Christmas Recycling Tips

Submitted by Belle Auld on behalf of the Education Committee

Bubble wrap – goes in with your stretchy plastic bags.  Bag them all together and tie the bag closed.  They go into the blue cart.

Cards, envelopes, paper gift bags, sticky notes – blue cart.  Except for the plastic windows (please remove them) put envelopes in the black garbage cart. Please also remove ribbons, string handles, shoe strings and metal rivets from any of the above items and put in your black cart.

Foam and Styrofoam packaging – black cart.

Ribbons and bows - black cart.Wrapping paper and tissue – blue cart unless it is foil/metallic.  Foil goes in the black cart.  Remove all ribbons, string and as much tape as possible from the paper first.

For a full list, go to https://www.calgary.ca/uep/wrs/what-goes-where/holiday-birthday.html

Auld Lang Syne

Submitted by Belle Auld

Auld Lang Syne

Auld Lang Syne is a very old song – no-one knows who wrote it, but the Scottish poet Robbie Burns is said to be the first person who wrote it down and publicized it in 1788.

 From Scotland.org:

“The phrase 'auld lang syne' roughly translates as 'for old times' sake’. It has long been a much-loved Scottish tradition to sing the song just before midnight [New Year’s Eve]. Everyone stands in a circle holding hands, then at the beginning of the final verse ('And there's a hand my trusty friend') they cross their arms across their bodies so that their left hand is holding the hand of the person on their right, and their right hand holds that of the person on their left. When the song ends, everyone rushes to the middle, still holding hands.”

There are 10 verses plus the chorus in Auld Lang Syne – I don’t think anyone in Canada knows all verses.  Here are a couple verses plus the chorus: 

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne.

Chorus:
For auld lang syne, my jo,
For auld lang syne,
We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet,
For auld lang syne,

And for long, long ago, my dear
For long, long ago,
We'll take a cup of kindness yet,
For long, long ago
And surely you’ll buy your pint-jug!
And surely I'll buy mine!
And we'll take a cup of kindness yet,
For long, long ago.

And there's a hand, my trusty friend!
And give us a hand of yours!
And we'll take a deep draught of good-will
For long, long ago.

Permaculture Potential #2: Water Management

Submitted by Debbie Willis on behalf of the Grounds Committee

Permaculture Potential #2: Water Management

Welcome to Permaculture Potential! This is a column from the Grounds Committee; we are excited to help educate co-op members (and ourselves!) about permacultures principles and techniques, with the eventual aim of proposing more permaculture projects to membership. This week we're talking about something that has been on many of our mind's lately, as our sidewalks cover with ice and Sunnyhill Lane fills with puddles: water management.

What is water management, permaculture-style?

Permaculture always focuses on whole systems, and manages inputs and outputs in a way that ensures the health of the whole ecosystem. In permaculture, water is optimally used while respecting the overall health of the watershed. We must always be mindful that water is an essential resource.

At Sunnyhill, we have issues with water on pathways and flooding in the common area and so we on the Grounds and Planning and Development committees feel that it is worthwhile to explore the possibility of managing and using this plentiful resource—wonderful water—in ways that could be productive and beautiful for every member of the co-op. These are all dreams for now; I want to stress that we don't yet have concrete plans or detailed knowledge of what might be possible at the co-op. But in the name of education, I want to give you a general sense of how permaculture approaches an abundance of water like we are fortunate to have at Sunnyhill.

Two approaches:

There are two basic strategies of water conservation and management on a permaculture property: storing water in the soil and diverting surface water to dams, ponds and/or tanks for later use.

First we want to slow, spread, and sink water as it falls from the sky into the soil.

Following this, the secondary goal, as Ben Falk writes in Resilient Farm Homestead, are to:  capture as much water as is reasonably possible, store that water for dry periods, and distribute that water when necessary across the site. 

1) Let's talk about the first objective: slowing and sinking water. We want to disperse the flow of water so it can infiltrate into soil, turning runoff into soak-in. Essentially, we want to make the water stroll, not run, through the landscape and for this we must shape the land in a way that facilitates getting water into the ground and storing it there. In permaculture, one harvests water in this way by directing it through terraces, seasonal rain gardens and ponds, water-infiltration swales, slow moving waterways, and dry creeks. Slowing and sinking the water allows it to feed trees and plants, produce food, and create lush, self-sustaining landscapes appropriate for leisure—children playing, adults sitting under the shade of trees, green-thumbs who want more space to garden.

See below for an image of swales:

(You can also see wonderful examples of swales in the film The Biggest Little Farm, where they make use of the technique in their orchard.)

2) Once you’ve made the best use of the fallen rainfall and stored that water in the soil, you’ll get runoff as the field capacity of soil is reached. (You might get this runoff straight away if your site’s watershed is in a bad shape.) At that point, you begin diverting and storing that water on the surface in ponds, rain barrels, and tanks. Please see below for an image of a permaculture pond:

Right now, many feel that we have a water "problem" at Sunnyhill. By using permaculture principles and design, we may be able to change that problem into an opportunity. This is something that the Grounds Committee and Planning and Development will be exploring to improve our sustainability score for funding as plans for the new-build unfold, with the aim of presenting a cogent and realistic plan to members.

Buildings Committee Update

Submitted by Heidi Mithaug-Cook on behalf of Buildings Committee

Hi Everyone,

A brief note from buildings this month.

Due to current COVID19 restrictions, only emergency-maintenance will be done in the units until further notice.

Andrea will be on holiday December 21st - December 28th.

Should you have any urgent concerns arise during that time, please refer to the emergency contacts:

i. Aurica Bondoc 403-401-4437

ii. Sabine Schlichting 403-862-7533

The buildings committee will reconvene in January.

Take care Sunnyhill.

-Your Buildings Committee

Inexpensive Christmas Ideas

Submitted by Chris Taylor on behalf of the Education Committee

Fleece scarves:

One meter of fleece material costs approximately $10 (Fabricland had it on sale for $7/meter at the beginning of November). You can get three or four scarves out of 1 meter of 150 cm wide material.

No sewing necessary; no pattern necessary – just open up the material and cut three lengths that are approximately 10 – 12 inches wide. Then cut fringe at both ends of each scarf.

Material stores will also sell partial meters, so you could buy .3 of one design, .3 of another design and .3 of another so you have a variety of designs. All for approximately $10. (Most material stores won’t do .25 of a meter.)

Several of us at Sunnyhill have Fabricland memberships that can sometimes get you a good sale price. Contact Belle if you want more information.

Cookie Mixes in a Jar:

Almost everyone enjoys fresh home baked cookies!

Cookie mixes in a jar are easy and inexpensive to make yourself or with your children to give as welcomed gifts to friends and family. To give you some ideas on what you can put in your cookie mixes, here are links to websites that provide some ideas you might like using 1/2 litre and 1 litre canning jars.

Canning jars can be hard to find at this time of year. For a greener gift, consider recycling and reusing any glass jars you have on hand! Decorate your jar lids with scrap cloth, a hand drawn label and some ribbon.

For 1 liter jars:

https://www.delscookingtwist.com/chocolate-chip-cookie-mix-in-a-jar-a-printable-label/

For 1 quart jars

https://celebratingsweets.com/mm-cookie-mix-in-a-jar/

Enjoy!

Sock Snowman:

Here’s how to make a snowman out of a sock, rice, and a couple elastics.

Take a sock and cut it roughly in half (above the ankle), so that there are two sections: a rectangular shape, and a hockey-stick/foot shape.

Tightly close off one end of the rectangular shape with an elastic and fill it with rice.

close off the top end with another elastic.

Use a third and final elastic to shape a “head” and “body”

decorate with pens, paints, buttons, ribbons, whatever.

Now use that hockey stick/ foot shaped part of the sock to make a toque. You can roll the edges or leave it loose. It’s up to you!

Here is a site with instructions and more pictures.

http://www.darkroomanddearly.com/blog/rkroomanddearly.com/2011/12/10th-day-of-christmas-sock-snowmen.html

Recycled Christmas Card Boxes:

I used to make these with my daughters years ago. Rather than describe the process, I found a really good video that explains how to do it. See the link below

Spicy Mulled Cider:

Spicy Mulled Cider Mix (Put in a decorated canning jar)

¾ cups crushed cinnamon sticks

¾ cups chopped dried orange rind

1/3 cup allspice

¼ cup whole cloves

Spicy Mulled Cider (Print out the recipe and glue to a piece of stiff paper; hole punch and tie to the jar with ribbon or twine)

4 cups apple juice; OR red wine; OR ½ apple juice and ½ cranberry juice

2 Tablespoons Spicy Cider Mix

Combine all in a saucepan; cover and bring to a boil, then simmer gently for 20 minutes

Strain into mugs, add honey to taste

Serves 4

Why Don't We Have More Co-op Housing? The Sprawl

Submitted by Eric Moschopedis

Sunnyhill Housing Co-operative is featured in this informative Sprawl article which highlights the unique role housing co-ops play in providing affordable housing. Members Richard Harrison and Bob Bott, as well as SACHA’s Brenda Davies, provide their insights into the ‘third sector’ of housing.

Yard Waste

Submitted by Belle Auld on behalf of the Education Committee

Request from BluPlanet (via the Education Committee):

 “Please remind residents that yard waste must be in certified compostable bags moving forward.”

Musing dashed off in 15 minutes

Submitted by Brenda Willman

Time is quickening, will I get to all I intended?

From poor beginnings my soul needs to be mended;

so often (it feels like) I am being offended

though wiser souls might say I have tended

to take things the wrong way.

How does one misconstrue utter disdain?

Words carry feelings; no one can feign

that they were not intended to cause real pain;

they’re words to let me know that I am the bane

of your existence.

Spending a lifetime trying to please;

Spending a lifetime trying to appease;

looking for acceptance while on my knees

begging, so that someone sees

I just want to be liked.

Broken little girl; an adult now

Starting each day with a firm vow

to continue to genuflect and bow

to those who don’t seem to know how

to treat her with a spark of kindness.

What is the sum total of this wife

who’s lived for six decades rife

with negativity, disease and strife;

constantly struggling to pull the knife

out of her back?

She knows that love comes from inside.

People have pried, they chide and guide;

she tries but there is nowhere to hide

from all pride-filled ones who lied

about who she really is.

She is nothing but good old soul

hiding in her tunnel like a vole or a mole,

or covered up with an overturned bowl,

only wanting to meet her goal

of meeting approval each day.

A smile that is meant for her alone.

Could someone throw her a bone

and leave their perfect comfort zone

and prove to the world she not’s made of stone?

Because she will smile back.

And then she will make her way off to cry.

The small kindness makes her fly

above the heavens, so high in the sky

believing she can ultimately die

with love and joy in her heart.

Permaculture Potential #1: What is Permaculture? And Winterizing Your Garden!

Submitted by Debbie Willis on behalf of Grounds Committee

Welcome to Permaculture Potential! This is a new column from the Grounds Committee; we are excited to help educate co-op members (and ourselves!) about permacultures principles and techniques, with the eventual aim of proposing more permaculture projects to membership.

What is permaculture?

According to Bill Mollison, who was a professor of biogeography and environmental psychology at the University of Tasmania, permaculture is the "conscious design and maintenance of agriculturally productive systems which have the diversity, stability, and resilience of natural ecosystems."

In short, permaculture is about living and gardening in harmony with nature. It is a holistic worldview, as well as a set of principles and techniques. It often involves closed-loop systems (a system that provides its own energy needs), rain conservation and usage, the planting of perennial crops (rather than annuals, which involves disturbing the soil every year), and letting nature do the work for you (the human's role is to observe and work with nature's inclinations, rather than to engage in unnecessary labour).

A wonderful example of permaculture is the food forest that co-op members planted last summer—a welcoming space of perennial plants and trees that we expect will produce hundreds of pounds of food for co-op members in the coming years. We feel that further permaculture projects will enhance the beauty and sustainability of our grounds while also reducing maintenance costs and increasing food security.

For a lovely and moving overview of the principles of permaculture, please see the documentary Inhabit, available on Vimeo.

Winterizing Your Garden—Permaculture-style!

To winterize your garden the permaculture way, you want to take advantage of the resources that nature has already provided and to sustainably cycle them back into your garden to feed your soil over the year ahead. According to the website growmyownfood.com, here is a reliable way to prepare your garden space for winter:

After you've harvested the last of your veggies (and presumably you already did this before the snow this year!), cut your annual veggie plants stems off at the soil level. By retaining the root system in the soil, the roots will gradually die off over the winter and provide a ready source of accessible nutrients for next year's plants.

For perennials, perform some last "chopping and dropping." To "chop and drop" means to take extra green leafy growth and drop it directly into your garden as you cut it off.

It's best to refrain from doing any pruning of fruit trees until the late winter when they are more dormant.

Once you cleaned up the old plants in your yard, feed and preserve the soil by keeping it covered and moist. This is especially important during Calgary's dry, cold winters! The simplest (and most inexpensive) way to protect your soil is to mulch with shredded leaves. Shredded leaves decompose faster than whole leaves and so won't rot. According to The David Suzuki Foundation, leaves also provide important nutrients for the microorganisms that keep soil healthy, as well as providing a warm home for butterfly pupae, who need shelter to overwinter.

And voila! You have a simple, low-maintenance way to preserve the integrity and health of your garden over our long winter! :)

Please get in touch with Debbie in unit 34 (debmwillis@gmail.com) if you have ideas for other topics that should be covered in Permaculture Potential!

Murals Project

Submitted by Debbie Willis on behalf of Grounds Committee

Greetings SHC,

As stated in our September and October newsletter articles, the Grounds Committee had planned to address a General Meeting regarding the question of the amount of our donation to the Sunnyhill Mural Project given that the mural was painted on half the enclosure rather than all the way around as we described it. It was our intention to ask that the full amount be paid despite this discrepancy in our understanding. With this, as with so many conversations about money and value, there were arguments on both sides about whether the Co-op should follow through with the full amount or not. In the end, the full donation has been made. To provide transparency to the membership, we wanted to give the background information about those conversations that allowed for this decision's arrival.

How the mural came to be

The Sunnyside Murals Project (SMP) sprung up this past summer, inspired by many of the fence and garage murals painted in Sunnyside over the years. The Project is run by Dexter Bruneau, who is the coordinator of the artist collective. One of our members, Debbie W., reached out to SMP for more information and approached the Grounds Committee about completing a mural at SHC. She presented this at the Grounds meeting on July 6th and received the support of the committee. Following this meeting, we moved forward with a petition to the Board to discuss this item at the July 28th General Meeting.

After a site visit, the SMP picked the northeast enclosure, by the garage, as their preferred mural location. They also designated artist Sarah Johnson to do the mural upon approval by membership and chose the August long weekend to complete it.

Before the July 28th meeting, we received this information from SMP:
SMP had requested a public art grant from the city
The artist would paint the entire enclosure
Previous examples of Sarah's work

We presented this at the July 28th meeting, which was done by Zoom. The following motions were passed:
To approve the Sunnyside Mural Project to paint the garbage enclosure by the Sunnyhill Garage
To make a $500 donation from the Grounds Committee budget to Sunnyside Mural Project
Sunnyside Mural's Project would choose the design for the mural

The following weekend, July 30-August 3, Sarah painted the two sides of the garbage enclosure that face the bluff.

Following the completion of the mural

The Grounds Committee received feedback from members that while they generally were pleased with the mural, they were disappointed that it was on only two sides, not four, as promised. Following this feedback, we communicated with Dexter to inquire about the garbage enclosure's completion. Dexter explained that Sarah felt what was completed fit the scope and timeline of the Project.

Following this discussion, Grounds decided to release only half the donation amount ($250) until we could further investigate how to move forward. After reviewing the artist's previous work, it became apparent that this size project would have cost us thousands of dollars had we commissioned it ourselves. It was now clear that the Co-op receiving local artwork for a mere $500 was a bargain, and we should show our support in valuing our local artists' work by releasing the remainder of the funds. We recommended this position, with our full arguments and support to the Board, who followed our recommendation.

Moving forward, we have discussed the possibility of Sarah returning to complete the remaining sides of the enclosure. SMP said this was a possibility; however, it would be considered a new project and most likely not occur until next year if taken on. There is also the option of members participating in painting our enclosures ourselves, which could be fun.

We appreciate your time and energy in this process and welcome any questions or concerns that members would like to address. Please send any thoughts you have to our email: SHCgrounds@shaw.ca, and we will be happy to discuss them either directly or in future newsletters.

Grounds Committee Update

Submitted by Yvonne Sabraw on behalf of the Grounds Committee

The colder weather has seen us move our meetings from out in the common space to indoors and onto Zoom, and we've slowed down from meeting every 2 weeks to monthly for the winter. But we are still basking in the glow of that glorious and productive summer.

The focus for the fall has been:

1. Getting the Yardworx contract underway. We've received several kudos and a couple of suggestions on the job Yardwox has done so far. Please continue to provide feedback on how the snow clearing is going- just fire off an email to shcgrounds@shaw.ca.

2. Planning the Grounds budget. It's in the draft stages for SHC budget discussions, so it's not too late to weigh in on Grounds priorities for the upcoming year. Let us know if there is something near and dear to your heart that we should be planning for. For example, we are hoping to start digging out and replacing cotoneaster starting in 2021, but the first round we are proposing is to provide members with the funds to purchase new shrubs if they are prepared to take on the digging-out of the cotoneaster themselves.

3. Gardening tools that need sharpening will be taken from the shed soon for their annual schlep to the sharpening shop (say that 5 times fast!)

4. Bartlett's, our arborists, have done a fine job of pruning and otherwise caring for all the trees we targeted from our proposal this summer.

5. New maps to replace the aging and damaged "You Are Here" signs at the entrance to the 3rd Street parking lot and at the sidewalk where 4th street turns into 7th Avenue, will be up very soon.

6. We still have an opening specifically for a Pest Management coordinator, and we welcome anyone who would like to come onto Grounds in any capacity - the next meeting is Monday November 23rd. Drop us an email and we will send you the Zoom link for the meeting.

-Sunnyhill Grounds

Buildings Committee Update

Submitted by Heidi Mithaug-Cook on behalf of Buildings Committee

Hello Sunnyhill!

A few updates of our current activities on the buildings committee:

The one-bedroom units have been inspected for mould, the results showing a few units with potential mould which will be tested and treated accordingly. In regards to the one-bedroom dryer vent installations, we are waiting for possible dates.

Please ensure you turn off your outdoor water faucet from inside the unit. Righty-tighty, Lefty-Loosey. To do this you open the outside faucet, then turn off the inside faucet, and then turn off the outside faucet. This allows all the water that is inside the line to drain and therefore not freeze in the lines.

Happy Halloween from Buildings!

Education Committee’s Prospective Member Orientations

Chris Taylor on behalf of the Education Committee

Two “Prospective Members’ Orientations” were held on the Thursday evening of Oct. 22/20 and the afternoon of Sunday, Oct. 25/20. Being our first ZOOM orientations, they were quite successful! (Especially considering the cold, snowy weather). Between the two sessions, we had approximately 20 attendees.

Using the format of a ten-minute committee presentation with questions after each, there was a smooth and informative package of information provided. The “Question and Answer” idea also worked well. Thank you to Andrea for representing the Buildings Committee and Office Manager …and setting up all of the prospective member attendees… and setting up ZOOM; Jane, for talking about the Finance Committee; Sarah and Lisa for explaining the Member Selection Committee and Bob for representing The Planning and Development Committee. The first-hand knowledge of each is much appreciated.

Depending on the wait list, our next PMO will probably be no later than November of 2021.

Hail Hydrant! But hang on to the water for a bit.

Submitted by Richard Harrison

Hi everyone,

The water is back in the pipes. Excellent. The work on the hydrant is done. However, I've been talking with the same worker today who gave us the heads up about the previous delay, and he points out that, given the problems with the spring in the hill, and the need for the water table to reestablish itself after the hole around the work is filled in, etc, there is still a chance that some mishap or leak might appear in the system.

So his advice is for everyone to keep the water that you have on hand for another day just in case there's another stoppage.

It's been great to see the communication coming through on other platforms, and some of that is in more detail than I need to share right now, but there are going to be some things that we as Co-op alone, and along with our neighbors, will want to be doing to see if we can help mitigate if not solve the water issues around Sunnyill Lane in particular at this point, and McHugh Bluff in general in the long term.

Thanks.

All the best,

Richard.

End of October Grounds’ Activities

Submitted by Yvonne on behalf of the Grounds Committee

Update October 23

Hi everyone,

As we could all guess, the leaf raking plan for Saturday is cancelled.

Thanks!

Yvonne

—-

Mark Saturday, October 24th, 1:00-3:00pm as the Co-op Rake-a-thon. We’ll fill as many bags as we can, and will have them taken off to the City compost.  Brown compostable bags will be in the shed for members to use For leaves  in their own backyards and in the common space.

We will also do a post-Halloween pumpkin pickup for the City compost - details in the November Voice.

Grounds Priorities 2021
We are putting together the budget for next year, and need membership input into things that members want to prioritize.
If you have a tree stump that needs to be removed, if you are concerned about a garbage enclosure door, etc., please let us know BEFORE Thursday October 22nd , when we will be starting to draft  our budget. No guarantee that all the requests will be prioritized by the membership, but we need to cost out the work as the first step.

We expect that Bartlett’s will be on site October 26th and 27th to prune trees. Please be aware that your vehicle may need to be out of your driveway for access and safety if you have a tree that was on the list for being attended to. Another reminder will be sent closer to the date the work is being done.

Before the Light Fades and More Snow Falls ...

Submitted by Richard Harrison

Hi everyone,

I've just heard from the crew working on the hydrant that it's possible they won't finish until tomorrow, and until the work can be completed, they can't turn the water back on, so we're probably looking at another night without running water.

I hope you're all well. See you by the water wagons.

All the best,

Richard.

A Bulletin Board Happy Thanksgiving

Submitted by Richard Harrison ob behalf of the Board

Dear friends and neighbors,

It's been a while since I wrote you, though we've been meeting quite often, so I feel like we haven't been completely out of touch. Still, it's good to pause every so often and think together the way a letter lets us do. Likewise, it's good to pause and share a feast of thanks themselves.

That's what I want to do now, 3 months in to the first year of this Board's work.

The Spaceship has Landed: First, thanks to everyone who participated in any of the ways open to us to figure out what we the building we were going to build should be. That has been a big and complex decision, not without dissent, not without its drawbacks and sacrifices. But in the end, we made a collective decision, one that will become one more step in the Co-op's survival. Not just that. In the maintenance of a thriving housing co-operative in the centre of Calgary

Co-op Meaning: Thanks to Herta and Kevin who joined me a few weeks ago at the SACHA AGM. I came away from that meeting with a renewed sense of how important co-ops are as options for housing in the future. And how unknown. I'm looking forward to working with both SACHA and my fellow Co-op'ers in helping to craft a renewed narrative to describe and promote Co-op life. Thanks to those on the Board, the Buildings Committee, Grounds, P&D, and all the other members who have already contributed to this project. Just as the co-operative movement is, the project is ongoing. I welcome any thoughts on this that you might want to send me.

Thanksgiving Dinner: Anyone looking for an example of what Co-ops mean need only look to Yvonne's invitation to all to join her for a Thanksgiving dinner. Yvonne, we all know this isn't the only time you have extended your time and efforts -- and food -- on our behalf just because that's what it means to you to be here. Thank-you for always keeping all of us as close as a plate away.

The Yards are Fully Pruned: Thanks to the Grounds Committee and all the volunteers who pulled, sawed, chopped, pruned, and carried (I'm thinking of you, small army of the next generation of Co-op kids who I hear at play every day outside my window) all that needed to be pulled etc from our shrubs and trees and yards at the beginning of this month. It was, quite literally, thousands of pounds of work, and it was great to do it together. Thanks for the refreshments, too, Zahurel and Belle.

Bridge Under Troubled Walkers: Congratulations and thanks to the Grounds Committee again on the completion of the access bridge behind unit 746. It's a beautiful piece of carpentry and I love it as a sign of a good thing done and good things to come.

Guests, Speakers, and Writers of Letters: Thanks to those of you who have written or spoken to the Board about the matters that concern you in response to my earlier request for your priorities in the coming year. Some things have been done now, as you can see; others are still in the works.

Yardworx: Thanks again to the current and past Grounds Committees for their work on the recommendation of Yardworx as our new grounds maintenance team. We are looking forward to a busy season with them, and we'll review the decision at the end of their current contract.

I'm realizing this list is long, it's not complete, and I haven't got to the big news of the week: So let me say this. While I haven't yet formalized the relationship between the Board and the Committees in the form of some kind of round-table discussion, over these past few months it has been a great pleasure to have spoken with -- in voice and letters -- the Grounds, Buildings, Member Selection, P&D, and Social Committees and our Privacy Officer to ensure that people know what is going on in areas of overlap, solve problems as they've arisen, and both make and see plans come to fruition to support the Co-op as a progressive, beautiful (I'm thinking of you, mural of honeybee and clover) and inclusive place. Recently, I read an essay by Vancouver writer Jessica Barrett. In it she said that a home isn't just a place you want, it's a place that wants you. I like that. I know we are not all in that place with this place all the time. Maybe no one ever is with where they live. There is more work to do. But I believe that if we keep that idea front and center, and do the work that it asks of us, we will be a place where the people in it want to be.

And second-lastly, I want to thank and express my admiration to Andrea in the office and the members of the Board for all the work that they are doing on the Co-op's behalf.

And now, We've Got Big News, and I'm going to turn this over to the people who brought it to us: Take it away!

(Thanks Richard) Planning and Development is very happy to announce that Sunnyhill has been awarded $112,765 from The Federation of Canadian Municipalities Green Municipal Fund. Talk about harvest season! These funds are for the work we began in the spring. We will share details at an upcoming GM. Deep gratitude to the membership for your trust, thoughtful participation, and enthusiasm. (P &D Committee)

Happy Thanksgiving, Sunnyhill!

The Board meets this week. I'll have more to tell you soon.

All the best,

Richard.

Halloween Decorations Grant

Submitted by Tyla Cosgrove on behalf of Social Committee

Neighbours,

With the persistence of and concern for the Coronavirus, we the social committee are looking for fun and creative ways to amplify a holiday that normally depends on close contact, Halloween! We are trying to plan ahead in case it doesn't end up going to plan as many things in 2020 have not!

So, here's the deal. We are accepting proposals from membership of how you will decorate your car port to make it extra fun and exciting. From the proposals we receive we will select our favorite two and grant $100 each to spend on your decor. We encourage you to make as much on you own decorations as possible. If part of your design requires you to purchase a store-bought Halloween item, so be it, but the grants are meant to help you see your vision through, not pay for a full haunted house. (As one social committee member mentioned, store bought Halloween items are pricy! 

Pro Tip: We will be extra encouraged by entries that involve collaborations with your neighbours and children in the co-op. 

Please have your proposals submitted to the office by October 15th, they will come through to the social committee anonymously (which means the social committee members are allowed to participate) and we will choose two winners with $100 dollars towards their installation! We will need you to keep and submit all your receipts for payment. Winners will be announced on October 19th. Even if you aren't selected, we encourage everyone to participate in decorating this Halloween! 

We are looking forward to making it a special one no matter what the circumstances.

Stay safe Sunnyhill!

New Grounds Contract

Submitted by Mahlah Hansen on behalf of Grounds Committee

Greetings Sunnyhill! 

The Grounds Committee is happy to introduce our new contractors Yardworx. They have signed on for the Winter of 2020 and the Spring/Summer of 2021. You will see them onsite next week as they aerate the grass. 

For the Winter, a 2” snow fall will trigger plow services for the 3rd Street Houses. For the sidewalks, a 1” snow fall will trigger clearing. If you notice any ice build up please let Grounds know ASAP. For the Spring/Summer they will be here on a weekly basis taking care of our lawns. 

If you have any questions or concerns, please email Grounds at SHCgrounds@shaw.ca 

Included here is a little information about them: 

“The staff and crews at Yardworx want to say thank you very much for allowing this opportunity!   It is greatly appreciated!.

Yardworx is a Progressive Company Following these Values and Desired Behaviours

1. DEPENDABILITY – Value of showing Reliability and Trustfullness

2. ACCESSABILITY – Be Accessible and Approachable in all Thoughts and Actions

3. GENEROUS – We are Generous with our Time, Money and Resources

4. PERCEPTION – To Always be Aware of how our Action Affect Others

Yardworx has been in business for over 30 years, with experience in residential and small to large commercial properties. We take snow removal very seriously. We are a leader in the industry because of our processes and many benefits we offer to our customers. We manage your site, not just service it! There is a difference.

Our service providers are automatically dispatched and are monitored during all snow events. While on site our service providers time in and out of all sites on a mobile app on their cell phones. This ensures that orders are completed with live time information. Another benefit to live time posting is that we can accurately track when each site is being completed to ensure our customers are getting serviced in a timely manner. Along with live posting, the service provider will add any tech notes regarding the service for the day or any problems on site such as a leaking eaves trough, broken window, etc. When it comes to plow and graveling sites, we take a before and after picture at every service that gets completed.

Our production manager and office staff are available outside of regular business hours such as weekends to address any concerns or requests, we want to make sure you are getting the best possible experience.

Yardworx offers many value added services such as: 

-Regular site inspections – Our Production Manager and team will visit sites to make sure the maintenance and services being performed are up to Yardworx standards. We ensure all sidewalks are cleared from edge to edge and down to concrete. Snow Pile locations are kept away from any high spots, drains, handicap parking stalls, roadways, and entrances to ensure drivers and pedestrians can get to their destination safely.

-Yardworx and our service providers are fully insured and WCB insured.

Any service related issues that may arise, please do not go through us directly, rather, contact Grounds @ SHCgrounds@shaw.ca and they will contact us directly.

We look forward to keeping your site safe hopefully next summer, really pretty!!”

Thank You For Choosing Yardworx.ca!

Grounds Update

Submitted by Yvonne Sabraw on behalf of Grounds Committee

What a busy and productive season! The Grounds Committee has consistently had more than 15 items on its agenda and we’ve been meeting every 2 weeks through the summer. Here are the highlights:

Grounds has 8 members, but what we don’t have is a Pest Control go-to person. This role involves keeping our pest supplies (primarily ant traps, mouse traps and wasp spray) available in the shed, helping members use these effectively when they ask, and contacting our pest control contractor, Poulin’s when the job is too big for the member.  Let us know if this is role that you would like to play. Ideally 2 people  would share this position

The Sunnyside Mural project. We were as surprised as everyone that our enclosure was only covered on 2 sides. For our committee this is the now an exercise in Transparency and we’ve been on a fact-finding mission. Members will receive a full written explanation with some carefully considered thoughts on the matter soon. So far we have only released a cheque for half of the donation ($250)  that the membership voted to give to the Sunnyside Mural Project at the July 28th meeting. We’ll be seeking members thoughts at a general meeting before releasing further funds.

We are going forward with our arborist, Bartlett’s, recommendations for much of the tree management. Thanks to membership for your feedback when we sent out their report in August. No date has been set for their visit but we’re expecting it in October.

The Playground inspection was performed. The report is available to members, just email us. There are some items which could involve a Playground-focussed working-bee and will also show up in our budget request for 2021.

Our winter snow-clearing contract has been a big focus as we will be going with a new contractor. We will be looking for feedback from the membership to help us evaluate the new contractors. Information will follow once the contract is signed by the Board. 

Access to the back yards of #742-#746. You will be seeing a contractor building a raised path at  the south side of the Food Forest in the next month.

SHC Gardening Club:  we are excited about this new idea!  Members are responsible for taking care of the common spaces in our coop, other than grass cutting and  major tree management. We want to test out a new approach starting next spring. Details will be coming your way in the next few months, and we hope that many members are inspired to dream of the days when they will be weeding gardens and trimming hedges as they get down to scraping ice off their windshields!                             


Remember, we always welcome your suggestions and concerns (also, thanks for the kudos received from members over the summer - much appreciated!!)  you can reach us at shcgrounds@shaw.ca.    If you’re thinking about joining Grounds, our next meeting is Monday October 5th, 6:00-7:30pm. It will be a virtual one so email us for the Zoom details.