District B Update - Highlights from the April 2014 Board Meeting

Highlights From the April Board Meeting

Download the April 2014 Board Package

Hi everyone, it’s been a very busy year so far. I have been spending a fair amount of time involved with the following committees:

Winter Cities Council

Winter Cities Shake-Up: Inspiring Greatness in Winter Cities: January 28 – 30, 2015

I sit on the Winter City Council and we are pleased to announce that next January, Edmonton will play host to Winter Cities Shake-Up 2015. 

Winter Cities Shake-Up 2015 is an international conference on shaking up preconceptions about how we plan, design, live, work and play in winter cities. And as the host, we would like to invite all of you to participate in making this conference a huge success! How?

Edmontonians can share ideas for Field Trips for delegates coming from all over the world! We would like to show visitors (and residents!) the great things that are happening in and around Edmonton, from festivals to attractions to community initiatives. So, if you have any great ideas feel free to submit them here.

We also welcome all Edmontonians to participate in the conference. Details on registration will be released on our conference website. It's time to show the world what a great winter city Edmonton is!

EFCL Civic Engagement and Business Planning Committee 
I sit on this committee and we have started meeting and are busy attempting to find new ways for the EFCL and community leagues to engage in civic issues as well as come up with a proposed 5-year business plan for the EFCL. The Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues intends to consult with a number of community leagues, along with city councillors, city administrators and other stakeholders in order to prepare its 2014-2018 Business Plan.  The federation’s board of directors approved the consultation plan at last week’s board meeting.

Both Western Management Consultants and the Centre For Public Involvement have been hired to help prepare the plan, which will include a significant review of the federation’s civic engagement practises.

Development of the plan has been jointly funded by the EFCL and City of Edmonton.  Interviews are scheduled for April, May and June.

EFCL 100^th Anniversary Committee – I have been helping with several of the 100^th Anniversary Committees at the EFCL. We are working on identifying themes for highlighting in displays at the park feature in Hawrelak Park.

Jason Watt to stand for election as District B Planning Representative

Jason Watt of McLeod, running for District B
Planning Committee Representative.

The biggest news this month is Jason Watt has stepped forward from McLeod Community League and he is interested in serving as our Londonderry District B Planning Representative. In fact he has already attended a planning committee meeting to see what they do and he wound up chairing the first meeting he attended!  It’s very important that we have quorum for the EFCL AGM on May 21, so we can elect a represenative.

 EFCL Welcomes Review of Volunteer Requirements at Casinos

The Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues is pleased to hear that a review will be undertaken of the volunteer requirements at local casinos.  The federation believes that some events – particularly those on weekdays – are overstaffed and would like to see a reduction in the number of volunteers that non-profit groups need to provide.
Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission (AGLC) executive director Bill Robinson offered to launch the review at an April 1 meeting of industry stakeholders, after the EFCL voiced a concern about the recent decision to extend the hours that volunteers are required to be on site. 

Effective April 1, casinos are allowed to open their tables at 10:00 a.m., instead of noon, and keep them open until 3:00 a.m., instead of 2:00 a.m.  Non-profit groups are required to supply volunteers to help operate these games.
Robinson also agreed to review the impact that additional casino hours have on revenues and volunteers.  He thought this review could be done in 9-12 months.
The EFCL received widespread media coverage of its concern about the casino hours, shortly after a news release was issued on March 27.

SOCAN and RE:SOUND Open to Negotiations

Representatives of both SOCAN and RE:SOUND have recently told the EFCL that they are interested in negotiating a group rate for leagues that allow music to be played at events in their hall.

Currently, each organization is attempting to charge leagues a tariff for this right.  SOCAN charges $185/year, so long as the gross annual revenues at these events don’t exceed $15,400.  RE:SOUND charges $9 per event ($18 when dancing is involved).

The EFCL has informed them that a vote will be taken at the federation’s May 21 Annual General Meeting, asking leagues to indicate whether or not they would like the EFCL to negotiate a multi-year, group rate for all of the leagues that have halls.  The intention would be to seek a significant discount, along with an understanding that leagues would no longer be responsible for any accounting.  If the music organizations agree, then the EFCL would add the negotiated rate to the yearly membership fees that it charges to each league that has a hall.

A representative for RE:SOUND said his group would not bill any leagues between now and the May 21 general meeting.  A representative for SOCAN said she would also like to explore ways to make the accounting process easier for volunteer groups, regardless of whether or not a group rate is put in place.

EFCL Applauds Mayor’s Effort To Address Poverty

The Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues supports Mayor Don Iveson’s attempt to address poverty in Edmonton and is willing to help where it can.  The federation believes it is vitally important that all Edmontonians be able to fully participate in local activities and upgrade their skills, regardless of income level.

At last week’s board meeting, EFCL directors noted that leagues have been helping thousands of Edmontonians throughout their 93-year history, by providing a wide-range of low cost programs and events.  Leagues have also often found ways to quietly cover the sports registration and other fees of low income people when the situation presented itself.

The federation plans to hold a workshop where leagues can share among themselves the approaches they have taken to accommodate low income people in their area.  Plans are being made to hold this session at League’s Alive, the federation’s board development conference held in November each year.

EFCL Looks For Common Ground On Social Housing

The Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues is ready to participate in a review of social housing, which the city hopes to host in the coming year.

Last week the board noted that it is important to find ways to increase community acceptance of social housing projects, through proper planning and consultation.  The federation believes that projects should be spread throughout the city and the region, to avoid an over-concentration in downtown neighborhoods.

A three-year moratorium on social housing was put in place in five inner city communities (Alberta Avenue, Boyle Street, Central McDougall, McCauley and Queen Mary Park) in October, 2012.  The federation continues to support the moratorium until ways to distribute social housing around the city and region are established and proven to be effective.

EFCL To Host Meetings With Edmonton School Boards

The Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues has decided it’s time to meet with the Edmonton school boards, to discuss a series of issues of mutual concern.

The federation is particularly concerned about plans each board has to consolidate schools in mature areas, which will mean the loss of a facility in some neighborhoods.  In addition, the federation would like to explore ways for the community to make better use of existing schools.  The use of community league parking lots has also been raised in a number of areas, given the number of students arriving by car at schools located nearby.

The federation will contact each board shortly to find a mutually convenient time to meet.

Federation Starts Work On New Website

The Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues has struck a committee to oversee the development of a new website.   The website will include a revamped membership sales feature, as well as a page where citizens can contribute to the federation’s 100^th Anniversary project.

The EFCL hopes to have the website up and running by the end of September.

Thanks to Allan for notes summarizing the April meeting.

See at the EFCL AGM on May 21, 2014!

David Dodge

Londonderry District B Representative
EFCL

October EFCL Board Meeting Highlights - RGM

Hi everyone, you can download the board package from the October 11 board meeting and here some hightlights from the meeting. 

Notes From The October Board Meeting

1. Registrations Rolling in For “Leagues Alive” Don't Miss It!

Fifty six community league executive members have now registered for the “League’s Alive” Conference and Trade Show,
which will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, November 3 at the Mayfield Inn. So far, the four most popular sessions
are Use of Gaming Proceeds, Bylaws and Policy Development, Event Planning and Role of the President.

In addition, nine members of city council have confirmed their attendance for lunch with the councillors session at 11:30 a.m.
in the trade show ballroom. Registrants will be able to sit at an individual table with any of the following councillors
- Linda Sloan, Kim Krushell, Dave Loken, Tony Caterina, Ben Henderson, Jane Batty, Amarjeet Sohi, Kerry Diotte and Ed Gibbons.

Admission to the conference and trade show, including lunch, is free to all community league executive members. However,
delegates need to register to reserve a seat in any of the sessions, as well as for lunch. It should also be noted that there are no child
care services on site.

2. $60,000 Available To The First Rink Cover Applicants - Act Soon!

In an attempt to encourage one or two demonstration projects, the EFCL is making $60,000 available to the first leagues that decide
to build a cover over their outdoor rink.

Leagues are reminded that there is also federal matching grants of $250,000 available for such a project. The deadline for applying
is November 19. Information on rink cover suppliers is available through the federation office.

3. Living Local Arts and Heritage Grants Available

Leagues are reminded that the EFCL, Edmonton Arts Council and Edmonton Heritage Council are once again sponsoring the Living
Local Arts and Heritage Program. Up to $20,000 is available to any league that wants to engage a local artist or artists to do a project
or performance that recognizes the historical character of their area.

Leagues are responsible for providing 1/3 of the total funding and must provide a letter of endorsement. Applications are available
through the EFCL website (www.efcl.org) by clicking on “Activities” and then “Arts and Heritage Grant.”

4. Leagues Reminded About Fall General Meeting - Oct 23 RSVP now!

Each league is encouraged to send a representative to the fall general meeting of the EFCL, which is set for 6:30 p.m. at Britannia/Youngstown
Community League (15927-105 Avenue). Updates will provided on all of the federation’s programs, elections will be held for board and
committee members and leagues will be asked to consider the addition of a third general meeting, to consider the federation’s budget and
annual program plans, in January or February of each year. Delegates are encouraged to register so we know how much food to order for dinner,
which is set for 5:30 p.m., as well as the number of agendas and reports we need to print.

5. Food And Agricultural Strategy Needs More Meat On The Bones

The EFCL has decided to ask the city to do more work on the Food and Agricultural Strategy before adopting the draft document as city policy.
While liking many of the ideas presented in the policy, such as the promotion of food hubs, farmer’s markets and community gardens, the EFCL
couldn’t determine from the document who was going to undertake any of the projects, how they would do them or where they would get the
resources. The EFCL also didn’t see any commitment to protecting any of the city’s prime agricultural land, which is a key ingredient to providing
locally-grown food.

Without additional direction the federation is concerned that the draft policy won’t accomplish much of anything.

6. EFCL To Register Concerns About Changes To Mature Neighborhoods

The EFCL is not sold on the idea of allowing more front garages and driveways on properties in mature neighborhoods, or the concept of allowing
some properties to sit very close to the street and others quite far back. Hence, it is going to ask the city to scale back on its plans to change the rules
for development in mature parts of the city.

7. Realtors Pitch Fancy New Edmonton Website

The Realtors Association of Edmonton and Area – which is one of the key sponsors of the EFCL – is putting together a $2 million website which will
contain a host of information about the community along with homes that are for sale.

The EFCL has been asked to provide information for the “YEG is Home” website and encourage its leagues to do the same. It has also been asked to
contribute financially to the project.

The federation is quite intrigued by the possibilities presented by this communication tool and will use the next few weeks to flesh out the role it can play.

8. Planning Continues on 100th Anniversary Project

The EFCL is continuing to refine its plans for the upgrade of Hawrelak Park. The biggest decision that needs to be made is the possible inclusion of a
water play feature next to the playground. This will hinge on the recommendations of a consultant the city has just hired, who will review the pros and
cons of including a water play feature as part of the federation’s project, next to the playground, or putting it north of the main pavilion, near the northeast
corner of the lake, where the city will be responsible for the design, development and financing. The consultant will be meeting with relevant stakeholders,
including the EFCL, and welcoming public input over the next few months.

In the meantime, the EFCL will continue to flesh out plans for the Community League Plaza and Stream Upgrade.

9. Conflict Resolution Session Set

In order to help leagues deal with difficult situations, the EFCL is offering “Tips and Tools for Having a Difficult Conversation” at the EFCL office at
6:00 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 18. The workshop is being presented by staff from the Mediation and Restorative Justice Centre.

10.Federation Pleased With Traffic Calming Measures

The EFCL was pleased to see the city approve a set of traffic calming measures to reduce speeding on residential streets. The city will now prepare a
set of custom-designed plans, featuring traffic islands, extended curbs, raised intersections and road medians for neighborhoods experiencing significant
speeding issues.

Neighborhoods are also welcome to apply for a 40 km./hr speed limit on their residential streets. The initiative must be endorsed by the community league
and two thirds of the area residents before it will be considered by the city.

11. Meeting Set with City Council

Eleven members of Edmonton City Council have confirmed their attendance for the annual meeting with the board of the EFCL, which is set for Monday,
October 29. The EFCL will update council on various federation initiatives and seek input from council on future directions.

12. Representing the EFCL on Hockey, Edmonton Journal and Edmonton's Renewable Energy commitees

I have volunteered to represent the federation on three task forces or committees. The first is a visioning task force set up by the Edmonton Minor Hockey Association, which is looking for ways to increase participation and engage the community in the provision of hockey programs.
The second is Edmonton Journal’s Community Advisory Board and the third is the city’ renewable energy task force, which helped spawn the federation’s solar
and energy conservation program.

If you have any questions or comments please call or write anytime. Thanks to Allan for these notes.

David Dodge
President and District B Representative
Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues (EFCL)

Notes from the June 14th EFCL Board Meeting

Allan's Notes From the June 14 Board Meeting

Applications Roll In For Solar and Energy Savings Program

Five community leagues – Ritchie, McLeod, Evansdale, Riverbend and West Jasper Sherwood – have decided to invest in the EFCL’s Solar and Energy Savings Program.  The pilot project will see each league get a 1.2 kw (five panel) solar energy system, an information display monitor, an energy and carbon audit and a chance to take part in a provincial energy retrofit grant program.

The EFCL, which along with the City of Edmonton is subsidizing the cost of the program, has spots for seven leagues to take part.  Each league is required to provide a cheque for $6,000, along with some league contacts and basic information about their hall.  If more than seven leagues apply by the July 3 deadline, a draw will be held on July 4.

In related news, the federation decided to enter its own office building in the program, at a cost of $14,000.  The EFCL negotiated this arrangement with the suppliers separate from the league program, so that it wouldn’t impact the amount of subsidy money available.

EFCL Explores Opportunities With Indigenous Games

The Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues is working on a partnership proposal with the organizers of the Alberta Indigenous Games, which is set for Aug. 5-9, 2013.

The plan focuses on the recruitment of volunteer coaches, to help run team sports such as soccer, softball, volleyball, basketball, ball hockey, lacrosse and canoeing, as well as coaches for individual sports like golf, archery and athletics.

The coaches would prepare the athletes for a month or two prior to the games, which will be held in Edmonton, St. Albert, Leduc and Enoch.  All participants on Edmonton teams in the games would need to have a community league membership in order to participate.  Participants, largely with the help of their coaches, would then be introduced to community league and other community-based programs after the Games.

Games co-chairman Allan Ross and Edmonton Public School Board consultant Dawn Marie Marchand pitched the proposal to the board at its meeting Thursday night.

They expect to see between 2,000 and 3,000 participants, aged 12-18, take part in the Games.  They will include people from First Nation, Metis and Innuit backgrounds.

The EFCL plans to hold meetings with interested sports organizations to help get this project off the ground.

Infrastructure Assessment Program Winding Down

Community leagues have until December 31 of this year to apply to the EFCL for infrastructure assessment funding, according to decision reached by the board on Thursday night.

After that date, all remaining funds in the program will be redirected to other federation projects.

The infrastructure assessment funding is available to any league that needs to do work that wasn’t covered in the basic hall assessment that was completed by Stantec or Williams Engineering in the past couple of years.  Sample projects are geotechnical reviews, to determine the integrity of the hall foundation, as well as investigations to locate and determine the degree of hazard presented by asbestos in the hall.

The EFCL is willing to cover 80% of the cost of the review, on projects up to $20.000.  Leagues are expected to obtain three quotes for the work before applying to the federation for funding.

Applications should be sent directly to the EFCL executive director, Allan Bolstad.

Presenters Sought for League’s Alive Conference

EFCL Board members were asked to bring forward the names of community league executives who would be willing to make a presentation at the federation’s conference on Nov. 3.  Confirmed topics at the conference are as follows: Consensus Building, Board Governance Basics, Developing Policy, Bylaws, Role of the President, Role of the Treasurer, Connecting with your Community, Road to Accountability, Use of Gaming Proceeds, Volunteer Engagement and Recruitment, Social Media, Building Operations, Crime Prevention, Community Gardening.

Online System For Membership Card Distribution Well Accepted

The EFCL has yet to receive any complaints from Leagues or customers about the online sale of membership cards.  We have also yet to notice any cases of people trying to take advantage of leagues with very low membership fees.

Requests far outweigh submissions to the Supplier Marketplace

We have only had three submissions so far from Community Leagues for our Supplier Marketplace.  We do get a lot of leagues interested in finding a recommended supplier – 1,260 visits that page in May alone - so we need to promote this service to our Leagues and continually remind them to submit suppliers.

Living Local Arts and Heritage Program (Year Two) Launched

The EFCL launched the second year of its Living Local Arts and Heritage Program. 
The program is open to any league that wants to hire local artists to do a project that showcases