The Association

Train à vapeur 

vapeur.mp3

                                                LSFX Association’s AGM
                                                          July 18, 2015

Hello Everyone, Welcome to the LSFX Association’s 2015 Annual General Meeting. Remember this meeting is your meeting and your participation is critical to its success. With this in mind we have decided to keep the presentations to a minimum this year and provide as much time as possible for questions and discussion. The full presentations including the many slides edited out will be place on the Association’s Website after the meeting.  Each presentation will be followed by a short question period of 15 minutes. Time will be managed closely and when the 15 minutes is up questions will conclude and we will move on to the next topic. In order to make best use of the time please focus your questions on the topic presented and formulate them as precisely as possible. This will allow more people to participate. There will also be a 1hour general question and discussion period at the end of the meeting. Once again try to state your questions /observations precisely to allow others to have their chance to participate. For those who wish to stay after the meeting we will be available to dialog on issues important to you.

In keeping with our focus on enabling you to participate I will also keep my message short this year. This Executive and in fact all the Executives across the years have worked very hard on your behalf in trying to protect and preserve the Lake Environment. Collectively they have accomplished a great deal. They have contributed their time, energy and resourcefulness in tackling issues we as a membership felt important. I am proud to say they have never acted unilaterally. They have always sought the guidance and approval from you their membership at AGM’s such as this one.  As to be expected some of the initiatives have not been popular with everyone on the lake. As well, there is often an expectation that the Association should be involved in issues that are not within its mission. As a result there have sometimes been an undercurrent of grumbling and innuendoo, criticizing the Association and its Executive.

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The Association's Constitution provides guidance on its mission within which it must operate. All changes to the Constitution must and have been approved by its Membership. The last update was done almost a decade ago, in 2006, and we are now working on a new version to ensure it stays relevant with current needs (you’ll hear more about this shortly). Based on the Constitution the focus of the Association is to preserve and maintain the Lake’s Environment and the nature-orientated lifestyle of its community.

On the positive side I hear often from those in the Lake Community that we should be able to solve problems cooperatively as a community. I believe this statement to be absolutely true, and we have a number of new members, thanks to the outreach and hard work of Monique King, which is to me an indication that there are more and more people who recognize that the best way to solve our problems is as a community. We must all recognize that this means being committed to the protection of the lake, being flexible enough to work with the solutions we have until better approaches can be found, and most importantly to be willing to participate and change. With this in mind I would like to offer all of you a challenge, both those here today and just as importantly those who were not able to be present. We have a difficult and serious challenge we need to address if we are to protect this lake for the generations to come, many of whom will be our descendants.  Sedimentation is probably the most important factor in a lake’s life cycle. It comes in many forms: Shore line erosion, the disturbance of sediments on the lake bottom, run off due to large storms, poorly engineered drainage for roads and many more.  All need to be addressed but the most important for this Lake Community is the destructive nature of the waves and underwater turbulence caused by motorboats, all sizes and all horsepower.  I would like to ask all of you here to take away with you the challenge of controlling the detrimental effects of sedimentation, get together with friends and neighbors, particularly those not here today, look at all aspects of this important factor including the effects of boats, and see what solutions you can devise. If you need information or want to discuss ideas, call or e-mail me or the other Executives. I personally would love to be involved with you in cracking this difficult nut. We will set up a meeting before the next AGM where all of us can meet, pull together all the ideas and create a plan of action together. Lets call this the Presidents Challenge. If it is successful we will make it an annual event. In my experience we will never run out of challenges.

In closing I would like to recognize  2 Lake Residents who have made a significant contribution to the Association and the community over the last few years. Felix Hausermann for the excellent job he has done in performing the numerous tests on the quality and health of our lake and Diana Jegou for her excellent work in organizing our social events, such as the Pot Luck Dinner, which we all enjoy

Thanks Dave Clark        

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[Click to zoom the image] The regular procedure requires that a nomination of a member to the Executive is submitted to the Secretary, Colleen Horan, a week before the Annual General meeting, and signed by at least two members. You are requested to consider and prepare accordingly. It would be good that you read the contents of our Charter, available on our website below, on this page.

mailto:colleenhoran90@yahoo.com

                                          Lake St Francois Xavier Association

                                            July 2014 Annual General Meeting


Welcome to the Lake St Francois Xavier Association’s 2014 Annual General Meeting. The past year has been a busy one and your Executive has worked hard to identify and understand the issues that need to be pursued to ensure the lake is protected and preserved both now and in the future. They have also developed action plans to address these issues. These will be presented to you over the course of this meeting.

John Wilson will discuss Lake Health and cover the work we have been doing to identify the risks facing the lake. He will also present the results of the Bathemetric Survey done  in partnership with the University of Ottawa and the results of a detailed analysis of over 30 years of tests on the quality of our lake and it’s aging process. As you will see the Lake Is talking to us, it has a story and it needs our help.

Raymond Noel will discuss Lake Usage and will cover the need to improve our control over access to the lake. He will also introduce a new initiative to address boating practices on a national level. As the last segment of the meeting he will introduce our Guest Speaker, Will Dubinsky, who is responsible for initiating and leading this important endeavor. Boating has a large environmental impact on the lake. It is still a very contentious issue resulting in a confrontational environment and a divided community. This initiative will result in Federal Regulations governing boating based on a scientific approach to understanding the impact of boating and the environmental needs of waterways across Canada.

Carl Chapdelaine will present an update on Communications focusing on the LSFX Internet Site and communicating electronically. This is a very important subject as it is our intention that this will become our primary method of communication. This direction is driven by both the need to control costs and to facilitate communications and networking within the community. Although there are still challenges to overcome, such as up-to-date e-mail lists and people’s wiliness to stay connected electronically, we will continue to move our communications in this direction at a suitable pace to allow everyone to adapt.

Edna Schell and Shelagh Jane Woods will present the Association’s Finances covering our past year performance and next years budget.

Colleen Horan will update you on Membership and Social Events. Many of you participated in a Pot Luck held a couple of week-ends ago. From the feed back I got it was a grand success. These events are important to develop a sense of community on the lake. They are a lot of work and we could use your help to organize the future ones.

As you sit here for the next 2 hours I would like you to give some real thought to getting more involved in your Association. Contrary to rumors that the executive is a political battlefield with lots of conflict, we actually have an excellent team and enjoy working together to protect this piece of paradise. We meet once a month an spend some time in between pursuing issues and activities. It is not a big commitment but it is a very important one. This year there will be an empty Directors position that must be filled. Louis Quenneville will be leaving the Executive due to work demands. I and the Executive want to thank Louis for his commitment and contribution over the years.

Now we get into the tough part of this Opening Message. I really didn’t want to go into this but I felt that not to would be a great omission and a failure on my part to meet my responsibilities to you. I believe that to avoid controversy and conflict only prevents us from learning from our experiences and ensures that the same choices and results occur in the future. It is with that philosophy that I am going to discuss my views on the septic and grey water issues on the lake and the Thurston Lake Sector Road project. There are 3 areas I want to cover:

The first is the Association’s role in all of this. Three AGM’s ago the membership ratified a position that the Association would restrict itself to environmental concerns that might arise from whatever proposed solutions were selected. That the selection of solutions were the responsibility of the Government Authorities and the Home-owners involved. This is the policy we have followed to-date and to this end we have requested that the Municipality share with us all environmental studies done and work with us in partnership to ensure that all risks to the lake are identified and addressed. In hindsight I think the Association could have played a valuable role in bringing the parties together and ensuring all issues were tabled and addressed. A lesson learned for the future.

The second is the approach the Municipality took, moving from multiple solutions that could have addressed all sectors of the lake to a single solution serving only the Thurston Lake Sector. This change in direction has been pursued despite significant input from the majority of affected residents that they were  not in favor of that approach. It is clear that there were many drivers behind the Municipalities pursuit of the 9 Meter Road solution including: a reduction of car traffic on the Aerobic Corridor, their ability to meet their obligation to provide essential services, increased revenue due to a rise in property values and new development and probably many more. Somewhere along the path we moved from focusing on a real environmental risk to political agendas and a compromising of the democratic process.

The third is the most concerning of all, the behavior of the residents affected by this issue. It seems to me that all except for a few choose to duck their heads and hope that the whole thing would go away. How, when presented with evidence that their septic and grey water systems did not meet government regulations and presented a risk to the lake could they go underground and take no action either individually or as a group. In fact it is my belief that many of them have suspected the risks they present and have been in denial for years avoiding taking action to resolve them. I think, based on the knowledge and awareness everyone now possesses regarding environmental requirements that a more appropriate approach would have been to take the driver’s seat and put pressure on the Governments to work with them to find solutions and assist in implementing them. Instead they are faced with a costly solution that addresses only part of the problem and that they have to pay for. I am not the only one to share this view. I have been approached by many other residents who feel the same way.

The sad thing here is that by focusing on personal and political agendas and choosing to not  participate we have failed to recognize the broader ecological risks that all of the potential solutions entail and find ways to mitigate them.  In short we have failed the Lake which we all so dearly love and have not fulfilled our responsibilities as individuals and as a community to protect our environment.

So what are the lessons to be learned here so we are more effective in the future? What I have taken away from all of this is that we can no longer afford to ignore problems. Our current level of awareness and knowledge makes this an unacceptable course of action. We need to face problems and risks head on and work together relentlessly to address them. Anything less is not responsible in today's world. If we choose to not participate then we loose the ability to influence results and we run the real risk of loosing everything.

Well if past behaviors continue by now everyone is convincing themselves that I am talking about the person sitting next to them. Well, I want to be very clear that I am talking about every individual in this room and particularly to those who are not here but are part of this community. I include myself as well as I fight a daily battle not to ignore the things that I find unpleasant, threatening or do not fit with my agenda. I would request that you think hard about this and remember, the only failures are the ones where we do not learn the lesson they provide.

Thank you for your attention. I can now only hope that you were listening. Thee will be a lot of new information provide over the next 2 hour. This should be a very informative  AGM that will put us on a much clearer path in our endeavors to protect this environment. I hope you enjoy it and decide to play a more active role.
     
President, LSFX Association,
Dave Clark

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      L’ASSOCIATION DU LAC ST-FRANÇOIS XAVIER

STATUTES AND BYLAWS

1.                General Information

                1.1 Name of association:  L’Association du Lac St-François Xavier

                1.2  Head Office:
                The address of the Treasurer
                90 Elgin Avenue, Pointe Claire, Quebec, H9R 2K1

                1.3 Objectives:  The objectives of the association are to:
                a) remove pollution from the waters of the lake and its tributaries
                b) protect the shallows, shores and forestrial border of the lake and its tributaries against any form of degradation
                c) sensitize the public to the problems of protecting the quality of the natural environment
                d) apply to the Minister of the Environment for the studies and services available from the Lake Program
                e) influence municipal authorities to adopt bylaws for cleaning the water and for the protection of Nature
                f) support any other efforts aimed at improving the quality of life, for example: controlling the size and number of motor boats using the lake, increasing public security for residents, regulation of unauthorized camping and the preservation and development of the Aerobic Corridor as a natural habitat
                g) ally with the Fédération des Associations sur la Protection de l’Environnement des Lacs (FAPEL) and its associations to pressure government authorities for legislation, bylaws and the budget which will ensure the protection of lakes.


2.                Membership
               
                2.1 Membership is restricted to one membership per household located within district 5 of Wentworth-Nord, as defined by the municipal map (copy of district 5 map attached)

                2.2 Any single person aged 18 or over from the membership household (or with written authorization from the membership household) may vote to represent that household as defined in paragraph 2.1.  This is restricted to one vote per household, and each person may vote only once.

                2.3 Honorary Membership:  A person who has rendered outstanding service may, upon recommendation of the Executive Committee, be named Honorary Member.


3.                Annual Fee

                3.1 All voting members must pay an annual fee, the amount of which is to be determined at the annual general meeting.

                3.2  Only paid members have the right to vote at the meetings of the Association.


4.                General Meetings and Voting:

                4.1 A General Meeting must be held each year in the summer, at the time and place indicated in the notice.

                4.2 Special General Meeting:  a Special General Meeting may be convened by:
                a) order of the President
                b) resolution of the Executive Committee
                c) the written request of at least ten percent of the paid up members, addressed to the President or Secretary, and specifying the purpose of the meeting.  Upon receipt of such a request, the Secretary is to convene the meeting immediately.

                Notice of the Special General Meeting must include an agenda; no subjects other than those indicated on the agenda may be discussed.

                4.3 Notice of General Meeting: The notice for either an Annual or a Special Meeting, signed by the secretary and indicating its location, time and purpose, must be either posted in the appropriate public places, or communicated to members by any other procedure chosen by the Executive Committee.

                Voting:
                a) At all general or special meetings, voting shall be by the showing of an appropriate marker, unless an eligible voter calls for a secret ballot.
                b) the meeting chair will abstain from voting unless there is a tie, in which case the chair will cast the deciding vote.


5.                Executive Committee Composition and Meetings:

                5.1 The Association will be administered by an Executive Committee comprised of a maximum of 8 elected members.

                5.2 If through resignation or any other reason, a vacancy occurs on the Executive Committee, the Committee may appoint someone to fill the post and assume the rights, privileges and duties of that position until the next general election.

                5.3 Nominations: Nominations for office, signed by at least two members, shall be presented to the Secretary at least one week before the Annual General Meeting.

                5.4  Meetings of the Executive Committee:  The Executive Committee shall meet at least three times a year, these meetings being called by the Secretary at the request of the President.  Other meetings may be convened by the Secretary at either the President’s request, or that of three members of the Executive Committee.  Any resolutions signed by all members of the Executive Committee will be as valid as if they had been adopted during a general meeting duly convened and held.

                5.5  Notice of Executive Committee Meetings:  A notice indicating the time and place of the meeting, must be sent to each member of the Executive Committee. 

                5.6  Quorum for the Executive Committee:  Four members of the Executive Committee constitutes a quorum.

                5.7  Meeting Procedures:  The President is the Chair.  In the President’s absence, the Vice-President will take charge.  All members of the Executive Committee have the right to vote, with the majority carrying the motion; in the case of a tie, the chair casts the deciding vote.

                5.8  The members of the Executive Committee are elected every year at the Annual General Meeting.  A maximum of 3 executive members may be replaced every year, unless there are more openings on the executive than three. 


6.                Executive Committee Duties:

                6.1 Duties of the Part President: the Past President will act in an advisory capacity to the President and other Executive Committee members, providing continuity in the association’s activities, and will be responsible for any specific portfolio agreed upon between him or her and such members.

                6.2 Duties of the President: The President is the official representative of the Association. b He/she presides at all meetings of the Association and the Executive Committee.  He/she acts as required or authorized by law and exercises all the powers and duties confided in him/her by the Executive Committee.

                6.3  Duties of the Vice-President:  The Vice-President shall, in the absence, death, disability, or resignation of the President, replace the latter for the remainder of the term, and shall exercise all the powers and duties confided in him/her by the Executive Committee.

                6.4  Duties of the Treasurer:  The Treasurer is the guardian of the funds, investments, debt, and of all valuable documents of the Association, which he/she shall deposit in the name and to the credit of the Association in the bank or Caisse Populaire so designated by the Executive Committee, and shall exercise all the powers and duties confided in him or her by the Executive Committee. 

                6.5  Duties of the Secretary: The Secretary keeps minutes of all the meetings of the Association.  He/she shall see to it that all meeting notices conform the the bylaws of the Association or the law, and the bonds, reports, certificates and all other documents and records are properly updated and filed.

                6.6  Duties of the Administrators;  The Administrators perform the duties assigned to them by the President.



7.                Expenses:

                7.1 Travelling expenses:  Members of the Executive Committee shall not receive any remuneration for their services except for the travelling expenses legally incurred while conducting the normal business of the Association and approved by the Executive Committee.  All such expenses must be supported by valid receipts.


8.                Signatures.
 
                8.1  Signatures: cheques and other commercial documents may be cashed, accepted, endorsed and signed by the Treasurer and the Vice-President or President, or in their absence two members of the Executive Committee so designated by the Committee.

                8.2  Documents requiring the signature of the Association may be signed by the President and the Secretary, or in their absence by two members of the Executive Committee so designated by the Executive Committee.


9.                Adjournment of Meetings:

                9.1  Adjournments:  if a quorum is not obtained by 30 minutes after the hour scheduled for the meeting, the meeting is adjourned.


10.                Amendments to the Bylaws and Statutes:

                10.1  Amendments to these bylaws shall be proposed in writing by the Executive Committee , or by ten (10) paid members, to the Secretary, and approved by a vote of not less than two-thirds of the voting members present at a meeting duly convened by the Executive Committee.

                10.2 A copy of the amendments must be posted to all members of the Association at least 10 days before the date of the proposed special meeting or the Annual General Meeting at which they are to be presented for a vote.

                10.3  The amendments must be presented at the meeting and approved by two-thirds of the paid-up members present.


11                Financial Reporting:
               
                11.1 A financial report shall be presented to the Annual General Meeting of the Association every year.

12.                Fiscal Year End:

                12.1  The fiscal year of the Association ends on June 30th.

(Last amendments approved at a Special Meeting of the membership held May 6th, 2006)

Municipality's electoral Districts

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“As you can see, we are on a broader path and are exploring many new areas as well as thinking of what we have been doing in a different, more focused way. New initiatives are underway and more will start as to the work we are doing, which generate new knowledge and new ideas.
Our big challenge is time. We are only eight and the pace we can set is frustratingly slow. There is an old English saying “Many hands make light work”. I encourage you to take an interest and to get involved. It doesn’t have to be a lot of time .Just a few hours to review findings, do a little research and input your views and ideas would go a long way and would be much appreciated. 

Minutes of 2013 ALSFX Annual General Meeting

July, 27, 2013
Welcome to the 2013 Lac St Francois Xavier AGM. I would like to acknowledge those
members in the audience that have been there year after year supporting their
Association and taking an interest in their environment. I also see new faces and
that is very encouraging as it indicates to me that our membership is growing and that
more residents of the Lac St Francois Xavier Watershed are taking an interest in its
health and its protection and preservation. In fact as todayʼs AGM unfolds you will see
that increasing the membership and growing everyoneʼs interest in the lake is key to our
collective success in protecting it. We need your help in growing the membership and in
growing that interest. We need your active participation and involvement in the
programs we are proposing to undertake and we need your creativity and ideas.
Remember, this is your paradise, your investment. If you donʼt protect it, no one else
will. It will be lost.
Some of you will have noticed that I used a new term in the previous paragraph;
“Watershed”. You will see it appear frequently in the presentations to come. It reflects a
new and broader focus in protecting and persevering the lake. The Lake itself is still
central but of equal importance is the Watershed that feeds it, in which it lives. It reflects
our belief that to protect the lake we must protect and preserve its total environment and
this thinking is now influencing everything we are doing from Lake Health, to Lake
Access, to Lake Usage, to Communications and yes to Membership and Participation.
I hope you will find this yearʼs AGM Interesting, educational and personally motivating,
encouraging you to take an interest and get involved.
Your Executive and a growing
number of Members have put in a great deal of energy, creativity and hard work over
the past year to get to where we are today. The year has been one of reflection on what
we having been doing and exploration into where to from here. New ideas and activities
have been initiated. The next few years will see what results they will yield and what
new paths they will lead to. The topics we will cover and the presenters are:
1) John Wilson will take you through our current thinking and proposed initiatives on
Lake Health. This will include results of existing programs, expanded testing
proposals, bathymetric surveys and related activities to better understand the lakeʼs
history, topography and current state so we can devise more effective programs to
monitor and protect it.
2) Raymond Noel will explore the topic of lake Usage and Lake Access. Central to
Raymondʼs presentation will be access to the lake, its importance and the
complexities of dealing with it.
3) Carl Chapdelaine will demonstrate the LSFX Website and the ideas we have for
evolving it to better meet your needs. The Website is growing in popularity and is
rapidly becoming our preferred mode of communicating and sharing knowledge. If it
is to reach its full potential we will need your ideas on how you would like to use it.
To round things out Edna Schell will update you on our Financial Health and Colleen
Horan will review Membership and Social Events. I will update you on the final outcome
of the Thurston Lake Class Action which has left us in a very strong position to protect
and preserve the Lake and its Watershed. However, as I will explain during the update,
to fully benefit from the capability we have acquired will require everyone to stay alert,
identify risks and provide ideas on how to protect our environment.
That brings me to my message to each and every one of you. It is no longer possible to
sit back and play a passive supportive role. Our footprint, the human footprint, on the
Lake St Francois Xavier Watershed is significant and is growing larger every year. This
is putting ever increasing pressure on the lake and its environment. The risks in front of
us are real and the potential for them to materialize are high. The Thurston Lake event
is a clear and frightening demonstration of how fast things can go very wrong. Each of
us must stay alert, identify emerging problems and risks and get actively involved,
through your association, to address them. As I said in the Spring News Letter, if you
donʼt take an interest what happens is your fault as an individual.
In Closing I would like to do two things. One is to acknowledge Adrian Hausermann and
his interest and commitment to the Lake and the Association. Adrianʼs career is taking
him away from the lake for the foreseeable future. It was wonderfull having Adrian, a
young resident, on the executive. His perspective was refreshing and very valuable, as
it will be his generation that will become the custodians of this piece of paradise. I would
hope that more young residents will choose to take an interest and get involved.
Lastly I want to bring to everyoneʼs attention to the fact that there is an empty seat at
the AGM today. Probably the first time since the very first Lake St Francois Xavier
Association was formed back in the late 1960ʼs Tony Cheasa is not present. Tony
passed away last fall after a long battle with cancer. He is an inspiration to us all. His
interest and commitment to this area was total. I for one will always see him sitting out
there providing his calm and unique view on events and take strength from my
memories of him.
Have a great meeting. Remember this is for you so get the most out of it.
Dave Clark,

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              It is my belief that each and every one of you are here in this area because you love nature and want to preserve the lake and its’ environment. With everything that is facing our lake community right now the Lake Association Executive needs your help.
                With this in mind, I would like to enrol you in the effort to find solutions to protect our lake environment. Not just a few of you but the entire Montfort/Newaygo community. Not in a passive role but as active participants working with the executive to preserve the lake, its environment and our way of life up here.
                This can not be done by a few. It requires a total community effort and the time to become involved is now. I am encouraging you, in fact I am asking you to step forward and become part of the team focused on preserving our environment. 
                                                                                                                                Dave Clark, President

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You are representing an other lake association? We would like to do some file-trading with you, share a web page or a chronicle maybe.

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Executive  2015-2016
President                                                           Raymond Noël                                                450-226-7820
Vice President                                                   Monique King                                          
Treasurer                                                                Susan Welsh                                                450-226-6015
Secretary                                                            Colleen Horan                                                450-226-3214
Director                                                                Carl Chapdelaine                                450-226-1294
Director                                                                Shelagh Jane Woods                               
Director                                                                Frédéric Brousseau                                
Director                                                                Normand Daigneault