Vancouver, BC

The 2003 Annual General Meeting was held in Vancouver, British Columbia from Friday, September 26th to Sunday, September 28th, where the theme of the meeting was development.

Delegates made the most of their trip to Vancouver as there were various other meetings scheduled around the AGM, some starting on Thursday, September 25th. These included a strategic planning session for Rugby Canada's women's programs, a national registration and insurance meeting, a review of the Rugby Canada Strategic Plan, a National Championship Festival session, a national team and elite development meeting and the Rugby Canada Super League AGM.

At the Rugby Canada AGM, discussion surrounded the development of rugby in Canada, especially the development of coaching. The implementation of a Rugby Canada Coaches' Association and the CBET Coaching Program were presented. The National Championship Festival was also a topic of discussion, where it was decided that an additional division would be added in the Under 17 Women's category.

In other business, the National Office of Rugby Canada was officially transferred from Ottawa to Toronto, dues structures were decided upon, a committee of bylaws of Rugby Canada was established and the Financial Statements for the year ending March 31, 2003 were accepted.

Following the Saturday Business Session of the Rugby Canada AGM, the delegates headed to UBC Thunderbird Stadium where Canada's World Cup team played a final preparation match against a solid BC squad. After the game was a Send-Off Dinner held at the Pink Pearl Restaurant where supporters of the team enjoyed an evening of presentations, well-wishes and a live auction. A highlight of the event was the presentation of the Canadian Shield Award to Canada's Captain and inspirational leader Al Charron. The first ever presentation of Canadian Shield was awarded to the player who best represents the qualities of Canadian Rugby, as voted on by the National team players. Former World Cup Captains Mark Wyatt, Hans De Goede and Glenn Ennis were also recognized for their contribution to Canadian rugby on and off the pitch.

On Sunday the Rugby Canada Board of Directors met to discuss pertinent items, including site locations for the upcoming major domestic events and the three new members to be elected to the Board. With the terms of Cristina Flores, Michael (Benj) O'Connor, and Frank Deacy coming to an end (all three of which were recognized at the AGM for their contribution to Rugby Canada), three positions were up for election.

Elected to the Rugby Canada Board were the following three individuals:
- Rick Powers, former ORU President and current professor at the University of Toronto
- Rick Bourne, former teacher and owner of Langara Fishing Adventures in British Columbia
- Pearse Higgins, former international referee and current National Refereeing Committee Member

With the ending of terms and the election of the new members, the Board structure is now as follows:

- Dr. Pat Parfrey (President)

- Tim Sinclair (Vice President)

- Chris LeFevre (IRB Representative)

- Jay Johnston (Treasurer)

- Roger Smith (Secretary)

- Heather Wilson-Banks (Director)

- Hans De Goede (Director)

- Rick Bourne (Director)

- Pearse Higgins (Director)

- Rick Powers (Director)

- Colette McAuley (Female Athlete Representative)

- Michael Holmes (Male Athlete Representative)

Also decided at the Board Meeting was the locations for the major domestic events occurring in the 2003-2004 season. These include:

- Canada National Senior Men vs. France - to be held in Toronto

- 2004 Churchill Cup - to be held in Alberta (pending acceptance by the Alberta Rugby Union)

- National Championship Festival - to be held in Ontario (exact location to be determined)

In other exciting decisions, Rugby Canada will look to host the 2005 Under 19 Men's World Championship and will invite South Africa's Blue Bulls of the Super 12 to tour Canada for a three match tour in 2004. Rugby Canada will also look to initiate an International Sevens Tournament for women, a proposal which further displays that Canada is a leading nation in the development of women's rugby.

From a human resource perspective, it was decided that, Rugby Canada will be hiring a Director of Development as well as a Manager of National Team Programs.

On Monday, September 29th Graham Brown, COO of Rugby Canada held a Staff Meeting with the provincial unions. Top priorities for each union were discussed as was registration, insurance and communications. In possibly the biggest let down of the weekend, Paul Timperley, new Director of Rugby Development for the BCRU, flat out refused to cross the Capilano Suspension Bridge during a team building session. An obvious leader in the development of Canadian rugby, Timperley's explanation for not crossing the bridge was not accepted by the group, who, after looking for Timperley for 20 minutes feared the worst. The group was happy to see Timperley, with his trademark grin waiting on the other side when they returned.

The consensus amongst the delegates was that, the 2003 AGM was a very productive meeting. Rugby Canada would especially like to thank Mark Slay, President of the British Columbia Rugby Union and his support staff for hosting an excellent AGM.

The 2004 Rugby Canada Annual General Meeting will be held in Winnipeg, Manitoba, another group of individuals who proved to be excellent hosts as displayed at the 2003 National Championship Festival.