Niagara’s chapter of the Ontario Public Interest Research Group (OPIRG) recently hosted their annual general meeting, where they voted in a new Board of Directors, discussed everything from fundraising to achievements from the past year and much more.
Members successfully motioned to open OPIRG Brock’s 2024 annual general meeting at 6:18 p.m. on Sept. 24. A series of personalized land acknowledgements began the meeting, as co-facilitators Fiona and Daniel emphasized the necessity to move beyond standardized land acknowledgements and approach the subject with thought and intent.
The discussion of land acknowledgements prompted the topic of labour acknowledgments, leading to members discuss the local labour organizations they have supported over the years.
Following this was the first testimonial of the evening, where a letter written by Dr. Samantha McAleese — a Critical Criminology and Sociology professor at Brock — describing her experience with OPIRG Brock was read aloud.
McAleese said that connecting with OPIRG Brock was one of her best decisions, as it helped her find and build a community.
Soon after, Chief Returning Officer Kaho explained the voting process and board election business was underway.
The four candidates — Qianyin, Dani, Ana Maria and Jules — introduced themselves to the members and explained why they sought a position on the board. Qianyin began, citing her passion for social justice activities and her interest in establishing connections within the local community as reasoning for her efforts to join the Board of Directors.
Next, election candidate Dani shared that they are running for the Board of Directors because of an urge to learn from OPIRG Brock’s approach to community based social justice activism, saying that the group both listens to their community and takes action when necessary.
Ana Maria said that both the interaction with the community and the dedication shown from every member of OPIRG Brock is what inspired her to re-run for the Board of Directors.
Lastly, election candidate Jules said that she found a “supportive community” within OPIRG Brock and that they are seeking a spot on the Board of Directors to strengthen their involvement in local activist initiatives.
After the candidates spoke, there was a short break for members to cast their votes.
When the break was finished, Victoria Barnett, the second testimonial speaker, discussed the OPIRG provincial network. She talked about the importance of OPIRG Brock to the various other chapters, saying that OPIRG Brock does a great amount of work in the community for the financing it has.
Members then passed two motions to accept the minutes from last year’s annual general meeting and accept the group’s 2024 annual report.
Next, the team discussed their board members and monthly public board meetings. Co-facilitator Daniel mentioned that the group’s public board meetings are open to anyone who is looking to get involved with OPIRG.
The meeting moved on to a discussion of the various volunteer teams and partnerships that were active in the past year. Volunteer, Planning and Training Coordinator Kerry began the discussion by explaining that the majority of OPIRG’s work is volunteer based. Not only does the group have various volunteer teams, but they also have Brock placement students coming from Sociology and Criminology, Communications, Pop Culture and Film Studies, as well as Women and Gender Studies.
The group aims to increase their number of volunteers and their number of volunteer opportunities. In doing so, they plan to put volunteers in contact with both “Action Groups and Community Partners.” OPIRG Brock’s main partners are Niagara Reproductive Justice, Justice for Workers Niagara and Willow Arts Community.
OPIRG member Morgan began the discussion about the group’s membership numbers. She said that membership has significantly increased in recent years. The group is hoping to reach 250 members before the start of the new year.
In the wake of last year’s 59 per cent budget cut to OPIRG Brock, the team discussed their financial situation for this year. The group was able to keep their Anti-Racism Sponsorship Fund, Volunteer Appreciation Expense and a few other financial resources that are important to OPIRG’s functioning.
The group reassured members that they are in a secure financial position despite last year’s defunding, saying that they aim to keep staff hours consistent, find secure sources of income and work with their fundraising team to source in-kind donations, among other goals established by the Finance Committee.
After reviewing an audit of the 2022-23 financial statements, the group discussed the importance of fundraising for OPIRG Brock. A significant and accessible fundraising source is the group’s Patreon, where individuals can donate to varying degrees and support different projects that OPIRG Brock is working on.
The group moved onto a discussion surrounding their Anti-Racism Action Plan. Through this plan, they aim to use social justice to achieve real action. A highlight from this plan is their Anti-Racism Sponsorship Fund. In their second year of the fund, they were able to distribute $1,500 to six groups in Niagara. They also funded many projects including Black History Month Programming and Palestine solidarity.
Another local social justice endeavour from OPIRG Brock is the maintenance of their Niagara Free Stores. The Niagara Free Store is an initiative where the group sets up pop up markets of free items to give back to the community. According to their website, the Free Store often gives out “clothing and household items.”
The group then recapped the launch of mandatory Harm Reduction and Naloxone training for Health Science students, a huge achievement for OPIRG Brock. With 305 students receiving Naloxone training and over 300 students attending a lecture on “lived experiences and service providers,” the outreach of this effort cannot be understated.
OPIRG Brock’s annual general meeting wrapped up with the Board of Directors election results, during which all of the candidates were successfully elected to the Board of Directors for 2024.
After thanking all their staff and community partners, a motion to close the meeting was passed at 8:09 p.m.
Information about becoming an OPIRG Brock member and the group’s upcoming events, projects and fundraising efforts can be found at www.opirgbrock.com.