Community Address by Interim FVMA Board Members
Taanishi Fraser Valley Métis Community,
Fraser Valley Métis Association Interim Board of Directors, elected April 8, 2025, would like to thank you for your patience and support. We have been working hard behind the scenes to build a strong foundation for our community’s future. We are currently planning the next FVMA Voting Special General Meeting (SGM). More details will follow. As part of our commitment to transparency and inclusion, we’d like to introduce the members of your Interim Board and their roles:
Katie Aldred – President
Dawn Johnson – Vice President
Jeff MacDonald – Treasurer
Alexis Wells – Secretary
Danielle Hill – Director
Fergus Dalton – Director
Joscelyne Fonseca – Director
Tracey Good – Director
Jennifer Sanderson – Director and Privacy Officer
We understand that at this time, many of you may have questions regarding the state of our community, as it is, and we recognize at the moment, we are disconnected during this difficult transition. That being said, we want everyone in our community to know that we are working hard to prioritize the problems in front of us and solve them as expediently as possible.
Once such obstacles are overcome, our primary goal will be to find new and permanent board members so we can bring our community back together for a fresh start with open arms.
We are seeking volunteers to help support with upcoming events, initiatives and committees. Your voice matters, and your presence helps strengthen our community.
All community members are welcome and encouraged to participate in committees.
If you are interested in volunteering or would like to learn more, please reach us at: fraservalleymetisassociation@gmail.com.
Thank you for your continued support and enthusiasm. We look forward to walking this path together.
Additional Address of Transparency & Privacy
As an elected interim board of 9 members we represent diverse opinions of the FVMA community at large, and we want to be transparent while making sure that the entire community can inform processes that affect them, their data and their community. Although the initial recommendation of MNBC was to hold an SGM within 45 days of April 8, 2025 in order to elect a new board, the interim board has experienced significant delays and challenges with on-boarding having no continuing board members prior to March 2025. This timeline has been further delayed by losing access to our previous Gladwin location. Booking a space to meet, and navigating relocation of inventory, equipment, and property has presented additional challenges and time constraints.
The tentative date for the voting SGM is September 13, 2025, after many are returning from holidays, so we can get as many voices as possible to create better pathways for the future. The location and time is to be determined.
We are in unanimous agreement that systemic changes informed by the community at large in regards to bylaws are the best way forward. We are planning to create a bylaw committee which includes our community members so that our society can uphold data privacy and legal obligations in a transparent and inclusive way. The bylaw committee would not involve access to sensitive or protected data, given the data-breaches disclosed by the previous board, but would give an opportunity for anyone who is concerned, passionate or interested in community building a chance to have their voices heard.
We are working to create a set of procedures which would better track data access points and standard operating procedures. We are also conducting an internal audit by our Treasurer with a background in finance and an MNBC recommended finance professional to better inform the community of financial transactions made by FVMA. We assure you that all access to data is diligently being guarded throughout this process. We are also creating thorough records of inventory, equipment and property. If anyone is currently in possession of FVMA property, please let us know and/or arrange to have it returned immediately. Fiddle students should return FVMA property after their sessions are concluded for the year.
In regards to the event committee, the purpose is to maintain continuity for any ongoing events. The goal is to ensure that after the SGM the newly elected board will not experience significant disruptions or confusion regarding scheduling of events. Again, no personal or protected data would be accessed by anyone within the committee who is not a current member of the board that requires such data to perform their duties and any sensitive data would be transferred to the incoming board immediately. Access to information would be immediately removed by individuals who no longer hold board positions which require such access. Our commitment to protecting our community is of our highest priority.
Thank you for your continued patience and understanding.
Maarsii,
Interim FVMA Board