COUREURS DE BOIS OUTDOORS CLUB, ELLIOT
LAKE
Meeting September 20, 2022
1.
CALL TO ORDER
The
meeting was called to order by David N. at 6:55 p.m.
There were 36 members in attendance.
As there are new members in the Club,
David N. had everyone introduce themselves in the
manner of our “meeting circle” prior to
hikes, ie. names and numbers.
Tonight was pizza night, as September
is the unofficial start of the hiking year.
2.
APPROVAL OF THE MAY 24, 2022 MINUTES
Moved
by David N, seconded by Sue L. that “the
Minutes be approved as
written.” CARRIED.
3.
MEMBERHIP/TREASURER’S REPORT
Sue
L. reported on the financials since the last meeting. The financial report was approved
by Bill H. seconded by Jeff. CARRIED.
Sue will have an updated membership list soon. On our latest membership list there were
95 members, and hopefully all will
return as members. Sue indicated that
from this point
forward, members will be removed from
the membership list if they are 3 months in arrears
with their dues.
4.
VICE-PRESIDENT’S REPORT
David N. reported that our former
Vice-President, Julie B. is doing well in her new home in
New Brunswick.
Before leaving Elliot Lake, Julie
submitted a grant request to Elliot Lake Retirement Living
in the amount of $5,743.00. We were granted $5,745.00. The Executive has a list of all
equipment that we will be purchasing
for the Club – most of these purchases will be for trail
maintenance purposes, as well as a
start to replacing worn out snowshoes.
We have been
approved to buy 5 new pairs of
snowshoes. We can sell these older
snowshoes to members
for $25.00 a pair.
5.
TRAILMASTER’S REPORT
Heber
D. reported that in June the Horne Lake trail was cleared once again. There has been
no trail clearing during the summer
months. Crews will be put together for
next week,
possibly Wednesday, September 28th.
Heber also asked for a couple of
volunteers to assist him in determining the condition of
our snowshoes.
Heber also suggested that there be a fee
for using the Club’s snowshoes to reduce misuse of
the purpose of the snowshoes, which is
meant to be on a temporary basis, and not an entire
winter season. A fee of $5.00 per month was agreed upon.
Heber also informed us that the City of
Elliot Lake would like to map the trails again in our
area.
A GPS gadget was lent to the Club for this purpose. The City specifically asked for
the GPS mapping of trails in the Milliken Mine area. Hike Leaders hiking these trails in the
near future can obtain the GPS gadget
from Heber. Once completed, these GPS files
will be
sent to the City, and this information
will be printed into trail booklets. They
will take these
booklets to the Toronto Outdoor Show in
order to promote tourism in Elliot Lake.
Heber reported that 4 members took the
Chainsaw Course recently – Walter, Don, Tom and
Heber.
There are now 10 members who have completed the course – the training is
required
for insurance purposes.
Heber reported on the plan for the
schedule for monthly trail clearing. One
hike a month
will be a “hike and clearing” hike. This will be on a rotation basis of the various
hike days.
6.
HIKE LEADERS – David N.
David
reported that the last hike leaders meeting was better attended. Members who have
been certified hike leaders in the past
are encouraged to participate again. For
those whose
certifications have expired, the Club
will be willing to pay the necessary fee.
Bill H. is to
obtain a list of those hike leaders who
have expired certifications from Gerry J.
7.
NEW BUSINESS
New Vice-President:
With
Julie leaving, there is a need for a new Vice-President. The Executive went through a
list of possible candidates, and Louise
McLean was approved for the position.
Official
acceptance will happen at the November
General Annual Meeting.
Constitution
and By-Laws:
David
N. explained that a Constitution was needed because of Hike Ontario, and as we
did
did not have one in the past, the Executive
put together a document for our Club.
Everyone
is encouraged to read the Constitution
as there will be a vote at the Annual General Meeting
in November to accept it.
Car
Pooling:
With
the cost of gas, if you are carpooling, it is suggested that there be some
monetary
contribution to the driver.
Potluck Supper:
David N. thanked
Dianne H. and Bonnie H. for the excellent job they did in the planning of
the
potluck supper at Westview Park. It was a success according to all who
attended.
Trans Canada Trail:
David N. informed us that our Club was
asked to re-submit new GPS coordinates of the
Trans Canada Trail in our area. It is
possible that because we have membership with the
Trans Canada Trail Association, we may
be eligible for funding…something to explore.
Highway Cleaning:
We
will be having a “highway clearing” day in October. Our area extends from the Airport
to Depot Lake. The scheduled date will be put on the blog,
most likely a Saturday, and
members are encouraged to participate.
Senior
Hikes:
Chuck
Z. continues to lead the popular Thursday afternoon hikes. As Jim B. is out of
commission for the time being, it would
be appreciated if other hike leaders could assist him.
A list of appropriate hikes would be an
asset – hikes which would be 45 minutes in and 45
minutes out, with minimal hills.
Notice
of Motion:
CJ
requested that a motion be made whereby information about scheduled hikes will
be
posted in the calendar section on the
blog. This cannot be done at this
meeting but will be
brought
forward at the Annual Business Meeting in November.
Vaccine
Mandate:
Bill H. made a motion that “the Coureurs
de Bois Outdoor Club drop the vaccine mandate
for
now, contingent on any new restrictions mandated by the Ontario Government
in the
future”.
Seconded by Tim. CARRIED.
Chainsaw
Equipment:
Currently
the Club owns 3 gas chainsaws – one is big and heavy and has not been used in
eight years. Heber proposed that we sell this chain saw and
buy two battery operated
chainsaws. The members in attendance agreed with this
proposal.
Lock
and Keys for Storage:
A new lock was installed for our tool
lockup area, and the keys will only be available to
Heber D. as Trail Master and the
President, David N.
Snowshoes:
A reminder was
given to the membership that NOW is the time to buy needed snowshoes.
Claire from 108 Lifestyle and Sporting
Goods will be at the November meeting showcasing
their snowshoes and other equipment that
would be of interest to us.
Coureurs
de Bois Crest:
Pat
D. has agreed to embroider our crest onto t-shirts and/or zippered sweatshirts. The crest
will be ready for November. More information will be given at a later
date.
Next
Meeting:
Our next meeting is our Annual Business
Meeting and it will be held on the 3rd Tuesday in
November.
8. ADJOURNMENT
Moved
by David N. and seconded by Heber D. “that
the meeting be adjourned”.
The
meeting was adjourned at 8:18 p.m.
