Member Update – June 9, 2020

AGM Highlights

We had one of our most successful, participatory AGMs in recent years, largely due to the new online format which enabled all members to attend, regardless of where in the province they live. Meeting highlights are provided below. The Chair’s Report will be posted to the members’ portal, as will the draft minutes.


The focus of our meeting this year was, of course, our response to the pandemic and how we are adjusting to the new environment. 

As most of you probably know, we will not be able to host the Christmas Market in the Vancouver Convention Centre as we have done for the past many years. The Market is the victim of both the provincial ban on gatherings over fifty people and the conversion of the VCC West Wing to an emergency hospital, which it will remain for the rest of the calendar year. 

Despite the loss of our accustomed venue, we do plan to host some sort of in-person fall/winter market. Andrea and Rossanne, our Show Producers, are currently looking at other options. At this point, every possible, creative solution is on the table.

Cathy, our Retail Manager, was able to share the happy news that our Granville Island store and gallery is now open - as of June 3, the day of the AGM. We even had opening day sales - $700 as of the time that Cathy joined us at the AGM. 

Cathy also spoke about the enhanced online store that she and Rossanne are working on, which we hope to have operational by mid-summer. Given the finite resources that we have right now to devote to the online store, we will be listing only production items for the time being. As we all saw, the pandemic greatly accelerated the shift to online shopping that we’d already been witnessing, and the Board and managers fully appreciate the need for Circle Craft to develop a strong online presence. 

Other items of business included:

  • Election of Directors – All five available seats were filled by acclamation - four by returning members (Jo Ludwig, Lorna Moffat, Kaarina Talvila, Nancy Walker) and one by our new Director, Jenny Hildebrand. The Board extends a big thank-you and welcome to Jenny.
  • Members voted unanimously to approve the motion that, in future, AGM material will be sent to members electronically, rather than via Canada Post.
  • Members also voted unanimously to approve one additional seat to the Board of Directors, bringing the total to ten. This was requested by the Board so that we could have one more Director who is not a Co-op member. The hope is to attract either an HR professional or lawyer to join the Board, thus adding valuable expertise. 


Online AGM

Although it was COVID that forced us to move the AGM online, there was such strong support for the new format that we may very well choose to stay online even after we’re allowed to meet in-person again. An online meeting is accessible to everyone, including the 35% of our members who live outside the Lower Mainland, and many of this year’s participants said that it was the first AGM they had ever attended. We also changed the time from evening to afternoon. We’ve already received considerable positive feedback from the members who attended, but we’d like to hear from everybody, including those who didn’t attend, before we commit to a permanent move to online. You can send us your comments via return email or join the discussion on the AGM Slack channel.


Members’ Slack

In our ongoing attempts to build a sense of community amongst our members and to better serve your needs, we’ve instituted a Co-op members’ Slack channel. 

Slack is an online forum, very similar to Facebook, that allows us all to speak to each other. There’s a link to it from the members’ portal on the website. 

When you go to the members’ Slack, you’ll see that there are a number of channels (or conversations) already set up, such as:

  • Retail, Wholesale, and Online Sales Opportunities, where members can share information and ask each other questions about sales opportunities
  • Professional Services, for sharing of experiences and recommendations for services like web designers and photographers
  • An AGM channel, where the Board is soliciting input on whether we should stay with an online AGM format
  • There is a Jewellers channel, which I’ve created myself because I have a request for a small custom job. Other media can create their own channels, so that glass blowers, fibre artists, ceramicists, etc can all speak to each other. 

There is also a direct messaging capability, which allows you to send a message directly to any other Co-op member (or members). Direct messaging conversations are private. 

If you’re unfamiliar with Slack, please take some time to poke around and see how it works. It’s there as a vehicle for members - you all have the capability to create new channels that suit your needs. If you have any questions at all about how to get into Slack or how to start using it, please get in touch with the Board or Rossanne. The ability to speak directly to other Co-op members can be a very powerful tool in building a community that helps us all. 



Kaarina Talvila
Membership Chair