Annual Meeting of CSL Board of Directors

The leadership of the Canadian Slovak League meets in person once a year at an annual meeting, usually in the spring. The coronavirus pandemic changed this tradition this year, as such meetings were not allowed in Mississauga until August.

The Annual Meeting is important because each member of the Board of Directors  reports on his/her activities since the last AGM, evaluates the state of the organization, and prepares plans for the future. The written report of each Director is then attached to the Minutes, which I send to all CSL Branches so that the members can assess the activities of those whom they elected to lead the organization at the last Convention.

The pandemic changed all our plans. Traditional events cannot take place this year. Therefore, a lot of time was devoted to The Canadian Slovak newspaper and initiatives to maintain it. Our newspaper is a bridge that unites us even though we cannot meet in person, it is a calling card of Canadian Slovaks to all Canadians, and it helps us maintain our identity.

At the meeting, we also honored the memory of long-term active members and friends of the CSL who passed on since the last meeting, including former President Mary Ann Doucette, former member of the Board of Directors Daniel Sulan, restorer of the 65th Branch in Calgary Stan Martončík, Imrich Stolárik Jr., and Metod Likavčan. May the Canadian soil be kind to them.

One of the most important tasks for the management and members in this difficult time is to recruit new CSL members, and subscribers to The Canadian Slovak. An option of paying for the subscription via Interac has been set up, and a possibility of electronic translation of all newspaper articles into English is being explored. Management also thanked the Office for the Slovaks Living Abroad, and Heritage Canada for financial support, which is vital for our newspaper at a time of declining advertising revenue.

The Board of Directors meets regularly during the year through teleconferences to ensure the well-being of the organization and to maintain the trust of all its members.

Paul Carnogursky,
Recording Secretary of the Canadian Slovak League