Fourth Annual General Meeting
Sidney Community Association (SCA) Sidney All Care Centre, Sidney, British Columbia
June 23, 2019 at 2 PM
Present: Bob Carey, Eric Diller, Steve Duck, Elaine Hicks, Patrick Killeen, Nicholas Krischanowsky, Dennis Carlsen
Regrets: Jocelyn Gifford
Welcome:
At 2:05 p.m. Steve Duck, president of the SCA, welcomed everyone and acknowledged the traditional territory of the WSANEC people. He thanked Sidney All Care for providing the venue and refreshments for the AGM, and Adam Olsen for providing a regular Board meeting place. He also thanked SCA Board members, our former Sidney Council liaison, Barbara Fallot, the many SCA committee and activity volunteers, and all SCA members, supporters and friends.
Guest Speaker, Adam Olsen:
Steve Duck introduced the first guest speaker, Adam Olsen, MLA for Saanich North and the Islands.
Adam spoke about reconciliation and community harmony, linking it to the traditional beliefs of the local First Nations and, more personally, to his grandmother’s beliefs. He spoke of how reconciliation fits in with where we all, original inhabitants and newcomers, are now. Adam emphasized our joint sense of community and belonging and how it meshes with how we live in a certain place, the history of the place, the cultural mosaic, and the present communities. He wants to foster better communication and aligned action between local, provincial, and federal government.
Guest Speaker, Cliff McNeil-Smith:
Steve Duck introduced the second guest speaker, Cliff McNeil-Smith, mayor of the Town of Sidney.
Cliff acknowledged the other Sidney Council members present at the meeting: Peter Wainwright, Terri O’Keeffe, and Scott Garnett. He also noted the voice in the community that the SCA has become over the last four years.
Cliff then discussed governance relationships within the region: the municipalities, the trust areas, the first nations, the CRD, and the provincial and federal governments. He stated that he was pleased with the degree of direct involvement that Sidney Council has fostered, including joint discussions among the three municipalities on the peninsula and the four local chiefs.
The two guest speakers then jointly answered questions from the floor.
AGM Call to Order:
At 3:05 PM Steve Duck called the SCA Annual General Meeting to order. A quorum was present (58 of 195 members).
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Motion to Approve the Agenda:
Moved: Gerry Moffatt Seconded: Liz Ball Carried
Motion to Approve the Minutes of the 2018 AGM:
Moved: Elaine Hicks Seconded: Gerry Moffatt Carried
Annual Reports:
President’s Report – Steve Duck
There are three areas which the Sidney Community Association continues to engage, educate, and encourage residents:
Community information
* Council Watch
* All Candidates Meeting * Walk & Learn
* Information forums
Community interaction
* Mayor & Council (direct & liaison) – OCP, Urban Forests, Parks
* MLA Adam Olsen – transportation, housing, healthcare, environment * Community organizations (Roberts Bay, Weiler, SOS)
* Development companies
* Monthly Board
Community contribution (Committees reports) * Elections
* Development
* Transportation
* Communication
* Habitat & Environment * Vision
* Membership
Municipal Elections Report – Patrick Killeen
The primary objective of the election committee was to provide information and increase voter turnout in the 2018 municipal election. Our first event was held at Sidney All Care where Mona Brash, Clarance Bolt, Heather Gartshoe, and Patrick Killeen each spoke to different aspects of local elections.
The SCA ran pre-show ads at the Star Cinema from June 18 right up to the election, and also placed Election Coming posters around Sidney. The All-Candidates Meeting was moderated by the SCA with 700 people attending. Volunteers distributed 2000 voter cards with key election information both in the period before and at the meeting.
Eight hundred more people voted in 2018 than in 2014, an increase from 43% to 48% of eligible voters.
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Development Report – Dennis Carlsen
The development committee has been focused on providing SCA members with a better understanding of what constitutes good development.
As part of that we organized a Walk and Learn led by a local architect. The focus was to tour recent developments in downtown Sidney and learn about the important elements of a building.
Our focus leading up to the Official Community Plan (OCP) review will be to assess the current development approval process and to determine how SCA can provide meaningful input.
Transportation Report – Eric Diller
In preparation for the upcoming OCP review, the SCA transportation committee has had discussions with members and residents about transportation issues such as bike lanes, parking, and speed limits. The committee helped organize a Walk and Learn during which Colwood’s director of development, a professional engineer, talked about the public built environment of our streets. The SCA is also active in promoting equitable, sustainable solutions to mobility issues.
In the coming year the SCA will continue to work with all stakeholders to help make the OCP better reflect the transportation, access, and mobility needs of Sidney residents.
Communication Report – Steve Duck for Jocelyn Gifford
Steve presented a brief description of SCA’s communication activities, using its website (sidneycommunityassociation.com), its Facebook presence, and local media (PNR, Sidney Radio). The SCA regularly sends emails to members on topics of community interest and upcoming events. The SCA has also attended Sidney Council meetings and provides summaries on its website, and maintains contacts with the Peninsula Community Association and others. The SCA participated in the Community Consultative Committee (RCMP) – thanks to Dale Hazlehurst as the SCA representative.
Habitat and Environment Report – Nicholas Krischanowsky for Jocelyn Gifford
This past year the SCA has focused on providing input to Sidney’s Urban Forest Strategy as described further on our website. In support of this initiative the SCA:
- – responded to the questions posed by the Barefoot Consulting group.
- – submitted a paper based on membership survey feedback proposing a 10-year rather than30-year vision time line to reflect the urgency of climate change.
- – provided a written response to Barefoot’s draft report, noting the need to engage Town ofSidney residents in implementing recommendations.Barefoot’s final report on Urban Forest Strategy, reflecting SCA’s input, was positively received at the June 17 Town Council meeting, with a referral to the Strategic Planning exercise this fall and a desire to incorporate recommendations as soon as possible.In addition to the Urban Forest Strategy work, SCA also participated at the March 30 Beach Access Invasive Plant Removal event.Moving forward, the challenge for SCA is to ensure that Habitat and Environment recommendations become part of the Official Community planning process. Equally important, SCA and the community should expand the capacity of town staff to implement the Urban Forest Strategy by taking direct action on a variety of initiatives, including the watering of boulevard trees, removing invasive plants in parks, and implementing neighbourhood tree plans.
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Thanks to Lynda Comber and all SCA members who worked with the Habitat and Environment Committee and shared their thoughts and ideas on the Urban Forest Strategy.
Vision Report – Steve Duck
The Sidney Community Association believes every Sidney resident is part of creating the future of our town.
Membership Report – Elaine Hicks
The SCA has done very well with new memberships over this past year, adding 90 new members (AGM to AGM). Our total paid up members went from 163 at the 2018 AGM to 203 at the start of the 2019 AGM with 199 eligible to vote (a quorum of 10% of the membership is 20). Unfortunately we did not do quite as well retaining old members, having 49 people lapse. Overall, the SCA does have very healthy numbers in comparison with other south island communities, even those with larger populations.
Regarding member retention, reminder emails are sent to lapsing members and direct phone contact is attempted to encourage renewing or, failing that, to ascertain the reason for not renewing. The answers vary, but there does seem to be a letdown in the need for involvement following the recent municipal election.
In terms of raising awareness of the SCA within the Sidney area, we did attempt to get a table at the Sidney Thursday market. Despite repeated requests we were turned down but will try again next year. Our new banner and safety vests are also efforts to raise the profile of the SCA in the community.
Thanks to membership committee members Cathryn Lorisch, Harvey Druhl, and Liz Ball, including their heroic efforts during the recent renewal blitz. Volunteers are always appreciated; please consider volunteering for the membership committee.
Treasurer’s Report – Elaine Hicks
Elaine presented the financial report for the past year. She explained that most of the expenses were involved with venues and advertising regarding the All Candidates and Celebration meetings, and that there was a deficit of roughly 800 dollars. She noted that donations were roughly equal to membership fees and expressed a desire to see a greater proportion of income from membership fees.
Financial Report for the Period 2018-06-01 to 2019-05-31 (cash basis)
Income Expenses Cash Balance
Button Sales 8.00 Donations 1769.30
Memberships, new 860.00
Advertising 795.67 Printing 453.04
Opening
3043.41
Memberships,
renewal
Other 0.18
Internet (website, mailings, Facebook)
Directors Insurance
Office Expenses
Post Office Box
Room Rental & Insurance Meeting Refreshments Gifts and Awards
312.54
500.00
91.76 177.45 1329.45 484.23 50.00
760.00
Total Income 3397.48 Total Expense 4194.14 Net Change -796.66
Closing 2246.75
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Moved to approve the Treasurer’s Report: Gerry Moffatt Seconded: Germaine Taylor
Carried
Membership Fees:
Elaine Hicks moved:
For one or more members of a single household, with annual memberships initiated or renewed at the same time, the annual membership fee shall be $15 for the first member, and $10 for each additional member.
Seconded: Liz Ball Carried
Note: To obtain the reduced membership cost for an additional household member, all memberships must be initiated or renewed at the same time. Otherwise additional memberships will be $15 each. This is required to minimize administrative complication.
Focus for the Coming Year:
Steve Duck said that in addition to continuing the activities of previous years, this year’s focus would be on the Official Community Plan (OCP). The SCA will work to assist residents in understanding and contributing to this important community document.
Presentation of the Hewitt Helmsing Award for Community Service:
Steve paid tribute to the amount and quality of work Jocelyn Gifford has done for the SCA over the years. Steve then called on Bob Carey. Bob introduced Gay Helmsing, widow of Hewitt Helmsing, who spoke of Hewitt’s life of extensive community service over many years, including as a founding member of the SCA. Bob and Gaye then jointly awarded the newly created SCA annual Hewitt Helmsing Award for Community Service to its first recipient, Jocelyn Gifford. Bill Foster, Jocelyn’s husband, accepted on her behalf.
Election of Board of Directors;
Steve Duck announced that the following Board members are running again: Bob Carey, Eric Diller, Steve Duck, Elaine Hicks, Patrick Killeen, Nicholas Krischanowsky, and Dennis Carlsen. David Calveley and Gay Ann Silman have also agreed to run.
Nominations were invited from the floor three times. There were no nominations from the floor and accordingly the above Board candidates were acclaimed.
Motion to Adjourn:
At 3:45 p.m. Patrick Killeen moved that he meeting adjourn. Seconded: Gerry Moffatt. Carried. Steve Duck declared the meeting adjourned.
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