Monday, 22 June 2020

7:00 – 9:17 pm EST

Present: Barbara, Ron, Jim, John, Joe, Adam, Monika, Tracy, Tiffany, Chloe (Youth), Sharon (Website Content), Shaheen (Recording Secretary)

Absent: Patricia

1. Approval of Agenda

• Agenda approved.

2. Minutes of Last Meeting

• No comments

3. Treasurer’s Report

• Total of $3,044.50, + $200 waiting to be deposited.
• ACTION ITEM:
  • Joe is searching for a new Treasurer as Patricia is over-booked with other activities.

4. Update on Status of our Technology

• Saul not available until Oct/Nov
• Only Saul has can currently edit the website template so until Google Analytics is added we are unable to get statistics on traffic to the OBIN website
• Jim suggested paying someone to add functionality to the website including adding website analytics.
• Sharon needs account info from NationBuilder to access support and training.
• Issues with OBIN.ca domain name on Google - indicates periodically that our site may be a malicious website
• Saul (or someone)needs to add missing functions (Search, RSS feed, sitemap, changes to Home page, etc) to the website
• ACTION ITEMS:
  • Sharon will send the list of specifics and projects to Tiffany and others in the group in case they know people with NationBuilder skills that can help add the missing functions.
  • Jim will get training from John on NationBuilder email capabilities
  • Tiffany reaching out to find possible NationBuilder expertize .  Needs to know exactly what is required. Talk to Sharon to make the website more accessible. She has a list from discussion with Saul.
  • Joe will contact Saul for account#, etc.

5. July Newsletter

• due date for submissions - June 29 (if possible)

6. Round Table

Joe:

• Getting business cards (should we get them individually or in bundles. Joe needs to know name format and cards are wanted by OBIN members or not. Let him know by June 29th or so.

Jim:

• Manitoba essay contest (sponsored by Manitoba BI). Judging finished. First place - $2500, 2nd and third - $200. Secondary and post-secondary with 20 submissions per category. 3 winners picked. Winnipeg Free Press to arrange for publishing winning essays and some on Manitoba BI website. Barbara suggested reaching out to Lea Kazan and some politicians to create bi-partisan outreach. Minister of Northern Indigenous Affairs and some others interested.
• Appreciates if everyone can participate in check-up.
• OBIN annual meeting is in September - decide who will continue on, as well as getting new people.

Barbara:

• Report released for The Case for Basic Income for Work.
• It will be used by Senators in hearings.
• The team (Tracy, Stacey and Chloe) should have a statement in 2 weeks signed by numerous groups and Senator Lankin.
• 2 Senators are part of BI’s sponsored arts program. Expecting 40 attendees.
• Also looking to put together a team for online music and spoken word concert.
• Canadian association for Public Health (Adam’s team) - Shannon Miller put together matrix that looks at potential downstream cost savings of BI.
• Food security team in a holding pattern because Barbara has been held up in that regard.
• October is Lobby Week. MP sponsors from everyone except the Bloc. Chloe got deputy speaker for Parliament (a Conservative) to support OBIN.
• 3 MPs and 2 senators agreed to work with OBIN as well as Wayne Easter, Chair of the Finance Committee.

Tracy:

• BI Case for Women - had a couple of meetings. Looking to release a joint statement. Working on briefing with Deidre Pike. Panel series in BI with Josephine Gray and getting resources out through The Tamarack Institute.

Chloe:

• Youth Network had a number of webinars.
• Working with OCIC, Tamarack and Engineers Without Borders.
• In the process of planning an op-ed writing workshop.
• Kendal and Chloe have received go-ahead for BI for LGBTQ.
  

John:

• Cross Ontario check-up, encouraged the rest of the team to come, especially given current climate on social justice and the discussion on the anticipated Annual Meeting in September.
• Basic Income International - there are people from more than 20 countries, but Canada best represented.
• The 3rd week of Sept. - International BI March.
• BI Hamilton sent in a written delegation to the City asking for BI to be implemented. Went through the Emergency and Communication Services Committee and passed unanimously.

Ron:

• has requested free copies of book from Australian author who has written on BI experiments (comic books of high quality).
• City of Toronto official using BI to solve problems related to COVID. Meeting in a couple of days.

Sharon:

• 333 members registered through OBIN website, up 5 from May.
• 52 "News" articles posted since new website went live
• Links to resources and webinars will be posted.
• Tracy’s Powerpoint already posted. Tamarack links will be included.
• Conversation with Coalition Canada - Toni and Susan from BC - added a webpage for Coalition Canada on website.
• Ongoing: creating links to people who create BI resources including Hugh Segal, Evelyn Forget.
• Publications - Working on putting all BI reports in one place as a summary list for easy access.
• Same thing with Books and have included links to book reviews for each title
• In house book reviewer (Chloe did book review).

Monika:

• Case for Women project.
• Joined conversation with Sex Workers of Hamilton. They are looking for endorsements. BCIN has endorsed them.
• Will re-send letter from Sex Workers of Hamilton.
• John: we should include groups that have no voice. Wants to coordinate with other groups like them along with PSW.
• Wednesday and Thursday, BI class action streaming court proceedings at 10 am.
• Monika is grateful for mentorship from Barbara.

Adam:

• Case for Health - Working with a graduate student on practicum on draft brief and infographics (how to get involved, the cost of inaction, poverty and insecurity). The case for health in general.
• Working to get things up on Facebook. case for Work report on Facebook - reached 100 people.
• Looking for overall strategies to increase and inform outreach. Sharing and Liking posts  increases outreach.

7. New Business

• Discussion on Statement of Principles of OBIN as created by Joe and Tracy
• Future priorities and activities - Adam and Tiffany are looking for a strategy to engage and grow OBIN support.
  • Tiffany: OBIN needs a long-range plan. Strategy vs tactics. 
  • Adam and Tiffany felt they were working on tactics not strategy.
  • Consulting with other non-for-profits suggested developing a 10 yr plan.
  • BICN should take lead on long term planning.
  • If OBIN did not have a national presence, BICN could be the main go-to responsible for national mandate and coordinating provincial chapters.
  • OBIN working more autonomously although the role of External Relations gives continuous dialogue with BICN.
  • BICN could provide advocacy and deal with differences in leadership style.
  • National cohesion vs autonomous provincial chapters each developing their own mandate.
  • National Citizens Assembly should be coordinated by BICN and not OBIN.
  • OBIN would then focus on provincial decision-making process and building relationships on city level with stakeholders.
  • Create local power mapping resources (civil servants and others who will help OBIN) for OBIN to focus on for getting grants to have a staff.
  • Relationships to be built with contact lists and event planning.
  • Consider Citizen assembly initially to clearly determine what their next steps were and what public support was.
  • This also helps to sway politicians and ask BICN to consider them too (should be their job). OBIN does not have not-for profit status.
  • Link with Not-for profits that can help create structure (BCIN). Need to look at expenses and funding to hire people and meeting spaces - under BICN if they want.
  • Use of Strategic altitude approach (ranking most important -clear mission statements- Tiffany suggested setting up a Citizens Assembly to get support for BI.
  • Need to appeal to emotions in citizens assembly to win the public and politicians over.
  • OBIN also needs to secure grants to be able to hire expertise for such items as social media, communications, fund raising

• Responses:
  • Jim used to be part of BICN. John on the board. Chloe is sitting on the board.
    • BICN is incorporated as non-for-profit but has no charitable status. Currently under discussion.
    • BICN money-poor, relies on volunteer work. Some part-time staff.
    • BICN Board is very proficient with policy research and outreach.
  • Barbara:
    • Tiffany and Adam raised really important questions and did great work with their presentation.
    • Confusion is a symptom of success in the last few years.
    • Not enough people to implement ideals. Barbara does national work for OBIN.
    • BICN is currently restructuring.
  • John:
    • BICN to maintain relations with international BI groups, remains open to Universal BI (UBI), alternative is negative income tax something achievable which OBIN supports.  
    • Canada has brought all organizations together (better for organizing at the grassroots level). 
  • Barb:
    • The more organizations there are the better for political impact.
  • Joe:
    • agrees that OBIN needs to develop a 5yr and 10 yr plan;
    • we need more volunteers for internal relations people to work with John focusing on Ontario.
  • Joe:
    • elections are a great time to reach people.
    • Put out information on candidates who are running so they can be given BI information.
    • This should be given to other BI groups. 6 active org.s that can be sent info with asks.
  • Jim:
    • is a bit wary of this approach and believes the focus should be more on organized campaigns.
    • statement of principles by Joe and Tracy needs to be shortened.

• ACTION ITEMS:
  • OBIN to establish itself as not-for-profit organization (Adam and Tiffany)  ???
  • Produce clear mission statements (Barbara working in it)
  • Start getting grants to deal with limited financial resources
  • Go to BICN with ideas (Tiffany, Adam, John).
  • Sheila, Tony, and Barbara to work tomorrow on clearing up goals. Goal is BI, not its specific method of implementation. Will work towards vision presented by Tiffany and Adam. Focus on what can be done now.
  • Concrete proposal for next steps (Tiffany and Barbara).
  • John to work with Jim and Tracy, Ron, Joe and Tiffany to shorten and wordsmith OBIN Statement of Principles.
  • Jim will prepare A second draft of OBIN principles and will send it to the subcommittee.
  • A final drat will come back to OBIN for approval. (The finalized draft will be submitted to the membership for ratification).

8. Next meeting date and time

• Monday, July 20 from 7:00 to 8:30 pm EST on Zoom
  

9. Adjournment

• Meeting adjourned at 9:17 pm