CEDA in Its Infancy — 1945
By John Kerr
Still in its infancy, CEDA lacked the detailed organization found in mature associations. A one-sentence condition of acceptance was all that then defined membership requirements, that being
“Prospective members must be acceptable to two-thirds of the membership.”
However, membership criteria became more specific in May 1945 when the Board of Directors added a “Definition of an Electrical Distributor” to the associations by-laws. After this date, prospective new members had to meet the requirements of the new definition. (No record exists of the definition.)
A major change came in that membership, which had been carried in the name of individuals, was to be held from that time forth in the member company’s name. In conjunction with this change ,an amendment was made to the by-laws to define, for the first time, voting members. It stated:
“Each member shall name a representative, and if desired, an alternate representative, to vote at meetings of the Corporation, or to represent the Member in any other matters pertaining to the Corporation.”
In the years from 1934 to 1945, CEDA’s strength had grown to a total of 37 independent electrical distributors across Canada.
A two-man executive, drawn from the Board of Directors, looked after the leadership of the association. They were aided in the management by a paid secretary-treasurer, Mr. R. Edmunds. Money was carefully watched and accounted for, and with an operating budget of only $9506.32, even the purchase of two fluorescent bulbs came under the scrutiny of the Board.
At the May Directors meeting in Toronto, the geographical divisions in CEDA increased to four, with a new Pacific Division joining the existing Western, Central and Eastern Divisions. The number of directors increased from 7 to 15, and, a second general meeting of members was called for the fall, with the first of these to be held in Montreal.
John Kerr is Publisher of CEW.
Source: CEDA: Fifty Years of Service – An Historical Review of the Canadian Electrical Distributors Association, 1934 to 1984, Kerrwil Publications. Please feel free to reach out to us anytime if you have great photos, historical anecdotes or perspectives. We would love to hear from you; linegoyette@kerrwil.com.
