September was a busy month in McCauley. There were lots of festivals and events around our community, and we’ve all seen the buzz of activity as kids get back into the routine of school. Your community league has been very involved in several of these events, and we’d like to report on that for you.

The Edmonton and District Labour Council BBQ for the unemployed and underemployed returned to Giovanni Caboto Park this Summer. At the League’s Annual General Meeting this past spring, our community voted to connect with them to address community concerns and invite their return to our park for this year. As we met with them, the League brought forward several ideas to smooth out some of the community concerns, and we were happy to see them received and implemented at the BBQ this year. They served food from two tables this year and worked with the City to arrange for a speedy pickup of garbage bags after the event. The EDLC has shown itself to be both responsive and attentive, and the League will be resuming our conversation with them as to the future direction of the event.

On September 15, the McCauley Community League presented to City Council on what we heard at our July 27 housing meeting. The conversation there was an opportunity to respond to the findings of the Realizing Housing Potential team, and to consider together the way forward following the end of the pause on non-market investment in five core neighbourhoods. At our housing meeting, McCauley had voted 70% in favour of continuing that pause/moratorium. After a very engaging conversation, City Council decided to grant a one-year continuation of the pause/moratorium with the goal of discerning a more nuanced and detailed way forward – a way that will continue to emphasize the need for greater distribution of non-market housing across the city, and yet allow for specified local developments that will enable better options and greater renewal in these neighbourhoods. As President of the League, I found City Council very respectful and willing to engage. Their decision reflects how well they listened to and understood the concerns and ideas that came forward from the various communities.

On September 19, the League hosted our second annual McCauley Fall Fiesta! We’ll give you a more proper write-up on that next month, but as of this writing, it is shaping up to be a wonderful party! Evelina Developments came forward to sponsor all the food for the event, and Evelina herself was there to serve hotdogs. The Intercultural Centre helped engage some of our neighbours in bringing Brazilian Dance and Ethiopian coffee. Hope Mission helped provide volunteers again from the street community. I’m sure next month we’ll have some stories to tell!

As President of the League, I found City Council very respectful and willing to engage. Their decision reflects how well they listened to and understood the concerns and ideas that came forward from the various communities.

We do have one loss to share with you. One of our board members, Alex Felicitas, has decided to step down from the board. The League wants to express our gratitude for all that Alex brought to our table. Thank you Alex for your voice and your insight, as well as your work on our Facebook and website presence. We wish you all the best!

If you’d like to connect with the League to volunteer or share your perspective on something, here’s how you contact us. Our website is: www.mccauleycl.com. Or, you can email us at mccauleycommunityleague2014@gmail.com. We also have a pretty active Facebook site, so look us up on there if you haven’t already. 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.

Mike Van Boom is the President of the McCauley Community League.