PEC Meeting - Legion BC/YukonDiscussion took place about the Poster contest and the eligibility of...
Transcript of PEC Meeting - Legion BC/YukonDiscussion took place about the Poster contest and the eligibility of...
PEC Meeting
Held at Aldergrove Branch #265, Aldergrove, BC
March 28, 2015
Roll Call
In attendance: Angus Stanfield, Marc Tremblay, Bob Brady, Kathy Ensor, Valerie MacGregor, Glenn Hodge,
Vivian MacNeil, John Scott, Laurie Meadows, Sharon Brady, Irene Brown, Charlotte Cederholm, Jim Diack,
Glen Hill, Leo Crossland, Bonnie West, Doug Misfeldt, Dale Johnston, Rick Lundin, Dwight Grieve, Bev
Mansell, Jane Anderson, Bill McGuire, Lizz Lindsay
Chairman: Ed Findlater
Deputy Zone Commanders: Peter Merola, Peter Dunford, Roy Cardinal, Bonnie O’Neill, John Gates, Maggie
Kempin, Frank Truman, Bonnie MacMillan, Cliff Slack, Steve Cochrane, Karen Kuzek, Wayne Knight, Richard
Steele
Staff members: Inga Kruse - Executive Director, Gail Budd - Controller, Jamie Morrison – Branch Advisory
Coordinator, Irene Hannon – minutes
Discussion from Previous Minutes
Mileage was based on price of gas, but due to the changes in gas prices Glenn proposed that we adopt the
CRA’s annual rate and update it annually. Motion to change the mileage rate to the CRA posted rate.
Motion carried.
Expense claims – need to be in no later than Feb 15th for prior year’s expenses. Motion that all expenses be
submitted by Feb 15th for the prior year for payment. Motion carried.
All revenue brought in from the sales of regalia at Convention, will go towards the Convention expenses.
Transportation costs will increase as we will offer to transport delegates to the parade. Moved acceptance
of 2015 Provincial Convention Budget. Motion carried.
President’s report – see Appendix A
Angus Stanfield shared the items discussed and approved at the recent DEC meeting and highlighted the
major changes. These items can be read in the DEC minutes.
A motion to pass the President’s report was passed.
Standing Committee Reports
Honours & Awards – see Appendix B
Jim Diack reviewed his report and a motion to adopt the report was passed.
Jim brought up that he would like to present all current Provincial Executive and Past Presidents with the
90th Anniversary commemorative medal at Convention. Motion passed to present all PEC and Past
President’s with 90th Anniversary Medal.
A motion was passed to present Angus Stanfield with a Provincial MSM.
Military and Veterans Service Report – see Appendix C
John Scott highlighted his report and a motion to adopt his report was passed.
Sports Report – see Appendix D
Glen Hill reviewed his report and made a motion that Provincial Executive Council support, regional sports tournaments for Euchre, Darts, Eight Ball, Crib and Golf, from mid‐August to early October, all at no cost to Command other than some staff support time. Motion passed. A motion to pass the sports report was passed.
Youth Report – see Appendix E
Leo Crossland highlighted his report. A motion was made to increase the Gerontology Bursary from its
current rate of $2,000 to $5,000 to reflect inflation over the past 14 years. Motion passed.
Discussion took place about the Poster contest and the eligibility of entries from student’s taking
professional art courses. These entries do not qualify as they are not part of the Canadian School system.
Zone Commanders were asked to keep watch and follow up with teachers on submissions that seem like
they have had adult or professional assistance.
A motion to pass the Youth Report was passed.
PR and Marketing Report – see Appendix F
Kathy Ensor highlighted her report. Discussion took place about proper budgeting for Legion week events.
Glenn Hodge warned that gaming money is not to be taken advantage of and cuts will be made to budgets if
we feel that items were over-priced.
A motion to accept the PR and Marketing report was passed.
Membership Report – see Appendix G
Kathy Ensor spoke about
Foundation Report – see Appendix H
Bob Brady reviewed his report and readout the grants that were given at the previous day’s Foundation
meeting.
BC Regiment Museum Society –Battlefield Tour - $15,000 Canadian Cancer Society – Camp Goodtimes Leadership – $5,000 Victoria Hospice – Tilt-in Wheelchair –$3,000 A motion to adopt the Foundation report was passed.
TVS Report – see Appendix I
Lizz Lindsay reviewed her report and a motion to adopt the TVS report was passed.
Executive Director Report – see Appendix J
Inga Kruse reviewed her report.
Member Benefits – see Appendix K
Laurie Meadows highlighted her report and a motion to adopt the report was passed.
Constitution and Bylaws Report – see Appendix L
Jim Diack highlighted his report and a motion to adopt the report was passed.
Poppy Report – see Appendix M
Glenn Hodge reviewed the report and a motion to adopt the Poppy report was passed.
2015 Poppy Budget
Glenn reviewed the proposed 2015 Poppy Budget.
Dominion Command has asked for money from all Commands to help them reach their goal of raising $1
million to fund brain imaging research and technology at the Royal Ottawa Hospital for Mental Health. A
motion to give $150,000 out of the Command Poppy Fund to Dominion Command was passed.
A motion to approve the 2015 Poppy Budget was passed.
Discussion and explanation took place regarding changing the current poppy assessment system to a mill
rate. This was for the information of the Zone Commanders and a proposal will be brought forth to the
delegates at the upcoming Convention.
Branch Advisory Report – see Appendix N
Valerie MacGregor highlighted her report and a motion to adopt the report was passed.
Branch #53 Duncan – Coffee Shop
Jamie Morrison presented the idea of opening up a small hall or multipurpose room that Branch #53 Duncan
can use for their branch and rental purposes as well as a small coffee shop that can help fund the branch
operations. The response from PEC was very positive and Jamie will be doing more research into putting a
budget together in order to proceed.
Half a million dollars is being paid by branches in non-exempt Property Tax each year. He offered assistance
to branches wanting to pursue a property tax exemption.
Axis Insurance Managers
Clive Bird and Lee Weitman provided a handout (see Appendix O) and spoke about the benefits of the group
insurance program.
Treasurers Report
Glenn Hodge presented the Treasurers Report and a motion to adopt the report was passed.
Zero Tolerance Policy
Glenn presented changes to the Zero Tolerance Policy (see Appendix P). Motion to accept the policy as
presented was passed.
Zone Audit Committee
Branches and BC/Yukon Command are required to provide audited financial statements, but Zones do not
and this needs to change. Glenn asked for 3 volunteer Zone Commanders to create an audit committee to
review Zone Financials. Jim Diack, Bev Mansell, Leo Crossland, and Rick Lundin volunteered.
2014 Financial Statements
Glenn Hodge reviewed the Financial Statements. A motion to accept the audited financial statements was
passed.
Fenety Contract for Military Service Recognition Book Motion to accept Fenety Contract for 2015. Motion
passed.
John Goheen Contract for 2015 Military Service Recognition book
A motion to accept the contract for John Goheen as the MSRB coordinator for 2015 was passed.
3pm adjournment.
President’s Report to PEC March 2015
Comrades, I feel that as this is the last PEC of my term, it is time to reflect on our progress over the past two years: One of the highlights for me was when we were successful in getting the change we lobbied so hard for with Liquor Control to get families into our Branches. This is how it should be. Another major achievement for the good of the future of this Command is our insurance program. It is fully subscribed to and embedded in our Command, we must appreciate the stability it has given this organization and guard it fiercely. These are the two most important initiatives and have strengthened our Command and will prove invaluable as we move ahead. I want to thank everyone here for their dedication and hard work this past term, it has been a pleasure to be part of this team and I have a small token of appreciation for each of you. I look forward to our next term, there are some great people in the wings. I am not going anywhere and I pledge to do all I can to support them and this organization. I hesitate to pick out any one committee because they are all important and I believe all have seen success, but there are two very large and often overworked in my opinion, committees that deserve mention.
Branch Advisory we know this is a monster of a job. This committee gets a lot of our best resources, and is very time consuming. Val MacGregor and her committee of many, many people deserve a huge pat on the back. Some branches that were all but gone are now moving ahead on a solid footing. Congratulations Valerie!
Membership ‐ the other massive challenge ‐ I truly believe that we have turned a corner. Winning both the One‐on‐One contest and the Bert Garret Award is recognition of the work of the committee. Everyone in this room, every branch, every member has, under Kathy’s leadership, recognized the importance of membership and applied themselves. We know how frustrating it can be, change comes slowly but we have seen progress. Kathy ‐ outstanding job!
The re‐structuring of Command has proven to be the right thing to do, it is successful. Inga and her team have this command humming along like a well‐tuned machine. The supportive phone calls and emails from branches that previously avoided contact with Command are proof that the re‐organization has had the desired effect. Along with creating better working relationships with branches, the Command team has been very careful on the bottom line and delivered the goods without breaking the bank. We know that being on a shoe string is not good in the long term, and we must invest in our operations, but in the recovery period from a major renovation, the staff has been incredibly devoted to their jobs and making it all work.
I also want to commend the unity and determination shown by this Command at the past Dominion Convention. Our resolutions and determination to have these matters dealt with on the convention floor did not go un‐noticed by the rest of Canada. The budget for 2015 that was presented at Convention was over $1.1 million in the red. Since convention every committee was ordered to look for savings and at the recent DEC meetings we approved a budget with over a Million Dollars shaved off of it. It was voted on and passed that going forward there will be no more deficit budgets. We must live within our means and I think our message was received. As we move forward we have to strive to maintain the respectful relationship with our staff that exists It is essential for our future success and anything or anyone that threatens this harmony must be dealt with immediately and harshly. I have seen environments where it doesn't exist and it is HELL. So let's continue to support our staff and step up and be as involved as possible in this last push before convention. A final note to our Zone Commanders ‐ those of you leaving us this term, I would like to personally thank you for your service. You have been the leadership team who has enabled great change in our Command. We hope that the new Zone Commanders will take their cues from those of you who have been willing to do new things, take chances and embrace the future. Respectfully submitted, Angus Stanfield, President
Honour and Awards Committee Report to PEC
March 2015
Since the last PEC meeting this committee has processed thirty nine life membership
applications, of with two were returned to the Branches for a variety of reasons but mostly due
to the quality of the citation and lack of information.
Three MSM applications were processed, and were approved at Dominion Command. One
Palm Leaf application and six Friendship awards were processed and approved.
On February 28th, 2015 at Cumberland, BC, the Whyte brothers, James and W. Bryson were
presented with the Knights of the Legion of Honour of France for their role at ‘Juno Beach’ June
6th, 1944. Both brothers were in different Canadian regiments but arrived on the beach about
the same time. Approximately 500 veterans across Canada will be or have received this award,
but it is believed they are to only two brothers to receive the award together.
Comrade Richard Hilton of Comox was the recipient of the Special Force Congressional Gold
Medal, on 8 March 2015, he is 99 years of age. He was a member of the ‘Devils Brigade’ during
WW 11. Apparently he was the only person in BC receiving this award. There are six recipients
in Canada and about 25 in the USA.
It is important to remind all Honours and Awards committees at Branch and Zone levels to
ensure the correct forms are used and complete, detailed information is provided. New forms
for Friendship, Life Membership, Media Award, MSM/MSA/Palm are now available for
download from Dominion command website; http://www.legion.ca/members/resourses.
Please remember, as a volunteer organization, thanking volunteer is extremely important.
I thank Irene Hannon, Command support staff, and the committee members for all their work.
Respectfully submitted,
Jim Diack, Chair
Committee Members: Bonnie West, Wilma Stevens, Mark Whitely and Roy Cardinal
Military Veterans & Seniors Services Report to PEC March 2015
Central BC The City council asked for a presentation on the 5th of January as they wanted to know the Veterans opinion of the closing of the VAC office in Prince George. This was also the day the Minister resigned so made the presentation all the more meaningful. The Council was very concerned our veterans were not being well served and made two resolutions of support that were unanimous:
1. Send a letter asking the office be reopened to the local MP’s and the Minister of Veterans affairs
2. To activate the Community Covenant the Council formed in December to ensure our veterans are honoured. This is a council of towns and Villages in the north formed to ensure the North gets heard.
I was also asked to do a presentation to the Rocky Mountain Ranger Unit in Prince George. They wanted to know the role of the Legion and in particular the Service Officer. There was an opportunity to discuss the Veterans Transition Program and a lot of interest in the Skills Conversion Program. I discussed the need to become members, not only as a place for entertainment, but the opportunity to effect meaningful dialog with the Government. I also made it clear that although the Legion is making strides and working hard to represent the younger generations they will never get the chance to have input unless they join and have their say. I issued 30 membership forms and some have begun to trickle in to the Branch Membership Office. I was assisted on this Presentation by the President of Branch 43.
Seniors Housing Vancouver Island There are a few smaller housing complexes on Vancouver Island in smaller communities such as Sooke, Chemainus and Comox and they are simply Independent Living. The two larger complexes on the island are in Central Saanich and Langford. Legion Manor Victoria is the largest situated on 5 acres with 79 Independent living units and 68 Assisted living units. The independent living units presently have a two year waiting list at the Assisted living has approximately 25 on the waiting list. The standards are high in this complex and have attained the BCSLA Seal which is awarded semi‐annually for excellence. The community presently has a 7 passenger van and is in the process of purchasing an 11 passenger bus with two wheelchair spots with a lift. Prince Edward Lodge is situated next to the Prince Edward Legion in Langford. The complex has 30 Independent units again with a large waiting list. It boasts a central lounge for activities with a small kitchen attached for special events which are weekly.
Inner Warrior The Inner Warrior program is situated adjacent to CFB Esquimalt and the Dockyard which makes it easy for the Military personnel who need the help to attend. The program is a yoga program specially designed for Military personnel and Veterans suffering with PTSD. Currently they run 5 courses per year which are approximately 8 weeks in duration meeting twice weekly. The uniqueness of this program is that the spouse or significant other can attend and join in. The course teaches coping methods for those suffering from PTSD and is certainly very helpful and is enough for some. For those with more advanced PTSD it is a good starting point until they can be registered for our VTP program or privately through the military. Dr. Tim Black is assisting by writing the research element to the program. Unfortunately, they suffer from a chronic shortage of funds, luckily however, many are helped with the little funding they do receive. Visit by General Leslie and LCol Sajjan I, Terri Orser, assisted in setting up a visit at the Langford Legion on the 19th of January 2015 for General Leslie, former Chief of Land Staff (Leslie is currently the military advisor to Justin Trudeau and will run for the Liberal Party in Ottawa) and LCol Sajjan who is the Commanding Officer of the BC Regiment in Vancouver. They were there to talk with and listen to Veterans who are suffering from an operational stress injury(ies). There was no press at this meeting. This was passed to other Veterans to attend and it was felt that we should use every opportunity presented to let people know the good and the bad of what we live with everyday and I attended the meeting as another Veteran with an OSI. I was in no way endorsing anyone, but respectfully listened to what they had to say Veteran to Veteran and I was truly impressed. I do not believe they were going to hear as much as they did. Homeless Veterans Initiative Terri Orser and Dave Sinclair will be visiting homeless facilities to meet the people in charge to find out if there are any homeless Veterans that could come to Nurse’s Visits by Verity Home Care at Prince Edward Br. 91. The Legion will provide the transportation to and from the facilities and the nurses and care aids will take care of any medical needs and concerns that the Veterans require such as, but not limited to: Foot care, haircuts, blood pressure, sugar levels, immunization shots as required, massage therapy, talking to other veterans, a free meal, some items such as toothbrushes, combs, toothpaste, soap etc. The Verity downstairs clinic donates the clinic and the nurses free of charge, and has done so for two and a half years. Terri is also meeting with a captain from the base hospital in Victoria to discuss the loss of leave for serving Veterans to attend the VTP program.
Outreach and Visitation Program Volunteer Terri Orser is a volunteer and has taken the subject course in Ottawa. It is run by the Director of the Service Bureau at Command and the Program Coordinator at VAC. The goal is to visit as many facilities and Veterans who live in them (we are given the names to visit) and report back. This is to ensure that if a Veteran is in need of something it can be addressed immediately. We do not get paid mileage, parking, postage or meals but do receive $20.00 per Veteran that is reported on. That basically covers whatever expenses we incur. Each facility is sent a letter of which Veterans that we will be visiting and why we are there. Each Veteran is read out a statement of understanding and privacy is paramount. Each Veteran is visited for approx half an hour. We are not there to find fault with the facility but rather to listen to the Veterans. We do not prompt the Veterans, if they have an issue they would like to discuss that is what we are there for. For example, maybe a Veteran says they have not received any news back from VAC for a particular issue. That is what we would report and it would be followed up by VAC.
Seniors and Veteran’s Housing in Vancouver / Burnaby area:
George Derby Care Centre Report prepared by Ricky Kwan, Executive Director George Derby Centre provides supportive independent living, complex care, and dementia care for Canadian Veterans of the Armed Forces and the general senior population; we achieve our mission through commitment to excellence and accountability. The provincial Ministry of Health funds our core services while Veterans Affairs Canada subsidizes our augmented care programs. The population is aging. Specifically, in British Columbia, there is a projected 1.33 million seniors over 65 years of age; a 7% increase in this age group from 16.9% of the total population in 2014 to 23.8% by 2030 (BC Stats, 2014). On the other hand, our veteran population is getting smaller. Veterans Affairs Canada, based on data from Statistics Canada, estimated our veteran population, as of March 2014, at 88,400 served during Second World War; their average age is 90, and 9,800 served during Korean War; their average age is 82. These may be the reason why George Derby Centre achieves a 99.9% occupancy rate with more civilians’ admissions. As of December 31, 2014, there were about three quarters of our clients are veterans (down from full veterans residence). Subsequently, VAC funding level drops which puts pressure in maintaining our enhanced program. Hence, George Derby has been adapting our care delivery model in order to provide the best care for the varying cohort of seniors at the Centre. We have recognized fair amount of cost saving in the past few months. George Derby continues to work with the health authorities ensuring veterans in the community enjoy the priority access to George Derby long term care services. We also persist in advocating appropriate funding from federal and provincial governments to support long term care. As such
we had initiated conversations with health authority and provincial ministry, as well as VAC; specifically on acceptable direct care hours in long term care and funding model that encourages quality improvement. George Derby is venturing into the social housing arena. We are with BC Housing and City of Burnaby in the development of 120 units of affordable independent senior accommodation. The re‐zoning application sails relatively well; we anticipated the final reading at the City Council in couple months’ time, and ground breaking possibly in the fall. George Derby’s Board of Directors and the operations team have started a new round of strategic planning exercises since November 2014. We will consolidate a new strategic plan to better serve our veterans and seniors in spring. Veterans Memorial Housing Society ‐ “Veteran’s Manor” Report prepared by Bruce Burlington, Administrator Veteran’s Manor is located in Vancouver, and has been operational since 1986. It was originally intended to serve hard‐to‐house Veterans who were displaced from the single room occupancy hotels located in the Downtown Eastside by the city’s Expo 86 World Fair event. Today, approximately 54 of the 134 residents are Veterans. Veterans continue to have priority to units at Veterans Memorial Manor. However, with the dwindling Veteran population, the majority of the Manor’s residents are hard‐to‐house men over the age of 55 who are at risk of homelessness and who may have addiction issues. In 2013, the City of Vancouver and the BC Assessment Authority designated Veteran’s Manor as a “Class 3 Supportive Housing facility” which has enabled it to receive a significant property tax exemption because of the clients it serves and the support services that are provided through Vancouver Coastal Health. Currently this aging 29 year old building is facing a serious need to replace or upgrade the mechanical systems and capital assets. Last year all the stoves in the suites were replaced, and this year the Manor hopes to replace most if not all of the fridges. The building is also facing some serious plumbing issues that will need to be addressed in the near future. Out of necessity, the Manor is expanding its dependence on Fundraising to assist with these capital costs which also includes replacing the furniture in the suites and painting and refurbishing the common areas. A large donation last year from the Vancouver Poppy Fund allowed a major refurbishing of the Manor’s aging elevator so the aging veterans can get to and from their suites on the upper floors. VAC continues to run an office out the building and provides funds for one suite and has priority access to it for emergency purposes or for any military or post military person. New Chelsea Society Report prepared by Patrick Buchannon, Executive Director New Chelsea Society was founded in 1952 by five Vancouver Branches of the Royal Canadian Legion to provide safe affordable housing for World II Veterans and their families. The Society welcomed its first resident veteran and his family in 1955 into the newly constructed Chelsea
Gardens complex on East 52nd Avenue in South Vancouver. In 2015, New Chelsea Society is celebrating its 60th Anniversary. The society has grown significantly over the past 60 years. New Chelsea Society continues to be the third largest non‐profit housing provider in the lower mainland of BC with 19 housing properties with a total of 1,056 units with locations in the five lower mainland municipalities of Vancouver, Burnaby, Surrey, North Vancouver, and Port Coquitlam. A major development is occurring this spring in that the land that is owned by the Provincial Rental Housing Corporation on which 7 of New Chelsea Society seniors and family housing complexes are located, is being sold to the Society. BC Housing will assist in paying the mortgage payments. This tremendous increase in equity by owning both the buildings and the land will give the Society the ability to sustain itself and be able to grow and develop in the years to come. The Society’s Chelsea Park supportive seniors housing complex was awarded for the second time the BC Seniors Living Association’s prestigious Seal of Approval for meeting the high standards and best practices in the industry. The 74‐unit complex continues to operate at near full capacity and has a solid Veteran population. This year’s Remembrance Ceremony at Chelsea Park was the biggest and best ever with a full ceremony including a pipe band, colour party, Legion representatives, a sing‐along of the old wartime tunes, and many presentations by resident veterans on their personal experiences. A beautiful indoor Cenotaph was constructed for the occasion this year that will be used in the future. The Kidney Suite Program at Chelsea Tower is in its 15th year and going strong. Four suites are provided to veterans and low income people from around British Columbia that need short term accommodation while they are in Vancouver recuperating from a kidney transplant. The suites are always full. This program is operated by the Kidney Foundation of Canada, BC Branch, in partnership with New Chelsea Society and receives funding from BC Yukon Command, local Legion Branches, and the Vancouver Poppy Fund. With kidney transplants and organ donations expected to increase dramatically in the future, the Society is looking to provide a two‐bedroom unit for families where children are welcome. The Society also continues to manage Winch House, a 4‐bedroom, 3 bathroom fully‐furnished townhouse that is offered as free accommodation to Veterans and their families, and to the families of Canadian Forces members, as well as those of Fire, Ambulance and Law Enforcement Services while the members are receiving care in the Metro Vancouver area. Winch House provides them with a temporary home where they can stay while loved ones are treated at Lower Mainland Health facilities. Winch House depends solely on donations to operate. New Chelsea Society is a registered charity and individuals or organizations can make donations to the Society designated specifically for Winch House, and receive a charitable tax receipt. In 2013, New Chelsea Society established a strategic partnership with the Mainland BC Military Family Resource Centre and this partnership continues to flourish. The Society accepts priority client referrals from MFRC for Winch House, and our long term family housing facilities around the lower mainland.
Brock Fahrni Veterans’ Hospital Report prepared by Christine Pilot, Administrative Assistant Brock Fahrni Pavilion is located on Vancouver’s west side and is a residential care home to 148 residents. Currently 25 of the residents are Veterans of the Canadian Forces. The veteran population is given priority to the Pavilion, so the centre tends to have a larger number of men than women living there. The home opened in 1983 and was refurbished in 1997. A newly renovated large patio/garden area is accessible from one floor. Each floor features a large living room/dining room with a fireplace, where residents can gather to share activities. The larger community at Brock Fahrni is broken into smaller neighbourhoods physically located in six separate wings. In 2013, the Pavilion opened a new Family Room where family members can visit and privately dine with a resident. Also introduced was a new chair that can be easily converted into a bed, so a family member can stay by the side of an ailing resident and have somewhere to sleep. The Pavilion is also facing possible VAC funding cuts down the road that could result in a negative impact on the Arts studio and arts therapy program. Like other specialized residential care facilities, Brock Fahrni is looking toward increasing its fundraising efforts to solicit donations to assist in maintaining its services and programs. Some activity highlights in recent months included the Candlelight Celebration held on August 14 2014. After the Celebration, the lobby’s powerful red ribbon display was extended to commemorate our Veterans on Remembrance Day. It included a display of excerpts from interviews of 3 Veterans sharing their life experiences. The Remembrance Day service was held on the third floor dining room on November 11th with representatives from the Royal Canadian Legion, Veteran’s Affairs Canada, PHC Senior Leadership, friend and families of the Veterans. The attendance for the service was so successful that it flowed out to the hallways. The service was followed by a sherry reception and ended with the 12th Field Medical parade starting from the cenotaph in the garden and arching through the hallways of both floors. Providence Health Care is currently conducting a project, focused on the needs of residents and everyone involved in their care. The project is called “Residential Care for me”. They have engaged their Veterans and their families in resident and family focus groups; they were given disposable camera to capture what was important to them and later participated in audio and video interviews to elaborate on the photos they took. The project is not yet completed.
Consolidated Report Submitted by Pat Buchannon Executive Director, New Chelsea Society
Member of the Military Veterans and Seniors Services Committee
Brock Fahrni Banner:
Respectfully submitted, John Scott, Chair
Committee Members: Tim Murphy, Dwight Grieve, Terri Dammann, Terri Orser, Vivian McNeil and Patrick Buchannon
Sports Committee Report to PEC
March 2015
BC/Yukon Provincial Playoffs are currently underway. Curling and Crib have been completed, Darts is
running this weekend (March 27th to 28th) and Euchre is scheduled for September 12th to 13th. The
winners that have been reported are:
Provincial Championship Winners:
The following are the Crib winners, hosted by Edgewater Branch #199:
Single: Branch 293 Port Alberni
Doubles: Branch #107 Chase
Team: Branch #88 Maple Ridge
Branch #4 Chilliwack won the Curling Championships, hosted by Branch #14 Rossland. They went on to
compete at the Dominion Championships earlier this month.
We have had excellent participation in Darts and Crib over the years and this year being no different.
However, we have seen a small decline in Curling, this year we had just enough participations to go
ahead with the Provincial playdowns. Eight Ball is the one sport that we constantly see poor
participation. In 2013, the Sports Committee had cancelled the playdowns and in 2014, even though we
were still below the 50% participation requirement the committee had decided to go ahead with the
championships, in hopes of having more participation for 2015. After many attempts to get more zone
participation and with no success the Sports Committee has again decided to cancel Eight Ball for 2015.
As Sports Chairman, it goes without saying that I encourage all members, branches and zones to
participate. I understand some branches are not in the position to participate but it is truly disappointing
to have members and branches wanting to play, only to have some zones choose not to participate.
The Sports Committee has also changed the deadline date for host applications submissions. The new
deadline will be February 28th as opposed to February 1st and we will be sending out the Call to Host
memo in early January.
Here are the 2016 Host Branches for BC/Yukon Command Provincial Playdowns. Dates are yet to be
determined and will be announced shortly.
Curling Branch #113 Ashcroft
Crib Branch #32 Agassiz
Darts Branch #160 Comox
Eight Ball Branch #229 Whalley
Also, I wanted to remind everyone that the National Darts Championships is being held at our very own
Branch #6 Cloverdale from May 1st to 4th. I hope anyone that is in the area will come out and support
and cheer on all of the great teams attending.
At Provincial level, BC/Yukon Command is operating within what it collects from sports registration fees.
At some point, we may need to make changes to control our costs in the future. Dominion Command is
currently revamping their cost structure for sports and has made some changes, mostly to travel. The
next Sports Committee should consider doing the same at Provincial level.
I would like to bring to your attention two motions that were recently passed at the February DEC
meetings. The first motion was regarding that a mandatory dress code be established for Dominion level
member sports participants to include collared shirts, slacks and closed shoes. The second motion that
was unanimously passed was that Dominion suspend Eight Ball and Curling for 2016. At command level
we will still be proceeding with our Provincial championships.
In my previous sports report to PEC, I had mentioned that the Sports Committee had been considering
holding regional sports tournaments in addition to the Provincial playdowns. How this would work is
each regional cluster will have a host branch, approved by the Sports Committee, who will be
responsible for putting the whole event together, much like Golf. The Sports Committee will develop a
set of hosting guidelines for branches to follow and the cost for the tournaments will be covered from
the entry fee charged and any sponsorship incentives received. We would like to hold regional sports
tournaments in Euchre, Darts, Eight Ball, Crib and Golf from mid‐August to early October.
The Sports Committee has and will actively seek out Sponsors to cover some of the costs for Provincial
and Regional championships. I am pleased to announce that the Overwaitea Group has come onboard
as a sponsor this year and will be covering the expenses of the Meet and Greet for each Provincial and
Regional Tournament, a value of $300.00 per branch. We are currently exploring sponsorship
opportunities to cover the cost of trophies.
I make a motion that Provincial Executive Council support, regional sports tournaments for Euchre,
Darts, Eight Ball, Crib and Golf, from mid‐August to early October, all at no cost to Command other than
some staff support time, namely dealing with our sponsors and their sponsorships and donations.
I would personally like to thank all the host branch members who worked with me and those who
stepped in as the Command representatives on making the events a great success. Thank you to my
Committee members input as well as Penny and Laura’s support from the office.
Respectfully submitted,
Glen Hill, Chair
Committee Members: Dale Johnston, Bill McGuire and Bonnie MacMillan
Youth Committee Report to PEC
March 2015
The Youth Committee has had a full agenda since our last report in October 2014 with four
projects coming our way.
1. Simon Fraser Gerontology Bursary
Each year the SFU Gerontology Department forwards the names of three candidates for
the Gerontology Bursary funded by B.C./Yukon Command. The bursary currently stands
at $2,000; a sum that has not changed for many years. The quality of all candidates’
submissions was high and the choice a difficult one. Eventually the name of Marie
Louise Beaton was recommended by the committee.
Recommendation:
Since the creation of this bursary in 2000, the annual amount given out of the Command
Care Trust Fund has not increased. The Youth Committee would like to recommend an
increase to the amount of the bursary to $5,000 per year to reflect inflation and the rise
in school fees over the last 15 years.
1. Video Contest Judging
Committee members were asked to judge a number of video presentations submitted
by young people. It was encouraging to see the number and the quality of submissions.
Eventually, the committee recommended the following as prize winners:
Jarred Jamieson Grade 11 Langley. 1st
Zikang (Jack) Chen Grade 12 Surrey 2nd
Annabelle Coon‐Cook & Brenna Fowler Grade 12 Bowen Island 3rd
2. Remembrance Poster and Literary Contest
This was by far the greatest task of our year to date. The logistics of judging
approximately 180 entries was daunting. Some of the literary entries were forwarded to
committee members while the posters and some of the literary works were divided
among a number of committees in the Comox Valley. These included Branch 17
members, retired teachers and a group of artists from the d’Esterre Seniors Centre in
Comox. The complete list of winners is attached.
One comment that I, as interim Chair and long‐time Poppy Chair at branch and zone
levels is that the entry form is a complicated one for many students and their teachers
to complete accurately. I also would note that many entries were submitted without any
branch information.
3. Pilgrimage of Remembrance
It is disappointing that only two zones submitted names of applicants for this significant
event. The successful candidate was Amy Encina from Oliver.
Please note, this report was submitted by interim chair Frank Burden who has since had to step
down due to health concerns. Effective March 9th, Leo Crossland is serving as interim chair of the
Youth committee, however this report stands.
Respectfully submitted,
Frank Burden, Interim Chair
Committee Members: Jerry Meadows, Leo Crossland, Shaun Francis and Larry Boyd
Marketing and Public Relations Committee Report to PEC March 2015
The following is an update on what your Marketing and Public Relations Committee has been busy doing since our last PEC meeting. Our Website ‐ All Branches and members should use this site and promote the general public to visit www.legionbcyukon.ca. The Marketing and PR committee encourage branches to post this link in a prominent place in their building not only for their members but their guests. Our Blog pages on the website are growing in popularity and contain a number of heartfelt stories. This initiative engages people in the story telling that matters for Veterans, remembrance and patriotism. Blogs are also very much geared to younger people who follow their interests with the bloggers who write on those topics. Please take a few moments to read them and encourage your members to do the same. The website also provides a place where donations can be made to our Legion Foundation with a list of donation preferences, where folks can join or rejoin, the latest on our youth contests and much, much more. The Branch Corner is an excellent communication tool available to Branch Executives as well as Members and I encourage everyone to make use of it. The Branch Forum section has been moved off the website because most inquiries where sent in via email. We also removed the events calendar on our website because it was not being used and we never really saw any big hits from viewership on that page. Branches still send in event information if they have a big event but we now post it on social media because we have a much larger presence and we get a lot more readerships from our Facebook and Twitter page. The Liquor Regulation Recommendations have now been passed and each branch has received the latest information on the regulations surrounding these changes with a link to ensure they have the most up to date information for their club operations. The biggest news is of course the right to have families including minors in branches. This as many of you have said is a step in the right direction and will certainly assist in moving us forward and continuing to serve in our communities. This committee has budgeted to assist branches with advertising within your communities. Zone Commanders are asked to bring this availability to their branches at their zone meetings. The West Coast Women's Show has always been great exposure for our Command! The event held on October 24th – 26th at the Tradex in Abbotsford was another smashing success. Our booth is tremendous; with record numbers of promotional packages, including Membership applications. The public interest continues to grown at this event and we will be hard pressed to keep the Poppy bracelets on hand as well as the Military Service Recognition Books. The committee thanks our support staff, Penny Pansal and our volunteers, Walter and Janice Poustie, Peter and Shirley Dunford, Irene Brown, Karen Kuzek and Dan Coyle for their unwavering support on this three day event. I encourage branches to promote this event to their friends and family and come out and join in the fun at the next big show. The grand prize winner of the Microsoft Surface Tablet was from Chilliwack.
Remembrance Week was again highlighted at the BC Lions game "Salute to Veterans and Military Valour" on Friday, November 7th. Our team worked with the Vancouver Poppy Fund and our Command Staff on this very special tribute to our Veterans. Membership recruitment, mobile giving and of course, Poppy Tagging, are our priorities. A special thank you is extended to Penny Pansal for doing much of the heavy lifting to make this event the success it was. The Biennial Newsletter Contest has been completed and a thank you to all the branches who submitted their best newsletter for judging. This form of communication is an excellent way to promote your branch, be it electronically (which is a money saver) or in hard copy. The information that is passed on to your members and to the public is a way to let everyone know what is happening within your branch, what you are doing for your veterans and their families and your outreach into the communities you serve. The Marketing Committee will go through all the entries and announce the winners under a separate memo. Legion week for 2015 is coming soon with the deadline date of April 17th for grant applications to be sent in via SurveyMonkey. I would like to thank our President Angus Stanfield for making it possible to receive this year’s grant. BC Yukon Command will again provide radio ads to promote these events. The planned events showcase the dedication of our members, the increase in public awareness and appreciation for what we do and how we are an integral part of the communities we serve. With this growing public awareness many of the branches reported that they signed up new members at their events while others reported there was a lot of interest expressed and applications to join were taken, and we are confident that this will be the same this year. You are all aware that the Gaming Grant that allows us to assist branches has with it certain restrictions and reporting requirements. I would like to thank our command support staff for all they do to make this job a whole lot easier and to Peter Dunford and Daniel Coyle for assisting in the review and approval process of the applications we receive. Formation Fun Days has been a great event and this year was no exception. It was held on September 19th at CFB Esquimalt. This annual single‐day event brings together our civilian and military members and their families for a day of team‐building and morale boosting activities. The event draws more than 2,000 people, including many children of deployed personnel. Dominion Command normally partners with us to cover the cost of sponsorship and they provided the door prizes for this event. We are hoping to partner with them again for 2016. I would like to thank Clifford Rose, the Command Service Officer on Vancouver Island for attending the event with Penny and helping out at our legion booth. MARPAC Expo was held in February this year at CFB Esquimalt and I apologize for not mentioning it in my last report. The purpose of the MARPAC Expo is to present information and resources in four areas of focus to the Defence Team and their families:
Employment possibilities within the Defence Community and government agencies;
Local and national education institutions;
Internal and Greater Victoria recreation, health and wellness programs, clubs and businesses; and
Businesses’ that offer a military discount.
We always have great success promoting membership and the Service Bureau at this event. Many current serving members are unaware of the help the Legion can provide with their Veterans Affairs claims and it gives them a great opportunity to meet our Command Service Officers. Credit is due to Joseph Waugh, Clifford Rose and Penny Pansal for the fine job they did at this year’s event. Legion Riders Motorcycle Units was developed to generate more awareness about the Legion, amplify our presence across the country, and promote our services to Veterans, First Responders, and their families. The Third Annual Ride to Support Our Veterans was held on August 10th in the West Kootenay region and this year they raised approximately $4,000.00. Congratulations to all the riders and a big thank you to our supporters. Branches are encouraged to liaison with those interested in forming a unit to provide a meeting place and possible involvement in the promotion of a planned event. Zone Commanders are asked to encourage their branches to let us know what is happening in their area so we can do our part to promote the event. BCRTA Golden Star Awards – we partner with the BC Retired teachers for this award. They short list and select prize winner who are either a student or group of students that demonstrate interaction with seniors and/or in intergenerational projects in schools. The Legion category of award is given to projects focusing on remembrance and patriotism. The information and application form is available on BC Retired Teachers Association website at www.bcrta.ca The Military Service Recognition Book goes a long way in helping us as "Keepers of
Remembrance" so that none of us forget the selfless contributions made by our Veterans and
our Military Personnel. This publication is filled with wonderful stories and photos recognizing
many of the Military Service Members and Veterans of British Columbia and the Yukon. The
gratitude expressed by our Veterans and their families speaks to our commitment to promote
Remembrance. This year’s edition will be shipped to branches prior to November 11th and
provides is a great opportunity to distribute them to municipal authorities, first responders,
schools, libraries and many other locations.. It is also a great tool for promotion of The
Legion’s role in the Communities we serve. As a reminder, future submissions are to be sent to
the BC Yukon Command office by the deadline date of June 30th, 2015.
Commemorative & Anniversaries This is a new sub‐committee whose purpose is to liaison with Dominion Command on commemorative and anniversary events and to promote them throughout our Command. There are many commemorative and anniversary dates we recognize and reflect on. This year, Canada is marking the centennial of the First World War and the 75th Anniversary of World War II. The details of this Community Funding project from Heritage Canada are covered in memo #30.15. The important thing to always remember is the sacrifices that our brave men and women have and are making to allow us the freedoms we hold so dear. Look for future announcements on events your branch may want to participate in.
I would like to thank those members of my committee who have pitched in to help us get the word out to the public. As always, Command staff members have been an efficient and helpful support to our committee and we appreciate their work. Respectfully submitted, Kathy Ensor, Chair Committee Members: Daniel Coyle, Greg Olson, Roy Cardinal, Dyane Betts, Bev Croft and Peter Dunford Subcommittee Chair: Richard Vandekamp
Membership Committee Report to PEC
March 2015
The 2014 Membership Year is now history and congratulations to all branches in your recruitment and retention efforts. I can’t tell you how excited I was when our Command was awarded the Bert Garrett award for our branches’ 2014 new member recruitment efforts! This clearly demonstrates that we are turning the corner on engaging the public to join our organization. On top of that, improved retention of retaining existing members also shows a bit of an upward turn over the past few years, yet as I noted below this is where we need to focus more effort to achieve our goals. To briefly summarize the membership breakdown for 2014: 81 Branches showed losses ranging from 1 – 99 members Total ‐1,847 3 Branches showed losses ranging from 100 – 199 Total ‐469 2 Branches showed losses greater than 200 Total ‐433 67 Branches met or exceeded their 2013 threshold Total +878 For 2014 we were very unfortunate to have lost 1,066 of our valued members through attrition across our Command and are included in the gains and losses mentioned above. At the time of writing this report the 2015 Amended Early Bird figures were not available and as of February, 2015 we are 37,037 members strong. This is down close to 3,000 members from the same time last year. You have all read the 2014 Membership Year Wrap Up memo and seen the 5 year trend and while we show less of an overall loss than predicted over the last few years which is great news, this still behoves us to take a much harder look at these facts and examine what has been the driving force behind the successes and where we need put forth more effort in the preservation of our membership base and the sustainability of our programs. What Programs have and will contribute to our successes? Legion for Families ‐ an exciting recruiting and retention tool and many branches are
already taking advantage of this opportunity. This is critically important. Branches must find a way to begin holding family friendly events, to gain the interest of their friends with young families that may have hesitated in the past to join. We as a Command are making this a top priority for recruitment and community engagement. This issue will remain front and centre in every strategy going forward.
One‐By‐One Membership Recruitment Blitz ‐ This recruitment tool has been a shining
star for BC Yukon Command during the past two years running. The good news is that Dominion Command will be doing this membership blitz again very soon for 2015 and we will get the word out to all branches as soon as we get the word. Let’s put a
challenge out to all branches to participate. Can you imagine what a staggering difference it would make!
Membership Incentive Program ‐ This is your provincial recruitment and retention
campaign and is open to all members. It was a pleasure to be able to reward members, branches and zones for all the hard work it takes in the recruitment and retention of members. The results for this year’s program will be available after the March 31st deadline and we are looking forward to seeing how much it has grown.
First Responders Appreciation Months – This event continues to be a success and with
the with the change in the Liquor regulations and our Legion for Families this could even be a bigger draw for those folks considering to become a member of the Legion. A thank you goes a long way and it is has been reported that a number have chosen to join our family after this experience.
Legion Week Events ‐ This annual event is proving to be an excellent recruitment tool.
The promotional material available at these events and the interaction of Branch members with the general public on what we do not only for our veterans and their families but in their own communities has put us in a win‐win situation. We are seeing the recruitment of more members each year these events take place. If your branch has not participated in Legion Week, you should get on board. We will award gaming grant money to branches with the best plans for an event (as long as their reporting is current. Preference will be given to branches who have their family liquor endorsement).
New Membership Initiatives to watch for!! Dominion Command is currently working on new initiatives to increase the recruitment of members. These initiatives are in the planning stage and once finalized, I encourage all branches to use them. To give you an idea of what we should see in the very near future, the following is a brief outline: Meet the Veteran – making a presentation to graduating RCMP officers and offering
them a year’s free membership. Dominion will have to determine the potential cost of this initiative to see if it is financially feasible.
Recruiting Campaign for Canada Day – a re‐branding of recruitment materials and package it up as a “recruitment kit” to be available through in the catalogue.
Some other ideas for membership recruitment Dominion Command is working on: Re‐institute Trophy for Largest Percent Increase in Membership for any Provincial
Command Implementing Legion branches at College/University Campuses – there are a couple of
branches that will pilot this initiative and report back to Dominion Command on their findings and possible expansion to Provincial Commands.
Offer free 1‐Year Membership Card to Military Graduates of Basic Training – to help correct the perception that one can only join the Legion after he or she retires.
Dominion will have to determine the potential cost of this initiative prior to implementation.
What do we need to focus on? With every success story there are points that have to be looked at to ensure the end result remains a success. Participation in all membership incentive initiatives – your participation has grown over
the years and your continued participation will ensure our growth. Willingness to entertain new ideas that meet member’s needs ‐ We must be very
mindful moving forward to look at the demographics of those members that will take our organization into the future. We must continually look at ways that will attract new members and find a blend of activities that meets the needs of all ages.
Acceptance of new veterans into our organization – to even have to mention this is a shame, but it must be. There should never be a situation when a veteran is not welcomed into our branches. 2015 is the year we will become the most welcoming and community engaged Command in the country!
Recently, as you are all aware, Dominion Command has had a number of issues with respect to membership reporting. This has for the time being been resolved and Dominion Command would like to thank all branches for the patience and understanding. Moving forward, Dominion Command knows that our existing system is very archaic and is actively looking at system suppliers that will meet our needs. Change, for some is very difficult, yet I am confident that BC Yukon Command will embrace these changes and if asked would be willing to pilot any new processes. We are very excited that Dominion command is starting work on a new national on line membership system that will make it easier for new members to join on line, complete membership renewals and remove the old paper system. BC Yukon Command is lined up to be the pilot for this new system because we have proven to be a leader in the modernization of Legion communications, social media and strategy. There are a number of initiatives and suggestions on what will assist in getting your membership totals up and this Committee welcomes any new ideas that will help in the recruitment and retention of members. Thank you all for your dedication and hard work and wish much success with your membership recruitment and retention. Remembering...... MEMBERS ARE OUR BACKBONE, THEY ARE VALUED AND WE NEED THEM!!!! Respectfully submitted Kathy Ensor, Chair Committee Members: Marc Tremblay, Mary McMullan, Bev Mansell, Christine Ross and Sharon Paterson
Foundation Report to PEC
March 2015
I am so pleased to submit this report regarding the performance and role of the Legion Foundation. We
have grown as the well‐recognized giving arm of the branches and LA’s of this Command. We can see
that thanks to the Foundation Board, the right decisions have been made, and members can be proud of
your Foundation. I know this is a long memo, but we have so much to tell you!!
In case you haven’t had a briefing on the Foundation in some time, or are new on your branch executive,
here are some of the most important points to remember:
The Legion Foundation is a registered charity and we can issue receipts for tax purposes to donors.
The Foundation is where branches and LA’s can donate to key programs like Veterans Transition Program, BCIT Military Skills Conversion and others.
o Branches also donate to your local causes, but we have this efficient way of supporting the mandate of the Legion through the Foundation’s larger program which benefits people in all communities.
The Foundation also gives the public a way of donating directly to Legion cherished causes, which relieves some of the pressure on our members to do all the fundraising yourselves. For example, in 2014, the Foundation received $19,000 in donations from outside our organization.
We are very proud of our CRA rating as a foundation for having low expenses for administration of
donations. The BC Yukon Legion Foundation enjoys an exceptional performance level because it is so
well supported by Legion branches and our fundraising powerhouses, the Ladies Auxiliary.
Another benefit we have as a charity is our shared resources with Command. We are able to deliver
incredible giving to needy areas with a rock bottom percentage for administration. Our administration
fees on unrestricted general donations are 10%. Our administration on “earmarked” donations in trust
for specific causes is 0%. The average range for charities is upward of 35%.
The finances of the Foundation are audited externally just like Command’s books. Full audited financial
statements for Foundation are provided to the board and Zone Commanders every year. Any member
who would like to receive them by email is more than welcome to request them from the office.
Make a Wish Gift from Spinoza Fund
Our Foundation raises the profile of the Legion with the public. Just recently, we had to redeploy the
money we had raised for Spinoza bears because the manufacturer stopped producing the bears. The
Foundation board chose to send the donation to The Make a Wish foundation to help sick kids (which
was the original intent of the money). We were able to present a giant cheque at a very splashy event
that was covered by TV and radio. Your efforts to fundraise meant we were able to give a $57,000
donation to make wishes come true for some very sick children.
Foundation Programs
BCIT Military Skills Conversion Program
At the last Board meeting in October, the Foundation Directors elected to further fund the BCIT skills
conversion program. In order to supplement Legion dollars going into the program, Command applied
for a gaming grant. We are so pleased to say that out of this year’s commitment to BCIT Veterans’
program of $60,000 we are able to cover part of it with the BC Gaming grant we received in the amount
of $35,000.
Here is some great information about this program and how it works. We know this is unique in the
country and once again, you can be very proud of your contributions to this important service to
transitioning Military personnel:
http://www.theprovince.com/touch/story.html?id=10682868
We have since been informed that Human Resources and Development Canada is granting BCIT
$800,000 to take the Military skills conversion program National. In a very familiar scenario to the
Veterans’ Transition Network, the Legion funded this important program, and the Government has
followed suit. The team who created the database for military careers and linked them with education
qualifications will continue to serve BC, but now they are funded to do the same thing across Canada for
two years.
We will be working with them to see how we can partner with them to promote our organization.
Trevor Greene ‐ Exoskeleton
As you know, we have completed our fundraising for Trevor’s Exoskeleton. We have been following his
progress and have some amazing news for you. Trevor has been working with a renowned Neurologist
on his exoskeleton. They call it “Project Iron Soldier” because it is going to use some of the most modern
technologies to create a brain interface for the machinery he will use to walk. This is space age stuff. As
with any new technology, it will likely be reviewed for its medical impact for Veterans by VAC. In the
meantime, the Legion once again leads the way in funding some of the most important innovations for
Veterans health. Remember back when PTSD and Trauma counseling weren’t on the radar of the
Government of the day? They are now, and BC Yukon Legion has been at the forefront of it by funding
VTP for over 10 years.
In March we will be working with Trevor and Dr. D’Arcy to move the exoskeleton forward. I have spent
quite a bit of time with Dr. D’Arcy to learn how they are building this system to help Trevor’s brain
control the motors. One of the delays has been become of Trevor’s height. He is 6 foot 4 which
presented a problem in engineering the device to remain stable when scaled up that much.
When this is done, we will also bring it to VAC to have them evaluate the technology as beneficial to
Veterans. I can see a time when people with serious injuries or mobility issues can get a brain connected
exoskeleton through VAC. How is that for the space age?
You might want to read this to get a sense of what the Legions of BC and Yukon are part of:
http://www.macleans.ca/news/canada/rewiring‐trevor‐greenes‐brain/
Veterans’ Transition Programs (Now called VTN)
In 2014 VTN ran 4 programs for Veterans. Normally the funds donated by Legions for programs would
have only allowed for three programs, but because VAC now pays for some of its clients to go through
the VTN, there was room to run a 4th program. Not all Veterans are funded by VAC, but the ones who
are clients have their way paid.
The VTN program has now successfully provided critical trauma counseling to over 500 Veterans in the
years that the Legion has been involved. Your work to fund this important program has prevented
suicides, mended families and healed hearts. It is one of the most important things this organization has
done in decades, and it always amazes people when we tell the story. This is a proud moment.
Now for the problem ‐ we have tapped out all our 2014 Poppy funds designated for VTN, and there is
currently a list of 25 Veterans waiting for a program. Please consider making a motion to donate to VTN
at your next meeting. This is such important work, and it is not one we want to have a waiting list for.
Please make this program a high priority for giving this year, we now have more trained clinicians to
deliver this critical assistance, we just need to fund the programs.
This video is so well done and really shows the impact of the work we fund as an organization. Please
watch it and share far and wide:
http://www.legionbcyukon.ca/content/veterans‐transition‐programs (scroll down to the video on the
web page)
Kimberly Branch
When the members of Kimberly branch voted to terminate their charter, they made decisions about
their remaining assets. At the time they designated $36,000 to be held by Command for three years, in
the event they would need funds to reconstitute. They have not, and we have been directed by their
former membership to turn those funds over to Foundation for charitable purposes. It is always so sad
to see a community lose its Legion branch, but we will ensure their directives are followed so good
things can come of their generous donation.
Service Dogs for PTSD
This is an interesting area. Everybody agrees that Service Dogs help traumatized people, but that seems
to be where the National discussion has its last point of agreement. Last year, branches donated to this
program to get service dogs to Veterans. We had worked with a single supplier to ensure we could
monitor the quality of training, accountability for funds, and satisfaction of the Veterans. We have since
learned that the “dog training industry” is diverse and there are many trainers jumping into the fray.
Since our initial round of the funding commitment is now done, we have reevaluated and are
considering a more efficient direction. Your fundraising has paid for at least 7 dogs that are either in the
hands of BC Veterans or will be. What we haven’t gotten is a report on who got dogs because of privacy
issues. In future we will need to work around this because otherwise we won’t have true accountability
for the funds from whoever is training them. This is a tricky area and we are working on it.
There are two new conditions that we are responding to. One is that we believe a single “dog supplier”
for lack of a better term is not the right way to go because the demand for help is too high, and we don’t
want wait lists. The other change is that now Veterans Affairs is funding a study to validate that Service
Dogs are beneficial to PTSD treatment. We believe that this interest by VAC and the anticipated national
training standards for service dogs will make for a higher quality system for Vets who need it. We see
the value of supporting national standards because we are starting to understand how complicated this
“industry” can be. Just because people say they can train a dog to help with PTSD doesn’t mean they
can actually do it. There are now many of those types of organizations asking us for money.
The most important part of this is that the Legion and Veterans affairs are pushing for a common
training standard for these dogs. There is quite a bit to tell you about all this, but the main piece is that
we are speaking with BC based training organizations who are aiming for their training methods to pass
what they anticipate the standards to be. We like working with organizations who deliver the best in
service animals and who embrace high standards. This process is underway and we will report to you
when we have a concrete update.
In the meantime, we continue to hold a fund for Service Dogs in anticipation of a great need and then
we will match it up with quality and reliable training organizations.
The Foundation continues to focus on the right projects and targeted donations to deliver the promise
the Legion makes to communities.
Fundraising
Key Tag Mailing
In the past the Legion Foundation partnered with TB Vets Keytags for a fundraising keytag mailing to
Legion members. We shared expenses and revenue 50/50. In 2014 we changed the strategy and did a
full key tag mailing without partnering with an outside entity. I am really pleased to say that in past
years our overall fundraising total averaged $35,000 to $45,000 (after expenses). So far for this mailing,
our tally after all expenses are paid is closer to $55,000. This will allow the Foundation Board to consider
more significant donations for the grant applications they review in March.
Toonies for Troops
Did you know that the Legion Foundation owns the Toonies for Troops name? That means you can use
that term in any fundraisers you like. It can’t be for something that isn’t for Veterans or their families,
but other than that it is pretty open. If you need materials with Toonies for Troops logos or promotional
stuff, contact our office.
I know this was a big read, but once in a while we should take a good look at the state of the nation, so
here you have all the major items in one report. I know our Foundation Board would be happy for
constructive feedback or your ideas for fundraising. They have also been very clear that our major
programs, as outlined in this memo, are the highest priority for this organization.
Summary
Branches have reported up to a 20% increase in their poppy funds for 2014. We have amazing provincial
foundation programs for Veterans in this Command, please consider supporting them through a Poppy
Fund SUE to your preferred program.
Thank you to everybody involved in making the Legion and our Foundation a success. On behalf of the
staff team here at Command office, we thank you for your great support and contributions.
Respectfully submitted,
Inga Kruse, Executive Director on behalf of Bob Brady, Foundation Chairman
TVS BRANCH 44 REPORT PEC MEETING MARCH 2015 History of Branch 44 In 1925 after the First World War Branch 44 the Tuberculous Veterans’ Association was formed by a group of veterans recovering from tuberculosis. The TVA became the Tuberculous Veterans’ Section of the Royal Canadian Legion as decreed by the Dominion Convention held in Ottawa of the same year. It is because of this special section designation that we are forever decreed to have a place on both Dominion and BC/Yukon Commands. Branch 44 is the only Branch in BC to grant dual memberships and to draw members from the entire province and elsewhere. Branch Update: Our 2015 Executives are President Peter Merola, 1st Vice Barb Walter Venne, 2nd Vice Jane Anderson, Past President Jim Irvine, Treasurer/Finance Chair Jack Cruise, Catherine Schaff, Stephen Tresidder, Sharel Fraser, Larry Chow and Secretary/Manager Brenda Jacobs. We hosted a successful Pub Night and raised $3,400 and also hosted a Remembrance Day luncheon. Membership: 294 members at the end of 2014. Eight members passed away. Honours-Lapel Badges: 5 year – 7, 10 year – 10, 15 year – 7, 20 year – 4, 25 year – 3, 30 year – 5, 35 year – 2, 40 year – 1, 45 year – 1, 50 year – 2, 65 year – 2, 70 year – 1. Awards: 2 Ribbon Bars, 1 – 65 year and 1- 70 year, 2 Golden Anniversary Medals. Donations: $29,300 Scholarships: $10,000 Did you know? Our meetings are fun and well attended. There is always a nice selection of food to enjoy before and during the meeting that starts at 7:00pm. March was Irish Stew and Soda Bread with Green Beer after the meeting. There is a door prize of $20 awarded to a lucky member each month and an interesting guest speaker. The meeting is followed by bingo with cash prizes and usually ends by 9:00pm. Respectfully submitted, Lizz Lindsay TVS Rep to BC/Yukon Command
Royal Canadian Legion Vancouver TVS Branch 44 1410 Kootenay St Vancouver, BC V5K 4R1 Tel: 604.874.8510 Fax: 604.874.3033 Email: [email protected] Website: legiontvs44.com Visit us on Facebook
Executive Director’s Report to Provincial Council March 2015
This report will be brief as most of the major initiatives of this Command are being reported by Standing Committees and Officers. I will outline some of the items most critical to Command Office, staffing and operations generally. The primary goal of our small and feisty team is that we meet the needs of Legion branches on a consistent and efficient basis. It is interesting that we follow the exact model of the private sector companies who say that 20% of their clients cause 80% of their workload. This is absolutely true in our office as well. A small percentage of branches cause the heaviest loads in finance, branch advisory, poppy and complaints. They are dysfunctional and are draining resources from other branches. Our team invests a lot of time in follow up and management of these branches, and yet they are the most likely to question the value of having staff at all. Our strategy for this is to continue to be responsive and positive to all, but to ensure absolutely that the branches doing the right things and who are progressive are given all best efforts. Speaking of staff team, we may now be through the upheaval of 2014 where this organization was trying to cope with turnover in Branch Advisory, my illness, Laura’s injury adaptation and two maternity leaves. Turnover and absences are disruptive to productivity, and yet we have not received many complaints about branches feeling neglected. In the private sector an organization like ours would have a significantly larger team and professional territory managers to hand hold their locations (think banks and BCAA). The workload handled in this office is astronomical. We rely heavily on officers and Zone Commanders to help with the load, but we could be doing so much more. We react to crisis and we need to get to a point where we are preventing the problems. We will be working with the new executive to flesh out some strategies after convention. It will be another new day with lots of change, so let’s be ready to be uncomfortable again! We have been so appreciative to be able to hire a temporary contract administration assistant, from our “branch sustainability” initiative. Meaghan, manages almost all of the branch data for us. We have a new system that she maintains, which Jamie Morrison built, that allows us to use Excel to have all the key bits of information available instantly. Having all that data is only useful if we have it up to date, and can access it to help branches. I have attached a sample of a branch profile we now use. When a branch calls, we pull their master profile up to see where they stand on any operational item, like financial reporting, survey completion, bylaws, and others. Our on line surveys can be converted into useful data and loaded into our profile system in minutes. Pretty slick I must say. We are working to get branches used to submitting their reporting on time and accurately. It has taken a few years, but now they are really quite good about survey completion. Meaghan contacts
and calls every branch that is later with any reporting. In a year of that, the branches will become more aware of their reporting requirements. It is probably no surprise to anybody that the ramp up to convention is a very busy time. We have however been very careful to plan every aspect as carefully as possible, and have had amazing support from a great team of Legion folks who are helping with so many things. We have LA support for raffles and fundraising, local branch support for the parade, and also from Val and Sharon to make sure we don’t miss anything critical. I am hoping that people understand that there will be issues since we are doing this in such a new way. The good news is that we have had amazing feedback on the new format from branches and delegates. In my experience, if they get there happy, they are more likely to stay that way. This year and late last, Dominion has reinstated Command Secretary conference calls. I participate and we discuss issues that come into our purview. I find that other Commands, although sharing our mandate and the basics, seem concerned with very different items. There is less commonality than one would think. I continue to work with Angus to address Government issues. The latest is the hint that LCB has dropped that they might eliminate the “club” license entirely. This would be a massive issue for the Legion. We are working on a doomsday strategy in the event this is forced on us, but in the meantime we will meet with LCB and educate them on the impact of what they are considering. In closing I would like to acknowledge some important people. I would like to start with the Zone Commanders. The best of the best in this group have made the Legion a better place, and have certainly been a joy to work with. A number of you have stepped up and made massive strides in your own abilities and with the branches in your care. You have supported and understood what needed to be achieved, and that is why this Command is light-years ahead of where it was. Now for the team at the office; I have been in the working world for 30 years and in all of that time, and over a variety of jobs, I have never worked with a finer group of people than the current Command Office team (including Tamara and Diana who are busy being moms at the moment). This group gets along, works incredibly hard and never says “but that is not my job”. There is a culture of “yes I can help” in this office, and I value it tremendously. I don’t think the people we serve realize what a demanding workplace this is because the staff is always patient and kind with members. They make it look easy and it is not. I would also like to express my deep gratitude for the quality of the Admin officer team of 2013-2015. You officers have worked so hard and moved mountains to get the Command moving forward. You have shed the mantle of resistance to change and take the leap every day. I can’t imagine that we could have done half of what we set out to without such amazing leaders. From all of us at Command, and most sincerely from me, thank you. Respectfully submitted, Inga
Branch name COMMAND Tracked Item Date StatusBranch number 999 Bylaws Updated 2/18/15 2/18/14Branch mailing address 17618 - 58 Ave Election Month 2/18/15 JunePlease provide your Branch street address. 17618 - 58 Ave Members 2/23/15 0Branch office phone number Note: please include area code for all phone and fax numbers 604-575-8840 2015.01 SOV Insurance 2/24/15 COMPLETEBranch other (bar) phone number 0 2015 Elected Officers 2/24/15 COMPLETEBranch fax number 604-575-8820 2014.12 Property Tax 2/24/15 COMPLETEBranch email address [email protected] Not in use -Branch website address legionbcyukon.ca Not in use -Branch facebook page address https://www.facebook.com/LegionBCYukon Not in use -Other Branch social media (if applicable). https://twitter.com/LegionBCYukon Not in use -Please list your Branch hours and days of operation. M-F Not in use -Manager Not in use -Branch Manager (Paid Position) Inga Kruse Not in use -Branch Manager Home Address 123 Main St, Langley, BC 2013-14 Poppy Report YBranch Manager Primary Phone Number 604-996-0910Branch Manager Email Address [email protected] All info received? YPresident Proforma YPresident name Angus Stanfield Extension granted to: YPresident home address Sooke, BC Bank Rec. Dec 31 YPresident primary phone number Note: please include area code 0 Bank Statement YPresident email address [email protected] T-4's &Summary YVice President T-4 - G/L Reconciliation YVice President name Marc Tremblay Trial Balance YVice President home address Armstrong, BC Capital Asset Schedule YVice President primary phone number Note: please include area code 0 Breakopen Ticket Sched. YVice President email address [email protected] Licensed Premises P&L YSecretary Balance Sheet YSecretary name 0 Income Stmt YSecretary home address 0 Fin.Statements - Poppy YSecretary primary phone number Note: please include area code 0 Fin.Statements - Gaming YSecretary email address 0 General Donations List YService Officer Gaming Donations List YService Officer name Joseph WaughService Officer home address Surrey, BCService Officer primary phone number Note: please include area code 604-555-0123Service Officer email address [email protected] ChairPoppy Chair name Joanne HendersonPoppy Chair home address Surrey, BCPoppy Chair primary phone number Note: please include area code 604-555-0199Poppy Chair email address [email protected] ChairMembership Chair name Kathy EnsorMembership Chair home address 0Membership Chair primary phone number Note: please include area code 250-555-0176Membership Chair email address [email protected]/Finance Chair Treasurer/Finance Chair name Glenn HodgeTreasurer/Finance Chair home address Trail, BCTreasurer/Finance Chair primary phone number Note: please include area code 250-555-0118Treasurer/Finance Chair email address [email protected] Service Recognition Book Contact Military Service Recognition Book Contact name 0Military Service Recognition Book Contact home address 0Military Service Recognition Book Contact primary phone number Note: please include area code 0Military Service Recognition Book Contact email address 0All other elected and appointed executive members – please provide names, phone numbers, home address and emails
Penny Pansal, [email protected]
2013 Financials
Member Benefits Committee Report to PEC March 2015
Things are slow during the winter break, so not much has happened for this report. I will again be asking the office to send a letter to our current partners and seek information on the usage of them by our members and if there are any changes that they would like to make. We received feedback from some of them, last spring, but did not hear from them all, so would like further comments and recommendations from them.
There are more potential partners that need further investigation, but unless the membership uses them, the time and effort put upon the committee to pursue them seems pointless. Several small businesses offer discounts and promotions to Branches within their Zones, and some of these have been brought forward to the Committee. However, we feel that these should be kept for those already using them. They should NOT be expanded to all, in the Province, as this could and likely would jeopardize relationships with existing Branches.
A true partner should extend benefits to the provincial membership and not just the few in the Zone, home to that particular partner. Therefore we have been selective in our acceptance of partners. The Member Benefit Committee would like extend appreciation to the BC/Yukon Command team, Laura Rallis, Irene Hannon, Penny Pansal for their support and assistance. Respectfully submitted, Laurie Meadows, Chair Committee Members: Erik Steinson
Constitution and Laws Committee Report to PEC March 2015
This committee has kept busy since the October PEC meeting. Here are some of the items the
committee has been involved with to date;
Processing branch, LA and zone bylaws/regulation amendments
Branch visits where Branch Advisory and C & L decisions are required
Providing interpretation on all levels of our organization’s policies and bylaws
Complaints and appeals processing and interpretation
General review of current policies bylaws to ensure they are still relevant
Due to personal reasons, Chairman Marc Tremblay had to step back from his Chairman position
and I was asked by our President to take over as Acting Chairman until further notice. Marc
was doing an outstanding job as Committee Chair and I want to thank him for all his hard work
and wish him all the best.
I must take this opportunity to thank the members of this committee who have been attentive
to detail and intuitive with suggestions and a benefit to this command.
The Pro Forma bylaws/regulations are being reviewed and will have changes made to them
once all the recommendations have been considered.
There have been a number of branch, zone and LA bylaw/regulations reviewed and overall the
submissions for review are very well done. Since last reporting the committee has finalized
approximately 33 new “master” by‐laws, and there are currently approximately 20 submissions
in various stages of amendments on the go. Branches are better understanding the
requirements of how submissions are to be made, and when in doubt, contact is being made
with the command office to ask before sending in incomplete submissions. Some were
returned with minor recommendations that were in conflict with the current pro forma but
with branches for the most part following the pro forma, the submissions are mostly in line
with the current policies. The reviews were done in a timely fashion, with the committee
members responding with suggestion and recommendations.
Complaints and appeals at command level have been reviewed to ensure they are
constitutionally dealt with and to ensure they comply completely with The General Bylaws. We
urge branches to contact the command office when they have questions about the handling of
branch level complaints. Branches run the risk of having complaints thrown out or appealed
when not processed as per Article III – we are here to assist branches with their technical
questions.
Respectfully submitted,
Jim Diack, Acting Chair
Committee Members: Marc Tremblay, Glenn Hodge, Irene Brown, Doug Misfeldt, Rick Lundin, Charlotte Cederholm, and Yvan Theriault.
Poppy Operations Report to PEC
March 2015
The annual Poppy Campaign is one of the most important functions of our organization, locally,
provincially and nationally. The collection and use of these public trust funds must be handled
in the strict accordance with our By‐Laws. Over the years we have seen incredible help given
to not only those who qualify for assistance but also to the communities we serve from the
generosity of the Poppy funds raised.
Like last year we will be placing a great deal of focus once again on this year’s Poppy Operations
by increasing our monitoring and ensuring accountability for the money our organization holds
in trust for the people of our communities.
We know that attendance at most of the Remembrance Day Services around our Command is
increasing each year as what we do with the funds that they have so graciously given to us in
trust becomes public knowledge. As the television brings us news every day of what our active
members of the Canadian Forces are doing around the world, people are becoming more aware
of what the Poppy stands for and how we as an organization are helping out with not only our
service men and women both at home and abroad but also within the communities that they
are from. This past Remembrance Day was even more heart felt by every Canadian as just
prior to that day we lost two serving members on Canadian soil through the acts of terrorism.
Lest We Forget.
Special Use Expenditures:
Special Use Expenditures as we all know are a way of putting the much needed funds into our
communities in the areas that often need it the most. In the first half of this Poppy Year of
2014/2015 this Command has seen to date 235 Special Use Expenditures approved for a total
of $553,106.58 (at the time of finalizing this report).
The breakdown is listed below:
Housing Accommodations 1105 $ 27,237.80
Medical Training/Research & Equipment 1106a $177,326.95
Drop‐In Centre’s & Meals on Wheels 1106b $ 25,750.00
Transportation 1106d $ 24,721.08
RCEL 1107 $ 6,000.00
Maintenance of our Monuments 1108 $ 3,319.58
Cadet Corps 1109 $106,695.45
Meals for Veterans 1110 $ 34,876.66
Lifting devices & Handicap Washrooms 1113 $ 30,899.06
Veterans Transition Program 1116 $103,990,00
BCITMSCP 1116 $ 3,000.00
Service Dog Program 1117 $ 9,290.00
TOTAL TO DATE $553,106.58
The total number of SUE’s submitted and approved is down by 20 from last year and the total
dollars given is less than last year by $26,840.81. This easily could be due just to timing and will
most likely be made up in the 2nd half of the Poppy year.
CHANGES TO THE SPECIAL USE EXPENDITURE SECTION (Effective the 1st October 2014):
Section 1110 has had a significant change by way of a motion being passed at the last Dominion
Convention in 2014. Where only the meal for the Veteran was eligible in past, it is now for the
veteran and their spouse as well as the widow/widower of a veteran and if needed their
caregiver. So where the cost of one was covered before, now four can be covered for the meal
only no entertainment or alcoholic beverages are to be included in the cost.
Section 1116 is for our Veterans Transition Program, our BCITMSC Program. This section used
to operate on the rule which required the calculation to be based on 50% of the balance as at
the previous year’s 30 September balance. This changed at the 2014 Dominion Convention by
way of a resolution. This section now operates off of the off of the current balance and is
eligible to a maximum of 25% of that balance.
Section 1117 is a new section entirely and is for the Service Dog Program for our Veterans who
need this. This section operates off of the previous year’s balance as at 30th of September and
may not exceed 25% of that balance.
Admin Approval of SUE’s over the $5,000.00 amount:
It is the entire Admin Committee that approves Special Use Expenditures over $5,000.00.
Branch Amount Date Section Description 10 $9,271.14 12/10/2014 1113 Install handicap doors and switches at Branch
21 $6,000.00 12/10/2014 1113Maintenance of Lift device and Emergency line at Branch
24 $11,088.00 12/23/2014 1106aICU for a Blood Gas Analyzer for East Kootenay Hospital
91 (WSPF)
$7,000.00 2/3/2015 1116 Veterans Transition Program (Legion Foundation)
118 $15,000.00 2/3/2015 1116 Veterans Transition Program (Legion Foundation)
141 $5,666.83 1/13/2015 1106a Broda Geri Chair and 2 Oxygen Con. at Rotary Manor
229 $6,000.00 2/5/2015 1105 Maintenance at Kinsman Lodge 229 $6,000.00 2/5/2015 1105 Maintenance at Amos Ferguson Manor 229 $6,000.00 2/5/2015 1106a Equipment for Brock Fahrni
229 $6,000.00 2/5/2015 1106a Equipment for George Derby Centre 229 $10,000.00 2/5/2015 1109 2822 Army Cadet Corp
229 $10,000.00 2/5/2015 1109 767 Dearman Squadron Cadets 998 $19,300.00 3/11/2015 1106a Safety Mats and Over Bed Tables at Brock Fahrni
998 $65,000.00 3/11/2015 1116 Veterans Transition Program (Legion Foundation)
Branch Reporting:
The following Branches have not yet submitted their Annual Branch Poppy Fund Statement for
the Poppy Year ending 30 September 2014. They are as follows (at the time of writing this
report):
Pouce Coupe Branch 34 – Unattached
Fort St John Branch 102 – Unattached
Blue River Branch 213 ‐ Nicola‐Thompson Zone
Queen Charlotte Branch 220 – North Western Zone
Masset Branch 244 – North Western Zone
Kitimat Branch 250 – North Western Zone
Oyama Branch 189 – North Okanagan Zone
These seven Branches have been contacted and are working on them at this time. Many of
these Branches had not responded in previous years as well by this time and are chronic issues.
Please remember these reports are due in by 31 October of each year.
The following three Branches have submitted their Annual Branch Poppy Fund Statement for
the Poppy year ending at 30 September 2014 but these Branches have some problems with
their reports. We are working on them at this time and they are as follows (at the time of
writing this report):
Abbotsford Branch 15 – Fraser Valley Zone
Sooke Branch 54 – South Vancouver Island Zone
Pleasant Valley Branch 249, North Western Zone
We expect these three Branch submissions will be finalized shortly.
We are going to be specifically looking at auditing branches where we think there might be
issues, as well as doing some random audits to ensure quality accountability for branch poppy
funds and their financial reporting.
It is my role as Poppy Fund Coordinator to work closely with Branches to ensure that they get
their poppy reporting and use of these funds right. The Poppy Year ending 30 September 2014
reporting responses is slightly less than the prior year that had been the one of the best ever.
At this time I would like to thank all the Branches that have worked so hard to have successful
campaigns. The Poppy and what it stands for is the very foundation with which the Legion
itself exists. Keep working hard to maintain that.
Poppy Workshops:
The Poppy Workshop Notes will be distributed once again electronically to both the Branches
and to the Zone Commanders. If anyone has trouble downloading them please just contact me
and I will send a copy out through the mail to you. I am sure you all know the importance of
the Poppy workshops that are given at Zone. Please remember, not just new Legion members
need to learn, older members need the refresher course as well. Please ensure that training
occurs all year long and not just days before the campaign may start. We as Legion members
know the importance of the Poppy, but as we move forward we need to educated the public
not only about the Poppy, but why we hold it so high, after all it is the most revered symbol in
Canada, not just by the Legion, but by every citizen of our country.
With the emphasis on complete accountability of these funds we hold in trust for our
communities we will be conducting more audits of Poppy Funds than ever before. I know that
we, as an organization steeped in honour are all up to the task of protecting these funds that
are left in our trust.
Respectfully Submitted,
Joanne Henderson, Poppy Fund Coordinator
Branch Advisory Standing Committee Report to PEC March 2015
It has been some time since our Committee reported on the state of our work in this command. I am so pleased with the overall trends we are seeing with branches. We don’t have a specific analysis, but we are able to demonstrate the incredible progress being made in the operational health of the vast number of branches. In certain pockets, everything we use to measure the trends, from membership recruitment, on time reporting to Command, to financial results and stability are on the upswing. At Branch Advisory we sometimes get discouraged because we deal with the 10% of branches that are in crisis, and we are immersed in those issues. Writing this allows me to lift up my head and look at the bigger picture, which is actually quite positive. There are currently twenty‐two branches in the care of Branch Advisory. They fall into these categories:
Six in Full Trusteeships
Six under Probationary Management, with varying degrees of intervention.
Ten flagged for assistance and review.
Fifteen have been removed from oversight during the past six months. What does all this mean? It indicates that branches that are struggling are being given assistance, direction and a boost to operate independently in the future. Sometimes in spite of our best efforts, things don’t work out and sometimes they are a great success. Twenty‐two branches, sounds like a lot ‐ it isn’t. It is about one branch per Zone on average, and means that 130 or so branches are ticking along relatively nicely. Here is a partial list of some of our larger projects:
Branch 40 Penticton – this Branch has been under near constant trusteeship for almost two years. They continue to struggle with everything from the local rental market to a lack of revenue, to theft. This branch is still very much on the razor’s edge, and has a huge building for the number of people who frequent it. This is not an uncommon situation in the Legion nationally, but we are working with the local folks to find the right conclusion.
Branch 16 South Vancouver – the Branch was closed in 2013 due to a lawsuit filed against it. The members had 18 months to reconstitute and have chosen not to do so. Their remaining assets were used to settle debts and have been held in trust. Any remaining will cede to the Branch Sustainability Fund, and be used to assist other struggling branches.
Branch 48 Collingwood – this Branch is currently without a location, but members of the former Executive were given 15 months to present a business plan, and have recently received an extension. Command BA reps are working with them to build a sustainable Business plan and to secure a location.
Branch 268 Fort St. James – after two years without any sort of reporting, Command issued a list of requirements to the Branch upon learning that the Branch was not following liquor control procedures. Rather than bring the Branch in line, the few remaining Executive members resigned. We have put the Branch under trusteeship and closed it. We are working with BA Rep. John Scott, Al Turner, and their team to assess if there is any possibility left for this heavily indebted branch.
Branch 172 Esquimalt – this Branch has been involved in a redevelopment project that has encountered many barriers along the way. The Branch continues to work with the local municipality and developers to bring their development to conclusion. No firm date has been projected.
Branch 53 Cowichan (Duncan) – this Branch voluntarily closed its doors, but BA has assigned a Trustee to work with the small but enthusiastic remaining executive to look at a business plan to reconstitute the Branch. The area simply has too many Veterans to be without a Branch. We are looking at this as a potential for a new model Branch, and will report as we move forward.
Branch 21 Langley – has now completed its move to lease back the building and occupy a smaller space. It is now a matter of getting members to come in and keep their operations profitable. It has been an uphill battle, and we continue to work very closely with this group.
We are so pleased with the progress being made by Branches 148 North Burnaby and 119 Port Moody, on their redevelopment projects. Both of these are well underway. Their new Branches will present a new and modern look, somewhat like South Burnaby 83 and Maple Ridge 88 do with their clean bright lounges and housing.
Branch 133 Port Coquitlam has successfully removed itself from a lackluster arrangement with the management company at their R.J. Kent Residence. They have located a new provider and are hopeful that this contract will better suit the needs of their residents and the Branch.
Branch 7 Britannia – the new President and his executive inherited a laundry list of issues and unknown debts, forcing them to terminate their Secretary‐Manager and cash in a number of GICs early. We are doing all we can to help the new Branch executive.
So what is it that we can use as an indicator of health or problems with 150 locations? One of the key changes we have made at the Command level is to put a much clearer emphasis on reporting from Branches. This has been an area where the traditional culture of the organization was to assume and accept that a certain number of Branches would not report or respond. We now know that this leaves us without a clear view of the operations of the Command. We have redoubled our efforts to follow up on critical reporting; your Branches should expect to hear from Command when reporting and surveys are not completed by their respective due dates. It crosses beyond Branch Advisory but if a Branch doesn’t report on one
thing, it likely isn’t compliant on other things, and may be an early warning sign. Reporting follow up forms part of the Executive Director report. I can think of a dozen Branches who are reporting good results in many areas. We have more Branches than ever who are financially stable and tick along nicely. There are even more who are showing positive early results this quarter and are making excellent plans for 2015. There is a list of struggling, or unresponsive branches, as always, but there are fewer of them these days. Many have flown under the radar in the past, but this will no longer be acceptable. To be frank, many locations have had incredibly poor leadership, and new Executives are putting in herculean efforts to clean up the situations. Branch Advisory does our best to support these efforts with the dedicated volunteers who are moving mountains. A couple of other points:
We have had questions from branches who have received New Horizons and other grants. They wonder why they must submit their renovation plans and budgets for approval when they are using grant money? I have discussed this with the other officers, and we have agreed to look at this issue and see what we can do. Essentially, we are trying to strike a balance between ensuring branches don’t over extend themselves, and give good advice. However, we always look for ways to remove unnecessary barriers to Branch progress, so this is being reviewed.
We are hearing anecdotally from branches that they are seeing improvement in their revenues, after they have embraced suggestions for events and who have changed their liquor license to include family events. I cannot emphasize this enough. Branches must do this and not allow a few vocal members to hold them back. We must assume our role as community centers for families and important social charities.
As Chair of Branch Advisory for the past two years, I can honestly say I have seen such spirit of survival when others would say our Branches are dying. In the next year, I know we may lose a few more before we reach a new level of stability, but I think moving forward, we will go back to a state of growth. I wish I could tell the stories of our hero Branches; there are many! I would hate to risk commending a group of Branches who have come back from the brink and then miss others. I would also like to thank the Branches who are thriving, and follow the bylaws, the liquor regulations and responsibly run their operations. You are the benchmark to which we set our standards. Many other Branches are striving to be you, so thank you. Having said this, we can do more. There are Branches that are struggling to survive, despite doing everything the right way, everything we ask of them. Branches need to find a way to attract new members – younger members, families, new Veterans, younger RCMP, Firefighters and First Responders. On top of that, the experience in our branches needs to be improved to keep these people coming back – not out of a sense of obligation, but because it’s the place they want to spend their time.
As a Committee, as a PEC, and as a Command, we must look ahead; we must envision what the Legion will look like in British Columbia and the Yukon in five, ten, fifteen, twenty years’ time. We must not just accept that changes are coming, but rather foster and encourage those changes. We must look for new business models, and not allow ourselves to be tied to a lounge‐and‐hall model in all markets. We should re‐emphasize the service aspect of the Legion in the same way that the Rotary or Lions do; we must market ourselves as more than a beer hall if we are to connect with the communities that we serve. But this will take more resources. If the Legion in BC/Yukon is to become a proactive ‐ rather than a reactive – organization, an example to the rest of the country, we must invest in an efficient infrastructure, effective staff, and training of Branches, to get out ahead of the curve. This year we are working to get the “grump” out of the Legion, and get the people coming back in. Thank you for doing your part. Much of the work we do is done by our highly skilled Branch Advisory Representatives and our Zone Commanders. On behalf of the entire Branch Advisory team I would like to thank the volunteers who work tirelessly to offer support to our Branches who are in need. As always I would like to recognize our Command Staff and to commend them on their diligence and professional approach to serving branches. They manage an incredible workload under intense scrutiny and deadlines. Not for the faint of heart. As a member of the leadership team in this Command, I cannot stress enough how much we appreciate the quality of our staff team. Respectfully Submitted, Valerie MacGregor, Chair Committee Members: Irene Brown; Jerry Couling; Ed Findlater; Paul Howard; Dennis Jackson; Karen Kuzek; Lizz Lindsay; Janet Mitchell; Jim Phillipson; Walter Poustie; Al Ridgway; John Scott; Richard Vandekamp.
Ad Hoc: Glenn Hodge, Command Treasurer
Axis Insurance Managers – Report to PEC March 2015
Executive Summary The program is now almost through the fourth year. Building this program across BC Yukon Command has resulted in extensive benefits to branches such as:
• Prior to 2011 – Legion branches paid substantially higher rates for their policies when insured individually.
• Most branches were lacking in sufficient Liquor Liability coverage. • Many branches were not insured for key areas such as, Directors and Officers Liability
Insurance, Business Interruption and Crime Insurance • Many branches were substantially underinsured. • Since purchasing insurance as a large group, your organization has been able to
negotiate premiums well below standard premiums.
Since inception of the program on June 1st 2011 the total premium paid to AXA/Intact is $2,753,883. Claims for the same period (paid and outstanding) total $901,615 This means your program has a loss ratio of 32.74%. The loss ratio is expected to increase through the remaining two months of the present policy period due to new claims, loss development and increases in reserves. However, this is a good result for a program that is relatively new.
With positive results to date, Intact is keen to renew the program.
The program has achieved the dual goal of reducing costs to the branches and ensuring every branch is adequately insured. The key to future
success will be in maintaining full participation in the program and continued positive results.
As this program has over 150 locations it is administratively complex and that is a part of the cost that branches pay in their premiums. The main reason for high cost of managing the program is the premium payment system. The interest free monthly deductions are an important benefit to the branches but the payment plan prohibits streamlining the program in ways that would make it simpler to run. In an ideal world we would issue one policy
$0
$100,000
$200,000
$300,000
$400,000
$500,000
$600,000
$700,000
$800,000
$900,000
2011 2012 2013 2014
Intact: Premium v/s Claims
Premium Claims
Axis Insurance Managers – Report to PEC March 2015
combining all branches together in one document with a single premium that is then calculated out for each branch.
Other costs incurred by Intact include the inspection and appraisal service and the associated geographic spread of the branches, claims settlement costs and the 1-800 number service.
The new underwriting team appointed last year has taken considerable strides in streamlining the program - as much as possible, and has shown a keen willingness to make improvements when requested.
If there is a significant deterioration in the loss record, Intact can be expected to study the overall cost and profitability of the program. It is therefore important to analyze claims activity in detail with an aim to identifying areas of focus and potential risk management needs.
Claims in four years:
Four year losses by coverage type: Intact will review claims v/s premium by line of insurance. This includes Property, CGL, D&O, Crime and Machinery Breakdown.
Property losses include claims for water damage, crime, vandalism, windstorm and fire. The crime section covers claims for employee theft and loss of money from the premises. When crime policy claims are lumped together with
property crime losses we can see the branches are vulnerable to crime claims and possibly seen as an easy target. Claims analysis helps us to see where risk management focus is required to improve performance and profitability. However the program is vulnerable to shock losses on both the property coverage in the event of a fire loss and General Liability in the event of liquor liability losses. Continued risk management is essential.
B&M $2,526.00
CGL $78,664.62
Crime $73,599.60
D&O $53,004.32
Property $693,820.54
Axis Insurance Managers – Report to PEC March 2015
Premiums Premium growth over the four year program life has been predominantly due to the addition of new branches each year. To a lesser extent, additional premium has been gained through increased property values but this is minimal. With all branches now in the program, except for three very small branches as discussed below, there is little likelihood of any significant growth. As the remaining branches are inspected, a small premium increase may be required through increases in property values. In a market where commercial premiums have been increasing especially on property coverage, your program has weathered well with no rate increases during the past for four years. This is one of the main advantages of being part of a large group program.
Premiums in four years:
Property 511,399.00
Boiler & Machinery 22,133.00
General Liability 198,137.00
Crime, 9,572.00 D&O 77,515.00
Excess Liability 22,326.00
AD&D 44,256.00
Axis Insurance Managers – Report to PEC March 2015
Split of current year premium by coverage type: It is typical for insurance program profitability to slide when total premiums top out and claims develop from the additional premium that has been added. We should remain mindful of this and carefully monitor any deterioration in the loss ratio as the only fix will be increased premiums.
Property coverage is approximately 50% of the total premium and 75% of all claims.
Annual premiums by coverage type:
Coverage 2011 2012 2013 2014
Property 253,871.00 415,705.00 421,059.00 443,212.00 Boiler & Machinery 12,025.00 19,690.00 19,943.00 22,133.00 General Liability 106,692.00 174,704.00 176,954.00 198,137.00 Crime 14,338.00 23,479.00 23,781.00 9,572.00 D&O 33,133.00 53,298.00 73,076.00 77,515.00 Excess Liability 15,192.00 21,294.00 19,993.00 22,326.00 AD&D 12,048.00 45,317.00 43,914.00 44,256.00 Subscription Property 19,608.00 35,076.00 58,695.00 68,187.00 Total 466,907.00 788,563.00 837,415.00 885,338.00
Branches Not Bound Three small branches have not been provided with a quote, which are Branch 84 Gulf Islands, Branch 1 Dawson City and Queen Charlotte.
We have obtained agreement from Intact to add coverage for the Dawson City branch. The premium on the current policy is $480 and the coverage expires in September. Intact has agreed to add this branch for a premium of $400. It will is best to wait until June 1, 2015 before adding (if the branch agrees) as the existing policy will need to be cancelled since there is a minimum retained premium on the policy.
Queen Charlotte and Gulf Islands locations have not responded to numerous requests.
Axis Insurance Managers – Report to PEC March 2015
Claims Analysis The program has a good loss ratio, however, there are two significant points worth noting:
1. There has been surprisingly few liability incidents. One must expect the record is not typical for a schedule with 151 locations. An increased frequency in future should be expected due to the nature of the risk. Snow and weather conditions in certain areas, older patrons and food and beverage risks and the general climate for slip and fall losses suggest we have been lucky to date. Although the liability premium has been successfully negotiated to its lowest possible level, there is not enough premiums to cover an expected larger claim such as a major liquor loss. Legion will be asked to consider this at renewal.
2. The vast majority of claims are property losses and water damage is the major cause of those claims. The property loss ratio is increasing. Low rates, the prevalence of frame construction and the risk locations make it a difficult risk to underwrite. The premium for this coverage for the entire program is only $443,212 so even a relatively small fire loss will have a major impact.
Axis Insurance Managers – Report to PEC March 2015
Property Claims
The Property Insurance section accounts for 51.5% of the total four year premium and 76.95% of the dollar value of all claims. The property loss ratio is 45.23% but as mentioned before this is likely to increase as the remainder of the year runs off.
Breakdown of property claims by type of loss:
The majority of claims continue to be water related losses followed by break and enter type losses. There has only been two fire losses and a smoke damage claim caused by a fire at an adjacent building.
Water related claims include claims for flood, sewer backup, burst pipes leakage and seepage.
Misc. 2%
Fire 4%
Vandalism 0%
Break in 9%
Windstorm 1%
Sewer Backup 11%
Flood 21%
Water Damage 52%
Axis Insurance Managers – Report to PEC March 2015
Water Related Claims The chart shows a trend that should be monitored.
The frequency and severity of losses is increasing. During the first ten months of the current term there have been 8 claims the same number as the prior year.
Some new losses have been tentatively reserved and open claims may increase.
Trends on water related claims:
2011 2012 2013 2014Number of losses 1 5 8 8Cost of Claims 82,285 51,226 284,699 168,297
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Axis Insurance Managers – Report to PEC March 2015
Rating Analysis
Property
Insured property values are $213,889,572. The average rate is now .207%, which is exceptionally competitive considering the COPE (construction, occupancy protection and exposure) details. Frame construction, higher town grades, earthquake exposure in the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island are all factors that impact rating. There are few markets would compete with these rates.
Liability
The average liability premium is $1,321 per location. This is very low considering the $5,000,000 limit and broad insurance coverage. The premium would be considered implausible by most insurers, especially those experienced in writing liquor liability risks. The break you are getting on the Liability Premium is based on the fact that your overall program performance is good and because you are collectively insured
The liability claims record is nothing short of spectacular. Major threats are liquor related claims, slip and fall and to a lesser extent food related claims. Good risk management is a key to maintaining the results. Major initiatives have been the inspection service and liquor liability seminars presented by Lorne Folick. It would not take too many minor slip and fall related claims to push the liability section quickly into a situation where the insurer would be looking for a rate increase.
Crime
The total crime premium is less than $10,000 and it is not sustainable at the current level. We are also reviewing coverage for improvements but it is unlikely that Intact will be able to improve coverage without increasing premiums. Options will probably need to be offered on an individual basis.
Machinery Breakdown
The average premium is less than $150. Again this level of rating is supported only because the program is doing well overall
D&O
This is one area of coverage where other markets may conceivably compete. At approximately $500 per location some markets may write program business for less. We are constantly working on ways to improve coverage and will look for concessions at renewal.
Axis Insurance Managers – Report to PEC March 2015
Considerations for Remarketing the Program Our position remains unchanged from last year when we talked to a number of alternate insurers to gauge market appetite. Intact remains the best market for this program and we recommend strongly against marketing the program at renewal for the following reasons:
There is no other possible advantage except for a potential premium saving.
In any event there is no possibility of achieving a substantial premium saving. Maintaining premiums at the current level (or higher) is in the best of interest of the long-term sustainability of the program. While the loss record remains very good it would not take much in terms of losses for the program to become unprofitable, either as a whole or by coverage section.
In the past we commented on the advantages of the program through Intact. Little has changed.
Advantages of the Intact Program 1. Reserves being set up with the insurer
When an insurer has a program for a longer time, they are able to set up a reserve for a major claim that would be outside of the normal run of claims. A shock loss such as a large fire or liquor loss can be easily absorbed. A new market may not panic in the event of one large claim but if a frequency of losses is eroding the premium the addition of a large shock loss could be a problem.
2. Inspection and Appraisal
It is unlikely that we will find another market that will continue with the inspection services. Such a service would almost certainly have to be independently sourced and separate services for appraisal and risk inspections would be required. Appraisal services would not be inexpensive and cost for travel would have to be built in.
3. Packaging of coverage.
There is a limited market and some potential insurers could not package all the coverage in the way Intact have been able to do. This might mean we would need to separate the property, liability and D&O. There is a benefit to combining the coverage to help absorb the impact of claims. Some markets that could package the program may not offer the broad scope of coverage we have, good examples being D&O and Stated Amount co-insurance on the property.
4. 1-800 Number for Legal hotline.
Some D&O insurers will not offer this service.
Axis Insurance Managers – Report to PEC March 2015
5. Liability wording
The liability policy is amongst the broadest coverage available in the market and there is no “General Aggregate Limit “included in the policy. This means that a branch can have any number of claims in one policy year. For example if a branch had three liquor liability claims arising from separate incidents and each claim was settled for $5,000,0000 the insurer would pay the full $15,000,000. In addition to the per occurrence limit of $5,000,000 we have an extra $20,000 000 in excess coverage available.
6. Consistency
With three years behind them the underwriters are familiar with the program and know what to expect. A new market will take time to get accustomed to the nature and working style of the program
7. Payment Plan
Very few markets will offer the interest free monthly payment option
Disadvantages of the Intact Program A. Underwriting flexibility
This was an issue at the beginning but has improved tremendously during the last year with the new team in place. Intact from top level management down have shown a strong commitment to the program and they obliging with most of our requests. Flood and sewer backup
We had previously expected Intact to lead the market in taking a hard line subsequent to the Calgary floods. Intact appears to be consistent with the market in this regard.
B. Single policy
Separate policies and underwriting on a per branch basis. The program structure with individual policies is not preferable but as previously mentioned this is due to the payment plan and is unavoidable. If another insurer offered a payment plan we would almost certainly be in the same situation.
In any event a single policy solution is better suited to a compulsory program.
Axis Insurance Managers – Report to PEC March 2015
Premium Payment Options Premiums are collected as follows:
Direct Bill – All Branches except subscription policies
This involves a void cheque and signed agreement for the monthly deduction and a separate cheque payable to Axis for the down payment & premiums for coverages that are not part of the monthly payment plan.
Or
Payment in full payable to Intact instead of the monthly payment plan and separate cheque payable to Axis for coverages that are not part of the monthly payment plan.
Property Inspections and Valuations A number of locations have been inspected and there are others where the Intact representative has attempted to visit but have not been able to make contact. Attached are reports showing the locations that have been inspected with details of recommendations and building valuations.
Legal Hotline Usage Report Detailed usage information is not tracked and therefore remains unavailable. However we are informed that the service has been valuable and positive feedback has been received in the past. The service remains in force.
Small branch Package There are now only three small branches outside the program. Intact has agreed to write Dawson City. We do not think a separate package for small branches is required at this time.
Contentious/Friction Causing Issues With Intact
Lack of or late response from branches in completion of recommendations and processing increases when they are given changes to their coverage based on the valuation appraisals remains the only area where problems arise. Intact is now insisting accounts be converted to 90% coinsurance if values are not increased within 45 days to reflect the BVS report
Axis Insurance Managers – Report to PEC March 2015
With Branches
The area likely to cause the greatest problem with branches is the valuation appraisal increases the replacement value of the location, and to a lesser extent recommendations.
Renewal Process underway In preparation for renewal we have to date:
• Redesigned the Statement of values form (with command approval) and sent to all branches.
• Designed a renewal questionnaire send to all branches by Command through Survey Monkey.
To complete renewal we intend to accomplish the following items prior to May 31st 2015:
• Review Survey Monkey Statement of Values results and add to spreadsheet. • Follow up with respect to statement of values where needed. • Calculate branch by branch renewal premiums as per spread sheet and approval
from Intact. • Design renewal package with agreement from Command. • Send out renewal by May 31st 2015.
G:\Policy\Zero Tolerance Policy\Zero Tolerance Policy.docx
ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY
BACKGROUND The BC/Yukon Command Executive Council at the March 2002 meeting approved the implementation of a Zero Tolerance Policy. This policy applied to misappropriation of funds and/or Legion assets at each level of the organization within BC/Yukon Command. POLICY
Upon receipt of a written allegation concerning misappropriation of funds within a branch or zone the information shall immediately be brought to the attention of the Command President. When misappropriation of funds is alleged based on reasonable and probable grounds, the branch, zone or command will initiate a complaint against the member in accordance with Article III of The General By-Laws under Section 304.a.iii and 304.a.vi. In all formal hearings where a decision of “guilty” is established, PEC recommends that the Complaint Committee rendering the decision give serious consideration to a decision of expulsion as part of this command’s Zero Tolerance Policy. A decision of expulsion is the only way this organization can deny a member to hold membership in any branch which may reduce the risk of a member moving on to another branch in Canada. The branch or zone must notify local police authorities of the alleged theft. Upon investigation by the local police authorities if the evidence supports the charge the Crown may lay civil or criminal charges against the accused. Branches and zones must do their due diligence in providing documentation to the police so that a criminal file can be opened. PEC members and senior command staff*, at the beginning of their term/employment are required to complete a Criminal Record and Credit check. Criminal Record Review checks will be performed at the expense of command and through an established process and direction of command. *Senior Command staff defined as: Executive Director, Assistant Executive Director, Controller, Branch Advisory Coordinator and Bookkeeper.
Amended March 2015 Approved at March 2015 PEC