On Sunday, April 26, 2015, CMHA branch Board members gathered for a full day program of governance-related subjects to help them in their leadership role within their respective jurisdictions. There were five presentations in total, spanning a wide range of topics including: legal and fiduciary duties of board members, fundraising, and anticipated implications of the new Ontario Not-for-Profit Corporations Act. Volunteer experts shared their knowledge on the various topics that had been identified through the Governance Stream subcommittee of the Conference Planning committee. Topics were selected through consensus by the subcommittee, and focused on topic areas that would be most relevant and of interest for a diverse range of CMHA branch board members. Following attendance at the keynote sessions on Monday, Governance Stream attendees then engaged in a facilitated networking session that looked at topics of interest such as strategic planning and governance models.
Heading back to their branches, the Governance stream participants left enthused to share their new knowledge with their peers. Many were also eager to continue building on the new and revived relationships with board members from across the province.