MCL’s Annual General Meeting took place on June 14th. The Commonwealth Recreation Centre generously offered the League complimentary use of their beautiful Alumni Room in exchange for a spot on the evening’s agenda.

Approximately 35 neighbours and community stakeholders shared food, beverages, and good conversation over the course of the evening.

The meeting began with a presentation by Greg Witt, Supervisor at Commonwealth Rec Centre. Greg provided an overview of the programs he supervises at the Commonwealth Rec Centre, Clarke Stadium, and the Eastglen Leisure Centre. Greg welcomed community feedback and shared opportunities for the community to use Clark Stadium, receive tours of Commonwealth, and connect with Edmonton Elks reps for the engagement of Elks players in community events.

MLA Janis Irwin and Councillor Anne Stevenson also brought their greetings and expressed their support for the community.

Hon Leong, Chair of the Chinatown Transformation Collaborative Society, gave a heartfelt account of how the community is reeling from the recent random murders of two members of the Chinatown community. Hon spoke passionately about the need for all of us to advocate for our community – from municipal and provincial leaders to residents. He spoke to the great need for inclusivity and respect for all cultures in our neighbourhood. He appealed to all McCauley community members to support our Chinatown neighbours. His words resonated deeply with many.

I summarized various projects undertaken by the MCL Board this past year, which included the digitization and centralizing of League files, improving communications, and creating reliable and sustainable access to financial information. We also summarized the past year’s programs and events including the Community League Day Party; the Safe Halloween Party, Holiday Skating Party, and Family Day Celebration; our year-long kids’ soccer program; and Light Up McCauley. We’re so pleased to partner with McCauley Revitalization, who supported many of these events and programs. And we continue to strengthen relationships with Safer McCauley/REACH, E4C and other community stakeholders. We really are stronger together.

MCL Director Rickard Enstroem provided an update on the new Rink building, which we’re tentatively referring to as the “Rink Pavilion Project.” This year, we finalized the first of four stages: Strategy. The remaining stages are Concept, Design, and Build. Each involves community engagement and consultation, and we’re always looking for volunteers who are willing to see this approximately five-year project through to completion.

An amendment to our bylaws was passed, which essentially requires that Board members be elected individually rather than as a slate, and via secret ballot rather than a show of hands.

Finally, we’re thrilled to welcome three new members to our board: Corine Demas, John Gee, and Sarah Pearson. Board positions for 2022-2023 are:

President: Alice Kos
Vice President: Regan Gee
Treasurer: John Gee
Secretary: Sarah Pearson
Communications Director: Todd Janes
Events Director: Corine Demas
Memberships Director: Grace Kuipers
Pavillion Director: Rickard Enstroem
Directors at Large: Kevin Jones and David Williamson

We look forward to another productive year working towards a vibrant McCauley!

Alice is the President of the McCauley Community League.