Member Meeting Process Guide for GMMs and AGMs
Version 1.0 – Approved by Woodsworth Co-op Board of Directors on July 24, 2025
1. About this process guide
1.1 Organizational Bylaw
This process guide is an explainer alongside Woodsworth’s Organizational By-law #83. Where there is a conflict, Organizational By-law #83 governs. To fully understand the meeting process, members should navigate to the Woodsworth webpage for Organizational By-law #83 and review, especially the following:
o Article 5: Procedure for Members Meeting
1.2 Applicability
This process guide is applicable in full to Annual General Meetings (AGMs) and General Members Meetings (GMMs) and is generally not relevant to Forums, Committee, or Board meetings.
1.3 Relevance to external chair
Meetings may be chaired by a Cooperative Housing Federation of Toronto (CHFT) representative if approved by members. In such cases, Woodsworth will send this process guide and related resources to CHFT in advance.
2. Prior to Meetings
2.1 Scheduling and Planning
• Meeting dates and times for the upcoming year will be determined by the Board and communicated to membership by January. Notice of each individual member meeting will be sent as per Organizational By-law #83 Section 3.3.
• Committees may request time, or be assigned time, to present at meetings. Such requests will go through a Committee’s Board liaison.
• The proposed agenda will end with 15 minutes as an open forum for questions.
• Staff will set up any non-procedural motions as virtual polls prior to meetings.
• Members must opt in to receive electronic communication, such as meeting packages. Members may review the Woodsworth Electronic Communications Agreement webpage for more information.
• Members who plan to join virtually via Zoom, Woodsworth’s current virtual meetings platform, must:
o Ensure their devices can access Zoom.
o Have a basic understanding of how to use Zoom. Members may review the “Getting Started with Zoom Meetings” webpage for more information.
• Members who plan to join via Zoom are recommended to visit the Zoom Download Center webpage and install Zoom on their device.
2.2 Additions to the agenda
• If members or committees wish to add to a meeting agenda, they must submit a Members Meeting Agenda Item Submission Form to the office at least 4 weeks in advance. The form can be found on the Co-op Forms used by Woodsworth webpage.
• The Board will make the decision on items being added to the proposed agenda. Staff will inform members if their item was added, and the reasoning if not.
• Members should note that anything they wish to add to the agenda must be within the powers of the members as per Organizational By-law #83 Section 6.1, Member Control: Co-op Act Requirements.
2.3 Meeting Packages
• Meeting packages include the proposed agenda and will be sent either electronically or printed to each member.
• Staff will send electronic meeting packages to each member who has opted in to receive electronic communication.
• Staff will send meeting printed meeting packages to each member who has not opted in to receive electronic communication, up to a maximum of 2 per unit. Extra printed copies can be requested through the office if required.
• Packages will have page numbers throughout, formatted as Page X of Y.
• Packages will include full motions (i.e. not just summaries).
2.4 Penthouse Setup and Equipment
• The in-person portion of meetings may be held at the Woodsworth penthouse. In such cases the following will be scheduled:
o Set up of audio-visual equipment. The microphone should be in the middle of the chair placement so it can pick up all speakers.
o Set up of chairs (e.g. in a semicircle around the audio-visual equipment). Maintenance can do this with proper notice.
o Assignment of facilitator to run audio-visual equipment from the penthouse.
3. During Meetings
3.1 Attendance
• Members may join meetings by attending in person or via Zoom.
• The following attendance options are not currently offered as they do not allow reasonable participation (e.g. accessibility and voting):
o More than one member per device (i.e. on the same Zoom account).
o Dialling in to the meeting via phone.
• Members who wish to join in person have a responsibility to follow instructions for in person meeting technology (e.g. use of microphones).
3.2 Role of Staff
• Staff are responsible for running the meeting from the Woodsworth Zoom account including starting the meeting, admitting members, and promoting relevant attendees to host or presenter.
• Staff will establish a quorum by audible roll call at the beginning of the meeting and share the total for both virtual and in person.
• Staff will keep an ordered speakers list, grant ability to unmute, and revoke ability to unmute when members are done speaking.
• Staff will turn on the Q+A function when discussion opens or a speakers list is being gathered. Once discussion has closed, staff will turn off the Q+A function.
• Staff will monitor the chat and Q+A when applicable.
3.3 Role of Members
• Members joining in person must sign in via presented sign-up sheet.
• Members joining via Zoom must sign in by changing their name to the following format: (Member Full Name) from (Unit #). This should only be one member’s name as additional members are not counted for attendance. Members can review the “How to change your name on Zoom during a meeting” webpage.
• Members who wish to speak to a motion, can raise their hand (in person or using the virtual raise hand function) to be recognized by the chair. Members joining virtually will need to be granted permission to unmute themselves.
• Once members are recognized by the chair and able to speak, they should introduce themselves as (Full Name) from (Unit #) before raising their point.
• Members should only use the Zoom chat function for small talk (i.e. for saying hello, not for official questions).
3.4 Role of Board Members
• Board members joining virtually will be promoted to Host. Due to Zoom settings Hosts cannot vote in polls, so Board members must vote via chat.
• A Board member joining electronically may volunteer to be chat moderator, monitoring the chat and Q+A where applicable.
• At least one Board member will join in person.
3.5 Voting
• The question asked and response required of those voting in person and those voting electronically should be the same.
• After a vote the results for both in person and virtually will be totalled and announced to the meeting.
• Negative voting will be used for procedural items such as approval of agenda, minutes, or chair. Negative voting is a term used for when one is only asked to vote against or opposed to a motion.
• Moving and seconding will be done by raising of hands, virtually or in person.
• Virtual polls will be launched for all non-procedural votes. This is due to the virtual raised hand function leading to error and confusion for complex votes.
• As additional members joining from the same device is not offered as an option, there is no way for these members to vote virtually via chat or otherwise.