Minutes of the Meeting of the Canadian Dentistry Student Associations held June 16, 2012, in the MacDonald Room (Mezzanine Level) of the Fairmont Château Laurier Hotel, Ottawa, Ontario

Participants:                                                     

  • Chad Avery, Dalhousie Dentistry Students' Society
  • Nazariy Babyak, Manitoba Dental Students' Association
  • Fréderic Bouchard, Assistant vice-président au communication, Association des étudiants de médecine dentaire de l'Université Laval
  • Toufic Boulos, Association des étudiants (es) en médecine dentaire de l’Université de Montréal
  • Jay Chan, University of British Columbia (UBC) Faculty of Dentistry Dental Undergraduate Society
  • Athena deBrouwer, University of Western Ontario Dental Student Society
  • Fouad-Hassan Ebrahim, President, Dental Student Society of the University of Toronto
  • Omobolanle (Bola) Fumayide, Senior Stick/President, Manitoba Dental Students' Association
  • Hsin-fu (Phil) Hou, University of British Columbia (UBC) Faculty of Dentistry Dental Undergraduate Society
  • Louis-Philippe Jacques, VP-Finance / Trésorier, Association des étudiants de médecine dentaire de l'Université Laval
  • Robert Karanofsky, President, McGill University Dental Students' Society
  • Jay Lalli, Former President, Saskatchewan Dental Student Society
  • Linda Lan, Vice-President - Preclinical Dentistry, University of Alberta Dental Students Association
  • Teresa Morrison, President, Dalhousie Dentistry Students' Society
  • Shannon Munsie, University of Western Ontario Dental Student Society
  • Gabriel Pissardo, Vice-président externe, Association des étudiants (es) en médecine dentaire de l’Université de Montréal
  • Arjunn Sachdev, Saskatchewan Dental Student Society
  • Dena Sawchuk, President, University of Alberta Dental Students Association
  • Shaun Sharma, Dental Student Society of the University of Toronto
  • Rami Yassine, Vice President – Communications, McGill University Dental Students' Society

Guests/observers:

  • Claude Paul Boivin, Executive Director, Canadian Dental Association
  • Dr. Benoit Soucy, Director, Clinical and Scientific Affairs, Canadian Dental Association
  • Monique Bouchard, Coordinator, Education, Canadian Dental Association
  • Dr. Colin Jack, Board of Directors, Canadian Dental Association
  • Anita Counter, Senior Vice-President, Sales & Marketing, CDSPI
  • Paul Harris, Vice-President, Marketing, CDSPI

1.       Opening Remarks and Confirmation of Facilitator                                                                         

Dr. Colin Jack, member of the Canadian Dental Association (CDA) Board of Directors, delivered some opening remarks and welcomed the participants to the meeting.   He noted that the first national student conference had been held in 1969. The current meeting, however, is of a very different nature.  CDA is pleased to have played a role. 

Dr. Benoit Soucy, CDA Director, Clinical and Scientific Affairs, was confirmed as facilitator for the meeting.   He gave a brief summary of the results of the November 2011 meeting, where it was decided what a national organization of students would look like.  As a federation of associations, the structure would parallel CDA’s new membership model in some ways.  

The November 2011 meeting drafted the new federation’s mission and vision and appointed a working group to produce draft bylaws and propose a name.  The exercise of drafting the bylaws confirmed what was already known – that dentistry students are extremely busy.  The members of the Student Bylaw Working Group found that managing time was a big issue but they made it work.  This confirmed the need to be aware of the ongoing care needed by the federation, to choose wisely when considering projects to be undertaken, to make time to work on the business at hand, and to be efficient in the use of the time available.  In addition, current Council members need to look forward and identify people to carry on the work of the federation once current members have moved on in their careers.   

Before considering the agenda, Dr. Soucy thanked the members of the Organizing Committee for their work on the program.  The Organizing Committee was comprised of Chad Avery (Dalhousie), Jay Chan (UBC) and Shannon Munsie (Western).  He also thanked the members of the Student Bylaw Working Group (SBWG): Toufic Boulos (Montréal, Jay Chan (UBC), Jay Lalli (Saskatchewan) and Erin Watson (McGill). 

The agenda was adopted as circulated.  It was noted that the program would be flexible so that additional time can be allotted for further discussion if needed before the consideration of the bylaw resolution. 

2.       Presentation by Student Bylaw Working Group (SBWG)                                                                               

Established in November 2011, the Student Bylaw Working Group (SBWG) consisted of the four members, one from each academic year.  Jay Chan served as Chairperson.  Dr. Benoit Soucy and Monique Bouchard provided staff support and Dr. Colin Jack was an observer. 

Toufic Boulos and Jay Chan made a presentation on the process of developing the bylaws, the questions considered and choices made.   The SBWG answered questions during and after the presentation. 

When drafting the bylaws, the SBWG considered many questions, including how the bylaws should reflect the new federation’s structure, governance, duties and responsibilities, business meetings and operations. The presentation noted the sections of the proposed bylaws addressing each of these questions. 

The SBWG maintained the decisions made in November regarding the structure (federation), mission and vision.  After considering a number of options for names, the SBWG settled on the following proposed name (with the original French modified by participants): 

  • Federation of Canadian Dentistry Student Associations
  • Fédération des associations canadiennes des étudiants en médecine dentaire

The proposed governance features a Council of 20 representatives (2 from each member association), from which an Executive of five will be elected. 

The presentation ended with a review of a number of areas requiring action.   

  • Section 7                Members - Invite schools to officially join the new Federation
  • Section 9.02          Appointment of Council Members - Can be done concurrently with joining Federation
  • Section 11.01           Composition of the Executive - Proposed amendment to the bylaws to be considered
  • Section 11.05          Election Protocol
  • Section 18.01          Approval of the Bylaws

3.       Group Discussion - Bylaws                                                                               

Discussion Goals 

Discussion groups were formed to discuss the proposed bylaws.  Discussion goals were as follows: 

  • Review sections of the proposed bylaws
  • Identify errors/omissions
    • Resolution(s) to amend the bylaws
  • Identify items to be clarified/modified
    • Resolution(s) to amend the bylaws
  • Identify next steps – basis for planning discussions
    • Activities to be undertaken
    • Committees/groups needed
    • Policies/protocols to be developed
    • Processes to be established

Discussion Topics

Sections of proposed bylaws were assigned to discussion groups. A number of sections were discussed by each group, to ensure that all had the opportunity to review them in detail and discuss them in groups.  The section assignments were as follows:

Section. Section Title - Discussion Group

  • 1. Name - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
  • 2. Mission - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
  • 3. Vision - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
  • 4. Objects - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
  • 5. Official languages - 1
  • 6. Interpretation - 1
  • 7. Members - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
  • 8. Governance - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
  • 9. Council - 2
  • 10. Meetings of the Council - 2
  • 11. Executive - 3
  • 12. Meetings of the Executive - 3
  • 13. Conflict of Interest - 4
  • 14. The Secretariat - 4
  • 15. Fiscal Year - 4
  • 16. Dissolution - 5
  • 17. Amendment of Bylaws - 5
  • 18. Bylaws in Effect - 5

Discussion Groups

Group 1

  • Chad Avery (Dalhousie)
  • Nazar Babyak (Manitoba)
  • Louis-Philippe Jacques (Laval)
  • Linda Lan (Alberta)
  • Dr. Colin Jack (CDA Board)

Group 2

  • Jay Chan (UBC)
  • Athena deBrouwer (Western)
  • Bola Fumayide (Manitoba)
  • Gabriel Pissardo (Montréal)
  • Dr. Benoit Soucy (CDA)

Group 3

  • Frédéric Bouchard (Laval)
  • Toufic Boulos (Montréal)
  • Teresa Morrison (Dalhousie)
  • Arjunn Sachdev (Saskatchewan)
  • Claude Paul Boivin (CDA)

Group 4

  • Phil Hou (UBC)
  • Shannon Munsie (Western)
  • Shaun Sharma (Toronto)
  • Rami Yassine (McGill)
  • Paul Harris (CDSPI)

Group 5

  • Fouad-Hassan Ebrahim (Toronto)
  • Robert Karanofsky (McGill)
  • Jay Lalli (Saskatchewan)
  • Dena Sawchuk (Alberta)
  • Anita Counter (CDSPI)

4.       Plenary Discussion - Bylaws 

Dr. Soucy lead a plenary discussion of the proposed bylaws and explained how proposed amendments could be brought forward for consideration.  It was noted that the English bylaws had been translated into French by a CDA contracted translator.  Participants were invited to communicate any errors or omissions for correction.

 5,       Approval of Bylaws 

IT WAS MOVED AND SECONDED that the General Bylaws of the Federation of Canadian Dentistry Student Associations, dated April 16, 2012 be approved.

The following resolutions to amend were considered.  Although many approved changes involved the addition/removal/editing of a few words or phrases, any new or revised paragraphs are shown in their entirety for the sake of clarity.

IT WAS MOVED, SECONDED AND RESOLVED that the French name of the federation as indicated in the title and opening paragraph of the General Bylaws of the Federation of Canadian Dentistry Student Associations, dated April 16, 2012 be amended to read as follows:

Fédération des associations étudiantes en médecine dentaire canadiennes

IT WAS MOVED, SECONDED AND RESOLVED that the current paragraph 3.01 of the General Bylaws of the Federation of Canadian Dentistry Student Associations, dated April 16, 2012 be deleted and that the sections and paragraphs of the bylaws be renumbered as required.

IT WAS MOVED AND SECONDED that a paragraph be added to the General Bylaws of the Federation of Canadian Dentistry Student Associations, dated April 16, 2012 as follows:

5.02   Should language conflicts arise, bilingual assistance may be appointed from Council members to assist with translations into official languages.                                                                                DEFEATED

It was noted that Council is free to make suitable arrangements as situations arise without including such arrangements in the bylaws. 

IT WAS MOVED, SECONDED AND RESOLVED that the current paragraphs 7.01 and 7.02 of the General Bylaws of the Federation of Canadian Dentistry Student Associations, dated April 16, 2012 be amended to read as follows:

7.01       Any Canadian dentistry student association representing students from an accredited DDS or DMD program whose governing body has expressed interest in participating in the work of the federation will be designated a member association once their request for membership has been received and reviewed by the governing body of the federation.  

7.02       A member association wishing to withdraw from membership must give written notice of its intention to withdraw its membership to a member of the Executive of the federation.  Such withdrawal will take effect as of the end of the next Annual General Meeting (AGM).

There was some discussion of requiring a six months notice of membership withdrawal but it was agreed that making any withdrawal take effect as of the end of the next Annual General Meeting was sufficient. 

IT WAS MOVED, SECONDED AND RESOLVED that the current paragraphs 7.03 and 7.04 of the General Bylaws of the Federation of Canadian Dentistry Student Associations, dated April 16, 2012 be amended to read as follows:

7.03       At the publication of these bylaws, no membership fees are required. All changes in membership fees shall be determined by the Council.

7.04       A member association shall designate two representatives from the DDS or DMD program to the Council. Such representatives shall be entitled to vote on behalf of the member association at meetings of the Council. Other privileges of membership shall be determined by the Council.  The tenure of those representatives is defined in paragraph 9.01.

IT WAS MOVED, SECONDED AND RESOLVED that the current paragraphs 9.01 and 9.02 of the General Bylaws of the Federation of Canadian Dentistry Student Associations, dated April 16, 2012 be amended to read as follows:

9.01       The Council is composed of two representatives named by each member association and whose appointment, including name and contact information has been received by the federation secretariat (as described in paragraphs 14.01 and 14.02 of these bylaws). A council member shall be currently enrolled in an undergraduate dentistry program at the school represented by that Council member.

9.02       Each member association shall appoint one junior member and one senior member. Normally, a junior member will progress to the role of senior member. Representatives should be in different years.

IT WAS MOVED AND SECONDED that the current paragraph 9.02 of the General Bylaws of the Federation of Canadian Dentistry Student Associations, dated April 16, 2012 be amended to read as follows:

9.02       Each member association shall appoint one junior member and one senior member. Normally, a junior member will progress to the role of senior member. Representatives should be in different years. Association members are encouraged to select one Council member from pre-clinical and one from clinical.                 DEFEATED

IT WAS MOVED, SECONDED AND RESOLVED that the current paragraphs 10.02, 10.04 and 10.06 of the General Bylaws of the Federation of Canadian Dentistry Student Associations, dated April 16, 2012 be amended to read as follows:

10.02     Other meetings of the Council may be convened by the Executive or upon the receipt by a member of the Executive of a written petition signed by no fewer than a majority of the members of the Council (50% + 1). When such a petition is received, the Executive has fourteen (14) days in which to call such a meeting.

10.04     The AGM may not be held only by telephone, electronic or other communication facility.

10.06     Notice of any meeting may be waived by unanimous consent of the Council and any irregularity in the notice or the calling of any meeting does not invalidate any of the proceedings at the meeting when there has been substantial compliance with the provisions of this section.

IT WAS MOVED, SECONDED AND RESOLVED that the current paragraphs 10.11, 10.13 and 10.14 of the General Bylaws of the Federation of Canadian Dentistry Student Associations, dated April 16, 2012 be amended to read as follows:

10.11     Council members are entitled to introduce agenda items; move, second, and speak to resolutions. For resolutions introduced by Council, each member association will hold one (1) vote, to be cast by the senior member.  Each member of Council shall be entitled to vote in the election of the Executive, including regional councillors.

10.13     The process for the submission of proposals/resolutions to the Council shall be determined by the Executive from time to time and communicated to the member associations. 

10.14     Every question or resolution or disputed conflict of interest submitted to a meeting of the Council shall be decided by a majority (50% + 1) of the votes cast, except for changes to these bylaws, to the election protocol, or to the membership fees, which require an affirmative vote of at least two-thirds (2/3) of the members of the Council present at the AGM or other meeting of Council called to consider changes to these bylaws or changes to the election protocol, or to the membership fees. 

IT WAS MOVED, SECONDED AND RESOLVED that the current paragraph 11.01 of the General Bylaws of the Federation of Canadian Dentistry Student Associations, dated April 16, 2012 be amended to read as follows: 

11.01     The Executive of the federation is composed of the President, Vice-President, and three (3) Regional Councillors: Councillor of Western Canada, Councillor of Central Canada and Councillor of Eastern Canada. The members of the Executive shall be elected by the members of the Council from among the members of the Council during the AGM. Serving members of the Executive shall be currently enrolled in an undergraduate dentistry program. Regional councillors shall be currently enrolled in an undergraduate dentistry program in their designated region. 

IT WAS MOVED, SECONDED AND RESOLVED that the title for the current paragraph 11.04 of the General Bylaws of the Federation of Canadian Dentistry Student Associations, dated April 16, 2012 be amended to read as follows: 

Qualifications to Serve as President 

IT WAS MOVED, SECONDED AND RESOLVED that the current paragraph 11.07 of the General Bylaws of the Federation of Canadian Dentistry Student Associations, dated April 16, 2012 be amended to read as follows: 

11.07     The specific duties of the President are to: 

a) chair meetings of the Council;

b) act as the chief spokesperson of the federation;

c) act as chief liaison with affiliated groups and associations;

d) serve as official signatory for agreements that commit the federation with other parties and have been approved by the Council;

e) review all invoices received that draw on federation funds prior to payment, ensuring that expenditures are in accordance with activity plans and budgets approved by the Council;

f) serve as ex officio member of all committees;

g) make interim appointments to fill vacancies arising in all committees;

h) appoint members of Council to serve as liaisons to committees;

i) perform such other duties as may be required by the Council; and

j) delegate such duties and responsibilities as he/she deems appropriate.

IT WAS MOVED, SECONDED AND RESOLVED that the title for the current paragraph 11.08 of the General Bylaws of the Federation of Canadian Dentistry Student Associations, dated April 16, 2012 be amended to read as follows:

Duties and Responsibilities of the Vice-President

IT WAS MOVED, SECONDED AND RESOLVED that a new paragraph be added to the General Bylaws of the Federation of Canadian Dentistry Student Associations, dated April 16, 2012 as follows and that paragraphs of the bylaws be renumbered as required:

11.13     If the office of regional councillor becomes vacant, the Executive will appoint another Council member from that region to complete the term. 

IT WAS MOVED, SECONDED AND RESOLVED that the current paragraph 12.04 of the General Bylaws of the Federation of Canadian Dentistry Student Associations, dated April 16, 2012 be amended to read as follows:

12.04     Notice of any meeting may be waived by unanimous consent of the Executive and any irregularity in the notice or the calling of any meeting does not invalidate any of the proceedings at the meeting when there has been substantial compliance with the provisions of this section. 

IT WAS MOVED, SECONDED AND RESOLVED that the current paragraphs 13.03, 14.01 and 15.01 of the General Bylaws of the Federation of Canadian Dentistry Student Associations, dated April 16, 2012 be amended to read as follows:

13.03     A member of the Council or the Executive shall not be present (by physical or electronic means) for discussion and voting on any matter that raises a conflict, unless the person’s presence is required to maintain a quorum.

14.01     The secretariat of the federation shall serve as an office responsible for the administrative affairs of the federation and will assist with carrying out the goals and objectives as determined by the federation.  The secretariat will be hosted by the Canadian Dental Association (CDA) at its offices located at 1815 Alta Vista Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, K1G 3Y6.

15.01     The Council shall set the fiscal year-end of the federation, from time to time.

IT WAS MOVED, SECONDED AND RESOLVED that the current paragraph 16.02 of the General Bylaws of the Federation of Canadian Dentistry Student Associations, dated April 16, 2012 be deleted and that the sections and paragraphs of the bylaws be renumbered as required. 

IT WAS MOVED, SECONDED AND RESOLVED that the current paragraphs 17.01 and 18.01 of the General Bylaws of the Federation of Canadian Dentistry Student Associations, dated April 16, 2012 be amended to read as follows:

17.01     The Bylaws of the federation may be repealed or amended by an affirmative vote of the Council as specified in section 10.14.  

18.01     These general bylaws for the Federation of Canadian Dentistry Student Associations take effect June 16, 2012. 

IT WAS MOVED, SECONDED AND RESOLVED that the General Bylaws of the Federation of Canadian Dentistry Student Associations, dated April 16, 2012 be approved, as amended. 

6.       Confirmation of Membership and Appointment as Council Members

The following confirmed that they have the authority to confirm their local association’s membership in the new federation and that they are to be recorded as the first Council members appointed to the federation.

  • University of Alberta Dental Students Association: Linda Lan, Dena Sawchuk
  • University of British Columbia (UBC) Faculty of Dentistry Dental Undergraduate Society: Jay Chan, Hsin-fu (Phil) Hou
  • Dalhousie Dentistry Students' Society: Chad Avery, Teresa Morrison
  • Association des étudiants de médecine dentaire de l'Université Laval: Fréderic Bouchard, Louis-Philippe Jacques
  • Manitoba Dental Students' Association: Nazariy Babyak, Omobolanle (Bola) Fumayide
  • McGill University Dental Students' Society: Robert Karanofsky, Rami Yassine
  • Association des étudiants (es) en médecine dentaire de l’Université de Montréal: Toufic Boulos, Gabriel Pissardo
  • Saskatchewan Dental Student Society: Jay Lalli, Arjunn Sachdev
  • Dental Student Society of the University of Toronto: Fouad-Hassan Ebrahim, Shaun Sharma
  • University of Western Ontario Dental Student Society: Athena deBrouwer, Shannon Munsie 

7.       Election of Officers

The meeting resources included a call for nominations for positions on the Executive.  Three mail-in nominations were received.  Two nominations from the floor were also received.   As there was only one candidate for each position, all candidates were elected by acclamation and candidate speeches were not required.

IT WAS MOVED, SECONDED AND RESOLVED that the followed be elected for a one-year term to end at the completion of the next Annual General Meeting:

  • President                                             Jay Chan (UBC)
  • Vice-President                                    Shannon Munsie (Western)
  • Regional Councillor – Eastern          Toufic Boulos (Montréal)
  • Regional Councillor – Central          Athena deBrouwer (Western)
  • Regional Councillor – Western         Linda Lan (Alberta)

8.       Group Discussion – Short-term and Long-term Planning

The discussion groups established earlier in the meeting met to discuss short-term and long-term planning.  Before breaking up into groups, Dr. Soucy briefed everyone on the SMART goal setting method.  In order for goals to be achievable, they must be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound.

 Discussion Goals

  • Determine the activity/document needed. SPECIFIC
  • Determine what the successful activity/document will look like. MEASURABLE
  • Determine how the activity/document will be produced. ATTAINABLE
  • Who will be responsible?
  • Do we need to involve other people/groups?
  • Are funds needed and available?
  • Determine if the activity/document supports the objects of the Federation. RELEVANT
  • Determine a time-line for completion. TIME-BOUND

Discussion Topics – Short-term planning

  • Section 11.05 - Election Protocol
  • Invitation of observers to meetings
  • Conduct of business between meetings
  • Projects for 2012 – 2013
  • Next steps identified in bylaw discussions
  • Activities to be undertaken
  • Committees/groups needed
  • Policies/protocols to be developed
  • Processes to be established

Discussion Topics – Long-term planning

  • Projects for 2014 – 2015

9.       A Word from our Sponsor

At the beginning of the plenary discussion on planning, Ms. Anita Counter and Mr. Paul Harris left the meeting due to travel arrangements.  Before leaving, Ms. Counter stated that CDSPI is committed to helping the federation achieve its goals and looks forward to partnering with CDA and the provincial dental associations in order to assist the federation as it moves forward.

Jay Chan expressed the federation’s appreciation for CDSPI’s financial support of this meeting and for Ms. Counter’s and Mr. Harris’ participation in the discussions.

10.       Plenary Discussion – Short-term and Long-term Planning

During a plenary discussion, the following short-term and long-term plans were discussed. Where needed, working groups were created to take on the needed tasks.

Short-term planning – 2012-2013

Election Protocol

  • using approved bylaw content, determine process by which elections will be conducted
  • submit draft to Council for approval
  • need an Election Protocol Working Group
  • needed before next Annual General Meeting (might need conference call of Council to review and approved)

Invitation of observers to Council meetings

  • considering strategic partners, and consulting with CDA staff and others, determine appropriate organizations or individuals to be invited to Council meetings
  • submit list of invitees to Council for approval
  • need a Council Invitation Working Group
  • needed before next Annual General Meeting (might need conference call of Council to review and approved)

Define relationship with CDSPI

  • understanding what projects CDSPI would be interesting in partnering with FCDSA
  • submit plan to Council to approval
  • to be done by President and Vice-President
  • to begin summer 2012

Plan for next AGM, including securing funding

  • attendance from all 10 associations
  • 2 reps from each member association
  • observers from ADSA
  • task of the Executive as per bylaws
  • meeting to be held mid-June 2013
  • to begin as soon as possible 

Establish an internal communication system

  • for use by Council for meeting resources/information sharing
  • investigate SharePoint system as used by CDA Board/committees

Make dental students aware of FCDSA

  • communicate FCDSA goals to all dental students
  • determine and communicate how students can bring concerns/issues forward
  • might include Facebook, newsletter, creation of a logo
  • need Internal Communications Committee
  • progress report needed by next AGM

Create FCDSA website

  • consider structure and functionality
  • all students to have access/share experiences
  • need External Communications Committee
  • progress report needed by next AGM

Reestablish access to former CDA services

  • JCDA, LexiComp etc.
  • CDA staff to confirm that JCDA is public and LexiComp may be available
  • CDA staff confirmation to be sent to Executive as soon as possible

IT WAS MOVED, SECONDED AND RESOLVED that an Election Protocol Working Group (EPWG) be established to determine the process by which elections to the Federation of Canadian Dentistry Student Associations (FCDSA) will be conducted.

The EPWG will be composed of Gabriel Pissardo (Montréal), Athena deBrouwer (Western) and Jay Chan (UBC). The EPWG will submit a draft protocol to the Executive for review within the next six months so that a final draft might be circulated to the Council for approval and use prior to the next Annual General Meeting.

IT WAS MOVED, SECONDED AND RESOLVED that a Council Invitation Working Group (CIWG) be established to determine which organizations or individuals are to be invited to meetings of the Federation of Canadian Dentistry Student Associations (FCDSA) Council. 

The ICWG will be composed of Jay Chan (UBC), Robert Karanofsky (McGill) and Shannon Munsie (Western). The ICWG will submit a draft list to the Executive for review within the next six months so that a final list might be circulated to the Council for approval and use prior to the next Annual General Meeting.

IT WAS MOVED, SECONDED AND RESOLVED that an Internal Communications Committee (ICC) be established to consider communication strategies and methods to make dental students aware of the Federation of Canadian Dentistry Student Associations (FCDSA). 

The ICC will be composed of Phil Hou (UBC), Toufic Boulos (Montréal), Shaun Sharma (Toronto) and Gabriel Pissardo (McGill). Paul Harris (CDSPI) and Dean Smith (CDA) will serve as consultants. The ICC will submit a progress report to the next Annual General Meeting.

IT WAS MOVED, SECONDED AND RESOLVED that an External Communications Committee (ECC) be established to consider the structure and functionality of a website for the Federation of Canadian Dentistry Student Associations (FCDSA). 

Membership of the ECC will be determined by the Executive.  Dean Smith (CDA) will serve as consultant. The ECC will submit a progress report to the next Annual General Meeting.

Long-term planning – 2014-2015

All of the following will be reconsidered at a future Council meeting.

Create a volunteer group to provide access of care in the north

  • ATC is on CDSPI agenda (meetings this summer)
  • CDSPI is interested in what this means for students and how they can participate
  • perhaps build it through the faculty
  • perhaps lobbying to provide more access to care
  • Council members to speak to Deans
  • reconsider at future meeting

Establish a finance committee

Choosing a charity

  • possibly oral health – share a smile

Exchange program between universities

Classes to prepare for boards

  • might not be a good idea

National oral health awareness week

11.       Adjournment

Claude-Paul Boivin thanked Benoit Soucy for serving as facilitator for the meeting and also thanked Dr. Colin Jack for his continued and enthusiastic support of the strategic initiative leading to CDA’s involvement in the creation of the new federation.

Jay Chan, the new President of the federation, addressed the gathering and thanked everyone for their contributions throughout the day.  While much has been accomplished, there is still much left to do.  With a collective effort, the way forward looks bright.  He ended by thanking the CDA staff for their support, advice and assistance throughout the bylaw writing process and preparations for this meeting.

As there was no other business to discuss, the meeting ended at 4:00 p.m.

Dr. Benoit Soucy, Facilitator

Ms. Monique Bouchard, Recording Secretary