MICHAEL GREEN is gone from his longtime position as president of Victoria Right to Life Society, after an often disorderly annual general meeting October 18, held at Our Lady Queen of Peace church hall.

Green, a financial advisor based in Cobble Hill, declined to stand for re-election, as did several supporters on the old board. Acclaimed as the new president was Peter Stornebrink, a 78 year old retired electrical engineer and mathematics teacher, who has been on the board since 2007.

“I did not want to be president,” said Stornebrink, his speech showing traces of his native Netherlands. “But they told me I was the only one who could do it. I do believe in the pro-life cause very much. It is very important.”

Green told the assembly he had offered to give up the presidency several times, but had found no one to take him up on the offer, “who was willing to do all the work.”

More than 100 members of the society attended, and were mostly dismayed to see the board’s divisions on display from the moment Green opened the meeting. There were many points of order, and outbursts from the floor.

Members were upset when one board member announced that the society did not have any rules of order. “That’s one of the things we have to address,” he said. And the meeting proceeded without any rules in evidence.

“It’s true the board is dysfunctional,” Green said at one point, adding: “It’s evident I don’t have the confidence of a lot of members.” Nor of three board members: Stornebrink; Bernadine Lister; and her daughter, Wendy Willis.

This trio, along with several society members and office manager Nora Hynes, had circulated a list of grievances to all the members shortly before the AGM. In it, they claimed they had not received a monthly financial report since the previous winter, nor the yearly report from the previous year.

They also alleged that the society was violating Canada Revenue Agency regulations; that Green had refused to address their concerns; that he was failing to account for spending, and was failing to conduct “arms length transactions”; and that he had changed the locks on the society’s office, to keep them out when staff were not around.

Other issues, according to former board member John Newman, included giving catering contracts for society events to Green’s children, and claiming travel expenses in four figures for several years.

Green attempted to address some of his opponents’ general complaints, without giving them an opportunity to explain the specifics.

His children had been involved in catering for the society, but the funds had gone to “a worthy cause”: sending them to World Youth Day, an annual Catholic event.

“But it is not a conflict of interest, if it is done in the open as this was,” he argued.

As for his travel mileage, he admitted it was “excessive,” but explained:

“I did a lot of things on my own . . . It’s been a one-man show. I asked: ‘Who is willing to do the work?’ No one was willing to do the work.”

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Green presided over the meeting for two hours.

After many outbursts of dissatisfaction over his approach to leadership, he was persuaded to relinquish the chair to Phillip Ney, a doctor and counsellor with a long history in the pro-life movement.

Ney immediately proclaimed that Bourinot’s Rules of Order would apply, and pushed the dwindling membership through the agenda until the time came for “any other motions.”

A motion from Green’s supporters that the board be cut to five members in order to exclude the dissidents, was ruled out by Ney – after which Green and his supporters appeared resigned to defeat.  

The dissidents’ motion for an independent financial review – to take place as soon as possible – was passed.

Green asserted in response: “I’m not opposed to an internal review.”

Election of directors and officers came next – with many declining, including Green and all his supporters. The dissidents were returned, and several members-at-large were acclaimed.

After the meeting, one recently resigned board member told BCCN: “The board was badly divided. It couldn’t accomplish anything. So Michael just did things on his own.”

Another former board member, John Newman, stated: “Michael was very good for the Society when he started. But I think he was president for too long. He was doing everything himself. And when the locks get changed, it’s time to step in and change things.”

Newman said it was more important than ever that there be a strong pro-life voice in Victoria. “Euthanasia is coming,” he warned. “I visit a lot of nursing homes, and see people there who will be targets.”

Stornebrink said the first thing he would be working to change was the current lack of financial accountability; but he added that the constitution and bylaws also needed thorough revamping.

The new board held its first meeting the following day.

– Steve Weatherbe

November 2009