EFCL March Meeting Notes

1)   Board Members Decide to Work the Phones

EFCL board members have decided to call each of the leagues in their district to remind them of two important sessions that are just around the corner.

The first is our Volunteer Recruitment and Screening Workshop, Thursday, March 28 at the EFCL Office.  This session will focus on ways to recruit new volunteers, as well as methods to screen potential volunteers.  Light dinner at 5:30 p.m., meeting at 6:00 p.m.  RSVP to Andrea.Sage@efcl.org

The second is our Volunteer Recognition Event, which is set for 7:00 p.m. Tuesday, April 23, at Myer Horowitz Theatre at the U/A.  Leagues are encouraged to send all of their key volunteers.  Attendees will be treated to a speech by motivational speaker Laurel Vespi, a series of short videos on Community League activities and a social mixer.  Leagues are encouraged to send photos of their events to Valerie.Pachal@efcl.org.   Please RSVP to Kris.Morra@efcl.org.

2)   EFCL To Review Civic Engagement Strategy

The EFCL has decided to review the manner in which the federation and its member leagues get involved in civic issues.  The goal is to find ways to do a better job of responding to civic issues and complement the city’s public engagement process.

A committee has been struck to oversee this exercise.  Board members David Dodge, David Gibbens, Christine Bremner and Masood Makarechian have volunteered to sit on it and the federation’s planning committee has been asked to provide two members as well.

The federation is already holding meetings with senior city staff on this issue.  The results of this exercise will become incorporated into the federation’s 2014-2018 business plan, which a consultant will be hired to prepare.

3)   Federation Protests STEP Grant Cut

The EFCL has decided to protest the elimination of the Summer Temporary Employment Program (STEP) and ask the province to restart it or put a similar program in its place.

The federation believes the 40-year-old program was anything but broken.  In fact, we think it was working very well.

It was providing meaningful employment for students and allowed many non-profit groups to provide programs that would not have otherwise happened.

One such program is the “Green Shack” summer camp program that community leagues have been running with the assistance of the City of Edmonton.  Community leagues used STEP funds to hire camp leaders at approximately 180 locations across Edmonton last year.  The program gave thousands of Edmonton children an opportunity to learn skills, play sports, make friends and have some fun.  Leagues are now scrambling to find ways to finance this program without the provincial dollars.

4)   Living Local Arts and Heritage Program Made Easy

The EFCL, along with its partner agencies Edmonton Arts Council and Edmonton Heritage Council, have come up with some new rules to make it easier for community leagues to access the Living Local Arts and Heritage Fund program.

Instead of submitting a grant application, leagues will be asked to provide a letter of intent, outlining the nature of their project.  Program staff will then work with the league to flesh out the initiative and help it meet key program criteria (i.e use of a local artist in recognizing the historical character of the neighborhood).   Once the criteria is met, the project will be funded and work can proceed.

Leagues will still be asked to put up one third of the funds on projects worth up to a maximum of $30,000.

5)  Public Consultation Set for 100^th Anniversary Project

The EFCL will be presenting its plans for upgrading the stream in Hawrelak Park and developing a community league plaza at a public information session on Wednesday, April 24.  Scheduled to run from 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Victoria Golf Course Club House, the Open House is being organized by the City of Edmonton for the public to see and comment on various changes planned for the park.  This would include changes to the main lake to accommodate triathlon events and other park upgrades the city has in mind.

The EFCL is continuing to flesh out its development plan, which received a boost when city council decided to develop a water play feature between it and a nearby playground.  The project now has the potential to offer interesting elements to people of all ages.

6)  Sun Shines on Solar and Energy Conservtion Program

Work is proceeding nicely on the EFCL’s solar energy program.  Energy and carbon audits have now been completed on all seven halls (Ritchie, Riverdale, West Jasper/Sherwood, Rossdale, Alberta Avenue, North Glenora and Meadowlark) and each participating league has been presented with a report that listed a series of suggested energy conservation measures for the league to consider, complete with estimated costs and payback period.  A similar assessment of the EFCL’s office building is currently underway.

Each league in the program and the EFCL is eligible to apply for provincial grant money to help offset the cost of upgrades.

In April, the Solar Energy Society will be installing solar energy systems on the roof of each hall, along with energy monitoring equipment including a display monitor that the league or EFCL can also use as an electronic message board.

The EFCL plans to make a presentation on this program to league delegates attending the federation’s Annual General Meeting, which is set for May 29 at Duggan Community League.

7)   EFCL Checks Into Bike Routes

The EFCL will be meeting with city staff shortly to review the city’s bike plan and see how it can help with the public consultation effort.

The federation is hoping that plans can be developed that facilitate a network of safe, attractive routes that communities can help plan and design.

Awards Handed Out At International Traffic Safety Conference:

8) Nominations Sought For Community Traffic Safety Award

The City of Edmonton has created a Community Traffic Safety Award to recognize community members who have contributed to traffic safety initiatives in their community.

Nominations are open for any community member(s) who meet the following criteria:

• A demonstrated personal commitment to traffic safety in a non‐paid or volunteer capacity
• Accumulated history of involvement in traffic safety (minimum 3 years)
• Support for traffic safety initiatives that improve community quality of life

The Nomination of potential recipients can be made via email to Gerry Shimko, the Executive Director of the  Office of Traffic Safety, at Gerry.Shimko@edmonton.ca by March 31, 2013. The nomination should include the name of the nominee, contact information, and a descriptive narrative outlining how the nominee(s) meet the above noted criteria.

Award winners will be recognized at the International Traffic Safety Conference, which is going to held from April 29- May 2, 2013 at the Shaw Conference Centre.

In conjunction with the Traffic Safety conference, the 2^nd Annual Run Walk Ride 4 Traffic Safety (RWR4TS) will be held on Saturday April 27^th.  The goal of this event is to increase awareness of vulnerable road users and raise funds for an excellent cause, the Memorial and Traffic Safety Fund.

There will be a 5KM Walk, 5KM Run, 10KM Run and a 10KM fun bike ride. There will be prizes, free food, displays, music and fun activities for the kids making this a great day for the entire family!

 

Volunteers are need for the event.  To register as a walker, runner, and cyclist or as a volunteer, please use the Running Room Website:  http://www.events.runningroom.com/site/?raceId=8499.

9)  EFCL and Leagues Prepare Joint Report on Low Density Zone Amendments

Following City Council’s decision in October, 2012 to delay consideration of amendments to low density zones, EFCL has been busy educating leagues and getting feedback from leagues on the proposed amendments.  We held three workshops and presented the results to Executive Committee of Council on February 11, 2013.  The workshops defined the concerns, but not the precise changes desired by leagues.  Thus, on March 6^th, EFCL coordinated a meeting of league representatives who wanted to develop joint recommendations to Council.  We prepared a report to Council based on the feedback from the workshops and the March 6^th meeting.  The report will be distributed to City Council, Administration and to leagues prior to the public hearing on March 18.   Leagues will be able to use the report to assist them in writing their own letter to Council if they wish.   EFCL is also coordinating the speakers who will present the recommendations at the March 18^th meeting.

  

Here are the key recommendations 

1. Define the location criteria for various types of housing in the Use Section of the Zoning Bylaw, in order to create certainty that the location criteria will not be varied.
2. Change the Mature Neighborhood Overlay (MNO) Front Setback to be 1.5 m within the general context of the block face.
3. Add a location regulation that would limit front garages to locations where the majority of the homes already have front garages.

4. Instruct Administration to create front garage width and protrusion regulations.

5. Clarify that a) MNO consultation shall not be waived, and b) affected parties have 21 days to respond to variances requested by the developer. 

6. a) Eliminate the minimum widths of 10.0m and 12.0m for Duplexes, and for Semi-detached that are arranged along the depth of the Site.   Make minimum widths of Duplexes the same as minimum widths of Semi-detached Housing.  

b) In the RF2 and RF4 zones, define duplex housing as a Permitted Use on specific locations recommended in the Infill Guidelines, rather than making duplex housing a Permitted Use everywhere.  

7. Send RF3 proposed amendments back to Administration to address multiple issues, as detailed in this report. 

Suggested future work:

-Implement the following Residential Infill Guidelines

1. Access to sunlight and privacy
2. Well-designed outdoor amenity spaces
3. Landscape plans indicating retention of mature trees (or tree canopy replacement), and
4. Protection of a critical mass of single family housing in the core of mature neighborhoods.

-Monitor and reduce excessive variances to regulations.

-Develop public engagement plans for future text amendments.

10)                EFCL Seeks New Board Members

The EFCL is in the process of setting up meetings in District D (West Edmonton), E (Jasper Place) and J (Capilano) in order to elect directors to the board.  Districts D and J have been without a director for over two years and David Gibbens, EFCL vice-president and District E director is nearing the completion of his six-year term on the board.

11)                EFCL Selects Names for Each of its Districts

In order to help with identification, the EFCL has selected the following names of each of its twelve districts.

District A: Castle Downs/Calder.

District B: Londonderry

District C: Clareview/Horse Hill

District D: West Edmonton

District E: Jasper Place

District F: Central

District G: The Avenue East

District H: Terwillegar/Riverbend

District I: Greater Strathcona

District J: Capilano

District K: Whitemud Creek East

District L: South East

Thanks to Allan for putting this report together.

If you have any questions or comments please drop me a line anytime.

David Dodge

President and Londonderry District B Rep.

Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues (EFCL)

Volunteer Appreciation Make Your List - Invite Them!

This is a big, huge thank to you all of the volunteers in District B, also known as the Londonderry District of the EFCL. 

This is your chance to thank your volunteers by inviting them to a very special volunteer appreciation event.

Gather up your most valued volunteers and invite them!

This year our Volunteer Appreciation Event will provide an opportunity for League volunteers to attend an evening designed to honor their efforts and inspire and motivate with great stories and an inspirational speaker.  The Evening of Appreciation is to occur on Tuesday, April 23 at the Myer Horowitz Theatre.  Seating is limited for this FREE EVENT - first come first serve - Reply to Kris@efcl.org 

Details:

Myer Horowitz Theatre, Students' Union Building, University of Alberta, 8900 - 114 Street

Doors at 6:30

Program at 7:00

League Showcase - Highlighted Projects, Events, and Achievements  

Keynote Speaker: Laurel Vespi – The Power of One

Followed by a wine and cheese reception

Reserve your four League places with Kris.Morra@efcl.org.  We will open up any remaining seats at the beginning of April

ABOUT THE SHOWCASE:

We will have a slide show featuring highlights of the past years so please send in your pictures, video clips, and descriptions of the various events, projects, and achievements with the name of the League toKris.Morra@efcl.org.  We will also be selecting some video clips and stories from our repertoire of interviews conducted by Nancy Rempel.  There is still time to become a featured League - contact Nancy.Rempel@efcl.org  

ABOUT THE KEYNOTE SPEAKER: 

Laurel Vespi is a certified life coach and the creative energy behind stone circle coaching. With more than 30 years experience as an educator, consultant and group facilitator, Laurel particularly loves helping people clarify their life purpose, and find more balance, fun and satisfaction in their lives. In other words make the seemingly impossible become possible.

Laurel has a Master of Education degree and is designated as a Professional Certified Coach by the International Coach Federation. Laurel is also the Past President of the Edmonton Coaches Association.

Laurel is the author of the award winning book Spontaneous Combustion: Setting Your Life on Fire, a kick in the pants look at how to stop waiting for the most important things in life. Her newest book, Conscious Combustion will be published this year.

So make your list and check it twice and let Kris@efcl know how many volunteers you are inviting. 

See you there!

David Dodge

Londonderry District B Rep., EFCL

(in case you missed the numerous discussions of this, we suggested referring to District B as the Londonderry District to help others understand where our area of the city is generally for the 13 community leagues of District B - email your thoughts to me)

  

Edmonton scores 7th on walkability among big Canadian cities

This came to me from Mark Anielski of Strathcona Communtiy League. Ever thought about how walkable your neighbourhood is?

Walkability certainly varies by neighbourhood, but the Top ranked Edmonton neighbourhoods are:

• Downtown (91 points) which is a walking 'paradise', including McCauley and Norwood
• Garneau
• Rossdale
• University of Alberta
• Calgary Trail North
• Old Strathcona

You can check out the walkability scores for all Edmonton neighbourhoods at the Walk Score website.

EFCL 100th Anniversary Park Project - Update

Hi Everyone,

Click to enlarge.

I heard some folks at Area 17 would like an update on the EFCL Community Leagues 100th Anniversary Parks project.

• Kris Morra of the EFCL will come to the Area 17 meeting in March (replacing me) to give a report on the parks project;
• There are regular reports on this project in our board package, newsletter and website:
• Fall newsletter: http://www.efcl.org/news/efclnewsletters/tabid/91/default.aspx
• Webpage on project: http://www.efcl.org/EFCLActivities/100thAnniversaryProject/tabid/414/Default.aspx
• Feb. Board Package: http://www.efcl.org/Default.aspx?TabId=74&xsfid=51
• The project is generally proceeding well.

The main issue that arose was that we had hoped to integrate our community league plaza and stream components with the beach component that the mayor and city are talking about doing. We are disappointed that it does not look like these are being integrated, but regardless of whether the projects are connected, we plan to go ahead with phase 1 (the community plaza) and phase 2 (the stream component) of the EFCL project is going ahead and we are actively working on it. Of course there are many steps in the process as leagues are well aware from their own park projects.

Check out the resources liked above. If you are in Area 17 Kris Morra will be at the next meeting to answer any questions you may have.

David Dodge

EFCL District B (Londonderry) Rep.

EFCL February Board Meeting Notes

February Board Meeting Notes 

Hi Everyone, you can download the Feb. 2013 board package.

Here are some notes from the February EFCL Board meeting. Please feel free to send me your comments, questions or any issues you would like me to raise at the EFCL.

First, here are a few photos from the Kilkenny and Evansdale Communtiy Family Day events in District B. 

1) K Days Parties For Leagues

The EFCL is pleased to announce that it is teaming up with Edmonton Northlands on some key promotions.

The first is a party package that will be available to four community leagues in June.

On four different Saturdays, K Days will sponsor a K Days party at the league that would include food, entertainment, games, ride, prizes etc. Interested leagues are to fill out an application through Northlands, telling why they are such a great community and why they deserve to party. They will be asked logistical questions about the facilities, green space and the number of people expected. Northlands is hoping to award these parties throughout the city and not just to BIG leagues.

Once the applications have been received by Northlands, the top 10 will be put on their website and the public will have an opportunity to vote online for their League. The top four vote getters will host the parties.

Applications should be ready by the end of February and a contest deadline will be set in April. Winners will be announced in May.

A second promotion, still in the development stages, involves the inclusion of parade floats from various organizations in the K Days summer parade. K Days wants to work with a number of organizations, including the EFCL, to develop floats for the 2014 summer parade.

2) EFCL Hosts Volunteer Recognition Night

The EFCL is encouraging all community leagues to send their hard working volunteers to a free evening of entertainment and socializing at the Myer Horowitz Theatre at the U/A.

Set for Tuesday, April 23, the evening will feature a keynote speech from Laurel Vespi, a local inspirational speaker who has written a great book called Spontaneous Combustion.

We are working with Nancy Rempel and Shaw to procure the video clips that Nancy has done on community league programs over the past year. We will be showing these clips, and possibly others, to showcase what the Leagues have done over the past year. We will also be running a slideshow of League photos at the reception following the keynote address

Myer Horowitz holds over 500 people which will allow us to thank many league volunteers.

3) EFCL Develops Civic Election Strategy

The EFCL is beginning to gear up for the fall civic election. At last week’s board meeting, the federation has decided to interview all of the key mayoralty candidates, to bring them up to speed on key federation initiatives and solicit their support. It also intends to prepare and send a backgrounder on its key initiatives to all of the candidates seeking a seat on council and will be encouraging leagues to hold all-candidates forums, with a focus on league issues, prior to the Oct. 21 vote.

4) EFCL To Connect with Leagues Without Halls

The EFCL has decided to survey all of leagues without halls to determine what they are doing to meet their space needs and whether or not the EFCL can be of any assistance. Once the survey results are in, the federation intends to hold a meeting with these leagues to discuss their situation in more detail.

The EFCL has approximately 30 leagues that do not have a hall for regular meetings or league programs. This number has been growing in recent years, as the membership of the EFCL grows and very few new halls are built.

5) EFCL To Review Role In Planning and Civic Matters

The EFCL has commenced meetings with senior city staff to discuss the federation’s role – as well as that of community leagues - in working with the city on planning and other civic policy matters.

No question this is a complex subject that will require a significant analysis, as the leagues and the federation are involved in a wide variety of issues in an equally varied number of ways. Trying to build consensus, often on short notice, is a significant challenge and finding the resources to properly research matters is another.

It also important that the involvement of the EFCL and its leagues be seen in a constructive light, given the importance of maintaining a strong working relationship with the City of Edmonton. 

6) Cultural Inclusion Project Reaches Out to Southwest Leagues

The EFCL was pleased to see a number of southwest Edmonton community leagues and city settlement agencies turn out for a meeting to explore ways to engage more recent immigrants in league activities.

Discussion focused on the lessons learned by Duggan Community League, which recently reached out to a significant number of Bhutanese residents living in their area, as well as people from other cultural backgrounds. The league executive is now extremely diverse, with members from a variety of cultural backgrounds.

Representatives from the Welcome Centre for Immigrants (which is now serving all of south Edmonton), as well as Catholic Social Services and the Mennonite Centre for Newcomers noted that they would be happy to work with leagues on this initiative.

One suggestion that surfaced was for leagues to hold an international pot luck supper as one way to meet newcomers, initiate friendships and determine who might be interested in getting involved in the league.

7) Leagues Support New Swim Time Booking Arrangement

The vast majority of leagues attending the federation’s recent swim booking night were quick to throw their support behind a new community swim concept the city has proposed.

Instead of signing a rental agreement, leagues will now sign up for a community swim program offered by the city. Provision of lifeguards will be included in the program and the city will calculate the program fee, based on seasonal enrolment. Leagues or Area Councils will be billed monthly.

The community swim program will be seen as a continuous program where leagues will remain enrolled until they notify the city of their intent to withdraw.

To help facilitate participation in this program, the city will issue the EFCL bar codes that will be attached to all community league membership cards. This will make it easier to identify league members and keep track of the number of swimmers coming from each league.

8) MP Laurie Hawn challenges SOCAN tariff

The Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues is pleased to see Edmonton Centre MP Laurie Hawn has taken up its cause against SOCAN’s tariff #21. Mr. Hawn informed us that he brought the subject up at a meeting of the Alberta caucus of MPs last week and will coordinating the fight against this tariff on behalf of all Alberta organizations.

Community leagues with halls are obliged to pay SOCAN a levy of $185 per year for the right to play music at hall events, under the tariff approved by the Copyright Board of Canada. The EFCL and a number of leagues have asked the board to exempt non-profit organizations like community leagues from this tariff. We have been told that the board intends to review the need for this tariff in the coming months.

9) Abundant Communities Initiative Underway

The EFCL is pleased to see that work is underway on the Abundant Communities pilot project in the Highlands neighborhood. Former league vice president Howard Lawrence has been hired as the Community Connector and is in charge of locating neighborhood interviewers. The interviewers will meet with residents on their block to determine the kinds of programs and events they would like to see happen in the neighborhood. Apparently, a handful of interviewers have already been lined up and a series of one-on-one meetings have been held.

The EFCL has offered to help publicize this project and do what it can to make it a success. It is our hope that a number of other leagues will be able to initiate a similar program, should the pilot project prove successful.

11) EFCL Applauds Victoria High School Decision

The EFCL is pleased to see that the Edmonton Public School Board has decided to give priority to local children who want to attend Victoria High School. The federation sees this as an important practice that helps citizens connect with each other in their own neighborhood. It appears the board responded to concerns raised by local residents, community leagues and the federation.

12). EFCL and Leagues Work Hard On Low Density Zone Amendments

At least 30 Community Leagues wrote City Council asking for further consultation and outlining concerns with the proposed amendments. The EFCL also provided a report, summarizing the concerns its heard during three workshops that were held on the subject. In addition, a number of people spoke at the Feb 11th Executive Committee meeting of City Council.

Although Council did not direct Administration to do more consultation prior to bringing the amendments to the Public Hearing, March 18th, they did ask Administration to address the sunlight, privacy and mechanical noise issues. It also appears that Administration will be bringing amendments to Council which will drop the previously proposed changes to the Mature Neighbourhood Overlay rear setbacks and will lessen the changes to the front setbacks. In addition, the EFCL has been told that a collaborative citizen/city infill group will be created to continue dialogue regarding infill housing.

That's it for now.

If you have any questions or comments please send them to me at president(AT)efcl.org

David Dodge

District B, Londonderry Rep.

EFCL January Board Meeting Notes - Call District B Londonderry?

1. EFCL Backs Family Day Unplugged

The Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues is encouraging all of its leagues to support the city’s Family Day Unplugged campaign.  The idea is to encourage Edmontonians to turn off their electronic gadgets – such as computers, televisions and cell phones - and focus on family-related activities on Family Day (Monday, February 18).

This week the city announced that it would offer family passes to city rec facilities as prizes for the league that convinces the most members to turn off their gadgets and attend a family day activity.

Registration details will be provided at the EFCL’s General Meeting on January 30 and in communications to the leagues in the coming weeks.

2.    Community Connector Pilot Project Approved

Remember the good ol’ days, when neighbors knew neighbors and did a variety of activities together on a regular basis?

Well the good news is that more people may get to experience this feeling if a new City of Edmonton/EFCL pilot project proves effective.

Called the Abundant Community, the project focuses on hiring a community connector, whose job it will be to bring people together block by block and encourage the development of local activities.

“It could be a dog walking program, a choir group, a men’s hockey night - anything that appeals to people in the area,” noted Highlands Community League president Howard Lawrence.

“Some of the activities might be run through the local community league.  Others might simply happen between residents living on the same street.”

With the support of the city’s community services department, Highlands Community League will soon be spearheading the pilot project in its 100-year-old neighborhood. However, the EFCL would like to know if other leagues would like to give this a try and will soon set up an information night for any league that is interested. The federation sees this initiative as a great way to engage local citizens and will be releasing more details of the initiative at its January 30 General Meeting at Royal Gardens Community League.

3.    EFCL looks forward to an Action Filled 2013

The Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues has put together a promotional plan that features fun activities and events from one end of the year to the other.

Beginning this month, it is starting with a great toque giveaway for any leagues holding winter festival events.  The black EFCL emboldened touques can either be used as prize giveaways or as a thank you to hard working volunteers.

Later this month the federation will also be announcing the recipients of this year’s Living Local Arts and Heritage Program award winners.  Successful leagues will be employing a local artist and/or historian to develop a project that celebrates the historical character of their area.

This spring, seven leagues – along with the EFCL – will see their building adorned with solar energy systems, as the federation seeks new ways to make community leagues more energy efficient.  This will be followed by the announcement of this year’s CLIP grant recipients, where the city will be providing $3 million in grant money to leagues interested in building new facilities or repairing existing ones.

Volunteer Recognition Night Set For April 23

One of the premier events of the year will be held on April 23, when the federation  invites community league volunteers to a gala affair at the Myer Horowitze Theatre on the U/A campus.  Delegates will be treated to an engaging speech entitled “The Power of One” by the popular speaker Laurel Vespi, along with some interesting videos on community league projects and a wine and cheese reception.

Later this spring the federation will team up once again with the City of Edmonton to host the Good Neighbor Awards, where citizens across the city will be recognized for helping others in their immediate area.

Balconies In Bloom Set to Blossom

Another new initiative planned for 2013 is Balconies in Bloom, where residents of apartments and condominiums will be recognized for work they do to dress up the balcony of the unit in which they live.  Designed to be an extension of this year’s Communities In Bloom contest, the contest will be run as a pilot project this year by interested community leagues.

This summer the EFCL intends to do a bang up job on its Heritage Days booth in Hawrelak Park.  A key feature will be a new exhibit, describing the federation’s 100^th Anniversary Project in the park.  Visitors to the booth will be encouraged to view the plans and offer their design suggestions as the federation completes the conceptual phase of this program.

The month of September will once again be dominated by Community League Day, where leagues across the city will be encouraged to host an event on the third Saturday (Sept. 21).  Once again the federation is planning to provide promotional and event materials for the leagues and this year is making plans for a Community League Day Video, to document the activities at leagues across the city.  The video will be used as an information and promotional tool in future years.

Rounding out the year will be the return of the “Leagues Alive Conference”, where delegates will be treated to a variety of educational seminars on topics pertaining to community league operations.  The November event will once again feature a luncheon members of city council.

4.    Federation Starts Work on Five Year Business Plan

The EFCL eagerly looks forward to the creation of a new business plan, now that it is nearly finished with the five year plan created in 2008.

Last week the board of directors approved the hiring of a consulting firm to do some research and provide some guidance.  The consultant will interview community league reps, city councillors, senior city administrators and other key stakeholders in an effort to evaluate current initiatives and plot new directions over the years to come.

One area the federation wants to take a hard look at is the manner in which it handles civic issues, such as planning matters, social housing policies, traffic safety programs and crime prevention measures.  Trying to act as the spokesperson for a large number of leagues is a very challenging task for the EFCL and the stances it takes on controversial issues often affects the relationship it has with government and private industry partners.   Consequently, the federation is looking for new ways to handle this portion of its mandate effectively.

5.    Swim Allocation and Consultation Meeting held January 23. 

The first change is to stop referring to this program as a rental.  Given that the city is providing the community swim supervisors, not the renters, it wants to start referring to the community swim nights as a community swim program, and manage it in a similar fashion to other city programs.

With this in mind, community leagues will no longer be required to sign rental contracts. Rather, communities will be asked to acknowledge their interest in being involved in the community swim program in their local pool. The City will calculate the program fee based on the

enrollment seasonally, and leagues/ Area Councils would be billed monthly (there will be no change in how monthly rates have been calculated currently).

The second change is to view community swims as a continuous program where leagues will remain enrolled until they notify the City (Facility Booking Unit) of their intent to withdraw. 

It is hoped that the restructuring should remove a number of barriers and facilitate a smoother transition into and out of seasons.

6.    Three Board Development Workshops In The Works

The EFCL has three more workshops lined up to help league executives hone their skills.  Here they are, in chronological order:

Tools for Treasurers: Thursday, February 7, 2013, 5:30pm, at the EFCL office.  This workshop will follow the EFCL budget meeting set for January 30/13, where we will discuss community league budgeting practices - so we expect a full class.  Linda Crosby, EFCL Financial Assistant, and I will work closely together to further expand on key concepts introduced during the Leagues Alive 2012 session, with a strong focus on the necessity of having a budget and how to work within the budget the community league board has set

Social Media 101: Thursday, February 21, 2013, 5:30pm, at the EFCL office, presented by Joseph Carma, technology & social media consultant.  Joseph has generously offered to present this session, in order to provide an opportunity for those community league board members who may have missed L.A. 2012.

Volunteering Recruitment & Screening: Thursday, March 28, 2013, 5:30pm, at the EFCL office, presented by Milena Santoro, Volunteer Management Certification instructor with Volunteer Alberta, and owner/operator of MS Productions.  As all community league boards are run with volunteer energy & input, the need to recruit the “right” individuals is an important & timely issue, along with how to ensure the new board volunteer is the correct fit for the league and job(s) at hand. This session will look at ways to recruit new volunteers, as well as methods involved to screen potential volunteers.

7.    Socan Saga Lurches Along

According to the Copyright Board of Canada, the review of an application by the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN) for a new tariff in 2013 never proceeded last summer as planned, due to the high number of objections and complaints received.  Instead, the board is putting together a review process to accommodate all parties and will apparently let us know when the hearings will be held.

In the meantime, we are told that the 2012 rate of $185.07 will remain in effect until the board conducts its review and certifies a tariff for 2013 or beyond.

Consequently, we continue to receive reports from community leagues that are being pestered by SOCAN reps to pay tariff #21, which allows them to play music in their hall.

8.    EFCL Decides to Name Each of 12 Districts

The EFCL has decided to name each of its twelve districts, in order to make it easier for everyone to understand where the districts are located.

Last week the board decided to invite feedback from its leagues on a draft list of suggested names.  It intends to finalize the names at its meeting in March.  The names are as follows:

District A: Castle Downs/Calder.

District B: Londonderry

District C: Clareview/Horse Hills

District D: West Edmonton

District E: Meadowlark

District F: Downtown

District G: Highlands/Beverly

District H: Terwillegar/Riverbend

District I: Greater Strathcona

District J: South East

District K: Southgate/Heritage

District L: Mill Woods/Meadows

What do you think. We will still call our area District B, but to help folks who don't know what area that refers to we are considering referring to our area as District B: Londonderry? There is the pool, a mall and a community league of the same name. Does this work for you? Let me know what you think.

Cheers,

David Dodge

District B Rep. 

Thanks to Allan Bolstad for the notes that have been adapted

January EFCL Update

1. EFCL And League Budgets The Focus of January General Meeting

I saw this snowy owl in Camrose this week and needed
a picture for the blog, so here he is! 

The EFCL is holding a special general meeting at Royal Gardens Community League (4030-117 Street)  on January 30 to review the federation’s 2013 draft budget and business plan.  The objective is to get some feedback and direction from the membership on the key programs and initiatives the EFCL has in mind for the coming year.
Once that is accomplished, it was thought that this would be a good opportunity for leagues, in small group settings, to think about their own budget and program plans.  Here, it is our intention to encourage leagues to bring forward their latest budget and strategic plan so that others can hear how they were prepared and how they meet the needs of the host league.  We see this as a good learning experience for leagues and one that will encourage them to enroll in future EFCL workshops on these topics. 
We will have a league budget and strategic plan template on hand for comparison purposes, or to help out at tables that do not have any league material to review.

The rest of the agenda consists of announcements, board and planning committee elections, a report from the city and various EFCL staff reports, that will be dealt with by exemption.  There is also some time set aside for community league suggestions and concerns.

2. Balconies in Bloom 

The Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues has asked the City of Edmonton to include a “Balconies in Bloom” component to this year’s Communities in Bloom contest.  The goal is to give residents in apartments and condomium complexes a chance to take part in the program that recognizes the efforts Edmontonians make to beautify their property each summer.
Response to idea has been most favorable and work has begun on the means by which well groomed balonies can be recognized.

3. Area Councils Support Memorandum of Understanding

A draft memorandum of understanding received broad support at a meeting between the EFCL and the city’s eleven area councils on November 22.  The memorandum sets out the role for the federation and the councils and describes how they will all work together to represent and assist community leagues in Edmonton.
The federation has also agreed to host regular meetings with the area councils to share information and identify partnership opportunities.
Please review the MOU ask your community board if they can support the agreement.  Take your decision to your next area council meeting. You can download the latest version of the MOU here. The agreement is a pretty simple agreement for two of our important community organizations EFCL/Area Councils to cooperate. Evansdale CL looked at this last year and has already accepted it. Most of the Area Councils indicated they would support the MOU as presented at our last meeting. 

4. EFCL Refines Anniversary Project Design

An application has been made to the province’s Community Facilities Enhancement Program (CFEP) for $75,000 to help the federation flesh out the design of its 100th Anniversary Project in Hawrelak Park.  The funds will be used to help with the design of the community league plaza and stream upgrade, which is being planned as a comprehensive facility in the southeast corner of the park.
In addition, the federation has been meeting with the city’s consultant (Stantec), to look at water play options in the park.  Stantec has been charged with developing a conceptual plan for the water play feature and with determining an appropriate location for the facility.  One site under consideration is an open field between the existing playground and stream.  If this location is selected, the water feature would be integrated into the federation’s anniversary project.  The other location is north of the main pavilion in the park, near the northeast corner of the lake.
The consultants are scheduled to present their draft plan to the federation’s anniversary committee on January 14 and to the general public later that month.  It is due to present its recommendations to council’s community services committee on February 26.

5. Community Swim Consultation Meeting Set for January 23.  

A Community Swim Consultation meeting is set for January, 23, at 7:00 P.M., at St Anthony's Centre (10425-84 Avenue).   
The City is proposing two changes to the current program and would like feedback from league representatives.
The first change is to stop referring to this program as a rental.  Given that the city is providing the community swim supervisors, not the renters, it wants to start referring to the community swim nights as a community swim program, and manage it in a similar fashion to other city programs.
With this in mind, community leagues will no longer be required to sign rental contracts. Rather, communities will be asked to acknowledge their interest in being involved in the community swim program in their local pool. The City will calculate the program fee based on the enrollment seasonally, and leagues/ Area Councils would be billed monthly (there will be no change in how monthly rates have been calculated currently).
The second change is to view community swims as a continuous program where leagues will remain enrolled until they notify the City (Facility Booking Unit) of their intent to withdraw.  
It is hoped that the restructuring should remove a number of barriers and facilitate a smoother transition into and out of seasons.
These changes came thanks to the work of numerous area council folks!

6. Continuing Education Program Reaches Out To Community Leagues

The Edmonton Public School Board’s Continuing Education program is exploring the possibility of providing educational programs for community leagues.  The program have provided some examples of courses they could provide to community leagues.  It is also willing to accommodate any special request, if there is enough community interest.  Courses under consideration include; Effective Listening for Leaders, Intercultural Communication, Creating a Mentorship Environment, Effective Meeting Skills, Dealing with Difficult People, Managing Workplace Politics,  Conflict Resolution, Building Cohesive Teams, Team Building, Working with Different Generations, Project Management, Minute Taking.

7. Workshops Scheduled to Review Low Density Zone Changes:

As requested by several of the League representatives who attended the October 29th Public Hearing, the EFCL has organized workshops regarding the multiple low density zone changes under consideration by City Council.   The first workshop, held Dec 3rd at Glenwood Community Hall, was productive and its results will be posted on the EFCL’s website.
The next workshops will be held 7 pm, January 3rd at Pleasantview Community Hall, and 7 pm January 14th at Spruce Avenue Community Centre.  Council’s executive committee is due to consider the matter on January 28.

8. Neighbourhood Design & Complete Streets Guidelines Coming

Guidelines for New Neighborhood Designs and Complete Streets will be available for review by the public from January 28th to mid February.   During this consultation period the City project teams will gather feedback and then do their final revisions before presenting the Guidelines to Council for consideration.   The city will present its draft plans in each of these areas to the EFCL’s Planning Committee at its next meeting on January 23rd.

9. Two Board Development Workshops Planned

The following workshops have been scheduled to help community league board members improve their skills.

a) Tools for Treasurers: Thursday, February 7, 2013, 5:30pm, at the EFCL office. Linda Crosby, EFCL Financial Assistant, and Andrea Sage, Board Development Officer, will expand on key concepts introduced during the Leagues Alive 2012 session, with a strong focus on the necessity of having a budget and how to create and work within the budget the community league board has set.  This workshop will follow the EFCL general budget meeting set for January 30/13, so we expect a full class.

b) Social Media 101: Thursday, February 21, 2013, 5:30pm, at the EFCL office, presented by Joseph Carma, technology & social media consultant.  Joseph has generously offered to provide this opportunity for those community league board members who missed Leagues Alive 2012.

Thanks to Allan Bolstad for the core of this update.