Your Braeside Beacon (Feb 2025)

Our Annual General Meeting

On January 27th, the BCA hosted our 2025 Annual General Meeting! A huge thank you to everyone who joined us. With your energy and enthusiasm, the evening felt less like a formal meeting and more like a fun, friendly gathering.

There’s more to our AGMs than the official agenda. This year, we welcomed more than 40 residents to connect, share ideas and shape the future of our community. Of course, we still got down to business! Key highlights from the official meeting included:

2024 Accomplishments

• Enhanced programming including community markets, a welcome campaign for new residents & youth programming

• New governance principles & policies, including updated bylaws

• Renewed facility space (boardroom improvements, as well as childcare flooring & office space updates in the fall of 2024)

• Parks committee success working with the city to reimagine two parks spaces

• Garden committee accomplishments including the aspen birdhouse build and project (45 birdhouses built by the community), two new garden beds, a plant donation event, started a seed library, built four gathering benches

• The purchase (and enjoyment!) of a new Gravely ice sweeper

• Two much needed raises for childcare staff & an updated employee review process

• Job descriptions developed for key employee roles

• New partnerships forged with local businesses, plenty of donations received & special discounts for our membership

Membership Update

A motion was approved to increase our rates and add an "individual membership" category. The new membership categories are:

$30 Resident Family Membership - includes 2 voting adults

$20 Resident Individual Membership - includes 1 voting adult

$20 Seniors Membership - includes 2 voting adults

These new rates will apply at the start of our fiscal year September 1st, 2025 and we are committed to continuously adding more value to your membership.

Election of our New Board

We voted in our 2025 BCA board. What a great team to lead us into the year ahead! We are still looking for additional board members so if you’re interested, reach out to president@braesideyyc.ca to start the conversation.

President: Jenny Mae Smith

Vice President: Catherine Seymour

Secretary: Vacant

Treasurer: Emily Hess

Directors at Large: Matt Sayer (Social Media), Jim Jenkins (Parks & Green Spaces), Jennifer Burgess (Governance)

After the formal meeting, members headed upstairs for snacks, drinks and live music by Pork Salad Annie. There were plenty of conversations about what's next and even a little dancing! We’re all excited for what will no doubt be an amazing year ahead! 🩵

A safety update from our Community Police Liason, Constable Chad Rausch

At our AGM, Constable Rausch reassured us that our community remains one of the safest in the city but emphasized the importance of staying vigilant. He provided valuable tips, such as ensuring we report all criminal activity to the police, knowing the safest ways to make in-person Marketplace transactions and understanding the risks of sharing identifying information about suspects on social media. This can significantly impact the investigation and potentially put people at risk.

Press the button below to share your views on safety in Braeside!

The Braeside Barometer

Volunteer Opportunities

Our community casino is fast approaching and we need a few more volunteers to make it happen! This is our biggest fundraiser, and without extra hands, we risk losing thousands of dollars that keep our programs, events and spaces running smoothly.

We can’t do this without you. Just a few hours of your time will make a HUGE difference. No experience needed, just a willingness to step up for Braeside. Sign up now and help us make light work but a big impact.

Calling All Community Picassos!

If you’ve ever dreamed about painting without worrying about staying inside the lines, this is your moment. Our childcare area has some very vivid walls and it’s time for a refresh. We’re looking for volunteers to help us bring a fresh bright feel to the space. Think minimalist chic, not art school chaos. Ready to paint the town… white? Contact Gail operations@braesideyyc.ca.

We’re always looking for volunteers to bring ideas, energy and enthusiasm to our community. This is your chance to connect, contribute and see firsthand how rewarding it is to get involved. Everyone is welcome.

VOLUNTEER FORM

Stay Active, Stay Social

Our year-round indoor walking program keeps you moving safely, no matter the weather. Whether it’s icy sidewalks in winter, sweltering summer heat or smoky air warnings, you’ll always have a comfortable place to walk. It’s a great way to stay active and energized. So, grab your comfy shoes and let’s walk our way to a healthier, happier you!

FREE Seeds – Come and Get ‘Em!

Do you love FREE seeds? We’ve got over 120 different species of flowers, herbs, fruits and vegetables, generously donated last year and just waiting for you to take home.

Thanks to generous donations from West Coast Seeds and local growers across communities like Haysboro, Ogden, Somerset, Bridlewood. It’s the perfect chance to kickstart your garden this season!

Join us for our first annual Seed Give Away on February 8th, from 10am to 12pm at the Braeside Community Centre in the lower hall. You can check out the full seed catalog here.

Our goal is to give away every single seed, so if you know a gardener (or are one yourself), don’t miss out!

If you're interested in tips for growing your own food or want to get involved, feel free to reach out to Matt@braesideyyc.ca.

Braeside Ice Update – Halfway Through the Season!

We’re well into the second half of our outdoor skating season, and we hope you or someone you know has laced up and hit the ice!

Your Braeside Ice Guardians (BIG) have put in over 200 volunteer hours since mid-November, keeping all three rinks in top shape — just about as good as they’ve ever been (so we are told). After last year’s battle with persistent leaks on the sunny north end, Bill, Kevin, and Doug tackled some off-season maintenance, and we’re hopeful the problem is finally fixed (fingers crossed).

A small request from the BIG team: If hockey nets aren’t in use, please move them to the far south end against the boards in the shade. This helps prevent them from sinking into the ice, even on cold, sunny days!

Enjoy the rest of the season, and happy skating!

Honouring Braeside's History

There's something magical about the stories we carry in the community: the memories of first moving in, watching trees grow tall along our streets and seeing children who once played in our parks now raising their own families. As our community celebrates its 60th anniversary, we are inviting you to preserve your precious memories as a part of our shared history!

We are launching a social history project that is designed to capture the heart and soul of our community. While we'll be digging into the city archives to support us, we know that many of the stories still live here in Braeside.

We are going to begin building a dedicated historical archive that will ensure these memories live on, inspiring both current residents and future generations. Thank you for being such an important part of our community's past, present and future.

Contact Catherine to get involved and share your story! braesidebeacon@braesideyyc.ca