General Meeting – 28 March 2013

GREENSPACE ALLIANCE OF CANADA’S CAPITAL

Greenspace Watch

General Meeting

March 28, 2013

Hintonburg Community Centre

1064 Wellington Street West

K1Y 2Y3

Present: Amy Kempster (chair), Erwin Dreessen, and Juan Pedro Unger, Elina Elnione (note taker), Sol Shuster and Lorne Peterson
Regrets: Martin Callsen and Jason Kania
The meeting commenced at 7:30 p.m.

  1. Changes to Agenda: Urban Lands Study, National Wildlife Week added.
     
  2. Administration items
    1. Minutes of February 28, 2013
      Erwin moved, seconded by Amy, to approve the Minutes of February 28 as circulated. Approved.
    2. Treasurer’s report
      Erwin moved, seconded by Juan, to pay $33.90 for printing expenses for handouts at a community meeting on the Emerald Ash Borer and trees in general hosted by Ecology Ottawa and Kanata Lakes Community Association. Approved.
    3. Date of the AGM
      AGM meeting will be held on May 23, 2013. Notice of AGM will be sent at the beginning of May. Amy suggested we should start thinking of a Nominations Committee. Amy will write Annual Yearly Report, Elina will provide some help with it.

     

  3. Business arising from Minutes
    1. Lower Rideau Sub-watershed Report
      Amy will write up possible contributions on behalf of the Alliance.
    2. Ottawa Environment Conference
      The first conference is expected to be held on June 15. More information to follow.
    3. Emerald Ash Borer
      This is likely the final year that some Ash trees can be saved. The Ottawa Forests group met on March 20th and will meet again on April 3rd. Key conclusion from the former meeting was that, before taking action this spring and summer, “lessons learnt” should be clearly set out from last year’s EAB activities. Ottawa Forests is looking at the EAB issue on a larger scale in light of the possibility of other insects coming along. Discussion and action plan should be developed on how to respond to invasive species.

     

  4. Greenhouse Gas Roundtable
    It was concluded that this round table gave very little opportunity for citizen input.
     
  5. Ecological Linkages Workshop
    The meeting on March 27 informed of methods that the City will use for designating ecological linkages. The methodology is based on GIS layers over geographical maps. Results will be incorporated in Schedules L1, L2 and L3, triggering a requirement for an Environmental Impact Statement. This GIS work will be done by mid-May.
     
  6. Ecological Linkages Panel Discussion
    The event will be held on June 8th at the Hintonburg Community Centre.
     
  7. Country Lot Estates
    We have been told that the Alliance is the only organization so far that has expressed support for the City’s proposal to prohibit new CLEs. If there is not more support expressed staff may drop the proposal. Members should actively promote this cause and encourage people to send letters to the City.
     
  8. NCC Urban Lands Master Plan
    Amy will contact the representatives in order to ask how we can get involved with the NCC Urban Lands Study.
     
  9. National Wildlife Week
    Sol will register and get more information. Amy will be there in the morning. We need someone to be there between 1-4:30. An invitation to come to this event will be posted to the list.
      

The meeting adjourned at 9:30 p.m. 
Next meeting will be at the Hintonburg CC on Thursday, April 25, 2013, at 7:15 p.m.