I went out to Tuesday, October 18th’s AGM precisely because it looked like it wasn’t going to be your average annual general meeting. The West End Food Co-op is known for its alternative approach to… well… pretty much everything, and I was looking forward to getting in on some of the action. The offer of local food combined with “outbreaks of democracy” were all that it took to convince me to attend.
True to form, this AGM wasn’t run of the mill. In fact, it really wasn’t an AGM at all. It turns out that due to some oversights around the governance bylaws of the co-op, they needed a quorum of 51% of members to be able to vote on anything. Thanks to a successful membership drive this year, attendance in the church basement wasn’t quite 51% of the co-op’s 500+ members! They made alternate arrangements to proceed though, such as getting quorum last Monday, October 24th at the Sorauren Market to vote on some key issues…including a move to change the quorum guidelines for future AGMs!
Despite the technical challenges, October 18th’s event was the best almost-AGM I’ve ever been to. After getting updates on various co-op activities like the store’s renovations, meeting the new co-op coordinator Lynn Bishop, and going through the financials, we were onto the World Café – a lively participatory forum to discuss some of the big questions the co-op is trying to answer right now.
World Café is a dynamic and collaborative approach to hearing from many parties on a variety of issues. Each paper-covered table had a different question printed on it and each group got 15 minutes to discuss the question and record their thoughts and ideas on the paper. After time was up, we all moved to a new table and explored the next idea. I found it was a fascinating way to not only learn about the kinds of questions the co-op is struggling with, but also to hear the myriad perspectives offered by the diverse members in attendance.
Questions posed to us included “How should the co-op store determine its purchasing policy?”; “How can the co-op support small farmer producers?”; and “What are some ways the co-op can continue regular community consultations with all its members?” It was through these discussions that I realized how challenging it would be for the co-op to effectively engage all four types of members: consumers, producers, workers, and community partners.
If anyone is up for this challenge, however, it’s the West End Food Co-op’s incredibly committed leaders and members. If this past year is any indication of what’s to come, I look forward to a year of innovation, great food, and lot’s of fun.
