NOTICE OF SPECIAL MEETING

The Board of Directors of the Canadian Public Relations Society, Inc. has called a Special Meeting of Members at 12 noon on Wednesday, March 31st 2004 at the CPRS National Office, Suite 346, 4195 Dundas Street West, Toronto, Ontario, to vote on a resolution submitted by the Governance Review Task Force. While it is not necessary for you to attend the meeting in person, it is important that you exercise your right as a CPRS voting member by completing and returning the proxy ballot that has been mailed to you. Please return in the self-addressed prepaid envelope supplied or fax to 416-239-1076. Deadline for receipt of this proxy at the CPRS National Office is 12 Noon on Wednesday, March 24th 2004.

By way of background, on October 21st 2003 documents were e-mailed to all voting members describing a proposed new governance model for the National Society. Accompanying the extensive documentation was a questionnaire soliciting Member input. Response was overwhelmingly in favour of the proposed changes and a few members contributed ideas for improvement.

On January 19th 2004, a final revised document was circulated to all members. Included was an implementation timetable that called for a Special Meeting to approve the proposed governance model to be held on March 31st 2004 (essentially a mail-in/fax vote on the proposal), which would facilitate bylaw changes to be brought before the membership at the Annual General Meeting in June 2004 and implementation of the new model, if approved, to be effective with the June 2005 Annual General Meeting.

At its meeting on February 21st 2004 the National Board of Directors endorsed the Governance Review Task Force proposal and authorized the calling of a Special Meeting on March 31st with the recommendation that members vote in favour of adopting the new governance model.

In summary, the proposal calls for:

• The National Board to be comprised of 12 elected Directors.
• Each Director to serve a three-year term.
• The Board composition to reflect the geographic diversity of the membership. Of the 12 Directors there will be at least one from each of six newly-designated geographic areas: Atlantic, Quebec, Ontario, the Prairies, Alberta and B.C.
• Board Members must be accredited or have a minimum of five years membership in CPRS National and a minimum of one year experience on a Member Society Board or National Council/Committee/Task Force, and be current CPRS National Members in good standing. Executive Committee Members must be accredited.
• There will be four face-to-face Board meetings and eight teleconferences per year.
• A Presidents' Council comprised of Presidents of CPRS Member Societies, or their designates, to be established to ensure best practices are shared between Member Societies. The National President and the Executive Director will be ex officio members to ensure that local issues are heard at the National Board level. The Council to have a minimum of one face-to-face meeting annually at the Society's National Conference.