In attendance: Laura Peacock, Gord Walter, Alan Sherbinin, Arlene Marshinew, David Naples, Gudren Hohenwarter, Linda Payne, Perry Jacobson
Regrets: Carol Anne Rivard
(1) Elect Directors
The Board voted to elect the following directors in the to the following roles. CARRIED.
(a) president – Laura Peacock
(b) vice-president – Gord Walter
(c) secretary – Arlene Marshinew
(d) treasurer – David Naples
(2) Other Roles and dual custody / support on these roles
The Board discussed the need for cross training / dual custody / support for a number of roles: communications, membership, banking, etc.
Perry Jacobson resigned as a Director.
Business and City Liaison – Gord and Laura to act as backup. Gord has applied to be on the Airport Advisory Committee.
Communications: Laura will cross train Arlene on communications. Once cross trained, Arlene can train Linda so she can provide dual support to Arlene.
Membership: Laura will work with David to bring membership reconciliation up to date. Once reconciled, Laura will transition this role to Alan.
Safety: Given that Gudren and Linda are new, Gord and Laura will oversee them and their interest in safety (FireSmart, RCMP).
UBCO: Laura and Gord will oversee Carol Anne, because Carol Anne is new, with her interest in being the UBCO liaison.
Banking: Alan and David have dual custody of the bank account.
Garage Sale: Alan organizes the annual garage sale so we need to document the “to do” list so future Boards understand what needs to be done.
Resident Association Liaison – Arlene will do this. The Board will discuss this with Strong Neighbourhoods when we meet.
(3) Directors’ Insurance
Last year, the Board spent a great deal of time researching cost of directors’ liability insurance. The Board was in contact with several other residents’ associations about this. The cost is quite high ($800 to $1000 per year) which is just not sustainable relative to the amount the association brings in each year from renewals.
The Board discussed that under the Society’s Act, (Section 5) it does state that “ A member of a society is not, in that capacity, liable for a debt or other liability of the society”. But inclusion of the bylaw is a good idea because it clarifies that a director must be acting in good faith in the interest of the society.
A sample bylaw was discussed: “A director on the Board who acts honestly and in good faith is not personally liable because of anything done or omitted in the exercise or intended exercise of any power or the performance or intended performance of any duty of the Board. All acts performed honestly and in good faith by members of the Board are valid even if it is afterwards discovered that there was some defect in the appointment or continuance in office of one or more directors of the Board.”
The Board voted to include an indemnification clause in our bylaws. This will need to be approved by the membership at the AGM. CARRIED. Work will commence on this in early summer, in advance of the AGM.
(4) Post Mortems
(a) Garage Sale 2022
(b) AGM / proxy voting
Both the garage sale and the AGM were poorly attended.
Garage Sale: The issue with the garage sale was that there were many garage sales going on that weekend, thereby impacting the potential traffic into the area. As well, the move to an online platform for the mapping and coupons probably wasn’t well received by some members / participants. While it did save a lot of money in terms of not incurring printing costs, the loss of people contact / greeters probably hurt.
AGM: The issue with the AGM was probably because it was the first post pandemic big event and people were not comfortable meeting. It could have been the mayoral candidate presentations too. Possibly the membership was just not into listening to politics. It could have been email fatigue too – too much “junk mail” during pandemic and people are just mentally exhausted from all of it. It could have been that people expected food to be served.
The Board decided to continue the discussion at the next meeting.
(5) Discuss Society’s Purpose
Given lack of member interest in traditional events and City’s recent lack of support, the Board began the process of re-thinking its purpose.
QRRA’s official registered purpose is:
-To act as a conduit for community interests; act as a resource for relevant community information; and promote community safety through member awareness.
-To partner with area businesses, the Okanagan Golf Club and the University of BC Okanagan, with an emphasis on building and fostering long term supportive relationships.
-To engage with the City of Kelowna on proposals or bylaws that impact the community; represent the community on issues affecting the area; and access and coordinate resources to deal with interests and concerns as required.
The Board discussed this at length and decided to continue the discussion at the next meeting. It was also agreed that we will eventually formally approach membership with this question. The Board wants to do further research with the City. It is hoped that the future meeting with Strong Neighbourhoods which should enlighten the discussion as well.
(6) FireSmart Update
Laura provided a FireSmart update and report out on the meeting that she and Glen Maddess had with UBCO.
Laura noted that UBCO sees value in QRRA. It was noted that UBCO liked what was said on our website, our FireSmart program and the QRRA’s access to the community via the updates and website.
Glen Maddess and Laura met with UBCO on December 1st, 2022. The meeting focused on UBCO wildfire management plan. Glen and Laura brought forward concerns regarding one of the evacuation routes for the community – the route between Country Club Boulevard and UBCO via GEID service road / Pine Trail. It was noted that there have been many ideas about the potential of this linkage, and the costs of development. From a safety / crime prevention perspective, keeping the gates locked protects both communities. From an evacuation route perspective, while the Fire Department does have keys to access the gates, the chief interest would be just leveling parts of Pine Trail to improve accessibility for emergency providers in the event of a wild fire. All agree that future discussions are needed and desired. It was also discussed that it made sense, from a Wildfire Management Planning perspective, that we do it together along with the Okanagan Golf Course.
(7) Membership
The Board discussed status of Fall renewals. Laura and David will meet to reconcile the treasury membership list against the google contacts membership listing to ensure they match. Once balanced, a final renewal notice will be sent.
The Board discussed the need for a membership drive in the Spring, given the number of new families that have moved into the area.
The Board did not have time to discuss business membership. This will be discussed at the next meeting.
(8) Next Meeting: TBD
To be coordinated with Strong Neighbourhoods.
Gord has been working with Strong Neighbourhoods who want to present at our next meeting. Strong Neighbourhoods is a City of Kelowna department with the goal of increasing residents’ level of attachment to the community by being a catalyst in inspiring neighbourhoods to foster a culture of connection and engagement.
Meeting adjourned: 5:45 pm