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Association Update

Highlights of OPHA's Annual General Meeting 2007

Building on the excitement of the Annual Conference, OPHA's Board of Directors convened the 2007 Annual General Meeting on November 19th at 5:30 pm in the Marriot Hotel, Downtown Toronto. A representative sample of OPHA members filled the room to capacity in order to:

• Review and approve the financial statements of the previous year;
• Vote on a series of amendments to OPHA's by-laws that will streamline the governance of the organization and strengthen its commitment to openness and accountability;
• Vote on a variety of member-generated resolutions and position papers;
• Elect a new slate of Directors for 2008;
• Bid goodbye to OPHA's longest-serving president Garry Aslanyan;
• Welcome Carol Timmings as the new president of OPHA effective January 1, 2008.

Following the approval of the financial statements, Gilmore and Company LLP Chartered Accountants was appointed as auditors for the OPHA for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2008. Amendments to the by-laws which had been under discussion since AGM 2005 carried without opposition.

For the approval of position papers and resolutions, chairing responsibilities were handed over from President Garry Aslanyan to Denise DePape, Chair of the Public Relations and Advocacy Committee. Three position papers with four resolutions (described below) which had been duly vetted by the PR and Advocacy Committee were moved by two OPHA members in good standing.

• one position paper and one resolution on Oral Health Promotion;
• two position papers and two resolutions from the Breastfeeding Workgroup;
• a resolution on the Public Health System Renewal in Ontario;
• a resolution on Access to a Nutritious Diet for all; as well as
• a resolution reaffirming the Importance of Strict Firearm Regulation to prevent Firearm Deaths and Injuries.