EFCL AGM is on May 21 at North Glenora Community League

Hello District B Communities:

Lago Lindo, Kilkenny, McLeod, Evansdale, Northmount, Londonderry, Steele Heights, Balwin, Killarney, Delwood, Glengarry, Rosslyn, Belvedere community leagues

The EFCL Board of Directors, May 2014: Bill
Moore-Kilgannon, Rob Agostinis, David Dodge
Mark Nicoll, Masood Mac, Elaine Solez(staff),
Shaffeek Ali, Lindsay Smith, Gavin Henderson,
Allan Bolstad (staff) and Christine Bremner.

As a reminder the EFCL Annual General Meeting is on Wednesday, May 21, 2014 at North Glenora Community League at 13535 – 109 A Avenue.   Dinner starts at 5:30 and the meeting will commence at 6:30 PM.

Please RSVP by May 16^th so we can ensure we have enough handouts and food.  Any special dietary restrictions,  please let me know those as well.  Please RSVP if you are coming to the AGM so we can plan for enough food! Let Joanne know at joanne.booth@efcl.org

This will be my final AGM as your Londonderry District B Representative. I have been on the board for six years now and we have term limits at the EFCL. It has been an honour and a privilege serving as our first representative in more than a decade.

Please come out to the AGM to ensure we have quorum for our district, there is much on the agenda (see bottom of this blog post).

What's on tap at the AGM?

Jason Watt of McLeod Community League has agreed to let his name stand for election as our EFCL Planning Committee representative.


Here is a short bio on Jason:

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

Jason Watt has been active on the McLeod Community League Board since 2011. This is his second stint on the Board. He is the Secretary and produces the monthly newsletter.  In addition, he sits on the boards of Goodwill Industries of Alberta; the South Alberta Light Horse Regimental Association; the Edmonton Chapter of The Financial Advisors Association of Canada; and the Fundraising Committee of the Financial Planning Foundation.  

Jason is a small business owner.  He trains financial services professionals across Canada.  Prior to going into business, Jason served for fourteen years in the Canadian Armed Forces, including four deployments on overseas operations.

Jason is happily married to Louise, who is in her 15th year of service in the Canadian Armed Forces, and has three children - Ethan, Rema, and Majed.

We are presently looking for someone to step forward to become our new District B Representative on the board. If you are interested let us know. Nominations for the planning committee or district representative can be made at the EFCL AGM on May 21, 2014.

I will include a copy of the agenda to the bottom of this blog post for your purusal!

EFCL AGM Agenda

It's a packed agenda of announcements, presentations and useful information for community leagues.

There will be presentations on Edmonton Northlands K-Days Events, Edmonton Youth Softball Association, and the EFCL's Civic Engagement Strategy and Business Plan. 

Community Leagues will be asked if they want the EFCL to negotiate a community league agreement with  SOCAN and RESOUND to reduce the rates and simplify the process of of dealing with the licensing requirements.

EFCL Civic Engagement and Business Planning Survey!

This is your chance to let the EFCL know what you would like to see more of, what you would like to see less of and to let us know how we can help leagues with civic engagement. The EFCL is working with the City of Edmonton and the Centre for Public Involvement (CPI) to conduct the survey. 

The purpose is the gather input to understand and assess the current state of civic engagement of the EFCL and its community leagues, and to indentify challenges, opportunities, and future vision for the EFCL and community leagues as a whole.

Be part of the conversation: The EFCL hopes to attract a broad range of inputs to support future civic engagement of leagues and EFCL engagement with leagues too! 

The survey is not launched yet, but it will be offered online through the EFCL website as soon as it's ready. I will let you know when it's ready. Thanks to everyone who gave us input at the last EFCL RGM. This is the next step in creating a new civic engagement strategy and business plan for the EFCL.

 My Plans

My term as district B representative is ending in May, but I have agreed to continue my involvement with the Winter Cities Council, the 100th Anniversary History Committee and the EFCL Civic Engagement and Business Planning Committee.

I am also still involved with Evansdale Community League where we are installing a large 10 kilowatt solar system this month as part of our renovations to our winter sports facility, rinks and courts. 

I hope to see you at the EFCL AGM on May 21 at North Glenora Community League. Let's see all of our district B leagues represented!

David Dodge

Londonderry District B Representative

Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues (EFCL)

DRAFT AGENDA FOR EFCL AGM, MAY 21, 1024

Annual General Meeting Draft Agenda
Wednesday, May 21, 2014, North Glenora Community League (13535-109 A Avenue)

Registration/Dinner 5:30-6:30 p.m.   Start Time 6:30 p.m.   Finish Time 9:30 p.m.

1.0              Call To Order (6:30 p.m.)

1.1   Welcome Guests

1.2   Introduce Board and Staff

1.3   Thank you to retiring board members

1.4   Opening Comments From Chairperson

1.5   Greetings from City Council (Ben Henderson/Michael Walters)

2.0        Approval of Agenda (6:50 p.m.)

3.0              Minutes (2013)

4.0              Community League Day Video/Skit

5.0              Announcements

5.1   Realtors YEG is Home Website

5.2   100^th Anniversary Project

5.3   Balconies in Bloom

5.4   Leagues Alive 2014

6.0        Presentations (7:15 p.m.)

6.1   Edmonton Northlands K-Days Events

6.2   Edmonton Youth Softball Association

6.3   EFCL Business Plan and Civic Engagement Review

7.0        Election of Board Members  (7:45 p.m.)

8.0        Election of Planning Committee Members

9.0        Coffee Break (8:00 p.m.)  

10.0      Door Prizes (8:15 p.m)

11.0      Decision Item

        11.1 Negotiations with SOCAN and RE:SOUND          

12.0       Statutory Reports (8:45 p.m.)

12.1  2012 Annual Report (separate document)

12.2  2012 Audited Financial Statement (included in Annual Report)

13.0      Community Services Department Report (9:00 p.m.)

       - CLIP funding update

       - Green Shack funding update

14.0      EFCL Information Reports (By Exemption)

14.1 Planning Advisor’s Report

14.2 Community Development Director’s Report

14.3 Board Development Director’s Report

14.4 Communications Report

14.5 Marketing Director’s Report

14.6 Executive Director’s Report

15.0     Open Mic  - Community League Feedback (9:15 p .m)

16.0     Next General Meeting

Date:   Tuesday, Oct.28, 2014, 6:30 - 9:30 p.m.

17.0    Adjournment (9:30 p.m.)

18.0    Hall Clean Up

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

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