2021 Hornby Island Housing Society AGM
President’s Report – JoAnn Harrison, October 20, 2021
The Beulah Creek housing project continued to be a large focus of the work of the Board of Directors on behalf of the Society. [A summary of the Beulah Creek update that preceded the AGM will be posted in this blog.]
Through this fiscal year:
- The Islands Trust mapping had not been updated to match the R3A rezoning of the Beulah Creek site previously accomplished; our local Island trustees Alex and Grant and planner Heather Kauer expedited that housekeeping amendment to update the map from R3 to R3A. First and Second reading of bylaw 163 to amend the map was completed in June 2020, and Third reading in September 2020.
- A major focus was planning and implementing an agreement with M’akola Housing Society that would have that organization take on the responsibility for constructing and operating the future Beulah Creek Village. Through the summer of 2020 the Board developed a “Conditions of Offer” document to establish the terms of such an agreement. Director Angela Hudson, with her experience as Executive Director of St. Vincent de Paul Housing for Vancouver Island, was very valuable in that exercise. Thank you Angela. At the end of September, the Society held an Extraordinary General Meeting for the membership to consider and pass a motion to enter into a lease agreement with M’akola Housing Society to be formulated on the basis of the “Conditions of Offer.” The motion was approved by 89% of the 56 people present at the meeting. Subsequently a lease was prepared and reviewed by lawyers, and the final version was registered in March 2021.
- On February 7, 2021, a community information meeting was held to share the Beulah Creek Village plan as it had evolved to that point. The presentation is available for viewing elsewhere on the website.
- Work continued through the balance of the fiscal year to complete the civil plan for the supporting infrastructure, wastewater plan, landscape plan, design refinement, etc., to bring the project to the point it could be fully costed. M’akola Housing Society developed and refined its operating budget.
As a thirty-year old Society on Hornby, the Board has a number of areas of focus. The Board organizes with a range of committees. They include:
- Elder Village management of buildings, infrastructure and grounds,
- Village Residency relations
- Policy, that encompasses governance issues
- Communications
- Long term planning – focused for the last three years on Beulah Creek,
- Advocacy
It’s a handful, and we couldn’t manage it all without our true wizard of an administrator, April Lewis, to keep all of us and the details on track.
At the Elder Village, Board members contribute a large number of volunteer hours, supported by a very able and dedicated group of contract workers. Leslee will report on this Covid-19 year’s work as landlords and property managers there. Leslee herself shoulders the huge role of overseeing all of applications for residency and heading up the selection process. Barbara, who also takes responsibility for a lot of time-consuming work, is going to report on Governance, Communications, and the focus on advocacy for the creation of more affordable housing on Hornby and other gulf islands.
Through the fiscal year Janet LeBlancq was our able treasurer, we’re sorry to lose her to her new Campbell River adventures; Ian, Larry, Lynda, – the hands-on team coordinating the property management of the Elder village, so valuable; Michael with your focus on Beulah Creek; Sadie – so great – she brings her energy and experience to advocacy and communications; and Cliff on the Residency Selection committee. Thank you to this strong team. And for sure, a big thank you Gary for all the work you do for the Village, including the many volunteer hours you offer.
Village Report 2020/2021 ~ Presented by Leslee Richards
Before we begin the Elder Village Report, we would like to recognize and thank the people who work in the background to keep the Village and our Society running. What would we do without them? We couldn’t!
Contractors:
April Lewis – our Administrator extraordinaire
Gary Burtinsky – carries out supervision and maintenance of the Village infrastructure, buildings, and water system; Gary is highly skilled and so much appreciated by everyone. He donates hours of volunteer work at the Village each and every month of the year.
Robyn Richards – our extremely capable bookkeeper
David Mills – for his long time dedication to the Village landscape maintenance and the lawns
Kevin Peacock – for being our diligent and careful Recycling and Garbage collection contractor during this COVID era
Lindsay Allen – for assisting residents as a Volunteer for the Better At Home Program, and thanks to the Better At Home Program itself
Steve Carbelleira – for assisting us to prepare our septic plans and donating half his fee
Rick Morrit – for assisting us for years with the monthly test of our water supply
Thank you!
In spite of COVID concerns, and some new safety measures put in place to protect residents, the Village continued to run smoothly and with full occupancy throughout this past year. Thank you to the residents for their care, both for themselves and for each other!
Board member Ian Maclean oversees Village Building maintenance including all necessary maintenance and repairs for our eleven units. One unit was refurbished this year as a resident moved to be near family in Alberta, and a new resident was pleased to move in. Lynda Parrington very ably supervised the care and maintenance of the Grounds again this last year, organizing all the varied aspects that involves. And Larry Smith took care of Infrastructure matters, coordinating the creation of a plan to upgrade the Village septic capacity. We are very grateful to all three of our Village committee chairs, Ian, Lynda, and Larry, for their contribution to keeping everything in the Village running so well.
Lynda and Larry are leaving the board this year, not seeking re-election. We are sorry to see them go, but we are so grateful to them both for their years of work on the board, and all that has been accomplished in that time. We will miss them!
The Selection Committee, chaired by me, works with several community members and another board member to select a new resident whenever a unit becomes available. A few new applications have come in this year, and a few people who were on the list found other accommodations so our registry remains at 40 applications. In general, the Village is a very stable community.
The Residents’ Relations Committee, which I also chair, handles any issues or concerns that may arise in the Village. The Communication Committee, chaired by Barbara, writes a monthly (or almost monthly) newsletter as a way to keep the board and the Village Residents in touch with each other.
The usual annual fire safety check took place, this time with COVID precautions. The check includes replacing batteries in every smoke alarm. Servicing and safety checks of every propane appliance in the Village are also carried out on an annual basis.
All in all, and in spite of COVID, it was a good year for the Village.
HIHS Governance, Communication, and Advocacy Committees Report to the AGM 2021 ~ Presented by Barbara Baird
A governance committee functions in a supervisory role towards the board itself. It should ensure that the processes and policies of the board are clear and coherent, are being effectively applied, and will support all of the goals of the Society. This last year, the Governance Committee made sure that all committees now have Terms of Reference. April, our able Administrator, helped us to review and revise the Village contracts to make sure that they are consistent. And a Bullying and Harassment Policy was put into place. Work continues on a Policy Handbook for the Society.
The Communication Committee continued to write articles for the First Edition, covering issues to do with affordable housing in general and giving updates on the Beulah Creek Project whenever we could. As well, a monthly Village Board Brief goes out to our Elder Village residents. The HIHS website has featured many posts, with updates and information on the progress of the Beulah Creek Village and affordable housing issues. It now links to Canada Helps which allows HIHS to receive donations online.
The Advocacy Committee has become more active, now that most of the responsibility for the Beulah Creek Project has been passed to BC Housing and M’Akola Housing. Even if Beulah Creek is successful, it will not answer all of the need for affordable housing on Hornby Island. The Advocacy Committee is working to identify barriers and trends that influence the number or quality of rental housing units on the island and to encourage local and provincial government to enact policies that can increase access to affordable housing. We find this work interesting, challenging, and engaging. We hope it bears fruit.
