At Bike Pirates an AGM is held every year to elect the board of directors and inform their members of previous and future activities. It is an opportunity for the shareholders and partners to receive copies of the company’s accounts as well as reviewing fiscal information for the past year and asking any questions regarding the directions the business will take in the future.

Agenda Items for Bike Pirates AGM:

Introduction: Review of Bike Pirates’ mission statement, structure and goals

Review of Bike Pirates operations for 2011
– open shop hours (general business review)
– the building (construction, issues to be resolved, landlords and lease)
– finances (income, expenses, growth)

Secondary projects review
– offsite and workshop opportunities *would be great to have a list of the groups/orgs. we now have a working relationship with*
– cooking programming and garden initiative
– events in the space (ours and others’) (including last year’s Bike!Bike!)

Committees
– review of committee structure proposed at previous AGM
– reports from current committees
– request for volunteers to join and steer committees, new or old

Board of directors
– review of current board and its organization processes
– elect new members

Future plans and goals
– finance
– the space
– the collective
– hours and programming
– ongoing projects with other organizations

On Thursday August 25th, meet us with your bicycle at Trinity Bellwoods Park between 6:30 and 7:00 PM. The tour starts at 7:00 PM sharp.

Art Spin is a free event, and everyone is welcome!

If you can’t make the tour, join us afterwards for our Second Annual Art Spin Exhibition and the grand opening of 99 Gallery. The reception runs from 9-Midnight and includes drinks and live music!

On Friday August 5, 2011, an 84 year old male cyclist was killed
at the intersection of Greenwood Avenue and Plains Road in East York.
The victim, Jack Roper, a Second World War veteran, had reportedly
discussed with friends the dangers of motorists not stopping at
the stop sign at this same intersection.

Advocacy for Respect for Cyclists (ARC) marks these deaths on our
roads with a memorial because those dying are our fellow cyclists.
It could happen to anyone, it could happen to any one of us.
It does not matter who was at fault in these deaths, nor their
place in society, what matters is that a cyclist has died.
ARC will hold a public memorial at 9:00 am, Friday August 12,
at the site of the crash.

Anyone on our streets is vulnerable, but special care must be taken for
the most vulnerable users of our roads, the cyclists and pedestrians.
Rather than giving in to the status quo of the automobile’s hegemony,
Toronto needs to be moving towards a vision of streets that are for
all users. Improved bicycle infrastructure, and a better pedestrian
realm is of vital importance for our lives today, and for a better
City of Toronto of tomorrow.

Some photos (via Dave) of last week’s Art Spin. This event links so many awesome things together: biking solidarity, learning about a great neighborhood of Toronto, new art, and of course entertainment. The next (and last) one this year is August 25. Don’t miss it!