Further to the notice sent out earlier this week, a clarification is being provided:

On October 27^th, 2020, a case conference was held before The Honourable Justice Hainey, the judge who has been case-managing the matter between ICC and the Applicants (Payami et al) since September 9, 2019. Present at the case conference were Atoosa Mahdavian, counsel for the Applicants, Dan Fridmar, counsel for ICC, Mitchel Wine, counsel representing the 8 Directors and Marvin Huberman, the Court-Appointed Monitor. 

The purpose of the case conference was for ICC Counsel to request an adjournment of the Applicants’ Motion scheduled for November 2, 2020 for, among other things, an order removing the Board, an order restraining the ICC from holding the Special General Meetings (SGM) and other relief as set out in the motion materials. 

The request by ICC for the adjournment of the Motion was denied. 

Justice Hainey further directed that the SGM called by the ICC Board for November 1, 2020 and the SGM called by certain members for October 31, 2020 shall not proceed.

Further decisions and arguments with respect to the Motion will be heard on November 2, 2020 before Justice Cavanaugh and the decisions will be communicated to the ICC membership accordingly.

Dear ICC Members,

As mentioned in our previous communications, the ICC Board was requisitioned by a petition from approximately 230 members to hold an SGM as soon as possible. The petition specifically referred to a hearing on November 2nd and stated that the members signing the SGM requisition would like their voices to be heard before this hearing. In order to fulfil our duty under Section 295 of the Corporations Act and to provide members the opportunity to voice their opinions on the direction of the organization, the Board decided to hold the Member-requisitioned SGM for October 31st, 2020. 

Yesterday, on October 27th, 2020, in a case conference Justice Hainey instructed the ICC board to postpone the SGM until after a motion(supplementary motion material here) brought by applicants Babak Payami, Kamnoosh Shahabi, Mehrdokht Hadi, and Shayan Moin ("Payami et al.") scheduled November 2nd, 2020 is heard. The Honorable Judge stated that this instruction is to preserve the status quo before the scheduled hearing on November 2nd.  

The Board therefore has no choice but to postpone the SGM called by members until after November 2nd, 2020. The same instructions also apply to the SGM called by the board which was scheduled for November 1^st, 2020. 

The ICC Board continues to be committed to allowing the membership to have their say on the organization’s affairs and fulfil its legal obligations to members’ requisitions. As such, we encourage all members to stay tuned for further updates on when this SGM will be held.

Furthermore, the board is happy to announce that it has both raised enough money to carry forward the AGM and has renegotiated its debt to the legal firm Gardiner Roberts and that the adjusted debt to this legal firm is reduced from approximately $42,000 to $10,000 with a reasonable payment schedule. We look forward to your continued help and ask you to donate using this link. 

Sincerely,

Board of Directors

Iranian Canadian Congress

Dear ICC Members, 

As you know, the ICC has called a member-requisitioned SGM for October 31st, 2020, beginning at 4pm.

REGISTER FOR THE SGM HERE

In order to ensure that members' attendance, proxies, and voting all proceed smoothly, we are putting into place deadlines for members to register and designate proxies, both of which are midnight on October 30th:

In order for you to attend and vote at the SGM personally, you must register using this link before midnight on October 30th. 

If you cannot attend the meeting but want to designate a proxy, you must also register your proxy by emailing your name, the name of your proxy holder, and your membership status to [email protected] before midnight on October 30th. Please include the phrase "SGM Proxy" in the subject of your email. 

We remind all members that in order to participate at the SGM, you must register yourself or your proxy before the deadline. We therefore encourage all members to register either of these as soon as possible, and to email [email protected] if their situation changes (e.g. if they have designated a proxy and would like to attend in person, or vice versa) also before the deadline. 

Further, if you want to introduce a motion at the SGM, please send the text of your motion to [email protected] before Noon on October 31st, 2020. 

Board Called SGM (November 1st, not to be confused with Member-Requisitioned SGM)

Further to our previous communications, the Iranian Canadian Congress will also be holding a Special General Meeting, called by the Board of Directors, on November 1st, 2020, starting at 4PM. 

In order to attend and vote at this meeting, please register using this link as soon as possible. For security purposes, only those members in good standing who register using this link on the Eventbrite platform will receive the video conferencing link and voting information. 

If you wish to designate a proxy holder for this meeting, please email [email protected] with your intention to do so, along with your name and membership status and the name(s) of the individual(s) you wish to designate as your proxy before Midnight on October 31st, 2020. Please include the phrase "Board SGM Proxy" in the subject of your email. 

Please note that receiving this email does not necessarily mean that you are a member in good standing of the ICC. If you want to confirm your membership status, please email [email protected]

Sincerely,

Board of Directors, 

Iranian Canadian Congress

Dear ICC Members, 

Further to our previous communications, the Iranian Canadian Congress will be holding a Special General Meeting requisitioned by members on October 31st, 2020, starting at 4PM. 

In order to attend and vote at this meeting, please register using this link as soon as possible. For security purposes, only those members in good standing who register using this link on the Eventbrite platform will receive the video conferencing link and voting information. 

If you wish to introduce a motion at the SGM, we would ask you to please send your motion to [email protected] by no later than Noon on October 31st, 2020 so that it can be included in our online voting platform. Please include the phrase "SGM Motion" in the subject of your email. 

If you wish to designate a proxy holder for this meeting, please email [email protected] with your intention to do so, along with your your name and membership status and the name(s) of the individual(s) you wish to designate as your proxy. Please include the phrase "SGM Proxy" in the subject of your email. 

Please note that reading this message does not necessarily mean that you are a member in good standing of the ICC. If you want to confirm your membership status, please email [email protected]

Sincerely,

Board of Directors, 

Dear Members of the Iranian Canadian Congress (ICC): 

As you know, the ICC Board has called a Special General Meeting of Members on October 31^st, 2020. 

Since then, the ICC Board has received a requisition for a Special General Meeting, i.e. one called by the membership as opposed to the board, to be held as soon as possible. Details of this requisition found here.

Because of this requisition, the Board has decided to move the date of the SGM called by the board to November 1^st, 2020 beginning at 4:00 PM., Eastern Standard Time, via Zoom web-conferencing (videoconference link to follow), and hold the SGM requisitioned by the membership to October 31^st, 2020, also beginning at 4:00 PM., Eastern Standard Time, via Zoom web-conferencing (videoconference link to follow). In this way, we hope to allow those members requisitioning the SGM to have their say in an open forum as soon as possible and before the SGM held by the board, while also giving all members adequate notice. 

We look forward to members' attendance at these SGMs. 

On behalf of the Board of Directors, we would like to express our appreciation for your continued interest in the ICC. The Notice is enclosed.

NOTICE (Member-Requisitioned SGM):

To Members: 

A Special General Meeting of Members of the IRANIAN CANADIAN CONGRESS will be held on October 31^st, 2020 beginning at 4:00 PM., Eastern Standard Time, via Zoom web-conferencing (link to the meeting forthcoming), in order to: 

1. Discuss whatever matter the members attending the meeting see it fit to discuss. 
2. Conduct such other business as may properly come before the meeting and at any adjournment or postponement of the meeting. 

NOTICE (Board-Called SGM):

To Members: 

A Special General Meeting of Members of the IRANIAN CANADIAN CONGRESS will be held on November 1^st, 2020 beginning at 4:00 PM., Eastern Standard Time, via Zoom web-conferencing (link to the meeting forthcoming), in order to: 

1. Discuss and decide with our members the future of the ICC in the context of the considerable financial obligations that the Corporation has due to the ongoing settlement around the 2019 AGM and the coronavirus pandemic. 
2. Conduct such other business as may properly come before the meeting and at any adjournment or postponement of the meeting. 

Sincerely, 

Board of Directors

Iranian Canadian Congress

Find below an email from ICC Board Member Younes Zangiabadi asking Amazon to remove a hateful shirt from its platform: 

My name is Younes Zangiabadi and I am a board member at the Iranian Canadian Congress (ICC). The ICC is an advocacy organization that represents the interests of the Iranian Canadian community in Canada.

I am writing to you to express my deep concerns, on behalf of our members, regarding an item that is being sold with racist and offensive notions against the members of our community and the Iranian community at large at your website. This T-shirt perpetuates and facilitates the spread of hate, violence, and Iranophobia and discriminates based on nationality.

With respect to Amazon's policy on banning “items that Amazon deems offensive,” which include products “that promote or glorify hatred, violence, racial, sexual or religious intolerance or promote organizations with such views.“, I am asking for the immediate removal of this item from your website.

Amazon has a history of acting against racist propaganda on its website, we hope the immediate and permanent suspension of this seller serves as another example that Amazon does not offer a platform for racism and have zero-tolerance policy towards violence.

I look forward to hearing from you,
Younes Zangiabadi

Hello ICC Members, 

As you know, the Iranian Canadian Congress held its Information Session yesterday October 18th at 6PM.

We are happy to announce that this was a successful event, one that was not only informative, but also in which attendees generously donated more than $1,000. 

We encourage you to watch the entire recording of the Information Session at this link. 

If you would like to donate to the Iranian Canadian Congress, we ask you to do so at this link. 

Sincerely, 

Board of Directors, 

Iranian Canadian Congress

Dear ICC Members,

In the face of limitations imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the executive team of the ICC has been extensively working to maintain the daily operation of the organization and advance the representation of the Iranian Canadian community in Canada during this time.

With your generous support, in the month of October, the ICC has raised $6,228.23 CAD and secured $4,500 CAD with pledged donors, which brings the donations to a total of $10,728.23 as of today. 

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of those who have supported the ICC to protect and advance the interest of the Iranian Canadian community. 

We rely on our members’ donations to run this organization. Our Annual General Meeting (AGM) is coming up soon and we need to raise more donations to ensure that we can cover the expenses of the ICC's elections in December. 

We have already started a strong month in October and we are certain that we can finish it even stronger with your generous support. 

You can use the following link for donation: https://www.iccongress.ca/donate

Thank you very much in advance for your contribution. 

Sincerely,

Board of Directors

Iranian Canadian Congress

با توجه به شرايط همه گيری ويروس كرونا، توانايي كنگره براي جمع آوری حمايت های مالی به شدت محدود شده است. این درحالي است كه اعضای هیئت مدیره همواره کوشیده اند با تمامی محدودیت ها، فعالیت های خود را در راستای منافع جامعه ایرانی کانادایی به جلو ببرند.  

برای آگاهی شما عزیزان، بخشی از تلاش های کنگره که از آغاز همه گیری ویروس کرونا برای هموطنان انجام شده است را در زیر به اشتراک می گذاریم:

۱)‌ فعالیت در راستای حمايت از كسب و كار هاي كوچك و كار آفرینان ايراني- كانادايي و پيگيري با دولت كانادا و دولت هاي استاني برای حمایت از این دسته افراد در جامعه

۲) جمع آوری اطلاعات از صاحبان مشاغل مختلف در جامعه ايراني- كانادايي و تهیه ليستی شامل اطلاعات راجع به خدمات مختلفكسب و كار هاي ايراني برای حمایت از یکدیگر در روزهاي قرنطينه 

۳) برگزاری نظرسنجی عمومی اطلاعات فارسي درباره نیاز های جامعه‌ ایرانی از زمان شروع بحران كرونا در كانادا؛

۴) انتشار نامه عمومي و بيانيه براي پايان تحريم ها و جنگ اقتصادي آمریکا عليه ایران و ايرانيان كه توان اقتصادي و بهداشتي مقابلهبا كرونا را محدود كرده است؛

براي حمايت از كنگره ايرانيان كانادا در راستا تامین هزینه های جاری و خدمات به جامعه ايراني- كانادايي، از شما خواهشمندیم که كمك هاي مالي خود را ازطريق اين لينك پراخت كنيد.

شما همچنین می توانید با پرداخت ۱۰ دلار در سال عضو کنگره ایرانیان کانادا شوید و در انتخابات کنگره شرکت نمایید و صدای منتخب خود را برای نمایندگی جامعه انتخاب کنید.

2019 AGM Committee has published the Summary Report, dated October 16th, 2020, regarding the verification of the ICC Member Registry as of December 9, 2018

Link: Verification of ICC Member Registry as of December 9, 2018