Most of the action at these meetings is controlled by the big fish and small investors are mere spectators. But the free lunch that follows some meetings can be an actual attraction for shareholders and anyone else interested in a pleasant bite. Some meetings offer little more than a stale cookie and flat soft drink. Buffet tables and open bars are commonplace at many AGMs which, while not widely advertised, are generally accessible to the public. If you're tired of getting by on pizza slices or Big Macs, it's good to stay up on the AGMs in town - especially if your town is a major city.
Some meetings offer little more than a stale cookie and flat soft drink.
These meals are ostensibly meant to keep shareholders happy. For the single parent who's just been downsized, the family of five who uses a food bank because low wages in the service industry just don't cut it, and anyone else who rightfully deserves their turn at the trough, Straight Goods will review the best and worst of what corporate AGMs have to offer. Two days after CTV Inc. fired newscaster Avery Haines for essentially opening her mouth at the wrong time, the broadcaster rewarded a merry band of shareholders, directors and other personnel for knowing when to open their mouths. The appropriate occasion, in this case, was a sumptuous lunch that followed the broadcaster 's annual general meeting January 19 at the Masonic Temple in Toronto. Getting into the meeting proved half the fun.