AGM/Special Resolution Documents

LethMSF AGM Minutes
Tuesday, 21 October 2025 – 6:00pm
Casa Meeting Room

Call to order: 6:14pm

Attendance:
Bryce Johnston (Chairman) - Present
Karen Kay, (Vice-Chair)  - Present
Sheila Matson (Secretary)  - Present
Craig Churchward (Treasure) - Present
Tanya Arnold (Director) - Present
Tiffany Badiuk (Director) - Present
Keelan Cashmore (Director) - Present
Tweela Houtekamer (Director) - Present
Tanner Lapointe (Director) - Present
David Mikuliak (Director)
Chris Peterson (Director)
Emily Wallace (Director) - Present

Society Members Present:
Jaimee Jarvie (General Manager), Sandra Brunelle, Majda Pahulje, Valeria Lazzaretto, Strudelbrand

Regrets: Dave Mikuliak, Chris Peterson

Voting Criteria from the Current Bylaws:

Section III – Any person shall be admitted as a member of the Society if he/she has:

• Participated in the Festival within the past year and/or;
• Supported the Society through attendance at the Festival and/or Concerts within the past year and/or;
• Contributed to the Society $50 or more within the past year.
• Volunteered within the past year with the Society

Agenda Approval     

Motion: Bryce/Tiffany - To approve the agenda as circulated/amended
Carried

Approval of 2024 AGM Minutes                                                                       Karen
Motion: Karen Kay/Emily Wallace - To approve the 2024 AGM minutes as circulated/amended
Carried

Finance Report                                                                                                           Craig
Communication: Advise Society member attendees of our September resolution to move our accounting services. From MNP to Best Roest

Auditor’s Report
Motion: Craig/Karen To approve the 2024/2025 Auditor’s Report (compilation of financial statements) as circulated.  Carried

Chairman’s Report                                                                                             Bryce
In 2024, the Board of Directors of the Lethbridge and District Music and Speech Arts Festival underwent its largest Board turnover since its inception in 2016.  To say that we encountered challenges along the way during our 2024/2025 Festival season would be an understatement.  That said, I have never felt a greater privilege than working alongside this Board of Directors in ensuring that our Festival continues to embody the spirit of community arts excellence, entrusted to us by our Society and founding Board members.  I am happy to report that, not only were we able to maintain our Festival’s strong registration and attendance numbers, but we exceeded last year’s Festival in every metric measured.

Members of our Board are tasked with both governance and administration.  During the two weeks of Festival, they each give their time generously as working Board members to work in tandem with our General Manager, Jaimee Jarvie, to make sure the Festival runs as smoothly as possible for our participants and attendees alike.  Some of the committees which help provide necessities for a smooth Festival season are Hospitality, Logistics, Volunteer, and Advertising & Promotions.  In a more “behind the scenes” environment, our Board members also belong to Board governance committees; Policies & Bylaws, Finance, Nominations, Fundraising, Personnel, and Marketing.  To say the least, a lot of work has gone into making our Festival feel as smooth as possible, and I would like to extend my gratitude and congratulations to my Board colleagues for helping to make this year as successful as it was.

While the Festival simply could not operate without the necessities provided by our Board of Directors, the success of our Festival is owed, in no small part, to our General Manager, Jaimee Jarvie.  Jaimee has been a wealth of knowledge to the Society when it comes to the logistics of our registration and programming.  We are confident that she is the correct person to be working with us, and she has proven herself year-over-year.  Under Jaimee’s operational leadership, the Festival has experienced consistent and impressive growth, as you’ll see in her General Manager’s Report.  In addition to her role as our GM, Jaimee also serves on the Board of Directors for AMFA - Alberta’s Provincial music Festival Association - a position they are lucky to have her fill.  On behalf of the Society and the Board of Directors, I’d like to thank Jaimee for the dedication and hard work that she puts into our Festival, and for choosing to work with us to improve our community through arts education and excellence.

Finally, I’d like to express my gratitude to our new Board members who joined in 2024.  Your commitment to our Festival and your willingness to voice new ideas, and learn about how and why things are done is most valuable to our organization.  I look forward to working with all of you this coming season, and am excited for what’s to come in the future!

Thank you all, and I look forward to a fresh start for our 2025/2026 Festival season!

General Manager’s Report - Attached                                                             Jaimee

Board Committee Reports

• Personnel - Karen Kay/Tanya Arnold
  Gm contract – clarified expectations, role and outcomes. Renegotiated contract for next two years. Reviewed by Executive and motion carried by the Board for 2025-2027. Thanks to Jaimee for her participation, enthusiasm, etc.

Question Period

Sandra Brunelle –
Re: Gala - posted on social media, ad in Herald.
What is community interest?  Interest is there. Ticket sales do not represent the interest.
Need some pivots, more help by Board members.
First time event, no established base for attendees.
Fran Rude concert, perhaps mixed expectations.

Majda Pahulje –
Question regarding payment for bookkeeping/accounting.  Registered Charity forms not filed in 2025; has been rectified.  Board decided that paying for these services ensures they are done within required time periods and protects the Festival from forms not filed due to work being completed as donation/favour

Val Lazzaretto –
Question about buying tickets for Gala – additional fee of $18.75 (allowed LethMFS to use their system and pay processing fees)

Strudelbrand -
Where does the festival see putting/using the computer?  Computer for use of Secretary – Frame.Work computer, can [replace/fix] everything in house. New MacBook for GM use. Both [Mac & PC] options for computers.  Purchased new Festival iPhone.
Discussed iPads for Square support.
15% off the price of Apple purchases due to Board member’s contact.  Society extends gratitude.

Adjournment: Meeting adjourned 6:59  Keelan moved