1 -

June 30,

2016

Annual

Budget

Feb 1/16-

Jan

31/17

YTD Variance

($ from total

budget)

Actual as

% of total

budget)

Salary & Benefits

Employer Portion

5120 · Salary 155,809 373,500 (217,691) 42%

Pension 10,733 25,585 (14,852) 42%

5140 · Benefits 10,439 28,000 (17,561) 37%

5150 · Employer CPP 6,173 10,200 (4,027) 61%

5160 · Employer EI 3,374 5,400 (2,026) 62%

Total Employer Portion 186,528 442,685 (256,157) 42%

Total Salary & Benefits 186,528 442,685 (256,157) 42%

Office Expenses

Office Rental 16,473 44,000 (27,527) 37%

Insurance

6022 · Directors and Officers 2,600 (2,600)

6021 · Commercial Property 2,000 (2,000)

Total Insurance 4,600 (4,600)

Office Equipmant 3,092 6,000 (2,908) 52%

Depreciation 2,500 6,000 (3,500) 42%

6050 · IT & Database 1,432 4,500 (3,068) 32%

6060 · Office Supplies 784 1,000 (216) 78%

Subscriptions and Books 350 (350)

6080 · Postage 247 1,200 (953) 21%

Telephone, Fax & Internet 3,488 9,000 (5,512) 39%

Bank Charges

ADP Canada 370 1,000 (630) 37%

Moneris 872 2,500 (1,628) 35%

Royal Bank 292 1,000 (708) 29%

Total Bank Charges 1,534 4,500 (2,966) 34%

6120 · Staff Expenses 351 1,500 (1,149) 23%

Total Office Expenses 29,901 82,650 (52,749) 36%

Travel

6321 · Mgr. Stakeholder Relations

63213 · Registration 215 2,000 (1,785) 11%

63212 · Transportation & Mileage 1,860 4,000 (2,140) 47%

63211 · Hotel & Meal 933 4,000 (3,067) 23%

Total 6321 · Mgr. Stakeholder Relations 3,008 10,000 (6,992) 30%

Page 2 of 5




YTD Actual

Feb 1 -

June 30,

2016

Annual

Budget

Feb 1/16-

Jan

31/17

YTD Variance

($ from total

budget)

Actual as

% of total

budget)

Executive Director

63104 · Registration 4,000 (4,000)


63102 · Hotel & Meals 3,883 10,500 (6,617) 37%

63101 · Travel to Ottawa Office 1,302 10,000 (8,698) 13%

Total Executive Director 11,054 35,000 (23,946) 32%

6320 · Mgr. Govt Affairs & Policy

63203 · Registration 2,000 (2,000)


63201 · Hotel & Meals 3,299 8,000 (4,701) 41%

6320 · Mgr. Govt Affairs & Policy - Other 19

Total 6320 · Mgr. Govt Affairs & Policy 9,315 18,000 (8,685) 52%

Admin Manager

63303 · Registration 500 (500)

63302 · Transportation & Mileage 1,591 2,500 (909) 64%

63301 · Hotel & Meals 2,000 (2,000)

Total Admin Manager 1,591 5,000 (3,409) 32%

Total Travel 24,968 68,000 (43,032) 37%

Director's

6430 · Strategic Planning 12,000 (12,000)

6411 · Board Dinner- AGM & Semi-Annual 4,000 (4,000)

6410 · Travel and Per diem 1,367 6,500 (5,133) 21%

6420 · February Meeting 5,718 7,000 (1,282) 82%

Total Director's 7,085 29,500 (22,415) 24%

6500 · Executive Committee

6510 · Travel 382 3,600 (3,218) 11%

6520 · Conference Calls 187 500 (313) 37%

Total 6500 · Executive Committee 569 4,100 (3,531) 14%

Committees

6670 · Seed Applied Technologies

6672 · Neonic Project 5,000 (5,000)

6671 · Workgroup 39 1,000 (961) 4%

Total 6670 · Seed Applied Technologies 39 6,000 (5,961) 1%

6650 · Biotechnology

6651 · B - Work Group 30 200 (170) 15%

Total 6650 · Biotechnology 30 200 (170) 15%

Page 3 of 5




YTD Actual

Feb 1 -

June 30,

2016

Annual

Budget

Feb 1/16-

Jan

31/17

YTD Variance

($ from total

budget)

Actual as

% of total

budget)

6660 · Corn, Soy & East Cereals

6661 · CSEC - Work Group 84 200 (116) 42%

Total 6660 · Corn, Soy & East Cereals 84 200 (116) 42%

6610 · Forage & Turf

6611 · FT - Work Group 19 200 (181) 10%

6613 · FT - Kansas City 3,200 (3,200)

Total 6610 · Forage & Turf 19 3,400 (3,381) 1%

6680 · Garden Seed

6682 · Meeting of Garden Seed Members 1,200 (1,200)

6681 · Work Group 200 (200)

Total 6680 · Garden Seed 1,400 (1,400)

6620 · Intellectual Property

6623 · Moving the Needle Implementatio 2,000 (2,000)

6621 · IP Work Group 22 200 (178) 11%

Total 6620 · Intellectual Property 22 2,200 (2,178) 1%

International

6333 · INT - ISF

63332 · ISF Participation 11,006 16,000 (4,994) 69%

Total 6333 · INT - ISF 11,006 16,000 (4,994) 69%

6332 · INT - SAA Participation 4,000 (4,000)

6331 · INT - Work Group 8 200 (192) 4%

Total International 11,014 20,200 (9,186) 55%

6640 · Oilseeds, Pulses & W. Cereals

6642 · Hybrid Canola sub-committee 200 (200)

6641 · OPWC - Work Group 32 200 (168) 16%

Total 6640 · Oilseeds, Pulses & W. Cereals 32 400 (368) 8%

Researchers Combined 200 (200)

Total Committees 11,240 34,200 (22,960) 33%

Page 4 of 5




YTD Actual

Feb 1 -

June 30,

2016

Annual

Budget

Feb 1/16-

Jan

31/17

YTD Variance

($ from total

budget)

Actual as

% of total

budget)

Stakeholder Relations

6760 · Stakeholder Relations 247 1,500 (1,253) 16%

6710 · Member Relations 7 12,500 (12,493) 0%

6720 · Government Relations 498 3,000 (2,502) 17%

6730 · Farmer Relations/Sponsorships 150 3,000 (2,850) 5%

6740 · Public Relations 440 19,500 (19,060) 2%

6750 · Administration 234 500 (266) 47%

Total Stakeholder Relations 1,576 40,000 (38,424) 4%

Memberships

6810 · ISF 65,000 (65,000)

6820 · SAA 17,500 (17,500)

6830 · Domestic Org'ns 2,000 (2,000)

6840 · Professional (Staff) 600 (600)

Total Memberships 85,100 (85,100)

Professional Fees

Assistance with Accounting & T4 264 1,000 (736) 26%

Auditor 9,000 11,500 (2,500) 78%

6920 · Legal 1,200 (1,200)

Total Professional Fees 9,264 13,700 (4,436) 68%

Total Expense 279,614 857,935 (578,321) 33%

Net Income 771,266 1,915 769,351

Page 5 of 5

Growing for the World Une Croissance Axée Sur le Monde

CSTA Membership Report CSTA Board of Directors Opening Meeting Saturday July 9, 2016

Member invoices were mailed in February 2016, after CSTA Board approval of the 2016/17 budget and member fees.

Between February and June 2016. CSTA received the following new applications for membership (requiring approval by the CSTA board).

1. Gayland Ward Seed Co Inc., Hereford, Texas – Carson Ward (Active, foreign) 2. Thunder Seed Inc., Dilworth, Minnesota – Crystal Adams / Matt Gilbert (Active, foreign) 3. Farm Credit Canada, Regina, Saskatchewan – Sue Exner (Affiliate) 4. Cibus, San Diego, California – Clint Dotterer (Active, foreign)

Member Non-renewals

1. Huvenaars Seed Farm Ltd. (Active) - retiring

2016/17 CSTA Membership Summary (includes new member applications as of June 30/16)

Member Category

3-year average sales of seed and technology in or on the

seed ($ Cdn)

2016-17 Membership Fee ($ CDN)

Number of

members

% of members

Total Member

Fees

% of Total

Member Fees

A Less than $500,000 $1,025 12 9.4% $12,300 1.6%

B $500,001 to $1,000,000 $1,900 14 11.0% $26,600 3.4%

C $1,000,001 to $2,000,000 $3,050 13 10.2% $39,650 5.0%

D $2,000,001 to $4,000,000 $4,550 8 6.3% $36,400 4.6%

E $4,000,001 to $7,000,000 $5,575 8 6.3% $44,600 5.6%

F $7,000,001 to $10,000,000 $8,175 1 0.8% $8,175 1.0%

G $10,000,001 to $14,000,000 $9,725 4 3.1% $38,900 4.9%

H $14,000,001 to $18,000,000 $11,350 2 1.6% $22,700 2.9%

I $18,000,001 to $23,000,000 $12,475 0.0% $0 0.0%

J $23,000,001 to $28,000,000 $14,225 1 0.8% $14,225 1.8%

K $28,000,001 to $35,000,000 $14,375 2 1.6% $28,750 3.6%

L $35,000,001 to 45,000,000 $16,225 0.0% $0 0.0%

M $45,000,001 to $55,000,000 $18,750 1 0.8% $18,750 2.4%

N $55,000,001 to $75,000,000 $22,400 1 0.8% $22,400 2.8%

O $75,000,001 to $100,000,000 $27,500 1 0.8% $27,500 3.5%

P $100,000,001 - $120,000,000 $32,325 1 0.8% $32,325 4.1%

Q $120,000,001 to $150,000,000 $36,500 2 1.6% $73,000 9.2%

Opening6


Member Category

3-year average sales of seed and technology in or on the

seed ($ Cdn)

2016-17 Membership Fee ($ CDN)

Number of

members

Proportion of

members

Total Member

Fees

% of Total

Member Fees

R Over $150,000,000 $40,550 7 5.5% $283,850 35.9%

Brokers (Canadian and Foreign) $1,925 1 0.8% $1,925 0.2%

Affiliate Member $1,325 8 6.3% $10,600 1.3%

Affiliate (no charge) $0 7 5.5% $0 0.0%

Associate $2,225 14 11.0% $31,150 3.9%

Associate (no charge) $0 1 0.8% $0 0.0%

Foreign Active $1,225 14 11.0% $17,150 2.2%

Foreign Affiliate $0 2 1.6% $0 0.0%

Foreign (no charge) $0 2 1.6% $0 0.0%

Total 127 100% $ 790,950 100%





CSTA Board Nomination Report

CSTA Board of Directors Meeting Saturday, July 9, 2016

Seven positions were open on the CSTA Board this year.

1. Dave Baute completes his term on the Board after serving as both a Board member, and Executive Member, and as President in 2014-15.

2. Jeff Bertholet, BASF completes his second three-year term

3. Kevin McCallum, DL Seeds completes his second three-year term.

4. Georges Chaussé, La Coop fédérée completes his first three-year term and is eligible to seek a second term on the Board of Directors.

5. Duane Johnson, Syngenta Canada completes his first three-year term and is eligible to seek a second term on the Board of Directors.

6. George Lammertsen, Bayer CropScience completes his first three-year term and is eligible to seek a second term on the Board of Directors.

7. Marty Vermey, Dow Seeds completes his first three-year term and is eligible to seek a second term on the Board of Directors.

In keeping with the direction to strive for balanced Board membership by region, crop kind, company size and functional role, the Nominating committee identified interested individuals. CSTA also gave notice of its nominations for the open positions on the CSTA Board of Directors by issuing a call for nominations from the membership through Trade Winds Weekly. The notice was published 60 days prior to the CSTA Annual meeting (May 11, 2016) and was repeated for 4 weeks. Nominations closed 30 days prior to the AGM (June 10, 2016)

Nominations closed on June 10th, with no further nominations from the membership. The following individuals are nominated for the open positions:

Georges Chaussé, La Coop fédérée (2nd three year term)

Duane Johnson, Syngenta Canada (2nd three year term)

George Lammertsen, Bayer CropScience (2nd three year term)

Marty Vermey, Dow Seeds (2nd three year term)

Bruce Harrison, Crop Production Services (1st three year term)

Bob Hart – Sevita International (1st three year term)

Brian Nadeau – Nadeau Seeds (1st three year term) The nominated candidates will be elected by acclamation to the board of directors.

Opening7


OPERATIONAL GUIDELINES

Updated July 2016

Key Changes include:

Updated strategic goals to match Jan 2016 Strategic Plan

Clarify how members can raise issues (p5)

Clarify Members Calling a Members’ Meeting (p6)

Update board election process to match by-laws (p8-9)

Clarify procedure for # of board members to match by-laws (p11)

Add in camera session (p12)

Schedule of meetings – update items, eliminate duplication, add strategic planning (p12-13)

Clarify executive terms and election (p14)

Add approval by executive for staff hiring (p18)

Clarified relationships and types of external representation, added 2 year term (p19)

Added timeframe for news release review by executive (p21)

Removed award application form, as is a separate document)

CSTA OPERATIONAL GUIDELINES

I. MISSION STATEMENT ...................................................................................................... 1 II. STRATEGIC GOALS ............................................................................................................ 1 III. CORE VALUES ................................................................................................................... 1 IV. MEMBERSHIP ................................................................................................................... 1

Membership Fees ............................................................................................................. 2 Recruitment Process ......................................................................................................... 3 Identification .................................................................................................................... 3 Joining ............................................................................................................................... 3

Member Dissent Policy ..................................................................................................... 3 Media as Members ........................................................................................................... 4

Termination of Membership ............................................................................................ 4 V. MEETINGS......................................................................................................................... 5 Competition Act Compliance ............................................................................................ 5 Meetings of Membership ................................................................................................. 5 The Role of the President at Annual and Semi-Annual Meetings ............................... 5 Business and Meetings of the Membership ................................................................ 5 Special Meetings of the Membership ......................................................................... 5 Notice of Member Meetings ....................................................................................... 6 Representation of Members at Member Meetings .................................................... 6 Quorum at Member Meetings .................................................................................... 6 Participation of Media at Member Meetings .............................................................. 6 VI. VOTING PROCEDURES ...................................................................................................... 7 Voting Procedures For Meetings ...................................................................................... 7 Voting Procedures for Elections ....................................................................................... 8 VII. MEMBERSHIP SERVICES................................................................................................... 9

Support of Specific Members ........................................................................................... 10 Ad Hoc Funding................................................................................................................. 10

VIII. ISSUES PRIORITIZATION .................................................................................................. 10 IX. BOARD OF DIRECTORS ..................................................................................................... 11

Composition ..................................................................................................................... 11 Responsibilities ................................................................................................................. 12 Meetings ........................................................................................................................... 13 Reimbursement Policy for Board and Other Members ................................................... 15 Directors and Officers Liability ......................................................................................... 16

X. EXECUTIVE ........................................................................................................................ 16

Composition ..................................................................................................................... 16 Responsibilities ................................................................................................................. 16 Meetings ........................................................................................................................... 17

XI. PRESIDENT ............................................................................................................................. 18 XII COMMITTEES ................................................................................................................... 18

Structure ........................................................................................................................... 18 Formation ......................................................................................................................... 19 Responsibilities ................................................................................................................. 19 Operations ........................................................................................................................ 19 Funding Committee Work ................................................................................................ 19

XIII. STAFF ................................................................................................................................ 20

Structure ........................................................................................................................... 20 Duties ................................................................................................................................ 20

XIV. OPERATING RESERVE ....................................................................................................... 20 XV. ALLIANCES AND RELATED ORGANIZATIONS ................................................................... 21 XVI. EXTERNAL RELATIONS ..................................................................................................... 22

Member Relations ............................................................................................................ 22 Farmer/Producer Relations .............................................................................................. 23 Public Relations ................................................................................................................ 23

XVII. CSTA AWARDS .................................................................................................................. 24 APPENDIX 1 BOARD OF DIRECTORS NOMINEE ACCEPTANCE FORM ...................................................................................................................... 25 APPENDIX 2 CSTA’s STATEMENT OF COMPLIANCE WITH THE CANADIAN COMPETITION ACT ..................................................................................... 28 APPENDIX 3 SAMPLE LETTER TO CSTA OFFICIAL REPRESENTATIVES ......................................................................................................................... 30

CSTA Operational Guidelines

Updated July 2016 – pending board approval 1

CSTA’s VISION: Growing for the World

I. MISSION STATEMENT To foster seed industry innovation and trade

II. STRATEGIC GOALS 1. OPEN TRADE: Open domestic and international trade of seed with expanded domestic and international markets for Canadian seed products

2. INCREASED INVESTMENT IN INNOVATION: Increased recognition of and support for the value of seed and seed innovation. Canada is seen as a favourable country for investment in seed innovation and members have the opportunity for acceptable return on investment for all crop types.Increased investment in innovation

3. INDUSTRY WIDE VOICE: The Canadian Seed Trade Association is the primary voice that represents and leads the Canadian seed industry.

4. EFFICIENT REGULATORY SYSTEM: An efficient, appropriately flexible, science based regulatory system that fosters innovation.

5. STAKEHOLDER AND PUBLIC PERCEPTION OF INNOVATION AND AGRICULTURE: Increased recognition of and support for the value of agriculture and seed innovation that results in a positive social license and ability to bring new innovation to the market place. Young people are attracted to the seed industry and a larger, skilled talent pool sees opportunity in the sector.

III. CORE VALUES

1. The direction of the Association comes from its members.

2. There is fair and equitable recognition of members.

3. The Association fosters an environment that encourages participation of its members.

4. The Association is strategic and proactive in its planning, thinking and actions.

5. The Association is dedicated to prioritizing and resolving the common issues that affect its members.

6. The Association strives for consensus in its decision making processes.

7. The Association works constructively with other groups in pursuit of its mission statement.

8. The Association acts with transparency and integrity in conducting its business.

9. The Association is non-partisan

10. The Association complies with the Canadian Competition Act

IV. MEMBERSHIP CSTA has four membership categories. 1. Active Members are individuals, firms and corporations made up of seed processors, seed brokers, and

others whose primary business is dealing in or selling seed and seed technology delivered in or on the

seed (including licensing agreements and seed treatments). Active Members are individuals, firms,

research institutions and corporations and bona fide divisions of corporations whose primary business is

dealing in or selling seed and associated plant technologies delivered in or on the seed.

2. Associate Members are companies that supply products and services to the seed industry.

3. Affiliate Members are regional, provincial, national or international associations or organizations that

share common interests.

4. Honourary Members are individuals who have made significant contributions to the seed trade and to

CSTA. They are nominated by members and selected by the Board of Directors.



The voting rights and privileges of the various classes of members are as follows: 1. Active Members

Each active member company is entitled to one vote at the CSTA. Representatives of Active member companies may serve as leadership of CSTA standing committees and workgroups. Active member companies may also nominate candidates to serve on the CSTA Board of Directors, and may seek nomination to the Board of Directors. Individuals designated by Active Member companies receive all communications from CSTA, can have input to the development of CSTA policy and strategies, can speak and contribute to all committee and work group meetings, and have access to the “Members Only” section of the CSTA website. Only Active Members may have input on financial and other regular operational aspects of the CSTA.

2. Associate Members

Representatives of Associate member companies may serve as leadership of CSTA standing committees and workgroups but must be nominated by an Active Member. Individuals designated by Associate member companies receive all communications from CSTA, can have input to the development of CSTA policy and strategies, can speak and contribute to committee and work group meetings, and have access to the “Members Only” section of the CSTA website. Associate Members do not have a vote, and may not nominate or seek nomination to the CSTA Board of Directors. Associate member companies may not have input on financial and other regular operational aspects of the CSTA.

3. Affiliate Members

Representatives of Affiliate organizations may serve as leadership of CSTA standing committees and workgroups but must be nominated by an Active Member. Individuals designated by Affiliate member organizations receive all communications from CSTA, can have input to the development of CSTA policy and strategies, can speak and contribute to committee and work group meetings, and have access to the “Members Only” section of the CSTA website. Affiliate members do not have a vote, and may not nominate or seek nomination to the CSTA Board of Directors. Affiliate member organizations may not have input to financial and other regular operational aspects of the CSTA.

4. Honourary Members

Honourary members receive all communications from CSTA, can have input to the development of CSTA policy and strategies, can speak and contribute to committee and work group meetings, and have access to the “Members Only” section of the CSTA website. Honourary members do not have a vote, and may not nominate or seek nomination to the CSTA Board of Directors. Honourary members may not have input to financial and other regular operational aspects of the CSTA. Honourary members may receive complimentary registrations for CSTA conventions. (Companion registrations and extra-curricular activities, e.g. golf, are not complimentary).

Membership Fees

For Active members, membership fees are determined by the average of gross sales of seed and technology provided in or on the seed for the past three years. Active members advise the CSTA office of their appropriate classification.

There are established annual membership fees for Associate and Affiliate members. There is no membership fee for Honourary members.



Member Recruitment

Providing services and support to ensure member retention is a critical component of CSTA’s activities. Recruiting new members is also a priority.

A recruitment package developed by staff is made available to all new prospects. Staff works with the Executive Committee to identify and contact potential members. All inquiries receive follow-up calls, letters and emails from staff.

Identification of Potential Members

Companies, organizations or associations working with seed that would fit in to any or all of the following would likely benefit from membership in the CSTA:

1. Is affected by national policies and regulations

2. Has an interest in, or is involved in issues relating to research and development e.g.,

Has or plans to have its own product line (s)

Plans to, or does apply for variety registration

Plans to or does apply for Plant Breeders’ Rights

3. Is involved in international trade, and/or will be affected by international trade rules and actions e.g.,

Applies or plans to apply for phytosanitary certificates

Is required to produce the documentation necessary to move GM seed to foreign markets

As an importer is required to apply for import permits, and be aware of import policies for novel traits

Is affected by policies and regulations imposed by foreign countries

Membership Application

Application forms for membership are available from the CSTA office and on line on the CSTA website. All Applications must be supported by two current CSTA members. Applications for all classes of membership must be approved by the Board of Directors.

After members are approved, the CSTA provides new members with a package of information about the Association and the opportunity to participate in an orientation session during a convention.

Member Dissent

CSTA strives for consensus in all of its decision making, and recognizes that at times members may have opinions or policies that are in conflict with those of the Association. It is a core value of the CSTA to foster an environment that encourages participation by its members. It is recognized that from time to time, individual member companies will disagree on an approach to a given problem or issue.

Members are free to pursue their individual goals and advocate specific policy objectives without fear of reprisal from the Association, but must ensure that they do not attribute these conflicting positions or policies to CSTA, and that they clearly identify that they are acting on behalf of their individual companies and not the CSTA. Members should also inform CSTA staff that they have taken and are advocating an objective that is in conflict with CSTA policy.



Media as Members of CSTA (see the policy for media at conventions and meetings in that section of the guidelines)

One of the core operating values of the Canadian Seed Trade Association is: “The Association acts with transparency and integrity in conducting its business.” To maximize the transparency of CSTA activities, the Board of Directors has accepted media organizations as Associate members. Media members, like all other CSTA members, receive newsletters and discussion documents; and have access to the “Members Only” section of the CSTA website.

However, the wish to be open and transparent must not put at risk CSTA’s policy and strategy development processes. Staff and elected officials must be able to circulate discussion and policy documents to the membership for comment and discussion and CSTA member representatives must feel free to participate fully in all debate and discussion, including presenting dissenting opinions and raising concerns, without fear that comments will be made public.

To ensure that CSTA can continue to be transparent and at the same time maintain a well functioning policy and strategy development process, the Board of Directors of CSTA has established the following rules for media participation at CSTA. If media (including media who are members of CSTA) choose not to comply with these rules, meetings may be closed, access to information may be terminated, and media membership will be reconsidered.

All material provided to members as part of CSTA’s member communications, including newsletters,

activity reports, discussion documents and material from the members only section of the website, is

not public information.

It must be treated as confidential by all members, including media members. This material must not

be circulated beyond CSTA’s membership.

While it may serve as background information by media members, it must be kept strictly off the

record until such a time as CSTA’s leadership makes it public.

Termination of Membership

Membership in the CSTA can be terminated for the following reasons or under the following circumstances:

Non-payment of dues – If a member is in arrears in the payment of annual membership fees for 6 months, the member will receive written notice from the CSTA office. If fees are not paid within 30 days of the date of the notice, membership is terminated.

Retirement from Business – unless the Board determines otherwise, membership of a company is terminated upon liquidation of the business.

The member no longer qualifies for membership

Resignation – the member provides written notice of resignation to the national office

By the Board of Directors – the bylaws provide that the Board of Directors, having regard to the purpose of the corporation, has the sole discretion to suspend or terminate the membership of any member. Grounds for termination include, but are not limited to:

Deliberately violating the articles or bylaws

Acting in a manner that is determined to be detrimental to the Corporation

In the event that the Board determines that a member should be suspended or expelled from membership, the member will receive 20 days’ notice of suspension or expulsion. The notice will contain the reasons for the proposed suspension or expulsion. The notified member will have 20 days to provide a written response to the Board of Directors. If no response is received within the 20 days, the Board may notify the member of immediate suspension or expulsion. If a written response is received, the Board will consider the response and will provide written notice of its final decision to the within 20 days of receiving the response. The



Board’s decision is final and binding without any further right to appeal.

V. MEMBER MEETINGS

Competition Act Compliance

CSTA complies with the Canadian Competition Act. The first order of business at all Executive, Board, Committee and work group meetings is a review of the CSTA’s Competition Act Compliance Document. (Appendix 1)

Meetings of the Membership

Meetings of Association members are traditionally held in the summer (usually the annual meeting) and fall (the semi-annual meeting). Although these meetings are at the call of the Board; staff assumes planning and organizational responsibility for them. The Board approves locations and, if required, may develop a conference committee from the membership to assist the staff.

The Role of the President at Conventions

The President is viewed as the host of the annual and semi-annual meetings that fall within his/her term. The President works with CSTA’s staff, and within the budget established by the Board of Directors, to select the venue and extracurricular activities (e.g. the golf tournament, companion and youth programming) for conventions. The President serves as the chair of all CSTA meetings, generally with the exception of committees and special work groups. Staff prepare a “President’s Handbook” for both CSTA conventions, to assist the President with his/her duties.

Business at Meetings of the Membership

Staff develop the agenda for member meetings. They are reviewed and supported by the Executive Committee. CSTA strives for meetings that:

create a forum for information sharing

allow for identification and strategic analysis of issues

serve as professional development opportunities for members

provide time for committees to work on issues

deal with the regular business of the Association

keep the Association focused on its mission and key strategic goals

Any member that is entitled to vote, may raise any matter, including a proposal to amend or repeal bylaws, at a members meeting. Notice of the proposal must be provided to the Corporation not more than 150 days from the date of the previous members’ meeting. If requested by the member who submits a proposal, CSTA is required to include in the notice of meeting a statement by the member in support of the proposal and the name and address of the member. The statement and proposal shall not exceed 500 words in total.

The Board of Directors is required to accommodate the proposal unless the Board determines that:

it is intended to enforce a personal claim or grievance

it doesn’t relate to the affairs of the corporation

it has been raised at a members meeting within the last 5 years and was not supported

it is being raised simply to secure publicity

If the proposal is found to be in order, it will be included in the notice of meeting.

Special Member Meetings

Special meetings of the members may be called by the President, or a majority of the Board of Directors, or a written petition filed with the national office by at least 5 per cent of the members who are eligible to vote.



Special meetings can be called for purposes identified by the President or the Board.

Members Calling a Members’ Meeting

The Board of Directors shall call a special meeting of members in accordance with on written requisition of members carrying not less than 5% of the voting rights. The requisition must state the business to be transacted at the meeting and must be sent to each director and to the registered office of the corporation. If the directors do not call a meeting within twenty-one (21) days of receiving the requisition, any member who signed the requisition may call the meeting.

The Board of Directors is not obliged to call a meeting if:

the directors have called a members meeting or have started the process to call a members meeting;

the requisition does not meet the requirements above or the business stated in the requisition is

improper in that:

it is intended to enforce a personal claim or redress a personal grievance against the corporation, or

its directors, officers, members or debt obligation holders;

it does not relate in a significant way to the activities or affairs of the corporation;

it is substantially the same as a proposal previously submitted to members less than 5 years ago and

it did not receive the minimum required support at that meeting;

the rights to submit proposals are being abused to secure publicity.

Notice of Member Meetings Notice of member meetings is provided at least 30 days prior to the beginning of the meeting. Notice can be given by mail, telephone, fax, email or by posting in the members section of the CSTA website.

Representation of Members at Member Meetings

Any member may be represented at a meeting by any or all of its partners (if a partnership), or by any or all of its officers (if a corporation or a division of a corporation), or by a person holding a responsible position with the member. Each active member must designate one individual to vote on its behalf.

Quorum

Quorum is achieved when fifteen representatives of Active member companies in good standing are present in person.

Participation at Member Meetings

General Sessions and Committee Meetings are open to all delegates and guests, however Chairs of committees can call for an in-camera session during their committee meetings, which would limit participation to members. Voting is always restricted to members – each member company is entitled to one vote at all meetings.

Participation by Electronic Means

Member representatives may participate in member meetings by telephone or other electronic means only if it is possible to allow all members who are eligible to participate in the same manner, and the facility permits all participants, both in person and participating electronically, to communicate adequately with each other.

Meetings may be held entirely by Electronic Means if all members who wish to participate can participate by electronic means, and are able to adequately communicate with each other.

Participation of Media at CSTA Meetings

Participation in the Annual Business Meeting and meetings of the CSTA Executive Committee, Board of Directors and Stakeholder Relations Work Group is limited to members of those groups. Special guests may be invited to participate for specific discussions or issue considerations.



At the discretion of CSTA staff and the CSTA Executive Committee, representatives of the media may be invited to cover portions of CSTA conventions, at no charge. However should they wish to take advantage of meals and other hospitality at meetings, a fee will be assessed.

Should media be invited to cover any CSTA meetings, the following policy will be clearly communicated in advance:

1. The annual business meeting; Executive and Board meetings; and meetings of the Stakeholder

Relations work group are closed to the media.

2. At the discretion of the leadership of CSTA committees, some committee meetings may also be

closed to the media. Media will be notified in advance of closed meetings, and provided the

opportunity to meet with committee leaders outside of the meeting.

3. All of the material, discussion, debate, resolutions, votes and decisions at committees and sub-

committees is strictly off the record. The information and discussion may serve as background

information, but only information obtained through interviews or public releases may be made

public.

4. The use of recording devices is strictly forbidden in all committee and sub-committee meetings, but

may be used during the open plenary sessions.

VI. VOTING PROCEDURES

In all meetings and assemblies of the CSTA, the organization strives for consensus on policy and strategic issues. Where voting is required, the following procedures apply:

Voting in Member Meetings

Any question coming before any meeting of the members of the Corporation may, except as otherwise provided in the By-laws, is decided by a simple majority vote of the members enjoying voting rights and present at the meeting (one vote per active member).

Special resolutions (bylaw amendments) require support of a 2/3 majority.

Unless a poll is demanded, the vote may be taken by a show of hands.

Proposed amendments to CSTA’s by-laws are provided to the membership at least 30 days in advance of the vote.

With one exception, only members in the “Active” category are allowed to vote. Each Active member is entitled to one vote, no matter how many delegates are present from the member company. To ensure that only appropriate members vote, voting cards may be used, with one card issued to each member company.

When a proposed amendment affects the number and type of membership categories, or the entitlement of members in different categories to vote, Associate and/or Affiliate members are also allowed to vote, as prescribed in the bylaws.

Any time a vote is called, the President, or his/her designate, will preside as chairman of the meeting. If the call is for vote by poll, the following procedure will apply:

Staff will establish balloting areas at the back of the room. Other business may continue until balloting can occur or the meeting may recess to wait for balloting.

When it is time for voting, as members leave the meeting room, they go to the balloting station. They must be warned that the first person from that member company to acquire a ballot will hold the only one to be issued. They must sign for the ballot so staff knows it has been issued. Ballots, when completed, are returned to the balloting station.



If the vote is equal, the President or his/her designate has a second and deciding vote.

Voting in Board Meetings

With the exception of elections as described below, voting at Board meetings is generally by a show of hands.

Voting in Committee Meetings

In committees the chairperson or his/her designate presides over any votes. The vote can occur by show of hands or by voting card. In both cases each active member company present is only allowed one vote. If the vote is equal, the Chairperson or his/her designate has a second and deciding vote.

Voting in Lieu of Meetings

From time to time, it is expected that business of the Association will need to be conducted between meetings. In those cases, voting can occur by mail, fax or email.

Motions are provided to all members by CSTA staff. Members vote by replying with “in favour” or “not in favour” on the original message and returning it to the CSTA office by a pre-determined deadline.

Staff compiles the votes and reports the results and any comments to the Board of Directors. Resolutions from the membership, whether voted at a meeting or by alternate means, are recommendations to the Board of Directors.

The motion is included in the minutes of the immediately preceding meeting of the appropriate governing body.

Voting Procedures for Elections

Board of Directors

The Board is elected at the annual meeting by the general membership.

Board of Directors Nominating Committee - A Nominating Committee chaired by the Past-President will assist with recruiting new Board members that represent the spectrum of needs by Association members. The Nominating Committee is made up of the President, 1st and 2nd Vice-Presidents, the Past-President (chair) and any other member representative(s) that the Nominating Committee determines to be an asset to the nomination process.

Board of Directors Nominations - The committee will seek out willing people to ensure there are at least as many candidates as there are open Board positions. The Association will encourage people to step forward by publishing a call for potential candidates prior to the Nominating Committee meeting. The Nominating Committee will review the duties and expectations of Board members to potential candidates prior to submitting their names and ensure a biography of all candidates is available.

Candidates must be representatives of Active members of the Association and may only be nominated by Active members in good standing. Candidates must agree to the nomination and must read, understand and accept (by signing) the CSTA Nominee Acceptance Form. (Appendix 1)

When approaching potential candidates, and in the nomination process, in order to achieve a cross-section of CSTA member companies with representatives on the Board, the Nominating Committee strives to achieve a balance of representation on the Board with respect to:

region

crop kind

membership class

functional role of members (companies, brokers, distributors, breeders, etc.)

Board of Directors Elections - The Nominating Committee recommendations shall be distributed to voting members sixty (60) days prior to the Annual Meeting. Additional candidates may be nominated by any CSTA active member by submitting the nomination to the Corporation thirty (30) days prior to the Annual Meeting.



Nominations must include the name of the nominating individual and the member represented, plus the names of two supporting individuals and the member represented. Past-Presidents are eligible for re-election to the Board.

Where there are more candidates than positions on the board, and election will occur at the Annual General Meeting. Candidates receiving the highest number of votes are elected until all positions are filled. In this case, the vote will be by secret ballot, with each member receiving one vote. Ballots are collected by scrutineers appointed by the Board of Directors.

Board members must be representatives of Active members of the Association. If a Board member ceases to be a representative of an Active member during his or her term on the Board, and does not become a representative of an Active member within 6 months, he/she must resign from the position on the Board.

Executive Committee Voting Procedures - The Executive is elected annually by the Board of Directors, from its membership. Successful candidates take office at the summer meeting. The general procedure is:

The outgoing President automatically moves into the role of Past President. While not mandatory, tradition is that the 1st V.P. moves to President and the 2nd V.P. moves to 1st V.P.

However, elections may be held for the positions of President, 1st Vice-President and 2nd Vice-President, when the following procedures are followed:

Nominations are made by the nominating committee during the January/February board meeting. Then there is a call for further nominations from the Board. If there are no further nominations, candidates can be selected with a show of hands.

Where there is more than one nomination, secret ballots are distributed to all Board members, including the nominees. Each person writes down the name of one candidate and ballots are collected.

The Past-President, assisted by the Executive Director, will count the ballots and report to the meeting.

The candidate with the most votes, not necessarily a majority, wins.

VII. MEMBERSHIP SERVICES

Members drive the Association. Providing members with services ensures their engagement and delivers value. The benefits of joining the CSTA should be many but should not include matters that fall within the scope of day-to-day operations of individual members. Rather it should focus on matters that relate to the mission statement and are of benefit to the common membership.

It is very important to ensure that the activities of the Association are to the benefit of all CSTA members. CSTA will not work to advance the interests of one or more members if the result would be to the disadvantage of one or more other members.

Existing services include:

providing access to information on current industry trends, pending legislation and regulations, research developments, as well as industry positions and rationale

providing accurate and detailed analyses of the impact of regulatory, policy considerations and decisions on the membership

speaking as a collective voice, increasing the impact on various audiences

facilitating access to domestic and international contacts with trade, professional, and public officials in areas of seed research, production, and marketing

facilitating access to member companies and representatives, using various mechanisms, for business and other contacts both nationally and internationally

participating in industry studies and utilizing arbitration services on disputes among members over



business and trade transactions

providing trade association services to members that are not available from other sources, and in general fostering professional and personal development

working with government to foster good relations and a suitable regulatory environment

providing representation to other organizations

organizing conventions and meetings

providing timely communication

working to foster professional and personal development

providing access to group rates e.g. hotel rates, office supplies etc.

Support of Member Specific Product Regulatory Applications or Services

CSTA members may request CSTA to intervene on a specific regulatory application or service. CSTA will not intervene in support of a member’s specific product if the product is competing with products of other members.

However, CSTA may intervene if there is a point of principle to be made or an opportunity to improve the regulatory application procedures for the benefit of all CSTA members. On this occasion, a specific product may be named to illustrate or make the case for the need for a regulatory change.

Ad-Hoc Funding

From time to time unforeseen circumstances may arise which require CSTA activities outside of established work plans and budgets. In these cases, additional funds are required in order to accomplish the objectives. In that case, the Board may direct staff to seek additional funds from interested members. This activity will only be carried out in compliance with the following:

Requests for ad-hoc funding will only be used in rare circumstances and for issues that complement Board priorities

Activities must not be to the exclusion or financial loss of other members.

In all cases, there will be complete transparency of the participants and the funds committed to the issue.

VIII. ISSUES PRIORITIZATION

The stated core values of the Association include creating an environment that stimulates strategic analysis of the issues before the industry. The Board must develop an atmosphere that achieves this goal. That means information sharing, forums for feedback, and providing time to think strategically.

At the Board level, this entails active participation in an annual strategic planning session to develop measurable strategies or outcomes for the coming year. As outlined below, the strategic planning session incorporates recommendations from committees, and reflects an environmental scan and CSTA’s mission and goals.

CSTA maintains a policy manual which serves as a set of guidelines to elected officers and staff as they participate in consultation processes and undertake advocacy activities. The policy manual is reviewed and updated annually by the Board of Directors at the strategic planning session.

The policy manual is posted to the members only section of the CSTA website, and as such is available for scrutiny by all CSTA members.



At the committee level, members should identify new concerns, alert the Association as a whole to issues, and work towards a resolution. CSTA has implemented work plans for all CSTA committees. The work plans are reviewed and amended as required by committees at the summer and fall meetings.

In order to provide the best possible opportunities for the full membership to have input to the policies and directions of the organization, plenary sessions at the annual and semi-annual meetings may be organized to bring forward timely issues and solicit input. This could also include workshops or breakout sessions as required.

On an ongoing basis, to ensure there is proper direction, strategic planning needs to occur throughout the year. To facilitate this, committees (generally represented by the Chairperson and/or working group in conjunction with the Board liaison and staff person) are charged with raising and helping to manage issues throughout the year. During the course of the year, it is expected priorities will shift, opportunities will arise, and member interests must be balanced.

Facilitating Member Input

Member feedback is not only welcomed, but is encouraged. From the members only section of the website to open and transparent committee and workgroup meetings, CSTA’s Board of Directors and Staff consistently seek input from its members.

CSTA maintains an up-to-date members-only section on its website, designed to encourage member input on issues and priorities. The login and password are made available to all CSTA members.

CSTA’s strategic plan, policy manual and operational guidelines can be found in this area of the website.

Specific member communications and background on specific issues for use by members are available in this section of the website. They are provided to assist CSTA members to prepare to engage in dialogue on issues which may be controversial or difficult.

Draft discussion documents are posted in this area, and member comments are encouraged.

Minutes of Committee meetings are also posted in this area, to encourage members to make input through Committee meetings and through the website.

IX. BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The Board of Directors is elected from the general membership.

Composition

The Board is comprised of up to 16 members. Its membership is made up of:

the President, 1st Vice-President, 2nd Vice-President, Past President and a representative of the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA); and

between 9 and 11 additional individuals elected from the Active membership. The members may, from time to time by ordinary resolution, fix the number of directors of the Corporation and the number of directors to be elected at annual meetings of the members, or delegate those powers to the directors.

Board members serve a maximum of two consecutive terms of three years each. The exception is Executive members. Board members are elected as individuals. Board members must remain active in the industry and must be associated with an active member of the CSTA. However, once elected to the CSTA Board, the member no longer represents the specific interests of one member company, and must act in the best interests of the association.

All Board members must understand and sign the CSTA Board Nominee Acceptance Form (Appendix 1).



Should the Board of Directors agree that any individual member is not functioning in compliance with the guidelines established in the form; the Board will consult with the member, and can recommend to the membership that the member be removed from the Board.

Despite the fact that Board members are not representatives of specific member companies, efforts are made to ensure that no more than one employee of any company sits on the Board of Directors at the same time. Should this occur due to a merger, job changes, or other means, it is suggested that one person is resign at the next annual meeting. The normal election process will be followed to fill the vacancy.

Board members must make all possible efforts to attend all meetings of the Board. If a Board member misses three meetings in a row, the Board of Directors is obligated to review the situation, and can recommend to the membership that the member be removed from the Board.

If a Board member ceases to be a representative of an Active member during his or her term on the Board, and does not become a representative of an Active member within 6 months, he/she must resign from the position on the Board.

Responsibilities

The Board of Directors is responsible for acting and operating in a manner that is consistent with the Canadian Competition Act.

The Board is responsible for establishing the overall policy and providing strategic guidance to the Association. Specifically, the Board’s role is to:

Ensure that all Board discussions, meetings and activities are in compliance with the Canadian Competition Act. Establish a CSTA compliance document, review and understand the document at each meeting.

Set the mission and vision of the Association. Review them annually to ensure that they continue to reflect the common needs of the membership.

Establish a strategic plan for the Association, including measures of success, on an annual basis. Monitor and assess the effectiveness of the Association in reaching success.

Direct, control and inspire the Association through the careful establishment of broad policies and strategies that reflect the vision and mission.

Provide mechanisms for liaising with membership, including establishing and participating in standing committees.

Establish and approve, on an annual basis, an operating budget for the Association. Exercise general supervisory control over the expenditure of the funds of the Association, including assuring that the Association’s financial reserves are appropriate.

Serve as a pool of spokespersons for the Association on issues of policy and strategy - to the membership, regulators and policy makers, farmers and the general public.

SCHEDULE OF BOARD MEETINGS The Board meets before the summer and fall conventions either in person or by telephone or video conference. Materials for all Board meetings are provided to Board members in advance of the meeting. Staff is responsible for documents, and minutes of all Board meetings. The first order of business at all CSTA Board meetings is a review of the CSTA Competition Act compliance document. (Appendix 2). Each board meeting will also include an ‘in camera’ session without staff present for the board to discuss matters that require privacy. The 2nd Vice-President will take notes and records motions during ‘in camera’ session.

Business traditionally conducted (but not limited to) the following topics.



Summer Meeting (July) - Opening Session Board Meeting Prior to the meeting of members, the Board meets to review agendas, presentations and Committee Work Plans. At this time, the Board also reviews financial and membership reports. The Board may either meet face-to-face or by conference call. Agenda items include:

Review financial report

Receive and approve the Auditor’s report from the year just ended

Receive membership report

Approve for forwarding to annual meeting, any new membership applications

Receive Nomination Committee report and recommendations

Receive and review report of progress toward key success measures developed as part of the strategic plan

Review and approve Committee work plans and agendas for all CSTA committees

An orientation session for new Board members may also be held and chaired by the outgoing and incoming Presidents

Summer Meeting (July) - Closing Session Board Meeting The Board meets at the end of each convention, and committee reports and work plans are presented by the Board Liaison, who also makes a motion to accept the committee report. Committee Chairs are welcome to join the Board meeting’s closing session should they choose. The Committee Chair does not have a vote, but can participate in the discussion throughout the entire board meeting.

Once approved by the Board, committee reports, recommendations and priorities, in addition to the minutes of the meetings, feed into the Board strategic planning session, and are also taken as action items by staff and elected officials. Agenda items include:

Complete any business unfinished from pre-convention meeting or arising from the plenary session

Review and accept committee reports and work plans

Review and vote on resolutions from committees or the floor of the meeting

Review dates and locations of future meetings

Fall Meeting (November) Pre-convention – can be held by telephone or video conference

Agenda items include:

Review financial report

Receive membership report

Approve any new membership applications for forwarding to general session,

Receive Nomination Committee report and recommendations

Receive and review report of progress toward key success measures developed as part of the strategic plan


At the time of the fall meeting, a CSTA orientation session may be held for new members, new employees of members and those who wish to have an update on CSTA.

Fall Meeting (November) Post-Convention Agenda items include:

Complete any business unfinished from pre-convention meeting or arising from the plenary session


Review and vote on resolutions from committees or the floor of the meeting



Review dates and locations of future meetings

Review Strategic Plan Success Measures

Every third year participate in a full strategic planning process

Fall Meeting (November) Fall Strategic Planning Meeting

The Board of Directors participates in a formal strategic planning session at each fall meeting, held in conjunction with the post-convention meeting. During that session the Board:

Reviews and assesses the progress towards key success measures developed by the Board as part of the strategic planning process for the previous year.

Reviews and updates the environment in which the CSTA will operate in the coming year, and in the shorter term.

Reviews the mission, core values and key goals of the CSTA to ensure that they are still relevant given the environment.

Develops measurable outcomes under each key goal, to be achieved in the coming year.

At the strategic planning meeting, the Board of Directors also reviews and if necessary amends, the CSTA policy manual to reflect the strategic planning session, resolutions and priority items from CSTA committees, and any position papers that may have been developed and adopted over the course of the year. The Board also reviews the Operational Guidelines and Committee Handbook to ensure they are still valid. Winter Meeting (January or February) Agenda items include:

Review financial reports

Review and update Policy Manual

Review and update Operational Guidelines

Review and update Committee Handbook

Review CSTA committee appointments and memberships

Review appointments to external boards and committees

Receive Nomination Committee Report

Elect Second Vice-President

Select Recipients for CSTA Awards

Review and approve CSTA Strategic Plan and Measures of Success for the upcoming year

Review and approve CSTA Budget for the upcoming fiscal year

Reimbursement Policy for Board Members and other CSTA Members

It is fundamental to the CSTA that the organization runs on the efforts of its volunteers and the support of their companies. The CSTA needs this continued support to operate within the budgeted levels and is appreciative of this assistance.

Board Member Stipend

In recognition of the increasing expense, both financial and in terms of human resources, Board members are entitled to apply for compensation for participating in face-to-face meetings of the Board. The compensation is $200 (Canadian) for each day that the Board member attends, and does not apply to travel days. At or immediately following the meeting, each Board member will receive a claim form from the CSTA office, to use when claiming the compensation.



Compensation for Work at CSTA’s Request

Modest funding also exists to reimburse members for some of their work, on an approved basis. The policy is meant to provide support for those who incur significant costs on behalf of the whole industry. The policy for this funding is as follows:

Members will not be remunerated for meetings they would have otherwise been attending.

Costs to be covered include direct out-of-pocket expenses for travel by air or rail, hotel costs, and meals during meetings and during travel.

Honorariums are not provided in this case.

All costs must be approved by the Executive Director prior to travel.

Directors and Officers Liability Insurance

It is understood that in any corporation, profit or not-for-profit, directors and officers can be held liable for the actions of the organization. CSTA maintains Directors and Officers insurance to protect its directors and officers. A copy of the insurance policy is available from the CSTA office.

X. EXECUTIVE

The Executive provides important and regular direction for the Association. The Executive is elected by the Board of Directors from its members.

Composition

The Executive is comprised follows:

Past-President

President

First Vice-President

Second Vice-President

Executive Director (who serves as Secretary-Treasurer)

With the exception of the Executive Director, members serve in one-year terms through a succession system that begins with Second Vice-President, with terms beginning and ending at the closing Summer Board meeting. After being elected to Second Vice-President, members generally move through the remaining positions automatically. However, this is not a required process established by bylaws. Refer to Executive Committee Voting Procedures for details on the election process.

If an Executive member resigns or is removed in mid-term, the traditional process may occur, or an election can be held. A removal mechanism is in place should an Executive member not be properly fulfilling his/her duties.

Responsibilities

The Executive Committee’s Role is to:

Carry out the role of an audit committee including:

o Meeting with the auditor

o Understanding any grey areas in the financial statements and outlining options to the board

for their decision

o Periodically gathering optional CA firms choices for consideration by the board / members

o Monitoring to ensure adequate internal controls re: CSTA financial record-keeping

o Reviewing the financial situation on a monthly basis

o Alerting the board of any significant unfavourable variances that have occurred are expected

to occur



Advise the Board should an issue arise that might call for a re-prioritization of CSTA initiatives

Help 1st and 2nd Vice Presidents prepare for the possibility of their becoming President

Refrain from making decisions on behalf of the Board

Executive Committee Meetings

Staff is responsible for the provision of all documents prior to Executive meetings, and for minutes of all Executive meetings.

SCHEDULE OF EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETINGS Business traditionally conducted (but not limited to):

Summer Meeting (July) The Executive Committee meets prior to the opening meeting of the Board to:

Review of Membership report for recommendation to the Board

Review of Financial reports for recommendation to the Board

Receive and Review any function oriented reports from Executive Committee members

Review of Agendas for Board meetings, the general session, and committee meetings

Fall Meeting (November) The Executive Committee meets prior to the opening meeting of the Board to:

Review of Membership report for recommendation to the Board

Review of Financial reports for recommendation to the Board

Receive and Review any function oriented reports from Executive Committee members

Review of Agendas for Board meetings, the general session, and committee meetings

Winter Meeting (December)

The Executive meets face-to-face to:

Acting as the Nomination Committee, review and consider candidates for possible nomination to the Board of Directors

Develop a recommendation to the Board for an incoming Second Vice-President

Review and recommend CSTA award recipients

Monthly Conference Calls (traditionally the third Thursday of each month) and as needed

Agendas to be set based on issues of timely concern.

Review draft audited financial statements

Meet with the CSTA’s Auditor and review financial practises and any issues that may be raised by the Auditor

Conduct the Executive Director Performance Review

XI. PRESIDENT

The President of the CSTA is the primary spokesperson for the Organization, but in his/her absence, other members of the Executive and senior staff will serve as spokespersons

The President’s role also includes:

Serve as member of the Executive and Nominating Committees

Serve as the primary spokesperson for the association

Chair / facilitate meetings

Extend a pre-conference invitation to members



Set the tone and lead by example

Champion board-approved strategic priorities

Be well-informed on board policy

Assist with new board member orientation

The President is recognized as the host of the annual and semi-annual meetings that are held during his/her mandate.

XII. COMMITTEES

Committees are essential to the ability of the CSTA to identify and resolve issues. As such, the Board recognizes the need to provide them with a Board liaison as well as additional staffing and finance resources to a level reflecting the total priorities of the Association.

Structure

CSTA Committees are standing committees of the membership. Any CSTA member can participate at any meeting of any CSTA committee, with the exception of the Stakeholder Relations Workgroup, which is appointed by the Board. Time for committee meetings is allocated based on the weight of the agendas. Committee meetings occur during the regular meetings of the Association. Additional meetings may also be called as needed. Current standing committees include:

Corn, Soybeans, & Eastern Cereals Committee

Forage & Turf Committee

Garden Seed & Organic Committee (currently in hiatus)

Oilseeds, Pulses & Western Cereals Committee

International Committee

Biotech Committee

Intellectual Property Committee

Researchers Committee East and Researchers Committee West (experimenting with joint webinar meetings)

Seed Applied Technology Committee

Stakeholder Relations Workgroup (appointed by and reporting to the Board of Directors)

Each committee is assigned a Board Liaison to assist with their efforts and ensure committee work is being tied into the larger efforts of the Association. Each member company has one vote in each committee. Working groups of existing committees are encouraged and offered support to tackle specific issues.

Formation

The Board of Directors has an annual responsibility to take a proactive look at the existing committees and coming issues, and assess where additional attention is needed. Committees and their leadership are reviewed at the fall meeting of the Board of Directors.

Responsibilities

Committees exist to:

identify new issues

develop consensus on addressing issues and draft position statements for presentation to the Board where appropriate

pursue recommendations on issues where possible, with the support of the membership

provide a forum for members to discuss shared concerns

Each committee elects a Chair, Vice-Chair and Secretary. These positions are generally held for 2 years. Individuals generally move from Secretary to Vice-Chair to Chair. Chairs work with staff to set the agendas



for meetings. Agendas are provided to committee members in advance and are posted on the CSTA website. While Committee Secretaries take minutes, staff has the responsibility of posting and distributing.

Resolutions and/or directions from Committees and the committee work plan must be brought before and endorsed by the Board of Directors before they become the official policy of the Association.

The Board Liaison for the committee will report to the Board. The Board Liaison will report back to the committee on the disposition of these recommendations during the discussion of committee work plans.

Operations

To facilitate improved operations within the committees, a Committee Handbook exists that explains rules, procedures for committees. CSTA staff maintains and updates the handbook, which is available from the CSTA office or on the members-only section of the CSTA website.

Funding Committee Work

CSTA’s budget includes some funding for committee work. The allocations are based on the priorities of the Association as a whole. Equal funding will not be provided to every committee but is based on workload and importance of the issues before the committee. Requests can include travel and accommodation, consultant costs, and other items needed.

The Executive Director is ultimately responsible for meeting budget as a whole for the Association and can make decisions about managing committees.

XIII. STAFF

Structure

The staff are led by the Executive Director. The Executive Director is directly responsible to the Executive committee and the Board and through them, to the membership.

The Executive and Board provide guidance and advice to the Executive Director on staffing and other resource strategies and finances. It is the Executive Director’s job to hire staff, consultants, advisors etc, manage their work, and ensure tasks are completed. Staff hiring decisions will be reviewed by the Executive Committee before offers are made.

The Executive conducts an annual performance review of the Executive Director, and establishes the remuneration of the Executive Director in consultation with the Executive Director.

The Executive Director conducts annual performance reviews with all staff; ensures that consultants, advisors, etc. are meeting their obligations satisfactorily, and establishes remuneration within the approved annual budget. Annual staff performance reviews will occur in January of each year, following a consistent format that provides opportunity for staff and their manager to review progress toward objectives, and determine performance goals and objectives for the upcoming year. A staff expense reimbursement policy guides the reimbursement of expenses incurred by staff while travelling for CSTA business. The Executive Director approves a staff expense reports on a monthly basis. The 1st Vice-President and Past-President review and approves Executive Director expense reports on a monthly basis.

Duties

Staff is charged with the day-to-day operations of the Association and the implementation of tactics to reach the key strategic goals established by the Board. The Board and committees develop strategy, select policy, and assist with liaison with outside organizations. Due to the volunteer nature of the organization, there will also be some work on implementation of strategies.

On a daily basis, staff is charged with working towards the objectives of the Association and to implement policies. Administration of Association affairs is also a staff responsibility. Through the Executive Director, the staff is expected to meet the fiscal goals established by the Board and members.



XIV OPERATING RESERVE

The Board of Directors has established the following policy regarding CSTA’s operating reserve:

CSTA maintain a financial operating reserve that is no less than 1X the annual budget including conventions and no more than 1.7X the annual budget including conventions.

Funds in the reserve may only be used with approval by motion by the Board of Directors:

To ensure that the Association can continue to operate in situations where extraordinary events,

nationally or internationally, result in the Association incurring unexpected losses and/or;

To finance special projects that are determined by the Board of Directors to be in the common interests

of CSTA’s members, or of the Association.

XV. ALLIANCES AND RELATED ORGANIZATIONS

CSTA is committed to linking effectively with other agricultural organizations along the production chain to achieve shared goals, including encouraging more choices and improving conditions in the Canadian agricultural sector. The CSTA’s ongoing challenge is to work effectively alongside other agricultural organizations to create a fair operating environment for the industry while avoiding duplication.

CSTA Representatives to Other Boards and Committees

The Board of Directors oversees recruitment and assignments of CSTA representatives to external Boards and Committees. The Board reviews and amends CSTA appointments and traditionally deals with the appointments in an omnibus vote. CSTA maintains a list of all formal, related and external relationships with the names of CSTA’s appointed representatives. Appointments to external organizations and committees will be considered a two-year term, except where the external organization’s appointment criteria state differently.

The CSTA enjoys many varied relationships with other organizations. They assume several key forms:

Formal Relationships

There are several organizations with which the CSTA maintains formal and close relations. However, the number of formal relationships the CSTA creates should be limited. Official affiliation may be defined by shared board members or other formal representation. Others may be completed by a Memorandum of Understanding.

Key Formal Relationships include:

American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) - CSTA’s representative to the ASTA Board is selected and approved for a 3 year term on the ASTA Board. The ASTA representative need not be a Board member, but must be approved by the CSTA Board.

BIOTECanada

Crop Variety Registration Recommending Committees

International Seed Federation (ISF)

Seed Association of the Americas (SAA)

Canadian Seed Institute (CSI)

Canadian Plant Technology Agency (CPTA)

CropLife Canada *CSTA has a formal Memorandum of Understanding with CropLife Canada

Related Organizations

A special relationship is maintained with related organizations that form the core of the Canadian seed



industry. A regular liaison with the CSTA is appointed to participate in meetings of these organizations.

Key related organizations include:

Canadian Association of Agri-Retailers (CAAR)

Canadian Seed Growers’ Association (CSGA)

Commercial Seed Analysts Association of Canada Inc. (CSAAC)

Official Representatives

Often, CSTA representation is requested on official committees and advisory councils, some of which are organized by various levels of government. The CSTA representative need not be a member of the Board of Directors or Executive Committee, but is required to clearly represent CSTA’s mission and goals. The representative is also required to maintain liaison with CSTA, and to report the activities and decisions of the external organization, to the CSTA, either through its committees or its Board of Directors.

A sample letter to prospective official representatives is attached as Appendix 2.

XVI. STAKEHOLDER RELATIONS

Stakeholder Relations is a cross cutting activity for any advocacy association. It is critical to the development of policy priorities and to ultimately achieving the direction set by the members and governing bodies of the Association.

The CSTA Board of Directors has established a formal Stakeholder Relations Workgroup which works with staff to develop and oversee stakeholder relations activities. This group, with staff support, will work alongside the issue based committees and working groups which are charged with the policy and technical development of issues, to develop the best use of tools to effectively forward issues.

The Stakeholder Relations Workgroup is appointed by and reports to the CSTA Board of Directors. This is the only working group of the CSTA that does not hold open meetings.

CSTA’s Stakeholder Relations has four general components.

1. Member Relations

2. Government Relations

3. Farmer/Producer Relations

4. Public Relations

Member Relations

An engaged membership is the strength of any association. Association staff or leaders can be much more effective if they are clearly supported by the association’s membership in a tangible way. The best way to encourage engagement is to ensure that the membership is fully informed and that input is valued.

Government Relations

A well informed, supportive government, both at the political and bureaucratic level is critical to achieving CSTA’s goals. The seed industry is subject to a large number of regulations, nationally and internationally. In addition to the fact that many of CSTA’s key goals can only be achieved through government action (regulatory, legislative and other efforts), the seed industry can easily become victim to political decisions and actions taken by uninformed decision makers.

CSTA has to undertake a methodical and consistent effort to build on its credibility at the departmental level, and to work at the political level to create the mindset required for some of the initiatives that CSTA supports. This will help to ensure that CSTA is one of the “go-to” organizations on issues of importance to its members, and will ensure that CSTA is consulted on a timely basis.

It is absolutely critical that when called upon for input by staff and politicians, CSTA responds quickly with



well-founded facts and clear “asks” or advice. It is also important the CSTA not get a reputation for requesting meetings without clear “asks” backed up by well-founded facts and information.

Guidelines for government relations include:

Where interaction is on behalf of CSTA, or where CSTA’s name is being used, all government relations material, meeting organization etc. is vetted through the CSTA staff, and is approved by at least the CSTA President, and if possible by the Executive Committee

CSTA will only request meetings with Ministers when there is a clear “ask” and when fully prepared with solid information and facts

Wherever possible and appropriate, it will be arranged that elected officers speak with elected officials (eg. Board and Executive members meet Ministers and MPs)

CSTA will work with industry partners where it is beneficial to do so to jointly advocate issues of common concern, host Parliamentary receptions and other activities

CSTA will seek relevant opportunities to appear before House and Legislative Standing Committees

CSTA will seek and accept opportunities to serve on relevant government-established advisory groups

CSTA members will maintain good working relationships with elected officials in their provinces and regions, reporting and advising CSTA on issues of importance to CSTA

Farmer/Producer Relations

Farmers are the clients and partners of CSTA members. Activities are aimed at increasing trust and creating a more positive working relationship. Farmers need to be able to make production decisions based on well-presented, factual material that is easily accessible to them. CSTA has an obligation to provide that information: on our website; through point of sale information; speaking engagements; careful use of media and other publications; use of web based communications tools; and participation in meetings and seminars

Public Relations

Industry partnerships - Initiatives that are supported and promoted by the membership of more than one association are more likely to get the attention of decision makers than are those where associations “go it alone”. CSTA will continue to work with organizations with similar goals to build a strong foundation of understanding and trust that will support alliances and coalitions.

Media - Radio, television and print media are tools for all of the components of the external relations plan. Government officials and MPs , and most key industry partners, “clip” media to help them to gauge opinion and prioritize issues; members see their issues highlighted and publicized; and the media is often the best way to reach farmers and the public in general.

CSTA follows the following guidelines for media relations

Spokesperson – the President is the key spokesperson for the organization. When media approach CSTA or a CSTA member for a CSTA perspective on an issue, all requests are forwarded to the CSTA office. Staff makes every effort to ensure that the President is interviewed or supplies input. Where that is not possible, staff will assign the task to an Executive member or to senior staff.

News Releases – While it may be with input and information from committees, the Board, etc., all news releases are written and issued by CSTA staff. They are vetted by at least the President, but if possible by the Executive Committee, with a minimum of 48 hours to review and provide comments.

XVII. CSTA AWARDS

CSTA believes it is important to recognize the achievements and contributions of individuals in the seed industry. The Association has three prestigious awards that may be presented annually to individuals nominated by their peers and selected by the Board of Directors. The awards are:

Canadian Plant Breeding and Genetics Award - co-sponsored by the Canadian Seed Trade Association and



Germination Magazine is presented to a public or private sector researcher who has made a significant contribution to the advancement of Canadian plant agriculture through research in plant breeding and genetics.

The CSTA Seed Achievement Award - recognizes and honours significant contributions to the Canadian seed industry. It is presented to an individual engaged in a private seed business or public institution based in Canada.

The CSTA Honourary Life Membership -is presented to an individual in honour of his or her significant volunteer contribution to the Canadian seed trade and to the Canadian Seed Trade Association.

CSTA has a formal nominating procedure and criteria, which is reviewed and approved annually.

http://www.germination.ca/



APPENDIX 1

CSTA Board of Directors Nomination Acceptance Form

This form has been developed to help prospective members of the CSTA Board of Directors to better understand the mandate of the CSTA Board and the role of Board members.

The completed form is part of the nomination package and must be submitted to the CSTA with the letters of nomination for all candidates for the CSTA Board of Directors.

Mandate of the Board of Directors

The Board of Directors of the Canadian Seed Trade Association (CSTA) governs the Association, in keeping with the vision and mission, to advance the common interests of the Association’s members. Board activities are conducted in English.

CSTA’s Mission and Vision

Mission: To foster seed industry innovation and trade

Vision: Growing for the World

CSTA’s Governing Style

The Board of Directors of the CSTA will:

Govern the Association with the betterment of the Association and all of its members as a priority

Provide strategic leadership to the Association rather than focusing on administrative detail

Encourage diversity of views, but make collective rather than individual decisions

Focus on the future rather than the past, and direct proactively rather than reactively

Core Values of the CSTA

The Board of Directors establishes, reviews and, most importantly, operates in accordance with the core values of the Association, which are listed below:

1. The direction of the Association comes from its members

2. There is fair and equitable recognition of members

3. The Association fosters an environment that encourages participation of its members

4. The Association is strategic and proactive in its planning, thinking and actions

5. The association is dedicated to prioritizing and resolving the common issues that affect its members

6. The Association strives for consensus in its decision making processes

7. The Association works constructively with other groups in pursuit of its mission statement

8. The association acts with transparency and integrity in conducting its business

9. The Association is non-partisan

10. The Association complies with the Canadian Competition Act

Board of Directors Nomination Agreement Page 1



Code of Ethics of the CSTA Board

Members of the CSTA Board of Directors acknowledge and undertake that they will observe a high standard of ethics and conduct as they devote their best efforts, resources and skills to advance the interests of CSTA and its members. Directors will perform their official duties in a manner that will preserve and enhance the trust of members while safeguarding the Association’s integrity, objectivity and impartiality.

Responsibilities of the Board

Ensure that all Board discussions, meetings and activities are in compliance with the Canadian Competition Act. Establish, review and understand CSTA’s statement of compliance at every meeting of the Board of Directors.

Set the mission and vision of the Association. Review them annually to ensure that they continue to reflect the common interests of the membership.

Establish a strategic plan for the association, including measures of success, on an annual basis. Monitor and assess the effectiveness of the Association in reaching success.

Direct, control and inspire the Association through the careful establishment of broad polices and strategies that reflect the vision and mission

Provide mechanisms for liaising with membership, including establishing and participating in standing committees.

Establish and approve, on an annual basis, an operating budget for the Association, and exercise general supervisory control over the expenditure of the funds of the Association, including assuring that the Association’s financial reserves are appropriate.

Establish and monitor the classification of members and membership fee categories.

Provide general and collective oversight of CSTA staff.

Serve as a pool of spokespersons for the Association on issues of policy and strategy – to the members, regulators and policy makers, farmers and the general public.

Responsibilities of Board Members

Every effort is made in the nomination process to ensure that the membership of the Board of Directors reflects the diversity of its members. The nomination committee seeks to achieve a balance of representation on the Board with respect to region, crop kind, membership class and functional role of members. However when acting as a Board Member of the CSTA, each Director is responsible to the Association.

Directors will:

Act honestly and in good faith in the best interests of the Association.

Participate in discussions and vote with the betterment of the membership of CSTA as the priority, and recognize that they have an obligation to act in a manner that will bear the closest public scrutiny.

Not engage in transactions or conduct that creates a conflict between their duty to act in the best interests of the CSTA and their own personal interests.




Understand that in any corporation, profit or not-for-profit, directors and officers can be held liable for the actions of the organization. CSTA maintain Directors and Officers Liability Insurance to protect its directors and officers. A copy of the insurance policy is available from the CSTA office.

Participate in accordance with CSTA’s statement of compliance with the Canadian Competition Act

- Declare any real, potential or apparent conflict that may exist with any matter being discussed or with their presence during the discussion or meeting. If the Board so directs, remove themselves from the discussion or meeting where the conflict exists.

- Speak out to end any discussion which may not comply with CSTA’s statement of compliance to with the Competition Act.

- Not knowingly take advantage of, or benefit from, information that is obtained in the course of their duties as Board members, that is not generally available to all members.

Make all possible efforts to attend and participate in all meetings of the Board of Directors. Understand that if a Director misses three consecutive Board meetings, the Board has the responsibility to review the situation and has the authority to recommend that the Director be removed from the Board.

Be familiar and act in accordance with CSTA’s By-Laws and operational guidelines.

Participate in Board meetings with an open mind and encourage diversity of views

Speak out on issues and challenge the status quo while respecting the opinions of others

At the same time, strive for consensus, respect the democratic process and honour Board decisions

Participate with a willingness to provide forward looking, proactive advice to establish key policy and strategic goals for the Association, while respecting the responsibility of staff to carry out the operational and day-to-day activities of the Association.

I have reviewed, understand and accept the above information regarding my nomination to the Board of Directors of the Canadian Seed Trade Association.

Name: (print) Signature:

Date:




APPENDIX 2

CSTA COMPLIES WITH

THE CANADIAN COMPETITION ACT

Statement of Compliance All CSTA Staff, Officers and Committee Chairs must comply with the content and spirit of the Canadian Competition Act. In keeping with that, all CSTA activities will be conducted to abide strictly by the Competition Act. The principles discussed below apply to every meeting or conference call, no matter how informal, in which CSTA members and staff gather under CSTA’s auspices

Procedures

Staff and Board members must understand the elements of the Competition Act as it applies to association activities




If the Executive Director or President has concern with a topic scheduled for discussion, a legal opinion may be obtained before the meeting takes place.

Topics to Avoid












economic trends;




educating industry participants generally.”




Information sharing is, in and of itself, not a problem. However, exchanging information which would reduce competition, such as commercially sensitive market information, pricing policies or costs, should be avoided. Information involving standard terms for contracts, minimum product standardization with respect to packaging, credit information and environmental protection research, typically would not present a problem. It is important that members of the organization not be coerced into providing information or complying with a plan that arises from the sharing of information. Similarly, they should not be required to modify their methods of carrying on business, their sales strategies, or their pricing policies in order to reflect the results of any of the information sharing.



APPENDIX 3

Sample Letter to CSTA Official Representative

Re: Appointment as CSTA Representative to…. The CSTA Board of Directors, in reviewing association appointments and representatives has agreed to request that you serve as CSTA representative to……

While we do not expect to be able to review agenda items prior to the meeting, we ask that you participate in the meeting representing the collective view of CSTA members. Enclosed with this letter is a copy of the CSTA Policy Manual. It will provide guidance to CSTA’s positions and policies as you participate in discussion and debate.

In order to ensure that CSTA provides the best input to the organization on which you have been asked to serve, and to ensure that you are well prepared to represent CSTA we need to make sure that there is effective two-way sharing of information. We ask that you provide a very brief, one or two paragraph report which summarizes issues or points which you believe should be considered by CSTA , to the committee during its regular meetings in July and November. If the business is entirely routine, your report may be as brief as one sentence, such as “Routine business sonly, nothing to be considered by the committee.”

Please confirm with the CSTA office your willingness to accept this appointment. We appreciate the effort that you and all of our members make to participate in this kind of work. On behalf of CSTA, thank you for your commitment.

Yours truly,

COMMITTEE HANDBOOK Canadian Seed Trade Association

Updated June, 2016

CSTA Committee Handbook

Table of Contents

Mission and Core Values................................................................ 1

Membership Structure.................................................................... 1

Description and Status of Committees.........................................

Structure.....................................................................................

Membership................................................................................

2

2

2

Committee Leadership....................................................................

Roles and Responsibilities.......................................................

Chair’s Responsibilities.........................................................

Vice-Chair’s Responsibilities.................................................

Secretary’s Responsibilities...................................................

Board Liaison’s Responsibilities...........................................

3

3

3

3

4

4

Feedback Mechanism..................................................................... 4

Committee Meetings.......................................................................

Participation................................................................................

Quorum....................................................................................

Media Participation in Meetings.............................................

Agenda.....................................................................................

Conducting Meetings..............................................................

Competition Act Compliance.................................................

Motions and Resolutions........................................................

Voting.......................................................................................

Election of Committee Leaders..............................................

Minutes.....................................................................................

Committee Work Plans...........................................................

5

5

5

5

6

6

6

6

6

7

7

7

Business between Conventions.................................................... 7

Contact Us........................................................................................ 7

Appendix 1: Competition Act Compliance.................................... 8

Appendix 2: Guidelines for Chairing a Successful Meeting........ 10

Appendix 3: Defining and Dealing with Motions.......................... 12

Appendix 4: Agenda Template....................................................... 15

Appendix 5: Minutes Template....................................................... 16

Appendix 6: Work Plan Template................................................... 18

CSTA Committee Handbook July 2016

CSTA MISSION STATEMENT

To Foster Seed Industry Innovation and Trade.

CORE VALUES

1. Our direction comes from our members.

2. We ensure fair and equitable recognition of members.

3. We foster an environment that encourages participation of our members.

4. We are strategic and proactive in our planning, thinking and actions.

5. We are dedicated to prioritizing and resolving the common issues that affect our members.

6. We strive for consensus in our decision making processes.

7. We work constructively with other groups in pursuit of our mission.

8. We act with transparency and integrity in our business conduct.

9. We are non-partisan.

10. We comply with the Canadian Competition Act.

Membership Structure

Active Members are individuals, firms, research institutions and corporations and bona fide divisions of corporations whose primary business is dealing in or selling seed and associated plant technologies delivered in or on the seed. Brokers are considered active members. Foreign members are considered active, associate, or affiliate, depending on their type of business. Each active member is entitled to one vote. Representatives of active member companies may serve as leadership of CSTA standing committees and workgroups.

Associate Members are wholesalers and other companies that market products or services to the seed industry. Representatives of associate member companies may serve as leadership of CSTA standing committees and work groups, but must be nominated by an Active member. Associate members do not have a vote.

Affiliate Members represent regional, provincial, national or international associations which have a common interest with the Corporation. Representatives of affiliate organizations may serve as leadership of CSTA standing committees, but must be nominated by an Active member. Affiliate members do not have a vote.

DESCRIPTION AND STATUS OF COMMITTEES

CSTA is a member driven organization, and communication with members is essential. Committees are an integral part of the operation of CSTA, and are one of the most important vehicles for obtaining input and identifying and resolving issues. Committees have direct input to the Board of Directors through an official Board Liaison.

Duties of CSTA committees include but are not limited to:

Identify issues of importance

Provide a forum for members to discuss concerns and issues of importance

Seek and develop consensus on issues and make input to the Board of Directors

Draft and submit resolutions

Draft and submit position and policy statements

Initiate analysis

Propose communication and advocacy strategies

Structure

CSTA committees are standing committees of the membership. All members of CSTA are eligible to participate in CSTA committee meetings, and all active members are eligible to vote.

Current Standing Committees are:

Biotechnology Committee

Corn, Soybeans and Eastern Cereals Committee

Forage and Turf Committee

Garden Seed Committee (currently in hiatus)

Intellectual Property Committee

International Committee

Oilseeds, Pulses and Western Cereals Committee

Hybrid Canola Seed Production Sub-Committee

Researchers East Committee

Researchers West Committee

• Seed Applied Technologies Committee

Membership

As standing committees of the membership, committees are open to all CSTA members. Those

member representatives with specific interests are asked to self-identify when CSTA sends out its

annual request for updates to CSTA’s Membership Directory and on-line database. The CSTA on-

line database allows members to select specific areas of interest directly. Member representatives

who have indicated specific interests will receive relevant committee information from time to time.

currently meeting jointly by webinar

COMMITTEE LEADERSHIP

Each Committee is led by a committee executive that is made up of a Chair, Vice-Chair and Secretary. The Liaison appointed by the Board of Directors holds an “ex officio” leadership position.

Committee leadership terms are two years. Committee leadership is elected by the general committee. Candidates for leadership can come from any level of CSTA membership (e.g., active, associate or affiliate member). However, only active members may nominate and vote.

Bi-annual elections are held during committee meetings at the annual meeting in July. While it is not required, the procedure is generally that the Secretary moves to Vice-Chair and the Vice-Chair moves to Chair, requiring a new Secretary to be elected every second year.

Roles and Responsibilities

The committee leadership (Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary and Board Liaison) works with CSTA staff to develop agendas and work plans and review documents for Committee meetings.

Committee leadership also serves as the nominating committee, seeking suitable candidates to fill any vacancies in committee leadership.

It is important to note that Committee leadership does not serve as spokespeople for the CSTA. The role of Committee leadership is to facilitate member engagement and member input and advice to the CSTA Board of Directors.

Chair’s Responsibilities (Guidelines for chairing a successful meeting are Appendix 2)

Work with committee leadership and staff to develop and approve agendas, work plans and documents

Chair committee meetings

Ensure that meetings run on time

Ensure that meetings run in compliance with the Canadian Competition Act

Ensure that all interested participants have the opportunity to make input

Ensure that if voting occurs, only one representative of each active member company votes

The Chair may vote (if he or she represents a member company that is permitted to vote) on all motions/resolutions, but as the impartial chair, should refrain from moving or seconding motions or resolutions while he/she is in the chair.

Vice-Chair’s Responsibilities

• Work with committee leadership and staff to develop and approve agendas, work plans and documents

• Chair meetings when the Chair is not available

• Complete the term as Chair if the Chair is unable to complete his/her term.

Secretary’s Responsibilities

Keeps accurate minutes of committee meetings that incorporate:

Date and time of meeting – both the call to order and adjournment

The name of the Chair, Vice-Chair and Secretary for the meeting

All motions and recommendations for action

Brief overviews of the discussion to ensure that the motion/action is taken in context by the board.

• Stays familiar with Roberts Rules of Order to ensure committee meetings comply

Staff assists the Secretary by providing a minutes template in advance of each meeting, completing the final formatting, posting minutes to the website and distributing to committee members.

Board Liaison Responsibilities

The Board Liaison is appointed by the Board of Directors to help to facilitate communication between the Board and committees:

Work with the committee leadership to develop and approve meeting agendas

Work with the committee to develop and update committee work plans

Present the work plan developed by the committee to the Board, and moving its acceptance by the Board.

Bring any requests from committees for project funding etc. to the Board of Directors

Report to the Committee on any business arising from the minutes of the Board meeting

Feedback Mechanism

CSTA conducts electronic surveys of meeting participants after each convention. The value of committee meetings; organization; and how the meeting was run, are part of the evaluation. Committee leadership is given clear feedback on a regular basis.

COMMITTEE MEETINGS

With a few exceptions, CSTA committees meet during the annual and semi-annual meetings of the Association. The time for the committee meeting is established by staff with input from the Committee Executive, and can vary depending on the agenda.

CSTA’s Forage and Turf Committee meets at the time of the annual meeting in the summer, but does not meet at the semi-annual meeting in November. Instead it meets in conjunction with the Western Seed Association meeting in Kansas City in November, and will continue to do so as long as participation justifies.

CSTA’s Eastern and Western Researchers committees traditionally do not meet at CSTA conventions. Their meetings have been held in conjunction with relevant recommending committee meetings. However the committees are now experimenting with a joint meeting by webinar.

Participation

CSTA committee meetings are fully open to all meeting delegates, guests and media. However the Chair can call for an in-camera session, which would restrict participation to only active members of the CSTA. Voting is always restricted to active members. Each active member has only one vote.

Speakers may be incorporated into the agenda when the committee leadership believes they can contribute to the understanding of issues, and can help guide decision making.

Quorum - CSTA’s by-laws do not specify a quorum (the number of participants that must be present to conduct business). Regardless of the number present, votes pass with a simple majority.

Media Participation in Meetings - At the beginning of each committee meeting where media representatives are present or expected to be present, the following statement must be read by the Committee Chair:

“All CSTA meetings, with the exception of the Executive, Board and Stakeholder Relations Work Group, are generally open to the media. However, the leadership of committee or sub-committees, on consultation with the representative of the CSTA Board of Directors (the Board Liaison), may choose to close all or part of their committee meeting to the media, including to media members of CSTA.

All of the material and subsequent discussion, debate, resolutions, votes and decisions at committees and sub-committees are strictly off the record. The information and discussion may serve as background information, but only information obtained through interviews or public releases may be made public.

The use of recording devices is strictly forbidden in all committee and sub-committee meetings, but may be used during the public plenary sessions.

If media (including media who are members of CSTA) choose not to comply with these rules, meetings may be closed and media membership will be reconsidered.”

Agenda

The agenda is the schedule of business to be conducted at the meeting. It is prepared by staff with direction and guidance from the committee leadership and the board liaison. It is prepared and finalized four weeks before the meeting and is presented to the Board and posted to CSTA’s website. (A template for a committee agenda is Appendix 4).

The agenda must be approved by the committee at the beginning of the meeting. Until there is a vote to approve, the agenda is a proposal and can be modified with additions, deletions, reorganization etc.

Conducting Meetings

Roberts Rules - CSTA meetings are conducted according to Roberts Rules of Order http://www.robertsrules.org/rulesintro.htm. It is the responsibility of the Chair, Vice-Chair and Secretary to ensure that committee meetings comply with Roberts Rules.

Canadian Competition Act Compliance - All CSTA business, including business and discussions conducted in committees, must comply with the Canadian Competition Act. CSTA members, and in particular, committee leadership, should make themselves familiar with CSTA’s statement of compliance with the Canadian Competition Act (Appendix 1).

Motions and Resolutions

Committees provide direction to the CSTA Board of Directors by motion or resolution. Technically, any business that will require a decision or direction should be placed before the meeting in the form of a motion. Only active members of the association may make a motion and vote, and each active member company has only one vote, regardless of the number of representatives participating in the meeting.

It is important to note that committee motions and resolutions supported in committees do not automatically become CSTA policy or strategy. These are recommendations to the Board of Directors, and must not be represented as CSTA policy or strategy until approved or endorsed by the Board of Directors.

Voting

Motions and Resolutions - A motion must be moved and seconded before discussion can occur. Moving and seconding a motion does not imply support, but serves to put the issue on to the floor for discussion and decision. The name of the mover and the seconder must be recorded in the meeting minutes.

Once the motion is on the floor, the Chair recognizes speakers who wish to comment on the motion. The Chair must use his/her judgement to ensure that all who have points to make, are able to do so, while making best use of the meeting time.

Once the Chair is confident that the debate has ended, he/she can then call the vote. Voting in CSTA committees is by show of hands, and simple majority carries or defeats motions. Only active members of CSTA may vote, and each active member has only one vote.

For other information on motions and resolutions, such as amendments, calling the question, tabling, delaying, withdrawing, refer to Roberts Rules of Order. (A summary of Roberts Rules as they apply to motions and resolutions is Appendix 3.)

http://www.robertsrules.org/rulesintro.htm

Election of Committee Leaders – Election of Chair, Vice-Chair and Secretary are based on the “first past the post” system. This means that the person receiving the most votes wins, regardless of whether or not that person has the majority of votes from members present (e.g., If there are three or more candidates).

A nomination must be made and the candidate must accept the nomination before the vote occurs. The Chair must call for nominations and make one call for further nominations. If there is more than one candidate for the position, a vote is held to elect. In committees, this vote is by show of hands.

Minutes - Minutes are recorded by the elected Secretary using the template that is provided by staff. (A sample template is Appendix 5).

Staff complete the final format and circulate the minutes to the Committee leadership for approval. A system of “negative option” is used in this case. If staff does not receive comments or concerns for one week, the minutes are considered approved by the committee leadership and are distributed/posted to the CSTA website.

Committee Work Plans - Work plans are a “living” document, designed to help committees focus on the policy direction of the CSTA and to achieve the strategic goals established by the Board of Directors. The work plans will be available in the members’-only section of the website before the annual meeting (a sample Work Plan template is Appendix 6).

Amendments to existing work plan items should be recommended to the Board of Directors in the form of motions. Amendments can be recommended as complete work plans or individually at the discretion of the committee and Chair, based on the significance of the proposed change.

Removing or adding new work plan items should be recommended to the Board of Directors in the form of a motion. Each item should be discussed and voted on individually. Approved items are presented to the Board of Directors at their next meeting by the Board Liaison as a recommendation.

BUSINESS BETWEEN CONVENTIONS

CSTA committees can meet outside of conventions, but must seek approval from the Executive Director for staffing and funding, and the committee must report the results of the meeting to the Board of Directors.

Work Groups - Committees are encouraged to establish workgroups to do the work of the committee between its regular meetings. Participation in workgroups is voluntary. Workgroups can be charged with developing proposals and doing analysis for the committee on a single issue or a number of issues. Workgroups report to committees, and generally the Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary and Board Liaison participate. There is some funding available for meetings and work conducted by working groups, but approval must be granted by the CSTA Executive Director.

CONTACT US

For more information, or clarification of anything you find in this handbook, contact the CSTA office at 613-829-9527 or [email protected].

APPENDIX 1

COMPETITION ACT CSTA Compliance

All CSTA Staff, Officers and Committee Chairs must comply with the content and spirit of the Canadian Competition Act. In keeping with that, all CSTA activities will be conducted to abide strictly by the Competition Act. The principles discussed below apply to every meeting or conference call, no matter how informal, in which CSTA members and staff gather under CSTA’s auspices

Procedures

Staff and Board members must understand the elements of the Competition Act as it applies to association activities




If the staff member or President have concern with a topic scheduled for discussion, a legal opinion may be obtained before the meeting takes place.

Topics to Avoid












economic trends;




educating industry participants generally


Information sharing is, in and of itself, not a problem. However, exchanging information which would reduce competition, such as commercially sensitive market information, pricing policies or costs, should be avoided. Information involving standard terms for contracts, minimum product standardization with respect to packaging, credit information and environmental protection research, typically would not present a problem. It is important that members of the organization not be coerced into providing information or complying with a plan that arises from the sharing of information. Similarly, they should not be required to modify their methods of carrying on business, their sales strategies, or their pricing policies in order to reflect the results of any of the information sharing.

APPENDIX 2

Guidelines for Chairing a Successful Meeting

To ensure that your meeting is successful, it is important to have clearly defined goals that contribute to the vision of the organization. That takes planning. The following guidelines provide some tips on how to run an effective meeting.

Basic principles to follow

1. There should be justice and courtesy for all.

2. One person/issue at a time.

3. Recognition of the will of the majority.

4. Respect the rights of the minority.

Be clear

- Have a clearly defined mandate and be sure to always work towards advancing it.

- Think about the purpose. What do you hope to accomplish in this meeting?

- What are the issues? Try to answer pressing questions. It is important that members know what they are discussing and voting on.

- Explain procedures clearly. Members should understand the rules of order, and how they contribute to progress and decision-making.

Preserve order and decorum

- Only one person speaks at a time, after they have been recognized and given the floor.

- The person speaking should not be interrupted, providing they observe time limits and do not get off track.

- The person speaking should be respectful and use appropriate language, taking care not to dwell on personalities.

Prepare an agenda

- Always ensure that an agenda is prepared and made available prior to the meeting

- Where possible allow for members to be involved in drafting the agenda (ask for comments when agenda is circulated)

- Allocate time for each item

- Get suggestions for the agenda from members for the next meeting

Ensure the meeting is productive

- Be sure to continue moving forward at an adequate pace, following the agenda.

- Prioritize issues. Discuss things based on their importance and the degree of benefit that will result from their discussion.

- Are people leaving meetings with a sense of accomplishment? Hopefully people are excited about the outcome and committed to the mandate.

Be flexible

- Remember that structures regarding the agenda, time limits and rules of order are used to increase productivity. Excessive focus on proper procedure can stifle creative thinking.

- Use your judgement. If the circumstances allow it, relax the structures.

- Consider the needs of the group. Larger groups tend to thrive on formality, whereas smaller, more cohesive groups require fewer rules and less structure.

- Encourage members’ creativity. Everyone should feel free to question the ‘way things have always been done.’

Make decisions that are relevant

- Review relevant material before meetings.

- Decisions should be made wisely and responsibly.

- Consider a wide range of issues. Who will decisions affect, both internally and externally?

- Solutions should address the cause of the problem, not the manifestation of the problem.

- Decisions should be valid for the long-term, not needing constant review.

Be open to new suggestions and ideas

- Maintain an open mind. Members should listen to all ideas before forming opinions.

- Make meetings worthwhile. Don’t have hidden agendas or pre-planned outcomes.

- Work with each other to find a solution. Avoid the urge to argue.

- All ideas are valid. Don’t dismiss them outright.

Ensure there is balanced discussion

- Everybody has input in the decision making process.

- Avoid discussions where the minority participates the most. Everyone should feel comfortable contributing.

- Don’t let a few outspoken people decide on the outcome.

- Success depends on everyone’s participation.

- Members should feel free to question whether topics discussed are relevant to the group’s mandate.

- Don’t be afraid to voice concern about dominated discussions or voice new ideas.

APPENDIX 3

Defining and Dealing with Motions From Roberts Rules

There are four Basic Types of Motions:

1. Main Motions: The purpose of a main motion is to introduce items to the membership for their consideration. They cannot be made when any other motion is on the floor, and yield to privileged, subsidiary, and incidental motions.

2. Subsidiary Motions: Their purpose is to change or affect how a main motion is handled, and is voted on before a main motion. (e.g. motions to amend)

3. Privileged Motions: Their purpose is to bring up items that are urgent about special or important matters unrelated to pending business.

4. Incidental Motions: Their purpose is to provide a means of questioning procedure concerning other motions and must be considered before the other motion.

How are Motions Presented?

1. Obtaining the Floor

a) Wait until the last speaker has finished.

b) Rise and address the Chair by saying, "Mr. Chair/Mme Chair or Mr. President."

c) Wait until the Chair recognizes you.

2. Make Your Motion

a) Speak in a clear and concise manner.

b) Always state a motion affirmatively. Say, "I move that we ..." rather than, "I move that we do not ...".

c) Avoid personalities and stay on your subject.

3. Wait for someone to second your motion

4. Another member will second your motion or the Chair will call for a second.

5. If there is no second to your motion, it is lost.

6. The Chair (or the Secretary) states your motion

a) The Chair (or Secretary) will say, "It has been moved and seconded that we ..." Thus placing your motion before the membership for consideration and action.

b) The membership then either debates your motion, or may move directly to a vote.

7. Expanding on Your Motion

a) The time for you to speak in favour of your motion is at this point in time, rather than at the time you present it.

b) The mover is always allowed to speak first.

c) Be concise and to the point, recognizing that others may wish to speak in the time allotted to your business.

d) The mover may speak again only after other speakers are finished, unless called upon by the Chair.

Putting the Question to the Membership

1. The Chair asks, "Are you ready to vote on the question?"

2. If there is no more discussion, a vote is taken.

3. On a motion to move the previous question may be adapted.

Note: It is a fairly common misconception that, after debate has continued for some time, if any member shouts out "Question!" or "I call the question!", debate must immediately cease and the Chair must put the pending question to a vote. This is simply not the case. Any member who wishes to force an end to debate must first obtain the floor by being duly recognized to speak by the Chair and must then move that the debate be ended that the motion be put to a vote. Such a motion must be seconded, and then adopted by a two-thirds vote, or by unanimous consent. It is not in order to interrupt a speaker with cries of "Question" or "Call the Question," and even if no one is speaking, it is still necessary to seek recognition.

Voting on a Motion:

Only active members of CSTA are allowed to vote, and each active member has only one vote.

Generally, votes in all CSTA sessions are by a show of hands. In committees, voting is generally by show of hands. However, there are some exceptions:

By voice - If the motion is being considered on a telephone conference call – the chair may choose to only ask for those who oppose the motion to indicate by voice.

Electronically - If the motion is being considered and decided by email vote, each eligible voter will be asked to send an email indicating his/her name and the name of his or her company before indicating support or opposition.

By Ballot – If secrecy is required, members write their vote on a slip of paper, and the results are tabulated by CSTA staff.

Summary

This is a summary of Roberts Rules that are important to CSTA Committee Meetings

PURPOSE: YOU SAY: INTERRUPT

? 2ND? DEBATE? AMEND? VOTE?

Close meeting I move to adjourn No Yes No No Majority

Take break I move to recess for ...

No Yes No Yes Majority

Register complaint

I rise to a question of privilege

Yes No No No None

Make participants follow agenda

I call for the orders of the day

Yes No No No None

Close debate I move the previous question

No Yes No No 2/3

Limit or extend debate

I move that debate be limited to ...

No Yes No Yes 2/3

Postpone to a certain time

I move to postpone the motion to ...

No Yes Yes Yes Majority

Refer to committee (or workgroup)

I move to refer the motion to ...


Modify wording of motion

I move to amend the motion by ...


Kill main motion

I move that the motion be postponed indefinitely

No Yes Yes No Majority

Bring business before assembly (a main motion)

I move that [or "to"] ...


Appendix 4

CSTA (name) Committee

Hotel Date Time Room

Chair: Vice-Chair: Secretary: Board Liaison:

AGENDA

Time Agenda Item Background Action/Decision Requested

1. Call to Order in the chair.

2. Competition Act

Compliance

CSTA’s statement of compliance with the Competition Act is in the meeting documents. Members are encouraged to be familiar with the statement and to speak out, should they believe the discussion does not comply.

3. Agenda The agenda is (document number) Motion to approve

4. Minutes The minutes of the July meeting are (document number)

Motion to approve

5. Business arising from the minutes

6. Issue(s) (each issue gets its own agenda item)

Short description of the issue, if there is a document, indicate the number

If a motion or action is expected, indicate it.

Committee Work Plan (if applicable)

To facilitate the achievement of CSTA policy and the interaction between committees and the board, the leadership CSTA committees and staff have drafted work plans for all CSTA committees.

Review, amend and approve for presentation to the Board of Directors.

Moved, seconded and voted.

Other Business

Adjournment Motions to adjourn must be moved, seconded and voted.

APPENDIX 5


Hotel Date Time Room


MINUTES

Time Agenda Item Background and Document Action/Decision Requested

8:00 Am 1. Call to Order The meeting was called to order at ___ am/pm with _____ in the chair


CSTA’s statement of compliance with the Competition Act is in the meeting booklet. Members are encouraged to be familiar with the statement and to speak out, should they believe the discussion does not comply.

3. Agenda The agenda was available in the meeting book and also available on line.

The chair will ask if there are any additions or deletions. Add them here

Moved by:

Seconded by:

That the agenda be approved as (distributed/amended).

CARRIED

4. Minutes The minutes of the July meeting were available on line in the member’s only section of the website.

Moved by:

Seconded by:

That the minutes of the July Committee meeting be approved.

CARRIED

5. Business arising from the Minutes

Report any business arising from the minutes here

6. Issue(s) (each issue gets its own agenda item)

Very brief notes on important points from the presentation here

Corn, Soybeans and Eastern Cereals Committee Work Plan

To facilitate the achievement of CSTA policy and the interaction between committees and the board, the leadership CSTA committees and staff have drafted work plans for all CSTA committees.

(CSTA Staff will edit the document based on feedback)

Review, amend and approve for presentation to the Board of Directors

Moved by:

Seconded by:

That the work plan for the Corn, Soybeans and Eastern Cereals Committee as updated and amended be presented to the Board of Directors at its closing meeting. CARRIED

Other Business (If there is any other business, note it here.)

10:00 am Adjournment Moved by:

Seconded by:

Must be moved, seconded and voted

APPENDIX 6


Work Plan Month Year


The (name of committee) of the CSTA advises and informs the CSTA Board of Directors on of specific interest and importance to (insert type of seed) members. This work plan is a “living document” that is designed to assist the committee to focus on the policy direction of the CSTA and to achieve the strategic goals supported by the Board of Directors.

Issue Outcome/

Achievement Desired Priority/ Urgency

Committee Expertise

Progress Update and Next Steps

Issue 1 State the issue and outcome wanted

Medium/ Medium

Member Lead:

Staff Lead:

Text here on steps taken

UPDATE /NEW Month Year: Text here on what is updated or new at this meeting.


High/ High

Member Lead:

Staff Lead:

Text here on steps taken UPDATE / NEW Month Year: Text here on what is updated or new at this meeting.


Low/ High

Member Lead:

Staff Lead:

Text here on steps taken

UPDATE / NEW Month Year: Text here on what is updated or new at this meeting.





Canadian Seed Trade Association Privacy Statement

Effective January 1, 2004

Updated April 2016 – pending board approval

1. Accountability

The Canadian Seed Trade Association (CSTA) is committed to maintaining confidentiality of personal information and recognizes the importance that individuals place on the privacy and confidentiality of their information. The “privacy officer” for the CSTA is the Executive Director.

This Privacy Statement will be updated as required.

2. Identifying Purposes

The principal information requested from members is “business contact” information such as names, addresses, telephone and fax numbers, and email addresses. Following are instances when information is requested that may include personal information:

Membership Database and Directory

Each year, the CSTA sends a summary of information to individuals employed by member companies for their verification and consent. The information requested is considered “business contact” information.

This information is compiled and stored in a data base which is only accessible by senior CSTA staff with the use of a confidential password, and the individuals who have provided the information. Individuals have access to their own records and may edit or delete at any time.

The purpose of gathering this information is for distribution of CSTA communication information, such as newsletters, notice of meetings and meeting agendas. The information is used to publish a membership directory, which is distributed to the CSTA membership and selected government officials.

Annual and Semi-Annual Meeting Registration

CSTA organizes two general meetings per year. Basic “business contact” information is requested, including method of payment, with the following exceptions:

Delegate: e-mail address, allergies

Companion registration: name, email address, allergies

Child registration including: name, age, gender, and allergies

Youth registration including: name, age and allergies

The purpose of the pre-registration information is:

The organization of activities and meals for delegates, companions and children.

A list of delegates to be prepared and available to delegates on CSTA’s website and by email, on request, for purposes of advance planning of other private meetings.


A registration list to be distributed to delegates at the meeting that includes the names of companions and children.

Collection of non-personal data

On occasion, CSTA collects non-personal data from our website, cdnseed.org, to measure and evaluate the success of our communications and to learn how the website is used. Non-personal data can include the number of visitors to our site, the pages accessed, the pages visitors come from, IP addresses, etc.

CSTA complies with Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation concerning the use of programs such as cookies and JavaScript to collect this non-personal information.

3. Consent

Completion of the Membership Database or the Meeting Registration form is considered explicit consent to use the information for intended purposes. The Database contains an option to provide the e-mail address for purposes of receiving CSTA communications but to opt-out of having the e-mail address printed in the Membership Directory.

Meeting Registrations provide an option to opt-out of:

Inclusion of all information on the website delegates list

Inclusion of email address on the website delegates list

Inclusion of all information on the printed list for the Meeting

Inclusion of telephone number and email address on the printed list for the Meeting

Inclusion of names of accompanying persons and children on the printed list for the Meeting

4. Limiting Collection

CSTA is committed to limiting the personal information to that which is necessary for the communication of business information related to the purpose of the organization or the organization of events at meetings that may include family members of delegates.

5. Limiting Use, Disclosure and Retention

CSTA does not provide its membership lists or meeting registration lists to others with the exception of information available from our Membership Directory or Meeting Registration lists. Meeting Registration information is provided to organizers for meeting planning purposes. External organizers are expected to comply with the CSTA Privacy Statement. Paper copies of Meeting Registration lists are destroyed within one month after the event. Electronic copies of meetings that include personal information may not be copied and are deleted within one year of the event.

6. Accuracy

Any personal information is not carried from one meeting to another. The Meeting Registration information is gathered for each Meeting to ensure that it is accurate, complete and up-to-date.

Personal information contained in the Membership Database is provided by CSTA members and it is the responsibility of members to maintain accuracy of this information.

7. Safeguards

• Compliance with Statement: CSTA staff and meeting organizers must understand and comply with the Privacy Statement.


• External Content: Some content found on cdnseed.org may contain links to other websites. CSTA has no control over the privacy practices or content of these websites. Users may wish to read the privacy policies of these websites before use.

• Data Security: CSTA is committed to maintaining confidentiality of personal information and recognizes the importance that individuals place on the privacy and confidentiality of their information. This commitment extends to personal information stored in both electronic and hard copy forms and includes appropriate physical, technical and organizational measures.

8. Anti-Spam Legislation

CSTA complies with Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation. Our communications will be clearly identified as from CSTA with full contact information provided. Only those who have given consent or have an existing business relationship with CSTA will receive electronic mailings. Subscribers to newsletters and communications have the option to unsubscribe at any time, at no cost.

Users are considered to have given consent for use of programs such as JavaScript or cookies based on conduct; that is, if cookies are disabled in the user’s browser, they would not be considered to have given consent for the installation of cookies.

Please contact CSTA’s privacy officer with any questions or for further information.

Visit http://fightspam.gc.ca/eic/site/030.nsf/eng/home to learn more about Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation.

9. Openness

Individuals may contact the privacy officer at the CSTA office to review the policies and practices relating to the management of personal information.

10. Challenging Compliance

Individuals who wish to address a challenge concerning compliance with the CSTA principles or the privacy officer may direct their complaint to any member of the CSTA Board of Directors. The current CSTA President will address the complaint and a reply will be sent by the President to the individual.

11. How to Contact CSTA

Please contact CSTA’s privacy officer with any questions or concerns, or require additional information about this Privacy Statement, or the use of personal data at:

Email: [email protected]

Telephone: 613-829-9527

By Mail: Attention: Privacy Officer


2039 Robertson Road, Suite 505

Ottawa, ON K2H 8R2

http://fightspam.gc.ca/eic/site/030.nsf/eng/home


1

Implementing CSTA Social Media: Plan and Guidelines July 2016 – Pending Board Approval

The Canadian Seed Trade Association (CSTA) enjoys the reputation as a trusted leader of the seed sector dialogue. Social media (Twitter, FaceBook, blogs, YouTube, Pinterest, LinkedIn and others) offers new ways for CSTA to engage with members, discuss issues of importance, promote the association, and celebrate accomplishments.

This document aims to help CSTA effectively navigate the social media environment, support the agriculture sector and provide a positive view of the seed industry, while ensuring effective use of resources and safeguarding CSTA’s reputation.

Content

CSTA’s social media content could cover: seed industry facts, events such as the Annual Meeting, CSTA award winners, briefs and presentations, thank you’s to meeting sponsors, news releases, and links to CSTA articles in Germination magazine. CSTA will not endorse products, re-tweet commercial launches or market products for members.

CSTA will strive to post accurate and timely information that is of use to members and stakeholders and supports the goals of the strategic plan.

CSTA is pleased to contribute to member blogs and will respect best blogging practices while aligning content to CSTA positions, current initiatives or other relevant content.

Content found on CSTA’s social media sites will primarily be in English. However, posts will be made in French, as possible, such as around the launch of a major paper or initiative.

Audiences and followers

CSTA has identified the following as its main audiences: members, government policy makers and regulators, association and industry stakeholders, farmers and producers, the public, consumers, special interest groups, and media. These groups are all present on various forms of social media.

In consultation with the Executive Director, CSTA will follow best practices in recruiting “followers” to social media accounts, in “following” its audiences and key stakeholders, and in “re-tweeting” posts of stakeholders, members and audiences.

Metrics

Social media plays a role in achieving CSTA’s overall strategic and business goals and contributes to increased stakeholder engagement with the association. CSTA staff will evaluate reach, effectiveness of messages and increased engagement through metrics such as audience growth (total followers, % change in followers over time), click through to CSTA website (URL clicks, Google Analytics), content sharing (likes, retweets, shares, mentions, favorites), and others.

Social media accounts

CSTA’s online accounts include: Twitter: @SeedInnovation and FaceBook: www.facebook.com/cdnseed. A YouTube channel is in the works. Additional social media will be considered based on appropriateness,

http://www.facebook.com/cdnseed

2

alignment to the strategic and communications plans, and organizational need. CSTA staff will maintain the accounts.

The Manager, Stakeholder Relations, is the authorized point person. Suggestions are welcome from the CSTA President, Executive Director, Board of Directors, CSTA staff and Stakeholder Relations Work Group.

Social media accounts will clearly identify CSTA, have contact information available, and display the logo.

Resources and availability

It is important that CSTA to contribute to the ongoing seed sector dialogue, while keeping resources and time required to a reasonable level. Generally, CSTA will monitor and update social media during office hours. Staff will check accounts daily and post once per day, or at least, a few times per week. Exceptions, such as increased social media participation during the Annual Meeting, will occur from time to time.

Emergency and crisis

In the event of an emergency or crisis situation, CSTA’s Executive Director will determine the official information to be shared on social media and will work with staff to post the appropriate information.

Guidelines for social media use

• Respect

CSTA respectfully contributes to the seed industry dialogue via social media. Defamatory language, obscenities, personal attacks or other negative online behavior will not be accepted.

• Privacy and Confidentiality

CSTA representatives should not disclose non-public, personal, financial, strategic or operational information about the Association, staff, members, stakeholders and suppliers on social media. Please see CSTA’s Privacy Policy for additional information.

Employees can also be associated with an organization, even when using social media for personal use. Employees are encouraged to check privacy settings on personal accounts to limit access and the amount of personal information available online.

• Honesty

Representatives who post to social media on behalf of CSTA should be sure to identify their affiliation with CSTA. Employees should indicate in their personal profiles that the opinions expressed in personal posts are their own.

If corrections are required, CSTA will acknowledge its mistakes and take steps to correct any errors.

• Copyright

Copyright is to be respected. CSTA representatives should check with the owner of copyrighted material before posting it. T his includes using member names and logos as if incorrect it could

3

validate an error without meaning to. If this is not possible, be sure to acknowledge the author and link to the original material. Be sure to have permission to post images such as logos.

• Controversial issues

On occasion, errors or misrepresentations about CSTA can occur. CSTA will always respond in a respectful manner with the facts. CSTA will not disparage others or take part in inflammatory debates over social media.

June 8, 2016

CSTA 93rd ANNUAL MEETING

VANCOUVER, BC

JULY 9 - 13, 2016

EXTENDED AGENDA FOR BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Friday, July 8, 2016

11:00 am - 2:30pm FCC Boat Tour

All Day CSTA Office – King George Room (3rd floor)

Saturday, July 9, 2016


12:00 pm – 5:00 pm Registration – Plaza Foyer (2nd floor)

10:00 am – 12:00 pm Executive Committee Meeting – Seymour Room (34th floor)

12:00 pm – 1:00 pm Board of Directors Lunch – Seymour Room (34th floor)

1:00 pm – 5:30 pm Board of Directors Opening Meeting – Seymour Room (34th floor)

6:00 pm Board Offsite Dinner – Steamworks Brewing Co. (spouses welcome)

Cocktails will be served at the restaurant. Meet in the lobby at 6:00pm to walk over together (10-15 min walk from hotel)

8:00 pm Monsanto Reception

Sunday, July 10, 2016


All Day CSTA Meeting Room #1 – Kensington Room (4th floor)

All Day CSTA Meeting Room #2 – Brighton Room (4th floor)

6:45 am – 3:00 pm CSTA Annual Golf Tournament - Meet in plaza foyer at 6:30am.

9:00 am – 5:00 pm Registration – Plaza Foyer (2nd floor)

9:00 am – 11:00 am CSTA Annual Family Fun Run/Walk - Meet in plaza foyer at 8:45 am.

4:30 pm – 5:30 pm Orientation for Committee Leaders – Brighton Room (4th floor)

4:30 pm – 5:30 pm Orientation for New Directors – Kensington Room (4th floor)

5:30 pm – 6:00 pm SeCan Reception

6:00 pm – 7:30 pm CSTA President’s Reception – Stanley Room (34th floor)

7:30 pm Syngenta Reception

Monday, July 11, 2016




All Day Giant Views Space – Turner Room (4th floor)

7:00 am – 5:00 pm Registration – Plaza Foyer (2nd floor)

6:30 am – 8:00 am Hybrid Canola Meeting – English Bay Room (34th floor)

7:00 am – 8:00 am Hot Breakfast Buffet (Delegates Only) – Georgia Ballroom (2nd floor)

8:00 am – 9:30 am Opening General Session – Plaza Ballroom (2nd floor)

8:00 – Welcome

8:05 – President’s Address

8:25 – Ottawa Office Report

8:40 – Government Relations Update

8:55 – Annual Business Meeting

9:10 – Seed Synergy Update

9:30 am – 10:00 am Refreshment Break – Plaza Foyer (2nd floor)

10:00 am – 11:45 am Keynote Presentation – Plaza Ballroom (2nd floor)

Panel Discussion

12:00 pm – 1:30 pm CSTA’s Annual Awards Luncheon – Georgia Ballroom (2nd floor)

Peter Franck, Canadian Plant Breeding and Genetics

Archie Wilson, CSTA Seed Achievement

John Cowan, CSTA Honourary Life Membership

1:30 pm – 3:30 pm CSTA Corn, Soybeans & Eastern Cereals Committee – Plaza Ballroom (2nd floor)

3:30 pm – 4:00 pm Refreshment Break – Plaza Foyer (2nd floor)

4:00 pm – 5:30 pm CSTA Forage and Turf Committee – Plaza Ballroom (2nd floor)

4:00 pm – 5:30 pm CSTA Biotechnology Committee – Balmoral Room (3rd floor)

6:00 pm – 10:30 pm CSTA Family Fun Night – Science World

Meet in the plaza lobby at 6:00 pm for your transfer. Return shuttle will be available beginning at 9:00pm.

Tuesday, July 12, 2016




9:30 am – 2:30 pm Giant Views Space – Turner Room (4th floor)

7:00 am – 12:00 pm Registration - Plaza Foyer (2nd floor)

6:30 am – 8:00 am CPTA Meeting – Grouse Room (34th floor)

7:00 am – 8:00 am Hot Breakfast Buffet (Delegates Only) – Georgia Ballroom (2nd floor)

8:00 am – 10:00 am CSTA Seed Applied Technologies Committee – Plaza Ballroom (2nd floor)

8:30 am – 3:00 pm Children/Youth Program – Turner Room (4th floor)

Room for parents to Drop off (8:30am) & Pick up (3:00pm)

8:45 am – 3:00 pm Companion Program - Meet in the Plaza Foyer at 8:45am

10:00 am – 10:30 am Refreshment Break – Plaza Foyer (2nd floor)

10:30 am – 12:30 pm CSTA Intellectual Property Committee – Plaza Ballroom (2nd floor)

12:30 pm – 1:30 pm Delegates Buffet Lunch – Georgia Ballroom (2nd floor)

12:30 pm – 1:30 pm Strategic Relations Working Group – Grouse Room (34th floor)

1:30 pm – 3:00 pm CSTA International Committee – Plaza Ballroom (2nd floor)

3:00 pm – 3:30 pm Refreshment Break – Plaza Foyer (2nd floor)

3:30 pm – 5:30 pm CSTA Oilseeds, Pulses and Western Cereals Committee – Plaza Ballroom (2nd floor)

5:50 pm Director Pictures – Please meet in the Plaza Foyer

6:00 pm – 9:00 pm Children Dinner & Entertainment (ages 6-12) - Georgia A Room

6:00 pm – Midnight CSTA 93rd Annual Gala Banquet – Plaza Foyer & Ballroom (2nd floor)

6:00 pm – Cocktail Reception

7:00 pm – Dinner (doors open at 6:50)

9:00 pm – Post Dinner Cocktail with Entertainment

Wednesday, July 13, 2016


7:30 am – 8:00 am Hot Breakfast – Seymour Room (34th floor)

8:00 am – 12:00 pm CSTA Board of Directors Closing Meeting – Seymour Room (34th floor)