Here is the summary of the meeting last Thursday. I’ve written it so that we all are named in what’s going on… referring to myself by name in my own writing is really… weird…. 🙂

If any of you have additions, corrections or anything please do reply and let me/us know. :+)

Hope to see a bunch of you at the coal meeting tonight…. 7PM union hall on Johnson, Dan will be speaking.

Chris

On 2010-10-14, at 2:03 PM, Chris Alemany wrote:
Here’s the final agenda, I will try to run a few copies off for folks to have at the meeting.
John Mayba and Guy Cicon also send their regrets as they have prior engagements.

AGENDA:

REGULAR ITEM – INTRODUCTIONS:
– Roll Call
– Colin
– Edna
– Dan
– Gail
– Chris

It was a small group as a number of members sent in their regrets befoehand including Myron, Guy, John, Stephen and Jen and Bonnie. There were no new folks today.

– Society Status update

I have yet to hear back from the Registration Office on the status of our consttition, I’ll be pursuing this further and hopefully get it resolved before next meeting. We may need to re-sign the documents before sending them in.

Gail brought up a group headed by Island filmmaker Paul Manley. She brought up the possibility of accessing free training from Shaw TV for use of their video equipment and then using that training to get our group onto 20%. All agreed this would be a fantastic way to increase our reach and build awareness. Gail will be in contact with Shaw and Paul Manley about this possibility.

– Fundraising

— In response to Johns request for a decision on getting an account for the Society. The Group would like John or Dan to ask Credit Union to hold moneys if John not comfortable holding it until the Society is incorporated. Then Dan as Treasurer will open (for free as a senior) an account and handle the money. At the same time we could talk to the Credit Union about supporting a local currency in Port Alberni as other Credit Unions have in other communities. (Chemainus Dollar). (More on this in the Business Section

REGULAR ITEM – GROUPS UPDATE:

– Food Group
— Food map —
There is a lot of support for this project amongst the food group and in the community. There is concern about the criteria that will be used to get someone on the Map, but the Food Group will be tackling that question. Chris is willing and able to take any addresses and names and plotting them on the online map he just needs to gather addresses. Or, a digital version of the big fall fair map would be a great starting point.

— Upcoming Events
None
— Upcoming Meeting?
Meeting coming soon. Check website/list

— Recruiting.
– Get testimonials from people eating local food. Plaster these all over the webpage and the local media.

– Housing Group/Society
— Status Update
– Refiled it’s forms – hopefully hear back by November then looking for grant money and government grants
– Terry White and Phil Leblanc attended last Housing. Terry will help on Real Estate and Grant writing
– There are a number of members of the Housing Society that are not, and wish not to be, members of the Transition Towns. It was noted that this is absolutely inline with how Transition Towns operates. TT’s mission is to align with all groups no matter their current standing on the broader goals, in order to build relationships and support initiatives that will indeed further the progress towards TTs ultimate goals.

– Energy Group
— Status Update
– Energy – Bill Windley support from afar – Colin will pass along messages and missives and send along to Dan perhaps to write up for the paper
— Setting regular meetings?
– Chris will schedule one before next TT meeting – Dan, Colin, Myron, Gail would like to attend and wider invitation to all TT members and public will be put out.

– Education/Awareness Group
— Full Page Paper ad
Phil LeBlanc has been working on getting a full page paper ad together for the local media. This will be pursued. There is great support from the local media for TT so far and it would be great for this to continue.

Ideas:
– Send a message to other Transition Towns around Canada, asking them to tell us what they’re doing in their towns and maybe getting it all together in a story that could be sent to the Paper about Transition Towns in Canada.

— Solar Panel Demo for SD70 – Pro-D Day – Dan
– Unfortunately not enough teachers signed up for the district session with Dan and the Solar Panel. However, individual teachers have expressed keen interest, so still a possibility for something to happen there.

— Setting up regular “round” of film showings? (One per 2 months)
The idea was brought up that perhaps the folks around the form Film Fest – Denny Durocher – Jean McIntosh-Kirsten Smith – Shelley ? – could be contacted and a series of filmings could be shown perhaps on a monthly or 2nd-month basis. This would make it easier to gather a large number of folks in a large setting rather than the small films after the meetings.

An email will be put out to the TT mailing list and on the website asking for suggestions on Films

Paul Manley will also be contacted to see if he has any films he’d be interested in.

— Tuesday Oct 18 Coal Meeting Speaker

Dan is going to be speaking for AVTT at the coal meeting put on by the District Labour Council and SOVA at the Union Hall near McDonalds.

– Business Group –
Should an Individual go to the Chamber?

Should the Chamber be invited to a Transition Event/Meeting?
It was suggested that perhaps TT Members (Chris and Dan?) have coffee with Elliot Drew from the Chamber to discuss what best ways to approach the Chamber and what the Chamber might be interested in pursuing.

Edna: Getting going on Currency – Coastal Credit Union – A Local currency has been an ongoing “want” of many AVTT members since the beginning. This is something we need to focus on. talking to the Coastal Credit Union will be a good start. Also contacting other local communities including Chemainus and Salts Spring Island about how they’ve done their currencies would be a good idea.

Dan: Could we form a land trust? To protect farm land. Put it in leasehold with people who will farm it. — perhaps start out in the food group and then go to the business group.
– Victoria Credit Union is doing micro-loans – worth pursuing with the credit union.

Chris: It would be worth chatting to other local banks to get support for some of these initiatives. While Corporate may not be supportive, local managers could be.

Bob Smith of the COOP was also mentioned as a good possible contact.

– City and Regional District Group –
Still need to get City to form a Climate Action Group based on CCC recommendations
Chris mentioned to get in contact with former CCC members (John, Jen, Robert, Charles) to rattle the chain of council about acting on all of the recommendations of the climate change committee including getting a City or Regional committee formed to tackle City specific issues around Bylaws, OCP, etc.

NEW REGULAR ITEM? – ABOUT TRANSITION TOWNS

– Taking an excerpt from the Transition Primer or Transition Town Handbook and talking about it and how it applies to our group

This was widely supported by the members present. Though not that meeting, as it was getting late. But it was agreed something like this would help ground everyones understanding of what TT is about and help new members as well.

REGULAR ITEM – NEXT MEETINGS

November 11- 5PM –