EDMONTON FEDERATION OF COMMUNITY LEAGUES REGULAR MEETING PACKAGEwoodcroftcl.org/files/news_files/EFCL_REGULAR_GEN_MTNG... · 2011-10-05 · EDMONTON FEDERATION OF COMMUNITY LEAGUES

EDMONTON FEDERATION OF COMMUNITY LEAGUES

REGULAR MEETING PACKAGE

DATE : Tuesday, October 04, 2011

TIME: Dinner & Registration 5.30 P.M.– 6.30 P.M. Meeting 6.30 P.M—9.30 P.M

LOCATION: Glenora Community League (10426—136 Street)

EFCL Regular General Meeting Package October 25 2010 2

EFCL Regular General Meeting Glenora Community League (10426—136 Street)

Tuesday, October 04, 2011 Dinner and Registration 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. - Meeting 6:30 – 9:30 p.m.

AGENDAAGENDA

Item 2.0

1.0 Call to Order (6:30 p.m.) 1.1 Introduction of Guests, Board Members, Staff, and Cultural Outreach Workers 1.2 Greetings from the City and Sponsors

2.0 Adoption of Agenda pgs. 2-3 3.0 Approval of Minutes

3.1 Regular General Meeting Draft Minutes (October 25, 2010) pgs. 4-18 3.2 Tripartite License Agreement Meeting Draft Minutes (May 17, 2011) pgs. 19-24

4.0 Presentations: (6:45 p.m.) 4.1 Upcoming EFCL Events (Living Local Conference, Community League Showcase) pgs. 25-31 4.2 Cultural Outreach Project/MOU Signing pgs. 32-34 4.3 EFCL 100th Anniversary Project (Sign Up Sheet) pg. 35 5.0 New Business (7:10 p.m.) 5.1 2012 City Funding Request pgs. 36-39 5.2 Community League Training Initiative/Round Table Discussion pg. 40 5.3 Membership Fee Increase pgs. 41-46

…………Coffee Break (7:45 p.m.) …………

6.0 Election Report (8.00 p.m.) 6.1 Board Member Job Description pg. 47 6.2 Planning Committee Member Job Description pg. 48 7.0 District D and K Board Elections 8.0 District D and A Planning Committee Elections 9.0 New Business Continued (8:15 p.m.)

9.1 On Line Membership Cards pg. 49 9.2 Selection of Auditor pg. 50


10.0 Reports (By Exemption) (8.30 p.m.) 10.1 Interim Financial Report pgs. 51-52 10.2 Community League Day pgs. 53-54 10.3 Next Gen Community Challenge pgs. 55-56 10.4 Living Local Arts Project pg. 57 10.5 Outdoor Rink Committee Report pg. 58 10.6 Community Sustainability Report pgs. 59-69 10.7 Planning Advisor‘s Report pgs. 70-71 10.8 Residential Speed Limit Project pgs. 72-73 10.9 Executive Director‘s Report pgs. 74-77 11.0 Community Services Department Report (9:00 p.m.) 11.1 Update on Infrastructure Program Grants (Verbal Report) 12.0 Open Mic—Community League Dialogue (9:15 p.m.) 13.0 Next Meeting Date 14. 0 Hall Clean—Up


EFCL Regular General Meeting

DRAFT MINUTESDRAFT MINUTES

Monday, October 25, 2010, 6:30 PM

(Duggan Community Hall, 3728-106 Street, Edmonton, AB )

Item 3.1

Attendance: Community Leagues:

Alberta Avenue, Cora Shaw Allendale, Jeff Papineau Aspen Gardens, Krys Holmes Avonmore, Joanna Miazga Beacon Heights, Jacqui Fraser/Mike Fraser Bellevue, Brian Finley Blue Quill, John VanDerVeen Boyle Street, Thim Choy Calder, Jens Woller Cameron Heights, Guy Croome Canora, Tony Lovell Carlisle, Krista Hennigar Castle Downs, Sandra Mueller Delton, Walter Gurba Duggan, Roger Plouffe Ellerslie, Stephanie Plouffe Evansdale, David Dodge Forest Heights, D. Olson/C. Wilson/

M. Gurnett Fraser, Jacquie Browne Glengarry, Bernie Zolner Glenwood, Jamie Post Gold Bar, Murray Badger/ Veronica Vinge Grandview Heights, Lindsay Smith Hairsine, Cory Houle Hazeldean, Jason Said Heritage Point, C. Buckler/Deepali Medhekar High Park, Tom Clooney Highlands, Christine Bremner Holyrood, Russell McLean Homesteader, Marg Spafford Jasper Park, Don Kuchelyma Kenilworth, Frank Vanderbleek Kensington, Shelley Tupper Killarney, E. Pawluski/M. Pawluski

Lago Lindo, C. Obacz/G. McKellar Lauderdale, Susan Bennett-Wrisdon

Laurier Heights, Ray Jacobson Lendrum, Glenn Miller Lessard, Laura Hazin Lewis Estates, Rob Sharman Malmo, Murray Tenove Mayfield, Kristy Bergstrom McLeod, C. Smart/S. Lindsay Meadowlark, Andrew Knack Montrose, Betty Griffin Newton, John MacRae/Cori Baker North Glenora, Jim Bohun Oak Hills, Warren Sheydwasser Oliver, Bryan Kapitza Ottewell, Bob Hutchinson Parkdale/Cromdale, Cara Tobin Pleasantview, Fiona Slessor Prince Rupert, Laura Thygesen Ritchie, Berni Fuchs Riverbend, Sheryl Bowhay Rossdale, Lynn Parish Rosslyn, Olive Sydor Second, D. Oscar/T. Andrezejewski Spruce Avenue, Ken Johnston Strathcona, Donna Fong Terwillegar, A. Kuehn/J. Dewarle The Meadows, K. Thomson/J. Teasdale/

S. Marsh/H. Fatmi The Ridge, Larry Shaben Twin Brooks, June Rehill/Pauline Creaser Wellington, Darlene Skoreiko West Jasper, W. DeBoer/J. Andreakos West Meadowlark, Herman Gerritsen Westridge, Chris Hall Westwood, Lorne Larsen Willowby, Alla Ternikova Windsor Park, John Wilson


Shane Bergdahl, Millwoods' Presidents‘ Council Kathy Barnhart, City of Edmonton, Community Services Judy Smith, City of Edmonton, Community Services Amarjeet Sohi, City Councillor Betty Chmilar, Edmonton Minor Hockey Association Darlene Hein, NEZ Sports Council Lorraine Jex, NEZ Sports Council Tim O‘Donnell, Community Services Andrea Patershuk, Servus Credit Union Nancy Rempel, EFCL Community League reporter, Edmonton Examiner EFCL Board Members: David Gibbens, President - District E David Dodge, Vice President External - District B Donna Woodford, District A Al Innes, Director - District C Alla Ternikova, Director - District D Alf White, Director - District F Christine Bremner, Director - District G Rob Agostinis, Director - District H Ken Shapka, Director - District L EFCL Staff: Allan Bolstad, Executive Director Valerie Pachal, Assistant Director/Communications and Events Coordinator Linda Crosby, Accountant & Controller Bev Zubot, Planning Advisor Michael Janz, Marketing Director Shahriyar Khan, Community Development Coordinator Stephanie Hawrylak, Office Administrator Minute Recorder: Dana Mauer

Guests:

mailto:[email protected]?subject=From%20the%20website%20I%20have%20to%20say%20.%20.%20.


1.0 Call To Order EFCL President David Gibbens called the 2010 EFCL Regular General Meeting to order at 6:38pm. He thanked everyone for attending. He briefly reviewed the structure of the EFCL Board, and its 12 Districts representing 154 Community Leagues, and proceeded with introduc-tions. 1.1 Introduction of Guests, Board Members, and Staff

D. Gibbens welcomed several guests in attendance, including recently elected City of Edmonton Councilor Amarjeet Sohi, as well as Kathy Barnhart and Judy Smith from City of Edmonton Com-munity Services. He then introduced the EFCL Board Executive and Board Members, and mem-bers of the EFCL‘s staff.

On behalf of the Mayor and City Council, Amarjit Sohi expressed his appreciation to the EFCL for all of the services that community leagues provide which, he commented, save the City millions of taxpayer dollars. He added that the City provides the support for the EFCL, and the commu-nity leagues provide City residents valued community programs. 1.2 Welcome New Community Leagues D. Gibbens advised that 64 community leagues were represented at the meeting. This is the best ever attendance for an EFCL General meeting. The Federation now has 154 community league Members, including the recent addition of several newly formed community leagues. He welcomed the new member leagues of Secord, Oak Hills, Ellerslie, Cameron Heights, and Sum-merside. 1.3 Greetings from the City and Servus EFCL President D. Gibbens welcomed Andrea Patershuk from Servus Credit Union, the new financial ser-vices partner of choice of the EFCL and its Members. Andrea provided a brief history of the evolution of

credit unions, highlighting that the cooperative values are a good fit to the grass roots philosophy of the EFCL, and the spirit of the community league movement. Servus Credit Union strongly supports commu-

nity economic development, and is province-wide with 100 branches in 62 communities and over 400,000

members. It strives to bring forth social, economic, and environmental change. She advised that commu-nity leagues should take a two-fold approach. Firstly, she suggested leagues approach their local

branches for sponsorship/support for any local community events, and secondly, speak to their local branch regarding the specialized not-for-profit financial services offered through Servus‘s ―Community

Choice‖ banking plan. She left business cards for community league board members to take, invited any

inquires, and thanked the EFCL for choosing Servus as its financial services provider of choice.

D. Gibbens thanked Andrea for coming, and reiterated that Servus was chosen as the successful financial services provider via an RFP (request for proposals), due to the specialized banking plan they offer communities.

2.0 Approval of Agenda

2010-10-25-01 Moved: ―That the Membership approve the October 25, 2010 EFCL Regular General Meeting Agenda as presented in the meeting package.‖

By: Alberta Avenue / Ritchie CARRIED


3.0 Minutes of the 2009 EFCL Regular General Meeting

2010-10-25-02 Moved: ―That the EFCL approve the minutes from the October 19, 2009 Regular General Meeting as circulated in the meeting package, noting the following corrections:

- D. Dodge is the EFCL Board District representative for District B. - A. Ternikova is the EFCL Board District representative for District D. - EFCL President D. Gibbens‘s name was overlooked on the attendance list.

Jasper Park / Lewis Estates CARRIED

4.0 Presentation:

4.1 Community League Day

EFCL Marketing Director Michael Janz thanked A. Bolstad for his introduction. He re-ported that 91 community leagues participated in the inaugural Community League Day event on September 18, 2010, and that many additional leagues advised they would par-ticipate next year. It was a very successful event, especially from a publicity standpoint and conveying to Edmonton community residents the benefits and importance of getting involved in their community leagues. He thanked the event sponsors including The Ed-monton Examiner, Boardwalk Equities, The Realtors Association, and Servus Credit Un-ion.

4.2 Complete the Quilt Anniversary Project A. Bolstad introduced EFCL Assistant Director Valerie Pachal who spoke about the EFCL quilt project that took place in conjunction with the Community League Day event. She thanked sponsors who donated prizes for the texting contest that was held, reporting that 931 text messages were received for the contest, from 455 different phone num-bers. Sponsors included the City of Edmonton, United Cycle, and Tim Horton‘s. More sponsors and additional prizes are anticipated for next year. The promotion of commu-nity leagues was increased tremendously by the event. There were over 12,000 hits on the EFCL website for the Community League Day event. Val asked all leagues to think about committing to participate in Community League Day and in the quilt project next year. There were homemade quilt squares from 53 leagues this year, and the goal is to complete the quilt with a square from all 154 community leagues. There will be another quilting bee held before the event next year, and the EFCL office will create a quilt square on behalf of any leagues that do not submit their own. A. Bolstad described many of the original designs created by various community leagues, and the originality that came forth. The quilt will be designated as the official 90th Anni-versary project for the EFCL, and the large, completed quilt will be hung up on display somewhere in public, with its dimensions being approximately 120 feet long by 80 feet wide.


4.3 Upcoming EFCL Events (Presidential Dinner, Trade Show, Talent Show, Front Yards in Bloom, Green Challenge, Living Local Conference)

A. Bolstad introduced April Kiely, the contractor hired to organize the EFCL Presidential Dinner event. The goal of the Presidential Dinner is to thank the Presidents of community leagues for their feedback and their role liaising with, and communicating to leagues. City Area Council Presidents will also be invited. Vice Presidents, or Past Presidents are invited to attend in lieu as well. The event date is November 12, 2010 at the Italian Cultural Cen-tre, and people were encouraged to sign up quickly as seating is limited.

M. Janz reported on the EFCL Trade Show that took place at Ft. Edmonton Park. He ad-vised he would be sending an email asking community league executive members what kinds of suppliers they would like to see represented at the next trade show. He also asked for referrals of names of specific suppliers, businesses, and services that have been helpful for leagues in the past. Services can range from a petting zoo, to a roofer or con-struction company - basically any services that other community leagues might utilize or benefit from. The EFCL Trade Show will take place on Saturday, January 22 at Fort Ed-monton‘s Blatchford Hanger. It will again offer food and entertainment, and is a great op-portunity for community leagues and service providers to connect and network. V. Pachal spoke briefly about the talent show last year thanking Indra Mathew for stepping up to Chair it. She advised that several volunteers are required in order for the EFCL Tal-ent Show to continue, and that those interested should email her directly at [email protected]. Next, Val reported that the Front Yards in Bloom program is growing every year, and has assisted people to network and meet like-minded neighbours in their com-munities. It is based on the premise that people who care about their yard also care about their communities as a whole. It is a great recognition program in neighborhoods. Each community league runs the program, and the program has doubled in nominations this past year. She encouraged leagues to take on this wonderfully positive, easy-to-run pro-gram. Next, V. Pachal spoke about the EFCL Green Challenge project that has been in place for two years. The City of Edmonton is again generously donating $5000 in prize money to be used for ―green‖ retrofits to community league halls. Leagues who don‘t have halls can still enter the contest. She advised of upcoming green project meetings that communities including Park Allan, Grandview Heights, and Ritchie communities were hosting. Those leagues that pick up a Green Challenge kit, and submit their criteria are entered into the contest. She encouraged leagues to visit the EFCL website, and review the information outlined in the RGM meeting package as well.

A. Bolstad spoke about the EFCL‘s upcoming ―Living Local‖ initiative, summarizing that the basic underlying theme of the concept of ―Living Local‖ is doing things closer to home. The EFCL is working with the City of Edmonton to identify sectors that should be involved in the project, including recreation, planning, transportation, public health and wellness, the arts, and many more. Some of the goals of the project are to help break down social isolation by inviting agencies and organizations from different sectors so they can collabo-rate. They will move forward and do things closer to home with sustainable practices, all with the goal to strengthen communities. The EFCL‘s Living Local initiative has the support of the City as well.


4.4 Expanding the Membership Base—Reaching out to the Arts Community D. Gibbens introduced John Mahon from the Edmonton Arts Council who spoke about an-other important community sector that the EFCL would like to involve in its upcoming Liv-ing Local campaign, - that being the Arts sector. In his presentation, J. Mahon sited that according to the Canadian Revenue Agency (CRA), that there are at least 4500 people that work as professional artists in Edmonton, and the number is likely higher. Artists encom-pass musicians, actors, book editors, events producers, arts administration workers, and many, many more job titles. Many more also work part-time as artists. In 2007, Edmon-ton was designated the ―cultural capital‖ of Canada, and a survey was done that showed the breakdown of those Edmontonians working as artists was approximately 40% men and 60% women. He outlined and gave extensive examples of the many diverse and non-traditional ways in which artists perform their work, in this busy, financially viable, and in-dustrious work sector. For example, there are many murals visible on the sides of build-ings on the streets of Edmonton, and in several community leagues, there are sculptures in the parks. He presented photos from the City archives showing arts events and installa-tions taking place all over the city during every season, including winter. The Ice on Whyte event is a good example, as well as the Silver Skate fest, and Winter Lights Festival. Edmonton boasts one of the highest per capita numbers of festivals, as well as live thea-tres in North America. He sited the Edmonton Folk Festival as having a great symbiotic relationship with the Cloverdale Community League with the festival donating tickets to community residents, and community league being provided with fundraising opportunities at the festival. He sited parades as great events where community leagues and artists can intersect, as well as the aboriginal arts, dance rehearsal spaces, and media arts centres, all being great opportunities to intersect and utilize community league hall spaces. He presented an in depth slide show presentation about the arts in Edmonton, and the Arts Councils‘ work. It was noted that a lot of arts projects are sponsored by Business Re-vitalization Zone associations as well. In closing, J. Mahon commented that the arts play an important role in building a civilized society, especially where they reach out into the local communities. He gave the example of the successful ―Songs From the Avenue‖ project in the Alberta Avenue community. In closing, he fielded questions about the work of the Edmonton Arts Council from the Membership, and encouraged anyone to contact him with questions at [email protected], or by phone at (780) 427-2787.

D. Gibbens took the floor, drawing attention to an upcoming workshop taking place on No-vember 24. The upcoming ―Reaching Out To Local Arts‖ workshop is sponsored by the EFCL is in cooperation with the Edmonton Arts Council.

5.0 Business Arising

5.1 2011 City Funding Request

A. Bolstad thanked John Mahon for his presentation about the importance of the arts com-munity in Edmonton, and reiterated that the purpose of the workshops on Nov. 24 is to revive the arts at the local community level.

mailto:[email protected]


A. Bolstad reported that there is a proposal for a significant maintenance and renovation grant program being submitted to the City. Most community leagues have already ex-hausted their $23,000 lifetime capital grants from the City, so the EFCL wants to see a new capital program put in place for community leagues. The program will be phased in over 2 years, with a $1.5 M per year matching program, in order for leagues to fund halls, rinks, tennis courts, etc. Council will be debating it the first week of December. A. Bolstad ad-vised that it was important for leagues to contact City Council and let them know what capital funding projects they have. He advised that the EFCL has also asked for an in-crease in its operating grant funding, recognizing leagues sometimes need to hire addi-tional staff to perform work league board members are unable to including operate the rink, do the books, etc. He advised that this is also currently before Council, and is part of the Tripartite agreement discussions as a new ―deal‖ for leagues. The outcome will be known after Council reviews the budget in the next couple of months. Discussion followed. There were several questions and suggestions made. There was a question about appropriate funding. A. Bolstad advised that there is 6.9M set aside in this year‘s City budget for ―unfunded‖ projects. City Council has the task of decid-ing what projects fall into the ―unfunded‖ category. It depends on how Council views them, and a question of which projects they choose to support. The EFCL‘s request for 3M per year was amended to 1.5M this year, and another 1.5M next year. The suggestion was made to ask the City for parity with arena funding money. It was asked if reports on hall assessments are available. J. Smith advised they were in the process of being finalized, and that A. Bolstad would have them very soon. It was asked if the consolidated report from the contractor would be ready to go to Coun-cil. J. Smith advised that all the information will be available for budget time. It was suggested to send formal congratulations to election candidates that support com-munity leagues and the EFCL. A. Bolstad agreed and asked to let the EFCL office know. It was suggested to ask the City for a certain percentage increase for each community league, vs. a global amount. A. Bolstad advised that the EFCL would request an increase in the base grant and the per capita grant.

5.2 Tripartite Agreement Negotiations

A. Bolstad explained that there are three parties involved in the Tripartite agreement ne-gotiations, - the EFCL, the community leagues, and the City of Edmonton. The agreement focuses on how the approximately one acre piece of City land is made available and us-able by community leagues. The EFCL is trying to put the new in agreement into place for the next 10 years, as the negotiations are an enormous amount of work. It entails painstakingly reviewing the agreement clause by clause, to ensure it is clear, in plain lan-guage, flexible, practical and does not ―micro- manage‖. If the EFCL, and the City are signing on for another 10 years, community leagues will need financial assistance to main-tain their facilities. The EFCL will advise leagues not to sign the agreement if they don‘t receive the assistance they require to maintain their facilities going forward.


C. Bremner advised that there is no reference in the agreement itself to funding for this purpose, but that the issue of funding for capital projects and maintenance is being ad-dressed concurrently by the EFCL via City grant applications. The two projects, Tripartite negotiations, and the Capital Funding proposal for community leagues, are related, but are not tied together on paper. She advised that if the EFCL does not get an improvement in funding, then the Tripartite agreement won‘t work. It is a step-by-step process of coop-eration. Work on negotiating the agreement is done with senior staff of City administra-tion, but must be approved by City Council. The existing Tripartite agreement is in effect until the end of 2011, but the aim is to wrap up work and finalize the new agreement within the next three months. A Bolstad then opened the floor to questions from the Membership. Discussion followed. Several suggestions were made. The suggestion was made to incorporate relaxing the sign bylaw so that community leagues are able to receive revenues from advertising. It was noted that the Boyle Street community league is on the verge of losing its building, without receiving any financial consideration for the value of the asset. The suggestion made to ensure that if the tripartite lease is cancelled for any reason, that a community league is compensated for the value of the building. It was noted this was unprecedented in the history of the EFCL. The comment was made that a lease is needed, vs. a licensing agreement in order to en-able community leagues to borrow against the land. A. Bolstad explained that leagues have had licensing agreements with the City, vs. leasing agreements, because technically the City owns the land, not the community league, and therefore leagues cannot typically borrow money against the land, as neither they nor the EFCL own the land. D. Gibbens advised that if you can find a lender that will lend using the hall or building as collateral, then it would be possible, but typically lenders do not lend on non-owned land. The comment was made that there are lots of companies and individuals that borrow money on buildings on leased land across the country, and that it can be done. D. Gib-bens advised that it is a Provincial Act that governs the ability to lease or license the land, and is not under City jurisdiction. This is why the EFCL is going with the strategy to ask for an increase in capital funding as it is more beneficial for leagues be funded by grants, rather than go into long term debt. The comment was made that Jasper Park community was able to borrow $100,000 against their hall building. The bank was interested in assessing how the league ran its opera-tions; the loan was not based on whether the league had a license vs. a lease agreement with the City. The comment was made that what community leagues really want to establish and under-stand, is what they are permitted to do with regard to things like rink advertising and on City property in general. C. Bremner called for ―Orders of the Day‖, and that there be a motion in order to continue discussion.


2010-10-25-03 Moved: ―That the Membership approve moving on to the next item on the Agenda.‖

By: Laurier Heights / Calder CARRIED

D. Gibbens invited any further questions, comments or suggestions regarding the Tripartite agree-ment, or the 2011 EFCL City Budget request by phone or email.

5.3 Community League Membership Sales at Hockey Registrations A. Bolstad introduced Betty Schmilar from the Edmonton Minor Hockey Association. He expressed that the EFCL appreciates the enormous support that it has received from the EMHA, and the hockey registration volunteers over the years. He mentioned the tremen-dous work volunteers have put in for many years collecting community league membership fees. He acknowledged that it has been an issue ongoing for both the EMHA and the EFCL to collect, sort, and balance league membership fees, and the hope is to try to make the situation work as best as possible for both groups. He reminded the Membership of the motion at the last EFCL General Meeting approving the implementation of a $25 corporate membership fee. He reported that this unfortu-nately did not work despite best efforts. Among the reasons were that EMHA hockey memberships are going on line, and that the national EMHA website cannot be customized to charge extra fees. The system is run from their national head office, and they don‘t want to do anything that could possibly discourage EMHA memberships in any way, such as adding any extra fees. Also, both the EMHA registrar volunteers, and the EFCL staff have worked a lot of unnecessary hours in the past trying to resolve ongoing problems with memberships, including missing information, missing cheques, etc. Having the corpo-rate membership fee would still result in these kinds of problems. Betty commented that hockey volunteers in some of their districts are very cooperative and some are less enthusiastic. It really needs to be made a less work intense exercise for everyone. The EMHA has allowed V. Pachal from the EFCL access to their database in or-der to try to clean up lists and straighten things out. There is a lot of missing information, and misinformation and it creates a lot of unnecessary work and issues. Betty advised, that due to privacy regarding information about minors, for instance, the EMHA cannot provide information related to children, only parents‘ names and postal codes. A. Bolstad thanked Betty again, adding that this year will see the conclusion of working with hockey to sell EFCL Membership. He made it clear that it is not up to the EFCL to make this decision. The EMHA has made their decision, which is that they are done selling community league memberships with EMHA registrations. A. Bolstad thanked the EMHA and the hockey registration volunteers again for their work in past years. Betty thanked the EFCL, its Membership and community league volunteers for their past support. Discussion, comments and questions from the floor followed. The question was asked that if a good relationship exists in an area, could they continue to do things they have been, with regard to selling memberships with hockey registrations. The answer was yes, that the EMHA wants to work with the EFCL however they can, and welcomes any leagues that want to show up at hockey registration days. The EMHA is not


mandating to their members however, that they have to sell community league member-ships. The challenge will come in with the current transition to EMHA online registration. Betty advised that due to privacy regarding information about minors, the EMHA cannot provide information related to children, only parents‘ names and postal codes. It was determined that hockey could collect a fee to support the EFCL, if a way to do this can be found, but will not be responsible for selling league memberships. There are groups that want to remove the directive to require a community league membership alto-gether, and some want to keep it in. Q: Will leagues be invited back to registration? The answer was yes, that community league volunteers are welcome to be present and sell memberships at hockey registration.

D. Gibbens reiterated that the decision by the EMHA to collect community league membership fees would not be reversed. The EMHA and EFCL are partners, and can hopefully find another mutually

beneficial way to work together.

Q: What about leagues that have not received their membership funds yet from EMHA registra-

tions? V. Pachal advised that fewer than 10 would not receive funds until January.

Q: Will it be a requirement for EMHA players to have a community league membership? The re-

sponse was that the EMHA was planning to drop this requirement, although a formal motion had

not yet been made by the board.

Q: Would it be simpler to allow volunteers to sell memberships and report those who did not buy memberships? D. Gibbens advised that it was already difficult to find community league volunteers willing to attend hockey registration to sell community league member-ships. That is why the EMHA volunteers were asked to take it over. A. Bolstad added that it has been collapsing further every year. It‘s working well for some leagues still, but for more than the majority, it is not. D. Dodge commented that in the NE area of the city, they work with the Zone organization to collect memberships. They still have a good relationship with the EMHA and the Zone organization, so that players are insured on the ice, and preserve the relationship with hockey. Q:Will a solution need to apply to other sports like soccer as well i.e. in order to prevent the loss of requiring a community league membership? It is also going toward online reg-istration. R: D. Gibbens responded that EMSA is quite different from EMHA, which is governed nation-ally by Hockey Canada and must use the national on-line registration process, which does-n‘t allow for community league sales. Soccer is quite a bit different as the leagues are much more involved and take soccer registrations themselves. A. Bolstad commented that at the meeting on Sept. 27, a separate fee per player fee of $5 - $10 was discussed to support the EFCL‘s outdoor rink program and encourage people to use the rinks for clinics etc. D. Gibbens reported that unfortunately, the on-line process of entering an EFCL ―add on‖ fee to the EMHA membership fee was virtually impossible due to the limitations of the their on-line membership form. It is not possible to create a field just for EFCL on their national site, and unfortunately community league memberships are unique specifically to Edmonton.


Discussion continued. V. Pachal asked Members to contact her directly with any issues regarding hockey lists.

There was a coffee break at 8:45pm. The meeting reconvened at 9:00pm. 6.0 Election Report D. Gibbens reconvened the meeting and commenced with the EFCL elections.

6.1 Board Member Job Description A. Bolstad reviewed the EFCL position descriptions for the roles of the EFCL Board District Representatives, and of the EFCL Planning and Development Committee Representatives. He asked Members to be sure they were aware to which EFCL District their community league belongs for election purposes. The District Director represents the community leagues in the District at EFCL Board meetings, bringing feedback to meetings from leagues, and taking information back to leagues. There are also board sub-committees and ad hoc committees that board members may choose to sit on. The EFCL Board holds an election to select its executive officers from among its board members. All Directors are eligible to serve on the EFCL Board Executive. The EFCL Board Member term maximum is six consecutive years. The EFCL Board Executive Officer term maximum is three years.

6.2 Planning Committee Member Job Description

A. Bolstad described the function of the EFCL Planning and Development Committee advis-ing that it addresses City planning issues that affect a majority of community leagues. Additionally, the Committee develops and initiates official EFCL positions on major citywide planning-related issues, for example, the development of family friendly housing in com-munities.

7.0 District I, J and K Board Elections

D. Gibbens advised the Membership that there were three vacancies on the EFCL Board at pre-sent. As quorum for all three Districts was present at the meeting, he confirmed the elections could be held. He advised he would call for nominations for each District, and that nomination could only be made from leagues located within Districts I, J, and K for each election, not from the general membership.

District I – D. Gibbens called for nominations for an EFCL District Rep for District I. Mr. Lindsay Smith from Grandview Heights volunteered. He advised the Membership that his community league asked him to run for the District Board position. Lindsay Smith was elected as EFCL District Rep for District I by acclamation.

District J – There were no nominations.

District K – There were no nominations.


D. Gibbens emphasized that is it very important to have representation from across the city on the EFCL Board. He asked board members from community leagues in Districts J and K to go back to their leagues and recruit interest in sitting on the EFCL Board. 2010-10-25-04 Moved: ―That the EFCL Board organize meetings in District J and District K to hold EFCL Board elections for these Districts.‖

By: Highlands / Ritchie CARRIED Action Item: EFCL Staff to organize meetings in Districts J and K to hold elections for vacant EFCL Board Director positions for these Districts.

8.0 District C, D, E and K Planning Committee Elections

D. Gibbens confirmed that Districts C, E, and K all had the required quorum present for the pur-pose of electing District Representatives for the EFCL Planning and Development Committee.

District C – There were no nominations.

District D – Quorum not present. The election of a District D Planning Committee representative will be deferred to the EFCL Board.

District E – Meadowlark community league nominated Mr. Jamie Post. He was elected by accla-mation.

District K – Heritage Point community league nominated Deepali Medhekar. She was elected by acclamation.

Planning and Development Committee Chair Bryan Kapitza announced there was a regular Plan-ning and Development Committee meeting coming up the following Wednesday at 6pm at the EFCL offices, and invited new committee members to please attend.

9.0 New Business

9.1 Selection of Annual Community League Day Date A. Bolstad reviewed the rationale for the recommendation to select the third Saturday of September for the annual Community League Day event, as it seems to work well to have the event in the middle of Community League Membership drive month, while weather is still good, and after the summer break is over. General discussion followed. 2010-10-25-05 Moved: ―That the third Saturday in September be designated Com-munity League Day.‖ By: Ritchie / Prince Rupert CARRIED


9.2 Selection of Auditor A. Bolstad advised that the EFCL Board was recommending a new auditor be approved by the EFCL Membership. This is as a result of an RFP (request for proposals) that was com-pleted as per direction from the Membership in a motion passed at the last AGM meeting. 2010-10-25-06 Moved: ―That the EFCL appoint Hawkins EPP Dumont LLP Char-tered Accountants to serve as the federation‘s Auditor for 2010/2011.‖ By: Canora / Avonmore CARRIED

9.3 Code of Ethics Addition

A Bolstad advised that the EFCL Board was recommending a clause be added to the EFCL Code of Ethics. The purpose of the proposed clause is to clarify and reinforce that when community leagues vote to take action on an item at an AGM or RGM meeting, that it is necessary all community leagues conform to the spirit of whatever was approved by a ma-jority vote at the RGM or AGM meeting.

Discussion and debate ensued. One Member suggested that this is breaking their bylaws by impos-ing an action on a community league. Another member noted that this motion is referring to the

decisions made at General Meetings of the EFCL Membership. The meeting information packages are sent out in advance of the meeting, so if opposed to an item, it is necessary to exercise your

right to attend, discuss, and vote against it at a Membership meeting.

D. Gibbens reiterated that it is important for the EFCL‘s Membership to ―speak as one voice‖, and

that the intent is not at all for the EFCL to dictate to leagues, but only to uphold the democratic

process. The proposed motion does not take away the right of any community league to oppose any motions, but only reinforces that any decisions made the EFCL Membership are adhered to in

spirit, and/or followed through on by all Member leagues in order to maintain consistency among the EFCL‘s Membership.

2010-10-25-07 Moved: ―That a clause be added to the EFCL‘s Code of Ethics that states that each community league should use their best effort to comply with decisions made by the EFCL membership at general meetings.‖ By: Jasper Park / Rosslyn CARRIED (6 abstentions noted)

9.4 Direct Deposits to Leagues A. Bolstad reviewed the rationale presented for the recommendation being made regarding implementing the ability by the EFCL to direct deposit to community league bank accounts. The question was asked if or why GST is charged on line for community league member-ships. V. Pachal answered that there is no GST charged, but that there are handling charges (for the PayPal service), as well as administration fees.

There is no ability to print membership cards on-line directly in order that those buying memberships must pick up their membership card from a community league executive member in order to facilitate face-to-face contact for league volunteer recruitment. A. Bol-stad said the EFCL was directed by the Membership at a previous general meeting not to have a membership card ―print on-line‖ feature.


There was a question about leagues having varying membership fee amounts, and if leagues would have to change banks in order to facilitate direct deposit from the EFCL. C. Bremner responded that leagues would not have to change banks. She advised that im-plementing direct deposit simply entails filling out a form from the league‘s current bank, and/or providing a blank cheque to the EFCL. Leagues will be advised by the EFCL that a deposit has been made directly to their account, and what for what purpose.

―Point of Order‖ was called by B. Kapitza, drawing attention to the remainder of the business on the agenda, and the time constraints of the RGM meeting.

2010-10-25-08 Moved: ―That discussion be ended and a vote be called on the motion put forth.‖

By: B. Kapitza / Avonmore DEFEATED

Discussion continued.

2010-10-25-09 Moved: ―That all leagues make arrangements with their bank to allow di-rect deposits from the EFCL.‖

By: Malmo / Avonmore CARRIED (2 abstentions, 1 opposed)

10.0 Reports By Exemption

2010-10-25-10 Moved: ―That the Membership approve all reports as presented under Item 10.0 in the RGM meeting package, except for Items 10.7 and 10.8 which were exempt for discussion.‖

By: Kensington / Duggan CARRIED 10.7 Community Development Officer’s Report

An update on the status of the Community League Pool Allocation Process was requested. Community Development Officer S. Kahn advised that by May of 2011 there should be an agreement in place with 100% participation by community leagues. He invited all inter-ested to attend the next upcoming meeting in January. 2010-10-25-11 Moved: ―That the Membership approve the Community Develop-ment Officer‘s report as presented and discussed.‖ By: Highlands / High Park CARRIED

10.8 Boysdale Camp

Don Kuchelyma from Jasper Place community league spoke to a letter that was recently drafted and sent by the EFCL Board to the President of Boysdale Camp, Mary Shalapay, confirming that the EFCL has no further interest in the Boysdale Camp Operation. He ad-vised that the under the share structure put in place at the time of the Boysdale Camp resolution, shares were issued to the EFCL Directors who sat on the EFCL Board at that time. The Boysdale Camp property is now a 1.6M asset. Based on the wording of its by-laws, the value of the Boysdale Camp facility could hypothetically be passed on and re-deemed via its shares. He understood that a letter had already been drafted and sent by the EFCL, and explained that he would like to propose an amendment to that letter, and that it replace the previous letter sent.


Extensive discussion followed.

Bolstad briefly reviewed the history of the Boysdale Camp issue. D. Kuchelyma outlined that there are currently two individuals who are major shareholders, and eight other indi-viduals who hold shares in trust. The EFCL is a minor shareholder holding only 7% of the shares. The agreement states that any transfer of shares has to be to a ―like-minded‖ or-ganization. If the EFCL divests of its shares, the remaining shareholders could transfer the value of this asset, which could then hypothetically be divided up among the board mem-ber shareholders of record. The goal of the amendment is to ensure that profiting from the sale of the shares cannot take place, and to ensure that the organization will be run with same intention as outlined in the original transfer agreement, which was as a not-for-profit organization that is not to be profited from financially by any of the shareholders or any other party. 2010-10-25-12 Moved: ―That the EFCL, for the consideration of $1 (one dollar), sell any and all rights to the Boysdale Camp and Boysdale Camp Foundation. This transfer of the rights and future interests of the Camp by the EFCL must also be transferred simul-taneously, for the same consideration of $1 (one dollar) for all shares by the Boysdale Foundation Board to the future operating organization. Thereby 100% of the present Boysdale facility would be held by the new operating organization. The transfer of all shares to the new operating organization should maintain the spirit and intention of the facility. Also, the transfer of the facility should be to a not-for-profit group, for the sum of $2 (two dollars).‖ By: Jasper Place / Lago Lindo CARRIED

(21 for, 8 opposed, 12 abstentions) 11.0 Community Services Reports – City of Edmonton

Kathy Barnhart, from Community Services drew the Memberships attention to her detailed written report in the meeting package. There were no questions. She asked that any subsequent ques-tions about her report be directed to her office.

12.0 Open Mic – Community League Dialogue 13.0 Next meeting date

The next EFCL AGM will be held on Monday, April 4, 2011. A meeting location is still to be deter-mined. The host community league hall location should be located in the west or southeast part of the city. High Park Community League volunteered to host the meeting, pending availability of their hall.

D. Gibbens extended thanks to Duggan Community League for the use of their hall and for hosting the RGM meeting and presented President with a thank you gift.

C. Bremner from Highlands community league moved for adjournment at 10:06pm.

Draws for door prizes were completed before the clean up of the hall.

14.0 Hall Clean up


EFCL Special General Meeting

Tripartite License Agreement

DRAFT MINUTESDRAFT MINUTES 7:00 PM, Tuesday, May 17, 2011

(Rosslyn Community League Hall, Edmonton, Alberta)

Item 3.2

Alberta Avenue, Cora Shaw Argyll/Hazeldean, Dave Trautman Athlone, Shirley Frost Avonmore, Joanna Miazga Balwin, Graham Harbak Bannerman, Dave Ball Bellevue, Brian Finley Belmead, Jasmine Allen Belvedere, Mike Kleparchuk Blue Quill, Andrew Happer Boyle Street/EFCL Board, Alf White Britannia Youngstown, Barbara Busse Calder, Jens Woller Canora, Tony Lovell Carlisle, Neil Chymko Crestwood, Brian Koester Cumberland, Jean Deslaurier Delton, Harry Smith Delwood, Greg Sorenson Duggan, Roger Plouffe Dunluce, Keoma McMurren Eastwood, Barbara Heather Elmwood, Nicole Akhenak Evansdale, Jeff Muiselaar Fulton Place, Gavin Martinson Glengarry, Bernie Zolnar Glenora, Beth Sanders Glenora, Lorne Zalasky Gold Bar, Isabella Pierce Gold Bar, Murray Badger Grandview Heights, Lindsay Smith Highlands/EFCL Board, Christine Bremner Hodgson, Tania Hrebicek Homesteader, Marg Spafford Idylwylde, Bridget Flanagan Idylwylde, Janet Fletcher Idylwylde, Steph Mahe Jasper Park, Don Kuchelyma

Attendance: Community Leagues:

Kenilworth, Frank Vanderbleek Kensington, Sandy Blakney Kilkenny, Amanda Donald Kilkenny, Donna Marshall Killarney, Dan Kobasiuk Killarney, Greg Turner La Perle, Dana Hemming Lago Lindo, Ralph Guido Lauderdale, Blaine Barber Lauderdale, Susan Bennett Laurier Heights, Ray Jacobson Leefield, Wil Tonowski Lewis Estates, Brandy Luedemann Londonderry, Carlos Vieira Lynwood, Taletta Wagner Mayfield, Cheryl Quigley McKernan, Wayne Rogers Meadowlark, April Kiely Millhurst, Lianne Orr Montrose, Betty Griffin North Glenora, Natalia Krawetz Oliver, Bryan Kapitza Ottewell, Bob Hutchinson Parkallen, Clayton Skrlik Parkdale/Cromdale, Valerie Pachal Price Rupert, Peter Johnston Prince Rupert, Laura Thygesen Ritchie, Berni Fuchs Ritchie, Leonard Wampler Riverbend, Nancy Wendt Riverdale, Bill Moore-Kilgannon Rosslyn, Greg Hilker Southwood, Linda Craig Spruce Avenue, Ken Johnston Steele Heights, Cecil Gibbs Strathcona, Rob McDonald The Meadows, Brenda Beier The Meadows, Joanne Teasdale


Welcome/Introductions EFCL Executive Director Allan Bolstad welcomed representatives from 64 member community leagues in at-tendance (31 leagues were required for quorum), and introduced the EFCL‘s new President, David Dodge. D. Dodge thanked the President of the Rosslyn Community League, Greg Hilker, for the use of their hall on short notice for the meeting. He also thanked the members of the Tripartite Committee for their work for over two years on the agreement, including D. Dodge, A. Bolstad, C. Bremner, D. Gibbens, A. Ternikova, and Mike White from Lago Lindo community league, as well as Judy Smith from City of Edmonton Community Services. He additionally welcomed the EFCL staff members and EFCL Directors in attendance, including Val-erie Pachal (EFCL Assistant Executive Director), Joanne Booth (Office Administrator), and Dana Mauer (minute taker), as well as Board Directors A. White, D. Woodford, L. Smith, and C. Bremner. D. Dodge called the Special Meeting to order at 7:15pm 2. EFCL Announcements EFCL Executive Director A. Bolstad made some general announcements and advised that there were hand-outs available regarding both the event announcements, and the Tripartite License Agreement. He reported that the planning of a large-scale event for the EFCL‘s 100th Anniversary Celebration was under-way. Ideas are being considered for an outdoor park project, that would incorporate a water feature, benches, canopies, etc. He invited support and input from all community leagues interested in helping to de-velop the plan, asking them to please contact the EFCL office with any ideas or suggestion at [email protected]. He reminded leagues about the upcoming EFCL Community Challenge taking place June 3 to 5 with activities geared primarily toward younger league members. There will $5,000 in prize money available for community leagues, and he encouraged all leagues to register and participate. The EFCL will be putting a float in the 2011 Edmonton ―Capital X‖ Parade that incorporates the EFCL‘s his-tory, and depicts the kinds of activities that take place in community leagues (BBQs, block parties, soccer, rink activities, etc.), and will hopefully include signs with the names of all 154 community leagues. Many vol-unteers are needed to participate in the parade float entry, and he invited all leagues participate and RSVP as soon as possible. The EFCL will have a booth again in 2011 at the Edmonton Heritage Days Festival. He commented that hav-ing a presence at Heritage Days is a great way to reach out to newcomers from other cultures living in Ed-monton. Additionally, seven new part-time staff members have been hired by the EFCL to do cultural out-reach work over the upcoming nine months, - two are working with Aboriginal cultural groups, three with Af-rican immigrants, one with Eastern European immigrants, and one with Philippino immigrants. A news con-ference has been scheduled to announce this exciting new EFCL initiative. The EFCL‘s second annual Community League Day will take place on September 17, 2011. He encouraged all community leagues to plan a specific event, and provide the EFCL office with the specific details of their event as soon as possible, in order that it can be pre-promoted in the Examiner, The Sun, and by participat-ing media sponsors and on several social media sites. V. Pachal asked that details of league events be faxed or emailed to her as soon as possible.

The Ridge, Larry Shaben Wellington Park, Darlene Skoreiko Wellington, Norm Brenneis West Jasper Place, James Andreakos

Twin Brooks, June Rehill West Meadowlark, Herman Gerritsen Westwood, Lorne Larsen Willowby, Alla Ternikova


3. Quick Review of License Review Process A. Bolstad reviewed how the Tripartite License review process works, advising that there were both EFCL staff, as well as five City staff members on the Tripartite Committee whose work it was to revise the old agreement. The first year was spent discussing the long-term funding needs for leagues in order to be able sustain themselves, and to build and fix their facilities. They eventually came up with the new financial agreement that was approved by Council and is now in place. It consists of a new capital infrastructure grant of $1.5 million per year, to match community league money to repair halls, rinks etc. An additional request for $1.5 million is being submitted this year to City Council. Also approved was a 40% increase to league op-erating grants, which will take the average operating grant from $11K to $15K per year, with the next half of that request on the city budget papers for fall 2011. After the first year of discussions, work on revising the actual agreement started with the agreement re-viewed line-by-line by the Committee. A first draft agreement was presented on March 23 at a meeting of about 50 people at Rossdale Hall. The Committee took the questions and suggestions from that meeting as well as any additional comments subsequently received, and assembled them in the document provided. It lists all the questions that people had, and the responses to all those questions. They finalized a review of the suggestions, and did a finalized draft agreement which was distributed to all community leagues one full month prior in order that they have sufficient time to review it. A. Bolstad advised that the purpose of this meeting was to review the final draft, provide feedback and con-sider one of two options for amendments, as described in the handout provided. They options were as fol-lows:

Option 1) An amendment requesting a change or making a suggestion(s) that should be considered by the federation, but is not critical to acceptance of the agreement. Hence, the agreement would still go forward, even if this amendment is not included. Option 2) An amendment demanding a change to the agreement. It should be noted that this process would mean a delay of three or four months in finalizing the agreement and would cause a similar delay in the provision of city grant money.

Q: B. Zolnar (Glengarry) requested clarification on the use of the amendment options. A: A. Bolstad clarified that the process outlined was that the draft Tripartite document would be put for-

ward, and Members from the floor asked to suggest any amendments under either Option 1 or Option 2, in order to make a distinction of the priority of their amendment request.

4. Review of Draft Agreement and Key Changes from Previous Agreement D. Dodge commented that the Committee‘s process in reviewing all the questions and suggested changes to the agreement was very thorough. C. Bremner explained that the Committee‘s main goals for the new agreement were to simplify the language, clarify the role of the EFCL, to simplify the process for renovations and building of facilities, and improve the funding arrangement. She described how the new agreement succeeded at these goals. She suggested re-viewing the document closely to understand how anything that was questionable in the old agreement was removed where possible, and the role of the EFCL was clarified and ―scaled back‖. New clauses were added as well, i.e. with regard to the possibility that a league ceases to function as a league. D. Dodge elaborated regarding the following points:

One of the specific items that leagues requested was to increase the term of the agreement. The new

agreement is for 10 years, vs. five.


Using the word ―license‖ vs. ―lease‖ was previously contentious for many leagues. He clarified that the

reason the City cannot lease the land is because community league halls are on parkland which is owned by the City and already encumbered. Banks cannot put a mortgage on a hall for this reason, (regardless of whether leagues lease or license the parkland from the City), as it is not secured. The league would have to own the land in order to borrow against it.

D. Dodge encouraged leagues to take advantage of the opportunity to obtain their grant funding sooner

than later (in order to be able to improve their aging league facilities as soon as possible) vs. debating the ―license‖ vs. ―lease‖ terminology.

C. Bremner clarified that the league grant funding agreement is not ―tied to‖ the Tripartite Agreement,

but instead is ―conditional on‖ the Tripartite agreement being signed by leagues, in order to be in good legal standing with the City. The Tripartite document is simply about the use of the land, and facilities on the land (not about funding).

Q: Bernie Zolnar (Glengarry) asked for clarification on what the City was saying regarding funding and

the Tripartite agreement, and if membership in the EFCL is mandatory for community leagues. A: C. Bremner clarified that in order to qualify for funding through the annual operating grants or capital

funding grants that have recently been approved, a league must have a signed license agreement with the City, and must be an EFCL member league (in order to receive the City‘s operating grant funding).

D. Dodge commented that the Committee also worked hard to eliminate many small contradictions that ex-isted between theory and practice in the old agreement (i.e. the prohibiting of storing gasoline on the prem-ises), and to change the spirit of the agreement in the new document to characterize the EFCL‘s relationship with City as a partnership vs. being of an adversarial or confrontational nature. 5. General Discussion Brian Koester (Crestwood) expressed concern regarding Section 40(c) discussing the termination of a com-munity league within a reasonable time, relating to the use of the word ―may‖ with regard to finding a suit-able new site. He suggested that in the rest of the agreement, the City‘s prerogatives have designated time limits. Secondly, he asked if City ice arenas would be included in this case. C. Bremner advised that City ice arenas do not fall under this Article. She also explained that in Article 40(c), the word ―may‖ is used because there may not be any other suitable parkland available for recreational use, so the use of the word ―may‖ is an indication that the City will provide substitute recreational land on a best efforts basis, but it may not be possible to do within a designated period of time. Lorne Zalasky (Glenora) also suggested defining a specific time frame in which action should be taken on substituting parkland, vs. using the word ―may‖. A. Bolstad advised that there has only been one league in recent years that has cancelled its tripartite license agreement. This was Boyle Street, which now has a new arrangement with the city to share a new building with both the city and the YMCA. Bernie Zolnar (Glengarry) expressed concern regarding Article 41, the ―take over‖ clause. He expressed that a league should have the right to dispose of its facilities as it sees fit in the event of dissolution, per Provincial statute. He suggested removing the last sentence of Article 41(d), which he felt suggested that the EFCL would take over ownership of a leagues facilities in the event of dissolution.


A. Bolstad cited the recent case of Parkdale/Cromdale, which temporarily shut down its operations. The EFCL took control of its facilities until the league was able to elect a new board. He clarified that the Tripartite document simply outlines how the ―fallback process‖ will work in the eventuality a league does dissolve, i.e. who will cover which expenses, who will take over temporary management of operations and manage the election of a new community league board, etc. There was a request from the floor to move on with the meeting‘s proceedings. C. Bremner clarified that it is the Societies Act that sets out the procedure of the winding up of a community league and its assets, not the Tripartite Agreement. D. Dodge summarized that the tripartite license agreement relates only to the operation of league facilities, and that the clause deals with what happens when a league in unable to do so. MOTION 2011-05-17-01 – ―That the EFCL Membership approve acceptance of the April 15 draft

Tripartite License Agreement as presented.‖

By: Bryan Kapitza (Oliver) / Cora Shaw (Alberta Avenue) CARRIED

Further discussion ensued. Brian Koester (Crestwood) suggested more discussion would be in order about the agreement. He pointed out that as there was no Index, it was unclear if Articles 40 or 41 were part of the arbitration of the dispute resolution process. He proposed clarifying this, and suggested discussing the term ―may‖ being replaced by the term ―shall‖. Lorne Zalasky (Glenora) suggested more discussion to understand the specific process outlined by Article 41. Detailed debate and discussion ensued regarding Articles 40, 41, and 42. A. Bolstad clarified that all leagues are non-profit societies, and the EFCL would not be taking over the opera-tion of the society. The agreement is not referring to ownership of the facilities on the land if the league col-lapses. The EFCL would not assume ownership of league property, but would do its best to revive any com-munity league. Eventually the EFCL would have to come to a decision in consultation with the league and the City. Ultimately, the agreement says the facilities would go back to the City. C. Bremner advised that there is a clause in the Societies Act that refers to the Business Corporations Act which states that after 90 days, the Federation must take over operation of the facilities, and that the league has five years to revive itself, on one-year terms. MOTION 2011-05-17-02 – ―That under Amendment Option 2, the last sentence be dropped from Article 41(d) on page 13 of the April 15, 2011 draft Tripartite License Agreement.‖ By: Bernie Zolnar (Glengarry) / Brian Koester (Crestwood) DEFEATED Derrick Dixon (Eastwood) suggested changing the word ―managed‖ to ―become custodian‖. Further discussion about the motion ensued. Sandy Blakney (Kensington) pointed out that the representative from Eastwood did not second the amend-ment, but amended the proposed amendment. Brian Koester (Crestwood) seconded the original amend-ment. There were further questions, and discussion ensued. B. Kapitza (Oliver) called for ―Point of Order‖, and requested there be a vote on the proposed amendment,


MOTION 2011-05-17-02. The motion was defeated. Relating to the defeated motion, Brian Koester (Crestwood) suggested changing the wording of Articles 40 & 41. He proposed changing the wording of Article 40(d) from ―…become either the property of…‖ to ―…either be managed by the City…‖. Additionally, he proposed that in Article 41, ―…become the property of…‖ be changed to ―…come under the management of the Federation…‖. C. Bremner clarified that Article 40 of the agreement refers to the taking back of lands by the City in the situation where the City needs the land i.e. expropriation, in which case, there are not many other options available. She also clarified that Clause 41 refers to the collapse of a community league and what happens to the league‘s facilities in this event. C. Bremner went on to clarify that Section 42 addresses the concerns ex-pressed by B. Koester. It refers to the fact that after the five years in which a league has to revive itself, the Federation then has the option, within 90 days to make the decision to take over a dissolved league‘s facili-ties, if it does not, then the dissolved league‘s facilities would automatically be taken over by the City. This is in the unlikely event a community league no longer exists. 6. Vote on Agreement B. Kapitza (Oliver) called to question the vote on the motion to approve the draft Tripartite License Agree-ment, and to end discussion. The motion was seconded by June Rehill from Twin Brooks. MOTION 2011-05-17-03 – ―That discussion be ended and the vote on approval of the Tripartite License Agreement be called to question.‖ By: Bryan Kapitza (Oliver) / June Rehill (Twin Brooks) CARRIED The vote was 45 community leagues for, and 13 leagues against. As more than two thirds of the leagues in attendance voted in favour to move forward and vote on the agreement, the motion was passed. The vote was called on MOTION 2011-05-17-01, regarding the approval of the draft April 15, 2011 Tri-partite License Agreement. The motion was Carried with two leagues in opposition. In closing, A. Bolstad explained that the next steps in the process now that the EFCL Membership had ratified the Tripartite License Agreement and directed the EFCL to take it to the City, would be for each individual community league to vote on the agreement, after the finalized draft agreement is approved by the City. The EFCL will now take the agreement forward to the City for its approval, and report back to the Member-ship at the October AGM meeting. D. Dodge commented that the point was made repeatedly during the negotiation process, that although the Tripartite agreement may be ratified by the EFCL Membership, if there are any individual community leagues with objections to the agreement, they can still express them, and they will be addressed as best as possible. It is the EFCL‘s intention that ―no league be left behind‖. He commented that it will be challenging should a league wish to go forward and negotiate individual amendments on its own, however, the EFCL will support a league with this process however it can. D. Dodge presented a small gift to Greg Hilker, President of the Rosslyn Community League, thanking him for providing the hall space for the meeting on short notice. D. Dodge thanked all of the community league rep-resentatives present for attending the meeting, and reminded everyone to attend the October 2011 EFCL AGM meeting. The meeting adjourned spontaneously at approximately 8:45pm. There was no motion for adjournment.


LIVING LOCAL SUMMIT OCTOBER 28TH, 9AM - 4PM WOODVALE COMMUNITY HALL A ONE-DAY GATHERING BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE OFFICE OF THE MAYOR, EDMONTON FEDERATION OF COMMUNITY LEAGUES, AND THE CITY OF EDMONTON. HELP YOUR ORGANIZATION, CUSTOMERS AND MEMBERS REDUCE TRANSPORTATION TIME, SAVE MONEY, AND INCREASE THEIR QUALITY OF LIFE. HELP US DEVELOP A STRATEGY TO HELP EDMONTONIANS DO MORE DAILY ACTIVITIES CLOSER TO HOME AND REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF TIME DRIVING IN OUR CITY.

Registration includes Lunch, Coffee, and Refreshments.

www.efcl.org www.edmonton.ca

MEETING DATE : October 04, 2011

AGENDA ITEM # : 4.1 – Upcoming EFCL Events

PREPARED BY: Michael Janz, Marketing Director

4.0 PRESENTATIONS

Item 4.1

http://www.efcl.org

http://www.edmonton.ca


The City of Edmonton and the Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues invite you to attend a one-day Living Local Summit on Friday, October 28, 2011 at the Woodvale Community Hall, from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. As a key figure contributing to improving the livability of our city, we believe your participation would contribute to the success of this event. The partnership between the City of Edmonton and The Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues (EFCL) works with member leagues, various orders of government, partner organizations and other stakeholders to encourage Edmontonians to Live Local. The Living Local approach -- to shop, eat, play and work closer to home advances many of the City of Edmonton's long term goals. EFCL's Living Local initiative advances Edmonton's 10-year goal of improving livability by:

Cutting commuting times and diverting time spent driving to provide more opportunities for leisure, recreation and volunteering

Creating safer communities Encouraging healthy lifestyles that promote wellness. Connecting people and generations to create a sense of belonging Caring for the environment Building communities with the ability to care for themselves and others through times of

celebration and times of challenge The goal of the Living Local Summit is to identify how leaders in Edmonton can support the creation of more compact, vibrant, pedestrian-friendly, attractive communities that offer people the opportunity to work, shop, play and dine closer to where they live. This promises to be an energizing day and we welcome your contribution to this important initiative. Yours truly, Linda Cochrane Allan Bolstad General Manager Executive Director Community Services Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues


http://www.efcl.org



Registration: Registration is free but a $100 cancelation fee is in place. To register call #311 or visit http://ereg.edmonton.ca Course Code 431435 Registration is open and closes on October 24

rd at 430PM.

Location: All activities will be held in Woodvale located on the Mill Woods Golf Course. Green-view Room and Tournament Room.


http://ereg.edmonton.ca/

http://www.efcl.org



Agenda: 830 Continental Breakfast, Coffee, Networking 900 Introductions 915 Environment Scan: Are we living local? 1000 Tony Druett 1045 Health and Wellness Break 1100 Kurt Borth and Esther McNairnay 1200 Buffet Lunch (please indicate vegan, veg, special dietary) 100 Action Plan: Collection of Ideas - What steps can be taken so we can LIVE LOCAL? - How would this benefit our individual organizations? - What can our organizations do? 200 Sharing findings 215 Health and Wellness Break – Coffee, torts, squares etc. 230 Prioritization, Resourcing and Implementation 315 Reporting back 330 Next steps & concluding remarks


http://www.efcl.org



Presenters Engineering to Create Community: Tony Druett Former Director of Engineering and Development Canada Lands Project Manager Tony Druett has over 40 years experience as a land development engi-neer and has pioneered innovative urban design in a wide variety of situations. Tony has worked extensively in Western Canada, notably for both Griesbach Neighbourhood in Edmonton and Garrison Woods in

Calgary. Tony possesses A philosophy of building communities that are unique, attractive and vital places to live. He has an extensive track record of developing neighbourhoods and urban spaces that include customized servicing innovations, public architecture, legacy fea-tures, mixed land uses, varied modes of mobility, traffic calming and environmentally sensi-tive design.

Location Efficiency: Kurt Borth: PhD candidate in Human Geography I‟m a PhD candidate in Human Geography at the University of Alberta. My re-search involves investigating household‟s attitudes regarding their own „Location Efficiency‟ in order to discover any barriers (normative, structural, behavioral or economical) that may exist for homeowners in choosing more „livable‟ or location efficient housing. I believe that although personal behavior is important it is the built environment and people‟s changing perceptions of it

that will be most influential in the times ahead. I‟m also interested in environmental behavior in general and why people do the things they do. The Centre for Neighbourhood Technology defines „Location Efficiency‟ as: Compact neighborhoods with walkable streets, access to transit, and a wide variety of stores and ser-vices have high location efficiency. They require less time, money, and greenhouse gas emissions for residents to meet their everyday travel requirements.

Aging in Suburbia: Esther McNairnay, MA candidate Human Geography I‟m an MA candidate in Human Geography at the University of Al-berta‟s . My research looks at the experience of aging in new sub-urban neighbourhoods. My aim is to understand why older adults choose to age in outer areas, and what their current and future needs might be. As the oldest of the baby boomers turn 65 this

year, the “senior surge” will hit Canadian cities. This means older adults will play a larger role in shaping these traditionally young-family-oriented environments. My wider research inter-

ests involve how people develop a sense of – or attachment to - place, and how we talk about those attachments.


http://www.efcl.org



For more information: What‟s your Walkscore? www.walkscore.com GOOD – Cities www.good.is/category/cities EFCL www.efcl.org

City of Edmonton Office of Great Neighbourhoods http://www.edmonton.ca/city_government/city_organization/office-of-great-neighbourhoods.aspx Edmonton Neighbourhood Watch www.watch.edmonton.ab.ca Project for Public Space www.pps.org Live Local Alberta www.live-local.ca Registration is open to the public. If you know of other partner agencies that would strengthen the conversation, please invite them. Register by phone: #311 or www.edmonton.ca/ereg For more information, Call Allan or Joanne 780-437-2913


Food and Beverage There will be a continental breakfast with coffee and baking in the morning. Lunch is a soup and sandwich buffet. Please indicate any special dietary needs. Attendees: Attendees have been invited from the leadership of various non-profit and government organiza-

Municipal Departments Education and Post-Secondary Provincial Government Commerce and Private Sector Crime and Safety Developers and Realtors Health and Wellness Multicultural and Indigenous partners Environment and Sustainability Active Transportation Seniors and Families

http://www.walkscore.com

http://www.good.is/category/cities

http://www.efcl.org

http://www.edmonton.ca/city_government/city_organization/office-of-great-neighbourhoods.aspx

http://www.edmonton.ca/city_government/city_organization/office-of-great-neighbourhoods.aspx

http://www.watch.edmonton.ab.ca

http://www.pps.org

http://www.live-local.ca

http://www.efcl.org



Community League Showcase—November 19, 2011 The EFCL is pleased to announce that it is once again hosting the Community League Showcase, on Saturday, November 19, at the Italian Cultural Centre (14230-133 Avenue). The event will feature a number of significant projects that leagues have undertaken recently, along with presentations on our Living Local Arts and Heritage Program, our upcoming Outdoor Rink and Carnival Day weekend and our super-successful Community League Day 2011. League volunteers associated with the featured projects will be recognized, along with our special guests and sponsors. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., followed by the dinner at 6:00 p.m. and program at 7:00 p.m. Admission to the event is free. Tickets are limited to four per community league. Registration for the event opens at the Oct. 4 Regular General Meeting. Tickets will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis. Following the RGM, please register by contacting Joanne Booth at [email protected] or by calling (780)

437-2913.



The EFCL has hired seven part-time cultural outreach workers for a period of 9 months, to help introduce individuals and families from various ethnic backgrounds to their local community league. Two of the workers are focusing on Edmonton‘s aboriginal community, while the other five are working with newcomers to Canada. The workers are: Dakota Gladue and Shannon Souray, (Aboriginal Community); Eliza Wong, (Chinese community); Amandla Ngwenya, (Zimbabwean, South Africa, and Liberian communities); Alla Ternikova, (Russian, Ukrainian, and Eastern European communities); Jany Yach, (Sudanese and eastern African communities); Abdul Hassen, (Oromo, Ethiopian, Eritrean, Somali, Djibouti, and Kenyan communities). Working with community leagues A big part of the workers‘ job is to work with local community leagues, to help leagues understand the needs of people from other cultures and overcome any barriers that might be preventing leagues from attracting these people. Each of them are interested in setting up meetings with leagues, or groups of leagues, to discuss these barriers and find ways to introduce newcomers and aboriginal people to the leagues. In addition, the workers will be helping to prepare a report, detailing their experience and making suggestions for future steps in this process. Additional details on the outreach workers background and contact information can be found on the EFCL website. The EFCL is enthusiastic about the project and we hope to see the increased ethno-culture communities' participation in community leagues programs. Shahriyar Khan, Community Development Officer is supervising the Project. For any further information Shahriyar could be contacted at 780-484-1648, or e-mail: [email protected].

Item 4.2 MEETING DATE : October 04, 2011

AGENDA ITEM # : 4.2 - Cultural Outreach Project/MOU Signing

PREPARED BY: Shahriyar Khan, Community Development Officer



Memorandum of Understanding between Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues

And Multicultural Coalitions for Health and Wellness

Date: October 4, 2011

Background Canada has never been as diverse as it is today. Canada‘s institutions are increasingly called upon to develop new levels of cross-cultural awareness, competence and inclusiveness. Civil and governmental institutions often express the need to be well equipped to address the needs of the multicultural communities. Along the same lines, in our city Edmonton, immigrant serving agencies, as one of the first links between new comers and society, are expected to provide enough information, tools and mechanisms for immigrants to understand the society they are immersing themselves in, and empower their actions. Amid those empow-erment tools is the knowledge and orientation to the various resources and services available in the commu-nity The Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues is the umbrella organization for the city‘s 154 community leagues. Its primary mandate is to encourage widespread participation in the community league movement. Hence, it is most interested in providing support and assistance to newcomers to join their respective leagues and be part of the civic life of our City. However, it also recognizes that there are many cultural and lan-guage related issues that must be addressed before any progress could be made. To respond to the issues and to make community leagues as a welcoming place for newcomers the Federation has initiated a Cultural Inclusion Project. The project recently got a boost when the Federation received provincial funding to hire seven outreach workers. The Multicultural Coalition is a not for profit organization of community leaders and members from ethnic mi-nority communities who share a common vision of the future of immigrants and refugees in Canada. The or-ganization is focusing on building capacities of multicultural communities to advocate for healthy and inclu-sive public policies. As our two organizations are moving in the same direction viz-e viz ethno-cultural participation and inclusion in society, it is but natural for the two to work together and identify areas for collaboration and work coop-eratively Nature of document This memorandum of understanding between Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues (EFCL) and Multi-cultural Coalition is aimed at facilitating a systematic, and cooperative long term working relationship be-tween the two organizations. It seeks to build on the recognized expertise of each other, and to improve co-operation between the two organizations.


Shared Objectives

Facilitate and encourage the ethno-cultural community‘s involvement in community leagues as a way

to promote active participation, inclusion and community development.

Provide tools and information that will enable outreach workers to introduce ethno cultural communi-

ties to community leagues

Encourage community leagues to be more receptive and sensitive to ethno-cultural community needs

through cultural awareness

Promote services and facilities available to ethno-cultural communities in their respective community

leagues

Coordinate volunteer efforts between community leagues and the Coalition to facilitate delivery of ser-

vices to ethno-cultural communities.

Roles and responsibilities

The following roles and responsibilities have been identified

Multicultural Cultural Coalition shall coordinate volunteers‘ efforts to support the EFCL Cultural Inclu-

sion Project, through dissemination of community league information to ethno-cultural communities.

The Coalition shall coordinate membership sale of community league. The Coalition shall be responsi-

ble for issuing cards to workers, collect membership fees, and transfer fees plus cards to the EFCL.

Multicultural Coalition shall help facilitate EFCL efforts to reach out to ethno-cultural communities, im-

migrant serving agencies/associations and groups.

The EFCL may contract services of the Coalition on a project by project basis to help the EFCL reach

out to ethno-cultural communities.

Multicultural Coalitions through its Board and volunteers shall promote community leagues to ethno-

cultural communities, and facilitate community orientation sessions in coordination with the EFCL/community league.

The EFCL shall invite multicultural coalition representatives to its events/programs and meetings to

share cultural information, and search for potential volunteers with community leagues.

The EFCL, through its Newsletter and website shall help promote Coalition programs/events to com-

munity leagues

The EFCL shall organize Community League orientation sessions, when needed, for the Multicultural

Coalition Board, staff, and partners.

Both organizations shall jointly arrange cultural awareness workshops and seminars for community

league volunteers on an ongoing basis.

The EFCL and Coalition shall work together to explore other areas of cooperation.

Signed by: ____________________________________________ _________________________________ President Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues President Multicultural Coalition


The EFCL is beginning to make plans for its 100th Anniversary celebration, in 2021. So why start now? It‘s because the federation would like to do something significant, to recognize the substantial contribution thousands of community league volunteers have made to this city. To date, an adhoc committee of the board has identified an opportunity to provide some upgrades to Hawrelak Park, Edmonton‘s signature park in the river valley. One option would be to provide a water feature of some sort next to the children‘s play area. Another is to develop a walking path and some flower gardens next to the stream near the south end of the park. It has also been suggested that blocks or cobblestones with the names and incorporation dates of all of the city‘s community leagues could be included, along with a few pedestals that describe the contribution leagues have made to the city‘s development. Given the magnitude and importance of this project, the federation very much welcomes the involvement of all of the leagues and their input to this project. With that in mind, it is seeking three or four league representatives to serve on the anniversary committee. Anyone interested is encouraged to step forward at the Oct. 4 Regular General Meeting.


AGENDA ITEM # : 4.3 - EFCL 100th Anniversary Project

PREPARED BY: Allan Bolstad, Executive Director


The EFCL has submitted three financial packages to the city for funding in 2012. The first two packages represent the second half of the federation‘s request in 2011. Last year, we asked the city to provide $3 million/year for the leagues‘ capital needs and another $1.336 million in operational funding (taking that program from $1.664 million to $3 million/year). Council opted to split the request into two parts, for consideration in 2011 and 2012. It then proceeded to provide $1.5 million/year for capital needs and another $668,000 in operational funding as part of its 2011 budget. Consequently, we have re-submitted the rest of the request we made in 2011. We are asking for another $1.5 million in annual capital funding for the leagues and a second increase of $668,000 in annual operating grants. The detailed explanation is attached. The third request from the EFCL has been called our ―Community League Growth Initiative.‖ This is our effort to increase the capacity of leagues by offering a comprehensive training program for league executive members. It is our contention that these efforts will make it easier for the leagues to do their work and take on new initiatives, including programs that the EFCL has been promoting recently. This would include reaching out to artists, to newcomers from other cultures and to young people. The training sessions will also focus on facility operations such as halls and rinks. The detailed explanation behind this request is attached to this report as well. In addition to these three service packages, the federation has requested additional dollars to cover inflation in its own operating budget. Inflation has been pegged by the city to be 2.65% this year, so we have used that number. This rate of inflation equates to a $12,000 increase in the EFCL‘s base budget for 2012. The community league emerging grant, which is used to help groups of individuals start new community leagues, remains at $4,000 this year. The infrastructure assessment grant, whereby the city was providing the federation with $65,000/year for five years to help leagues assess the condition of their facilities, has run its course and is now being eliminated.


AGENDA ITEM # : 5.1 – 2012 City Funding Request


5.0 NEW BUSINESS

Item 5.1


Service Package - Community League Infrastructure Grant Unfunded

Description

Justification

This service package would provide funding for the rehabilitation of existing community league inf rastructure and the development of new community league facilities. It will facilitate additional programming, higher rental revenues, reduced energy consumption and improved operational ef f iciency in a wide array of community league facilities.

The f irst half of this package ($1,452K) was approved during budget deliberations on December 6, 2010. This package is a second half of a two-year split. It is to be evaluated af ter year three of the program.

As community league inf rastructure is not a city asset, any community league capital grant would be considered an operating expenditure by the City of Edmonton.

While this package could be brought forward by the Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues, it is being advanced by Administration and the EFCL in the context of the renewal of the Tripartite Licence Agreement.

On July 12, 2010, Community Services Committee recommended to Council that "Administration in collaboration with EFCL prepare a service package for a proposed Capital Grant Program Policy increase of $2,905K and with an increase of $1,336K in the Operating Grant Program split over two years, as outlined in attachment 1 of the July 5, 2010 Community Services

Department report 2010CSW005 using funding f rom a reallocation of funds within the existing budget, to be included in the 2011 Operating Budget deliberations." Policy C502 Community League Grants and Policy C110 City/Community Leagues Relations and the Partnership Agreement between the City of Edmonton and the Edmonton Federation of Community

Leagues, which acknowledges the EFCL as the coordinating body of community leagues in Edmonton. The capital grant portion of this service package will be evaluated af ter 3 years.

Central to building great neighbourhoods and fostering community development work that helps make Edmonton one of Canada's most livable cities is the notion of community hubs, gathering places that inject vitality into neighbourhoods. In Edmonton, for many decades, the local community league building has served as one of the central gathering places for

neighbourhood residents, allowing them a space to gather, meet, celebrate and to share and exchange information. With more space available (made possible through existing space and the construction of new community leagues) for other community interest groups such as cultural and recreation organizations, there will be more programs in each community and assistance

with the ever growing demand for rental space.

Not funding the service package will leave Community Leagues faced with growing unmet inf rastructure demands, and with

some facilities' operations hampered by the costs of maintenance. Furthermore, halls will face increased threats to operationand reduction of community participation.


Service Package - Community League Operating Grant Unfunded

Description

Justification

This service package would provide funding programs that demonstrate continued City support of community leagues and the important role they play in Edmonton. It recognizes the growing costs of operating a community league, including utilities, maintenance and insurance of facilities as well as the management of league programs. Examples of the latter include book-

keeping and auditing, hall rental and rink operations - all areas in which volunteer help is becoming harder to f ind.

The f irst half of this package ($668K) was approved during budget deliberations on December 6th, 2010. This is the second

half of a two-year split.

While this package could be brought forward by the Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues, it is being advanced by

Administration and the EFCL in the context of the renewal of the Tripartite Licence Agreement.

On July 12, 2010, Community Services Committee recommended to Council that "Administration in collaboration with EFCL prepare a service package for a proposed Capital Grant Program Policy increase of $2,905K and with an increase of $1,336K in the Operating Grant Program split over two years, as outlined in attachment 1 of the July 5, 2010 Community Services

Department report 2010CSW005 using funding f rom a reallocation of funds within the existing budget, to be included in the 2011 Operating Budget deliberations." Policy C502 Community League Grants and Policy C110 City/Community Leagues Relations and the Partnership Agreement between the City of Edmonton and the Edmonton Federation of Community

Leagues, which acknowledges the EFCL as the coordinating body of community leagues in Edmonton.

The funding of this package helps the league's meet their f inancial obligations and reduces the pressure on the city to provi de

recreational programming and a wide-variety of services to citizens.


Service Package - Community League Growth Initiative Unfunded

Description

Justification

This is a new service package, which will help leagues develop the capacity and acquire the tools to take on new initiatives.Examples of areas in which leagues can expand or "raise their game" are many, and would include working with newcomers, aboriginals, helping to engage seniors in the community, helping to engage young people and working with artists. It would a lso

include teaming up with other non-prof it organizations, such as cultural groups or social service agencies, both on projects andin some cases sharing building space and other resources. While all of these initiatives have been started in some fashion b y the EFCL, it has become apparent that many leagues will need help in expanding their operations. This will include the train ing

and education of board members, development of strategic plans, improvements in operational techniques and board governance. It is felt that improvements in these areas will also help kickstart and motivate some leagues that have felt overwhelmed by the challenges they face.

The intention is match the city's funds ($30,000) with a signif icant membership fee increase to the leagues ($22,000) and other EFCL fundraising/cost savings ($8,000). Altogether $60,000 would be attributed to this program, which would provide the

resources to hire a training/education of f icer, develop program materials, hold workshops and develop online instructional resources.

The federation would naturally work closely with the city's Community Recreation Coordinators (CRC) on this initiative. It i s felt that we can bring a perspective and inf luence that can work hand in hand with city resources.

The federation will be presenting this proposal, including the requested fee increase, to its members at its Oct. 4 General Meeting.

This will help the city move forward on all of its "Ways", as it will help provide the means to engage many citizens who are nowquite isolated and provide them with new programs through the existing community league structure. The city can be sure thatit invests in programs that people want as the lead and direction for these initiatives will be coming f rom the leagues and t he

people themselves. These programs will be provided in a cost-ef fective way, through the assistance of thousands of volunteers. It will also help ensure the ef f icient use of community league buildings and other inf rastructure, where the cit y and the community have invested well over $300 million.


As briefly described in our 2012 budget submission, the EFCL would like to develop a comprehensive training program for community league executives. This could include sessions for executive members, including presidents, treasurers, secretaries, communication and program directors, hall and rink managers – all of the key positions on the board. It could also include sessions on strategic planning and board governance, to help leagues chart new directions and operate in a quick and efficient manner. Contract management might be another area in which leagues could use some help. For example, how many times have league volunteers needed to hire a person or company to do renovations or run a program and wondered how they should accomplish this? The EFCL has dabbled in this area of board training for many years. For example, this year it offered workshops on rink and hall management, as well as a session on webpage design. Given the interest we have seen in these initiatives, we think it is time to develop something much more comprehensive. In order to get some direction from our members, the EFCL plans to spend a few minutes at the Oct. 4 RGM polling its members. Delegates will be asked to fill out a brief questionnaire, which will be followed by a short general discussion. Funding for this program is to come from three sources – an increase in league membership dues, EFCL fundraising/cost savings and an annual grant of $30,000 from the City of Edmonton. If the funding is made available, the federation will begin consultation with the city‘s CRCs, to get their

input and support. We believe that by working with the CRCs we could put together an excellent

program that would make it easier for the executives to do their jobs and improve the operations of their

league.


AGENDA ITEM # : 5.2 - Community League Training Initiative



Recommendation: That all leagues be charged an annual fee of $275 plus 2% of their city operating grant. Background: Currently, each league is charged an annual fee of $275 plus $1.8% of their city operating grant, to a maximum of $500. This policy was put in place in 2007 after extensive discussions with the community leagues. The rationale behind this formula was that all leagues should help finance the operations of the EFCL with the larger leagues paying a larger share, as they are likely the beneficiary of more services. The thrust of this policy is beginning to erode, as nearly one third of our leagues have hit the $500 ceiling and many more will do so when this year‘s increase in city operating grant takes effect. Consequently, the board is recommending that the $500 cap be removed. The board is also recommending an increase in the membership fee, by changing the formula to include 2% of each league‘s annual city operating grant instead of 1.8%. The following table shows what the exact change in fee will be for each league, as well as each league‘s change in city operating grant, which was hiked quite significantly in 2011. We have also included a chart to visually demonstrate the impact of these changes. Rationale For the Change: The reason for this increase is to help pay for a new community league training and development program.

The federation‘s recent experience with two workshops, for hall and rink managers respectively, has shown that there is a good deal of demand for programs that help league volunteers and paid staff do their jobs. Consequently, the EFCL would like to put together a comprehensive program to assist presidents, treasurers, secretaries, facility managers, program and communication directors – all of the key players in the league – to help them do their work. In addition, the federation would like to include sessions on grant applications, strategic planning and bylaw development to help leagues with critical parts of their operations.

It should be noted that the EFCL will canvass the leagues, starting with a brief survey at the Oct. 4 meeting, to see what elements should be included in the training program. The federation will also seek input and assistance from the city‘s CRCs.


AGENDA ITEM # : 5.3 - Membership Fee Increase



The EFCL has set an annual budget of $60,000 to pay for this program. This will cover the cost of hiring a new staff person, dedicated entirely to the development and provision of this program. It will also cover the cost of workshops, seminars and training materials.

The financing of this program is designed to come from three sources.

These are: Community League Membership Fee Increase $22,000 EFCL fundraising/cost savings: $8,000 City of Edmonton Budget Request: $30,000.

Next Steps:

If the membership fee is approved at the Oct. 4 Regular General Meeting, the federation will proceed with a request to Edmonton City Council to provide $30,000 each year for this initiative. Council will debate this request during its fall budget deliberations and vote on the matter in early December.

If the membership approves this motion but the city does not approve its share, the federation would still proceed with the program but on a part-time or partial basis.

Either way, implementation of this initiative would begin in the New Year.

If the membership does not approve this motion, the EFCL board of directors will have to determine whether

there is any merit in still asking the city to fund 50% of the program.






6.0 ELECTION REPORT


AGENDA ITEM # : 6.1 - Board Member Job Description


Item 6.1

The main function of the EFCL board member is to act as a liaison between the leagues in their district and the board of the EFCL. The board member uses information collected from the leagues to help develop board programs and policies and then lets the league know about these initiatives and policies. The board member also represents the federation in meetings with the City of Edmonton, other orders of government and partner agencies. Board members must be nominated by their community league and elected by the leagues in their district. They are elected for two-year terms and may serve a maximum of three consecutive terms on the board. Board members are also eligible to serve as an officer of the EFCL, namely President, Vice-President External, Vice-President Internal or Treasurer. Directors are elected to these positions by the board and are eligible to serve as an officer for a maximum of three consecutive years. The board meets once a month (currently the second Thursday) at the EFCL office. The board also appoints one of its members to the EFCL‘s planning committee, has one standing committee (governance) and creates various ad hoc committees from time to time, such as its 100th Anniversary and its Outdoor Rink and Carnival Weekend committees.


The EFCL Planning Committee is a standing committee which reports to the EFCL‘s Board of Directors.

Process: Committee members must be nominated by their league and elected by the leagues in their district.

Purpose of the Committee: To provide input and recommendations to the Board and Membership with respect to planning and transportation issues.

Duties of the Planning Committee Member:

Meet monthly except July, August and December

Review planning and transportation policy changes with city-wide implications

Advise communities of the potential impacts of developments and policy changes

Make recommendations to the Board on planning and transportation issues

Apply the EFCL‘s Planning and Development policies when making recommendations and update them

as required

Meet with City Administration and developers as needed

Communicate with leagues at District meetings and bring feedback to the committee

Support and advise the Community Planning Advisor

Tenure: two years; renewable


AGENDA ITEM # : 6.2 - Planning Committee Member Job Description

PREPARED BY: Bev Zubot, Community Planning Advisor


Recommendation: That printable membership cards be issued for online purchases of Community League memberships at www.efcl.org commencing the 2012 – 2013 membership year. Background: In 2009 we went before our membership to approve online sales of memberships. The Leagues voted with a large majority in favour, provided that the Leagues would still maintain control of issuing membership cards. Traffic to our online store from citizens seeking memberships for recreation and sports has grown steadily since implementation. We are frequently asked by leagues and the public about the logic of the current system when provision of a membership card at the time of sale could be easily implemented. Rationale for change: In response, the EFCL Web Committee discussed the logistics of the process of issuing cards and agreed that this was a logical way to proceed. More and more Community Leagues and Edmontonians are asking for this service, as it is much simpler and quicker than our current system of issuing notices and waiting for membership directors to actually issue the card. It is our perception that many leagues are hearing the same comments from people who want to have a card as soon as they have bought their membership. The main benefit to the purchaser is that they would be able to enjoy the privileges of membership immediately. This is often very important when they are trying to sign up for a sports team or gain access to city recreation facilities. It is also our belief that fraudulent use of printed cards would be negligible. This was our experience with the sale of cards through minor hockey. Less than one tenth of one percent of hockey parents (one in a thousand) attempted to sidestep a legitimate purchase of a league membership. If this change is approved, we will make use of this opportunity to promote EFCL as well as league activities and benefits by including information on these topics on the print out sheet that includes the membership card. Next Steps: If this decision is ratified by our membership on Oct. 4, we will proceed with implementation for the 2012-2013 membership year. Implementation issues that may arise will be addressed immediately by the EFCL and will be reviewed at our next Regular General Meeting, in October, 2012.


AGENDA ITEM # : 9.1 – On Line Membership Cards

PREPARED BY: Valerie Pachal, Assistant Executive Director/Communications & Events

9.0 NEW BUSINESS

Item 9.1

http://www.efcl.org



AGENDA ITEM # : 9.2 - Selection of Auditor


Item 9.2

Recommendation: That the EFCL re-appoint Hawkins EPP Dumont LLP Chartered Accountants to serve as the federation’s Auditor for 2011/2012. Report: The EFCL now has one year under its belt with Hawkins EPP Dumont, after the firm was selected through an RFP in the fall of last year. In our view the company did an very good job with last year‘s audit and were both quick and easy to work with. Their presentation to our board of directors last March was also clear and to the point and we appreciated the fresh perspective they brought to table. In addition, the cost of their audit was very competitive, compared to what other firms charge for an operation of our size. Consequently, the board is comfortable with recommending the re-appointment of this firm for the

coming year.


...2/


AGENDA ITEM # : 10.1 – Interim Financial Report

PREPARED BY: Linda Crosby / Allan Bolstad

10.0 REPORTS

Item 10.1

REVENUE

Budget Actual Var Budget Actual Var Budget Proj. Var

Grants - Municipal - C of E 76,000 76,000 0 304,000 304,000 0 456,000 456,000 0

Grants - Municipal - Other 2,856 2,856 0 2,856 2,856 0 16,372 16,372 0

Grants - Prov. - CIP - Cult. Integ. 10,029 10,029 0 18,976 18,976 0 52,000 52,000 0

Grants - Prov. - CIP - Marketing 6,250 6,250 0 25,000 25,000 0 37,500 37,500 0

Grants - Prov. - Other 6,957 6,957 0 6,957 7,857 900 14,973 15,873 900

Income 12,345 13,534 1,189 79,380 72,867 -6,513 126,000 126,000 0

Casino 7,334 7,918 584 29,332 35,001 5,669 44,000 44,000 0

Membership Campaign 0 38 38 28,000 26,599 -1,401 28,000 28,000 0

Miscellaneous Recoveries 0 13 13 150 13 -137 250 250 0

TOTAL REVENUE 121,771 123,595 1,824 494,651 493,169 -1,482 775,095 775,995 900

Staff Resources 54,580 50,542 4,038 231,038 226,729 4,309 353,277 353,277 0

Step, net 3,250 5,337 -2,087 6,667 5,632 1,035 4,500 4,500 0

Contract Services 1,667 1,945 -278 6,500 7,544 -1,044 10,000 10,000 0

Operations 11,392 11,389 3 50,806 51,510 -704 66,000 66,000 0

Governance 15,500 4,269 11,231 23,750 11,156 12,594 29,500 29,500 0

C.L. Services - Other 39,810 11,563 28,247 75,710 25,863 49,847 83,500 83,500 0

C.L. Services - Cult.Integ. 10,029 10,029 0 18,976 18,976 0 52,000 52,000 0

C.L. Services - Marketing 6,666 6,666 0 26,664 26,664 0 40,000 40,000 0

Membership Campaign 0 0 0 28,000 24,597 3,403 28,000 28,000 0

Professional Fees 0 4,919 -4,919 6,800 6,286 514 14,500 14,500 0

Programs 334 0 334 3,332 46 3,286 4,000 4,000 0

CLRG 0 0 0 0 0 0 5,000 5,000 0

Consultation Handbooks 0 0 0 0 0 0 3,000 3,000 0

Business/Financial Plan 2,856 2,856 0 2,856 2,856 0 7,244 7,244 0

Restructuring 0 0 0 0 0 0 1,128 1,128 0

Recruitment 0 0 0 0 0 0 4,000 4,000 0

Contingency 0 0 0 3,600 3,000 600 4,000 4,000 0

TOTAL EXPENSES 146,084 109,515 36,569 484,699 410,859 73,840 709,649 709,649 0

NET OPERATIONAL -24,313 14,080 38,393 9,952 82,310 72,358 65,446 66,346 900

EDMONTON FEDERATION OF COMMUNITY LEAGUES

FINANCIAL REPORT SUMMARY

Two Months Ending July & August 2011

YEAR ENDTHIS MONTH YEAR TO DATE


… (Cont‘d)

CAPITAL

Office Equipment 0 0 0 7,123 7,123 0 15,000 15,000 0

Website Development 639 639 0 7,500 7,500 0 7,500 7,500 0

Computer Upgrades/Printer 0 0 0 2,000 3,511 -1,511 2,000 3,511 -1,511

Office Upgrades - CFEP grant 6,957 6,957 0 6,957 6,957 0 29,946 29,946 0

Display Booth 0 0 0 0 0 0 5,000 5,000 0

TOTAL CAPITAL 7,596 7,596 0 23,580 25,091 -1,511 59,446 60,957 -1,511

Financial Reserve 0 0 0 0 0 0 6,000 6,000 0

REVENUE YTD PYE

Grants > Community Spirit grant not budgeted for 900 900

Income > Tradeshow budgeted $14,000 actual $19,100 5,100 0

Income > Interest earned greater than budgeted 3,867 0

Income > Paypal, newsletter, membership dues timing variance, net 1,495 0

Income > Talent Show cancelled -1,975 0

Income > Anticipated Sponsorships -15,000 0

Casino > Timing variance 5,669 0

Membership Campaign > 2011 actuals less, offest in expenses, slightly ahead -1,538 0

-1482 900

EXPENSES

Staff Resources > Staff time re-allocation to Marketing Program, Fin.Review. 4,309 0

Step, net > Timing variance. 1,035 0

Contract Services > Overspent in minute taker wages -1,044 0

Operations > -704 0

Governance > Underspent in general meetings 12,594 0

C.L. Services > Marketing program timing variances 46,002 0

C.L. Services > Tradeshow underspent, net 3,845 0

C.L. Services > Membership Campaign underspent, offset in income 3,403 0

Professional Fees > Timing in Tr-Part $3,778, Other Legal fees($3,264) 514 0

Program > Talent Show cancelled,offset in variance income 2,024 0

Program > Planning Award underspent 1,262 0

Contingency > $3,000 was allocated to utilities adjustment costs 600 1,000

73840 1000

VARIANCE

Allan Bolstad, Executive Director Date

Timing variances throughout.



AGENDA ITEM # : 10.2 - Community League Day


Item 10.2

Community League day 2011 by all measures was an enormous success. With 10 more events than last year-- bringing the grand total to 101-- unprecedented media coverage and greater city-wide outreach and promotion, the EFCL board and staff are thrilled with Community League Day 2011 and already excited for Sept. 15th Community League Day 2012. Community League Day has now been established as one of Edmonton's great festivals. What could help us to make the event bigger than ever for next year is if leagues could register an event with us as soon as possible. This past year we only had 40 events registered by August 15th which made it much harder to attract sponsorships, promotional dollars, and prizes. If we knew by June 15th that we had 100 leagues hosting events, it would make it much easier for the EFCL team to solicit support and get even more recognition for our local events! Community League Day is about getting everyone out from their community, at least once during the year, to a local event. This is a wonderful opportunity to communicate news, recruit volunteers, and solicit feedback about what other neighbourhood residents do and would like to see. I look forward to seeing how it builds in the future. Personally, I found the events I attended inspirational and a really special depiction of what makes our neighbourhoods awesome. Media and promotional coverage included: -Global TV -CBC Radio and TV -Shaw TV -Edmonton Journal - An article and spread on September 17th -Edmonton Sun -Edmonton Examiner- A total of 153,000 copies of a special 12-page 90th anniversary spread were distributed on September 7th, along with continuing coverage citywide in the September 14th edition and follow-up coverage in the September 21st issues of the paper. -Sonic and the Bounce radio stations (paid advertisements). We also piloted some new Social Media advertising including promotions on Facebook and Twitter. Our EFCL Website featured the Google Map with all of the event locations and ensured that we had one central touch point for all league information and events. Event Kits The kits this year were even bigger and packed with more resources. One of the new additions were "Party Here Saturday" Lawn signs which were a very effective addition for leagues. From the 13 different events I attended, all had "Party Here Saturday" signs posted with high visibility and were very helpful at drawing in the passers-by to the local events. Thank you again to all of our sponsors who provided merchandise and goodies for our event kits.


Thanks again to our amazing sponsors! I would like to give a special thank-you to our sponsors. Servus Credit Union went above and beyond in their support. The Edmonton Realtors were a great help and are a great friend to our neighbourhood vision. United Cycle was very generous in their prizing and support and we thank them again for their partnership. I encourage you to explore their services as they certainly share the same community vision! Please fill out our survey about Community League Day 2011 What went well? What should we change? Did you value the event kits? Please take a minute to fill out our brief questionnaire about the event: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/L8M7CMG We are always happy to hear your feedback and if you would prefer to share your thoughts over the

phone please call 780-437-2913.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/L8M7CMG


2011 Event, By the numbers: 89 Advance Registrants

22 Teams registered

5 Leagues participated

14 volunteers helped organize the events

$10, 000 in cash prizes from Boardwalk Rental Communities

3 day challenge with 10 different activities

1 news story in Metro news: http://www.metronews.ca/edmonton/local/article/880839--community-challenge-energizes-neighbourhoods Summary: The 2011 ECC was a well run, successful event for all those who attended. However, the noticeable lack of attendance, enthusiasm, and support from community leagues in general mean that serious work needs to be done to determine how the event could be more successful in future. If the overall objective is to help recruit more 18-40 year olds into neighbourhood community leagues and empower them to make their community vision a reality, then discussion is needed to determine how best to do this. Successes: The Edmonton Community Challenge was an exciting 3-day weekend challenge. The events were fun, unique, and original and all had a tangible community benefit. Charitable partners such as the Edmonton Foodbank and iHuman all received contributions from the efforts of volunteers. The events included:

A photo challenge scavenger hunt

A canned food sculpture contest (proceeds to food bank)

An afternoon relay race of challenges (arts, crafts, trivia, sports, Frisbee golf and more)

Mural painting

A Sunday Dance off‖ mystery challenge to support iHuman

Challenges: The biggest stressor leading up to the event was concerns around getting community leagues registered. The event was promoted intensively through various mediums but attendance was still lackluster. The consecutive three-day format over one weekend was cited as too much of a commitment for some participants

There were a significant number of other similar competing events such as corporate challenge on the same weekend and City Chase the weekend prior.


AGENDA ITEM # : 10.3 - Next Gen Community Challenge



Almost all of the registrants were existing community league members or were recruited through EFCL channels. There were very few new community league members recruited to the leagues through this event, an outcome that was also experienced last year.

Future Directions: If the goal is to provide a fun challenge for community leagues, then the biggest challenge is to speak with the leagues and figure out what we can do to better organize the event—whether that is scheduling the events at a different time or giving more support for recruitment—the biggest challenge is with recruitment. If the goal is to bring 18-40 year olds into their own local community league and get them involved in their own neighbourhood, might there be a better strategy to do that? The EFCL will need to discuss our approach to this event with the city‗s Next Gen committee before any commitments are made for next year



AGENDA ITEM # : 10.4 - Living Local Arts Project


Item 10.4

Applications are now being accepted from community leagues for funding through the EFCL‘s Living Lo-cal Arts and Heritage project. With the help of the Edmonton Arts Council and Edmonton Heritage Council, grants of up to $20,000 per project are available to any league that would like to put together an arts/heritage initiative. Leagues will be asked to pay one third of the cost of any project. Examples of projects could be paintings, sculptures, murals, live performances, history books – anything the league believes would be of interest and benefit to its members. Preference will be given projects undertaken by artists in the community, as it is hoped that this initia-tive will foster new relationships and lead to future projects and programs. Application forms are available on the EFCL website and at the Oct. 4 Regular General Meeting. The deadline for applications is Nov. 18, 2011.



AGENDA ITEM # : 10.5– Outdoor Rink Committee Report


Item 10.5

The EFCL has teamed up with the EMHA, Sports Central and the city‘s Community Services Department to find ways to enhance the use of outdoor rinks. A number of objectives have been identified. These include the procurement of sports equipment for leagues to hand out to participants. This

would include helmets, skates, hockey sticks and pads. It also includes the development of rink event

kits with materials that could be used for various events. The committee would also like to see a best

practices manual put together for rink operators. Finally, the city is planning to hold a clinic to help

leagues put together an outdoor winter festival. The latter would fit nicely with the federation‘s plans

to promote the Community League Outdoor Rink and Carnival Weekend, which has been set for the

Family Day weekend in February, 2012.



AGENDA ITEM # : 10.6– Community Sustainability Report, September 09, 2011


Item 10.6

Executive Summary The sustainability of mature neighbourhoods is a major concern of the Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues. As such we are encouraged by the creation of the Task Force, and are hopeful that actions will be taken to ensure the vitality of Edmonton‘s mature neighbourhoods in the years ahead. Mature neighbourhoods are challenged on a number of fronts. They are struggling with the loss of children and the continued threat of losing family housing to adult-oriented infill housing, as well as losing their schools and local shops. With increased traffic, walking and cycling has become less safe. Safety from crime is a major issue for the distressed neighbourhoods with a concentration of poverty and related neighbourhoods stressors. Major decisions are being made in isolation with no long term collaborative planning amongst the various jurisdictions or with the impacted neighbour-hoods. To overcome these challenges to sustaining well balanced, safe, complete mature neighbour-hoods, EFCL is proposing a number of strategies, all of which involve the collaborative efforts of all lev-els of government and a variety of jurisdictions which impact Edmonton‘s mature neighbourhoods. Our key recommendations are as follows:

1. Neighbourhood Reinvestment Strategy: All levels of government establish and fund a Neighbourhood Redevelopment Corporation with the mission of revitalizing older urban neighbourhoods by mobilizing public, private and community resources at the neighbourhood level, and investing in private properties.

The City reinvests in the public infrastructure of mature neighbourhoods, including the re-tention of surplus school grounds as neighbourhood parks.

2. Community School Investment Strategy:

The City and various departments of the Provincial government support the retention of mature neighbourhood schools as community hubs and learning centers for present and future generations. The City and School Boards do joint long range planning.

3. Family Housing Strategy:

The City and the Province develop policies and incentives which promote attractive, afford-able housing for young families in mature neighbourhoods, in addition to developing policies which promote long-term residency.

4. Public Safety Strategy:

To increase traffic safety, the City and Province enable speed limit reductions and support protected bike lanes in mature neighbourhoods.


To reduce crime, Community Leagues and other community based organizations animate public spaces, and all levels of government support the redevelopment of vacant lots and derelict hous-ing. The Province develops a poverty reduction strategy, and a strategy to reduce the concentration of poverty in individual neighbourhoods.

5. Strategy to Revitalize Neighbourhood Commercial Areas:

The City and the Province work together to remove restrictive grocery store covenants in order to allow the re-establishment of local grocery stores. EFCL and local associations promote shopping local.

6. Collaborative and Coordinated Strategy:

A permanent multi-jurisdictional Mature Neighbourhood Sustainability Agency is established with the mandate to sustain healthy, vibrant mature neighbourhoods. This body would oversee the above mentioned strategies.

Introduction The Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues appreciates the work being done by the Task Force to ensure the sustainability of mature neighbourhoods. These neighbourhoods are home to a good portion of our Community Leagues, including many who have invested heavily in halls, recreation facilities and commu-nity programs. These Leagues have been very important in building a network of vibrant communities.

However, these historically vibrant communities, with nearby amenities and services for their resi-dents, have been challenged in recent years, and their future is uncertain. As the neighbourhoods have aged, there are fewer families with children, some schools have closed, local shopping areas have dwindled, and some city recreation facility closures have been planned. With fewer local facilities, there are fewer in-formal opportunities for neighbours to interact.

In the meantime, many mature neighbourhoods have experienced housing redevelopment pressures.

Residents and their Community Leagues have pushed back, fearing the loss of long-term residents and more families, as well as the loss of the character of their neighbourhood. Regardless, extensive higher density development is being planned by the City. The Way We Grow, the Residential Infill Guidelines, and the Tran-sit-Oriented Development policies pave the way for massive redevelopments in mature neighbourhoods.

For some time, EFCL has realized that mature neighbourhoods are at a critical turning point, and the

future well-being of the communities is in question. Therefore, EFCL was delighted when the Mayor initiated the Community Sustainability Task Force and we immediately made a commitment to contribute to the work of the Task Force.

What We Did In the last two years we have had a number of focused conversations with Community Leagues in mature neighbourhoods about sustaining their Leagues and their communities. The threat of school closures and the dwindling number of children in mature neighbourhoods, particularly in neighbourhoods with higher density housing, prompted EFCL to organize a Family Friendly Higher Density Housing Workshop in Septem-ber, 2009. Since then we have been gathering information on policies developed in other cities to attract young families to live in older, central neighbourhoods.


EFCL Planning Committee volunteers and staff participated in the Task Force Working Groups. In May, and then again in July, 2011 EFCL organized workshops with Community League representatives and others who wanted to join the conversation with the Task Force about sustaining mature neighbourhoods. The majority of mature neighbourhood Leagues participated in the conversations. They spoke of the chal-lenges they are facing and suggested many solutions.

What We Heard Community leaders identified a number of challenges for mature neighbourhoods: a) demographic imbalances and housing, b) schools, c) concentration of poverty and neighbourhood stressors, d) public safety, street vibrancy and neighbourhood shopping, and e) lack of long term collabora-tive planning. Demographic Imbalances and Housing

Through time, mature neighbourhoods have experienced a shift in demographics, and for many neighbourhoods there is an imbalance in age distributions. All mature neighbourhoods have experienced a loss in the number of children in their neighbourhoods. This is partly due to the natural aging of the commu-nity and the original homeowners, but the loss of children is also due to the inability of neighbourhoods to attract more young families. In some cases the neighbourhoods have a reputation of being unsafe. In other instances the housing is too expensive for young families, or not as attractive as a new home in the outskirts, or perhaps not designed for a family. Most apartment buildings in Edmonton have not been designed to accommodate families. More often than not, the apartment building is adult-only thus outright bans children. This is a concern of mature neighbourhood residents because the Municipal Development Plan and the Transit Oriented Development Guidelines call for higher density housing in their neighbourhoods. As their neighbourhoods redevelop, a further decline in the child population can be expected if higher density housing continues to be built and managed as adult-only buildings. Many neighbourhoods have a significant population of seniors. They tend to be isolated in their own homes, yet they do not want to move out of their homes, nor their neighbourhood. It is a challenge to find appropriate living arrangements for seniors in their neighbourhoods, and it is a challenge to integrate seniors in activities with the broader community. There may be lessons to be learned from the City‘s Aging in Place Demonstration Projects, and lessons learned from examining alternatives to isolating seniors in seniors hous-ing. Schools A further loss of children will certainly result in the closure of more schools. The closing of schools was considered by some as a death knell for the community. Families leave, new families stay away, and the neighbourhood is branded as being an undesirable place to live. As children create friendships in far away schools, the families that do remain become less connected with one another, and it becomes more difficult to find parent volunteers to manage children‘s programs. The sustainability of social and recreation programs and facilities becomes much more difficult. In general, the cohesion of the neighbourhood suffers. The loss of the school most frequently also means loss of access to the gym and other gathering spaces which the school provides. In communities with small community halls, the loss of school access means the loss of their scout group, basketball team, neighbourhood dances, their local polling station during elections and large community-wide meeting space.


Concentration of Poverty and Neighbourhood Stressors Healthy neighbourhoods not only have a balance of various age groups, they also have residents with a variety of income levels, a balance of rental and owner occupied homes, a variety of household sizes and people with a variety of skills and knowledge. Over time, some neighbourhoods, particularly central neighbourhoods, have become imbalanced. They have acquired an over-concentration of poverty, along with a predominance of rental accommodations, one person households, non-market housing, short-term resi-dency, derelict properties, and high crime rates. Some neighbourhoods have become home to predatory businesses which prey on the economically disadvantaged, businesses such as same-day loan shops, pawn shops, non-therapeutic massage parlours and skeleton shops which are a front for illegal drug trade. These distressed neighbourhoods have become places which people tend to leave as soon as they get the economic means to do so. The permanent residents who desire to stay feel overwhelmed with the task of revitalizing their neighbourhood with little financial or social capital. Public Safety, Street Vibrancy and Neighbourhood Shopping Public safety is a primary concern of distressed neighbourhoods, and it is of some concern to all ma-ture neighbourhoods. There is a concern about crime, but there is an equal concern about traffic safety for pedestrians and cyclists. The neighbourhoods tend to be fairly well designed for walking to destinations; however, as the city has grown, so has the volume and speed of automobile traffic. It is a challenge to have vibrant streets, safe for the young, the elderly and the vulnerable, when competing with automobiles. It is also a challenge to maintain vibrant streets when the small neighbourhood commercial strips are dying. The competition with big box stores makes it difficult for small enterprises to survive. Most problem-atic is the monopoly practices of some large corporate food stores. Their practice of placing covenants on their vacated properties, not allowing other grocers to replace them, has led to food deserts and several struggling neighbourhood commercial areas which no longer have the grocery store as an anchor. Community leaders worry about the future of their neighbourhoods. They worry about the cumula-tive effect of losing family housing, a vibrant commercial area, a school, community volunteers, and a healthy mix of resident incomes and ages. They fear that their ‗tipping point‘ to becoming a stressed neighbourhood may be one detrimental development or one school closure away. Lack of Collaborative Planning At present decisions are being made for the neighbourhoods, rather than with neighbourhood people, and individual decisions appear to be made in isolation from other neighbourhood redevelopment decisions. Council is making decisions on developer proposed projects on a site by site basis, rather than following a redevelopment plan for the whole neighbourhood. The Province is funding social housing projects in high stress neighbourhoods, thus creating further stressors for these neighbourhoods. The Province and the School Boards appear to have made decisions on school closures in mature neighbourhoods which are con-trary to the City‘s goal to significantly increase the density of mature neighbourhoods. From a local commu-nity perspective, the decisions appear haphazard and not in the best interest of mature neighbourhoods. However, with the recent Edmonton Public School Board moratorium on school closures and their interest in working with the City and the Province, provides an opportunity for establishing a collaborative planning model. Community leaders are optimistic that the Community Sustainability Task Force will be able to address their concerns and hopes for the future.


What We Recommend Based on our many conversations with Community Leagues, our conversations within the Community Sustainability Task Force Working Groups, a review of the literature on revitalizing neighbourhoods which was done with the Working Groups, and deliberations of the EFCL Planning Committee and EFCL Board, we have developed a number of strategies for revitalizing Edmonton‘s mature neighbourhoods. The strategies focus on reinvesting in neighbourhoods to reduce neighbourhood stressors, reinvesting in mature neighbourhood schools, promoting family housing in higher density infill, enhancing public safety, revitalizing commercial ar-eas, and establishing a permanent multi-jurisdictional body to coordinate mature neighbourhood redevelop-ment. 1. Neighbourhood Reinvestment Strategy Community Leagues have repeatedly expressed concern that neighbourhood redevelopment is being planned for them, rather than with them, yet they are the ones who know their neighbourhood best and the ones who live with the consequences of redevelopments. On the other hand they also feel powerless even when revitalization plans are created with them because plan implementation relies on investments – both public and private investments. Without the power to direct investments, community people can only react to development proposals created by others, proposals which may or may not be envisioned in the revitaliza-tion plan. Community people need a tool for directing investments. Recommendations: Investments in private property 1.1: That the City of Edmonton work with the other levels of government to establish and fund a Neighbourhood Redevelopment Corporation with the mission of revitalizing older urban neighborhoods by mobilizing public, private and community resources at the neighborhood level. The non-profit corporation would focus on reinvesting in private property which would increase the collective wealth and well-being of the neighbourhood(s). It would be modeled after Neighborworks in the United States.

The Neighbourhood Redevelopment Corporation would complement the work of the Office of Great Neighbourhoods. While the Office of Great Neighbourhoods coordinates the replacement of old public infra-structure, or enhancement of parks, the Redevelopment Corporation would invest in private properties.

Unlike other developers investing in private properties, the Neighbourhood Redevelopment Corpora-

tion would be focused on projects which would create the most benefits for the neighbourhood, and it is community-driven. The involvement of citizens from the beginning of the projects will greatly reduce citizen opposition.

The Corporation would invest in properties which are bringing down the quality of life in the

neighbourhood. For example, a contaminated site or a small derelict retail strip containing a predatory busi-nesses could be purchased and redeveloped as a mixed commercial-residential development. These sites may be too risky for a private developer, but the benefits to the neighbourhood may be great, and may at-tract additional investments in other parts of the neighbourhood.

The Neighbourhood Redevelopment Corporation could also invest in certain types of developments

which the neighbourhood is seeking. For instance, attractive affordable family housing may be part of the neighbourhood‘s renewal plan. The Corporation could help organize the local residents and future owners to acquire appropriate properties, arrange collective financing, and develop a condo or perhaps some form of co-housing or mutual housing (housing co-op, co-housing) which is affordable and community-oriented.


Often neighbourhood revitalization plans are never realized because they require investments which are not attractive to private developers, or require the cooperation of several partners. The Neighbourhood Redevelopment Corporation could find partners, broker deals with financial institutions and use small amounts of government money to leverage significant reinvestments. Profits made from one project would be used to help finance the next project.

Investments in public property

Investments in public infrastructure and services are important as well. For example, the mature neighbourhoods benefit from reinvestments in street and drainage infrastructure, as well as the upgrading of old recreation facilities.

As the city grows, and budgets become tight, it will be tempting for the City to channel recreation fa-

cility investments into new neighbourhoods, while decommissioning older facilities in the older neighbour-hoods. It will also be tempting to repurpose park land and school grounds for housing or other purposes in order to achieve the City‘s goals. However, the loss of nearby recreation facilities, park land and other amenities is detrimental to mature neighbourhoods.

There is a threat that several school grounds owned by the school boards could be declared surplus

by the school and sold for any number of purposes. The City has an opportunity, but is under no obligation, to purchase the surplus school grounds. It would be a huge loss to neighbourhoods if the school grounds were not retained as play-fields and park space.

1.2: That the City reinvest in the existing public infrastructure in mature neighbourhoods, including com-munity league buildings, community recreation facilities and small city owned recreation facilities, and park lands. 1.3: That the City purchase all school grounds in mature neighbourhoods which have been declared sur-plus by the School Boards, recognizing that the school grounds provide essential sports fields and park space for mature neighbourhoods. 2. Community School Investment Strategy

Most mature neighbourhoods have been designed with the neighbourhood park, school and commu-

nity league facilities in the centre of the neighbourhood. The school and the community league provide com-munity related services and programs, and provide spaces for neighbours to meet. Together they form a dy-namic community hub. School closures greatly weaken the community hub. Instead, community leagues want schools to remain in their neighbourhood and want to strengthen their symbiotic relationship with the schools.

Schools within a safe and easy walking distance are important to students, parents and the commu-

nity. Neighbourhood schools provide an opportunity for children and parents to build exercise into their daily routine, as well as providing informal opportunities for neighbours to interact and strengthen community co-hesion.

The City‘s Municipal Development Plan envisions a pedestrian friendly, transit-oriented, compact city.

The location of schools is a critical factor in achieving this goal. Elementary and Junior High schools should be within walking distance for students, and High Schools should be on a major transit route. Plus schools with programs of choice and magnet schools, which draw students from all areas of the city, should be in central locations.


Given the many benefits of retaining mature neighbourhood schools and given the future redevelop-ment plans of the city, retention of schools should be the long-term goal, despite the past decline in the child population. If the population of the mature neighbourhoods does increase as envisioned in the City‘s Munici-pal Development Plan, most school sites will be needed by the School Boards in years to come.

In the meantime, measures should be taken to save the small community schools. If the schools

have excess space or the schools need to temporarily close, the surplus school space and school lands should remain in the public domain and be used for alternative uses of benefit to the community. The relevant min-istries and organizations should bear the capital and operating costs of the community services in the school buildings, rather than having the School Boards burdened with the full costs. School Boards do not have the mandate or the resources to subsidize community programs. This must be a joint effort.

Ideally, the Province would tie school facility funding (including maintenance and janitorial budgets) to

community use with the idea of separating the school budgets from community use of these facilities to en-sure schools remain and in fact develop into better community hubs. This should be designed to encourage collaboration between schools and community and it should help recognize the importance of school facilities to healthy communities.

Recommendations:

2.1 That the Ministry of Education and the School Boards reinvest in the upgrades of older schools and construct new schools in mature neighbourhoods. 2.2 That the Ministry of Education provide additional resources to the School Boards for small schools, and with the School Boards explore cost saving measures. 2.3 That the Ministry of Education and the School Boards mandate that magnet schools and schools with programs of choice be kept in central locations of the City, and that local children be given priority enroll-ment. 2.4 That the School Boards lease the surplus school space to develop the schools as community hubs, with programs such as early child education programs, child care, health services, social services, senior‘s programs, community programs, and life-long learning programs. That the relevant ministries provide a financial incentive to the schools and the programs which locate in the community school hubs. 2.5 That the School Boards develop strategic partnerships with the relevant Alberta Ministries, the City of Edmonton and umbrella non-profit organizations to assist with the leasing of surplus school space. All part-ners should be encouraged to lease the space themselves. 2.6 That the City of Edmonton, the Ministries of Children and Youth Services, and Culture and Community Spirit provide funding to schools for the community use of school facilities during non-operational school hours. 2.7 That the School Boards and the City do joint long range planning for the school sites in mature neighbourhoods. That the School Boards adopt a moratorium on school closures and the disposition of school land until a joint long range plan has been adopted.


3. Family Housing Strategy As the mature neighbourhoods and their transit-oriented areas are being transformed into a more compact urban form, every caution must be taken to ensure that the transformed neighborhoods have a sta-ble residential population with a healthy balance of ages, including children. Drawing upon the experiences of other cities and the suggestions of community league representatives, EFCL recommends a number of ap-proaches. Recommendations: 3.1: That the City develop zoning bylaw regulations which will ensure that future higher density housing developments in mature neighbourhoods include attractive housing options for families with children. More specifically we recommend the City

Enhance the definition of family-oriented dwellings to include essential design elements

Require every multi-unit infill development to include a portion of family-oriented dwellings

Require the majority of infill near schools to be family-oriented

Adopt Child/Family Friendly Guidelines to evaluate infill housing proposals. (See EFCL‘s Draft Child/Family Friendly Housing Guidelines)

3.2: That the City promote child/family friendly housing by sponsoring design competitions. 3.3 That the City promote child/family friendly infill housing by providing grants for the creation of exem-plar higher density family-oriented housing on sites within walking distance to a school, in a Transit-Oriented Development area, in a mature neighbourhood, with a low child population. 3.4 That the City partner with others to create financial incentives for young families to purchase homes in mature neighbourhoods, including the following:

Partner with the Federal and Provincial governments to provide additional renovation grants for families with children to renovate their homes built prior to 1972, with particular emphasis on in-creasing energy efficiency.

Provide a property tax rebate for families with children in mature neighbourhoods.

Broker location efficient mortgages which allow people to buy more expensive homes than they normally would be able by factoring in the money they‘ll save on transportation costs given the location of their home.

Encourage the use of rent to own financing models which have been successfully used by Habitat for Humanity.

Encourage various types of intergenerational mutual housing (co-ops, co-housing) which tend to be more affordable forms of home ownership.

Educate the public on the individual and taxpayer costs of living in the suburbs, and the savings of living in the core.

3.5 To encourage long term residency, the City, the Urban Development Institute and the Canadian Home Builder‘s Association should promote the development of flexible multi-generational infill housing which can easily be adapted to a changing household. (See CMHC‘s FlexHousing Approach and Avi Friedman‘s Grow Homes in Montreal.)

http://www.efcl.org/Portals/0/Resources/EFCL/Planning%20Matters/110404%20draft%20Guidelines.doc

http://www.efcl.org/Portals/0/Resources/EFCL/Planning%20Matters/110404%20draft%20Guidelines.doc


3.6 To encourage long term residency, the Provincial government should provide rent subsidies to people, rather than funding buildings, so that people can remain in their dwellings when their incomes increase or decrease. 3.7 To ensure an adequate supply of family housing, all levels of government should discourage adult only buildings, including considering adopting fair housing legislation (similar to US legislation) which prohib-its adult-only housing, with the exception of seniors‘ housing. 4. Public Safety Strategy As the City has grown, the central neighbourhoods have experienced more ‗through traffic‘. To in-crease traffic safety, particularly for pedestrians and cyclists, EFCL and some Community Leagues have fol-lowed the advice of traffic safety experts and have sought lower speed limits. The speed limit reduction pilot project in Edmonton has been particularly well received by participating mature neighbourhoods. Unlike newer neighbourhoods, the mature neighbourhoods do not have multi-use trails. Thus, to in-crease safety for cyclists in mature neighbourhoods, on-street barriers will need to be utilized in order to cre-ate protection zones for cyclists. To create streets and public places safe from crime, community leaders have suggested keeping the streets and parks active with organized social and recreational activities. They also suggested keeping both the public and private property well- maintained, rather than abandoned looking. The community leaders in neighbourhoods with a concentration of poverty claim that predatory busi-nesses and criminals are attracted to their neighbourhood partly because there are many vulnerable people in their neighbourhoods. The relatively inexpensive housing, and the concentration of social services and sup-portive housing in the inner city brings people with financial, social, mental and physical health problems. Many people come to the inner communities of Edmonton from central and northern Alberta because Edmon-ton is the major provider of health, social and financial services for this region. Specialized health services, mental health services, prison release programs, and a host of social services and supportive housing are not available throughout the Province. It is felt that Edmonton, and particularly our central neighbourhoods, do more than their share of supporting the disadvantaged in Alberta. There is a striking imbalance that needs to be addressed for the sake of those needing help and for the sake of our communities. Recommendations: 4.1 That the City of Edmonton extend their speed reduction program, with priority given to high traffic mature neighbourhoods. 4.2 That the Province of Alberta pass legislation making it easier and less costly for municipalities to re-duce their speed limits. 4.3 That the City fast track the Bicycle Transportation Plan, with greater emphasis on physically protected bike lanes in mature neighbourhoods. 4.4 That Community Leagues, recreation and arts organizations enhance the perceived safety of neighbourhoods by increasing the use of public spaces for recreation activities.


4.5 That measures be taken to encourage the redevelopment of vacant lots and derelict housing, includ-ing:

providing grants for cleaning up and developing contaminated brownfield sites (Feds, Province, City)

increasing property taxes on vacant lots (City)

placing a time limit for development on lots with Direct Control zones (City).

4.6 That the City increase enforcement of property maintenance; assign a specific Compliance Officer to each neighbourhood and market their services. 4.7 That the City restrict the number of predatory businesses in a given area via Licensing. 4.8 That the Province develop a specific poverty reduction strategy to address some of the systemic roots of crime in central mature neighbourhoods. 4.9 That the Province, City and the voluntary sector dedicate sufficient resources to the distribution of so-cial services and supportive housing throughout the Province and Edmonton to reduce the current concentra-tions of poverty and vulnerable persons; and enable the distribution and accessibility of social services and supportive housing that reflects the needs, and choices of low-income and vulnerable persons, as well as other community residents, and is in keeping with sound principles for the development of healthy, diverse communities. 5. Strategy to Revitalize Neighbourhood Commercial Areas Most importantly, people want a return of their local grocery store. Not only for the convenience of shopping, but also as an anchor for their local retail area. Restrictive grocery store covenants are a major barrier to the re-establishment of grocery stores in numerous mature neighbourhoods. The City needs to work with the Province to resolve this problem. Recommendations: 5.1 That the City of Edmonton work with the Province to amend the Land Titles Act to put a time limit in place on restrictive covenants specifically designed to eliminate or reduce competition in the market place. 5.2 That EFCL and local associations promote shopping local. 5.3 That the City of Edmonton amend zoning regulations to remove barriers to establishing mixed com-mercial and housing developments which are desired by neighbourhoods. 6. Collaborative and Coordinated Strategy Reinvestments and policy changes affecting mature neighbourhoods may be working at cross-purposes unless they are coordinated and done in collaboration with the neighbourhoods they impact. The City has recognized the importance of coordination at the neighbourhood level and has created the Office of Great Neighbourhoods to coordinate city services.

Although very significant, the City is only one of many players having an impact on the well-being of neighbourhoods. School Boards and the Ministry of Education is the one obvious jurisdiction which greatly impacts neighbourhoods and needs to be included in the coordinated response to sustaining healthy mature neighbourhoods. There are several Provincial Ministries which also need to be included because they have the power to provide the resources and make policy decisions which address provincial concerns and impact local neighbourhoods.


Recommendation: 6.1 That a multi-jurisdictional Mature Neighbourhood Sustainability Agency be established with the man-date to sustain healthy, vibrant mature neighbourhoods. The responsibilities of this Agency would be to

Monitor the health (quality of life) within all mature neighbourhoods to identify distressed

neighbourhoods and those at high risk of becoming distressed due to major changes such as school closures or extensive redevelopments

Be a resource for distressed mature neighbourhoods to assist in mobilizing coordinated changes,

both policy changes and reinvestments. The Agency would include

City departments, including the Office of Great Neighbourhoods, Sustainable Development, the

Housing Branch, Transportation and Infrastructure, Edmonton Transit, Recreation Facility Planning

School Boards

Provincial Ministries, including Education, Housing and Urban Affairs, Culture and Community

Spirit, Employment and Immigration (Income Supports)

The proposed Neighbourhood Redevelopment Corporation

Non-government entities, including the Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues, Edmonton

Chamber of Voluntary Organizations, Edmonton Business Associations, Urban Development Insti-tute and the Canadian Homebuilder‘s Association – Edmonton Branch.

This Agency, with the combined resources of all the partners, would be a powerful resource for neighbourhoods wishing to take action to ensure the future well-being and sustainability of their neighbour-hoods.



AGENDA ITEM # : 10.7– Planning Advisor‘s Report


Item 10.7

1. City-Wide Policy Development and Advocacy for Healthy, Vibrant Neighbourhoods

In the last 6 months, EFCL has:

Succeeded in putting the promotion of family-friendly infill housing on the list of City priorities

for the coming year

Ensured leagues were consulted about the Transit-Oriented Development Guidelines which will

shape higher density development around present and future LRT/Transit stations

Provided input to the City on numerous proposed Zoning Bylaw changes. Most notably, EFCL

was successful in getting more public amenity space in low rise apartments and a reduction in the building site coverage for six-storey apartments. Unfortunately, we were unsuccessful in our attempt to require communities to be consulted prior to large restaurants and bars being permitted on mixed residential/commercial sites

Represented leagues on the committee which is preparing a plan for non-market housing in

Edmonton, and advocated for a de-concentration of non-market housing

Contributed significantly to the Task Force on Community Sustainability by organizing two well-

attended consultation sessions with Community Leagues, resulting in a report with numerous recommendations for sustaining mature neighbourhoods.

In the coming year, the Planning and Development Committee and Community Planning Advisor intend to:

Continue to promote family-friendly housing in areas designated for higher density housing,

plus review and provide feedback on proposed Zoning Bylaw changes and proposed Transit Ori-ented Development Guidelines

Develop enhanced landscaping requirements for new developments

Continue to monitor and improve the community consultation process

Work with Leagues to monitor zoning compliance and lobby for better enforcement as needed

Support Living Local: Organize a group which reviews new neighbourhood plans, and other

area plans, to ensure the land use plans provide opportunities to play, gather with neighbours, shop, attend school and work close to home.

Be mindful to support urban designs appropriate for a winter city

Advocate for policy changes recommended in EFCL‘s report to the Task Force on Community

Sustainability with emphasis on establishing a Neighbourhood Redevelopment Corporation - a non-profit corporation with the mission of revitalizing older neighborhoods - by mobilizing pub-lic, private and community resources and investing in private properties, which will increase the well-being of the local community.

Lobby the Alberta government to improve the building code with regards to soundproofing

(especially for family-oriented dwellings), fire prevention, and insulation for energy efficiency.

Explore form-based zoning (which is focused on the size and shape of buildings, not their us-

age) and options for limiting businesses that exploit vulnerable people.

Examine the issues regarding the location of telecommunication towers in neighbourhoods, and

make recommendations to the appropriate levels of government as needed.

Set aside 25% of our time for emerging issues.


2. Assistance to Individual Community Leagues The EFCL continues to provide assistance to individual community leagues who are dealing with land devel-opment issues. After a couple of years of relatively moderate housing redevelopment activity, several large redevelopment projects are getting underway, and more activity is expected in the coming year. Extra time and resources will be dedicated to helping leagues as needed.



AGENDA ITEM # : 10.8– Residential Speed Limit Project

PREPARED BY: Shahriyar Khan, Community Development Officer

Item 10.8

A recent City of Edmonton survey has shown that 60% of the residents in the six test communities were in favor of 40 km/hour speed limit in their community. Approximately 35% were opposed and 5% were undecided. This report will be discussed at City Council‘s Transportation and Infrastructure committee on October 4, 2011 Background City council‘s Transportation and Infrastructure committee last reviewed the 40 km/hour speed limit project on April 12. At that time, a report from the Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) noted that traffic speed had dropped by an average of four km/hour overall, during the six month trial period. There was also a drop in the number of accidents – particularly serious accidents - in five of the six pilot communities. After a lengthy discussion on the report, the committee asked the City administration to initiate a polling process in the six project neighborhoods to solicit resident‘s approval or disapproval of the project. The EFCL subsequently met with city transportation staff to talk about the leagues‘ role in all of this. City transportation was willing to check with project community leagues to get their comments and feedback. Consequently, the City conducted orientation sessions in the project communities to share informa-tion on the project. These orientations were conducted between May 26 and June 20 in each of the six neighborhoods. During the week of July 18, 2011, residents in the pilot communities began to receive fact sheets specific to their community. A randomized telephone survey of residents in each of the pilot com-munities commenced on July 25, 2011, and concluded on August 14, 2011. Results of the public survey show a strong preference to retain 40 km/hr. with 60% voting in favor. However, the results varied by neighborhood. In Woodcroft, 78% were in favor, in King Edward Park - 74% Ottewell - 59%, Twin Brooks 51%, Beverly Heights 50%, and Westridge/Wolfwillow 44%. The undecided vote was typically 5% and the rest were opposed. In light of the results and the feedback the EFCL has received from its member leagues, it will rec-ommend implementation of 40 km/hr in all residential areas across the City to ensure our street and communities are safe. The EFCL is also of the view that some neighborhood roads need to be narrowed to discourage motorists from speeding. We could also bulb out the sidewalk and install pedestrian-activated crosswalks or electronically-timed crosswalks near and around schools to help prevent accidents.


The EFCL recognizes that there is no ―one size fits all‖ solution for all residential roads. We should con-sider a series of things, including traffic-calming devices on collector roads, reductions in speed limits in residential areas and the introduction of protected bikeway lanes on wide collector streets. Everyone is welcome to attend Transpiration and Infrastructure committee meeting on October 4. It will be held at 9:30 a.m. on the main floor committee room in City Hall.

The results of the pilot project were presented at the Transportation and Public Works Committee meeting on April 12/13, 2011. In 2010, the City of Edmonton implemented a 40 km/hr. speed reduction pilot in six neighbourhoods representing a cross section of community types and areas of the city. During this implemen-tation, extensive tracking of speeds and collisions took place in these six communities, along with a number of adjoining communities and other communities that were not close to the six control communities. Meetings with members from each of the Community Leagues commenced May 26, 2011, and concluded June 14, 2011. 1. May 26, 2011 – Woodcroft Community League 2. June 6, 2011 – Twin Brooks Community League 3. June 7, 2011 – Ottewell Community League 4. June 13, 2011 – Westridge / Wolf Willow Community League 5. June 20, 2011 – Beverly Heights Community League 6. June 14, 2011 – King Edward Park Community League During the week of July 18, 2011, residents in the pilot communities began to receive fact sheets specific to their community. A statistically significant randomized telephone survey of residents in each of the pilot com-munities commenced on July 25, 2011, and concluded on August 14, 2011. Results of the public survey con-ducted The results of the survey showed a strong preference to retain 40 km/hr: 60% in favour and 40% against. Community wise: Woodcroft - 78%, Ottewell - 59% and King Edward Park - 74%. Ottewell 59%, Twin brooks 51%, Beverly Heights 50%, Westridge/Wolfwillow 44%



AGENDA ITEM # : 10.9– Executive Director‘s Report


Item 10.9

1. Improved Communication with Police Required The EFCL is working on a way to improve communication links with the Edmonton Police Service. This was the primary issue that emerged from a recent meeting the federation hosted with Police Chief Rod Knecht, other senior police officers, representatives of Neighborhood Watch and Community Patrol. Currently, the police are attempting to reach leagues through their Neighborhood Watch directors. However, only about one in five community leagues have a Neighborhood Watch rep. Consequently, the police would like to know who they should contact at the other leagues. The EFCL will be discussing this at the board level and then approaching the membership with this question shortly. First we want to be clear with the police on the type of infor-mation they will be providing and the type of information they will want. We fully recog-nize that our league executive members have a good deal on their plates and don‘t want to be subject to information overload. The police have also put together a district plan system whereby leagues are welcome to contact any of two or three liaison officers in their area when they have issues of concern. The police have divided the city into approximately a dozen districts with roughly 12-20 community leagues in each area. Other issues discussed at our information meeting was the need for stricter controls on knife-related crime and ways to make the Citizen‘s Police Academy more accessible for vol-unteers.

2. Renewable Energy Program In The Works The EFCL is working on a renewable energy program for community leagues. Currently, the focus is on solar electrical systems, however, other options such as Geothermal Heat-ing and Solar Thermal remain possibilities. The objective is to come up with a funding program that will help the leagues install re-newable energy systems, primarily in their hall although possibly on their rink. Energy conservation measures would also be encouraged, to help leagues reduce their utility bills. The federation believes that community leagues are a good vehicle to promote renewable energy and energy conservation in Edmonton. Projects at the league level would involve a


significant number of people, which helps get information out to the public, and most league buildings occupy central, high profile locations in the neighborhood, which will be readily ob-served by many people. It is also felt that leagues will be able to grow their membership through an initiative like this, as there are many citizens interested in renewable energy and energy conservation that are not currently involved in their local community league. Discussions surrounding this project have commenced with potential partners and the federation hopes to launch the program this winter, so that project construction could proceed next sum-mer. If all goes well, the renewable energy program will replace the federation‘s Green Challenge, which saw a handful of leagues win up to $5,000 for undertaking a number of energy conserva-tion measures over the past three years.

3. EFCL Wrestles With SOCAN Music Fee Issue

The EFCL will debating different options for dealing with the SOCAN hall music fee at its Oct. 13 board meeting. Options include the lobbying of federal MPs to exclude leagues from these fees; making a pres-entation during the next review of the copyright legislation that permits this fee and attempting to challenge the collection of this fee from a legal standpoint. We could also try to strike a deal of some sort with SOCAN that would be include all of the leagues; but we are reluctant to legitimize a charge that has been so offensive to many of our members. Like community leagues, the federation knew nothing about this fee until SOCAN representatives began attempting to collect the fee from member leagues about four years ago. After some re-search, the federation determined that the copyright legislation had duly been approved by our federal government. We also consulted with the Federation of Calgary Communities and were told that one or more of their members had unsuccessfully attempted to challenge the legisla-tion. Consequently, the EFCL made a decision in late 2007 not to pursue legal action. In 2008 and 2009, attempts by SOCAN representatives to collect the fee were sporadic and han-dled in a generally diplomatic way, so the federation didn‘t feel a need to get involved. In 2010, it became apparent that SOCAN was becoming much more successful in tracking the leagues down (probably through the emergence of web sites) and mounted a much more ag-gressive campaign to collect the funds. Many of our leagues found one particular collection agent to be quite offensive in his approach. However, a recent letter of complaint from the EFCL has prompted SOCAN to find a new representative (see next page).



4. Busy Summer For The EFCL Summer? What summer? Not only didn‘t we see much in the way of warm weather this summer, the EFCL didn‘t see a drop in activity level either. One reason was the decision to enter this year‘s Capital Ex Parade in July, to acknowledge the federation‘s 90th Anniversary and help promote Community League Day. Our contingent featured about 40 community league members, including the Rosslyn Dance Troupe, a Terwillegar Girls Soc-cer Team, the Evergreen Community League Green Team and the Save Scona Pool Committee, along with some board members and staff. A big thank you to EFCL Directors Rob Agostinis and Al Innes for leading this initiative. On July 16/17 the federation manned a casino at the downtown Baccarat facility. Like community leagues, the EFCL appreciates the opportunity to earn significant dollars at these events. This summer also saw the EFCL man a booth at the Heritage Days Festival, where we stepped up our efforts to meet new Canadians. This was another opportunity for us to engage our cultural out-reach workers, who are well connected with many different ethnic groups in our city. Three meetings were held throughout the summer with people wanting to be the next Premier of Alberta. Sensing a good opportunity to raise the profile of the EFCL and to raise some key issues, the federation met with leadership candidates Ted Morton, Alison Redford and Gary Mar. Significant work was done throughout the summer planning for this year‘s Community League Day. This included the development of a promotional kit for all leagues taking part, prize give-aways from sponsors and an extensive advertising campaign. One key breakthrough for the EFCL was the production of a 12-page insert in the Edmonton Examiner, which promoted Commu-nity League Day and contained a variety of stories on league and federation activities. The federa-tion was most appreciative of the help it received on this insert, which was delivered to 153,000 homes and valued at $33,000. On Sept. 6 the federation hosted a Picnic in the Park for all of the people who served as volun-teers at EFCL events during the past year. Approximately 40 people, including board and planning committee members, were treated to a free BBQ and a series of park games and given a com-memorative EFCL Living Local coffee mug. Finally, this summer saw the federation complete some long awaited improvements on the outside of its building at 7103-105 Street. This included a large electronic sign on the west side of the building, flower beds on the west, north and east sides of the building and the attachment of pro-tective see-through tape on all of the windows, to help the federation deal with some of the graffiti and vandalism issues it has dealt with each summer. All in all a busy time for both staff and board members at the federation.

Documents

EDMONTON FEDERATION OF COMMUNITY LEAGUES REGULAR MEETING PACKAGEwoodcroftcl.org/files/news_files/EFCL_REGULAR_GEN_MTNG... · 2011-10-05 · EDMONTON FEDERATION OF COMMUNITY LEAGUES