Join us by Zoom 6PM – Wednesday April, 21, 2021

Unfortunately current state of COVID is just not good enough for face-to-face meetings. Meetings are every 3rd Wednesday.

Please send any comments on the Agenda or reports by email through the AVTT List/GoolgeGroup or at patransitions@googlegroups.com or during the meeting.

Click Here to go to the Zoom Meeting.
You can find more Zoom details and other events at Char’s Landing.com

Time: April 21, 2021 – 6:00pm Pacific Time – Duration <1hr.

AVTT April 21, 2021 – Agenda

1. Approval of Agenda
2. Approval of Minutes
3. Unfinished Business or Current Topics
   • Earth Day – Alberni Aquarium – Other Actions
4. Upcoming Events
5. Reports and Sub-Groups
   • Education and Networking
   • Food Group / Food Hub
   • Cycle Alberni
   • Alberni Climate Action Group
   • Ocean Friendly Community – Plastics Group
     • sign agreement
   • Watershed Protection
   • Other Groups and Reports
6. Finances
   • Current State of Accounts, Grants and Contracts

Aggregate:  $16,630.75 + $2,694.07 (PayPal) = $19,324.82

AVTTS: $1,952.78 + $154.16 (PayPal) = $2,106.94

Food Hub Committee: $6,804.10

Food Hub Education: $496.59

Grow Local: $2,584.70 + $1,663.66 (PayPal) = $4,248.36

Gleaning: $959.58 + $332.63 (PayPal) =$1,292.21

Cycle Alberni: $5,312.80 + $270.78 (PayPal) = $5,583.58

Shaun Loney Group: $2,668.88

7. New Business and Other Fun Stuff!
   • Reminder – AGM postponed until COVID-restrictions eased.
     
8. Next Meeting – Suggested: May 19, 2021 – 6PM (Char’s?) and Zoom
   
9. ADJOURN
   

Minutes

Alberni Valley Transition Town Society Monthly Meeting – March 17, 2021 – 4 p.m. by Zoom

MINUTES

Present: Chris Alemany (Chair), Edna Cox, Mark Dawson, John Mayba, Charlene Patterson, Helen Poon, Dan Schubart, Amber Stroder (Alberni Aquarium board member),
Lilly Woodbury (Surfrider Pacific Rim), Jim Wright

Chris opened the meeting at 6 p.m., acknowledging that we meet on the unceded lands of the Tseshaht and Hupacasath peoples. There was a round of introductions.

Approval of the agenda – Dan moved, John seconded. Carried.

Minutes of the previous meeting were tabled until next meeting. Edna will resend those minutes.

Ocean Friendly Community Project
Lilly outlined the mission of Surfrider, a global organization: the enjoyment and protection of the ocean and waves. Eradicating plastic, 70% of which comes from the fishing and aquaculture industries, has been a focus for the past few years. The goal is to ban one-use plastics; in Tofino and Ucluelet, to eliminate straws, bags, cutlery and poly take-away containers by 2022.
Surfrider is offering a mentorship program to support two Vancouver Island communities this year to take up the challenge of building public support. Telegraph Cove has signed on; Port Alberni is invited to do so. First steps: signing a partnership agreement with Surfrider; consultation to decide what the community wants to work on; setting goals. Lilly and John will compare notes about Port Alberni contacts who may be interested in joining a dedicated AVTTS sub-committee.

Food for Thought Virtual Summit
Carley and Edna attended sessions March 12-13. Brief notes are included in the March 16 Food Hub Committee minutes. When the recordings of the Summit become available, Edna will send them to the PA Transitions list.

Young Professionals of Port Alberni have decided to continue with the Dry Creek Community Garden, with a review in 6 – 12 months.

Upcoming Events
— “Be your Own Grocer” is a 12-week on line course through Transition Nanaimo and led by

Connie Kuramoto, beginning soon.
— Grow Local Starter Packs will be ready for pick-up at Spirit Square Farmers’ Market on May 15.

Volunteers will be needed.
—– Candyse Roberts is offering, through Parks & Recreation, two series of workshops this Spring, one for adults and one for parents and children. See the Spring Leisure Guide for details. —– AV Seedy Saturday takes place on Facebook March 15 – April 15.
—– Shelter Farm is offering CSA boxes.

Reports & Sub-groups

• —  Food Group — Refer to the minutes of March 16th sent earlier today.
• —  Cycle Alberni — The new City engineer, Rob Dickinson, is strong on active transportationand will meet every two weeks with the Alberni Climate Action Committee.
  — Go By Bike Week is May 31 – June 6. Register on line. A joint event May 31 with the Hospice Society is in the works.
• — Watershed Protection – There will be a Forest March event at the bandstand in Maffeo Sutton Park, Nanaimo on March 19 at 1 p.m. Edna will forward information.
• — Alberni Climate Action Committee (John Mayba, Keith Wyton, Dan Schubart, Chris Alemany, Robert Gunn, Gail Morton) met today with MP Gord Johns.. The committee has been getting in touch with leaders at all levels of government.

Finances
Current balances: as published in the agenda for this meeting.

There was a request to explore the future of the Shaun Loney funds.

Other
— Coombs Country Candy has been sold to Community Futures and is being operated like a social enterprise with profits to help financing of local businesses.

• —  “What on Earth?”, a weekly CBC podcast, focusses on dealing with climate change.
• —  Seth Klein’s new book A Good War outlines needed government policies and actionsto address climate change.
  — The Annual General Meeting has been postponed until in person meetings are possible.

— Helen advised that the City is purchasing a hybrid fire engine and that Director of Development

Scott Smith is managing the sale of City lands to encourage infill and to stop urban sprawl. — John opined that the building code should add charging stations to the regulations for new multiple dwellings. He will research that question.

All business concluded, the meeting was adjourned at 6:55 p.m.

Next Meeting – April 21, 2021 – 6 p.m.