2021 Annual General Meeting

Overview of our meeting from February 18, 2021

Opening Remarks

Jane Phillips, President, opened the meeting with a Land Acknowledgement. She then provided general comments, before introducing our guest speaker Councillor Demerla.

Councillor, Dipika Damerla

The Councillor provided an update on various projects and City initiatives (completed and current) that impact our Village and surrounding neighbourhoods:

There is a project underway that will reduce speed limits in various residential neighbourhoods, including Erindale Village from 50 to 40 km/hr.
Street signs have the new Heritage designation on them
The road resurfacing and new curbs were completed in 2020
Community gardens are being planned in several areas of the City.
The Councillor also stated that the Piatto building is a “Listed Heritage” property vs “Designated Heritage”. Therefore, if the EV Royale Developer meets all the City requirements, they can go ahead with their project.

President's Message

After Councillor Demerla, Jane Phillips shared how the Village is managing through the COVID 19 pandemic. While we were not able to hold some of our regular events, the ones we had were a great success. The Luminaries and Christmas Carolling was very well received and will become an annual event.

Thank You signs have been placed in several locations and have received an enthusiastic response from many Villagers. Jane expressed her appreciation to all residents of the Village for their support during this challenging time.

Financial Update

David Lawton, Treasurer, presented the Financial Statement for 2020, which showed the Association is in a good financial position.

Our net income was significantly higher than the previous year due to the absence of Village events. David expressed reassurance that, once we are able to resume social activities, the Association has the funds to support Village events.

Membership Update

Celia Desmond and Ved Sharma, Membership Directors, presented an overview on the 2020 Membership campaign. Celia shared that 84% of eligible households joined the Association. The new Directory was distributed to all residents of the Village in the fall.

The Board expressed their appreciation to Larry and Lisa Kendall for their generosity in donating the printing of the Directory.

Communications Report

Aaron Wouters, Communications Director provided the following updates.

NextDoor

Nextdoor is a social networking hub for neighbourhoods to exchange helpful information. Erindale Village has 115 of our residents participating. Please reach out if you would like an invitation to join Nextdoor if have not yet done so.

The EVA website is very robust, and has a wealth of useful information. Aaron encouraged all members to take advantage of the site, and to check it regularly for any updates and new information being added.

Village Streets

The city completed the re-design and construction for the Dundas Street retaining wall (just east of Jarvis Street) in 2020.

Resurfacing of all streets in the village (except Mindemoya) was carried out in 2020. In addition, the Low Impact Development storm water management solution for the ditches along Proudfoot Street was also completed in 2020.

Road Work

New Curbs

In Progress

Road Work

1/3

Land Development Update

David MacRae, City Liaison Director presented an overview of the EV Royale / LPAT decision. He shared details of how the hearing went, the subsequent decision by LPAT in favour of the Developer, the City’s request for a review of the decision, and the Conflict of Interest complaint that the Board launched.

The Board will continue to defend the interests of the Village if this project proceeds.

Finally, David shared that the application by The Erindale Academy meets the City bylaws for that property, so their application will likely proceed.

Governance Update

Dan Giampuzzi, Director at large, and head of the Committee to amend and update our Constitution and By-Laws (a motion approved at the 2020 AGM) gave a brief overview of the work he and his team did.

The Board was very supportive of the changes and unanimously ratified the new Constitution at the January 11, 2021 Director’s meeting.

A motion was tabled and approved to accept the updated Constitution and By-Laws. Please see the Governance page for more information.

Motions

Resolution # 1 – Approval of Agenda

Motion to approve the Agenda for the AGM

Motion passed unanimously

Resolution # 2 – Approval of 2020 AGM Minutes

Motion to approve the minutes of the last AGM held on February 20, 2020

Motion passed unanimously

Resolution # 3 – Dispensation of Financial Audit

WHEREAS the corporation is required by law to have a financial audit or formal review of finances. The budget of the EVA is very small and the cost of an audit would exceed the available funds. While the Board is willing to attest to the accuracy of the financial statements;

BE IT RESOLVED, that the membership has agreed to dispense with the requirement for a financial audit of the 2020 financial statements.

Motion passed unanimously

Resolution # 4 – Support of Conservation Authorities

WHEREAS the Erindale Village Association represents a community of over 130 residences and is committed to planning for a sustainable future for its environment;

AND WHEREAS the residents and members of the Erindale Village Association value the role of Conservation Authorities and in particular the Credit Valley Conservation’s role in protecting and managing the local environment;

AND WHEREAS the residents and members of the Erindale Village Association support a science-based watershed information approach towards steering development to appropriate places where it will not harm the environment or create risks to people and property.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:

That the Erindale Village Association strongly opposes the changes to the Conservation Authorities Act set out in Schedule 6 of Bill 229 that curtails the role of Conservation Authorities in watershed planning and management. These changes reduce or constrain the mandate of Conservation Authorities, and are therefore contradictory to the interests of the people of Ontario who are facing enormous risks and costs as a result of climate change and ongoing biodiversity loss. The roles and responsibilities of Conservation Authorities are critical in protecting the lands, waters and wildlife which benefit businesses and communities across Ontario, and upon which our health and well-being ultimately depend.

We respectfully ask that as a result of our concerns:

the Province of Ontario repeal Schedule 6 of the Budget Measures Act (Bill 229)
the Province continue to work with conservation authorities to find workable solutions to reduce red tape and create conditions for growth
the Province respect the current conservation authority/municipal relationships
the Province embrace their long-standing partnership with the conservation authorities and provide them with the tools and financial resources they need to effectively implement their watershed management role

AND THAT this resolution be forwarded to the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks, Premier Doug Ford, MPP Rudy Cuzzeto, Mayor Bonnie Crombie, Councillor Karen Ras, and Councillor Dipika Damerla.

Motion passed unanimously

A copy of the letter sent can be found here.

Resolution # 5 – Amendments to the EVA Constitution

WHEREAS, the Erindale Village Association (EVA), is a nonprofit organization formed to represent the interests of its members and is governed by its Constitution;

WHEREAS, the EVA Board of Directors formed a committee to update the current Constitution;

WHEREAS, the EVA Board of Directors has reviewed the update to the current Constitution and is satisfied that it is in a form that can be ratified by the membership and is effective as of the date of this AGM;

WHEREAS a summary of the proposed changes was circulated to all members as part of the AGM package;

BE IT RESOLVED, that the EVA Membership has ratified the updated Constitution and has made it effective as of the date of this AGM.

Motion passed unanimously

More information on the updated Constitution and By-Laws can be found here.

Resolution # 6 – Election of Members to the Board of Directors

Our by-laws allow us to have 12 board members. In the updated Constitution the board will transition from a three year staggered rotation to a two year staggered rotation of terms.

In order to facilitate this transition, current board members will resign and stand for re-election for either a two year term or a one year term. Henceforth members will generally be elected for two year terms to maintain this rotation.

The Board members willing to stand for election again are:

2-Year Term

Jane Phillips
Allen Hallis
David MacRae
Celia Desmond
Ved Sharma

1-Year Term

Mike Manrique
David Lawton
Rishi Tibriwal
Aaron Wouters
Janet Miazga

There are two vacancies remaining: one for a two-year term and one for a one-year term.

Motion passed unanimously to vote members onto the board as a slate.

More information on the Directors can be found here.

Ideas for Virtual
Community Activities

The Board canvassed for ideas for Virtual Events and presented a list of possibilities. Members were asked to rank their interest and preferences by voting. Recipe Sharing, Coffee Chat, and Trivia were the clear winners.