8/10/2019 Response to Post on Facebook - Dated October 17, 2014
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Heloise Dixon-WarrenCandidate for Electoral Area B Director, Cariboo Regional District
BLOG: http://heloisedixon-warren.blogspot.ca
Dated: October 24, 2014
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RESPONSE TO A NOTE POSTED ON MY PERSONAL FACEBOOK
PAGE WHICH WAS THEN PUBLICLY CIRCULATED VIA EMAIL
On October 17, 2014 the following note was posted on my personal Facebook page by Anna Eastman.
Today it came to my attention from another CRD Director that the post, or something similar, has been
circulating via email. Mrs. Eastman is a previous resident of Area B. She was a long-time resident of
Bouchie Lake. I responded to her note in a private message but as a post has gone public, I shall
respond to it publicly. In my response I will focus primarily on facts.
A good job should be decided by the Area B community..IN MY OPINION..you have managed to discredit
and destroy the Community Association. You have turned the upstairs of the BL hall into your office.
Actually your predecessor Roberta Faust began the decline of volunteerism and you have successfullyfinished it. Our Seniors Dinner that was started 31 years ago, has been on the Destroy list for 6 years
now. The annual children's Halloween Party has been destroyed, couldn't use the hall that Area B
residents pay taxes for. In order to have a BL Stewardship meeting without charge for the hall, you had
to have your agenda presented. I think it is time Area B had a director that was interested in the
Community, not it in themselves. We were very lucky to have Andy Motherwell for years and Ken Falloon
did a great job. I am very sure Gerry Bruce will rebuild the community spirit so desperately needed,
especially in the Bouchie Lake Area.
For each of her above points, I am providing a response:
(i)
You have managed to discredit and destroy the (Bouchie Lake) Community Association;
MY RESPONSE: The Bouchie Lake Community Association / BLCAis independent of the Cariboo
Regional District in that it has its own mandate (constitution). It is a user group of the Bouchie Lake
Hall and Recreation Grounds of which there are several (Bouchie Lake Gymkhana Club, Quesnel &
District Riding Club). This organisation is a registered not-for-profit society with BC Registry and has
been in existence since 1991. The relationship between the CRD and Bouchie Lake Recreation
Commission / BLRC (governed by a CRD Bylaw; formed in 2007) and the BLCA is complicated.
The BLCA was formerly called the Bouchie Lake Recreation Commission and was originally responsible
for managing the Bouchie Lake Hall and Recreation Grounds. Prior to 2007, the CRD supported the
properties through the North Cariboo Recreation and Parks taxation function by way of a contribution
agreement with the CRD covering 60% capital and 40% operational funds. The group was also at one
time actively accessing BC Gaming Funds. In 2007, the CRD passed a bylaw for the establishment of the
BLRC whose mandate was to manage and operate the Bouchie Lake Hall and Recreation Grounds and
other associated properties (e.g. Claymine Trails, BouchieMilburn Community Park). Now there were
two groups with identifiable names and very similar mandates a BLRC governed by a CRD Bylaw
8/10/2019 Response to Post on Facebook - Dated October 17, 2014
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Heloise Dixon-WarrenCandidate for Electoral Area B Director, Cariboo Regional District
BLOG: http://heloisedixon-warren.blogspot.ca
Dated: October 24, 2014
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with appointed members and another BLRC, governed by the Society Act of BC and its own
constitution, with paid members.
At the beginning of my elected term (November, 2011), I reached out to the community for people who
wished to be appointed to the BLRC by the CRD board of directors. Several volunteers came forward;
some of them had experience on the previous commission. In January, 2012 the BLRC came together
and it was identified that it would be beneficial to have programs (e.g. yoga, Zumba) offered at Bouchie
Lake Hall. These would bring people into the hall and generate some revenue for BL Rec. The first 6-8
week sessions were supported by the BLRC. It later came to the attention of the BLRC that offering
programming was not within its mandate; rather programming should be offered by a user group. It
became very apparent that for BL Rec. to function well and thrive an active community based
organisation was key.
Although the BLRC (not for profit group) was still operating, membership was small and efforts were
being put to supporting annual events such as the Seniors Luncheon, Halloween Celebration, and
Christmas Community Potluck. The organisation had not taken on program development. Upon review
of the status of the organisation, it was found that the constitution under which the group was governed
by was no longer applicable. There was also some confusion as what bylaws were the correct ones. A
group of volunteers comprised of both BLRC (CRD) and BLRC (not for profit) came together and an
evaluation was done on the purpose of each of the two groups and how they could function by
supporting one another. The BLRC (not for profit) undertook a name change to the Bouchie Lake
Community Association and adopted a new constitution by passing a Special Resolution. Much of the
programming offered at the hall since then has been done by the BLCA. This includes yoga, Zumba,
dance, watercolour painting, and lawnchair travel.
An MOU / Memorandum of Understanding was drawn up which discussed how the two groups were to
operate and support one another. For several reasons, this MOU was never adopted. I would suggest
that this be re-visited as there continues to be confusion as to the specific roles of the two groups and
how the BLRC and BLCA can support one another. .
(ii) You have turned the upstairs of the BL hall into your office.
MY RESPONSE: this is simply untrue although any of us would love to have an office of that size. The
BLRC has an office upstairs of the hall which has been in existence for 4-6 years. The BLRC, along with
other groups, has been using the upstairs as a meeting room. Childrens dance and watercolour painting
was also held in this room. The BLRC has discussed a renovation to the room so it could be a multi-
media room. This room could be much more functional than it is now. It could also be an asset which
the community could be proud of and be generating revenue. West Fraser Mills has donated two
computers and West Road Consulting a laser colour printer; all of these are waiting to be installed so
they can be used by the community.
8/10/2019 Response to Post on Facebook - Dated October 17, 2014
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Heloise Dixon-WarrenCandidate for Electoral Area B Director, Cariboo Regional District
BLOG: http://heloisedixon-warren.blogspot.ca
Dated: October 24, 2014
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(iii) Actually your predecessor Roberta Faust began the decline of volunteerism and you have
successfully finished it. Our Seniors Dinner that was started 31 years ago, has been on the Destroy listfor 6 years now. The annual children's Halloween Party has been destroyed, couldn't use the hall that
Area B residents pay taxes for.
MY RESPONSE: Firstly, I too am an active volunteer in that I participate and support several not for
profit groups. I also volunteer in Bouchie Lake and am active user of the facility. Volunteering has been
on the decline for many years and there are a great number of reasons for this. This is trend that has
been recognised across Canada and unfortunately, our community is not immune to this trend. Our
rural communities have changed. There are many challenges which may affect volunteerism: aging
demographics, many young families with two working parents, families with one spouse / partner
working out of the community, neighbourhoods are disconnected, many people travel into town to
access services, aging infrastructure, and not sufficient resources. Volunteers are relied upon for
almost everything and this is simply proving to not be sustainable. None the less, many events and
programs have been held, and continue to be held, at the hall due to the efforts of volunteers. This
includes the SeniorsLuncheon, Halloween Celebration, Christmas Potluck, Home based Business
Market (Nov. 2013), Equine Extravaganza (May, 2014), and many types of programs (yoga, zumba,
lawnchair travel, childrens dance, watercolour painting, Seni-Art, etc.). In fact, more programming has
been offered at the hall these past 3 years than in a very long time. For the Seniors Luncheon in 2014,
folks attending were encouraged to make a donation with hopes of paying it forward. I believe a
similar format is planned for Halloween. This way, these events will be sustainable and will be more
likely to continue.
(iv) In order to have a BL Stewardship meeting without charge for the hall, you had to have your
agenda presented.
MY RESPONSE:On October 31, 2013, I met with Mrs. Eastman and a couple of other Bouchie Lake
residents to discuss their proposal that the Bouchie Lake Stewardship Committee / BLSC host a meeting
at the Bouchie Lake Hall on December 4, 2013 in partnership with the Baker Creek Enhancement Group
and Bouchie Lake Recreation Commission. By partnering with the BLRC, no rent was charged
(http://bouchielakerec.ca/rental-policies/). As the BLSC wanted to do a mail out, I suggested the
opportunity to access some funds through the CRDElectoral Area B Special Projects Fund to supportthe printing and distribution of the mail out. I submitted a request to the CRD and was able to access
$600.00 through this fund, at the November 7, 2013 meeting (http://www.cariboord.ca/agendas-
minutes/agendas/crd-board-agendas).
http://bouchielakerec.ca/rental-policies/http://bouchielakerec.ca/rental-policies/http://bouchielakerec.ca/rental-policies/http://www.cariboord.ca/agendas-minutes/agendas/crd-board-agendashttp://www.cariboord.ca/agendas-minutes/agendas/crd-board-agendashttp://www.cariboord.ca/agendas-minutes/agendas/crd-board-agendashttp://www.cariboord.ca/agendas-minutes/agendas/crd-board-agendashttp://www.cariboord.ca/agendas-minutes/agendas/crd-board-agendashttp://www.cariboord.ca/agendas-minutes/agendas/crd-board-agendashttp://bouchielakerec.ca/rental-policies/8/10/2019 Response to Post on Facebook - Dated October 17, 2014
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Heloise Dixon-WarrenCandidate for Electoral Area B Director, Cariboo Regional District
BLOG: http://heloisedixon-warren.blogspot.ca
Dated: October 24, 2014
Page 4
(v) I think it is time Area B had a director that was interested in the Community, not in
themselves. We were very lucky to have Andy Motherwell for years and Ken Falloon did agreat job. Ms. Eastman is very sure Gerry Bruce will rebuild the community spirit so
desperately needed, especially in the Bouchie Lake Area.
MY RESPONSE:It is great that there are two candidates running for Electoral Area B on November 15,
2014. This is the benefit of our democratic society; choice is good. Many people could do the job as
Electoral Area Director. Some directors get more involved in the communities they live and /or
represent whereas others choose to be less engaged. There is no job description and each Director has
a different approach to the tasks at hand.
The Electoral Area B Director has a much greater responsibility than simply rebuilding community spirit
in the Bouchie Lake area. They represent the ~4,000 residents of Area B (Bouchie Lake to Strathnaver)
at the Cariboo Regional District. In my opinion, the best governance includes engaged communities
whereby residents participate in the sharing of ideas, finding solutions, and in the decision making
process. An elected person is only a single voice and processes can be much easier implemented and
changed if communities express their collective voices. Solutions rather than criticism and /or
complaining can be effective at implementing change.
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