2025-2026 BOARD OF DIRECTORS
| Name | Role | Province | On Board Since | Last elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florence Klein | President | QC | 2018 | 2024 |
| JESSICA RUTLEDGE | Vice-President | ON | 2021 | 2024 |
| Sydney Carroll | Athlete Representative | SK | 2025 | 2025 |
| PAUL FRITZ-NÉMETH | ON | 2024 | 2024 | |
| Sara Hart | AB | 2020 | 2025 | |
| Jason Herbert | BC | 2020 | 2023 | |
| GREG McILWAIN | AB | 2023 | 2023 | |
| Alicia Renaud-Paquin | QC | 2025 | 2025 | |
| Dawn Wilson | BC | 2021 | 2022 | |
| Catherine Barrett | Athlete Council Chair | NL | 2023 | 2023 |
Interested to join our dynamic board team?
Click here!AQUATIC FEDERATIONS REPRESENTATIVES
| Name | Role | Province |
|---|---|---|
| Cheryl Gibson | World Aquatics Bureau member, World Aquatics Artistic Swimming Liaison | AB |
| Lisa Schott | World Aquatics TASC (Technical Artistic Swimming Committee) Chair Pan Am Aquatics Technical Artistic Swimming Committee Vice-Chair |
AB |
| Florence Klein | Aquatics Masters Technical Committee Member Aquatics Canada Aquatique President |
QC |
| Sheilagh Croxon | World Aquatics Coaching Committee Representative | ON |
| Stéphane Côté | Pan Am Aquatics Representative | QC |
| Erika Lindner | Pan Am Aquatics Representative | ON |
| Dot Padget | Pan Am Aquatics Masters Committee Member | AB |
| Jessica Rutledge | Aquatics Canada Representative | ON |
COMMITTEES
Click on the committees titles to see a full description
STANDING COMMITTEES
| Members | Role |
|---|---|
| Sara Hart | Co-Chair |
| JASON HERBERT | Co-Chair |
| Mélanie Beaudoin | Provincial Representative |
| Alicia Renaud-Paquin | Member |
| LINDSAY DUNCAN | Member |
| Catherine Barrett | Member |
| Steve Wallace | CAS Resource |
GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE - Terms of reference
Purpose
The purpose of the Governance Committee is to ensure that the Board fulfills its legal, ethical, and functional responsibilities through adequate governance and policy development.
Committee Composition
he Governance Committee is composed of five to seven Canada Artistic Swimming registrants including a Chair appointed by the Board, the Athlete Council Chair, at least one current Director, and at least two representatives at large (not more than one per province).
Key Duties
The duties of the Governance Committee are:
- Ensure Bylaws are compliant with legal requirements and funding regulations.
- Periodic review of current Board policies, development of new or revised Board policies and the removal of redundant policies, to ensure that Board policies are relevant, meet legal requirements and are understood by the Directors.
- Review and approval of CAS committee terms of reference.
- Ensure that the Board of Directors and the committee structure and culture reflect best practices of governance principles as guided by Sport Canada and the Not for Profit Act.
Skills Set for Committee Members
- Persons appointed to the committee will have knowledge, experience and interest in governance issues and will reflect, to the extent possible, the diversity of the Canada Artistic Swimming membership including geography, language, artistic swimming specific knowledge, professional backgrounds and personal experience.
- Legal, strategy, policy development and risk management experience is important to this committee.
Term
- Governance Committee members may serve more than one year on the Committee.
- Members of the Committee may serve a maximum of six consecutive one-year terms.
- The Chair may serve a maximum of four consecutive one-year terms as Chair of the Committee.
Meetings and Resources
- The Governance Committee meets as required. Meetings will be at the call of the Chair.
- Each voting member of the Governance Committee, including the Chair, has one vote. In the event of a tie, the Chair will cast a second and deciding vote. Roberts Rules will be followed.
- The Governance Committee will be assigned the necessary administrative and financial support from Canada Artistic Swimming to fulfill its mandate.
Last Updated: July 25, 2025
Board Approval: August 18, 2025
| Members | Role |
|---|---|
| JESSICA RUTLEDGE | Chair |
| Alicia Renaud-Paquin | Member |
| SYDNEY CARROLL | Member |
| HELEN KELLEY | Member |
| Nikki Singh Campagna | Member |
NOMINATING COMMITTEE - Terms of reference
Purpose
The Nominating Committee is responsible for ensuring that the members of Canada Artistic Swimming are presented with capable and eligible nominees for election to the Board at the Annual Meeting. Members of the Nominating Committee recruit, and evaluate candidates; they prepare the list of directors for election and make recommendations for specific candidates.
Committee Composition
The Nominating Committee will be composed of four (4) Canada Artistic Swimming registrants including a Chair who shall be a Board member not up for re-election and three representatives at large (not more than one per province). The Chair is appointed by the Board following the Annual Meeting and the Chair selects the balance of the committee.
Key Duties
The duties of the Nominating Committee are:
- Perform a gap analysis on current board to determine strengths and weaknesses, and identify desirable qualities or qualifications for future board members
- Identify, evaluate, recruit capable and eligible persons to stand for election as Directors,
- Promote diversity of directors in relation to geography, language, professional backgrounds and personal experience,
- Receive and review nominations for filling board vacancies or positions and interview candidates
- Create and maintain a template to be used in the evaluation of potential candidates
- Execute best efforts to ensure, in any given election, that no nominee gains office by acclamation,
- Ensure requirements of the bylaws are adhered to in the nomination process and election outcome,
- Participate in the election process at the AM as directed by the Board Chair and as per the Nominating and Election Policy.
Skills Set for Committee Members
- Persons appointed to the committee will have knowledge, experience and interest in governance issues and will reflect, to the extent possible, the diversity of the Canada Artistic Swimming membership including geography, language, artistic swimming -specific knowledge, professional backgrounds and personal experience
- HR experience is desirable
Term
- Nominating Committee members may serve more than one year on the Committee.
- Participation in the Committee is limited to a maximum of six consecutive one-year terms. The Chair may serve a maximum of four (4) consecutive one-year terms as chairperson of the Committee, and his/her participation in the Committee is limited in total to the number of terms for members (six one-year terms).
Meetings and Resources
- The Nominating Committee will meet, as required. Meetings will be at the call of the Chair. Minutes of all meetings will be taken.
- Each voting member of the Nominating Committee, including the Chair, will have one vote. In the event of a tie, the Chair will cast a second and deciding vote. Roberts Rules will be followed.
- The Nominating Committee will be assigned the necessary administrative and financial support from Canada Artistic Swimming to fulfill its mandate.
Last Updated: March 2019
Board Approval: May 5, 2020
| Members | Role |
|---|---|
| Paul Fritz-Nemeth | Chair |
| Ann Stirrat | Member |
| Florence Klein | Member |
| GREG McILWAIN | Member |
| Steve Wallace | Member |
FINANCE & AUDIT COMMITTEE - Terms of reference
Purpose
The purpose of the Finance and Audit Committee is to review, to make recommendations, and to provide guidance on Canada Artistic Swimming’s financial reports, internal controls, independent audit, budget process, and financial analysis.
Committee Composition
The Finance and Audit Committee will be composed of six (6) registrants including a Chair, who is the Treasurer of Canada Artistic Swimming, four (4) registrants at large (not more than one per province, the President of Canada Artistic Swimming, and, as required, non-voting resource members, such as the Chief Executive Officer, other association staff members, and consultants.
Key Duties
The duties of the Finance and Audit Committee are:
FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE
- Oversee finance and audit matters of the organization ensuring adequate procedures and policies are in place to minimize any risk associated with Canada Artistic Swimming Board decisions.
- Review financial plan, budget, audited financial statements, and asset and liability management plan.
- Make recommendations for Board support (financial plan, budget, financial policies, asset and liability management, and audited financial statements).
- Review financial statements.
- Report on financial activity, financial plan, policy compliance (e.g., Delegation of Authority and Financial Stewardship, Financial Transactions with Stakeholders and Investment Policies etc.), and financial risks to ensure they are aligned with Canada Artistic Swimming’s strategic goals and objectives and key success metrics.
FINANCIAL AUDIT
- Review audit plan annually.
- Engage with an accredited accounting firm in the review of Canada Artistic Swimming’s financial statements.
INTERNAL CONTROLS AND COMPLIANCE
- Assists the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) with review and compliance of funding submissions and agreements as required.
- Review internal controls issues and recommendations in auditor’s management letter.
Skills Set for Committee Members
- Persons appointed to the committee will have knowledge, experience and interest in financial analysis, financial reporting, audit controls, and accounting principles and will reflect, to the extent possible, the diversity of the Canada Artistic Swimming membership including geography, language, artistic swimming specific knowledge, professional backgrounds, and personal experience. Business finance, cost accounting, financial accounting, and financial ratios experience is important to this committee.
Term
- Finance and Audit Committee members may serve more than one year on the Committee.
- Participation in the Committee is limited to a maximum of six (6) consecutive one-year terms. The Chair may serve a maximum of four (4) consecutive one-year terms as chairperson of the Committee, and his/her participation on the Committee is limited in total to the number of terms for members (six one-year terms).
Meetings and Resources
- The Finance and Audit Committee will meet, as required. Meetings will be at the call of the Chair. Minutes of all meetings will be taken.
- Each voting member of the Finance and Audit Committee, including the Chair, will have one vote. In the event of a tie, the Chair will case a second and deciding vote. Roberts Rules will be followed.
- The Finance and Audit Committee will be assigned the necessary administrative and financial support from Canada Artistic Swimming to fulfill its mandate.
Last Updated: June 2017
Board Approval: June 2017
| Members | Role |
|---|---|
| Dawn Wilson | Chair and Board Liaison |
| SYDNEY CARROLL | Member |
| Jason Herbert | Member |
| Florence Klein | Member |
| Greg McIlwain | Member |
| Steve Wallace | CAS Resource |
HUMAN RESOURCES COMMITTEE - Terms of reference
Purpose
The purpose of the Human Resources Committee is to advise the Board in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities with respect to human resources and compliance management, CEO performance evaluation, development planning, compensation, interruption planning, senior management team succession planning and related risk management considerations.
Committee Composition
The Human Resources Committee will be composed of three Canada Artistic Swimming Directors, who are recommended by the Governance Committee and approved by the Board. The President of the Board will act as an ex officio member of the HR committee.
Except when the Committee is dealing with in camera matters such as the performance evaluation of the CEO, the CEO by invitation of the HR Committee, may attend meetings as staff representative but not as a member.
The Committee may recruit, as needed, individuals/firms with expertise, with or without compensation.
Key Duties
The duties of the Human Resources Committee are:
HUMAN RESOURCES AND COMPLIANCE MANAGEMENT
- Review Canada Artistic Swimming’s human resources policies to ensure compliance with legal requirements, labour codes, human resources practices, and compensation matters.
- Make recommendations for Board consideration (organizational structure, best practices, evaluation, employee selection and termination policies).
- Review negotiation practices, senior management agreements, and independent contracts to ensure compliance with legal requirements, strategic goals and objectives, and organizational needs.
- Review organizational structure at the senior management level.
COMPENSATION
- Review the CEO’s and senior management team’s compensation structures and other conditions of employment.
- Make recommendations for senior management team compensation that aligns with Canada Artistic Swimming’s philosophy, pay design structure, performance evaluations, and development plans.
- Review employee benefit plans and reports to ensure compliance with legal requirements.
EXECUTIVE DEVELOPMENT PLANNING AND COMPETENCY
- Review the position descriptions for the senior management team.
- Review short-term and long-term operational goals and objectives, and performance measurement indicators and metrics, for CEO.
- Review the performance and development management plan for the senior management team.
EXECUTIVE SUCCESSION PLANNING
Review senior management team succession plans for both short-term and long-term needs that align with Canada Artistic Swimming’s strategic plan and fiscal budget.
Skill Set for Committee Members
- Members appointed to the committee will have knowledge, experience and interest in Human Resources issues and will reflect, to the extent possible, the diversity of the Canada Artistic Swimming membership including geography, language, artistic swimming specific knowledge, professional backgrounds, and personal experience. Labour relations expertise and experience is important to this committee.
Term
- Human Resources Committee members may serve more than one year on the Committee.
- Participation in the Committee is limited to a maximum of six (6) consecutive one-year terms. The Chair may serve a maximum of four (4) consecutive one-year terms as chairperson of the Committee, and their participation on the Committee is limited in total to the number of terms for members (six one-year terms)
Meetings and Resources
The Human Resources Committee will meet, as required, minimum once per quarter. Meetings will be at the call of the Chair. Minutes of all meetings will be taken.
Quorum of the human resources committee is all members of the committee.
Each voting member of the Human Resources Committee, including the Chair, will have one vote. In the event of a tie the Chair will cast a second and deciding vote.
The Human Resources Committee will be assigned the necessary administrative and financial support from Canada Artistic Swimming to fulfill its mandate.
Objectives/Deliverables
On an annual basis, the Committee will establish a plan outlining the objectives and deliverables for that year and present it to the Board in the fall. The plan shall reflect how the Committee intends to fulfill its mandate and Key Duties for that year.
Reporting
The Committee will report to the Board at every meeting of the Board. The committee will report to Members at the AGM, in the form of a written report of the Committee Chairperson.
Review and Approval
The Board will review these terms of reference at least every two years and make revisions as necessary.
Last Updated: April 9, 2024
Board Approved: May 11, 2024
OPERATIONAL COMMITTEES
| Members | Role /Province |
|---|---|
| Karen Land | Chair – MB |
| Carly Abraham | Member – AB |
| Kirsten Brough | Member – SK |
| Marianne Cabana | Member – ON |
| Erika Lindner | Member – ON |
| Genevieve Quesnel | Member – QC |
| Karen Seymour | Member – ON |
| Greg McIlwain | Board Liaison |
| Stéphane Côté | CAS Resource |
RULES/TECHNICAL COMMITTEE - Terms of reference
RISK COMMITTEE - Terms of reference
Purpose
The Canada Artistic Swimming (CAS) Risk Management Committee (RMC) is a standing committee of the Board established to address risks to CAS. This includes the identification, evaluation, reporting, and mitigation of all the organization’s risks.
Composition & Term
The RMC will be composed of persons who are in good standing of CAS. There will be 3-6 members. Composition is as follows:
- The Chair appointed by the CAS Board of Directors (BOD)
- Board liaison (if chair is not a Board member)
- Minimum of 2 Board members (including the Chair and liaison positions)
- Ex-Officio: CAS CEO, CAS President (optional), and other resources as required
- Other members, staff, and subject matter experts, as applicable
Primary Responsibilities
This Committee evaluates CAS’ effectiveness in meeting approved program and service objectives and ensures that program and service delivery is provided in a manner consistent with generally recognized standards for good practice and minimal risk.
The Committee shall seek input from financial, legal and other subject experts, as required, to assist with decisions and advice to the Board. Specifically, the key duties of the RMC include:
- Make recommendations to the Board regarding status of CAS’ risks and define the criteria or benchmarks for addressing and reporting on these risks
- Provide, create and maintain the CAS Risk Management (RM) policy
- Determine and analyse CAS’s assets
- Create and maintain the CAS risk registry
- Review all policies and identify policy gaps as they apply to risk management
- Determine additional policies needed to address risks
- Create and maintain risk action plans
- Establish risk action trigger points
- Seek risk tolerance levels from the BOD
- Perform other tasks as assigned from the BOD
- Examine and comment on the efficacy of CAS’s insurance policies
- Framework for Crisis Management Plan / Crisis Communication Plan
Deliverables
- Committee work plan and action registry
- Asset valuation table
- Risk registry (RR)
- Risk reports as required
- Any additional reports required by the CAS President.
Meetings and Resources
- The committee will meet virtually
- Each voting member of the RMC, including the Chair, will have one vote. In the event of a tie, the Chair will cast a second and deciding vote.
- The Chair will appoint one of the RMC members to take minutes on a rotational basis
- Meetings will be called by the Chair as required
- When required, requests for funds will be submitted to the Finance Committee
Review and Approval
This Terms of Reference document is to be reviewed 12 months after inception and every three (3) years thereafter.
Confidentiality
Due to the sensitive nature of information shared within the committee, all external members and non-staff guests of the RMC are required to sign a letter of confidentiality.
Board Approval: March 31, 2025
| Members | Role |
|---|---|
| Paul Fritz-Nemeth | Chair |
| Josée Lanouette | Member |
| Sara Hart | Member |
| Jessica Rutledge | Member |
| Florence Klein | Member |
| Dawn Wilson | Member |
| Steve Wallace | Member |
| Members | Role |
|---|---|
| Lisa Schott | Chair & World Aquatics Liaison |
| Florence Klein | Board Liaison |
| Louise Newburry | International Official Liaison |
| Erika Lindner | Pan Am Aquatics Liaison |
| Stéphane Côté | Chief Operating Officer |
| Karine Doré | Senior National Team Lead Coach |
| Vacant | CAS Resource |
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS COMMITTEE - Terms of reference
Purpose
The International Relations Committee (IRC) is an operational committee whose purpose is to provide insight and guidance to CAS in the area of international high-performance strategy.
Committee Composition
The committee will be composed of people who are members in good standing of CAS
- IRC Chair appointed by CAS
- Current director
- Between 3-6 additional members:
- International Officials leader (appointed by CAS)
- Current Canadian World Aquatics or PAQ Committee members
- CAS Staff member as resource person for the committee
Key Duties
- Works with CAS HP staff to support the development of international strategy
- Approve international club bids
- Approve international officials’ assignments
- Develop key messages for International Officials before each competition
- Debrief after each competition
- Nomination of volunteers to serve roles in the international community, PAQ, World Aquatics, Masters
- Interview new prospective officials and provide recommendations for promotion
Term
- Chair 3-year term maximum of 2 terms
- All other members eligible based on their positions within CAS, PAQ, World Aquatics
- Terms of reference reviewed every 3 years
Meetings and Resources
- The committee will meet by virtual meeting
- Each voting member of the IRC, including the Chair, will have one vote. In the event of a tie, the Chair will cast a second and deciding vote. Roberts Rules will be followed.
- Minutes of the meetings will be taken by the CAS staff member
- The committee will report through CAS staff to the CEO
Last Updated: February 2025
Board Approval: February 17, 2025
| Members | Role |
|---|---|
| Kari McKnight | Chair |
| Kirsten Brough | Member |
| Jordan Eaton | Member |
| Melanie Lacroix | Member |
| Erika Lindner | Member |
| Kim Labelle | Member |
| Jessica Lamontagne | Member |
| Greg McIlwain | Board Liaison |
| Kara Heald | CAS Resource |
NATIONAL OFFICIALS COMMITTEE - Terms of reference
Purpose
The purpose of the National Officials Committee (shall be referred to as the “Committee” in this document) is to ensure our athletes have quality officials through proper recruitment, development, and experience. The committee represents and promotes the views and interests of all national officials in an effort to ensure the collective voice of officials is represented in furthering the CAS vision to be a world leading nation in Artistic Swimming.
Committee Composition
The Committee will be composed of persons who are members in good standing of Canada Artistic Swimming (CAS). The members of this committee who are officials must be national judges/referees of level 3 and higher or nationally certified Technical Controllers (TCs) or scorers.
The composition of the Committee should reflect the balance of provincial diversity, as well as representative of the breadth of CAS officials (judge, TC, referee, scorer). At least one member should be an international official.
CAS will send out an application call for the Committee members. The NOC will review applications and vote anonymously for new members. This process will be administered by the Chair and any ties will be broken by a vote by the Chair.
The Committee will consist of:
- Chairperson (shall be referred to as the “Chair” in this document)
- At least 4, and not more than 6, additional members
- Director of Development, CAS Resource (non-voting)
- Board Liaison
- Other person(s) with expertise deemed required by the Chair and/or CAS’s Board/CEO (non-voting)
Key Duties
The Committee is an operational committee accountable to the CAS Director of Development and CAS Chief Executive Officer.
With respect to responsibilities, the committee will:
- Report to the Board of Directors as applicable through the Board member liaison aligned with the committee.
- Be responsible to develop, manage, evaluate, and upgrade all officials’ education, training materials, and programs for judges (level 3-5), referees (level 3-4), and national level scorers, and TCs.
- Aid the Provincial/Territorial Sport Organizations (PTSOs) in the development of these areas for their Level 1 and 2 judges/referees and provincial level TCs/scorers, if so requested.
- Support the operations and execution of the domestic area(s) of CAS’s strategic plan.
- Be responsible for all officials’ assignments to CAS competitions
- Accept provincial applications for upgrades to Level 3/national level for all roles (judge, TC, referee, scorer).
- Monitor and select individuals for further upgrades, as identified (e.g. upgrade from Level 3 to Level 4 judge).
Skill Set for Committee Members
- As a composite of its members, the committee should demonstrate the following key expertise/experience:
- Experience in all operational and strategic aspects of the organization
- Experience in officiating at the club, provincial, and national levels
- Experience in a cross-section of roles within the organization including athlete, official, technical controller, coach, and/or volunteer
- Experience as national level (Level 3, 4 or 5) officials
- Members appointed to the committee will have knowledge, experience, and interest in officials’ specific issues and will reflect, to the extent possible, the diversity of the CAS membership including geography, language, artistic swimming-specific knowledge, professional backgrounds, and personal experience.
- Members will uphold CAS’s principles for diversity, equity, and inclusion.
- All committee members will have values consistent with CAS and adhere to the Conduct and Conflict of Interest Policies.
Term
- Chair: 3 years, maximum of 2 terms
- All other members of the committee will be eligible to serve three (3) year terms, and such terms may be renewed to a maximum of two (2) consecutive terms.
- Exceptionally, an individual may be appointed for more than two (2) terms if, at the recommendation of the committee, the CAS President determines that their continued committee membership is in the best interests of CAS.
- The Committee Chair is appointed by the Board and will come from the existing committee at the time of appointment.
Meetings and Resources
- The Committee will meet by virtual meetings, telephone conference calls, and/or in person, as required. Meetings will be at the call of the Chair and will be private meetings.
- The Committee will receive the necessary administrative and financial support from CAS to fulfill its mandate. This support is obtained through the usual channels for board committees, which may be by board motion or from the administrative budget (as administered by the CEO).
- Each voting member of the Committee, excluding the Chair, will have one vote. In the event of a tie, the Chair will cast a deciding vote.
- Minutes of all meetings will be taken.
- Approved minutes of meetings are distributed within 30 days of each meeting (where it is practical to obtain approval of the minutes from the Committee members) to the CAS Director of Development and CAS CEO.
- The committee will report through the CAS Director of Development to the CAS CEO.
- The Chair will report to the membership in writing at the AGM and will also participate in domestic strategic planning meetings of CAS.
- The committee members shall be represented at CAS’s Annual Meeting by the Chair.
With respect to authority:
- The Committee can form task forces whenever necessary to facilitate the committee’s work,
- The Committee must present all recommendations of the work done for approval by the CEO through the CAS Staff. When appropriate, the CEO will present the committee’s work and recommendations to the CAS Board of Directors for support, ratification, or approval depending on the work presented and its impact on CAS overall organizational structure and the management of its operations.
Terms of Reference
The Chair reviews the Terms of Reference with the CAS Director of Development, CAS CEO, and the CAS Board Liaison at the end of each of their 3-year terms.
Last Updated: November 1, 2025
Board Approval: November 17, 2025
| Members | Role |
|---|---|
| Catherine Barrett | Chair |
| Mya Fortin | Interim Senior National Team Representative |
| ANDRE ESCOBAR | Junior National Team Representative |
| Audrey Lamothe | Member-at-large |
| VACANT | Member-at-large |
| Angela Zhou | Member-at-large |
ATHLETES COUNCIL - Terms of reference
Purpose
The purpose of the Athletes Council is to represent and promote the views and interests of the National programs and Canada Artistic Swimming (CAS) athletes to ensure the collective voice of athletes is represented in CAS governance and is a part of furthering the CAS mission, vision, and values.
Composition
The Athletes Council is comprised of persons who are registrants or past registrants in good standing of CAS. The elected Athletes Council Chair will attend board meetings and provide counsel to the CAS Board of Directors. The Council will be comprised of:
- Chairperson: The Chair will be elected by CAS athletes. The Chair must be a former Canadian National Team member (Junior or Senior) and have been retired from the national team within 8 years at the time of their first term election.
- A minimum of two to a maximum of three Senior National Team Representatives to be nominated from and elected by athletes from the Senior National Team full-time training group.
- One Junior National Team Representative to be nominated from and elected by athletes from the Junior National Team.
- A minimum of two to a maximum of three Members at Large to be elected by CAS athletes.
- All Council members will have values consistent with CAS, adhere to the Conduct Policy, and have a clear understanding of the safe and welcoming sport policy suite as well as the Canadian Safe Sport Program Rules.
- Persons appointed to the Council will have knowledge, experience and interest in athlete issues and will reflect, to the extent possible, the diversity of the Canada Artistic Swimming membership including but not limited to geography, language, artistic swimming -specific knowledge, cultural background, professional backgrounds and personal experience.
Key Duties
Ensure that athletes participate in a constructive and professional manner in the decision making and feedback process of CAS.
Ensure to the greatest extent possible, that CAS policies and programs meet the needs of the athletes by:
- Providing athlete representation to the Board.
- Providing input prior to approval on key documents/policies/topics directly or indirectly affecting athletes including but limited to: Athlete Agreements; Rule Changes; Conduct Policy; Team Selection.
- Developing various forums and platforms including the CAS website, in which athletes can share and develop information or ideas as they relate to the development or well-being of athletes at all levels.
- Developing leadership succession and skills within the athlete community as a whole.
- Delegating tasks to council members and supporting them in task completion.
- Regularly scheduled council meetings to determine areas of opportunity and solutions to present to the Board of Directors.
- Representing the athletes as it relates to Safe and Welcoming Sport and raising the concerns with respect to the well-being of athletes.
- Coordinate with the board of directors to deliver Safe and Welcoming Sport resources to teams (alongside all other relevant parties).
- Being a resource to athletes for any reason whatsoever, including, without limitations, all matters relating to the performances and well-being of the athletes.
- Maintain a communications plan whereby athletes can contact their representative (i.e., via webform from the CAS website).
- Determine what tools or solutions athletes require to assist them with challenges and identify opportunities.
- Develop a reporting process whereby the athlete council communicates all athlete communication back to the board.
- Recognizing and reflecting inclusivity and the diversity of the organization in its actions and decisions.
- Presenting an Athlete Report annually at the CAS Annual General Meeting that provides key insights and feedback from the athletes.
- Content may include but not be limited to: results from athlete surveys, key learnings from CAS athletes and other athlete representatives met via athlete networks, and recommendations moving forward.
- To this end, the Council must develop an annual calendar for meetings, events, and reports to present to the BOD at the beginning of each term.
The Chair of the Council (or appointee from the council or senior national team, if possible) attends the AthletesCAN annual forum (and/or similar event, such as COC session) provided funding is available from AthletesCAN.
- Report back to the Board about key learnings from the forum including but not limited to what the top priorities of AthletesCAN are, and what strategies CAS could implement to be aligned with the group.
Term
The Chair of the Athletes Council will serve a 3-year term plus an ~2 month overlap with the new Chair (from election in November until the start of January). The Chair may serve for up to two 3-year terms.
The Senior National Team Representatives will serve 1-year terms and may serve for up to four 1-year terms.
The Junior National Team Representative will serve a 1-year term and may serve for as many terms as they are of eligible junior age as per World Aquatics rules.
Members at Large will serve 1-year terms and may serve for up to four 1-year terms.
Should any council member withdraw from their position before the conclusion of their term, the Chair reserves the right to appoint an appropriate individual of similar experience into the vacant position to fulfill the remainder of the term.
Nominating Processes
Chair of the Athletes Council
- The nomination process shall open 3 months prior to the Athletes Council election in November.
- A call for nominations for the position will be posted on the CAS website and social media.
- The Chief Operating Officer may be consulted to determine the recently retired athlete pool. The current Chair may promote the nomination process to eligible retired athletes.
- Candidates will be required to submit a statement of interest to be reviewed by the current Athletes Council Chair, the Athletes Council, and the Athlete Director.
- Upon review by the Athletes Council Chair, Athletes Council, and Athlete Director, CAS athletes will be informed about the candidates for voting (i.e. link on CAS website, social media).
- The aforementioned parties will ordinarily recommend more than one Qualified Candidate for election, unless there is an insufficient number of Qualified Candidates.
- “Qualified Candidate” – A nominee who satisfies all applicable qualifications and eligibility requirements (see “Composition”), and who demonstrates skills, competencies and experience deemed necessary to support the Athletes Council.
Senior National Team Representatives
- A call for nominations will be made within one month of the selection of the Senior National full-time training group each fall.
- All nominated candidates will be presented for voting to the Senior National full-time training group.
Junior National Team Representatives
- A call for nominations will be made within one month of the selection of the Junior National Team each spring.
- All nominated candidates will be presented for voting to the Junior National Team.
- In the event of no junior national team one cycle or a partial team with no interested candidates, the previous year’s chair may be reappointed for another term at the discretion of the Athletes Council Chair and Athlete Director, if the previous representative is no longer of junior age there will be a call for nominations from the previous team.
Members at Large
- The nomination process shall open 3 months prior to the Athletes Council election in November.
- Candidates will be required to submit a statement of interest to be reviewed by the Athletes Council Chair and the Athlete Director.
- Upon review by the Athletes Council Chair and Athlete Director, CAS athletes will be informed about the candidates for voting (i.e. link on CAS website, social media).
- The aforementioned parties will ordinarily recommend more Qualified Candidates for election than there are positions to be filled in an election, unless there is an insufficient number of Qualified Candidates.
Voting Procedure
Athletes Council Chair and Members at Large
- Athletes who are, at the time of the election, registered and in good standing with CAS and of Youth age group or above, will be eligible to vote.
- Voting will occur electronically through a secure online voting platform which will be circulated to eligible CAS athletes.
- The successful Athletes Council Chair and Members at Large will be determined by majority vote.
- In the absence of a sufficient number of Qualified Candidates, nominees will be elected by acclamation.
Senior and Junior National Team Representatives
- Athletes named to Senior and Junior National Teams and/or training groups will be eligible to vote for their respective representatives.
- Voting will occur through a secure online voting platform which will be circulated to athletes.
- The successful Representatives will be determined by majority vote.
- In the absence of a sufficient number of nominated candidates, nominees will be elected by acclamation.
Onboarding Process for the Chair of the Athletes Council
The outgoing Athletes Council Chair will overlap with the new Chair for ~2 months to ensure a smooth transition of duties and to onboard them in regards to:
- The structure and function of the Athletes Council.
- Current projects and goals.
The CAS President will meet with the Athletes Council Chair to onboard them in regards to:
- The structure and terminology of the board meetings and governance structure.
- Ensuring proper forms are signed.
- An overview of where to find documents.
- Ensuring Terms of Reference are understood.
- Ensuring flow of communication is understood.
The CAS Athlete Director will meet with the Athletes Council Chair to onboard them in regards to the relationship between the Athletes Council Chair and the Athlete Director.
The Athlete Chair will meet with a member of AthletesCAN to gain a better understanding of how to run an Athlete’s Council.
- Documents on the AthletesCAN website will serve as a guide.
Terms of Reference
The Chair of the Council reviews the Terms of Reference as needed with the COO, CEO, CAS President, and CSO CAS Board of Directors. At a minimum, the Terms of Reference will be reviewed once, at the end of each Chair’s 3-year term.
Last Updated: November 18, 2025
Board Approval: November 18, 2025
ALUMNI RELATIONS COMMITTEE - Terms of reference
Terms of reference coming soon.