Thank you to everyone who tuned in for our AGM last Monday! We had great turnout, with at least 71 members tuning in. Congratulations to Randy Kielbasiewicz, Patrick Lam, and Mike Makischuk, who have all been re-elected to the Board for another two-year term. Randy and Mike Penney will also continue to serve as Co-Chairs of the Board.
Our meeting minutes and a summary of our Access Sends for the 2019-2020 year can be found below:
We’d like to present Tony Berlier with the 2020 Ontario Alliance of Climbers Service Award. As you enjoy expanded access to Ontario crags, be sure to thank Tony for his essential contributions!
Tony has been the man holding together the OAC from before its inception, serving as co-chair from 2009 through 2019. He took on a ton of unglamourous behind-the-scenes administrative work to make sure the OAC continues to exist and to advocate for access for Ontario climbers. For a long time, he welcomed us to Board meetings in his backyard and organized the meetings (which is a ton of work). Tony chaired AGMs, maintained the membership database, and emailed all members with AGM notices. He did the day-to-day financial transactions to keep the OAC running — all of the boring, but necessary, tasks.
The final test of one’s success at a task is being able to hand it off to one’s successors, and Tony has managed to pass on essentially all of his tasks to the next generation of OAC volunteers, while giving us occasional advice. Thanks for everything Tony!
We decided to spruce up the Metcalfe parking lot with the addition of two porta potties for the rest of the season!
The surge in visitors to our green spaces has unfortunately meant that our parks are becoming littered and filled with waste. In an effort to help keep our crags clean, we’ve fronted the $1000 bill for toilet service which will help climbers and hikers alike.
Please consider making a donation to support this initiative! We’d like to recoup the costs so that we can continue to finance crag improvements on an ongoing basis.
Conservation Halton is ready to accept climbers at Rattlesnake Park again! This includes Rattlesnake proper, Broken Glass Cliffs and Buffalo Crag.
Climbers must reserve a 2 hour time slot. Overstaying your time slot will lead to potential fines/penalties and reflect poorly on the climbing community, so be sure to keep track of time! Reservations can be made at http://parkvisit.ca/ .
Conservation Areas, Provincial Parks and Managed Properties are under immense pressure with visitations at record levels. It is vital that climbers act as stewards and partners with land managers to help protect the areas we all love. Please remember to be safe, climb in small groups, and respect other climbers while following social distancing efforts.
Our annual board election will take place during our Virtual AGM on Monday, August 17th! Register now, and be sure to attend in order to cast your votes.
Registration is required in advance in order to keep the event secure. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. Click Here to Register.
Up for election at this year’s AGM are the following candidates:
Patrick Lam – Patrick has supported the OAC since its inception, becoming a director in 2013. One of Patrick’s main goals is to improve the lines of communication between the OAC and the climbing community. Patrick has been climbing for 8 years, 4 in Ontario. He enjoys sport, trad, multi-pitch and mountaineering.
Randy Kielbasiewicz – Randy has been part of the OAC since 2012 and Co-Chair since 2014. He has been climbing for 35 years in all seasons, enjoying all forms of climbing. Randy’s focus has been working on specific projects with land managers in the Beaver Valley and Conservation Halton.
Mike Makischuk – Mike became involved with the OAC in 2017. Working to bring the local climbing community together and educate them about what the OAC means is strongly one of Mike’s goals. Climbing for over 20 years, he brings a strong passion for all aspects of climbing from bouldering, to sport and alpine.
Save the date: the OAC Annual General Meeting will take place Monday, August 17, at 7pm. Join us as we meet virtually for a socially distanced AGM! This is a great opportunity to ask questions about our organization and to share input on our future direction. We’ll also be holding the election for board membership, talking about the year we’ve just had, and speaking about what’s on the horizon.
If you would like to run as a candidate for the board of directors, please submit your bio to info@ontarioallianceofclimbers.ca by July 24. Details for the virtual meeting will be announced August 1. Hope to see you all there!
