Chairs Report on The Structure of Transition Prince Rupert and Relationships between Different Groups January 29, 2012

Definitions Transition Prince Rupert Society (TPRS) TPRS is an incorporated society under the auspices of the Provincial Society Act. The society is governed by a board of directors who are elected by members of the society at an Annual General Meeting. The constitution and bylaws of TPRS define the purpose of the society and guide its operation. TPRS is the legal, economic, and political vehicle for transition activities. TPRS was incorporated on September 9, 2011 in response to a request by Northern Savings Credit Union for us to have a clearly defined publically recognizable structure to provide seed money to. Board of Directors of the TPRS The publication Primer for Directors of Not-ForProfit Corporations: Rights, Duties and Practices published by Industry Canada, outlines the duties, liabilities, rights, and powers of directors. In short, Directors are empowered and responsible for ensuring that the activities of the society are carried out in a proper manner. Directors are referred to as Trustees in the Transition Companion where the Totnes structure is provided as an example. Transition Prince Rupert Staff TPRS may at some point have paid staff members. There are a variety of roles staff can play in societies ranging from an Executive Director to secretarial help. Depending on the role of a staff member, they may be part of society board meetings and/or the core group. Staff members provide input at these meetings but do not have voting privileges. Core Group In Transition literature, the core group is the vehicle which connects the various Working Groups together. The actual details of how this happens are a bit vague in the literature and probably vary from area to area reflecting both the nature of the groups and their relationships along with the legal framework that exists in each jurisdiction. In general, the common understanding is that the core group is the main body that coordinates what is going on in Transition amongst the various working groups. These activities include liaison with other groups, coordination, and education. Within the Transition Prince Rupert Society, the Core Group will be constituted as a standing committee. Working Groups (WG) working groups are understood to be subject specific and are the main vehicle for projects. Steering Group/Initiating Group The terms Steering Group and Initiating Group are used somewhat interchangeably in Transition literature. In essence, this term is referring to the group of people who carry the concept from its beginning stages to the formation

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of Core Group. For the Prince Rupert Initiative, the following definitions are used which reflect the process that has occurred here. Initiating Group The decision to bring Transition Towns to Prince Rupert was made by Charles Justice, Ken Shaw, and Lee Brain. They decided to begin by making presentations about the Transition movement to a variety of groups and individuals. Joe Daniels and Amaryils Ducharme joined the Initiating Group part way through its work and were instrumental in planning the final presentation that resulted in the formation of the Steering Group. Original Steering Group Members of the public were invited to join the steering group at the final presentation made on May 28, 2011 and 19 people signed up. An initial gathering of the steering group was held on June 19, 2011 using an Open Space Format. Due to the long break over the summer and to accommodate those unable to be present on May 28th, the definition of the steering group was broadened to include those who indicated their interest on May 28 and/or attended the Transition Town Training Workshop on Sept 10/11, 2011. A volunteer sub-committee of the Steering Group designed a fall training program that ran for three and half months. During this period there was a range of interest and attendance leaving the question of final membership in the steering group somewhat vaguely defined. New Steering Group With the establishment of the TPRS society, the new steering group will consist of the directors and members of the original steering group who have chosen to continue on and become members of the TPRS society. The New Steering Group is constituted as a special committee within the TPRS society. The Model in Full Bloom The following diagram and description of the relationships between the various groups brings together the vision put forth in the transition town model and meshes it into the legal framework of how a society in British Columbia works. Working Groups are where one finds most of the action of Transition Towns. A review of many TT websites around the world reveal, that for a newcomer to Transition, they are directed to find a WG of interest to them and get involved. Thus the focus of Transition Prince Rupert should be around the projects and working groups while the other parts of the structure are there to support and guide the activities.

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WG;s can be quite autonomous developing their own terms of reference. To be recognized as an official working group of TTPR, the WG needs to abide by and adopt the TT Prince Rupert transition principles and have its chair participate as a member of the core group. The diagram shows several different ways in which the WG can overlap with the other groups. If the Holacracy model is adopted, the link between the WG and Core Group would consist of two people. The WG Chair acting as the Rep Link and member of the Core group acting as the Lead Link. WG Membership any citizen of Prince Rupert The chair of the WG must be a member of the TPRS. The diagram shows the WG bubble both outside of the society and overlapping inside. This means that WG can be composed of both members of TPRS and non-members as general members of the public. Transition Prince Rupert Society Membership Criteria 1. annual membership fee of $10. 2. anyone can apply for membership (fill out an application form) and would sign indicating that they have received a copy of the constitution and TPRS principles and agree to uphold them. 3. Are a resident of the City of Prince Rupert, Digby Island, or Port Edward. Board of Directors of TPRS elected annually at an Annual General Meeting This group meets monthly and is responsible for the affairs of the society. As the legal and political entity of TPRS, this is where the buck stops here decisions are made. Director responsibilities are summarized as following: Duty of Knowledge must know certain aspects of the society Duty of Care act honesty and in the best interest of the society Duty of Skill and Prudence director should act cautiously and anticipate any probable consequences of actions taken. Duty of Diligence act in the best interest of the society and be as fully informed as reasonably possible. Duty to Manage establish policies, provide guidance, and have adequate knowledge Fiduciary Duty act in a way that personal interests do not conflict with the society. These are often financial in nature. Director Qualifications We should have something that indicates that people elected as directors have a basic understanding of Transition (i.e. have read the Transition handbook, attended TT workshop, etc)

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Core Group Membership 1. Directors of the TPRS Society 2. Working Group Chairs 3. TPRS Staff (non-voting) 4. Chairs of TPRS standing committees. Within the structure of the society, the Core Group is a Standing Committee of the society empowered by the directors to govern its day to day activities. It coordinates, carries out education programs, liaises with WGs, the public, government, and other existing groups. Certain issues such as those of a fiduciary, legal, overall strategic, employee relationships, etc must be referred to the Board of Directors for final approval. Interim Transition Structure The Steering Group is established by the directors as a special committee of TPRS which will exist until a minimum of four WGs are established. Rob Hopkins in the Transition Handbook (p. 148) suggests that once a minimum of four working groups are formed that the steering group evolve into the core group. He doesnt use the term core group in this book (2008), but it is understood today that is what this suggestion means. Steering Group Sub-Committees Due to the size of the steering group, subcommittees on different topics and themes will be created. These committees would report back to the main steering committee once per month.

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