Toronto, 21 September 2009: In what can only be described as a complete unwillingness to respect the rights of its members, TICO advised member Helen Thompson Travel (HTT) that none of the motions which HTT has submitted will be permitted to be heard at the TICO Annual General Meeting (AGM). TICO's position to refuse HTT's motions was conveyed in a letter written by Mike Foster, TICO's Vice Chair, who also serves as ACTA Ontario Regional Chairman. A similar letter was received by another travel agency which also sought to raise various motions at the AGM.
The letter, received after the close of business on Friday, 18 September, essentially states that no issue which comes under the "purview" of the TICO board can be raised by a member. However, even those issues which HTT raised requiring ministerial approval (which the Minister said would be "inappropriate" to approve before his own preference is confirmed by members at the AGM), as well as every other motion which HTT submitted was either submitted as non-binding or as a recommendation to provide members with draft amendments to TICO's bylaws.
HTT worked diligently to assure that the form and substance of its motions were framed in such a way which TICO would be required to allow the motion to be moved, and TICO had already given its consent to accept non-binding motions so that members could express their will and have same formalized.
It has also become clear that ACTA Ontario was provided with prior and confidential information regarding TICO's refusal to accept the HTT motions, even before HTT itself was notified, when ACTA, much earlier on Friday, sent an e-mail broadcast to travel agencies stating that there would be only one motion at the AGM - the one proposed by TICO. This represents a complete breach of TICO board policy involving conflicts of interest and TICO's own confidentiality provisions. It appears that both TICO and ACTA are working together to prevent travel agencies from asserting their rights.
ACTA Ontario's e-mail broadcast also raised unfounded fears that any unwillingness by members to accept TICO's decision to limit board representation by the members would be viewed as our industry being in "disarray" and might compel the government to dismantle TICO in favour of a government run regulator. Such an assertion by ACTA is not only absurd, but also it is designed to frighten agencies into giving ACTA members proxies to vote in favour of TICO's undemocratic agenda. It is also intended to protect ACTA's role in having three seats on the TICO board, while TICO members have their own elected seats reduced from three seats to two seats.
None of Mr. Foster's assertions about the appropriateness of HTT's motions is supported by any of the many documents cited by him, nor do any of the statutes, provisions, Acts, bylaws, regulations or agreements prevent such non-binding motions or such motions to make recommendations from being heard. TICO, through Mr. Foster, is simply attempting to dismiss the many valid issues raised by HTT which include board restructuring, protection of agency commissions, amendments to bylaws, wholesaler obligations after cancellations, financial non-compliance, confidentiality and consumer-financing of the compensation fund.
ARTA Canada is encouraging all Ontario travel agencies to attend the TICO AGM on 24 September 2009 at 4:00PM at the Toronto Congress Centre, 650 Dixon Road, Toronto Pearson Airport area or, in the alternative, to provide HTT with the agency's proxy. TICO must not be allowed to run roughshod over Ontario's travel agencies, and agencies must show TICO that the regulator's undemocratic and arrogant treatment of its registrant members will not be tolerated.
A copy of the proxy form is available at:
