2024 TGCA Annual General Meeting recap

TGCA President for over 15 years, Leslie Degagne (front) and other board members serve a BBQ lunch to residents at the 2024 Neighbour Day celebrations.

This year’s AGM was bittersweet as we bid a fond farewell to some dedicated board members and our long-serving president but welcomed a new president and heard some good news from the treasurer.

TGCA President, Leslie Degagne, has stepped down after over 15 years leading the community association and read an emotional final president’s report to the community in the meeting. She praised the volunteers in the community and described how warmly she feels driving by the new community hub on the south end of the facility. The board and staff will miss her friendship and guidance and send our gratitude for her years of devotion to this community. Find her full report below.

The TGCA is pleased to have Alison Abbott step into the position of president, as she’s served in the public service VP role for a few years, and her dedication to public safety and awareness, as well as coordinating some great community events, has been instrumental in the board engaging with the community in meaningful ways.

We also saw directors Grant Symon and Travis Dickie step away from their roles. Grant has been instrumental in organizing the Community Cleanup for years and has contributed in countless other ways. Travis has been working with North Have Community Association on a new playground in Egerts Park and doing thorough engagement with residents along with other projects too. These two will be missed on the board but we know we’ll see them throughout the year.  Please find their remarks below.

Treasurer, Brad Giddings, shared that the centre’s financials are looking better than he’s seen during his tenure. Here are the highlights of his remarks:

  • Our first quarter results are showing a continued positive income flow and our revenue streams are continuing to thrive as we move forward to this new year of operations.
  • This year will be a tough act to follow but my expectations are high. The only barriers to matching (this year’s) results, in my mind, are the state of the economy in general and any curves thrown at us by any of the three levels of government which we are subject to.
  • There are other capital projects coming up and we are working with the city on our life cycle planning to determine which will be next on the priority list. We have the new ice resurfacing machine on order and expect to have this in place before the end of the current season.

Chelsea Pratchett, constituency assistant at Calgary-Klein, attended the meeting and gave an update on behalf of our local provincial representative, MLA Lizette Tejada. MLA Tejada was at the legislature but reports that she is pleased to be the new Shadow Minister of Immigration and Multiculturalism and is working hard representing the concerns of her constituents.

 We’d like to thank the community residents that came out to the AGM this year. We gave out a few prizes and met some new folks and chatted with some familiar ones too. It’s so important to actively engage with the inner workings of community building, it really does contribute to the quality of life in our area, so if you’re interested in joining the board as a director or volunteering in another capacity, please send an email to our programming and community engagement coordinator, Vanessa at v.gillard@tgcacalgary.com.

Please find the board member and committee reports below.

President’s Report – Leslie Degagne

Volunteers are the lifeblood of the community and we here in Thorncliffe Greenview are blessed with the most talented, giving and dedicated people. Our volunteers have vision, resiliency and a tenaciousness that defines what our community is. This last year has been a great example of the power of the volunteer. We only have to look outside of the complex to the south and see the transformation of our grounds to understand what building a community is all about. Our amazing playground now shares space with a community garden and orchard. This space exemplifies what a community should be; welcoming, engaging and safe. The efforts put in by the community garden committee are not taken for granted as this has been a vision for years, but it took this group of talented volunteers to see it through.

The changing face of Thorncliffe Greenview doesn’t end there. The last year has been filled with activities for all, all run by volunteers. The community cleanup, children’s parties, Neighbour Day celebrations, Stampede and Pub nights have become staples in the community, and are well attended by our residents and neighbors. I thank all who have dedicated their time to these endeavors and commend you for your vision, your dedication and your commitment to making this community one of the best in Calgary.

This complex also has the most committed staff who help us be so successful. Kevin Kromm and his staff make sure that our volunteers have what they need to make our visions a reality. They take care of the day-to-day as well as help with the extra events. The benefactors of this great teamwork are our members and residents. This vibrant, caring community exists because of this teamwork. On behalf of the board, I thank you all for your dedication and friendship.

This year has also seen some members who have lost loved ones. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families. Know that as a community we are here to support. Life is not kind sometimes and it’s okay to need the backing of others to get through tough times.

Thank you to the board for all your work this year. We wouldn’t be where we are without you.

I have been privileged to be a part of this great community for 35 years and have seen many changes in that time. My husband and I have made the decision to move to Olds Alberta, and, as a result, I will be stepping down as President. You people set the bar high, and I know it will be challenging to move to a new place. I will miss your dedicated spirit, your friendship and innovative spirit. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of this special journey. I am sure the future will be bright as this community has such caring and talented residents who will carry on.

Public Service Report – Alison Abbott

On May 14, 2024, City Council approved new blanket rezoning which has led to a very busy year for the public service team.

Much time was spent prior to approval engaged in city workshops, discussions with other community associations and the Federal of Calgary Communities to better understand the implications of rezoning. We also did outreach to better understand how Thorncliffe-Greenview residents viewed the proposed changes including a town hall meeting, a survey and one on one discussions with many residents. Overall, residents expressed serious reservations about the rezoning, a feeling of being left out of the process and a lack of understanding due to the “planning jargon” utilized in city communications.

TGCA did submit a letter to city council outlining our concerns and opposition to the bylaw as proposed. Since the bylaw has been approved, further engagement sessions have been done as the draft zoning bylaw which includes housing zones is currently underway.

We have already seen an increase in development permits for multi use housing and have been receiving feedback from adjacent neighbors to ensure concerns are captured and residents understand how to provide their input. It will be critical for all residents to be engaged and involved going forward and we plan to have a section on our website to highlight current development permits as we receive them. We will also look to hold further information sessions with the community.

Summary of 2024 year to date development permit activity

47 Development Permit Applications including:

13 New/Existing Basement Suites.

4 Garage Backyard Suites

2 New Single Detached Dwellings 1 including a basement suite

12 Development Permits in Greenview Industrial

4 R-CG

3 H-GO

3 Residential Additions

3 Home Occupations

Thorncliffe/ Greenview Development Permits (R-CG, H-GO)

GREENVIEW

DP2024-0575

339 GREENFIELD RD NE

R-CG    4 units 4 suites Garages

DP2024-04514

4811 EDMONTON TR NE

 H-GO  2 Buildings 5 units 5 suites Carport

DP2024-05510

4707 EDMONTON TR NE

H-GO   2 Buildings 5 units 5 suites Surface

DP2024-06817

4603 EDMONTON TR NE

H-GO   1 Buildings 3 units 3 suites Garage

LOC2023-0347

4819 3 ST NE

R-CG    3 units 3 suites 4 Garages & Lockers

By-Law 158D202

THORNCLIFFE

DP2024-03778

5527 TRELLE DR NE

R-CG    3 units 3 suites Carport

DP2024-06608

5428 THORNTON RD NW

R-CG    4 units 4 suites Garages & Bike Locker

DP2024-06753

5635 CENTRE ST NW

R-CG    4 units 4 suites Garages & Lockers

Director’s Report – Grant Symon

Led our Community Cleanup Day in conjunction with the City of Calgary. It was very successful with recycling for metal and electronics, as well as garbage disposal. The electronics recycling produced cash from the Alberta recycle program into TGCA general revenue. The Drop-In Centre also had 2 trucks full of slightly used furniture and electronics for their program for low-income housing.

Worked on a committee in conjunction with North Haven Community Association. We met with The City of Calgary regarding McKnight Boulevard. It is our intention not to have increased speeds through TGCA and have suggested some improvements such as the increased turning lanes which have been completed at 4th Street NW in both directions on McKnight. Interchange improvements at McKnight and John Laurie leading in and out of North Haven are also being reviewed to provide for safer exiting of North Haven.

Worked on the TGCA Saturday Night Social concert fundraisers which are undertaken twice a year. These adult events are intended to bring community members together for a fun night out with music and dancing. We also have food drives at these events, one for both the Calgary Food Bank and one for the Veterans Food Bank.

Director’s Report – Travis Dickie

Egerts Park playground

  • Designed and conducted survey seeking resident feedback on proposed playground redevelopment on the north side of Egerts Park. 182 respondents contributed with 2 unique letters sent to support the project.
  • Present status of the project:
    • Hiccups at Parks Foundation (currently working with our 4th representative there thanks to turnover) plus a number of process omissions in our initial contact (Parks must request new playgrounds, not community associations) resulted in missing the application deadline.
    • Potential private donors, North Haven project Chair (Celina Baharally) and Guy Beavers met to discuss project. Presently working on cost breakdown in hopes that they’ll fully back the project.
    • Committee members are exploring available grants should private funding not pan out.
    • Optimistic about breaking ground in Spring 2025, if private funding works out.

TGWL Slideshow

  • Developed a digital slideshow of TGWL members throughout the years using old computer and monitor equipment. Waiting for it to be mounted in the lobby of the TGCA.

Community Garden Committee Report

We are happy to say that the community garden is 99% done.

In the spring we started out with only the irrigation system and the Rundle rock levelled for the garden.

We have completed a beautiful steel fence, two kinds of garden boxes, loaded them with soil, built and painted a shed, many many volunteer hours, completing all the tasks. Planting trees: we had 14 to start with but with all the donations and the grant we have added 30 trees and bushes surrounding the garden to stop pollution and heat. We also built an orchard in the last two seasons that is available for the public featuring three kinds of apple trees, pear trees, cherry trees, honey berry trees, and raspberry bushes. Also in the garden, there are three kinds of crab apple trees, Alpine, black and red currants, and Saskatoons.

We are extremely proud of this project.

– TGCA Community Garden Committee

Entertainment Committee Report

The Entertainment Committee is pleased to report that we have hosted five events in 2023-2024. They were as follows:

  • October 28th, Halloween Dinner & Dance
  • December 16th, The Jingle Bell Hop
  • February 10th, Winterfest Family Dance
  • April 13th, Spring Has Sprung Dinner & Dance
  • July 6th, TGCA Stampede Yahoo

The Halloween Dinner & Dance was a sold-out event. All in attendance dressed up in their Halloween finery. The costumes were creative and it’s always fun to see the parents dress up as well. They appear to have as much fun as the children.

Jingle Bell Hop Family Dinner & Dance is one of our most well attended events. Santa and Mrs. Claus took time out of their busy Christmas schedule to have family photos taken with our guests in Santa’s Village. The couple added a magical moment to the festive season. The children and parents danced the night away to the Jingle Bell Beat.

In February we celebrated the annual TG Winterfest. Although the Winterfest activities have declined over the years at the community association, we strive to continue to provide family entertainment. The families enjoyed an afternoon of dancing.

*New* In April, to celebrate spring, we put on Spring Has Sprung. A dinner & dance where families gathered with other families to celebrate the new season.

Jazzed Up Events provided the music for all our family dances.

Finally in July it was time for the Stampede Yahoo. It truly was a rootin’, tootin’ good time Yahoo and people did indeed dress in their western duds. Even their family pets were dressed in their country best.

The free Stampede breakfast of pancakes and sausages was prepared and served by our tireless Booster Club. Many thanks to the club. They handled a line of hungry cowpokes who enjoyed a splendid breakfast.

Youth Central once again gave us their support by providing volunteers to supervise our games and bouncers provided by Bounce It.

Jayne Jefferies supplied face painting and balloon animals to the children’s delight.

A BBQ and Beer Gardens was also offered by The 56 staff.

MojoLisa band performed country tunes from early morning until the end of the day.

At the time of writing this report Our Halloween Event on October 26, 2024 has not yet occurred, but judging from the amount of tickets sold, the event will be successful.

The committee (Mary, Melissa and Diana) extend their thanks to the staff at TGCA and our volunteers for their assistance. It couldn’t be done without you.

 “Volunteers do not necessarily have the time; they just have the heart.” – Elizabeth Andrew

We are open to new ideas and welcome new volunteers. Just drop us a line or call the TG Administration Office.

Diana Christie,

Entertainment Committee

TGCA Craft Fair Committee Report – Vanessa Gillard

The TGCA Craft Fair Committee was formed last year in response to the disbanding of the Thorncliffe Greenview Women’s League, who made the Craft Fair the beloved annual event that it is today. The TGCA Craft Fair Committee’s mandate is to organise this yearly event with all proceeds going to benefit the Thorncliffe Greenview Community Association.

Committee members:

NameCommittee Role
Vanessa GillardCommittee chair
Cindy JohnstonFloorplan/table coordinator
Alora McGrandleEvent volunteer and setup coordinator
Lynn McLaughlinVendor relations director
Alissa HuybersBake sale coordinator

The committee was disappointed to see Louise Wells and Marj Bell leave their event set up/volunteer coordination roles but also very excited to welcome Alora McGrandle to the group to take over those duties.

In 2023, we added a food drive for the Calgary Food Bank to the event. It was relatively successful and we’re hoping that more people will bring donations this year, as we are pushing this in the marketing a little harder.

Last year we ran a bake sale to support the TGCA’s annual Adopt-a-Family fundraising campaign. It was a great success and we raised over $1200 with the incredible baking donations from community members. This year we’ve got quite a few bakers signed up and we hope to surpass our 2023 donation numbers.

Vendor registration went as well as expected with a few online hiccups due the sheer number of vendors accessing the website at one time. All tables were sold this year.

The ultimate aim of the committee is to empower a community-volunteer-run group to take the reigns of this event, to do so in a responsible and ethical manner, with a volunteer taking over the role of committee chair, ideally after this year’s event.

The committee thanks all residents, vendors, baking donors, community partners, business members, staff and volunteers for their support of this annual community event, and the TGCA would like to thank the committee for their ongoing support in building community in the area.

TGCA Programming & Community Engagement Coordinator

Programming and Community Engagement Coordinator at the TGCA, v.gillard@tgcacalgary.com