Minutes of Meeting 6 November 2017

Attendees:

Motion: To approve the agenda. Moved by Ijeoma Udechukwu, seconded by Sue McCarthy, carried.

Motion: To approve the October, 2017 minutes. Moved by John Sankey, seconded by Brian Wade, carried.

Treasurer's Report
Peter Foulger: Presented the Treasurer's Report:
One sponsorship from CanAir Travel for the September issue was received. Memberships of $160 were deposited. Account interest of $0.71 for Sept and $0.69 for Oct was credited by Alterna.
C Johnson was reimbursed $673.48 for printing of the newsletter.
Sub-accounts:
Activity:
A donation of $69 to the Mural Project was deposited. Payment of $138.00 was made to the City of Ottawa for the Art Club.
Balances:
Hunt Club Refugee Fund $ 1,059.69
Garden Fund $ 1,500.00
Harmony in Cultures Fund $ 500.00
Art Club Fund $ 5.30
Mural Project $ 69.00
Balance Sub-accounts $ 3,133.99
Member's Surplus
Balance as of 1 August 2017 $ 4,814.01
Year to date expenses, HCCO $ 673.48
Year to date receipts, HCCO $ 662.10
Increase/(decrease) for year, HCCO $ (11.38)
Member's surplus, HCCO $ 4,802.63
Total funds (Members surplus + funds) $ 7,936.62
Reconciliation:
Cash not deposited $ 0.00
Alterna share, HCCO $ 15.00
Alterna Account, HCCO & funds $ 7,921.62
Alterna Term Deposit HCCO, $ 0.00
Total all funds $ 7,936.62
Receivables & Liabilities: Invoices for the next newsletter have been issued.

Brian Wade: He was asked to audit the finances. The final figures match the bank statement. Everything has been accounted for.
John Sankey: There is a thousand dollars in the Refugee Fund. What are the plans for this money? He has a specific family in mind.
Christine Johnson: "It Takes a Community" is an organization which has also sponsored a family. She is a member.

Member of Parliament
David McGuinty: Thanked everyone for coming. He recently went with a group to St Petersburg, Russia where the group was subject to constant surveillance and they were not free to talk. Exercising democratic rights matters and it really matters. The 2017 Fall Economic Statement shows that the Federal Government is borrowing a lot of money. On the other side of the ledger the increased child benefit has had the biggest impact on the economy. There is a new judicial appointment system. Appointments to the Senate are now done outside of political parties. There are a host of positions on government agencies which are open. If you are interested, apply. The Federal Government has given over a billion dollars for infrastructure in Ottawa. It has overseen the activity where 40,000 refugees have been resettled in 20 months. The Phoenix Pay System still has not been fixed but the government is working very hard to fix the problems. He has been named as a member of the National Security and Intelligence Committee. The Committee is composed of selected parliamentarians. It oversees national security and intelligence agencies such as the RCMP and CSIS.
Sue McCarthy: There are two kinds of refugees - private sponsored and government sponsored. Private sponsored refugees have the advantage because private groups have dedicated people to help them.
David McGuinty: That's true. Much of the responsibility for integrating the government sponsored families has fallen to the school boards.
John Sankey: Private group sponsorship is working out much better than government sponsorship. Private sponsors feel that government attention is going to the people who just walk across the border, as opposed to those who are facing imminent threats to their lives. The latter face hardships and danger not just as individuals but as families - father, mother, children. They cannot work, they have no health care and if caught by the authorities they will be forcibly relocated to a war zone.
David McGuinty: Currently there are a lot of refugees from El Salvador. The government is doing background and security checks on them but the US is demanding tighter checks. The government is walking a tight rope vis-à-vis the US.
Barb Shea: It's hard to argue against the investments that were outlined at the onset of the presentation. The question is about long-term resolution of the debt. The Canadian public hears different versions of where things stand and it's impossible to discern the actual status.
David McGuinty: The ratio of Canada's debt to GDP is very low but it has steadily risen. The state of country's finances shouldn't be a matter for debate. He would like to see an audit before each election.
Brent Scollie: Electricity prices are too high.
David McGuinty: There are several factors. One is carbon pricing. Ontario imposes a tax on carbon and it keeps it. Another factor is feed-in-tariffs where Ontario pays a premium for solar energy. Another is the refurbishment of nuclear power plants.
Peter Foulger: The carbon tax is a very small part of the cost of electricity.
Marwan Nahal: There seems to a trend towards greater automation and robotics. Where does the middle class fit?
David McGuinty: The Federal Government is trying to land Amazon.
Peter Brimacombe: Settlement of refugees in Canada has been successful because we have accepted only families - father, mother and children. In contrast Sweden has accepted large numbers of unattached single men who have caused trouble.
David McGuinty: Over a million refugees have entered Germany with no finger prints. No background checks.
Dave Armitage: He is concerned that ethnic groups in large cities are not being integrated. How many immigrants can we take?
Christine Johnson: She asked Mr McGuinty to make a presentation.
David McGuinty: He presented Brian Wade with a Volunteer Certificate. Brian has been the head of the Environment Committee. He has lead the creation of a community garden. He is on the committee to rewrite the by-laws and he has audited the financial statements.
Everyone applauded.

Councillor's Report
Riley Brockington: Presented the Councillor's Report. Items covered:
2018 Budget: He encourages people to visit the city website and submit comments and suggestions to budget@ottawa.ca and riley.brockington@ottawa.ca
Paul Landry Park: Delivery of the play equipment is delayed. Depending on the weather it may or may not be installed this year.
3225 Uplands Drive: The Community Housing development is ongoing with completion expected in the summer of 2018.
Emmanuel Apostolic Church on McCarthy Road: The choir from the Church will sing the national anthem at council on Wednesday, November 8.
1026-1054 Hunt Club Road: Claridge Homes has proposed two eight storey buildings: a retirement residence and a hotel. He will work with Councillor Deans and City staff to pressure the applicant to make necessary modifications.
Karin Howard: Planning decisions made between the City and the NCC can be as informal as a phone call, so the suggestion is to monitor that aspect of the approvals.
Barb Shea: She lives across the Road from the proposed development. Other communities have expressed disappointment their concerns were not heard by the developer nor by the ultimate City of Ottawa decision makers. She wonders how much of an impact citizenry effort can produce.
Peter Brimacombe: The proposed development straddles two wards but it will adversely impact traffic across the whole City. Hunt Club is the most heavily used arterial in the City. He has written to Keith Egli, Head of the Transportation Committee to alert him to the threat to the traffic network of the City. Whatever the City decides, the developer can appeal to the Ontario Municipal Board. The developer may prevail before the Board, so he has also written to John Fraser, MPP to ask for his help in protecting this fundamental and costly piece of infrastructure.
Autumn Newsletter: It will be mailed out towards the end of November. If you want the French version let him know. In the Newsletter is a coupon for membership in the HCCO, for which the Councillor is subsidizing the cost.
River Ward Christmas Special: Residents are invited to his annual Christmas Social, Tuesday December 12, from 18:00 to 20:00 at the Carleton Heights Community Centre, 1665 Apeldoorn Avenue.
LPGA Tournament at the Hunt Club Golf Course:
Traffic Calming:
Land underneath the high-voltage transmission towers: Hydro One has cleared the land of vegetation that could grow into electrical equipment. He is concerned about flooding in the spring.
Kenny's Bench: To mark the passing of Kenny Dagenais, a bench and a plaque has been placed along the Airport Parkway. Thank you to Sue McCarthy, Christine Johnson and John Sankey for gathering to attend the ceremony to honour his memory.
Seedlings along the Airport Parkway: The Airport Parkway, at the rear of Plante Drive and Cromwell Drive was reforested with seedlings to replace the ash trees. The City's contractor will be applying a rodent repellant to the seedlings this week.
Airport Parkway: The widening has been postponed to 2025 but in the meantime it is in poor shape. He wants to avoid repaving it one year to have it widened the next.
Brent Scollie: Thank you for repaving parts of Avocado and McCarthy.

President's Report
Christine Johnson: It has been an honour to work in our community. Thanks to the councillor Riley Brockington and fellow directors for their support. Membership has definitely increased. At one point there were 65 members. $2047 was raised to sponsor a refugee family but they are still stuck in Lebanon. The community festival - Harmony in Cultures - was a great success. She is proud of the progress made in establishing a community garden. Everyone around the table is making a contribution.

Community Safety Night
Alix Duncan: There will be a presentation by the Police and Fire Department on safety in the community. It will be held on Wednesday, November 15 at the Riverside Churches.

Motion to Amend the Bylaws
Motion: To amend items 4, 15 and 20 of the bylaws as sent to all members. Moved by Peter Brimacombe, seconded by John Sankey, carried.

Election of Board of Directors
John Sankey is the head of the nominating committee.
John Sankey: There is one nomination for President and eight for director. Brian Wade is the nominee for President. Nominations for director are: Sue McCarthy as Vice President, Peter Brimacombe as Secretary, Peter Foulger as Treasurer, John Sankey as Webmaster, Ijeoma Udechuknu as SEOCHC liaison, Dan Kaplansky, Marilyn Koch, Kristy Nystrom.

Motion: Brian Wade be acclaimed as President. Moved by Sue McCarthy, seconded by Ijeoma Udechuknu, carried.

Motion: The eight candidates for director be acclaimed. Moved by Christine Johnson, seconded by Peter Brimacombe, carried.

Brian Wade: He thanked Fadi el Masry for coming to represent John Fraser MPP.
Fadi el Masry: The office is open. Service is offered in four languages: English, French, Arabic and Somali.

Next meeting: Monday December 4 at 17:00.