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Time: May 18, 2022 – 6:00pm Pacific Time – Duration 1hr or less.
May 18, 2022 – Regular Meeting
- Unceded Traditional Territory Acknowledgement 6:00
- Introductions
- Unfinished Business and Current Topics
- Update on City OCP
- Upcoming Events – 6:20
- Canada Day Parade – Chris is putting together Entry – Need to know: How big a space do we need? How many vehicles will there be? Press intro will mention CA/BikeValet and FG/Gleaning + Edna Dedication.
- Canada Day Festivities at Harbour Quay – Offer Bike Valet (it should be in parade too?). Chris will talk to Canada Day and City about Valet Location
- Sub Group Reports –
- Education and Networking
- Showed First We Eat at April Meeting, truly local food
- Fracking the Peace, co-host with Stand.Earth
- Upcoming Movies? May 18, a 40 minute feature on community energy
- Food Group / Food Hub
- Updates on Summer Programs, etc.
- Cycle Alberni
- Spring GoByBike
- Ocean Friendly PA
- Next Event?
- Watershed – Vancouver Island Water Watch Coalition
- Somass River Estuary Group
- Planning Another Weekend Walkabout – Community gathering/presentation about it at June AVTT meeting?
- Affiliated Groups (welcome to share if present) 6:45
- Alberni Climate Action
ACA/City group conducted its regular bi-monthly meeting with Rob Dickinson, City Engineer on May 2 via zoom. Rob and Amy Needham, Port Alberni’s new manager of Parks, worked together to present to the group on the possibilities of using nature based strategies to mitigate stormwater runoff in the municipal area. Two major areas of possibility were discussed. For more information on this discussion, please request John Mayba’s recording.
ACA/OCP update: Amy Needham has suggested that Alberni Climate Action include a section on Food Security in our OCP input. It is ACA’s understanding that AVTTS Food Group was to accomplish this, but we need clarification from AVTTS on this. Robert requests that ACA be permitted to read any input on Food Security from AVTTS. Amy has suggested that it be recommended that the City make use of playing fields for food production. She suggests ..”including a section on improving food security and local availability through growing food on public land (through such programs as community gardens/orchards), which helps reduce GHG emission from trucking produce. The byproducts of this is ecosystem diversity and pollination, as well as important public education on growing and processing food, and there are significant opportunities for education by local Indigenous groups as well. We live in one of the highest hardiness zones in Canada…through proper application of knowledge we should be able to use the climate we have to grow a great variety of food. In my opinion it’s a worthy use of public land, just like sports fields and playgrounds..”
It seems that the City has hired a new contractor. Rob Dickinson has indicated that ACA will have another opportunity to input during the OCP process. Marianne Wade has recently been hired as new director of Planning. Robert Gunn has been in touch with Marianne but no specific dates for input have been set as yet. Tim Pley, retired CAO will begin work again as CAO in the near future. ACA/City group’s next meeting with Rob Dickinson is scheduled for June 20, as Rob will be away.
ACA subgroup: Alberni Valley Community Climate Circle (AVCCC) met On May 11 and continues to meet on a bi-montly basis. Kesya LeCoz presented on starting and maintaining a Zero Waste lifestyle. We were joined by Brenda Riley from Parksville who is working with a similar group there. Kesya emphasized the benefits of doing even one small thing, and had contributed some inspiring number crunching as to how many tonnes of CO2 can be avoided by small actions carried out globally or even on a community wide basis. AVCCC is planning a speaker series for the fall on reducing household ghg’s. To date Gary and Louis Swann will present on Growing Your Own Food and John Mayba on EV’s, bikes, Going Electric. AVCCC Sewing for Climate group continues to sew thrift store fabric grocery bags as part of its plastic-less work. We continue to conduct grocery store plastic bag/reusables surveys and plan to continue our plastic bag petition once the weather warms up.
- Alberni Valley Nature Club
- Other Groups
- Finances – 6:50
Aggregate: $62,135.22
AVTTS: $1,308.25
Food Hub Aggregate: $55,617.92
Island Health: $28,187.47(-$1,700 Food Atlas)=$26,487.47
Systems Change (ACRD): $0
Food RX (McConnell): $3,446.00
Food RX (2nd Harvest): $14,497.48
Food Hub Education: $496.59
Grow Local: $3,280.07
Gleaning: $5,710.31
Cycle Alberni: $4,636.25
Alberni Climate Action: $2,668.88
8. New Business and Other Fun Stuff!
9. Burde Street Ponds
ADJOURN – 7:00PM or before
https://youtu.be/75A9WGxoUn8
Next Regular Meeting is June 15, 2022
April 2022 Minutes
AVTTS General Meeting April 20, 2022
6:03 in session
Acknowledgements
No Introductions
Moved Dan Second John Agenda approved
OCP update, Gail: Kevin Brooks ill, delayed, not scotched.
Nanaimo Food Sustainability, Forward Nanaimo, 75% of food on VI used to be local, now 4-5 %.
Canada Day, Fall Fair as upcoming events
Chris to contact Ruttans and Sam
April 20 First WE Eat screening
April 26 Fracking the Peace
Food group direction meeting
Met April 6 and 13th Next meeting April 25th
Lots happening
Top priority is hiring a Food Group Manager.
Starting to organize the gleaning project for the 2022 season. Hoping to get a summer student to support this work.
We have contracted Tina Windsor, a new member of the group to write an operations manual to support onboarding the Food Group Manager and new group members.
We received a grant to support the Food Rx program. Anna Lewis will organize this project.
We received and reviewed the Strategic Work Plan from Jeanette Sheehy.
FG hiring a coordinator, Jeanette prepared consultant’s report. Janis is finalizing posting to hire mid May
Gleaning looking to hire a summer student, planning for equipment storage. Writingoperations manual.
Food Rx is going ahead, grow local is doing videos with Shaw, erupting newsletter with summer gardening tips. Heather and Anna becoming more active in the group.
Cycle Alberni report per the agenda.
Ian will talk to Planning. 10 teacher to recruit student leaders for elementary programs.
Ocean Friendly April 30 Waterfront Cleanup
Nature Club Beaver Ponds Walk, lots of invasive species control, ivy etc.
ACA Rob Dickinson on waste water systems, meeting on coho and tires.
Parks and rec to help with mitigation.
Saturday April 23 making grocery bags with recycled cloth from Thrift shops.
Adjourned @ 6:50