Winter General Meeting Announcement and EFCL January Meeting Notes

EFCL Winter General Meeting Feb. 4 at Boyle Street Community League – dine with your community league friends!

The meeting is set for 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 4 at Boyle Street Community League (9515-104 Avenue) and will be preceded by dinner at 5:30 p.m.  If you and/or another representative from your league are able to attend, PLEASE RSVP to Joanne Booth, no later than 12:00 noon, Friday, January 31.  We need to get an accurate head count for dinner and it sure helps to know how many reports to print.  Joanne can be reached at Joanne.Booth@efcl.org or at 780-437-2913.

Winter General Meeting Agenda Highlights:

• EFCL Draft Budget
• Discussion about civic engagement – how can we improve our role?
• Negotiations of groups rates with SOCAN and RE-SOUND
• City talks about new Recreation Model

By the way District B is looking for a planning committee representative. Help ensure our district has quorum at the meeting. Dinner is on us!

Highlights From the January Board Meeting

Download the January EFCL Board Meeting Package Here

EFCL Presses For League Involvement in Green Shack Program

The EFCL would like to see a greater role for community leagues in the development and operation of the popular Green Shack summer program.

This was main message delievered to senior city staff at our January board meeting, after hearing an update on the status of the 2014 program.

EFCL directors were told that the Green Shack program would be available in a half-day format at about 160 locations and a full day format in another 20 locations this summer.  All locations would be detemined and managed by the city, although leagues have been asked to contribute $1,000 each to a fund that would be used to expand the program to additional, city-selected sites.

EFCL reps thanked the city for rescuing the program, which faced major cutbacks when the province discontinued the Summer Temporary Employment Program (STEP).  STEP funds, along with contributions from community leagues, were used to pay for summer camp leaders.

However, the EFCL asked the city to consider a new role for the leagues, which would include an opportunity for input as well as involvement in program monitoring.  A set of measurement tools needs to be in place to determine the success of 2014 program, city staff were told.

• EFCL Seeks Input on SOCAN and RE:SOUND Negotiations

The EFCL would like to know if leagues would like the federation to negotiate a multi-year, all inclusive payment which would replace the annual fees that leagues with halls are being asked to pay to SOCAN and RE:SOUND.

The federation intends to survey leagues attending the Feb. 4 General Meeting at Boyle Street Community League.

SOCAN and RE:SOUND have been given permission by the Copyright Board of Canada to charge a fee to the owners of halls where music is being played.

In the case of SOCAN, which represents Composers, Authors and Music Publishers, the fee is $185/year if gross revenues at events where music is played does not exceed $15,422.83.  The fee is higher is the gross revenues are higher.

In the case of RE:SOUND, which represents the performers who first played individual pieces of music, the fee is $9 per event where music is played for the purpose of listening and $18 per event if dancing is involved.

Both of these tariffs force the leagues to do a significant amount of book keeping.

The objective of this exercise would be two-fold.  One would be to eliminate the need for any book keeping at the league level.  Secondly, we would negotiate a fee that is substantially lower than the leagues would pay if each of them were to pay these tariffs individually.  We believe that both SOCAN and RE:SOUND would be amenable to this approach, as it would save them a good deal of administrative legwork and book keeping.

Any payment that is agreed to by the EFCL would need to be recouped from all of the leagues that have a hall.  This could be accomplished by dividing the fee equally among the leagues that have halls and adding it to their annual EFCL membership fee.

If a significant number show an interest (through a straw poll) at our Feb. 4 meeting, then a formal motion will be brought forward at our Annual General Meeting in the spring. This will give each league executive ample time to discuss it.

• Federation Prepares for Business Plan and Civic Engagement Review

The EFCL is getting ready to start work on its 2014 – 2018 Business Plan, which will include its first ever review of league civic engagement practises.

This review will kick into gear at the Feb. 4 General Meeting, when leagues will be asked to describe how they decide to get involved in civic issues, as well as the process they use to research these issues.  Leagues will also be asked to comment on whether or not they consult with the general public or stick with their own members when they investigate these issues.

The EFCL will use the results of this meeting, along with that from subsequent league surveys and related research to prepare a list of best practises for everyone to follow.

• EFCL Seeks Access To League Financial Records

The EFCL is seeking access to league financial records, so it can do a better job of presenting their case to the city and other orders of government.

On Feb. 4, leagues attending the General Meeting will be asked to vote on this issue.  If approved, the federation will ask the city to pass along the statements each league supplies at the time it applies for its annual operating grant.

• Further Refinements Made to 100^th Anniversary Project Plan

The EFCL continues to refine its plan for the redevelopment of Hawrelak Park, as part of its 100^th Anniversary Project and I joined the committee for the last two meetings.

Following feedback from the leagues, the federation has opted for the plaza option which features a large central fireplace, along with displays showing the three key areas of league involvement (programs, facilities and advocacy).  The plaza will also contain a large map,

showing the location and incorporation date of each league, as well as ample seating and a raised area for small performances.

The historical development of leagues, including their involvement in areas like sports, crime prevention and cultural inclusion will displayed along a stream walkway.  The connection between leagues and the City of Edmonton is to be the focus of displays in a smaller plaza at the top of the development, next to a small pond.

• EFCL to Investigate Parking Problems at Community Leagues

The EFCL has decided to raise the issue about community league parking once again.  This time the focus is on motorists leaving their cars in league lots for weeks on end, in order to keep them off city snow clearing routes.

The federation will be meeting with the city shortly to find creative solutions.

• Federation Makes Suggestions To City About Surplus School Sites

The EFCL has written a lengthy letter to the city, summarizing the concerns it has heard from league on the surplus school site issue.

The federation raised a number of key points in the letter, including the need for a proper parkland assessment, before the decision is made to use a portion of the park site.

If a decision is reached to redevelop a portion of the park site, then the city should determine the which portion of the park site is best suited for a new development and what that development should be.  Once this is complete, then an assessment should be done on the interface between the new development and existing park site, as well as opportunities for community programming space within the new building.

Finally, the EFCL noted that the city needs to find ways to rebuild the trust of community residents who felt shortchanged by previous surplus school site development procedures.

• New Community Development Officer

The EFCL is pleased to report that it has hired a new Community Development Officer, Habib Fatmi.  Habib will be familiar to many people at the EFCL, as he has volunteered for the past three years at our Heritage Days and our volunteer appreciation events.

Habib’s original career has been in computer technology and as a business manager at various computer companies, however in recent years he has become increasingly involved as a cultural outreach worker, notably with the Mennonite Centre for Newcomers and the Mill Woods Welcome Centre.  He has also been active with the Mill Woods Presidents Council and has volunteered with a variety of community league and other non-profit programs.

We will look to Habib to lead our Cultural Inclusion initiatives as well as represent us on various city task forces, including the recent work we started with the city on reaching out to seniors. Habib replaces Shahriyar Khan, who took a position as a Cultural Liaison Officer with the City of Edmonton in early November.

• Al Innes Retires From EFCL Board of Directors

Former treasuer and long time director Al Innes has decided to retire from the EFCL board of directors in order to pursue other volunteer activities.

Al represented District C (Horse Hill/Clareview) for the past five and a half years and was also an original member of our 90^th and 100^th Anniversary Project Committees.

He was also a stalwart at many community events, including our Heritage Days promotion where he operated the football toss for hours on end.

Al will be recognized for his service at our Winter General Meeting, which is set for Feb. 4 at Boyle Street Community League.

Thanks to Allan for writing the notes for the January Board meeting.

David Dodge

EFCL District B Londonderry Representative

EFCL April Board Meeting Notes

Hi Everyone in the EFCL Londonderry District (B):

Here's a quick report on happened at the April EFCL Board meeting. I was a packed agenda that unfortunately took us late into the evening.

Thanks to Jeff Stewart of McLeod Communty League for attending the EFCL meeting. It was great to see a district league at one of our regular board meetings. Just a reminder the board meetings are open meetings and members are welcome to attend them.

Download the April Board Package (PDF)

1)   EFCL Reviews Its Role In Civic Engagement

This started because a few City Councillors took exception with us on a number of issues. But this is a much needed exercise. This is a very good opportuntiy for the EFCL and it's member leagues to dramatically improve how we interact on civic issues. We have formed a committee and we will be inviting community league input once we do some basic work on the issue. This is a wonderful opportunity to improve our status, the sophistication and impact of our engagement and to have the role of community leagues respected on a much higher level.

The EFCL has decided to review the manner in which the federation and its member leagues get involved in civic issues.  The goal is to find ways to do a better job of responding to civic issues and complement the city’s public engagement process.

A Civic Engagement Committee has been struck to oversee this exercise.  It is comprised of four board members (David Dodge, David Gibbens, Christine Bremner and Masood Makarechian), two planning committee members (Jamie Post and Elaine Solez) as well as two EFCL staff members (Allan Bolstad and Bev Zubot).   The EFCL is also considering hiring a consultant to help us through this exercise and has tentatively lined up some community advisors to review our proposals.

Here is a sample of some of the broad questions we hope to answer during the review process:

• Should the City be notifying leagues directly, or should EFCL be notifying leagues of project initiatives needing public input?   In what instances should both EFCL and leagues be contacted directly by the City?
• What is EFCL’s obligation vs. the City’s obligation to consult with leagues?
• To what extent should EFCL be educating leagues on planning matters and coordinating the input of leagues? 
• What is the obligation of leagues to consult with their neighbourhood residents? 
• What support should EFCL and/or the City be providing to leagues if consultation with residents is expected? 
• In what situations is it adequate for EFCL to participate in city task forces or workshops without first consulting leagues?  How can EFCL consult with leagues if the information provided at workshops is not public information which can be shared?
• How can the EFCL provide input to the city on multiple topics if we are to adequately consult leagues on every topic?
• And finally, how can EFCL partner with the City in the public engagement process to make best use of EFCL and City resources?

 

The EFCL will draw on the work it has recently done with its leagues on two major exercises.

The first was a review of the sustainability of older neighborhoods, which lead to the creation of the city’s Elevate Report.  The second was a review of the zoning guidelines governing low density development.  In both cases we hosted multiple workshops and developed a consensus on a number of key recommendations from among the league participants.

In one instance, the EFCL reported on behalf of the leagues, while in the other leagues presented their recommendations directly to the city, with some assistance from the EFCL.

While both of these reviews entailed a lot of work, they left the federation feeling that it had helped shape the final product.

The EFCL intends to launch its Civic Engagement review this spring and complete the work by the end of the year.

2)   Solar and Energy Conservation Program Cooking Along

Work is proceeding nicely on the EFCL’s Solar and Energy Conservation Program.   All of the leagues have received their energy and carbon audits and have been asked to submit their list of hall retrofits to the City of Edmonton no later than May 17.  The city will package them and send them to the Municipal Climate Change Action Centre (MCCAC) in order to qualify for $50,000 in grant money from the centre’s Taking Action to Manage Energy (TAME) program.

The EFCL’s board of directors were presented with the summary findings of the energy and carbon audit on its office headquarters at its board meeting on Thursday.  A wide range of suggestions were made, from installing a wind turbine on the roof to reducing lighting levels and installing outside doors that are better insulated.

With respect to the solar installations, two companies have been selected to do the work on the seven community league halls and the EFCL building.  Evergreen and Gold will handle the installations at North Glenora, Meadowlark, Alberta Avenue and the EFCL.  Dandelion Renewables will install systems at West Jasper/Sherwood, Rossdale, Riverdale and Ritchie.

The installations are scheduled for the last part of April and first week of May (assuming the weather cooperates).   A presentation on the energy and carbon audits as well as the solar energy installations is scheduled for our annual general meeting on May 29.

3)   Registrations Pick Up For Volunteer Recognition Event

The federation is pleased to report that 179 community league volunteers have registered for its Volunteer Recognition Event on April 23.  The evening features a series of videos on community league projects and a talk from motivational speaker Laurel Vespi.  Set for the Myer Horowitz Theatre at the U/A Student’s Union Building, the event begins at 7:00 and will conclude around 9:00 p.m., after a wine and cheese social.  The event is open to all community league volunteers and registrants are encouraged to contact Joanne Booth (Joanne.Booth@efcl.org) by April 19.

4)    EFCL Endorses Realtors Website and Safety Council’s New Facility

The EFCL decided to endorse two projects at its meeting last week.  The first is a comprehensive website being put together by the Realtors Association of Edmonton and Area.

Entitled YegisHome, the multimillion dollar initiative is designed to contain a wide variety of information on communities throughout the city, in addition to extensive descriptions of homes for sale.

The Realtors would like to include information about community leagues and their activities on this website, as another means of equipping buyers with information about the community they are considering.  This appears to be a good opportunity for the EFCL and its member leagues to raise their profile and get their information into the hands of potential members.

The second project is the new Centre for Safety Excellence that is being put together by the Alberta Safety Council.

Located near 50 Street and Whitemud Drive, the $10 million facility will house driver education classrooms and feature an expanded Safety City Park for children to learn the rules of the road.

5)   EFCL Prepares For 2013 Annual General Meeting

Preparations are now being made for the federation’s 2013 Annual General Meeting, which is set for 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, May 29 at Duggan Community League (3728-106 Street).  A draft agenda presented to the board last week included presentations on the federation’s Solar and Energy Conservation Program, 100^th Anniversary Project and the new bar code system on community league membership cards.  Quick updates will also be provided on Leagues Alive 2013, the Balconies in Bloom program and Living Local Arts and Heritage Program.

The federation will also be seeking new board members in the west end and Capilano areas, as well as planning committee members in the west end, Castle Downs and Capilano area.

Community league delegates are urged to contact Joanne Booth at the EFCL, particularly if they are coming for dinner, which commences at 5:30 p.m.

6)   Mark your calendar for Leagues Alive 2013

Community league volunteers are encouraged to mark their calendar for Leagues Alive 2013.  This year’s conference will be held at the Grant MacEwan downtown campus on Saturday, Nov. 16.  The event will once again feature a variety of board development workshops, as well as an opportunity to hear from the federation’s corporate sponsors and have lunch with members of Edmonton City Council.

7)   Federation’s Books in Good Shape

The EFCL received a very favorable review from its auditor, Curtis Friesen of Hawkings Epp Dumont last week.  The federation was complimented on the establishment of a $200,000 financial stabalization reserve, which it has been working on over the past five years, as well as

the manner in which its books are kept.  Curtis will be reporting to the general membership at the May 29 AGM and will be happy to answer questions at that time.

Thanks to Allan for writing up the notes,

David Dodge

District B Rep. and President

Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues

70 leagues attend EFCL AGM - elections and 100th Anniversary are highlights

More than 70  community leagues attended the Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues (EFCL) Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Monday, April 30.

It was great to see Rosslyn, Belvedere, Delwood, Killarney, Evansdale, Kilkenny, Steele Heights community leagues from our district (B). 

EFCL Elections

And thanks to Shawna Walsh, president of Evansdale for nominating me for my third term as district representative. This will be my final term since The EFCL has term limits of six years. A total of 12 district representatives are elected across the city and they form the Board of Directors of the EFCL. At the first meeting of the new board each year the board selects it's executive committee. Numerous board members retired this year including: Rob Agostinis, Veronica Vinge, Donna Woodford, Alf White and Ken Shapka.

New to the board are Shaffeek Ali (Millwoods), Barry Davis (Terrwilliger), Sandra Mueller (Castledowns), Manon Aubry (downtown). Re-elected or still on the board are: Christine Bremner, David Gibbens, Al Innes, and Lindsay Smith. The first board meeting is the second Thursday of the month.

EFCL Planning Committee Elections

A total of six people were elected or re-elected to the EFCL Planning Committee and we are most pleased to say that the Planning committee is also nearly full. Our planning representative in District B is Ron Favell, the president of Killarney Community League. This means he attends the planning committee meetings and these are the folks that make recommendations to the board and membership on city-wide planning issues. The committee has done some amazing work over the last year and the EFCL is rapidly earning respect on planning issues because of it.

A. Susan Bennett -Wrisdon

B. Ron Favell

C. Kathy Murrie

D. vacant

E. Jamie Post

F. Ian O'Donnell

G. Cora Shaw

H. vacant

I. Elaine Solez

J. Lori Jeffery-Heaney

K. Deepali Medhekar

L. Imy Bhatty

EFCL 100th Anniversary Project

The EFCL 100th Anniversary attracted the largest discussion of the evening and it seems there is an appetite for Edmonton's community leagues to unite and build a Community League Plaza in Hawrelak Park to celebrate the concept of community leagues and the 100th Anniversary of the EFCL. The motion was to ask each community league in Edmonton to contribute $400 per year for five years as seed money ($310,000) to raise more money from the different levels of government and privately, to build a community  league project in Hawrelak Park. Phase one of the project is a community league plaza adjacent to the lake that will name all of the community leagues in Edmonton and through interpretive signage celebrate the many contributions of community leagues to the City of Edmonton (soccer, hockey, playgrounds, rinks and other recreation facilities and much more). Phase two will feature a walking trail along the naturalized stream and the third phase a water park feature for kids, just like communities do in so many parks across the City.

The vast majority of the 70 leagues in attendance at the AGM approved this initiative and support in the amount of $400 per year for five years. Only three opposed and three abstained. The motion adds $400 to the EFCL fees for each league over five years and removes the fee once the five years are complete. This does not happen very often, that all of the leagues in Edmonton work together on a project and it seemed pretty clear that the members of the EFCL thought this was a good idea.

Leagues Vote to Sell $25 Memberships to Hockey Players

On Monday Edmonton's community leagues passed a motion that will allow the Edmonton Minor Hockey Association (EMHA) to sell special $25 corporate community league memberships to every hockey family in Edmonton.

The new agreement is designed to address a long-standing logistical nightmare for hockey registrars. Some folks in the EMHA were ready to drop the requirement that hockey players must be members of community leagues because of very serious problems finding the right leagues, with people filling in fake community league membership numbers and even people just leaving the membership box blank.

Pictured are Allan Bolstad, EFCL Executive Director and David Gibbens, EFCL President

Under the new agreement (soon to be ratified by the EMHA) the hockey association will sell every single hockey family a community league membership when they register for hockey. This will mean every single family of the 7,000 hockey players in Edmonton will have a community league membership, guaranteed. 

The EMHA will send the money and a list with complete information for each new member to the EFCL for passing on to leagues.

The new system is a change, but the vast majority of community leagues in Edmonton will benefit since they will capture every single hockey player from their community league. In the old system people got away with not buying memberships, buying them from other leagues or even by entering fake membership numbers. This arrangement also reconfirms the relationship between community leagues and hockey. The community leagues started hockey and have a long time affiliation with hockey people many of whom have served on community league boards.

Some leagues from the west end were not happy with the arrangement because their membership fees are higher, many around $40. The $25 corporate rate was chosen as the average rate and with a view to not increasing hockey fees too much.

The Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues Annual General Meeting was Monday, April 19 at Athalone Hall.

As a footnote, I write today the "acting District B representative"  since our district did not have quorum on at the April 19th meeting! We have a special meeting of District B communities planned for May 4, 2010 to elect or re-elect a representative.