St. Ann's Bay Development Association

Meeting of 28 February 2017

Present: Loreto Doyle, Anne-Claude Pépin, Rosie Smith, Paul Weinberg, Jitka Zgola

Regrets: Merrill MacInnis, Angelo Spinazzola, Yvonne van der Zanden

1. Approve agenda (moved: Rosie; seconded: Anne-Claude; carried.)
2. Approve minutes of the meeting of 25 October 2016, as amended (moved: Loreto; seconded: Anne-Claude; carried.)
3. Financial Report (Anne-Claude)
   • Bank balance as at 27 February 2017 was $14,618.75.
   • $500 is still owed to Lisa Finney, web site Listings Coordinator.
   • $2500 is owed to Jay Rawding, Web Site Coordinator, to be distributed in installments until 26 April.
   • $5990 is allocated for a business training programme.
   • The free balance is $5628.75.
   • $400 grant from Victoria County Physical Activity was deposited today for the "Minute for Fitness" programme.
   • Motion: to approve the financial report as read (moved: Rosie; seconded: Loreto; carried.)
4. Old Business
   • Community Web Site
   • Lisa indicated she was back working on the web site listings as of this week, and has 75 hours of work remaining.
   • A contract was finalized and awarded to Jay Rawding, who will be working until 26 April. She met with Anne-Claude, Loreto, and Angelo this weekend and things are moving along. She has ideas on how to restructure and improve the aesthetics of the web site. She would like to make a strategy on how to make the site sustainable. Her idea is to use the site as a community builder and to promote the area in general; subscription fees from listers would guarantee an up-to-date web site. She also suggested lowering lister fees to $25/year.
   • Because there is already a St Ann's Facebook page that is not directly affiliated with the web site, and promotion of web sites is largely through social media, Jay suggested that a blog with different contributors might work to promote the web site.
   • Jay advises that the workload is increasing, and will likely need to continue past 26 April.
   • Action: The Web Site Committee will discuss the situation and send a proposal to the board for approval in early April.
   • Business Training Programme
   • A business training programme focussed on customer service and job satisfaction is starting on 9 March, and will run from 9:30 to 5:30 for five Thursdays in a row. There is new interest from some individuals in Ingonish, as well as several from Baddeck. The training will be at the Indian Brook Fire Hall.
   • County's Transit Initiative
   • Jitka reviewed the minutes of the County Council's meeting at which they reviewed the letter SABDA sent to them regarding the transit initiative. Their meeting minutes describe why the County stopped the Strait Area Transit pilot, and suggest that the committee (SABDA) should share our business plan with Council. This is a misunderstanding, as the business plan was paid for by the County, and it clearly says that a fixed route (the Strait Area pilot) would not work, and that a share-a-ride program would be a good idea. Paul MacNeil, Merrill MacInnis, and Fraser Patterson are on a transit committee.
   • Action: Jitka and Paul will start a SABDA Transit Committee to talk about small-scale local options we can implement ourselves.
   • Re-use Shed Update
   • From Loreto's notes of the Political Action Committee meeting of 20 December:
   • Both Merrill to Loreto, and Robert Dauphney to Jitka, confirm in different ways that the re-use shed is still a go at the Baddeck Transfer Station. Robert figures it won't proceed until next fiscal year, for budget overgrowth reasons. He is personally a proponent of this idea, so he is elaborating how it will run, and will be our best bet for getting it done. He sees his staff keeping tabs on how things are put in, taken out, aged/managed.
   • Non-Violent Communication Workshop
   • The money offered by SABDA for Jitka to attend training sessions will be used to bring a speaker to this area in the future.
   • Time Bank Grant Application
   • We have not heard anything regarding progress of our grant application. Anne-Claude has sent an e-mail asking if there are any updates.
5. New Business
   • Review of Meeting Restructuring
   • Having fewer board meetings is working well so far. Committees will take notes on their meetings, and then provide reports at the board meetings. Ideally these reports will be typed so they can be easily included in board meeting minutes by the secretary.
   • There is potential for the Political Action Committee to grow too large, with too many issues to discuss. However, as specific items grow and get to be more work, they can be given a committee of their own, as, for example, with the Transit Committee.
   • Online Banking
   • Right now, we are able to view our bank account on line, but cannot do any transfers or other online transactions. It is possible to set up online banking, but all three authorised signatories would have to go the Credit Union to fill out a form. However, online transactions can be performed by only one person, which removes our system of checks and balances, by which we require two signers for all cheques. It was decided not to apply for online banking at this time.
   • Minute for Fitness
   • We received a grant of $400 from Victoria County's Physical Activity coordinator for this new programme. Jitka has bought exercise bands, and will be introducing their use at the Senior's Lunch tomorrow.
   • BusinessNOW!
   • Patrick Austin, the County's new Economic Development Officer, is setting up interviews and discussions with local businesses.
   • Action: Loreto will submit the flyer for the program to the Events sheet.
   • Preparation for AGM
   • The Tea Room has been booked for 28 March from 6:00 til 9:00, with the AGM held scheduled to run from 6:00 til 8:00.
   • It was suggested we ask someone from the Seawall Trail to present, for approximately 40 minutes including questions. A back-up idea would be Alicia Lake from the Cape Breton Food Hub.
   • Action: Loreto will ask Ray Fraser if someone from the Seawall Trail is available to present.
   • Action: If no one from the Seawall Trail is available, Anne-Claude will ask Alicia if she can present.
   • $125 have been allocated for food for 30 people.
   • Action: Jitka will bring cream and sugar, and arrange for tea and coffee from the Tea Room.
   • Action: Jitka will arrange for food, and approach the chefs at Cabot Shores.
   • Action: All board members should submit topics to Jitka to be included in the Chair's Report.
   • Destination CB
   • Loreto has been informed that the County gave Destination CB $200k over the past year. She wonders whether anyone is examining this relationship to determine if these funds are worthwhile.
   • The issue will be referred to the Political Action Committee.
   • Ferry Usage Statistics
   • The ferry statistics from 2012 to 2016 show no major difference over the years during the summer months when there are tourists traveling. The other months show decreased usage since the 2015 rate increases.
   • It was decided that SABDA would draft a letter, drawing attention to the issue and providing a review of the social costs of the high ferry fares. The letter will be sent to the Minister of Transportation and Minister of Communities, Culture, and Heritage (CCH). It would also be beneficial if we made some suggestions for improvement at the same time.
   • Action: This issue will be deferred to the Political Action Committee.
   • Canada 150
   • There is a group in Cheticamp that is creating a $50k grant proposal to encourage better understanding between First Nations and non-native communities. They are proposing four events, and would like to do one at Cabot Shores. These events would include Mi'kmaq elders, Gaelic cultural leaders, and Acadian cultural leaders. The events would take place over a weekend, with sharing of cultural foods and traditions. It was suggested that SABDA write a letter of support, after viewing the proposal.
   • Action: Paul will send the proposal to the board.
6. Next Meeting
7. The next board meeting will be 30 May.
8. The next Political Action Committee meeting will be on 25 April.
9. Meeting Adjourned (moved: Anne-Claude; seconded: Loreto)

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