The Nominating Committee of Sail Canada is calling for nominations from interested individuals who are prepared to help shape the future of the sport of Sailing in Canada and guide the overall strategic plan of the organization. Candidates for election to the Sail Canada Board of Directors must be at least 18 years of age and be a member in good standing of a member club, class or other member organization.
The Board consists of the Chair (elected from the Directors at large), six Directors at large and two Athlete Directors. Every year at the Annual Meeting, Board vacancies are replaced through an election by the Members. Directors at large serve for three years in rotation with two retiring each year. Directors at large are eligible to be elected for a second term. The Chair is elected from the Directors at large and serves a 2 year term, being eligible to be re-elected as a Director at large once their Chair term expires. Athlete Directors are elected by members of the Canadian Sailing Team in a separate process.
There will be three Director at large positions up for election at the 2025 Sail Canada Annual Meeting to be held on or about October 29, 2025. One Director has completed a second and final three year term, one Director has finished a first, three year term, and the Chair has completed their two year term and is not eligible for a further term as a Director at Large.
The Nominating Committee performs a recruiting role in accordance with Sail Canada by-laws, issuing the call for candidates and publishing the list of candidates with brief biographies.
The Board has examined the professional skills and background of the existing Directors and has determined that the following skills are desired:
- strong financial literacy and expertise, with previous treasurer experience preferred
- government and public relations experience
- fundraising and sponsorship supporting Not-For-Profit organizations
- Legal background/experience
These skill sets would enhance the Board and we encourage people with those backgrounds to apply.
The election process must ensure that there are no more than 4 directors who self-identify as the same gender, not including the Athlete Directors. The Nominating Committee is also tasked with ensuring that there is reasonable representation of official languages, regions and differing physical abilities amongst the candidates.
Directors must be able to commit time and effort through the year, and throughout their term, to meetings, committees, and email correspondence. Regular Board meetings are held eight (8) times per year (typically in October, November, February, March, April, May, August, and September). There may be up to two face-to-face meetings per year, occurring after the Annual Meeting in October, and after the Semi-Annual Director’s Meeting in April. The remainder of the meetings occur virtually/over conference call. Meetings are approximately 2-3 hours in length and are held after business hours (after 6 p.m. Eastern).
The current Board of Directors and nominations received to date for election to the Board of Directors at the 2025 Annual Meeting are as follows:
| Position | Current Board of Directors (year term expires; term number) |
Nominations (received to date) |
| Chair | Kate MacLennan (’25; 1st term) – AB | |
| Directors at Large | Torstein Braaten (’25; 1st term) – ON Barbara Pike (’25; 2nd term) – NS Valerie Lavigne (’26; 2nd term) – QC Fiona Cochrane (’26; 1st term) – BC Hugh Goodday (’27; 1st term) – NS Martha Henderson (’27; 1st term) – ON |
Sandra Alsaffawi – ON Torstein Braaten – ON Aaron Drury – AB |
| Athlete Directors | Sarah Douglas – ON James Juhasz – ON |
The positions of the Board of Directors will be decided by means of a vote by the membership at the Sail Canada Annual Meeting.
The 2025 Sail Canada Annual Meeting will be held virtually on or about Wednesday, October 29, 2025.
Any Member entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting shall be entitled to appoint, in writing, a proxy to attend the meeting on that Member’s behalf and to exercise all voting rights. Please see the Bylaws of the Association for detailed membership and voting information. The Sail Canada by-laws are available here; Sail Canada By-laws.
Interested persons should send their name, contact information and qualifications to the Nominating Committee at sailcanada@sailing.ca.
The deadline for nominations to be received by Sail Canada is September 10, 2025.
