Boundary Co-op 2024 Annual Report

Boundary Co-op hosted its 2024 Annual General Meeting Thursday, June 19 at the Boissevain Administration Office. Twenty-three members were in attendance.

Board President, Elmer McCallum, called the meeting to order then introduced the current Board of Directors. President McCallum welcomed members to the meeting and appointed Debbie Graham as Secretary. A moment of silence followed for members that have passed this past year. He then gave some opening remarks and the approval of the agenda was passed.

Secretary Debbie Graham shared the minutes of the last Annual Meeting. No business arose from the minutes and there was no old business to report.

Elmer McCallum delivered the Board Report and a quick overview of this past year. There were 11 regular board meetings in 2024. McCallum and Graham attended the June District 5 Meeting in Brandon. Directors also attended the Annual Leaders Conference in Richmond, B.C. in November, enjoying hearing from speakers and discussing opportunities and challenges with other Co-op retail directors.

Director Ben Heide presented the Delegates Report and referred to his experiences in this, his first year on the Board of Directors.

Office Manager Tyler Gauthier followed the Directors' reports by reviewing the Boundary Co-op Financial Report. A copy of the full financial report is linked below.

General Manager Ryan Polnik provided his Manager's Report. He touched on some highlights from 2024; Boundary Co-op saw strong sales last year and provided $139,792 in donations and support to local groups, organizations and projects such as the Deloraine Pool, Killarney's Canada Day Celebration, Boissevain Street Fest and Hartney Hopper Days. Boundary Co-op provided 39 summer camp sponsorships and $9,000 in bursaries were awarded to local high school graduates. In October 2025, Boundary Co-op will provide a General Cash Repayment to its members in the amount of $1,886,862. The retail continues to invest a great deal in all communities, including an interior refresh at Killarney Food Store and the purchase of a new bulk petroleum truck. Polnik was pleased to announce a new C-store for Deloraine in 2025. The store will be incorporated into the Deloraine Home Centre which will be undergoing an extensive $1.4M renovation, including an updated exterior and the installation of new pumps which will offer all grades of fuel and Pay-at-the-Pump convenience. Polnik also presented the list of Service Award recipients and expressed his appreciation to all team members for their hard work this past year, and to the Board of Directors for their support and guidance.

No election was held this year; Directors Jackie Mitchell and Keith Cassan resume their seats as they were acclaimed. The Board now sits at seven members: Debbie Graham, Jackie Mitchell, Keith Cassan, Elmer McCallum, Ben Heide, Kirbie Cooper, and Sheila Lockhart. McCallum stated that there is still room on the Board and they are always on the lookout for new directors.

There was no new business brought forward by members. Questions from members in attendance were addressed and answered by the Board President and General Manager.

The 2024 Annual General Meeting was adjourned and door prizes were awarded.