CNS AGM April 26 05 at 6:00 p.m.

[Guest]

As has been mentioned, the annual general meeting is coming up. For those interested, please attend and share your opinions. Here are some thoughts to generate some discussion. They are honest opinions, rather than just flowers I am trying to stir up.

Personally, I am leaving the Board, because I am going away for one year, so I can't make a meaningful contribution. I have been on for a couple of years, but haven't done a lot, except submit the occasional article to the newsletter and encourage people to ice climb. But besides my year away, although I quite like and respect many of the people whom put time into CNS, both past and present, I find the organization achieves very little. I have come to regret committing two hours a month (less cancelled meetings), to a talk shop.

I joined CNS five years ago for three reasons: (1) a newsletter; (2) climbing courses; and (3) access issue representation. Over the past year or two, we have failed to achieve results in all three areas; indeed, we have taken steps backwards in every one of these areas.

Despite the best efforts of the newsletter organizer, there seeems to be no interest in submitting materials anymore. That is not her fault. I would suggest due to the speed of the chat board in transmittting information, people don't want a newsletter. The Net provides sound bite opinions, rather than analysis of fact, but that is what people want. There is good climbing stuff out there on the Net, but anyone can just post a link, and those interested can then go there.

A conscious decision was made to retreat from offering courses, although a compromise was struck to keep two courses a year. The majority view is that it is okay to simply surrender this role to the for-profit sector (and I am not saying the profits are big, I just prefer the not-for-profit sector). Experienced climbers can only contribute to offering CNS courses if they are first certified as an instructor. Certification for this purpose has not been offered in several years, despite modest interest. The already certified instructors largely don't have time to run courses, some because they now work in gyms and are busy, others because they have jobs, families and a busy life. Hence, we have experienced climbers simply going climbing with new climbers, outside of the CNS process, but no courses being offered by CNS.

We have failed to deal effectively with the Cape Breton Highlands access issues, for over two years. I don't recall any steps taken around other access this year, but perhaps my memory is faulty.

So, what are we achieving? Boulderfest seems to be a success. The gyms are doing okay, and some owners/mgrs even talk to CNS, but the gyms and their owners/mgrs are otherwise outside the organization. We used to have our own Bulletin Board, thanks to the initiative of Chris Haynes in May 2000. I voted to pay Chris or someone to run it for us at our Board meeting in Sept, and then voted to join Fred's Board at the next meeting. In retrospect, I think Sean Kelly was right about the Bulletin Board. The more people looking in on a chat board that have never met each other, the more likelihood of mutual disrespect and a lack of restraint. And don't get me started on the Gym Certification stuff, which was a lot of effort for very little tangible result. It fits the career aspirations of some members, but most climbers don't want to be certified to work in a gym, or do they? I don't know. We have consistently given money (ie re-directed govt money) to good causes, like climbing and bouldering guides and videos, and some even better causes, like a day of climbing for kids from the North End of Dartmouth Boys and Girls Club.

I also noticed, via my experience as a trad climber and in CNS Ice Days, that you don't need an organization like CNS to make great climbing experiences happen. The vast majority of participants in this type of climbing are non-members. CNS regulars just weren't interested in Ice Days, for example, and few trad climb. Only one other CNS Board Member came to only one Ice Day (and got lost by going off by himself, never finding the group). The vast majority of participants were non-members, particularly members of the Canadian Forces (a majority on several days). Sorry to bring that topic up again, but did I mention that the majority of climbers faithfully attending CNS Ice Days were "Armed Forces Climbers"?

So, the people I trad climb with don't participate in CNS. The people I ice climb with don't participate in CNS. The people I do my minimal alpine climbing with don't participate in CNS. I try to attend bouldering and gym events to support other members of the climbing community in their interests. I guess that is where CNS members are, although Sean T. maintains more bouldering momentum through the summer, and CNS has backed out of weekly events in this area, too, if I am not mistaken.

Hey, guess what: CNS is a gym-sport climbing organization, doing very little in any other area, so why not just call it that? If that is where it is at, in terms of today's climbers, go for it. You won't need a newsletter, but may want to run your own message board; you don't need to put time into organizing courses, as the courses will be offered by the gyms; there will be no access issues; the only gear that needs to be stored will be for bolting and bouldering.

What do you think? Depending on how work goes on April 26, I will see you there.

[peter]

Sorry that was me, Peter; I forgot my wife's laptop doesn't log me in automatically. P.

[The Mitt]

If I want to make a motion at the AGM how do I go about doing it? Do I have to inform CNS Exec prior to or can I just make the motion there?


Mitt
AKA Sean K

[martha]

I'm sure we can get a copy of the by-laws to you. everything that you need to know is in that.

I don't have an electronic copy, just a hard copy. But someone must have a word file....

anyone?

if not, I can fax you my hard copy.

cara

[The Mitt]

OK, I found it on the website. It says written notice with no time frame. Will an email sufice or may I send it via email? I wish to make a change in the By-Laws. Here it is by the way.

I propose that 50% of all money collected from government, members or fund raising shall be put into trust which may only be used for the aquistion of land or legal fees in the protection of climbers privilage to climb. The name shall be CNS ACCESS FUND. No monies from this fund may be spent without a board decision and prior notification to CNS members via written letter or electronic media.

It may only start with a few hundred dollars but over time it should grow and maybe we can head off any extreme closers of climbing areas such as the woods.

The Mitt