April 22 2025

Submitted by site_admin on Thu, 05/01/2025 - 02:34

BAMFIELD COMMUNITY AFFAIRS SOCIETY

General Meeting Unofficial Minutes-Draft

Tuesday 22 April 2025 at 6.30 pm
via Zoom - hosted by Jamie Willock

Attendees (20): James Willock (Chair), Bob Beckett, Jaleen Rousseau, Julie Bradley, Stella Wenstob, Jan Teversham, Barry Sills, Jerry Gassner, Tom Jensen, Bernie and Keith Wyton, Ben West, Margot Keate-West, Max Salamon, Bob Schmitt, Christina Jackson, Jaslyn Haberl, Clay Steel, Laura Bradley, Kurt Kranz

Regrets: Susan Derasp                             

Acknowledgement of Indigenous Lands: The BCAS acknowledges that the land on which we meet is within the Traditional territory of the Huu-ay-aht First Nations where indigenous peoples have lived since time immemorial.

The meeting was called to order at 18.32

Adoption of Agenda m/BSills s/SWenstob

Adoption of Minutes of March 2025 Community Affairs Meeting.

m/BWest s/SWenstob

ACRD DIRECTOR’S REPORT: Bob Beckett

  1. Bob Baden

For those of us who were at Bob’s celebration of life service Sunday, Keith Wyton identified that Bob, while involved in many community activities was his alternate ACRD director, he was also my alternate Director in my first term and I would like to on behalf of the entire ACRD board, pass on our condolences and acknowledge his contributions over the years he served as an alternate ACRD Board Director.

  1. Sheryl Mass

Sheryl has officially stepped down as Chair of the Bamfield Parks Commission after many years of volunteering. Her passion, commitment, and efforts along with her entire team has resulted in creating wonderful recreational assets for our community, our children, and those visiting our beautiful Bamfield. Thank you Sheryl for your contributions and endless energy.

  1. Submarine waterline installation update

Currently undergoing archaeological and fisheries permitting processes, keeping fingers crossed for a spring install.

  1. Bamfield Area Services Committee

The Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District (ACRD) formed the Bamfield Area Services Committee to consider issues and make recommendations to the ACRD Board pertaining to current and proposed ACRD established services in Bamfield. The Bamfield Area Services Committee will explore, consider, and make recommendations to the Board on items related to Solid Waste Management, Community Parks, Fire Protection, Emergency Planning and proposed future services. The Committee includes Board Directors from Bamfield, Huu-ay-aht First Nations, and the Uchucklesaht Tribe as well as four (4) community member volunteers that will be able to represent community interests. This committee replaced the Bamfield Water Advisory Committee. The four community members are: Lisa Bye, John Mass,  Bob Schmitt, and Christine Gruman.

The BASC is scheduled to meet four times per year, or at the call of the chair. Each meeting is available to the public via zoom and moving forward I will ensure that the committee circulates the dates of upcoming meetings, agenda, and minutes through the BCAS. The next meeting is May 20th.

  1. Bamfield Parks Commission

With Sheryl’s retirement from the parks commission, the ACRD is looking to find a volunteer to take her place along with another member from the community. If you are interested in serving on this commission, please contact Michael McGregor at the ACRD mmcgregor@acrd.bc.ca

Question: Max asked about ACRD procedures now that the Sewage Referendum has not passed. Bob said that any queries about septic systems would be directed to VIHA or the Ministry of Environment. The ACRD will not be dealing with it.

TREASURER’S REPORT (March 31 2025):  from Susan Derasp

Chequing $4,793.50

Savings $28,226.85

Member Equity $5.21

Total Assets $ 33,025.56

Interest $18.14

CORRESPONDENCE- nothing to report

COMMUNITY REPORTS

  1. Bamfield Community School Association: Jaslyn Haberl
  • Jaslyn showed us happy photos of the students at the various activities funded by Community Affairs and HFN over the spring break.
  • Upcoming activities and events.

Bamfield Community School Updates

  • We are so grateful to the Bamfield Community Affairs Society, Huu-ay-aht First Nations, The Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre, and all our staff and volunteers for enabling super fun and fulfilling Spring Break Programming! The BCSA hosted a week of Day Camps for up to 22 children up to age 11, and a week of field trips around the Bamfield community, to Nanaimo, and to Port Alberni. We also hosted a Red Cross Babysitting course.
  • Thanks to the ACRD, the Alberni Valley Food Security Society, and Farm to School BC for their support to build a new Medicine Garden at the community school with native perennial species!
  • A lovely group of local potters had a blast making ceramic pot planters with Julie Bradley from Sea Star Ceramics in her most recent workshop! We hope to have updates soon about our new Community Kiln which we will be installing at the school! We hope to have even more pottery offerings soon.
  • We are in the midst of the hiring process for the new BCSA Manager, and expect to introduce our new staff person to the community at the May Community Affairs meeting!

Ongoing Programs:

Adults

  • Monday night drop-in adult sports 7-8:30pm
  • Wednesday night yoga 5:15-6:15pm
  • Thursday night group fitness classes 5-6pm

Kids/Youth

  • After School Clubs Tuesday, Thursday
  • Imagination Station Arts After School Club Wednesdays
  • Tee Ball for ages 4-8 Wednesdays from 6-7pm
  • Youth Peer Support Training with ADAPS
  • Friday Night Chill coming up May 9, 7-9:30pm

Special Events and Programs:

  • Dance troupe visiting to perform "The Fourth R: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, REVOLUTIONIZE" on Tuesday April 29th at the Community School, doors at 12:30pm, show 1-2pm
  • Last Community Lunch of the school year will be May 14th, 12pm
  • The 3rd annual Pride and Preloved Consignment Sale at The Wreckage is coming up May 10th from 12-4pm. If you have clothes to sell, you can drop them off at The Wreckage from 4:30-7:30pm on Friday May 9th.
  1. Bamfield Community Hall Society: from J P Hastey
  • The Community Hall Society has been busy moving along new hall construction, hiding easter eggs and planning future events. The past weekend easter egg hunt at the park was a big success. Thank you to the Jennings for donation of the treats and organisation of the day.
  • New hall construction will see the roofing completed in the coming weeks, windows ordered and the building moving towards lock up stage. The Society has a submitted application with REDIP, a provincial capital funding program, for $1,300,000. If successful the Bamfield/Anacla Community Forest Society has agreed to fund the $300,000 cash component of the grant. I would like to thank the Forest Society massive and continued support for the new hall project. The Community Hall Society is also in the process of registering as charity status to enable us to issue tax receipts for community donation.
  • Completion date for the new hall is dependent on funding and we are working hard to pursue additional funding opportunities to get the hall completed.  
  1. Bamfield Huu-ay-aht Community Forest: Clay Steell
  • The AGM is on May 15 and everyone is encouraged to attend to see how the Board is managing the forest and the values it is upholding.
  • Funding from ICET for a trail has resulted in the construction of a trail  (Majestic Old Growth Trail) that starts from South Bamfield Road and extends 1.85 kms to link up with the logging road from the 2020 logging. The trail is wide and gravelled for the first 1 kilometre and after that it is a walking trail. It is almost completed now.
  • The Board has agreed to provide $300,000 to the Community Hall Society to match required funds for the REDIP grant that is applied for.
  • The Society is developing an Ecological Management Framework for the Community Forest and to that end has invited a forester and an ecologist to discuss sustainable forestry practices for a day while walking throughout the forest. Up to now the decisions re harvesting have been rather ad hoc and now a plan to log sustainably with no degradation whilst generating revenue for the community  is being sought
  1. Bamfield Harbour Authority: Tom Jensen
  • The head lease for Fisheries Dock is being renewed in April for a 5 year period. Then there are automatic renewals every 5 years up to 2045.
  • The sublease for Bamfield Lodge is being renewed as well.
  • Ashley is taking bookings for moorage this summer.
  • Board Members are continuing to maintain the dock.
  1. Arts Council: Julie Bradley

The date for “Art in the Park” will be picked soon.

  1. Bamfield Community School:  Julie Bradley
  • Kindergarten registration is open now
  • The whole school went on a field trip to Pachena Bay today for a garbage collection

NEW BUSINESS

  1. GIA for Boardwalk Planter Boxes: Margot Keate-West.

The  38 planter boxes are in  great need of repair and replacement as some of them are 40 years old. The plan is to replace 12 of them this year. Two were lost to the ocean during winter storms this year and 10 are in a really dire state of repair. Then 12 more for the next two years  will be replaced so that in all 36 will be renewed. Wood from the Community Forest that is being milled at the airport will be available to make them.

A second presentation will be made at the May meeting.

Andrea Butler and Margot will organise the plantings. Stella Wenstob offered to donate primroses for the boxes.

  1. Community Affairs has been asked to apply for the $10,000 GIA funding annually in the future and this led to a discussion about how to use the funding more as there is currently $33,000 in the account.

Suggestions

  • The land walkways of the Boardwalk need fixing in places as MOTI only maintain the wooden boardwalk part of it.
  • Summer camp for children as the school district only funds in school time activities.
  • A donation to the Community Hall
  • Funding to top up salary of BCSA manager.

Keith Wyton added that the GIA funds are generated from our taxes and hence it is our money. Previously the Regional Director had the funds and could choose how to distribute the money. The auditors in the ACRD will look at our funds that have accumulated over Covid times and see that it hasn’t all been spent- but it is ours.

Bob Beckett explained that the ACRD had concerns about GIA applications and the lack of accountability in the way they were managed from the ACRD so they want to tighten things up.

Max Salamon suggested the process could be simplified by the community at a meeting voting on an application immediately.

Jan Teversham wondered if the Community Affairs Board could apply for projects or would that be a conflict of interest.

Keith and Jaslyn thought it would be fine for Board members to suggest/apply for projects.

NEXT MEETING

The next meeting will be on Tuesday, 20 May, 2025.

Meeting Adjourned at 19.41m/BSills, s/BWest