Hello McCauley.

On Saturday, March 21, the McCauley Community League held its Annual General Meeting, and it was a pretty eventful afternoon. Good food, in a comfortable space, (St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church) and a strong turnout of McCauley neighbours: just over 90 (including children)! Here are a few highlights.

The board proposed changes to our bylaws, which were received and voted through by the membership. We also hosted a conversation on the future of the Labour Day BBQ in McCauley. First we had a vote to decide whether or not we were willing to discuss it at all. The community voted 84% in favour of discussing it. Then, we listened to each other.

It’s always hard to summarize what was said in a conversation, but here are two points that really stuck out. Concerns were expressed that having the BBQ in McCauley stigmatized our neighbourhood as a community with lots of working poor, unemployed, or underemployed people. The major response to that sentiment was to say, “McCauley is a neighbourhood with a lot of working poor, unemployed, or underemployed people. We are not ashamed of that! But we prefer to be known as a community that is inclusive; where everyone has a place.” After the conversation, our members voted 90% in favour of having the league board engage with the labour unions to shape the future of the event in McCauley.

Moving forward, the MCL board knows that a large number of McCauley neighbours attend the BBQ, and that there have also been some difficult incidents connected to it in the past. The idea of rotating the event through a few different parks is not off the table, nor are any of the suggestions we’ve received from an earlier community conversation on how to make the event better. But now, the MCL board has strong community mandate to work with Edmonton and District Labour Council to strengthen this event, and at least for this year, we look forward to hosting the BBQ in Giovanni Caboto Park.

Our Annual General meeting closed, as it traditionally does, with the election of new board members. This year, we welcomed four new members to the table: Elizabeth McEwan, Albert Bernard, Micah Cooper, and Krista Mitton. We also say thanks to outgoing board members who did not stay on for this coming year: Fr. Jim Holland, Megan Heather, and Peter Mawson. Thank you for your service to McCauley!

If you’d like to connect with the league, look us up on our website: www.mccauleycl.com. Or you can email us at mccauleycommunityleague2014@gmail.com. If you’d prefer a more personal engagement, you can also stop by and visit us at our board meetings. We meet the first Tuesday of every month from 7-10 p.m. at the Boys and Girls Club. Let’s go McCauley! Here’s to a great year together!

Mike is the President of the McCauley Community League.