ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

April 18, 2018

for fiscal year-end 2018-04-30

7:00—7:20 Presentation: Wild Fire Prevention by Craig Moore

Prior to the official commencement of AGM business, Craig Moore presented the type of fire prevention training that is available to communities, specifying that as long as we get a minimum of 10 participants we could organize a one day course at the hall for half the regular price of $150/participant.

This course would be hands on and teach us how to make our homes and community fire smart. Craig also suggested that the club work on getting grants, since many are available to fire smart communities. Such grants could go a long way towards equipping the community with tools to avoid and/or combat wild fires effectively.

Joe Deuling then informed us that we already have a list of community residents along with phone numbers. MLCC will put a note in the next Stump Rancher for everyone who is not sure they are on the list to send us their coordinates.

AGM: Call to order: 7:20

Chair: Rita Romei   Secretary: Huguette Allen

1. Approval of Agenda: 

Moved and seconded by Kate Neill and Heidi Lang to accept the agenda as presented.

CARRIED.

2. Approval of Minutes of 2017 AGM:

Moved and seconded by Russ Collins and Joe Deuling to accept the minutes of the 2017 AGM as presented.

CARRIED.

3. Reports & Feedback:

President's Report: 

Rita Romei informed members that much had occurred over the last year including well attended events and significant improvements to the hall but that unfortunately the well issue was still outstanding despite the best efforts of the board. She mentioned how rentals had continued even though board members had to make up for the lack of drinking water and congratulated the board on their significant achievements.

She then noted that according to the latest information from our RDNO contact that a well wlll likely be dug beginning at the end of April.

Helmut Lang said ??????

Moved and seconded by Huguette Allen and Sonja Peters to accept the president's report as presented.

Financial Report: 

Printed copies of the financial report were made available to members and Russ Collins explained the numbers and made himself available for questions. He mentioned that some of the expenses are different from Cherryville's because the Mabel Lake club does not own the building unlike Cherryville's.

Moved and seconded by Russ Collins and Kate Neill to accept the 2017 financial report as presented.

CARRIED.

4. Water Concerns and Provincial Plans for Rural Areas

4.1: Shuswap River Motorized Vessel Regulations:

Huguette Allen reported that all who participated in the Shuswap River Motorized Vessel regulation process had attended numerous meetings in order to finally reach consensus by the deadline set by RDNO. However after presenting our recommendations to RDNO we were told that RDNO, who is committed to having a conversation with both First Nations regarding the process and management options, is now meeting with both the OKIB and the Splatsin so they can discuss and hopefully come to an agreement.

4.2: BC Hydro Operations of Sugar Lake Dam: 

Then Huguette read a request by Leroy Procter for “a BCHydro Official to meet with the Mabel LakeCommunity Club to review the operations at Sugar Lake Dam regarding elevations, flow, when stop blocks were put in, gates open or shut, flow at Wilsey Dam, CF per Sec. during 2017 for May, June & July and to please illustrate on a white board.”

Moved and seconded by Jim Hewer and Leroy Procter that MLCC organize an information meeting with BC Hydro & also invite fisheries, First Nations and other stakeholders as soon as possible and certainly before mid May. 

CARRIED.

4.3: Provincial Plans for Rural Areas:

As a follow up to the evening held at the hall on the “Future of Our Valley” where problems stemming from industrial agriculture were discussed, Huguette reported that there is finally something positive happening that will allow everyone who wants to see water and rural communities protected to finally stand behind a movement rather than continually have to fight the status quo.

At the last UBCM, the communities most affected by the current lack of protection offered by the current “Right to Farm Act”, Spallumcheen where a whole aquifer was polluted by factory farming leaving hundreds of people without drinking water for years, and Coldstream where industrial orchard methods disrupt animal and people's health and affect other farming businesses, have gotten together with other communities and developed a “White Paper” (see attached) defining problems and proposed solutions that could be used to modernize the Right to Farm Act. 

The paper was made available for anyone to look at it, thanks to Julie Pilon who had brought a printed copy and Huguette mentioned it was available online. She then encouraged everyone to look at it so that the community could eventually give feedback on it.

Plans for the coming year:

Rita spoke of how attendance at the club had changed over the years and how members need new ways to get involved. She then said that one of those ways could include developing an interpretive centre as part of the hall and the park. She mentioned the club was beginning to work on how it might look and invited members to contribute ideas.

Rita then spoke about how the acoustics of the hall needed to be improved and that this might involve getting rid of the basketball hoops asking if anyone had objections or ideas. A couple of ideas were presented such as building a mezzanine like at Cherryville and consulting an acoustic expert.

Russ then informed members that in addition to a new well being dug, Internet would soon be installed at the hall and that some of the preliminary work might occur at the Spring Cleanup which was set up for May 12. 

5. Elections of officers:

Among existing board members, Huguette Allen, Russ Collins, Rita Romei and Joe Deuling, were up for re-election. 

Huguette Allen and Rita Romei both indicated they would not accept nominations for this election.
6. Moved and seconded by Huguette Allen and Terri Deuling to re-elect Joe Deuling and Russ Collins and to elect Mark Maksymiuk as a new board member

CARRIED.

7. Moved and seconded by Jim Hewer and Doug Neill to adjourn at 8:20

CARRIED.