Hello District B Community Leagues
A few highights from the November package
4.2 - Socan –First approved in 1994 the tariff was set up to apply to community halls that generate less than $15,400 from events where music is played. The rates are $185 per year. Please see the letter from Rona Ambrose, MP.
4.3 Covered Rink Proposal – It's going to the board for approval on Thursday. The idea is to dedicate $100k of infrastructure money to support a pilot project to cover a rink somewhere in Edmonton. Read more!
4.4 Transit Oriented Development – a proposed position statement that is going to the board to establish that higher density development around high speed transit be family friendly, that schools and public amenities such as parks and play areas be provided. See the statement in the package and let me know what you think.
4.5 City Notifications – because key stakeholders were not notified of changes to meetings community folks missed meetings about the location of a fire hall in Rossdales and changes to speedlimits in the 40-kph pilot communities. We think there should be a way for stakeholders to be notified when changes to the agenda's of City meetings are made.
4.6 Meeting with Edmonton Public School Board – after a successful meeting with the EPSB last May the EPSB has invited the EFCL for a follow-up meeting. We will follow-up on the issues we raised in May and topics considered by the Mayor's task force on the sustainability of older neighbourhoods.
6.2 Living Local Conference – 80 people attended the conference the EFCL hosted along with the Office of Great Neighbourhoods. Attendees were community folks, city staff and people from other non-profit organizations. There were three excellent presentations and discussions centered around ways to make communities involve and serve residents locally. The people involved felt the whole concept of living local needs to be advanced on an ongoing basis through leadership from the EFCL and the Office of Great Neighbourhoods. They also felt resources need to be dedicated to this effort.
6.3 EFCL Youth Connections – Michael Janz, the EFCL marketing director intends to make a proposal to the board on ways to engage young people in community leagues. We will learn what he is thinking at the meeting, but it involves a series of gatherings organized throughout the city! Hmmm, the Next Gen group helped create the Community Challenge, but it is generally felt that we have a ways to go to truely attract and engage younger folks in leagues. I look forward to hearing Michael's ideas.
6.5 Get a community solar system and energy audit? – That's the idea, to create a low cost small solar system for communty leagues on a pilot basis. The idea is to do something high profile (a solar system) and combine it with a community message board in the lobby of leagues and a comprehensive energy audit to help leagues understand what can be done to save energy on league facilities. In our research for this project I had the pleasure of touring my own hall with Rob Harlan from the solar energy society. He thought our hall was perfectly suited for a solar system, but it is even better suited for energy conservation projects that could save energy and money for the league. We (the EFCL) needs to raise some money to pull off this program.
6.8 Planning Report - check out the board package for these topics:
- EFCL makes headway on Grocery Store Restrictive Covenant Issue
- EFCL disappointed with new digital sign regs
- Communty plan for non-market housing in the works
- EFCL providing input into zoning bylaw changes for massage parlours
- Community Sustainability Task Force - report coming in December!
6.9 Executive Director's Report:
- EFCL 100th Anniversary
- City seeks builders for vacant school sites - the city is laying the groundwork for the development of 18 more sites
- Outdoor rink comittee winds up!
7.0 Community Services Report
- 103 Tripartite Agreements signed, sealed and in
- 51 applications for new capital funding totaling $3 million!
- Building Great Neighbourhoods - news about infrastructure spending
- Mayor hosting six senior's coffee parties
- more...
That's all folks, see the board package for more information on any of these topics.
Please email me your thoughts on these or any other issues you would like to see raised at the EFCL board meeting.
Cheers,
David Dodge, District B Rep and President, The EFCL
