Ontario Horticultural Association, District 2 Fall Advisory Council Meeting FINAL MINUTES November 2, 2013, 9:30 am 3:30 pm

Transcription

1 Ontario Horticultural Association, District 2 Fall Advisory Council Meeting FINAL MINUTES November 2, 2013, 9:30 am 3:30 pm Location: St. Paul s Anglican Church, 20 Young Road, Kanata, ON Host: Greater Ottawa Water Garden & H.S. 1. The meeting was called to order at 9:30 am, Kathryn Lindsay thanked our host the Greater Ottawa Water Garden & H.S. 2. District Director Kathryn Lindsay welcomed the Presidents, Secretaries or their alternates and guest Pat Stachon, D1 Director 3. Minutes to be recorded by D2 Interim Secretary, Jocelyne Laframboise 4. MOTION: Moved by Marion Thompson, seconded by Judy Sauvé to appoint Joanne Jackson, Assistant Director for the Upper Ottawa Valley basin. Carried 5. Roll Call of Societies: 2 Almonte 2 Kanata March 2 Pakenham 3 Beachburg 1 Kemptville 2 Pembroke 2 Carleton Place 1 Madawaska Valley 2 Perth 2 Deep River 2 Manotick 0 Petawawa 2 Eganville 3 Nepean 2 Smiths Falls 4 Gloucester 3 Ottawa 1 Stittsville-Goulbourn 5 Greater Ottawa Water Garden 3 OV Rock Garden 2 West Carleton District Director: Kathryn Lindsay Past District Director: Jeff Blackadar Assistant District Directors: Linda Bartlett, Jocelyne Laframboise, Candace Dressler, Joanne Jackson Treasurer: Karen Haddon Interim Secretary: Jocelyne Laframboise Icebreaker: Kathryn introduced an activity to facilitate interaction during the day and to end the meeting. Everyone was encouraged to Share your 2013 garden success 6. Approval of Agenda: as presented MOTION: Moved by Madeleine Archer, seconded by Penny Horeczy. Carried 7. Circulation Items: The following documents were circulated to review/revise: District 2 Contact, Speakers and Attendance lists.

2 8. Approval of minutes of 2013 D2 Spring Advisory Meeting: Amend the minutes to include in New Business Redistribution of D1/D2 boundaries. Kathryn Lindsay will prepare a report outlining options and their impacts for presentation at the Fall Advisory Council Meeting. It was moved by Penny Horeczy and seconded by Zandra Bainas to approved the minutes as amended. Carried Other amendments to previous minutes were proposed under this item. Their resolutions have been reflected Other Business. 9. D2 Executive Reports: a. Secretary Correspondence - Mary Harris passed away on October 12, she was a long time member and a past president of the Manotick Horticultural Society, past Director of District 2 (Eastern Ontario Area) and a past member of the Provincial Board of OHA and winner of the Trillium Award, the highest honour of the Ontario Horticultural Society. She was a champion flower arranger and a certified OHA Horticultural and Floral Design Judge. In her memory D2 will make a donation to the OHA In Memorium Fund, and the Manotick Horticultural Society will be planting a linden tree in A.Y. Jackson Park in Manotick on Monday the 7 th of November at 10 am, a commemoration plaque will be installed in the spring of b. Treasurer 2014 Proposed D2 Budget incl. D2 AGM Budget - Karen reviewed the interim 2013 actual vs. proposed 2014 budget. Every year, the D2 operates at a deficit. YTD we are showing a profit mainly from the AGM proceeds. We re also in the process of transferring our assets to a new account at the TD Canada Trust. Discussions on whether or not and how to use the funds now in GIC was deemed premature because of the possible D1/D2 Society redistribution. MOTION: Moved by David Sissing, seconded by Lani Holland to re-invest the maturing $5, into a 1 year 1.6%. Carried A motion to accept the Treasurer s report was missed; will need to be handled at the Spring Advisory Council meeting Sidebar: A question was raised during the treasurer s report regarding a motion on the Botanical Garden support. The following information is from October 23, 2010 (but still need to verify this). Motion - Moved by Maureen Mark, seconded by Sheila King that District 2 pay on an ongoing basis the associate membership fee, $50/year for the Ottawa Botanical Garden Society to become an associate member of the OHA. Carried Opposed (1) c. Director s report - OHA bulb fundraiser: Concern was shared about the quality of at least some of the bulbs - OHA 2013 Convention: Election - Jeff Blackadar moved up to 1 st Vice-President, which means that next year he will be OHA President Competitions A thank you to D2 participants in the OHA competitions and congratulations to our winners Judges Updates: - A Judging committee is being established as part of the OHA Board. At the District level, coordination for judging matters is required. At this time, it will be handled by judges on the D2 Executive who will coordinate the necessary activities as required

3 - OHA Fall Board Meeting: - The OHA 2012 Annual Report is are available on line; a hardcopy was available for each D2 Society - D1/D2 boundary Proposal to extend D1 boundary to include Gloucester, Kemptville, Manotick, Nepean, Ottawa and OV Rock Garden. Based on 2012 statistics: D1 will increase from 7 to 13 societies (780 to 1478 members) D2 will decrease from 21 to 15 Societies (2246 to 1548 members) A map was provided to indicate proposed new boundaries. Discussions on many interesting points were brought forward. See Attachment A to review the Q&A on revising the district boundaries. Pat Stachon, District 1 Director was asked to speak regarding the redistribution. Discussions in the D1 have been secondary consideration so far, in part because the District is small and fully occupied with 2014 Convention hosting planning. She was excited to promote the 2014 OHA Convention in Cornwall on July Pat talked about the planned activities, tours and interesting things to see and do in Cornwall. D2 offered her our help with this event. - Scheduling D2 Executives to attend Society AGMs 10. D2 Committee Reports: a. District 2 Communiqué, Linda Bartlett - The D2 Communiqué is sent out on an as required basis to communicate D2 information and events. Information from affiliated organizations may be included but will not be sent out separately. b. D2 Photo Competition, Linda Bartlett - The 2014 photo competition schedule was presented and distributed, c. Judges Update, Kathryn Lindsay - A Judging update was held on September 28 th, 32 judges attended from D1, D2 and D3, there are 38 judges in D2. There have been changes to the OHA re-certification form; it is available on line. A survey on judges/speakers fee across the district was referred to the board level. The next judging update TBD d. Junior Gardening, Jocelyne Laframboise - A D2 Junior/Youth Program Grant is available to Societies with an active junior program. A form is being sent out with the next D2 Communiqué. Complete and return to Karen Haddon by December 1, Don t forget to apply if your society qualifies for the grant. An OHA Junior Grant is also available; for information go to

4 e. Loblaws, Jocelyne Laframboise - The D cash donations from Loblaws for Societies on behalf of their member s employment as Horticultural Specialists in the company s garden centres will be mailed shortly. If you do not receive your cheque by the end of the year, please contact Steve Rahm, , Coordinator for District 2. Societies receiving the donations are Ottawa, Nepean, Manotick, Kanata-March, Gloucester, OV Rock Garden and Greater Ottawa Water Garden Horticultural Societies. Anyone interested in seeking employment (Thursday to Sunday during May June) as Horticultural Specialist in Loblaws garden centres should contact Steve Rahm. f. D2 & Society Web Sites, Jeff Blackadar/Candace Dressler: - Jeff discussed elimination of OHA fees and now unlimited space allocation on the web site. He demonstrated how easy it is to fill out our annual reports on line and the ease of consolidating the information to produce timely and accurate reports. - At the Society level, Candace will offer hands-on assistance to set up and maintain a Society web site. A mini workshop was held during the ``Knowledge Café`` 11. Other Business: a. An amendment was proposed to change a reference of 10,000 books to $10, worth of books. As this would effect previously approved minutes from the Fall Advisory Council Meeting, October 27 th, 2012 MOTION: It was moved by Brenda Knight and seconded by Cheryl Kydd to approve the previous minutes as amended. Carried b. The noted spelling error to Sandy Yves s name in the 2013 AGM minutes will be corrected. 12. District Events: - District Events were reviewed keeping in mind the impact of the D1/D2 boundary redistribution will have on the event location. a. Spring Advisory/District AGM - District 2 Award: How to choose a competition for the award this was discussed at one of the `Knowledge Café`` topics 2014 Perth April 5,- David Archer discussed highlights of the AGM, details will soon be available Pembroke/Petawawa acceptance received in Jan Almonte/Pakenham? b. Fall Advisory Meeting 2014 Carleton Place - update 2015 Madawaska Valley acceptance received in November 2016 Stittsville-Goulbourn? c. District Flower & Edibles Show 2014 West Carleton/Kanata March- August 16 - update 2015 Nepean/OV Rock Garden - update 2016 Gloucester/Kemptville? d. District 2 Fun Day 2014 Volunteer(s)?

5 13. OHA-related Business: Convention 2014 D1 Jul 18-20, NavCentre, Cornwall; D2 volunteers 2015 D6 (Brant, Halton, Norfolk, Wentworth, Hamilton) 2016 D19 (Waterloo) Trillium newsletter editor: The OHA is currently seeking a new editor for the organization s quarterly newsletter Reporting - web gateway demonstration, Jeff Blackadar: Jeff walked us through a demonstration on how to access, update and maintain accurate information on the web site. Treasurer Liability Insurance: Update Late in 2013, the OHA secured a new insurer who will be providing $5,000 of financial liability coverage to a Society that is a member in good standing with the OHA. Extra insurance can be purchased. Service awards: Recognition to your members, booklet available on line Grant Applications Submit your application as early as possible in the New Year. For more information go to: o Community gardens o Tree planting o Special projects 14. OMAFRA: Grants are based on your annual reporting due by February 1 o Guidebooks/Reporting: The President s Quick Start Book is a must read for Society executives. A.pdf copy is available at General Information/Roundtable: - A Knowledge Café session was held to enable Society reps to identify and talk together about topics of mutual interest. Topics were (see Attachment B for discussion points): Society membership issues (2 groups) Hosting a D2 Flower & Edibles Show Awarding the D2 Trophy Maintaining your website Permaculture - Most impressive Icebreakers on Gardening Success stories 1) Pembroke received an international award in the Communities in Bloom competition (see article p. 10 in the winter 2013/2014 issue of the OHA newsletter, the Trillium) 2) Madawaska Valley HS created a public education pamphlet and garden of rare, uncommon and interesting native plants (including the Fragile Prickly-Pear cactus) at the Barry s Bay & Area Public Library (see Attachment C) 16. Expression of Appreciation/Adjournment: - Thanks again to Greater Ottawa Water Garden HS for hosting this event and to Society executive reps for making the effort to attend. - Meeting adjourned at 3:30pm

6 APPENDIX A: FAQs on resetting the boundaries between OHA District 1 and 2 There is a proposal to change the boundary between District 1 and District 2 to move the boundary to the west so that some Societies that are currently in District 2 would move to District 1.Where District 1 is small in size and number of Societies (7 Societies) and District 2 is much larger (21 Societies) this resolution would provide more balance between the 2 Districts by moving some Societies to District 1 (see membership stats spreadsheet). The rationale for revising the District boundary is as follows: With fewer Societies within a smaller geographic area it would be easier for the Director of District 2 to visit all of their Societies. With a few more Societies in District 1 there would be a greater number of societies to share resources and projects. Making District 2 smaller would make it somewhat easier for members in the extremities of District 2 to make it to District meetings. It takes 3 hours to cross the current District 2. This boundary change would decrease the cross District travel time by 30 to 60 minutes at the western boundary and remove the problem of people having to cross downtown Ottawa for District events. Currently some members of Societies can't or don't attend District events because they are too far away. That is a sign District 2 is too large. Making it smaller will allow everyone to travel to events wherever they are and allow everyone to host events. Details of which Societies should move to District 1 can be decided based on what makes the most sense for members of those Societies. Financial details to allow the splitting of District 2 reserve funds can be decided within District 2. District boundaries do not have to follow any municipal or other boundary in Ontario. The changes in the districts can be planned to take place over a time table that makes sense for both Districts and Societies. The changes won't proceed if there is strong opposition to the idea. Re-distributing Societies The idea of splitting the City of Ottawa between D1 and D2 would be to allow the eastern societies to move to D1. See that attached spreadsheet for the option that Gloucester, Ottawa, Nepean, Kemptville, Manotick and Rock Garden move to D1. West Carleton, Stittsville- Goulbourn, Kanata-March, and Water Garden would remain in D2. Thus D2 would still have enough Societies and members to function well (shared events and financially). Also it would allow the 2 Districts to share Ottawa (as some Districts share Toronto). Without a part of Ottawa, D2 would lack a large city to host a future OHA convention in. Splitting a large city like Ottawa would not stop local Societies from working together either. A map of D2 societies is here: A map of all societies (with the omissions of West Carleton and Stittsville-Goulborun) is here:

7 In response to feedback from D2 Societies: Q. We have a few board members who are involved with other horticultural societies here in Ottawa and thus, could belong in two districts - didn't make sense to them. A. This situation happens anywhere there is a boundary. Today people in Gloucester and Russell belong to Societies in different Districts. Belonging to 2 different Societies in 2 different Districts does not change much for the member other than they can choose to attend 2 different District AGMs. Some may consider that a bonus. Q. Why could there not be a third option that would better address the geography issueregardless of the boundaries, it's still far for some of the western or southern towns to travel to both districts? A.: Other options should be proposed if they are viable. This option has been proposed since it addresses these issues: Districts with 7 horticultural societies are too small to share resources. Districts with 20 or more societies are too large for a district director to support. A 3 hour travel time across a District causes people not to travel to events that are far away. The proposal is not perfect, but it improves these issues. Q. Why would we not resolve all of the outstanding boundary/member number inequities in the OHA at the same time? A. Trying to reset all of the boundaries at the same time would be an option, however it would be challenging to do it all at once and there is a high risk of failing to do anything or making errors. Breaking a complex task into small parts is one way to make solid progress on an issue, as long as there is a strategy. The strategy here is to work from the extreme points of the province inward in order to have districts that work well for members, societies and district boards. It's also to take leadership and show the rest of the province that beneficial changes to district borders can be made to improve how the OHA and its districts are run. Q. Why do we pay dues to D2 and why does a District Director need an executive? A. To answer this question, it is important to take a look at the OHA s mission and how it operates to provide benefits to Societies. The following is adapted from the gardenontario.org website: The Ontario Horticultural Association is a volunteer, charitable organization whose mission is to provide leadership and assist in the promotion of education and interest in all areas of horticulture and related environmental issues in Ontario, through an expanding network of horticultural societies dedicated to the beautification of their communities. The Ontario Horticultural Association pursues its mission by: Providing newly elected officers of local Societies a copy of the new OHA Society Manual which explains the relationship and obligations between a Society, the OHA and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA). Included in the manual are Fact Sheets about managing a Society and working with youth and volunteers. Four times a year, publishing and delivering the Trillium newsletter to Societies to keep them up to date with the affairs of the Association. All societies are invited to submit articles that are of provincial interest. Providing grants for trees and community beautification projects throughout Ontario.

8 Developing programs in the areas of Conservation and the Environment, youth, horticulture and floral design. Providing support to its member horticultural societies in the form of shared insurance plans (including for financial liability), promotion, speaker lists, procedure manuals, volunteer recognition, projects, events and web sites. The insurance Society s use to run your meetings and the Treasurer s Bonding are both bonuses that are affordable for the Societies. Volunteers on the OHA Board (including District Directors) are working hard as volunteers to improve shared insurance coverage at a slightly lower cost. That's work that each society doesn't have to do on its own. Holding an annual convention and providing educational opportunities for members. Training and supporting OHA judges. Publishing items of a horticultural or environmental nature such as the Rain Barrel Booklet and the Ontario Judging and Exhibiting Standards. Maintaining a friendly relationship with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs through its Leadership and Development, Agriculture Division. Every year, the OHA provides the Minister with an Annual Report detailing thevfinancial year and showcasing the work done by horticultural societies throughout Ontario. The door is open for forming partnerships with the Ministry to develop and sponsor new programs. Being a part of the Master Gardener Steering Committee. The Ontario Horticultural Association depends on the support of its members and charitable donations to carry out its work. Approximately 278 Societies across Ontario are affiliated with the OHA. The District is an organizational tier of the OHA that acts as a liaison between the OHA and Societies. The OHA s 19 Districts help to lessen the load and cut costs associated with OHA travel which would astronomical if there were no Districts. Societies in a District also benefit from sharing resources (including revenue from dues) to put on events such as a larger flower show than would not be possible for one society to hold on its own or to bring in a high profile speaker at the District AGM. The District and its Executive are also very important and needed to host the annual OHA convention which benefits all Societies in the province, and particularly those in the host District. A District Executive costs nothing itself and is purely a volunteer effort. Assistant Directors assist the Director in the same way that the Directors assist the OHA. The geographic size of D2 means having Assistant Directors is a particularly important asset. The D2 Executive is busy doing work such as the D2 newsletter and website that keep societies informed, providing Societies with support for their websites, with that work is divided up among each member of the Exec. The Districts are important for the following reasons: It is the responsibility of the District Director to pass along information and promote important OHA programs and incentives to all of its Societies. Provide assistance to the societies in the District with the completion of annual reports to the OHA and to OMAFRA to ensure the grant to Societies. Encourage and assist societies with applying for OHA Awards (e.g. service certificates). Inform Societies and provide assistance re: OHA grants available ie: tree grants and community gardening grants. The District is responsible for compiling reports for inclusion in the OHA s Annual Report booklet.

9 District Directors chair OHA Convention committees including the flower show, photographic, publications, website, art, and youth competitions. District Directors oversee outreach programs to ensure OHA booths are present at community events e.g. Seedy Saturday/Sunday, Plowing Match, Garden Shows, etc. District Directors and their Assistant District Directors attend Societies meetings and ensure the installation of new officers and executive are carried out. To resource and provide assistance and support to Societies just starting up and those societies at risk. Districts also provide: A means to gather representatives of Societies together to communicate issues to and from the OHA board. Societies can bring issues to their District and discuss them with other Societies and their District Director. The District Director can then take these issues to the OHA board and Convention for discussion and resolutions for the good of all horticultural societies. District flower shows. This is a way for competitors from Societies across a district to enter a show and for judges to get another show to practice their skills. Some Societies hold few or no shows. Having access to a District show provides a service to members who enjoy shows. Judging schools. It would be difficult for a Society to put on a judging school. By pooling resources in a District, a group of judges can be trained at one time. District meetings provide a place to bring in a unique speaker who can present to a district wide audience. District meetings provide a place for training (examples: web skills, building membership, being a treasurer, governance, running a good meeting) Shared publicity. District events at places such as Seedy Saturdays are used to promote all local horticultural societies in the district, soliciting membership and promoting events. Awards and recognition for volunteers. District grants to societies such as the youth grant. Speaker's registry to develop and share good local speakers Neutral advice on questions that come to a Society's board or about the Society's constitution or newsletter publication practices. Technical support for Societies to assist with web site questions. Since districts are a local grouping of societies, societies in the district can leverage the grouping to provide shared services and amenities. Societies decide what they want from their District, but ultimately there is a minimum level of cost that is required to run a District and put on meetings. Some Districts such as D2 collect $.50 per adult member while others collect much more..holding meetings cost money and this money comes from the Societies who support the District. Printing and mailing costs also are paid for by District dues, although these costs are increasing being minimized by the use of e- communication.

10 APPENDIX B: Sharing at the Knowledge Café Society membership Issues (2 groups) Barriers: - term Horticultural Society is intimidating; Garden Club perhaps less so - Impression that you need to know it all - too much work expected - problems with time to have people join to have volunteers work with youth groups Solutions: - Be aware of the Importance of time and timing - Outreach - Make the effort to go to schools, YM/WCA, young mothers groups offer reduced rates for juniors- Jr. do feed into memberships later in life - Develop programming to meet the interest of college horticultural/landscape students (e.g. herb gardens) - talk to people using face-time and one-on-one - have a website and make it known that your Society has one - advertise your meetings, guest speakers, special events, etc. - possibly include more edibles of more interest to younger folks Maintaining your website No flip chart notes provided can delegates that participated in this group please help here? Hosting a D2 Flower & Edibles Show: Thoughts for 2014 Committee: Need an organizing committee and volunteers to stage the show Date: Confirm as far in advance as possible; usually held during the summer (e.g. Aug 16); Location: Large enough space for prepping and exhibiting entries (e.g. 24 space to exhibit each floral design entry), for staging related events such as a plant sale, tea, silent auction and for public parking (e.g. agricultural hall at the Carp Fair grounds) Budget: Estimate expenses and revenues; D2 will help risk manage expenses Planning Timelines: - Fall: Prepare promotional material so that can be included in Society Yearbooks - Fall/early winter: Make schedule of classes available so that members can specialty order if they want to - Late spring/early summer: Set registration deadline for design classes about 45 days in advance of show date so that can solicit entries to fill classes if necessary; - Night before or early morning of the Show: Set up staging for the flower show and related events Show day: Need 3 hr in the morning for receiving entries; 2 hours for judging, results tally, lunch; 2-3 hours for public viewing and awards ceremony/photography; 1 hour for entry removal by exhibitors and dismantling of the show. Post show: Submit a report with financials [and photos] and lessons learned to D2 Choose a Theme: fair, picnic, water, carnival? How about Just beyond the fringe Schedule of classes: 50 or so horticulture classes for seasonal plants; 8-10 classes in floral design with a limit of 5 entries per class (except for miniatures which usually have a limit of 8) Judges: usually one for Horticulture and one for Floral Design; OHA has a list of certified judges Awards: Placements recorded by class and points calculated for aggregate prizes; D2 class placement ribbon attached to entry card; D2 rosettes for Best in Show

11 Awarding the D2 Trophy: Awarded at the AGM to the Society with: - most new members in a year (on a % membership basis) - highest increase in total membership (on a % membership basis) - most volunteer hours per member - the best visual story (e.g. one slide) selected via a delegates choice process, Permaculture: Philosophy: Living with all of nature; laissez-faire Reference book: Gaia Garden History: Started in Australia in the 1800s Premise: Not disturbing soil, layering, crop rotation, interplanting, companion planting Example: Plant chives around another plant to protect against slugs; dig a trench hole to catch rain to water APPENDIX C: Attached Madawaska Valley Gardening Success Story