We've all heard the phrase, what a difference a day can make. The September board meeting was scheduled for two days and the first day started with a glitch and the second day ended in tragedy.
The first day of meetings had to be relocated to a conference room in a hotel close by. It seemed that the City of Toronto provided short notice for essential construction in the area that would prohibit access to the head office that day. Not to be phased, the staff adjusted accordingly, found a suitable alternative, packing up the meeting equipment, the Board and other visitors were redirected to the temporary location. Visitors that day included the 2018 Honourary Chair, representation from the CDJA, a past Board Chair and students from the Ivey School of Business. The students are engaged with CKC in a consultative project to support our strategic plan for 2019-2021. It was a productive day that included several update reports, covering initiatives underway such as the IT system upgrade, advocacy efforts to address dog related legislation across the country, planning for the 2019 budget and more. The Genetics and Medical Committee provided its research issues including chemical castration, backcross Dalmatians and canine infectious diseases. Policies and rules changes from several committees and councils were reviewed and voted on and details of the meeting are available through the minutes that are published online.
The second day of the meetings never commenced. Some may already be aware that long time member and Chair of the Board of Directors, Larry Kereluke took ill early in the morning. Larry never recovered and passed later in the day surrounded by long time colleagues, close friends and loving family. As evidenced from the Celebration of Life in Winnipeg, he was greatly revered and will be greatly missed.
Where do we go from here after such a tragic event? Perhaps we take a lead from the first day and we adjust quickly and thoughtfully. Earlier this year, the Board created a Vice Chair position that performs the duties of the Chair for circumstances when the Chair is not available. Richard Paquette from Zone 4 will continue to adeptly fill that role until the official replacement for the remaining term is appointed at the December meeting.
Larry can never be replaced and his contributions and legacy will live on for years to come. Using the optimism and momentum he helped create, we will once again be optimistic and work hard to ensure a bright future for CKC.