TICO hosted its Annual General Meeting (AGM) on 26SEP. During this meeting, a technical error with the voting platform led to some users experiencing timeouts during the Industry Director vote. This limited their ability to cast votes for two Directors.
To ensure the integrity of the vote, TICO decided not to proceed with the industry director voting results.
The re-launch of the voting process is set to commence on 04OCT with the following two-step procedure: Register on the voting platform from 04OCT to 06OCT, followed by the online vote between 10OCT and 11OCT.
TICO advised that voters who either registered for the AGM or are voting members who did not register for/attend the AGM will receive further information about the next steps on 04OCT.
Only authorized individuals (e.g., Sole Proprietor, Partner, Officer, Director) are eligible to vote. AGM attendees who are members of the public or those not holding authorized positions within a TICO registrant cannot participate in the voting process.
Past Tensions with CATO and ACTA
As Open Jaw reported, on 25JUL, CATO and ACTA withdrew their four appointees from the TICO Board of Directors.
ACTA and CATO have made very public their members' opinions that Ontario's regulatory and compensation fund burdens on travel retail and wholesalers in Ontario are unsustainable and non-competitive. They have called for a new model.
At the time, CATO said the withdrawal was "in protest at TICO's inadequate consultation process on the funding of this regulatory body and on industry funding of the Travellers Compensation Fund. The other fundamental reason for the withdrawal was to put an end to an unacceptable conflict-of-interest situation that had gone on for too long and was becoming counterproductive on issues fundamental to the entire travel industry in Ontario."
Adding, "the industry can no longer accept to bear the increased costs of an inadequate protection system for both the consumers and for the burden it imposes on the industry," CATO's executive director, Jean Hebert, published a motion submitted to TICO to be made at TICO's 2023 AGM.
On 25AUG, TICO's president and CEO, Richard Smart, responded in an open letter published by Open Jaw. He addressed the media's focus on TICO’s funding review and the Compensation Fund, saying, "I understand there is apprehension regarding future fees to TICO. The last three years have been devastating for the industry and any uncertainty around financial obligations is stressful."
Smart hinted at the start of a thorough consultation process in the near future, emphasizing, "This process will provide a meaningful opportunity for all stakeholders to have their say. We plan to host both virtual and in-person focus groups to hear directly from you."
In an exclusive interview with OJ's President, Nina Slawek, during Toronto's ACTA Summit, ACTA President Wendy Paradis candidly shared the context behind the TICO funding disagreement head-on - referencing TICO documents with redacted numbers.
Paradis revealed, "We (ACTA) actually advocate for good, open business, with as little red tape as possible." With the redacted numbers, Paradis said that ACTA has "no idea" where TICO's funds have been allocated.
"We are very disappointed in the lack of transparency in the process," Paradis emphasized to OJ.
Anticipating the TICO AGM, Paradis further explained that ACTA is asking all Ontario registrants to participate.
"Because we want to ask both TICO and the government questions," she concluded.
