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.