Report on May EFCL Board Meeting

Download the EFCL April 2012 Board Package

Thanks to Allan for preparing this report on the EFCL May 2012, Board meeting.

EFCL Executive Team Elected

The EFCL is pleased to report that all four members of its executive team have agreed to serve for another year. 

• David Dodge, from Evansdale Community League, has been re-elected for his second term as president.

• David Gibbens, from Meadowlark Community League, has been re-elected for his second term as Vice-President External.

• Christine Bremner, from Highlands Community League, has been re-elected for her third term as Vice-President Internal.

• Al Innes, from Evergreen Community Association, has been re-elected for his third term as Treasurer.

EFCL Bylaws allow executive members to serve for a maximum of three consecutive terms.

Living Local Arts and Heritage Program Information Session Set

All community leagues are welcome to learn about the Living Local Arts and Heritage Program and the money that is available to help leagues reach out to local artists in their area.

The session is set for 7:00 p.m., Tuesday, May 29, at Newton Community League (5520-121 Avenue).   Two leagues that qualified for funding last year will be making presentations: Hazeldean Community League will describe the sculpture and other interpretive displays it is putting together to acknowledge the history of the railway along a greenbelt that runs through the community.  Alberta Avenue – in conjunction with Eastwood and Parkdale/Cromdale Community Leagues - will describe how it is using digital audio interviews with long-time residents to put together interpretive performances and publications commemorating the history of the area.

Staff from the all three sponsoring agencies – the Edmonton Arts Council, Edmonton Heritage Council and EFCL will be on hand to describe how this year’s program works.

EFCL Awaits Decision on Infrastructure Assessment Dollars

The EFCL is expecting a decision next week on its application to redirect $234,000 in infrastructure assessment money to three other projects.   If approved, the federation will redistribute the money in equal portions to its 100^th Anniversary, solar energy and rink roof projects.  The federation will also notify the leagues of the pending change, in the event that leagues have any last-minute plans for additional assessment work.

City council’s community services committee has recommended to council that the application be approved.  Council is scheduled to vote on the matter on Wednesday, May 16.

Leagues Welcome to Attend Good Neighbors Awards Program

Everyone is welcome to attend the Good Neighbours Awards ceremony, which is set for 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, May 15^th at City Hall.

One winner has been selected for each of the city’s 12 awards.  All nominees are to get a certificate of recognition from the City of Edmonton.

The EFCL was proud to be a sponsor of this year’s program and will welcome the input and support of leagues as we prepare for next year’s program.

EFCL Encourages Leagues To Join SOCAN Tariff Appeal

The Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues is encouraging all member leagues to ask for an exemption to tariff #21, which compels leagues to pay an annual fee of $185 for the right to play music in their hall.  The fee is paid to the Society of Composers, Authors, and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN), which has recently applied to have this tariff extended to 2013.

Leagues wishing to add their voice to this appeal are encouraged to send a letter no later than June 30 to Gilles McDougall, Secretary General, Copyright Board of Canada 56 Sparks Street Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0C9.  His e-mail address is Gilles.McDougall@cb-cda.gc.ca

Leagues are also encouraged to contact their member of Parliament, as the federal government appoints directors to the Copyright Board and sets out the rules under it operates.

The EFCL will soon be supplying each league with a draft letter outlining the rationale behind our position.

Front Yards In Bloom Seeks Nominations and Offers Training For Judges

Anyone interested in nominating front yards for recognition in the city’s Front Yards in Bloom program is encouraged to contact Megan Rogers, at megan.rogers@edmonton.ca.  Selections of  well-attended flower gardens, edible front yards, or natural yards, are made throughout the month of June.

Community Leagues are given the task of selecting the top two yards in their neighborhood.  League volunteers are welcome to attend one of the following judge training sessions:

• Sat. June 9 – 2:00 to 3:30 pm Edmonton Horticultural Society, 10746-178 Street
• Tues June 12 – 7:00 to 8:30 pm Edmonton Horticultural Society, 10746-178 Street
• Thurs June 21 – 7:00 to 8:30 pm 11001 107 Street

To pre-register please send an e-mail note to neil.lang@edmontonhort.com or leave a message at 780-378-5320 and state which session you would like to attend. For more info see: www.edmontonhort.com/frontyardsinbloom.  

It’s Time to Book League Gym Time

Information sessions on Gym booking procedures have been organized on the following dates:

• May 16 –  Medium Gym User
• May17 -  Small Gym User
• May 24 -  Large Gym User

Time:  6:30.   Location:  Central Lions Senior Centre (11113, 113 Street).

For more information, contact Shauna Richard, at shauna.richard@edmonton.ca, 780-495-1964

EFCL Learns How to Make the Most Out of Winter

The federation was pleased to team up with the City of Edmonton to discuss a city-wide strategy for winter activities.

Held at Glenwood Community League hall on April 19, the evening featured a presentation from Councillor Ben Henderson, who showed photos of his recent fact finding trip to northern Europe.

Perhaps the main conclusion from the evening was to focus on ways to help Edmontonians enjoy a variety of different winter activities when the weather in conducive.  This could include the lighting of cross country ski trails, the provision of snow to community leagues for informal toboggan runs and snow sculpturing and the construction of semi-enclosed shelters, complete with overhead electrical heating, next to outdoor rinks.

Participants noted that it is very risky to plan a large scale outdoor event, particularly if it is held on multiple days, given the extreme and rapid fluctuations we experience in winter weather.

EFCL Planning Committee Hard at Work

There seems to be no shortage of topics for the EFCL planning committee to consider these days.

Current key initiatives include a review of the city’s policy on siting cell phone towers, the design of new neighborhoods, the development of family-friendly, high density housing, and the redesignation of surplus school sites to other uses.

Fall Conference Plans Shaping Up

EFCL board development officer Andrea Sands has released a draft agenda for the Nov. 3 “Leagues Alive” Conference at the Mayfield Inn Hotel.

The following is a list of the sessions that are confirmed:

• Board Governance Basics
• Bylaw Basics
• Consensus Building
• Connecting with your Community (covering newsletters and use of social media)
• Cultural Diversity
• Developing Policy
• Dos & Don’ts of Social Media (title not yet confirmed, but dealing with the good, bad & ugly of 21^st century communication strategies)
• Road to Accountability (the 1^st confirmed “sponsored” workshop with Wanita from FPB; planning to have her introduce speaker and be available during & after workshop for questions)
• Role of the President
• Role of the Treasurer
• Volunteer Engagement & Recruitment
• Use of Proceeds
• Building Occupant (designed to provide introductory information on complex topics related to efficient operation of league buildings: electrical, lighting, HVAC & water)
• Community Gardening (still planning to secure a rink related workshop)
• Crime Prevention (will include Hall Rental, Personal & Building safety)

We are also pleased to report that Community Services has accepted our invitation to work together on planning and implementing the conference and has assigned three CRCs to the task.

Board Responds to Concerns Raised About the 100^th Anniversary Project

While an overwhelming majorify of community leagues voted in favor of the federation’s 100^th

Anniversary Project, a few concerns were also raised at the April 30 Annual General Meeting.

It was pointed out that some leagues might have in raising the $400 supplemental membership fee each year from 2012 to 2016 to help pay for the project.  Other leagues wanted to know what would happen with their money if the project didn’t pan out.

In response to those concerns, the board approved the following motions:

That the federation seek ways to mitigate any hardship that the supplemental fee might cause on leagues that are in financial distress.That the federation not make any material changes in the nature of the anniversary project without the support of the membership. Further, if the EFCL does not proceed with the project, the supplemental membership fee will be refunded.

Estimated to cost approximately $2 million, the anniversary project features a three-phased set of upgrades to Hawrelak Park, including a Community League Plaza, stream walk and water play feature.

Online Membership Sales Now Include Card At Time of Purchase

As of May 2, the EFCL launched the issuing of membership cards with online purchases.  So far we think our computer debugging is complete but we will see with time and more transactions.  Please advise your leagues that they can distribute skate tags at Community League day or at the rink when it opens.

Leagues Encouraged to Refer Quality Suppliers

Many of our members call EFCL to ask if we know of a vendor we could recommend that other leagues have used.   Now through the supplier marketplace you can help your peers and recommend a supplier of a service or product.

It could be a painter or a paver, a custodian or snow remover!  Whoever you were happy with – let us know by registering on  supplier marketplace at www. efcl.org

EFCL Reaches Out to Under 40 Crowd

Edmontonians over 18 and under 40, living on the southside, are welcome to join the federation for a free evening of fun, brainstorming, entertainment, drinks (compliments of AlleyKat Breweries) and eats.  Southside leagues are welcome to send a rep as well.

When and Where: 7:00 p.m., Thursday, May 31 at Strathcona Community League.

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.