Save this date: March 19, doors open 6:30 pm so please join us at Montrose Hall, 5920 - 119 Avenue, for an action packed information evening.  7:15 to 8:15 are presentations, questions after, and wine and cheese before and after. FREE EVENT Open to the public and league members of course and be green and bring your own cup.

Eastwood School, located at 12023 – 81 Street, Edmonton, Alberta, offers a Kindergarten and Grades 1 to 6 regular program, Grades 1 to 6 Opportunity Program and Division II Behaviour Learning Assistance Program. The Board of Trustees is considering the closure of all programs accommodated at Eastwood School.

The City has brought all the facility booking staff into one Facility Booking Unit. This includes staff that book the major facility groupings in and around our Multi-Purpose Recreation Centers (Arenas, Pools, Fieldhouses/Flexi-halls, Gymnasiums, and Sportsfields) together with the staff who manage the rentals/bookings in our Attractions (ex. Fort Edmonton, Muttart Conservatory, Valley Zoo)

Board Leadership 2010: All on Board!, is a day-long program of engaging and informative workshops focused on board members of voluntary and non-for-profit organizations. This event will provide a variety of sessions and networking opportunities addressing not-for-profit board fundamentals and new trends.

New side yard and building separation rules proposed for multi-unit housing next to houses. 

The Edmonton Police Service strives to achieve the highest standard of professionalism, from management to service delivery. To meet international requirements, the EPS has voluntarily invited independent assessors from across North America to scrutinize all aspects of the services that we provide. The assessors that will review our services represent the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA). In 1988, Edmonton became the first police servicein Canada to achieve international CALEA accreditation. We encourage you to read more about this forum on April 26, 2010.

SOCIAL MEDIA WORKSHOP

A Transition Initiative is a community working together to look Peak Oil and Climate Change squarely in the eye and address this BIG question:

"for all those aspects of life that this community needs in order to sustain itself and thrive, how do we significantly increase resilience (to mitigate the effects of Peak Oil) and drastically reduce carbon emissions (to mitigate the effects of Climate Change)?"

The EFCL, the City of Edmonton, and the Community Leagues  involved will then meet to discuss the program implementation in Ottewell, Twin Brooks, King Edward Park, Beverly Heights, Woodcroft, and King Edward Park.  The City has released maps of the exact streets impacted and these streets will see reduced speed limits of 40 km/hr by the implementation date of May 1.  Lighten up on the gas pedal! 

See other news article for more information on the process - click read more to see maps

Heartland Transmission Project - If your questions or concerns weren’t addressed at one of the open houses for your area, or you couldn’t attend the meetings you can call the Heaertland Project Team and book an information presentation at your hall.  Or if you are just an individual, you may get your questions answered by the expert in the area of your concern, for example health concerns or aesthetics. 

Community Tennis Volunteer Course Objectives

Once a year, the Waste Management Branch hosts the Master Composter/Recycler Program.  Over a three week course schedule (Tues./Thursday evenings and Saturday) volunteers will learn about environmental stewardship in Edmonton including history of waste management in Edmonton, home composting, household hazardous waste, vermicomposting and residential recycling.  This course offers in-class instruction as well as several field trips to various City facilities.

If your questions or concerns weren’t addressed at one of the open houses for your area, or you couldn’t attend the meetings you can call the Heaertland Project Team and book an information presentation at your hall.

Westend Seniors Activity Centre is holding a symposium on Saturday, March 13th from 8:30 AM - 3:30 PM inviting seniors and their families to learn more about the various concerns and options regarding personal transportation.

Picture a mix between The Amazing Race, Corporate Challenge, City Chase and a GIANT scavenger hunt all rolled into one-- with a focus on building our neighbourhoods and communities.

Do you Qualify to Issue Tax Receipts for Donations Through the City of Edmonton?

Public interest in climate change and energy, the economy and the environment have prompted considerable innovation and enterprise for commercializing clean technologies and sustainable communities. (whether the results of Copenhagen will contribute to fusing or fragmenting, frustrating or financing, the various initiatives, we’ll know better in the coming weeks). The Alberta Council of Technologies and the AB Chapter— Canadian Green Building Council, propose the following forums for the purpose of helping define the status of clean technologies in Alberta and advancing their commercialization.

 Community League Board Members arrived in hoards as we opened and from the comments they got what they came for.  Many popped by the EFCL booth to thank us for in one place bringing them together with so many contacts relevant to league operations.  Photo courtesy of David Dodge, EFCL Vice President

One of the City’s key projects in 2010 is the new southwest recreation centre, which will advance City Council’s goal of Edmonton becoming one of Canada’s most livable cities. The centre will be a place where people of all ages and abilities can gather to learn, exercise, relax, meet and have fun. Here’s an update on the project:

Please note that Edmonton City Council recently approved a two-year extension to the standard license agreement most community leagues have signed with the City of Edmonton.

 Same discounts - some changes to accessibility.

Hazeldean, Argyll, & Ritchie have had a wonderful soccer program over the last several years which kept 150 kids in play! Organized by Hazeldean until now, they have been unsuccessful in recruiting a program coordinator this year.  We are hoping to find someone new to take on this rewarding opportunity. 

It’s a question every driver asks themselves at some point — how do you drive around a traffic circle?

Host a Jim Dier's Community Engagement Workshop in your community.  Find out how . . .

Take advantage of mass media that are willing to promote community activities.  Find out how to get your free advertising!

 It’s interesting to see how our “living local” idea is picking up steam. No sooner does the EFCL start talking about a campaign that encourages people to find activities close to home – such as community league events – and all sorts of groups want to get involved.

WANTED: Leagues Willing to Have Money Deposited Into their Bank

Seniors are a largely untapped resource.  Through a partnership with and existing Seniors Association, Steele Heights transformed its community hall.

The Green Challenge hosted an information evening on November 21 at Riverdale Hall. The conversation and idea sharing flowed along with the wine among the 62 attendees, and two more leagues signed up for the challenge now bringing the total of Leagues that have made a commitment to lowering their carbon footprint to 42!  

Members who sit on community league boards are generally motivated by a sense of service and commitment to the community. Unfortunately, good intentions and altruistic motives are not enough to protect directors from personal liability. Set out below are the main areas in which a director may attract personal liability with the goal that knowledge of the legal responsibilities placed on directors leads to stronger and better boards, which in turn leads to more vibrant and successful community leagues.

The shouts echoed throughout the city last week for Jim Diers, author and former Director of the City of Seattle's Department of Neighbourhoods, and his enthusiastic presentation about how to make your community vision a reality. Jim was brought to town by the City of Edmonton in an effort to kickstart the new initiatives being brought forward this year through the City of Edmonton. Participants were given an opportunity to hear from Jim firsthand about some of the successes he has encountered as he described how the solution to community revitalization isn't just throwing money at the problems, but people; people are the solution

On September 21 the EFCL arranged a meeting to discuss the new model and its impact on leagues historic times and pool facilities they are currently using.

You will want to read the “Integrated Transit and Land Use Framework” if your neighbourhood is within 800 meters of an existing or proposed LRT Station. This Framework was brought forward as information to Executive Committee of Council on November 3^rd, and will be brought to Council with Zoning Bylaw amendments for consideration in 2010.   The land use changes may impact your neighbourhood long before you see an LRT station.

Volunteers stand up for your board for the most part because they have a genuine interest in making the community a better place. Nothing deflates the motivation faster than no results. Are board meetings boring or worse yet a constant arguing match? Is one person making it difficult for the lot of you to get anything done? There are a number of definite signs that a board could use guidance or mediation and oftentimes simple preventative measures can stave conflict and be exactly what a board needs to keep itself functioning and healthy. There are several key repetitive problems among not-for-profits and there are tools to prevent problems or deal with a board that is encountering any of these problems.

 Become an EFCL Representative on the Oil & Gas Working Group. Bring a citizen’s perspective to the group which advises the City on oil and gas issues and makes recommendations on safe urban development practices adjacent to oil and gas facilities.  For more information contact Bev Zubot at EFCL.   780 437-2913

In memory of our past board member Edo Nyland, the EFCL Board has voted to approve $2000 worth of scholarships to pay half of the tuition for community league members to become certified through the Planning Academy workshops. 

 The Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues has asked the province to leave the disbursement of casino revenue alone, as changes are neither justified nor required.  In a letter to the Solicitor General Fred Lindsay, the EFCL stated that there are a number of good reasons for keeping the current system intact.

HOW DOES MY LEAGUE GET PROMOTED ON TV? At our Volunteer event we headlined two of the wonderful Shaw League Features whose subjects were selected from last year’s winners. Again this year, Shaw will be sending crews to film these amazing heroes and their projects in the community.  Additional coverage includes CBC Interviews with volunteers, and calendars in the Examiner and televised on SHAW. 

Better seats than ticket master at group discounts.  All Oilers tickets purchased with the NEW promotion

The City of Edmonton wants you to invite friends, neighbours or members of your service organization to your home, a coffee shop or any comfortable gathering place and talk about how people services can help make Edmonton one of Canada’s most livable cities

UPDATE YOUR EVENTS IN THE EFCL.ORG CALENDAR –

There was never a better time to get on board with posting your league activities in our calendar.   At our RGM on October 19, we announced the expansion of the SHAW TV NEWS to include listing community league events. They are also expanding their coverage in their news pieces they have been doing once a month for the past year.  Joining them are CBC and WinterLight Festival . . .

Evansdale President & EFCL Vice President, David Dodge with daughter Jenna are the captains of the game for the coin toss at center field.  The rest of the EFCL Team had great fun tossing footballs  at Community League Game Day with the Eskimos on October 9th

Front Yards in Bloom and Community Leagues a Winning Combination.

n September 22^nd 2009 in an effort to raise the profile of the EFCL office (7103 105^th Street beside the tennis courts) the EFCL hosted an open house for all of our community league presidents, partner organizations and partners with the city.

The City of Edmonton once again invites residents and neighbourhood leaders to its Planning Academy – a series of courses in land use planning, transportation planning and urban design.

 The Crowds turned up from over 10 different leagues around the City to enjoy the sunny day and cheer Mayor Mandel on as he kicked for Community Leagues. 

For the first time the Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues partnered with the Heritage Festival and hosted the “EFCL Rest Centre”- a pavilion that provided shelter from the elements and fun activities for children of all ages

Our own Michael Janz joined a Community Patrol for an evening and found amazing volunteer program effective in crime reduction.

City council’s transportation and Public Works Committee is reviewing the idea of reducing speed limits on residential roads and has asked the city administration to consult the public. EFCL has been asked for its input by the city’s traffic safety branch.

Let’s join Aboriginal community and elders, listen and share their stories - stories of the past; the stories of relationship and harmony. Let’s learn lessons from these stories. Weaving the lessons of the past into the future ensures that Aboriginal people traditions will continue to be a large part of Canadian culture. Let us take this opportunity to understand and share Aboriginal culture and learn the beauty and wisdom that makes Aboriginal people special.

Kick one through the uprights with Mayor Mandel who will open this great social and media event to launch the Annual Community League Membership Campaign

The Winter Light festival supports the active spirit and spirited activities that thrive in Edmonton. Silver Skate, Ice on Whyte, and Deep Freeze are just a few of the highlights of our 10 week winter season. These events will ignite a new perspective on Edmonton’s winter spirit and festival culture: a bright string of community gatherings and celebrations – welcoming, all-ages events that invite us to meet winter’s challenges with creativity and joy.

To address the issue of funding, on June 22, Community Leagues, Tennis Alberta, Tennis Edmonton gathered at EFCL Central Office for a meeting to seek City’s, Provincial and or Federal funding to refurbish our community courts.

Canada Day prize winner, Shayne Daly of Lee Ridge, holds up is Edmonton Eskimo autographed football won from the EFCL booth at Mill Woods' celebration.

This project could radically change what you see from your yard.  Epcor communicated with whom they considered key leagues effected by the Heartland transmission lines project to receive community feedback. The proposed Heartland Transmission Project (the Project) involves the construction of a high voltage transmission line, which will connect the Heartland region (northeast of Fort Saskatchewan) to existing transmission facilities either west of Edmonton or in southern Edmonton. AltaLink and EPCOR, the Heartland Project Team, are working together in the project’s development.   

Reymund Palpal-latoc of Central McDougall Community League believes small actions can accumulate to make a big difference for the better.

The Heartland Project Team would like to provide your community with information on the Proposed Heartland Transmission Project and receive your community's feedback. 

The EFCL & the City of Edmonton formally released the Community League Resource Guide at EFCL’s Annual General Meeting.

The EFCL is pleased to announce that it has selected Edmonton-based RMRF (Reynolds Mirth Richards and Farmer) as its legal advisor for the next three years. The firm will also be recommended supplier to the federation‘s 149 member leagues over the three-year term of the contract.

Low-rise apartments, the 3 or 4 storey “walk-ups” which can be found in nearly every community, may be a dying breed if proposed low-rise apartment regulations are adopted by City Council.    Proposed Bylaw 15178 would allow extensive increases in density and building mass, and would relax parking requirements for low-rise apartment developments which provide underground parking and are located on a transit route. 

The City of Edmonton is working with Boyle Street Community League, the YMCA and the Inner City Youth Development Association (ICYDA) on a major redevelopment of the community league hall and park site at 104 Avenue and 95 Street.

Do you remember the homes which fell down the river bank? Have you ever tried to visit a ravine area and couldn’t get past the row of houses? Hopefully these problems are a thing of the past in new development areas. The City is once again attempting to create a Top of Bank (TOB) policy which would regulate developments at the top of river and ravine valley banks.

The City is considering lowering the speed limit on our community’s roads. Historically EFCL supported lowering the speed limit and is working with Traffic Safety on the issue

Two volunteers from the neighbouring communities have worked for decades to see their communities’ vision for a new commuter route through McKernan / Belgravia, come to life.

The beautiful state-of-the-art station includes a tunnel under 114^th Street to provide safe access for residents and students from McKernan elementary and junior high. The tunnel has security cameras and telephones for safety while walking underground.

John Logan of Bonnie Doon Community League has been awarded the prestiguous Lieutenant Governor’s Leadership for Active Communities Award.  This award was founded  to recognize teams and individuals who “create places, spaces and opportunities for people to be active and engaged in their communities, using recreation as a catalyst.

Traffic Safety is a priority with Leagues. EFCL is working with traffic safety initiatives to reduce community accidents.  Let us know what you are thinking.

The first of 10 video shorts that will highlight the Local Motion demonstration project and the journey of one neighbourhood - Parkallen is now available for viewing online.

As a step in this direction, the City of Edmonton is launching a new "learn and serve" program for Edmontonians who are interested in learning more about ecology and naturalization in our city, and being involved in the stewardship of local natural areas.

The EFCL Street Team will be a group of volunteers that help identify recruitment opportunities and help encourage other Edmontonians to get involved in their city! We will be meeting once a month until our membership campaign kick-off in September

In the conference, Engaging Community Dialogue, an open forum was of a great interest to the community representatives. The theme was Traffic Safety in our Communities. The forum was designed to engage community dialogue. Guest speaker Ian Walker, PhD; Psychology Department, University of Bath, U k, identified and discussed three main issues: Speeding, too much driving, and people make mistakes.

Traffic safety is major issue to our communities. It is a shared responsibility of community and transportation department to ensure the roads are safe for all.  Two pilot programs have shown remarkable success

Since the late 1980s, the City has been making 90 minutes per week of public skating in City arenas available to community leagues at the regular rental rates. The city is asking for booking and registration. If you were not aware the details on how to apply are in this article.

Shaw TV is working together to present monthly special features highlighting outstanding community people and projects. 

It gives me great pleasure to introduce four new staff members at the EFCL.   Three of the people (two full-time and one part-time) are new positions, which will definitely help us improve our service to the leagues. 

We need your perspective and insight into a 10 Year Plan on Community Safety. We need your thoughtful feedback to create an actionable plan that will result in a city where all Edmontonians feel and are safe and where citizens, organizations and government work together to create a connected, caring community.

The EFCL is looking forward to the creation of a new tripartite license agreement that governs the way community leagues are able to use city land and the facilities the leagues have constructed.

Some time ago the leagues were asked to participate in a survey that was intended to draw results on issues, concerns, and roles of leagues, EFCL’s role and support methods, preferred methods of communication and engagement. The results have been tallied and the final report is online.

Now is the time for your community to test the Residential Infill Guidelines for Mature Neighbourhoods. Your feedback is needed before the Guidelines go to City Council for approval as early as June 2009

The goal of the City’s Municipal Development Plan is to achieve higher density housing in Edmonton, primarily through infill developments in Mature Neighbourhoods, Downtown and at premium transit locations.   Rezoning for multi-unit housing will occur in every Mature Neighbourhood, but few communities will get a new Neighbourhood Redevelopment Plan

EFCL , and ultimately City Council, needs feedback from Community Leagues on two of the most significant documents for Edmonton’s future – a new Municipal Development Plan (MDP) Bylaw 15100  and new Transportation System Bylaw 15101

It is being proposed the Sunday afternoon Community League Swim at Grand Trunk  be moved to O'Leary Leisure Centre during Grand Trunk's shut down

 Last year’s launch of Graffiti Wipe Outs was such a hit that Capital City Clean Up’s Graffiti Management Program (GMP) hopes to help even more non-profit groups “clean up” this year.

Several sources of funding are available for retrofits and upgrades toimprove energy efficiency and to go green.  Join the World Green Movement!

A Neighbourhood Watch program will reward your participation by making your neighbourhood safer. It is statistically proven that Neighbourhood Watches are effective crime prevention tools.  Starting a program is easy and guided.

Safe Edmonton wants you to nominate your good neighbor to be recognized at a celebration.

On February 2^nd, Edmonton City Council passed Bylaw 15036 which relaxes rules governing secondary suites, and allows garage and garden suites which you may want to keep a close watch on.

The City of Edmonton Office of Environment and Energy invites you to be our partner in our “Go Green! It’s Our Nature” campaign and proudly display our counter-top brochure stand at your Community League.

The Mediation and Restorative Justice Centre (MRJC) has opened its doors to Edmonton’s 149 community leagues. The centre is offering mediation services - free of charge – to leagues that find themselves tangled in energy-draining disputes. The service is a key part of a memorandum of agreement struck between the centre and the EFCL last month.

Hockey Moms & Dads turned hockey registrars have remained loyal to the concept of Community by still requiring a community league membership to participate in EMHA hockey. Joining the bandwagon this year is the Knights of Columbus who procured over $10,000 in membership sales.

Most community leagues would like to see another promotion with the Edmonton Eskimos and a strong majority support the inclusion of paid advertising on the EFCL’s website and newsletter, according to feedback received from representatives attending the Oct. Regular General Meeting.

Edmonton City Council has postponed a decision on the relaxation of rules governing secondary suites, partially in response to concerns raised by the EFCL.

The EFCL has approved a new policy that determines the role of the EFCL and that of its member leagues when it comes to presenting policy positions to various levels of government. The policy was passed by the EFCL board at its Oct. 9 meeting and the membership at the Regular General Meeting on Oct. 18.

EFCL Director, Allan Bolstad comments on EFCL upcoming activities.

The articles are in our news, or you can view them in a pdf newsletter format.  Enjoy news on everything from budget, to infrastructure, to treasurer training, to spring flowers. . .

Because Sportball is non competitive it allows kids to really enjoy sports and physical activity without the pressures sports can add.

The Edmonton Federation of Community is taking applications for Phase Two of its infrastructure assessment program.  Similar to Phase One, the program is designed to review the structural condition and energy efficiency of community league halls.

To help the city have insight into the volunteers that make up the richness of growing neighborhoods, Shaw Cable has approached EFCL to interview outstanding volunteers over the course of the next year as a source for a series of community league highlight spots on their news channel.   Eastwood is our first featured league.

Since being launched October 1, the Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods Unit (SCAN) has received more than 150 complaints about problem properties and has successfully resolved 56 of those complaints.

Are you a senior who is fearful of the onset of winter because you don’t know how you’re going to manage once the snow hits? Keeping walks free from snow is also important to help prevent falls.

The Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues has launched Phase Two of the hall assessment program.  Following in the footsteps of Phase One, the audit will provide each league with information about the state of their hall, the cost to maintain and repair it in the future, along with a number of energy conservation tips.  

FREE MONEY!  Don't Miss Out on Information including available funding, development in your neighborhood, volunteer & team building, & more!  Update EFCL with your contact information NOW!

Since 2006 the City’s Planning and Development Department has been designing new rules for how future change will happen in our neighbourhoods.  Under the heading of Smart Choices, the Department is defining what kinds of “infill” housing, ranging from single family homes on much smaller lots to high rise apartments in large projects, will be allowed to replace existing housing in Edmonton’s communities. UPDATED ARTICLE

An opportunity now exists for community leagues to let Edmontonians know about their accomplishments and activities through the Examiner’s new UR Edmonton website. Individuals can register on UR Edmonton, then start posting meeting schedules and sports registration dates, articles on community events, blogs on issues facing communities and photos of community leagues in action.  It’s also a great way to win up to $2,000 for your community league. 

Community Leagues highlighted at Eskimo Game on October 4th.

It is with great excitement that the City of Edmonton is taking the first steps towards creating a unique EcoMobility project in June of 2009.  We are looking for your help in getting the word out.   The City of Edmonton is looking for one community  to co-host the EcoMobility pilot project in June of 2009, as part of the ICLEI World Congress (Local Governments For Sustainability) in Edmonton. 

Zoning Bylaw Text Amendments for Platform Structures.

080725 Memo re Zoning Bylaw Amendments for Household and Dwelling Definitions

City proposes ammendments to zoning bylaws concerning secondary suites and occupancy of dwellings, houses.

The Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues, and the City of Edmonton have joined together to assist community groups who were unsuccessful in receiving STEP grant funding for their summer programs. There were 12 community groups that indicated their summer programs would not proceed as planned after not receiving a STEP grant.

The study titled Community Report on Restrictive Covenants on Supermarket Sites in Edmonton hypothesized that the closure of supermarkets, coupled with the prohibition of any other operating store on the sites, may have negative consequences for local residents’ access to healthy food and for the overall quality of the community.

On December 12, 2007, City Council passed a new Zoning Bylaw to significantly change the development rules for secondary suites in single family homes and in detached garages.  This bylaw is one of several changes expected to the way Edmonton plans and regulates land use ...