[Chapter-delegates] Application to form an ISOC Chapter in Canada (Central)

[Sabrina Wilmot]

Dear Colleagues,

The following application for a Chapter in central Canada has been received. It is being sent to this list for peer comment and review.
Please note that the Chapter is not yet formed and has not officially been recognised by the Internet Society.
If there are people on this list that know the individuals proposing to establish the Chapter, feedback is especially welcome.
The period allowed for comments is two weeks and the deadline is 25 January 2013.

Please do not hesitate to contact me on or off list.

Thanks,
Sabrina Wilmot
Manager, Chapter Formation
Internet Society

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Chapter Application

A. Proposed name of the Chapter
ISOC Canada Central Chapter
 
B. Community of Interest the Chapter will serve
Open to anyone in Canada
 
C. Purpose and scope of Chapter

Our Purpose is ISOC Canada Central Chapter is to serve the Society’s purposes by serving the interests of a segment of the global Internet community through a local presence, focus on local issues and developments.  This Chapter will serve persons who live or work in Canada 

Key Interests
	•	Censorship of the Internet
	•	Net Neutrality 
	•	Public access to the web
	•	Fair pricing for Internet service
	•	Equal access for rural and remote locations

 
D. Outline of key priorities for the first year of Chapter

Key Priorities
	1.	 Organization Capacity
		1.	Registration as a federal incorporated non profit
		2.	Formation of  a ISOC Canada Central Chapter and appropriate  working  groups ie. Public relations, membership, fundraising etc
		3.	Organize and conduct formal elections
	2.	Raise public awareness 
		1.	Public forums
		2.	Public statements on Internet Issues

1st  Priority

Task: Organize small group of  subcommittee members responsible for specific organizational  deliverables 

Results: Help establish the foundation of the group to lead it to the next level of membership expansion and development


2nd Priority

Task: Creation of marketing tools to raise awareness 

Results:  Creation of website, mobile application, Online survey, Presentation, brochures etc



3rd Priority

Task: Outreach for membership

Results:  Strive to have 400 members in Year One 
Tools:
	•	Booth space at WordCamps, FFOSS, SoOnCon and other conferences to encourage membership growth


E. Founding members of the Chapter

Name				Location		
Glenn McKnight		Oshawa, Ontario	
Colin McGregor		Toronto		
Evan Leibovitch		Toronto		
Kerry Brown			British Columbia	
Heather Leson 		Toronto		
Robert Bell			Oshawa		
Gareth Sherman		Vancouver		
Mark Raymond		Waterloo		
Rowena Liang					
Alan Skuce			British Columbia
Gordon Cullicott		Toronto		
David Lloyd Jones	Toronto		
Dana Perry			Nova Scotia		
Myles Braithwaite 	Toronto		
Alfredo  Herrara 		Ottawa 		
Ferial El-Hawary 		Nova Scotia
Aaran Duncan		Ontario	
Murray McKercher	Ontario 
Bryon Holland 		Ontario 	
Scott  Silzer			Ontario	
Martin Murillo		Ontario	
Dru Lavigne			Ontario	
Michael Gurstein		British Columbia 

 
F. List of supporters and partner organizations

Corporate 
CIRA
Affilias 

Think Tank
The Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) 

Professional Association
IEEE Canada Humanitarian Initiatives Committee

Pan Canadian ( Community Access Program)
Telecommunities Canada

 
G. Membership
Our chapter  hopes to achieve the following:
	•	To raise the awareness of ISOC in Canada
	•	Provide public comment on legislation and policies that impact Canadian’s rights as Internet pricing, access and quality
	•	To provide a discerning voice on Internet matters impacting Canadians
	•	To monitor government policies that may impact negatively on the people of Canada from the point of view of access, cost and availability
	•	To provide comment on Canadian public policies on Internet Governance 

Strategies
	•	Regular monthly meetings
	•	Active outreach to members
	•	Structured and productive meetings
	•	Formation of  sub-committees and delegation of duties  

Tools include:  
	•	Skype group chats. 
	•	Google Hangouts and other low cost  communication tools. 
	•	Wiki to capture group meeting notes, reports etc

Meeting times 
	•	Day  and time for monthly meetings by  determined by consensus 

 

H. List of requirements
We will be incorporating as a federally incorporated non profit.  The cost can vary from registration fees plus  lawyer fees.  
	•	Filing of application 
	•	Cost of registration for non profit corporation 
	•	Legal Fees
	•	Annual filing fee of $30

 Registration with Industry Canada
http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/cd-dgc.nsf/eng/cs04974.html


I. Additional information
Please indicate here any additional information you believe would be helpful to our initial review.

 The negative cap pricing for Canadian Internet users  is a serious issue impacting Canadians, See study
	•	https://cyber.law.harvard.edu/sites/cyber.law.harvard.edu/files/Berkman_Center_Broadband_Final_Report-Country_Overviews_15Feb2010.pdf 
According to this study Though it was among the first nations in the world to provide widespread, retail broadband service, Canada’s recent broadband development has lagged behind other developed nations. Canada’s broadband penetration rates are often lauded, but the country is a poor performer on price and speed and a declining performer in penetration. 
	•	The last mile issue especially in Rural areas is a serious issue of digital fairness for access to high speed internet
	•	The Far North has prohibitive rates for fair access especially to First Nation Canadians
	•	Lack of competition and innovation Too much cross ownership between content providers and Telcos


J. Your contact information

Glenn McKnight
Oshawa, Ontario  Canada L1K 2E1
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