In March of this year restrictions of the movement and gathering of people due to COVID-19 were put in place on PEI. These restrictions resulted in the Board of Directors for the Winter River – Tracadie Bay Watershed Association deciding that the annual general meeting (AGM) would be postponed until the fall when hopefully COVID-19 restrictions will allow a face-to-face meeting. As they become available, preliminary annual reports as would normally be shared at the AGM will be posted to the WRTBWA’s website with the full reports presented at the AGM in the fall.
Preliminary 2020 AGM Chair Report submitted by Clare
Martin
Board of Directors
At the May 2019 AGM a Board of 11 Directors
was formed comprising of three new Directors and eight returning Directors. As
per the By-Laws, there shall be not less than six and not more than 12
Directors. At the Executive Meeting held May 29, 2019 it was unanimously
decided that the executive for 2019 would consist of Chair – Clare Martin, Vice
Chair – George Coade, Secretary – Ryan Winters, and Treasurer – Lowell Vessey.
Funding
As a non-profit organization we rely on
funding from government (federal, provincial, and municipal), non-government
organizations, and donations. Each funder grants money to the Association with
conditions of how their grant is to be used. For examples, some funders provide
money for salaries, some provide funds to support a specific project, while a
few funds are more flexible and can be used for overhead such as office
expenses. Well into the 2019 summer season, the Association learned that some
funders’ grants would be significantly reduced compared to previous years. This
resulted in using some of the Association’s reserve fund to complete the
projects in progress and commitments to staff salaries. Inconsistent funding
makes budgeting for staff and projects a constant challenge for the
Association. This is one reason we maintain a reserve fund.
Environmental Educational Opportunities Provided by the
Watershed
During 2019, high school and post-secondary
students were employed to complete the Association’s projects under the
direction of the Watershed Coordinator. The Association emphasizes providing interested
students with environmental work experience. The PEI Watershed Alliance also
supports the learning of the Association’s staff by providing workshops on
specific topics such as fish passage. The Alliance either conducts the workshop
itself or arranges for various experts to deliver a workshop to staff from
interested watershed groups around PEI.
The Association also provided our own
environmental learning opportunities to school groups ranging from elementary
to the post- secondary level. As well, in September a corporate group was
hosted by the Association for their annual community volunteering event.
Learning opportunities for the general
public included organizing a snowshoe hike and later a Lady Slipper hike using
the Winter River Trail. Additionally, a booth staffed by the Association was
set up at the Canada Day Celebration held at the North Shore Community Centre.
Presently, a trail is being constructed through the Association’s Suffolk
property. The trail will allow for self-guiding educational opportunities for
the general public through what will become a demonstration area for our group.
This past year the Association hosted a
series of meetings with farmers in the area. The meetings highlighted the work
of the Watershed Association and helped us gain a better understanding of how
the Watershed Association can work with the farmers to maintain or improve the
quality of the land and water resources within our watershed. The Association
felt that these meetings were very productive due to the exchange of
information and concerns.
Water Extraction
During 2019, the City of Charlottetown’s
Miltonvale Park wellfield (located outside our watershed) became operational.
The Miltonvale Park wellfield now supplies 25% of Charlottetown’s water supply,
to be used by residents, visitors, industry, and businesses. Therefore, less
water is needed from the City’s wells located in Brackley and Union Road. The Association
continues to meet with officials from the City of Charlottetown and the
Provincial government to share information on watershed management and concerns
related to water extraction from our watershed for use by the City of
Charlottetown.
In the fall of 2019, the Association responded
to the Province’s invitation to provide feedback to the proposed Water
Extraction Regulations. Five Board members attended the October 30th public
meeting in Charlottetown. The Board also met privately with Deputy Minister of
Environment and provincial staff on November 7th to present the Association’s
particular concerns with the proposed water extraction regulations.
In September, MLAs from all parties were
invited to meet with the Association to highlight concerns over land use and
water extraction within the watershed. The Mayor from the City of Charlottetown
also joined this meeting. The Association considered the meeting to be quite
successful as there was a high level of engagement and interest from the
attending politicians and government officials.
As always, the Board of Directors for the
Winter River – Tracadie Bay Watershed Association encourages the residents of our
watershed to bring to the attention of the Board any concerns or questions they
have about what is happening in the watershed.
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