PPBSO members approve new bylaws

One-hundred-twenty-eight members – approximately 12% of the reported 1,100 total membership – of the Pipers & Pipe Band Society of Ontario attended an extraordinary general meeting held online on October 10, 2024, and voted to accept a new set of bylaws intended to make the organization compliant with the current Ontario Not for Profit Corporations Act (ONCA), while simultaneously granting new powers to the PPBSO’s board of directors.

The two-hour meeting was largely contentious and often chaotic. The organization could not hold foolproof secret ballots, so votes were counted through a show of visible “raised hands” via Zoom. Each motion was approved by at least two-thirds of those present. By the final part of the meeting, about 20 members had dropped out of the Zoom call.

The meeting was called in mid-September. New ONCA legislation had given not-for-profit associations more than a year to adhere to new compliance rules.

The special general meeting had been the topic of a lively debate on whether PPBSO members should accept the proposed bylaws as they were tabled. The PPBSO’s board of directors being given “sole discretion” powers to determine membership status and numerous other items was perhaps the most contentious issue.

Individuals attempting to join the meeting had their PPBSO membership status manually checked by the organization’s paid administrator, causing a delay in the start of the event. Some were not allowed in because their identity displayed on Zoom did not match a registered member’s name.

Contrary to groups such as the Eastern United States Pipe Band Association, the Ontario group requires each playing member of affiliated bands to be a paid member. Solo players can also be members of a recognized association to compete in PPBSO-sanctioned events.

During the meeting, a question was posed regarding alleged dissatisfaction with the PPBSO board of directors by the committee of one PPBSO-sanctioned competition. PPBSO President Andrew B. Giles refused to address that question and all other queries not explicitly related to the new bylaws.

A message from Giles posted on the PPBSO website within a few minutes of the meeting ending said, “The large attendance at the meeting was gratifying: almost three times as many members present then attended last year’s Annual General Meeting.  Your engagement and support is [sic] gratifying, especially as the board is comprised of [sic] volunteer members, doing their best to move the business of the PPBSO forward.”

The meeting was often heated, mainly when members posed questions and raised concerns about the proposed new bylaws and the voting process.

In his written summary, Gile wrote, “We enjoyed lively discussion and information and perspective exchanges. The whole of the meeting was energizing.”

Before the meeting started, random chatter could be heard, including a question from one hockey fan who wondered why the PPBSO had to schedule the meeting on a Thursday night at 7:30, coinciding with the second game of his beloved Toronto Maple Leafs season.

The PPBSO’s secretary responded, “We specifically timed it for when the Leafs were playing to spare the rest of Canada.”