April 17, 2023

Submitted by site_admin on Thu, 04/20/2023 - 05:31

BAMFIELD COMMUNITY AFFAIRS SOCIETY

General Meeting Unofficial Minutes

Monday 17 April 2023 at 6.30 pm
via Zoom - hosted by Jamie Willock (Chair)

Attendees (41): Jamie Willock (Chair), Sheryl and John Mass, Julie Bradley, Tom Jensen, Robin Schmitt, Bob Schmitt, Ben West, Max Salamon, Tara McNeil, Stella Wenstob, Stefan Ochman, Jan Teversham, Alison and Paul Bird, Clay Steell, Sean Rogers, Jane Morrison, Glen Ballman, Jazlyn Haberl, Wayne Markel, Birgit Gagne, Keith and Bernie Wyton, Laura Bradley, Louis Druehl, Rae Hopkins, Frank Novak, Jerry Gassner, Barry Sills, Samantha Lloyd, Anne Stewart, Betty Beyko, Greg Willmon, Glenn Ballman, Tania and Danni Burgi, Martha Johnson  iphone1, iphone2, ipad.

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.

Statement of Inclusivity: The BCAS is responsible for fostering a public forum within its community to facilitate communications and services that diverse groups identify as respectful, inclusive and accessible.

The meeting was called to order at 6.32 pm.

The agenda was passed m/TMcNeil s/SMass

Adoption of Minutes of  March Community Affairs Meeting. m/BSills s/JBradley

ACRD DIRECTOR’S REPORT – sent by Bob Beckett

1. I wish to acknowledge and thank Bob Schmitt for his efforts as ESS Director this past year. Unfortunately, Bob is stepping down as Director at the end of this month, but offered to continue to assist the team. Thank you Bob and team for all you do for our community, hopefully someone will consider taking over the Director position in the very near future. 

2. Thank you James for arranging and facilitating the recent moorage discussion meeting, the discussions were very insightful from a historical perspective and I am optimistic that further discussion and collaboration from within the community, and with all internal and external stakeholders including commercial interests, the ACRD and Federal authorities will be productive. 

I also wanted to mention that I was pleased that Mike Irg from the ACRD was attending on line and heard the community’s comments and concerns regarding the introduction of moorage related bylaws. I have reinforced the community’s concerns about layering on additional or duplicate legislation and have asked staff to respond regarding the community’s comments.

3. This past weekend I attended a 3 day conference/workshop in Nanaimo, attended by elected officials from municipal and regional governments from Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast. The conference featured many speakers including Provincial Ministers, Senior Provincial staff, and other agencies addressing a number of relative and important community matters including: housing, reconciliation, provincial and federal grants, managing emergencies, BC Assessment, evolving role of municipalities in Community Health, attainable housing, emerging risks affecting local government, and growing farmers and food resilience just to mention a few of the subject matter. 

4. Happy Birthday to Eileen Scott who turns 101 years Young tomorrow.

CORRESPONDENCE

Road Report- sent by Kevin Gordon

As an update for the Bamfield Main.

The Bamfield Main gravel placement, drainage upgrades, and new signage will be complete for all three contracts by the end of April or sooner.

Just gravel placement between km 18 and km 22 remains to be completed.

Tsawak-qin has taken back maintenance of Contract 2 and 3, of the road from km 26 to Anacla. Once the Contract 1 between km 0 and km 26 is complete Mosaic and Tsawak-qin will take over the maintenance.

Seal Coat contract is being negotiated and if all goes well the schedule has the seal coat work being done in July and August when the weather is best for the process. We are currently crushing the chip for the seal coat and it is going to be hauled from Blenheim Pit to km 26 Stockpile, Franklin Stockpile and km 68.5 Stockpile prior to the seal coating being done.

We are still on schedule and working hard to have the road completed by the end of August.

TREASURER’S REPORT - sent by  Susan DeRasp

As of  31 March 2023

Cheque acct.                                     $29616.85

High interest savings account           $22,613.72

Interest                                             $26.28

Member account                                 $5.21

Total assets                                      $52,235.78       

Payments made: Annual Zoom account $224.00

Please note that $16,600, included in the chequing account this month, was sent in error and has now been returned to ACRD.                        

COMMITTEE REPORTS

  1. BMSC- Sean Rogers
  • University classes start on May 8, seven field courses are lined up for the summer, and several research internships have been awarded.
  • There are two schools here at the moment– one from Calgary and one from Vancouver.
  • When the Fall calendar opened up 55 groups applied on the first day.
  • The Calgary Board of Education has stated that the trips to BMSC should be termed Legacy trips because of the huge effect that they have on the students.
  • Sean is now fulltime as director of BMSC and is spending much more time here now.
  • A new head of guest services has just been hired– Marie Cummings.
  • Kelp Forest restoration is ongoing and expanding. Chris Neufeld is here this week as part of the project.
  • Sean suggested that as food costs rise it is more important to get fresh produce available in the community and ideas around this are developing
  1. BCEP-Emergency Preparedness – Bob Schmitt

The “Hike to High Ground” event was successful. Held on April 15 it was a test of the tsunami sirens at all locations (BMSC, East Firehall, West Firehall and Anacla). Schoolchildren hiked up to the firehall and listened to Wish Key explain the importance of preparedness. Six people made it up to the West Firehall and twenty-eight in total arrived at the East Firehall where lunch was served by BCSA afterwards.

  1. Bamfield Community School Association – Jazlyn Herbel
  • The spring break adventure camp went very well and included a field trip with BMSC and meetings with the HFN elders. This was followed by an HFN sponsored skiing trip to Mt Washington that was very successful.
  • Renée Gaudet is back as the assistant coordinator and is concentrating on literacy and the library. The library will be open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1-5. People are encouraged to return books they previously borrowed through the BCSA that are marked with the VIRL stickers (Vancouver Island Regional Library) .
  • The BCEP hike to high ground held on April 15th went well and the community lunch at the firehall afterwards was well attended. Thanks to BVFD and Wish Key for his talk.
  • The school garden has been put in now. A greenhouse may be funded in the future.
  • Activities such as yoga, games night, dodgeball, aquaculture club, Wilderness First Aid training are ongoing or coming up. Please contact BCSA for details of times.

4 . Parks – Sheryl Mass

  • Sheryl thanked the funders for the repairs of the Boardwalk toilet- BCAS Grant in Aid and BHCF matched funds for a total of $7,000.
  • After comments at the last BCAS meeting, signs have been ordered to keep people off the tug and a sign on the ramp to the marina will be raised at the next high tide to prevent people bumping their heads.
  • The dock replacement is underway. Hopefully, done and replaced by end of April.
  • The gas tax funding for the new playground will now be made available this summer rather than next year. Ten designs have been put forward and a final design has to be decided upon. Please contact Sheryl if you would like to provide input. It could be installed by the end of July or up to the end of September.  Twelve to fifteen volunteers are needed for the three-day build to assemble the equipment.. Please get in touch with Sheryl if you are interested in helping.
  • Question: Will there be swings? Probably one regular, one baby and one round one.
  1. Community Forest - Clay Steell
  • Trail clearing, after the winter, has been carried out for the East/ West trail and Boomer trail.
  • New informational signs at the trail heads have also been erected thanks to Stefan’s work.
  • The cleat cuts, made in 2020/2021, have now been replanted with red cedar as the first seedlings did not survive the drought last summer.
  • The AGM will be held in person/on zoom on April 27 at the Firehall. Look at the Corkboard for more details. Everyone is encouraged to attend.

6.  Bamfield Health Centre - Jane Morrison

Repairs to the clinic are underway after a flooding event. They should be completed within a few weeks.

7. Bamfield Harbour Authority - Tom Jensen

  • The Board has recently undergone changes. Keith Wyton and Kevin McAughtrie have both resigned. Tom Jensen is the new president and Jamie Willock the new vice president. Rae Hopkins remains as secretary/treasurer while Ashley Klyne and Barry Sills are Board members.
  • Tom is getting up to speed with BHA’s operations and realises how challenging the demand for moorage is. His main focus right now is how to mitigate the situation.

8. Bamfield Community School- Robin Schmitt

The students in Grade 3-6 recently had a field trip led by BMSC.

9. Community Hall- Louis Druehl

  • Prospective drawings have been received from Wayne Wenstob. There is a big room that opens out onto a huge deck so that 200 people can be accommodated inside and many more outside. There is a large commercial kitchen.
  • The next stage is to find a suitable  engineer  be able to apply for a building permit.

10. Road safety Association-Stefan Ochman

  • Cats’ eyes were to be installed along the middle of the paved road out of Bamfield. They were being epoxied onto the surface as making holes in the asphalt would cause more rapid deterioration. This work was halted as the cats eyes would interfere with the road painting that is to be done sometime in the summer as part of the completion of sealing the road.
  • Ten tsunami hazard signs are to be installed on the road. MOTI is paying for the ones in Bamfield while the Road Safety Association will pay for those on the gravel road as it leaves Bamfield.
  • Max asked about culverts being installed. John Mass responded that one on Frigate and one in South Bamfield are planned but has no date for their replacement.

NEW BUSINESS

Dodger Cove Picnic - John Mass

The picnic, that had to be stopped during Covid, can restart again. It’s held on the long weekend in May so this year it would be Sunday 21st, or if bad weather on that day, then Monday 22nd. Everyone is welcome to attend but the original purpose was to get people from HFN to revisit their old village site in Dodger Cove. Coordination will be needed re transportation to get people out there as well as food. Volunteers previously prepared an outhouse for attendees. John asked for those interested in attending and/or volunteering to contact him.

Jazlyn offered BCSA to make posters online or hard copy to advertise the event (and for any other events in town).

OLD BUSINESS

Moorage Bylaws- Jamie Willock

Following on from the Moorage Forum held in March, Jamie is planning to create an online survey to capture community members’ opinions on the proposed new moorage bylaws from ACRD. The ACRD’s proposed bylaws would add Provincial bylaws to their regional ones as well as place special restrictions on private dock use.

NEXT MEETING

The next meeting will be the AGM on 15 May 2023.

Meeting Adjourned at 19.25  m /SWenstob /MSalamon  Unanimous