Legal Minor Hockey Association

Legal Minor Hockey Association Annual General Meeting Minutes April 7, 2009 @ 7:30 pm Citadel Centre, Legal, Alberta Attendees: Eric Cyr, Robyn Witter, Michelle Rivard, Corinne Cornell & attendance of 32 members. 1.0 Call to order Meeting was called to order by Eric at 7:39 pm. 2.0 Considerations and Approval of Agenda There were no changes or additions to the agenda. Darren Stang moved that the agenda be approved as presented. Don Shrum seconded the motion. Carried. 3.0 Review and approval of Annual General Meeting Minutes 2008 Copies of last meetings minutes were circulated and read by Robyn Witter. Note that under New Business Section a) should be changed to read: That LMHA move to increase the late registration fee to $75; with the exception of new registrants. The deadline date will be 2 weeks from the last registration date. Another note was that the decision to add a Discipline Policy as voted on at the 2008 AGM be implemented into our Policy Binder. Rick LaPlante moved that the minutes of the last meeting be approved as read with noted changes. Seconded by Roger Cyr. Carried. 4.0 Reports 4.1 President s Report Eric presented the President s report as he stepped into the position of President after Ken Walsh resigned in mid-march. The year started fairly busy since we were faced with some amalgamation decisions at the pee-wee and bantam levels. After our late registration, we realized that the numbers for these two levels were too low to make a Legal team. We had several meetings with Morinville Minor Hockey and with our parents to discuss how we could amalgamate these two levels for the upcoming season. We needed to find a place where our players could play and Morinville needed some ice and a facility to accommodate these extra players. We also amalgamated on paper the midget team to accommodate the transfer of players and to enter the Central Cities Hockey League. Page 1 of 7 AGM Minutes April 7, 2009

The Novice and Atom teams stayed in Legal and played in the Elk Island Hockey League. We were competitive in this league and the amount of travel was quite reasonable. I think our parents appreciated the new league change. The regular season went by quite quickly. Our midget team was quite competitive in the new Central Cities League. They lost in their playoff semi-finals. Our Atom team had the opportunity of hosting the Atom D provincials. The tournament went very well. Our team represented our association admirably. It was a great experience for our kids. It also helps our association with some needed funds. I would like to thank the tournament organizers and the volunteers for their involvement in making this event a success. The novice team also had a good year; they won a Elk Island league banner (the first for LMHA) against Lamont. The boys were pretty pumped as well as the coaches. The Blair Borduzak Memorial Tournament continued again this year, albeit a smaller tournament the teams that attended were very happy and the Jr. Canadians had a good time. During the Atom provincials our president Ken Walsh stepped down from Legal Minor Hockey to take a role with Hockey Alberta. All in all the season went by fast and without any real problems. For the executive and for the kids we would call it a success. On a final note, we had a couple meetings with Morinville Minor Hockey recently to evaluate the process that both associations underwent the past season. We talked about what went well and what changes we need to implement to make this amalgamation process between teams be as smooth as possible. Discussion after Presidents report: Louis Forcade noted a concern for the Bantam teams having an appropriate place to play when they tier the teams. Eric thanked Louis Forcade for his work this year as a Novice Level Director in the Elk Island League. 4.2 Treasurers Report Robyn Witter presented a draft of the Financial Statement and Projected Budget. These projections will be kept on record, but it is important to note that this is a draft, as the LMHA fiscal year end does not occur until April 30 th, 2009. The final copies of the financial statement and projected budget will be reviewed and approved by the executive at the first meeting following the fiscal year end. In the discussion of the report, Robyn noted that concession income is expected to be @ $9500. Robyn provided information showing the cost of ice for each team in relation to the current fee structure. There was discussion about the value of the one hour ice slot for the Midget team. Eric noted that the executive will look at this, as some decisions will be based on fundraising efforts in the upcoming Page 2 of 7 AGM Minutes April 7, 2009

year. Eric noted that there will be a meeting on April 21 st at the Citadel Centre at 7:00 for discussion concerning fees for 2009-2010, and concession operation for 2009-2010. A side note in the discussion was the benefit of having a League Website where information can be shared. 4.3 Concession Report As noted in the Treasurer s Report, the concession projects an income @ $9500 for the 2008-2009 season. 5.0 Executive Elections 8:10pm a) President Louis Forcade nominated Eric Cyr for President. Don Shrum seconded and moved that nominations cease. Carried. b) Vice President Robyn Witter nominated Rick LaPlante for Vice President. Maurice Chamberlain seconded and moved that nominations cease. Carried. c) Secretary Les Durant nominated Corinne Cornell for Secretary. Maurice Chamberlain seconded and moved that nominations cease. Carried. d) Treasurer Corinne Cornell nominated Robyn Witter for Treasurer. Robyn noted that she is willing to fill the position for this year, but will not for another year. If there is someone who is interested in this position for the following year, she encouraged them to be in touch with her so she can teach them the role of Treasurer. Maurice Chamberlain seconded the motion and moved that nominations cease. Carried. 6.0 Business 8:15 pm 6.1 President s update on Legal/Morinville amalgamation process and discussion. Eric updated the membership on the status of the amalgamation process. For the sake of transparency, and those who were unable to attend the Annual General Meeting, Eric s complete presentation is inserted here: Amalgamation Process As we discussed on my presidents report we had an amalgamation between Morinville and Legal at the pee-wee and bantam levels. I personally found that we were somewhat late in the process last year which forced us to make some concessions due to time restraints. We will definitely improve the communication between both associations this year. Already I feel more prepared and than we were last year. I believe our experiences, good and bad, have set good expectations for next year. Like I ve mentioned we have already talked with Morinville to improve the process. Next year LMHA speculated numbers are still low. We should have: 15 (+/- 3) Midgets 12 (+/- 3) Bantams Page 3 of 7 AGM Minutes April 7, 2009

7 Pee-wee 14 Atoms 11 Novices (2 Westlock members) 7 Initiations With these numbers I foresee LMHA amalgamating at the Pee-wee and Bantam levels again with Morinville next year. I feel that the Initiation level has to have a least 10 registered players or we may need to look at the amalgamation at that level also. However at this level changes in registration happen quickly. The executive will have to take a look at that. Regardless of our numbers this year, the trend over the past several years has been decreasing numbers at all levels; either be it by decreased registration numbers or players leaving to go play at higher level hockey. This brings me to one of the main reasons we are here today. We are asking our members to decide whether the LMHA executive continue with the amalgamation process with Morinville. First I should let you know how this outright amalgamation looks. We are looking to start a new association. We would dissolve the Legal and Morinville associations and begin a new Minor Hockey Association. This new association would have its own bylaws and executive and it would play out of the Legal and Morinville arenas. Legal would be as involved in the association, as much as they ever were, if parents were to continue being involved and belonging to the newly elected executive board. This new association would be in place for the 2010/11 hockey season, if everything went as planned. Morinville will be voting on continuing the amalgamation process at their AGM on April 20 th. For this new association to commence we need to delegate 3 members from our association and 3 will come from Morinville to form a sub-committee. This committee will present a new set of by-laws for the new association as well as new proposed association boundaries to Hockey Alberta in February 2010. I try to look at this situation purely from the idea of our kids having a place to play hockey. And for some of our new members who don t quite understand the politics of hockey in Alberta, I tried to simplify the pros and cons of our decision today. If we vote no to this amalgamation, Morinville could find another association to partner with, to improve their need for extra players. This could be a negative outcome if or when Legal no longer has the numbers to complete its own team. The consequence would be that our players would need to go to a neighboring association and play there only if the neighboring association (Morinville) will allow imports. If they choose not to allow imports, worst case scenario is the kids would not have a place to play in the future. If we vote yes to continue the process of amalgamation, LMHA will continue as is, for one more year and then it will dissolve, as well as Morinville s association. In the summer of 2010 the new association would be the governing body for the area. We will then have the equal opportunity to be elected on to the new association boards and/or volunteer. Page 4 of 7 AGM Minutes April 7, 2009

Discussion Period: Question: Can Legal have imports from places such as St. Albert? Answer: Imports can t be approved or accepted until the try-out process is complete in other centres. The results come too late for a decision to have a team out of Legal. Question: Will our kids have Legal coaches? Answer: All coaches have to apply for the position of Head Coach. The Head Coach then chooses his assistants. Ideally, you would want representation from both Legal and Morinville, but there is no guarantee this will be the case. Question: How will the boundaries be affected? Answer: Advice from Hockey Alberta was to adjust the boundaries in our presentation to them. Vimy is an area that has been debated in the past, and we may need to address. We need to consider what will be the centre point of the new organization such as halfway between Legal and Morinville. Current kids would be grandfathered into the new association. Only new registrants would be affected by a boundary change. Question: What are the current registration numbers in Morinville? Answer: We are not sure. The Morinville AGM is scheduled for April 20, 2009. It is important to note that many organizations are struggling for numbers. An example is Westlock, who may not have enough players to have a Midget team next year. It was also noted that CNN has approached Morinville with an amalgamation proposal. Morinville executive has made the commitment to wait until decisions are made regarding an amalgamation of Legal and Morinville. Louis Forcade moved to table the discussion on amalgamation with Morinville Minor Hockey, with a Notice of Motion to be circulated to the membership of Legal Minor Hockey. The discussion is to be tabled until April 23 rd, where a meeting will be scheduled for further discussion. Kevin McKinstry seconded the motion. Vote: 8 in favor, 28 opposed. Motion denied. a) Vote on the continuation of amalgamation process: Eric Cyr moved that the Executive of Legal Minor Hockey proceed with the amalgamation process with Morinville Minor Hockey. Seconded by Ken Baril. Vote: 24 in favor, 2 in favor proxy votes (26), 7 opposed. Carried. Karen Shrum asked that the Executive make every effort to keep communication frequent and transparent through the process. There will be monthly updates circulated through the current managers to ensure distribution through the membership of Legal Minor Hockey. Page 5 of 7 AGM Minutes April 7, 2009

b) Positions on Board of Morinville Minor Hockey (2) Eric asked for volunteers to fill two positions on the Board of Morinville Minor Hockey. Eric will fill one of the positions. Les Durant volunteered to fill the second position. c) Volunteers for the Amalgamation Sub-Committee Should MMHA vote in favor of amalgamation, a sub-committee will be formed with equal representation for the purpose of developing by-laws and boundaries for the new association. Eric asked for three volunteers to serve on this subcommittee. Darren Stang, Mark Pelletier, and Roger Cyr volunteered to be on the sub-committee. 6.2 Fundraising a) Hamburger Booth at Fete au Village Eric gave an update on the challenges of finding volunteers to operate the Hamburger Booth. Discussion revealed that most of the membership feels we should continue this role as a way to give back to the community of Legal. Karen Shrum moved that we continue with our commitment to operate the Hamburger Booth at the Fete au Village. Seconded by Les Durant. Carried. b) Oilers 50/50 Deanna Stang made the motion that Legal Minor Hockey apply for the Oilers 50/50 for the 2009-2010 season. Seconded by Roger Cyr. Carried. c) Concession Update How the concession is run will be changing in the upcoming year. If you want to be a part of the discussion, please attend the meeting on April 21 st at 7:00 at the Citadel Centre. 7.0 General Elections 7.1 Positions for Election a) Fundraising Chair Rick LaPlante nominated Martin Cyr for Fundraising Chair. Maurice Chamberlain seconded and moved that nominations cease. Carried. b) Registrar (Note that this position is part of the Executive of LMH) Les Durant nominated Michelle Rivard for Registrar. Deanna Stang seconded the nomination. Maurice Chamberlain moved that nominations cease. Carried. c) Director of Player and Coach Development Darren Stang explained this position. Eric Cyr nominated Mark Pelletier for Director of Player and Coach Development. Rick LaPlante seconded the nomination. Karen Shrum moved that nominations cease. Carried. d) Equipment Manager Charlene Cyr nominated Roger Cyr for Equipment Manager. Robyn Witter seconded the nomination. Ken Baril moved that nominations cease. Carried. e) Referee in Chief this position will remain vacant. Page 6 of 7 AGM Minutes April 7, 2009

f) Referee Assignor Last year LMH paid for Ryan Dutka to fill this position for the levels of Pee Wee and Bantam in conjunction with Morinville Minor Hockey. This year, we will use Ryan again, but include the Midget level. Last year, Marie Forcade filled this role on behalf of the Novice, Atom, and Midget teams. She is willing to do it again without the Midget team. Eric Cyr nominated Marie Forcade for Referee Assignor. Marc Rivard seconded the nomination. Deanna Stang moved nominations cease. Carried. g) Concession Manager Marie Pelletier has agreed to again fill this role. We are grateful for her contribution. Eric Cyr nominated Marie Pelletier for the position of Concession Manager. Rick LaPlante seconded the nomination. Maurice Chamberlain moved nominations cease. Carried. h) Public Relations/Advertising/Pictures This position will remain vacant for now. Executive will approach Joanne Pelletier regarding this position. i) League Meeting Participant (Level Director) Elk Island requires that each organization in their league provide a level director, who also attends league meetings along with the President/Vice President. Louis Forcade filled this role at the Novice level this past year. He will not be volunteering for this position for the upcoming year. Marc Rivard volunteered to fill this role for the 2009-2010 season. 7.2 Other Volunteer Positions a) Past President Ken Walsh b) Coaches Committee (3 members plus the President) This committee has been formed for the selection of coaches. Mario Pelletier, Craig Ozipko, Ken Baril, and Maurice Chamberlain volunteered to work on this committee. c) Fete au Village Hamburger Booth We require two more volunteers to work along with Charlene Cyr in organizing this fundraiser. Les Durant and Danielle Cyr volunteered to work with Charlene Cyr. 8.0 Other Business 8.1 Coaches Selection The application deadline is April 28 th, which will be our first registration date. 8.2 Registration The first registration date is scheduled for April 28 th. Executive will communicate with the Pee Wee and Bantam teams regarding the need to register in either Legal or Morinville. The second registration date is June 16 th. These dates will be advertised in the local newspaper. 9.0 Additions to the Agenda none 10.0 Adjournment. Eric Cyr moved to adjourn the meeting at 9:40pm. Eric Cyr (Acting President) Corinne Cornell (Recording Secretary) Page 7 of 7 AGM Minutes April 7, 2009