annual report - fmcbcmountainclubs.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/fmcbc-annual-report...1,733 1,200...

2016

Jodi Appleton

Federation of Mountain Clubs of BC

6/25/2016

Annual Report

FEDERATION OF MOUNTAIN CLUBS OF BC 2016 ANNUAL REPORT

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Contents President’s Report......................................................................................................................................... 3

Treasurer’s Report ........................................................................................................................................ 4

2016 Statement of Operations ................................................................................................................. 5

2016 Statement of Financial Position ....................................................................................................... 7

Draft 2016-2017 Budget and Notes .......................................................................................................... 8

Executive Director Report ............................................................................................................................. 9

Committee Reports ..................................................................................................................................... 10

Southwest BC Recreation and Conservation Committee Report ........................................................... 10

Southwest BC Trails Committee Report.................................................................................................. 13

Bylaws Review Committee Report .......................................................................................................... 14

Risk Management Committee Report .................................................................................................... 17

Employee Compensation Committee ..................................................................................................... 18

Communications & Outreach Committee Report .................................................................................. 18

Member Club Grant Report .................................................................................................................... 20

Priority Trails for Upgrading Committee Report ..................................................................................... 20


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President’s Report Bob St. John (Friends of Strathcona Park and Comox District Mountaineering Club)

I just read my report to last year's AGM, and I am now feeling a tad embarrassed. I seem to be pretty good at telling everyone what I plan on doing, but actually getting them done... not so much. Luckily the FMCBC has so many talented people doing great work that I hope nobody noticed. I am very pleased with how Jodi has carried out her new role this year as FMCBC Executive Director. Perhaps what has been lacking somewhat is clear direction and goals from the Executive for her to execute. The Board of Directors, representing the member clubs, is the ultimate decision maker in the FMCBC, as it should be. However the Board is now quite large and growing, and while meeting four times a year, cannot be nimble enough to make ongoing decisions throughout the year. The Executive, elected by the Board at each AGM, takes guidance from the directors to formulate a plan for the Executive Director to implement. The Executive with only five members is perhaps too small, especially if one or two members are not available. There is talk of a more limited and dedicated Board of Directors, but some would say this is not without controversy and would require a structural change within the FMCBC. At the last Executive meeting I suggested that we invite committee chairs or their representatives and a representative from each region to attend our Executive meetings. The advantage would be more input on the current issues affecting the committees and regions resulting hopefully with a more focused plan for Jodi to pursue. Having seven to ten attending would be an ideal number in my opinion. Of course any motions would still only be voted upon by the Executive, but hopefully the motions would reflect the broader opinions of the committees and regions. The nice part of this proposal is that it doesn't require any change to the existing FMCBC structure. I am not trying to suppress any future move to revamp the FMCBC, but I feel in the interim this proposal could improve the work of the Executive. The FMCBC online waiver system has been up and running since March with the CDMC as its first client. It took longer than expected to get from the proof of concept last fall to the production system we have today. As I write this another club is considering using the service. I prefer this slow ramp-up as it gives a chance to make minor changes as we gain experience with it. We had two successful meetings with our Vancouver Island and Southern Interior regions. It is a little harder to get these regions working together with a smaller number of clubs spread out over relatively large areas. We also have to contend with the opinion of some clubs that the FMCBC is mainly an insurance provider. We obviously have more work to do here, but I am generally pleased with the progress made so far. A focus of this AGM is how we approach our advocacy work for non-motorized backcountry recreation. I am privy to the email from the SW BC Recreation and Conservation Committee, and I am impressed with the energy and dedication of that group. One of the biggest obstacles we face is what seems to be the collaboration of resorts and wilderness tourism businesses with our provincial government. The FMCBC is not anti-business, but we are very concerned that unfettered public access to some of our traditional recreation areas is getting harder to hold onto. This is something we cannot be complacent about. To those clubs who consider us an insurance resource only please wake-up to what's happening and become more involved in this organization! I would like to thank our Executive volunteers: Silvie-Marie Fortin for keeping our financial picture crystal clear; Dave Wharton for representing us on the Outdoor Recreation Council; Mack Skinner for attempting to keep Hawaiian shirts fashionable; and to Scott Webster for hanging in there faithfully all these years (only 1 more!). Kudos to all the committee members who volunteer so much time. Special mention to Brian Wood for all he does chairing the Rec & Con. Thank you to the directors for suffering through our teleconferences, and especially those who made it to this AGM. Congratulations and welcome to all the new member clubs... you have joined an active organization respected in the outdoor community. We look forward to your contributions.


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Kudos to Alanna Mahr, our Communications Coordinator, for performing her magic professionally with the production of E-News and Cloudburst, and for keeping us in the social loop through Facebook and Twitter. She has been a excellent addition to our organization. Thank you Andrew Drouin for representing us on the Provincial Trails Advisory Board. It has been an honour and a pleasure to serve you and this fine organization this past year. If elected again, I promise to do all the stuff I said I would do before... I really mean it this time! Thank-you!

Treasurer’s Report Silvie-Marie Fortin (Treasurer)

The Executive Director prepares bank reconciliation each month, and the Treasurer reviews it in details. No discrepancies noted. The Treasurer reviews the general ledger report and prepares monthly financials. Statement of Financial Position as of March 31, 2016 Cash balance is at $107,868 of which $101,073 is invested in a higher interest bank account. The outstanding accounts receivable have been received except for $20 from South Okanagan Trail Alliance. The Inventory of trail markers is $nil. Statement of Operations as of March 31, 2016 The Federation finished the 2015-2016 year-end with a surplus of $1,670. Total revenue of $89,024 is over budget by $1079. The cost of a membership and insurance is respectively $10.00 and $7.00 per unit, comparable to 2015. The Federation welcomed 2 new member clubs. Salaries, wages & benefits of $33,609 were under budget by $4,191. Both part-time positions were awarded salary increase in January 2016. General & administration expenses of $53,746 were under budget by $2,458. All expense categories were under budget. 7 member clubs were awarded grant funding for a total of $8,210. Capital Expenditure None Unbudgeted or Unusual Revenue or Expenses During the year, the Federation received $44,086 in funding from various partners and the National Trails Coalition (NTC) for trail work to be done in the Chilliwack Valley. The transactions were recorded as revenue and expenses, having no financial impact on the operations. However, the transactions created some burden and administration costs for the Federation.


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2016 Statement of Operations For the Period of April 1, 2015 to March 31, 2016

Actual Approved

Budget Actual vs. BUDGET

% Increase Decrease Comments

Operating

Fund Operating

Fund (Over or under

Budget) (Actual vs. Budget)

REVENUE

Memberships - Clubs $52,833 $50,750 $2,083 4%

No change in membership cost, $10, increase in member clubs: 2 new clubs, Chilliwack Park Society & Skaha Bluff's Park Watch Society

Memberships - Individuals 180 100 $80 44%

Insurance Dues - Clubs 30,103 29,995 $108 0%

No change in insurance cost, $7.00, increase in member clubs: 2 new clubs, Chilliwack Park Society & Skaha Bluff's Park Watch Society

Donations - General 1,291 1,500 -$209 -16% 1 donations $500; 3 donations between $150 to $275, and most donations ~$20

Donations - Travel Expense 1,733 2,500 -$767 -44%

Staff and Directors' travel expense donations

Grants NTC 44,086 - $44,086 100% Funding for NTC flowing through the Federation, financial impact is nil

Grants - - - Advertising 100 100 -

Recovery - Trail Markers 2,036 2,100 -$64 -3%

4 Clubs: ACC Whistler, Friends of Strathcona Park, Frasers Headwaters Alliance, Valley Outdoor Association

Interest 749 1,000 -$251 -33%

Subtotal 133,110 $88,045 45,065 34%

Membership - Individual Dues Refund - (100) 100 Membership - Club Rebate - - -

TOTAL REVENUE $133,110 $87,945 45,165 34%

EXPENSES

Salaries & Benefits

Salary and Wages $31,529 $35,500 -$3,971 -13% 2 part-time employee: Executive Director & Communications Coordinator

Statutory Benefits 2,080 2,300 -$220 -11%

Total Salaries & Benefits $33,609 $37,800 -$4,191 -12%

General & Admin

Office Expenses 926 1,200 -$274 -30%

Trail Markers Purchased 3,940 4,200 -$260 -7%

4 Clubs: ACC Whistler, Friends of Strathcona Park, Frasers Headwaters Alliance, Valley Outdoor Association

Meetings 680 1,500 -$820 -121% AGM $522, SI Regional $69, Island $89

Travel 6,710 6,000 $710 11%

AGM $3,467; SI Regional $1,576; Forest Conf $904, Island Delegates $275, AON $177, Staff $311


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Telephone 657 680 -$23 -4% Memberships & Dues 427 622 -$195 -46% 2 memberships: ORC & CAA renewal

Promotion & Brochures 911 500 $411 45%

5 events: Pinecone Burke, HikeFest, Sandy Allan Presentation, FMCBC Promotional Items

Professional Fees 789 1,000 -$211 -27% Review of online waiver Insurance - Directors' Liability 1,647 1,647 - Insurance - Clubs 24,844 24,844 - Newsletter 3,754 3,800 -$46 -1%

Grant Expenses NTC 44,086 - $44,086 Funding for NTC flowing through the Federation, financial impact is nil

Donations 250 2,000 -$1,750 -700% Donation to ORC legal fee Club Projects 8,210 8,210 - 7 clubs received grant funding

Total General & Admin $97,832 $56,203 41,628 43%

-

TOTAL EXPENSES $131,440 $94,003 $37,437 28%

SURPLUS (DEFICIENCY) $1,670 -$6,058 $7,728


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2016 Statement of Financial Position As at March 31, 2016

MARCH MARCH

2016

2015

ASSETS

Current Assets

Cash $ 107,868 $ 113,953

Accounts Receivable - Club Fees and Other

1,735 2,593

GST Receivable 438 261

Trail Markers - -

110,041 116,807 Capital Asset

Smoke Bluffs Property 69,184 69,184 Land owned near

Squamish

$ 179,225 $ 185,991

LIABILITIES

Current Liabilities

Accounts Payable $ - $ -

Deferred Revenue

- 8,500 Recorded in Grant NTC in Stmnt Opns in 2016

- 8,500 FUND BALANCES General unrestricted 51,766 50,096 Internally Restricted - NTC 64 - Internally Restricted - Club Project Fund 8,211 8,211 Internally Restricted - Contingency 50,000 50,000 Capital Asset 69,184 69,184

179,225 177,491

$ 179,225 $ 185,991


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Draft 2016-2017 Budget and Notes

Actual 2015/2016

Budget 2016/2017

REVENUE Memberships - Clubs

$52,833

$53,000 Memberships - Individuals

180

200

Insurance Dues - Clubs

30,103

30,100 Donations - General

1,291

500

Donations - Travel Expense

1,733

1,200 Grants NTC

-

-

Grants

-

- Advertising

100

-

Recovery - Trail Markers

2,036

2,000 Other Revenue (VIMFF)

-

1,650

Interest

749 800

TOTAL REVENUE

$89,024 $89,450

EXPENSES Salaries & Benefits Salary and Wages

$31,529

$36,000 Statutory Benefits

2,080

2,400

Total Salaries & Benefits

$33,609 $38,400

General & Administration Office Expenses

926

1,000 Trail Markers Purchased

3,940

2,100

Meetings

680

1,000 Travel

6,710

6,500

Telephone

657

700 Memberships & Dues

427

450

Promotion & Brochures

911

1,000 Professional Fees

789

500

Insurance - Directors' Liability

1,647

1,750 Insurance - Clubs

24,844

24,844

Newsletter

3,754

4,200 Grant Expenses NTC

-

Donations

250

500 Other Expenses (VIMFF)

-

1,650

Club Projects

8,210

4,523

Total General & Administration $53,745 $52,617

-

TOTAL EXPENSES

$87,354 $91,017

SURPLUS (DEFICIENCY)

$1,670 -$1567


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Executive Director Report Jodi Appleton

The FMCBC has had another successful year. We ran an unexpected surplus this year, further increased our number of member clubs, hosted presentations for members and the general public to attend and held regional meetings in the Okanagan and on the Island. We have also been making our voice heard on several issues across the province such as providing feedback on commercial ski resort operations in BC Parks, opposing the Garibaldi at Squamish and Jumbo Glacier resort proposals, supporting designation of the Ancient Forest as a provincial park and supporting increased funding for BC Parks. We could not do this without our dedicated volunteers who spend countless hours reviewing documents, attending meetings and writing letters. Thank you for your efforts and sharing your local knowledge. FMCBC’s Strategic Plan At the AGM last year I gave a short presentation on the FMCBC’s 2012-2014 Strategic Plan. We had met many of our goals, but it was agreed that we still need to focus on increasing our advocacy efforts. That being said, I think it is important to remember how far we’ve come in the past five years. In 2010-2011 we had only 22 clubs and around 3300 members. We now represent over 5000 members from 37 clubs with much better provincial representation. This is positive news for the FMCBC and puts us in a better position for advocating. When we originally went through the strategic planning process, there was discussion of hiring a lobbyist to help us with our advocacy efforts. Perhaps if the FMCBC continues to grow that idea might be possible, but for now the job is still going to come down to myself, Alanna and our volunteers. With that in mind, we plan to hold a discussion at the AGM regarding the FMCBC’s current advocacy strategies and how effective they are. Currently we advocate mainly through writing letters and participating in stakeholder meetings and public consultations. We will discuss whether the FMCBC should pursue strategies which are more critical such as sending letters to the editor, putting together press releases, meeting with politicians etc or even taking it further such as through organizing public demonstrations. We look forward to hearing feedback on our current advocacy and ideas for what would help the FMCBC get its messages better heard. New Clubs The Chilliwack Park Society, Skaha Bluffs Park Watch Society and Powell River Parks and Wilderness Society joined the FMCBC this year. We are now up to 37 Member Clubs and over 5000 members across BC. We are anticipating at least one more club joining before the end of 2016 and we plan to reach out to some other clubs over the next several months One of the main draws for new clubs is still our insurance program. We are now offering a very solid program through our broker, Aon Risk Solutions. I’m happy to say that our renewal went smoothly again this year and that the premium remained the same as last year. Club Handbook Our Club Handbook is now available online at handbook.mountainclubs.org. This site has been put together as a resource for our clubs and directors to better understand how the FMCBC operates, what their club’s and their director’s role is within our organization, and how they can get involved. Membership and insurance information is in the handbook as well as links to Cloudburst and the E-News. It also has updates/minutes from our committees and a link to our Priority Trails for Upgrading Form. Please check it out. Grant updates In 2014 we were successful in our grant application to the National Trails Coalition for $28,500 in federal funding to go towards repairing 13 trails in the Chilliwack River Valley. Matching funding came from several partners

http://chilliwackparksociety.ca/

http://www.skahabluffsparkwatch.com/

http://www.skahabluffsparkwatch.com/

http://handbook.mountainclubs.org/

http://handbook.mountainclubs.org/priority-trails-form/


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including Chilliwack Tourism, Chilliwack Economic Partners Corporation, MT. Waddington’s Outdoors Ltd., Ministry of Forest Lands and Natural Resource Operations, Giv’ r’take 30 Around the Lake Society and the Chilliwack Outdoor Club. Jack Bryceland and I put together the original grant application and over the past year I have worked with Kevin Koopmans from the Chilliwack Park Society who took over managing the project. Between the two of us we jumped through the NTC’s many and varied hoops and successfully received the final grant payment from them in April. The grant funds went mainly towards hiring Fafard Recreation Developments to complete the work on the trails. The project was successful and received some good publicity. Unfortunately the federal funding grant which Alex Wallace and I applied for through the Community Infrastructure Program to go towards upgrades to the Howe Sound Crest Trail ran into some problems. Although we were successful in our application and were awarded $150,000 towards the project, we could not work out a way to administer the funds which met with Western Diversification (WD) criteria. Our plan had been for BC Parks to manage and pay the contractor and provide the matching funding for the project. The FMCBC’s role would be that of project sponsor responsible for submitting the grant application and advising on the project. WD’s criteria required that the FMCBC manage the project directly. This would mean that we would be responsible for hiring a project manager and contractor to do the work. We would then be responsible for paying those wages (and other expenses) and submitting the claims to WD for reimbursement. We felt that this was taking on too much responsibility and liability for the project and in the end we had to withdraw from the contribution agreement. It was a frustrating process which Alex Wallace and I went through and we are disappointed that we were not able to work out a solution. Goals for 2016-2017 I have been working on our Advocacy Toolkit. I’m developing it as website similar to the Club Handbook which will enable it to be easily updated. Its purpose is to provide several resources, ideas and tips on how to advocate, who to advocate to and ways to present our message to those outside of the FMCBC and our member clubs. As I anticipated, it is taking time to develop. I had hoped to have a first draft ready this winter but I’m not there yet. I hope by the fall to have something for directors to review. This will be my main focus for the coming months.

Committee Reports

Southwest BC Recreation and Conservation Committee Report

Brian Wood, Committee Co-Chair

Much of the Committee's time was spent on three long-standing issues, namely The Garibaldi at Squamish (GAS) Four Season Resort Project, the BC Parks Ski Area Policy, and the improved access to Singing Pass Trail in Garibaldi Park. These three topics and a brief review of a recently launched website, www.garibaldipark2020.com, are covered in separate articles in the Spring/Summer 2016 Issue of Cloudburst (current issue) which can be referred to for background to some more recent developments which are summarized as follows. Garibaldi at Squamish (GAS) Four Season Resort Project. We heard that some outdoor recreation enthusiasts have informed an Opposition MLA about their concerns with this project and how it might have an impact on Garibaldi Park similar to the impacts that the ski resort developments at Whistler and at Blackcomb have had on Garibaldi Park over the last four decades. These impacts

http://chilliwackparksociety.ca/

http://www.theprogress.com/news/338804212.html

http://www.garibaldipark2020.com/


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include losing Park area due to expansion of the resort area into the Park and an increase in motorized activities, eg heli-skiing in the Spearhead Range and trespassing of snowmobiles into the Park. These impacts decrease the wilderness values of the Park and backcountry recreation experiences in the Park. With respect to GAS, this resort could have similar impacts on the Garibaldi Neve Traverse and adjacent areas of the Park. There are many other aspects of this resort proposal which are to be addressed by the proponents as a result of the Environmental Assessment process and we feel that it is unlikely that any mitigation proposals would change our objections to this project. Singing Pass Trail Access For the second time within a year we were invited to Whistler for a meeting on this vexing topic. So, on 26 April 2016, Seven representatives of the FMCBC, BCMC and ACC met with 9 representatives of other organisations such as Whistler Blackcomb (WB) and Innergex (the Fitzsimmons Creek IPP operator) and various government land agencies to discuss options for improving access to the Singing Pass Trail. This trail has become very lengthy and difficult/dangerous to follow on foot since the early 1990's due to a land slump on a lower section of the old road leading to the old parking lot near the Park boundary. Hikers can no longer drive to the old parking lot, and so it is now a much longer hike to the Singing Pass and involves passing over the difficult slumped trail section and so use of the old trail has declined. Since then WB built its “Bike Park” which now intersects the old access road and so now it is quite dangerous for hikers to cross the bike park due to the number and speed of the bikes. Our intent for the meeting was to improve motorized access closer towards the Park Boundary, possibly to the old trailhead as this requirement was in the original agreements with Whistler, and has been reiterated in the recently revised Park Management Plan. We felt solving this access problem was a reasonable expectation on our part. However, the meeting chairperson, Tori Meeks of FLNRO Mountain Resorts Branch, started out by saying that the intent of the meeting was not to discuss private vehicle access towards the old trailhead but was to maximise benefits of two options she presented to us. We were not totally surprised by this statement as this seems to be a standard approach for negotiation with this group. One option which was presented related to using the existing road on the Blackcomb side of Fitzsimmons Creek leading to an existing parking lot at the IPP intake. We feel this option has many advantages for us, but WB does not like it for many reasons and it is more costly than the other option which relates to improving the old hiking trail where it crosses the slump on the Whistler side. The government agency selected the slumped trail improvement option as only $50,000 is available for this year's work, and improving the old hiking trail also benefited WB as that trail also serves as a safety trail to discourage out-of-bound (OOB) skiers from descending further into Fitzsimmons Creek where there have been deaths. The outcome of our discussion was to accept the hiking trail improvement as that was possible in the short term, but we were insistent that this acceptance did not prevent a later adoption of the IPP parking option. Bear in mind that WM is contemplating starting a $345 million project (WB Renaissance) and so the cost of fixing our trail access problem would probably be minor compared with this investment, and if WB contributed to this project they would earn some good PR. We will not be holding our breath for anything better in the near future than the current solution which would make the slump crossing safer for hikers and reduce risks to OOB skiers and thus keep the Risk Management Branch in Victoria happier. On a related matter, the Spearhead Huts project (see website www.spearheadhuts.org) has been approved by BC Parks and the Singing Pass Trail will now become much more important as will connect to the first hut to be built generally near Singing Pass and thus this trail will see much more use. The minutes of this meeting are available for others to review and comment on which we intend to do. For those interested in the history of WB incursions into Garibaldi Park, please the Spring/Summer 2016 issue of Cloudburst and visit the website “www.garibaldipark2020” which is not connected with the FMCBC but provides some interesting data and maps. BC Parks Ski Area Policy. This policy was drafted as a result of many years of disputes over parking and back country access restrictions in the Lower Mainland's North Shore Parks, namely Cypress and Mt Seymour Parks, and to a lesser extent Manning

http://www.spearheadhuts.org/

http://www.garibaldipark2020/


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Park, east of Hope. The Cloudburst article covers many of the existing problems, and in our opinion the new policy will not result in a peaceful co-existence between the ski area operators and the non-paying backcountry skiers and snowshoers and their cars. On a positive (?) note, on 23 March 2016 some of us received a notice announcing a new policy for advertising park use permit (PUP) applications and decisions, and this can be found at : http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/permits/consultation/public-notifications-policy.html The Committee has not yet discussed or formulated comments on this new policy, but one member has already summarised her concerns about this policy as follows. Her concerns relate to the short time frame for information about certain permits, the potential for the public not to be notified about some significant permit applications, and the potential for advertisements not to occur in areas where there is considerable interest. The short time frame is 10 days from advertising on the website for the Government to receive public input on certain permits, and we believe this is totally unreasonable and should be extended. I feel the concerns expressed above will result in little or no public input, and so in our response to this policy, which is due 22 June 2016, we should request direct emailing of the information to at least Outdoor Recreation Council and possibly to other stakeholders so that we would not miss the advertisement, and also request more time for our input. It would seem that our committee could become bombarded with changes in PUP's and we would be under the gun constantly to consider them and comment on them, but I wonder if anything would change as a result of our comments. The FMCBC will continue to monitor these complex situations and work with other public stakeholder groups to try to resolve the current problems. If you would like to make a contribution to this process, please email the FMCBC SW BC Recreation and Conservation Committee at [email protected] For the last year we have tried to deal with many other long-standing matters and these are summarised as follows. Tricouni /Cloudburst/Cypress Peak/ Roe Creek Area This area was left “unresolved” by the Sea -to-Sky LRMP” and so by default it has become multiple use meaning “motorized”. For many years there was nothing serious pushing the government to do anything about it, but now Whistler RV Park has applied to re-zone it and a trail has been cut from the re-zoning area to the sledding area. We are hoping that Whistler Municipality will realise the importance of the proposed re-zoned area before the snowmobilers take over more of the area. We are hoping that the long history of the Varsity Outdoor Club hut built in the area and the various non-motorized access routes to it will strengthen our claim that at least some areas should be zoned non-motorized. We have also been trying to assess the position of the local aboriginal group and their claim to this, which is within their traditional territory. Cypress and Mt Seymour Parks A blog written by one of our club members and his discussions with the management of Cypress Mountain Resorts generated some local media attention relating to early morning restrictions for public backcountry travelers to traverse a low portion of the resort's CRA to access the back country, for example, to access the Howe Sound Crest Trail. The resort cited safety concerns which we did not buy so we requested a detailed explanation of their real reasons so that we could reach an agreement for the next ski season. Cypress has very large parking lots (a legacy of the Olympics) and so does not seem to distinguish between ski lift users who pay, and backcountry visitors who do not pay. In contrast, Mt Seymour Resorts has much smaller parking lots, and requires non-paying backcountry visitors to park their vehicles a relatively long way from the lifts so that the paying lift users do not have to walk so far with their cumbersome ski gear. While this might seem trivial it has produced many complaints from the backcountry users who often arrive before the ski lifts open and want to park near the lifts which the operator is now restricting in favour of the paying lift users. It is added that Mt Seymour often has bad weather/snow conditions and the parking lots are rarely filled to capacity except during holidays such as the Christmas/New Year period and good weather weekends in January and February when the ski resort claims

http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/permits/consultation/public-notifications-policy.html


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it is the only time it can make money. Both North Shore ski areas seem to be barely financially viable and this has resulted in the BC Parks Ski Area Policies being biased to support financial viability of the ski operations. In addition, both parks have backcountry access routes which are feasible for ascending but for many skiers can be dangerous for descending because they are narrow, winding and often congested with snowshoers and their dogs. Thus many backcountry skiers descend on the groomed ski slopes which the ski areas try to restrict, although Cypress allows one ski run per person down their slopes. Unless there is a big change, no doubt the arguments will continue next ski season. Pinecone Burke Park As part of the planning process for this sadly neglected park, BC Parks is evaluating a proper new front country entrance that is further away from the current access road which is the main urban entrance and also provides motorized access to private cabins in the park. Unfortunately, the present entrance is located close to a noisy gun club which is not appropriate for a park entrance and so a better urban entrance is planned, hopefully with a helpful BC Parks information notice board which will not be vandalized like the old one was. Lillooet Area Parks (South Chilcotin Mountains etc.) Park Management Plans The deadline for public submissions regarding the final draft of the Plans expires 13 June 2016 and so we plan to respond on behalf of the FMCBC by then. Individuals can send their submissions using BC Parks Website. One of our concerns about the South Chilcotin Mountains relates to the frequency and timing of aircraft landing and taking off from the three main lakes, namely Spruce, Warner and Lorna, and how mountain bikers, brought in by the aircraft, are using traditional hiking trails in ever increasing numbers. Off-Road Vehicles (ORV) Registration Monitoring The new Act has clarified some aspects of placement of the registration decal on the vehicle but we are not convinced the decals will be easily visible, especially when the vehicles, e.g. snowmobiles or quad ATV's, are being ridden. We are trying to set up a monitoring system using the website www.bivouac.com so that folks can post images of ORV's or other reports to show compliance or non-compliance with the Act, and how the decals can be obscured by the riders' body or gear. This will be somewhat similar to a successful campaign of posting of reports that we set up previously for monitoring snowmobiles trespassing in non-motorized zones.

Southwest BC Trails Committee Report Alex Wallace, Committee Co-chair

Current Trail projects: The Howe Sound Crest Trail rebuild project is progressing slowly but the trail section to St Marks Summit remains increasingly popular: it now is featured on the cover of a new hiking guide. Hopefully we can continue at a steady pace, despite the funding complications mentioned in Jodi’s report. There were two broken ankles on the unimproved section of the trail near to St Marks in 2015, as much of the trail still resembles a riverbed, and the preferred footwear near the city is canvas sneakers or runners. The BC Parks Mount Seymour main trail rebuild project got under way in 2015, however this again is an ambitious project involving rock breaking, hauling in gravel and just a generally difficult alignment (ironically, the drilling and blasting was cut short by snow in the fall of 2015). Again, we hope that a steady pace can be maintained and we will eventually have a properly built trail off the ski runs (particularly if lift-assisted biking takes over the runs to replace skiing in future years.) BC Parks staffing and funding is unchanged, with a small number of full time rangers, (twelve in the province, cut to ten for several months during a hiring freeze in 2015) and 50 to 60 auxiliary rangers hired on for summer and

http://www.bivouac.com/


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winter seasons, and then laid off. The summer funding for auxiliary rangers was cut off earlier this spring, and then reinstated. This funding apparently is controlled by the Risk Management Branch in Victoria, who told BC Parks that the 50 auxiliaries would not be needed or hired. By the time this was reversed, a number of the more experienced auxiliaries had gone off to other (more predictable) employment. Trail projects and planning: as noted by Brian Wood in the Rec and Con report, we are collaborating on several access and planning issues: Singing Pass, Pinecone Burke, BCMC / Grouse Lands planning, Cypress and Seymour access and parking restrictions, Montizambert Creek / Yew Lake trail and others. It’s also worth noting the progress made by groups at Golden Ears since the Park Master Plan was completed and the funding for trails and bridges was committed, and the same is true of CRAG, the Chilliwack Recreation Area Group coordinated by Tom Blackbird of Rec Sites and Trails.

Bylaws Review Committee Report Ken Orr, Committee Chair

Bylaws Review Committee Members Chair Ken Orr – Chilliwack Outdoor Club Members: Jodi Appleton – Executive Director FMCBC

Robin Dunbar – Outdoor Club of Victoria Sherry Durnford – Island Mountain Ramblers Mack Skinner – Secretary FMCBC Scott Webster – Varsity Outdoor Club General

1. The 2015 FMCBC AGM directed that a Bylaw Review Committee be formed, and report back to the membership with recommendations at the 2016 AGM. The members of the Bylaw Committee are listed at the beginning of this report. The current BC Society Act was reviewed, as well as the new BC Societies Act. These two laws are referred to in this report as:

a. the current act/legislation being the historical legislation, in force until 27 November, 2016; and

b. the new act/legislation being the act passed in spring 2015, proclaimed in November 2015, and coming into force on 28 November 2016. All directors should be familiar with this legislation, which can be found at The New Societies Act .

2. In order to understand the implications of the new legislation, the chair researched a number of on-line articles, and attended a presentation hosted by Vantage Point on the new legislation in March 2016. This presenter was a lawyer specializing in non-profit societies. The FAQs developed by Vantage Point from the presentation was shared with Bylaw Review Committee members.

3. Changes to the constitution and bylaws can be made under the current act until transition. Any changes need to be reported in accordance with the current legislation. On transition, the existing constitution and bylaws are submitted, with strict limits on what changes are allowed, directed by the new legislation. Any clauses or bylaws that are not valid by reason of the new legislation are null and void on transition.

http://www.bcregistryservices.gov.bc.ca/bcreg/societiesact/index.page?


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Constitution Review

4. The constitution was reviewed to ensure that it met the requirements of the new legislation. During this review, the Bylaw Review Committee discussed the wording of para 2(a) and recommended that this para be amended by adding the word “non-motorized”.

5. The proposed motion to amend this paragraph is Motion 1 at Annex A to this report.

6. The new legislation requires that any “non-alterable” clauses in the constitution MUST be moved to the bylaws, and MUST be changed to be “formerly non-alterable”. This should become Bylaw 67.

7. The proposed motion to make this change is Motion 2 at Annex A to this report. As noted in the motion, this change would be effective on transition. Member-Funded Society Status

8. The new legislation has introduced this category, with very restrictive requirements. The regulations indicate that member-funded societies NOT:

a. Hold charitable status with Revenue Canada; or

b. Raise fund from government grants or public donations that exceeds $20,000 or 10% of funds collected during the previous two years.

9. Since FMCBC has charitable status, it does not meet the requirements for being a member-funded society.

10. If the membership wishes to pursue becoming a Member-Funded Society, FMCBC would be required to give up its charitable status and may be required to devolve any assets acquired with the charitable status. The Vantage Point presentation indicates that it would be difficult to move from being a charitable organization to a member-funded society, and future fund raising efforts could easily remove the member-funded status.

11. The advantages of being a member-funded society are limited, and are related to relaxed financial reporting requirements, and disbursement of assets on dissolution. These are not strong advantages for FMCBC. Retention of charitable status is thought to be better for FMCBC.

12. The Bylaw Review Committee recommends that FMCBC not become a member-funded society. For-Profit Organizations – Eligibility for Membership

13. The issue of allowing membership of for-profit organizations (businesses) was referred to the Bylaw Review Committee for review. This resulted in a lengthy discussion. The Bylaw Review Committee was divided on this issue, and needs input from the membership. To allow discussion of this topic at the AGM, a motion on this issue is included at Annex A.

14. Much of the discussion related to whether or not a for-profit organization would increase the cost of insurance. While initial answers from the current insurer are encouraging, there is some reluctance to assume that premiums would remain at the current level, and an expectation that these premiums would increase as a result of future claims. Some of the issues that were discussed are outlined in the following table:


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Pros Cons

a. Would increase membership, thereby increasing visibility and viability of FMCBC b. Potential source of funding c. Potential source of ideas and volunteers d. Why not?

a. Fundamentally at odds with FMCBC being a Federation of Clubs b. Potential for increased insurance costs c. There are existing societies/associations for guides and outfitters that would seem to provide a better fit. d. Potential that FMCBC becomes more of an insurance broker, rather than concentrating on issues that matter to the member clubs. e. Care would be needed to retain the current charitable status f. Potential conflict of interest between desires of member clubs and the business, especially regarding access to wilderness

15. With input from membership, the Bylaw Review Committee will be able to address the requirement to clearly define the criteria for membership. Motion 3 at Annex A is provided in order to allow for discussion at AGM 2016. Revising FMCBC Governance Structure

16. The issue of reviewing the structure of the Board of Directors of FMCBC was briefly discussed by the Bylaw Review Committee. There were marked differences of opinion on this subject, as the current structure was put in place in order to ensure that FMCBC as an organization was responsive to the member clubs.

17. However, the current structure and bylaws tends to be somewhat confusing, as the representatives of the member clubs are directors, while the bylaws make reference to the directors as being separate from the members. An example is the President, who would be the representative for a member-club, but as President, and so chair of the meeting, is only able to vote to break a tie, thus depriving that member-club of a voice in decisions. In addition, there seems to be a sub-component of the Directors at Bylaw 27(2) (Regional Directors), that is not being followed.

18. As membership in FMCBC has grown recently, the size of the Board of Directors has increased, making it difficult for Directors to participate in discussions and decisions at the quarterly Directors meetings. This is compounded by limited participation by many Directors. As well, there is a conflict of interest between being a Director of FMCBC, who must make decisions that enhance and further the objectives of FMCBC, and a member club Representative, who must hold their parent club’s objectives as first priority.

19. Since the issue is contentious, the Chair of the Bylaw Review Committee recommends that the Committee review the governance structure of FMCBC. This will require researching and reporting on best practices for governance of non-profit societies. The expected results will be recommendations on a structure and procedures that will ensure effective day-to-day oversight of FMCBC, while ensuring that FMCBC remains responsive to the concerns of the member clubs. Motion 4 at Annex A allows for the membership to discuss this issue during AGM 2016, and to provide direction to the Bylaw Review Committee.

Conclusion

20. Further review of the Bylaws is required in order to clearly define membership criteria, and to resolve language issues concerning the blurred responsibilities of member-club representatives and directors. The discussion in this report, and the motions at Annex A allows for a smooth transition after 28 November 2016, and for further development and adjustments of the Bylaws for consideration at AGM 2017.


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Annex A to Bylaw Review Committee Report 2016

Motion 1 It is resolved that paragraph 2(a) of the Constitution be amended to add the words “non-motorized” after the word “interested” and before the words “in mountain activities…” so that paragraph 2(a) reads:

To foster and promote cooperation and coordination of clubs, groups and individuals interested in non-motorized mountain activities in the whole Province of British Columbia, and to advise and take action on all matters on which the collective experience of these clubs, groups and individuals may prove of service to the people of British Columbia.

This change is to be effective immediately. Motion 2 It is resolved that paragraph 3 of the Constitution be moved to the Bylaws, effective on transition to the BC Societies Act, and that it be changed to meet the requirements of the BC Societies Act, to read:

PART 14 – DISSOLUTION 67 Upon the winding up or dissolution of the Society any funds remaining after satisfaction of its debts and liabilities shall be paid, transferred or delivered to an organization or organizations with like object as the Society or to such charitable organization or organizations as may be decided by the members of the Society at the time of winding up or dissolution, provided that each such organization shall be a non-profit organization or a non-profit corporation recognized by the Department of National Revenue of Canada as being qualified as such under the provisions of the Income Tax Act of Canada from time to time in effect. This provision was formerly unalterable.

Motion 3 It is resolved that the Bylaw Review Committee take note of the opinions of the members at the 2016 AGM and provide recommendations for consideration at AGM 2017 on the advisability of providing for-profit organizations or businesses membership in FMCBC. Motion 4 It is resolved that the Bylaw Review Committee research non-profit governance best-practices, providing a report and recommendations for AGM 2017, ensuring that FMCBC remains responsive to member clubs’ concerns, while providing an effective, efficient structure for the organization.

Risk Management Committee Report Jodi Appleton, Executive Director

Insurance We had another year without a claim and have renewed with Aon Risk Solutions for 2016-2017. Our premium remained the same for this year, but next year it may change as that will be the end of our three year agreement. Our number of members has increased since our original premium was set which means we are actually taking in more revenue than we are spending on insurance. I would suggest that this surplus from 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 be kept in reserve to offset any increase next year so that the rate per member remains at $7 per member. Waivers The Risk Management Committee researched and developed a best practices document regarding the use of online waiver systems and Bob St. John spent many hours developing an online waiver system which adheres to


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these guidelines. The CDMC has implemented and been testing the system. Other clubs are planning to come on board soon. We will be sending out a survey to clubs in June asking them to analyze their current waiver process whether they are using hard copy or online waivers. From this we’ll advise clubs of any improvements which could be made to their waiver process to increase the likelihood that the waiver will hold up and help defend them if a claim were to come against their club.

Employee Compensation Committee Bob St. John, Committee Chair

The Committee presented their recommendations for compensation adjustments for the positions of Executive Director and Communications Coordinator to the Board of Directors at their December, 2015 meeting. The recommendations were approved, taking effect January 1, 2016. A goal of the committee is to use the living wage (http://livingwagecanada.ca/index.php/living-wage-communities/british-columbia/) as the baseline for FMCBC employee compensation. A good start has been made to achieve that goal, but more needs to be done. A comparative review of Executive Director compensation for similar organizations is not yet complete. Thank you to Pat Harrison, Dave Wharton, and Pam Munroe for volunteering their time. Pam is stepping down and a replacement would be appreciated. Special thanks to Pam for bringing the living wage standard to our attention.

Communications & Outreach Committee Report Alanna Mahr, Communications Coordinator

The Communications & Outreach Committee is a small but enthusiastic committee that works to raise the profile of the FMCBC and its work with both our member clubs and the general public. This past year has been one of reestablishment and redefinition for us, as we worked to articulate our purpose and our goals, and work towards them with limited numbers. The committee continues to be co-chaired by Brian Wood and Samantha Harrigan – I would like to thank them for their continued dedication to the committee, as well as everyone who has represented us at an event, collected donations or passed along an issue of Cloudburst over the past year. #FundBCParks campaign At the beginning of the year, the committee launched a #FundBCParks campaign to lobby the BC government to boost funding to BC Parks’ operating budget ahead of the 2016 budget announcement. Members and the public were encouraged to write letters, sign our online petition, and share photos and stories of their favourite provincial parks on social media. Over the course of about three weeks, 181 people sent letters to Finance Minister Mike De Jong, and though few people actually participated by sharing their own photos and messages on social media, it did provide a significant boost to our following (143 people ‘liked’ our initial post and 50 shared it). Our efforts were unfortunately unsuccessful (the budget remained virtually unchanged for another year) but we intend to keep the messaging going to let our leaders know that this chronic underfunding is unacceptable. VIMFF in Victoria For the first time, the FMCBC will be presenting a screening of the Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival’s Best of the Fest Tour in Victoria this June. The event will include a two-hour program of handpicked award-winning outdoor and adventure films. The goal of the event is primarily to raise the profile of the FMCBC within its membership and with the public in Victoria, as well as to build new relationships with island clubs, and possibly even raise some money for our Member Grant Program. For more information (or to purchase your ticket!) please visit our website: http://mountainclubs.org/vimff-2016/

http://livingwagecanada.ca/index.php/living-wage-communities/british-columbia/

http://livingwagecanada.ca/index.php/living-wage-communities/british-columbia/

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Sandy Allan In early April, the FMCBC hosted renowned Scottish mountaineer and author Sandy Allan at Langara College in Vancouver. Sandy spoke for about an hour about his experiences climbing Nanga Parbat’s Mazeno Ridge to an audience of about 80 people (a mix of FMCBC members, students and a few high-profile climbers). Thanks to Mack Skinner and Brian Wood, who liaised with Sandy and some volunteers from the college, collected admission/donations, and gave a short presentation about the FMCBC to a captive audience. New display for outreach events As of last summer, the FMCBC has a new tri-fold display to use at outreach events! The new display – soon to be displays as we have ordered another so as to have one on the Island and one on the Mainland–is an upgrade from the previous cardboard display both in terms of durability and in terms of content. We have tried to pare down our messaging and hone in on what the FMCBC does and why people should join. The display has been well received at several events where the FMCBC has been present this year and we hope to be able to use it for many years to come. In the coming year, we will be elevating our tri-fold display with an eye-catching free-standing banner as well as some outdoor paraphernalia or talking pieces (please get in touch if you have any old hiking gear you’d like to donate!) Cloudburst Magazine The committee continues to be involved in the content creation, editing and production of Cloudburst, the FMCBC’s biannual print and online publication. The most recent issue included a suite of articles by Brian Wood (and others) on the history and current situation of backcountry access at Singing Pass, the Lower Mainland “ski hills,” and the Garibaldi at Squamish proposal for Brohm Ridge. These articles involved intensive research and collaboration with others, and the result is a real achievement and an asset for other committees working on and around these issues. Thanks as always to Bill Perry, who served as an excellent and reliable editor on this issue, and to everyone who wrote a piece or submitted a photo. Print copies should be available for pick-up and distribution at the AGM, as well as on our website. Social media We’ve been ramping up our social media efforts this year and are pleased to report that our following is steadily growing (at last count, we had 466 followers on Facebook and 480 on Twitter – compared to just 276 and 336 this time last year). Our #FundBCParks campaign gave us a significant boost in February, with a number of organizations and individuals picking up our posts and sharing them with their networks. The goal of the FMCBC’s social media is to create and share content that is informative and relevant to hikers, climbers, skiers, trail runners, etc., without clogging our followers’ feeds with an unrestrained stream of throwaway or commercial messaging. If you have ideas for how to improve our social media presence, or even if you just come across an article you think our audience would enjoy, please get in touch with me at [email protected]. Outreach events The FMCBC was represented at a number of events this year, including Hike Fest in Squamish, Trails Day/the opening of the Perimeter Valley Trail in Campbell Valley Regional Park, Parks Day in Manning Park and the Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival in… Vancouver! Thank you especially to Patrick Harrison and Brian Wood who donated their time to manning our table and representing the FMCBC so well. If you know of any backcountry/non-motorized events you think the FMCBC could/should attend, please let us know. Club engagement One of the goals of the committee this coming year will be to liaise with our existing member clubs and let them know what the FMCBC is up to, how they can become involved, and some of the ways they can benefit from their membership. It has come to our attention that many clubs (and their members) “use” only one facet of our Federation (generally, insurance) and we are working to do more outreach within our existing membership of more than 5,000 to encourage involvement and educate our members. Sam Harrington has been working

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especially hard on this on the Island, and Jodi has given a few presentations to give members a better understanding of what it is we do. We hope to do more of this type of activity going forward.

Member Club Grant Report Jodi Appleton, Executive Director

Thank you to all those individuals and organizations that made a donation to the FMCBC in 2014-2015. Your donations made it possible for the FMCBC to support seven of our member clubs and their projects last year:

The BC Mountaineering Club was awarded $2000 towards their Sigurd Trail Extension project.

Varsity Outdoor Club was awarded $635 towards their New Door for Phelix Hut project

The Vancouver Rock Climbing Group was awarded $1200 towards their Climb and Conquer Summer Leadership Camp project

The Vancouver Island Spine Trail Association was awarded $1475 towards their VI Spine Trail Signage project

The Island Mountain Ramblers were awarded $650 towards their Safety and Trail Clearing project

The South Okanagan Trail Alliance was awarded $250 towards their Acquisition of Tools project

The Caledonia Ramblers were awarded $2000 towards their Ancient Forest Trail Tread Protection project

The donations received by the FMCBC between April 1, 2015 and March 31, 2016 went towards our 2016 Member Club Grant fund. The total funding available for 2016 is $4520. All FMCBC Member Clubs in good standing were eligible and invited to apply to receive grant funds. The 2016 Grant Committee is currently deliberating and will announce the grant awards at the AGM on May 28. The 2016 committee members include Judy Carlson (Alberni Valley Outdoor Club), Mack Skinner (North Shore Hikers), Dave King (Caledonia Ramblers), Dave Wharton (Valley Outdoor Association) and Sherry Durnford (Island Mountain Ramblers). If your club is interested in applying next year the applications will be ready by April 1st. Talk to your club’s FMCBC Director to learn more or email us at [email protected] for more information. All donations to the FMCBC (including travel reimbursement donations) received between April 1, 2016 and March 31, 2017 will go directly towards our 2017 Member Club Grant fund. Thank you to everyone for making this a successful program!

Priority Trails for Upgrading Committee Report Jodi Appleton, Executive Director

Our Priority Trails for Upgrading Committee (PTUC) is just in the process of getting rolling. We have received six submissions so far and the next step is to determine how we can assist our clubs to get these trails upgraded/repaired. I’ve put forward some ideas below for how this could be done. If you’d like to get involved contact me for more information. Purposes of the PTUC

Identify important trails across the province urgently in need of repair

Assist clubs with facilitating repairs

Increase public awareness of important trails in need of upgrades Responsibilities of Committee Members and FMCBC Staff

Review submissions as received

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Discuss and determine how the FMCBC can be of assistance for each submission

Research and suggest potential granting bodies

Assist clubs with writing grant applications

Raise profile for each identified trail through social media and blog post stories

Assist with securing support or approval from landowners/manager

Assist with developing land use agreements

Short term goals Long term goals

Establish a current list of trails in need of repair as identified by clubs

Discuss with applicant club potential strategies for repairing trail – What’s it going to take and is there a volunteer base to draw from?

Determine with applicant club the cost involved to repair their trail

Develop a timeline for individual trail repair projects

Assist clubs with obtaining funding for individual projects

Establish relationships with Rec Sites and Trails Recreation Managers and BC Parks Rangers

Create a list of fundraising bodies that support trail work

Increase awareness of the need for trail maintenance and steps for working with Rec Sites and Trails and BC Parks

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