🚀 go-pugleaf

IMHO there is a constituency of undecided members out there who have not
been engaged in the conversations that have gone on here. I do not have
access to the minutes of meetings of all of the Sections, so I do not know
to what extent the debates have fanned out beyond this forum.

I know that the Fredericton Section has discussed the matter at the
Executive level with some comments to members at dinner meetings. I have
also seen signs from the Toronto and Edmonton sections that some thought has
gone into the matter, but I am unsure of many others. That uncertainty has
prompted me to write this note.

IMHO it is crucial that we find creative and effective ways of engaging all
members in the debate that must take place now. As I have stated in other
postings to this forum, I believe that the matters at hand are vital to the
future viability of this Society. Others have stated this same sentiment in
other ways, but I will try to add my own comments to theirs.

I am very proud of the goals we out forward in our Constitution and our Code
of Ethics. They represent, to me, the core values that serve to guide my own
career and my personal contribution to the industry. However, I would be
hard-pressed to justify my continued membership if the Society as a whole
then fails to mobilize when its stated core values are put to the test in
such a serious way.

I am also grateful to all who have gone before me. I believe that the
Society has worthwhile goals and that it has contributed to our profession.
In fact, I find that there is significant evidence that the people who have
worked on our National Executive and the Board in the past often did so with
little or no active contribution from the vast majority of members. I am
sure that could not have been an easy task and I want to ensure that they
all understand that I recognize the value of their work, even if I do not
know the history well enough to assign credit personally where it is due.

IMHO, if we fail to engage a significant majority of the membership in a
meaningful debate on the subject, then the Society is not serving its'
stated purpose. IMHO, if votes are cast by less than two-thirds of the
members (roughly 4600 by my calculations), then I will indeed wonder whether
we will ever succeed in engaging them in any Society activities. That, IMHO,
would seal the decision for me as to my own future in it.

By writing this note, I am not so much concerned with promoting a particular
outcome. I do have my opinions and I do have an intention as to how I am
going to vote. However, I feel that this situation warrants the attention of
all of our members and I would like to see some evidence that they have been
touched by what is happening to our Society. I will measure our success in
that endeavour by the number of votes cast.

That is my opinion and I would be interested in hearing from others on this
subject.

Rick Dondo