Hi sinbob,gwr1 et.al.

Suggest everyone take a deep breath and stay calm.

Both of you have very valid concerns, but in my experience, the company has two different entities, and each one has their own agenda and their own perspective on how the company can best serve them going forward.

Don't forget BOD members sometimes live a short board life and rely on votes to stay on the Board, no different than politicians.

I have been in upper management of a publicly traded company and have had access to both management and BOD.

First of all, front and centre, we have management who look after the company on a day to day basis, probably hold shares and have the best interest of the company and shareholders at heart, no different than any other management team.

Then we have the BOD which is usually made up of business people, and who have reached their level by looking after themselves first and taking advantage of whatever situation they see before them. They are usually elected for their expertse, not their loyalty.

I remember sitting in meetings with BOD members and them discussing tactics to short the very company they were supposedly "steering" if they thought they could make money by doing so.

I have no knowledge of the people who sit on the BOD of AUM, and I also have a lot of respect for Michel Roy. I was also one of those who queried Steven Altman's role within ECU, but never did I intentionally point the finger at him being a negative.

Suggest sinbob is right to want answers, and suggest gwr1 is right in defending management.

Something seems to be rotten in the PM world, and it may be that AUM is just another innocent victim, but at the same time, both management and the BOD are there "in Trust" to make sure that the shareholders are served to the best of their ability.

Whatever questions need to asked to make sure we have the right team in place, need to be asked. Only with the right answers can we, the shareholders retain faith in the company going forward.

If management and the BOD are acting on behalf of the shareholders, that fact will come to light, and it can only mean favourable for all parties going forward.

Good Luck to all!