St. Ann's Bay Development Association

Meeting of 18 February 2015

Present: Loreto Doyle, Ian Green, Anne-Claude Pépin, Paul Weinberg, Jitka Zgola, and guest Betty MacKenzie, Workplace Education Coordinator, Cape Breton Region, NS Dept. Labour and Advanced Education

Regrets: Rosie Smith, Angelo Spinazzola

1. Meeting called to order; agenda approved with one addition: discussion of North River Falls Trail maintenance
2. Presentation by Guest Betty Mackenzie
3. Betty's department sponsors SABDA's recent business course offerings. To date, we have run several programs on basic business management.
4. There is a perceived need to have more basic business management training; e.g., issues like coummunicating with professionals such as lawyers, accountants; how to establish pricing, etc.
5. Betty has contacted Derrick Hawley from the resource centre in Ingonish to teach basic bookkeeping. We suggest adding Don Nicholson of Brookside Gardens (has already taught part of one of our courses) to present part of a new 2-day course.
6. Action: Jitka and Loreto will work with Betty on followup with instructors, course organisation, curricula, and putting out the word for signup (goal is 12–15 participants in a 2-day course).
7. Betty tells us that the customer service courses have been revamped; we agree that they needed to be. The training includes awareness training for generational differences, public perceptions versus one's own organisation's concerns, etc.
8. Update on Englishtown Ferry vs a Bridge
9. The Province is doing a cost analysis of operating a ferry versus building a bridge at Englishtown. At some point, it will report to Victoria County Council (who requested the data), as well as to other councils.
10. Action: ??? will request meeting schedule from councillor Merrill MacInnis, or from Sandy Hudson, Admin Officer for the County.
11. Changes in Local Schools
12. Anne Claude has already drafted a letter discussing the impact of closing Cape Smokey Elementary school in Ingonish. It is now a "P3" public/private partnership school, with the school lands and building being leased. The lease runs out soon, and issue is whether to renew or to move students and teachers.
13. The Province is reviewing the sustainability of schools across the province, and also the effects on community and the local economy of closing schools over the years. A number of schools will be closed and have been closed (e.g., the North Shore school).
14. A decision will be made on closing Cape Smokey Elementary in 2 or 3 years. This year, it will move to a middle-school model, sending all 6th-graders to Cabot High.
15. Jitka suggested we need to make the case for a community-parents-school board partnership (apparently a case has been successfully made by Kate Oland of Middle River).
16. Loreto pointed to the demographic projections that show that, in the next 5 years, there will be kids to justify more elementary school seats. She suggested we look at and communicate some of the false dollar savings of moving kids and teachers, and also the "infrastructure" argument, using school buildings for other community functions, and preserving them against future need.
17. The absence of local schools negatively affects the goal of attracting and keeping families here (either new Canadians or people from other areas); for example, Park staff with young families work in Ingonish, so maintaining a school in Ingonish is an advantage for attracting and retaining these young people in the area, with their positive economic and social impacts.
18. An overlooked argument in favour of a local school (as in Ingonish) is the "health" argument made well by Dr. Chris Milburn, emergency physician, and Dr. Monica Dutt, regional Medical Officer of Health.
19. Action: ??? will follow up with Kate Oland and the doctors mentioned above on the arguments for and against closing schools, and will contact our MLA Pam Eyking.
20. Action: Anne Claude will revise and send around her letter.
21. Recreation and Tourism Grant Program
22. Tom Wilson has reminded us that the county offers grants for marketing our area; for example, on social media like Facebook and twitter. They offer up to $3000.
23. Action: Anne Claude will write an application for a grant.
24. Financial Report (Jitka)
    • Our last statement balance was $8,092. We have $492 in cheques not yet deposited, and will receive $100 more from Betty MacKenzie for our last business course.
    • The last training course we offered netted a gain of $603.30 after all costs.
    • The web site developer Dan Trobak will earn a further $1,035 when our tourism web site project is completed.
    • Report accepted as read.
25. Web Site Update (Loreto)
26. The web developer is still doing revisions, but he doesn't meet deadlines or perform in a timely manner.
27. He does not complete requests fully, but seems to pick and choose (or overlook) some items.
28. We now have passwords and the ability to add content ourselves.
29. Action: All of us will review and work with the site to understand issues and concerns.
30. Action: All of us will obtain more content and subscribers.
31. Mail Delivery
32. Personal mail boxes in front of each house will be phased out in the coming years by Canada Post. Some people already use the community mailboxes located at the Clucking Hen.
33. There has been some discussion of asking for another community mailbox at the Wreck Cove General Store. After some discussion, we agree that, while this would assist people who have very long drives to the post office when the ferry is out of service, and who are sending or receiving parcels, on the whole, most people prefer to receive their mail at home, and we don't want to do anything that might endanger either the Englishtown or Ingonish Beach post offices, both under threat of eventual closure, since they are significant local employers.
34. North River Falls Trail Maintenance
35. Vince Forrestall of Naturally Active Victoria County had proposed that stakeholders meet to discuss trail maintenance (the Dept. Natural Resources—DNR, SABDA, etc.).
36. SABDA volunteers originally built the Trail, with an agreement that DNR would maintain it, which it has not done. SABDA has previously notified Vince that we would not be prepared to undertake the maintenance. Today, no-one is able to commit the time to meet with Vince.
37. Action: ??? will notify Vince that we cannot attend a meeting.
38. Next meeting:
39. The AGM is our next gathering. It is set for 7:00 pm at the Tea Room in St Ann's Bay United Church, on 9 April 2015.
40. Action: Anne Claude will book the Tea Room.
41. Action: Jitka will invite Susanna Fuller to present an update of the One Nova Scotia/OneNS project.
42. Meeting Adjourned (moved: Loreto; seconded: Ian)

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