Meeting minutes April 2, 2026. 1.00 – 3.00 PM

Action items for next meeting highlighted in yellow

Present at the meeting:

• Doug McLeod
• Pete Kerr
• Graham Hays
• Roger Jennings
• Mark Nicol
• John Houston
• Pat Olson
• Gregg Eligh
• Mark Polock
• Simon Swanek
• Layton Engwer
• Rob Harris

We welcomed three new members at our meeting today. John Houston moved to Victoria three years ago to be closer to family.  He is from Ontario and worked for a bank. Simon Swanek is a student at Camosun College and is applying to do his MSc in physiotherapy and athletic rehab (?) with a focus on men and dementia.  He is from PEI. Layton Engwer had a career in health care and has lived in Esquimalt for two years.  He is originally from Toronto.

Doug led the meeting and reported that Michel Bosela is no longer a member due to his rapid cognitive decline. His wife says he enjoyed his time with us and remembers his helping build the Pantry when showed the photos.

Doug suggested that we move to a more formal meeting format due to the larger numbers of members at current meetings.  To ensure that people are able to voice their opinions and that individuals are heard, he requested the following:

• Let the person making a presentation finish completely and people wishing to comment should raise their hand.
• While a person is speaking, others are requested to wait until that person has completely finished.
• Any motions should be properly recorded as well as the results of voting, especially motions involving money expenditure.

Doug has conferred with John (MS Secretary) regarding keeping the minutes on Google Drive so that they are accessible to all, as well as being emailed out after the meeting.  

Members wishing to send group emails should send to Doug first and he can then disseminate, as he has the most up-to-date member list. Discussion about having the email list available on Google drive so that it is accessible to members. It is hoped that Brian can give us a tutorial on using Google Drive at some point in the future. 

Doug suggested that we form a committee around each new project we take on as a group when it is started.  This would help us to keep track of material costs and any proceeds to give to the treasurer.

• Mason Bee Houses. Gregg is keeping the finances for this group.  Successful production of 30 Mason bee houses at Pat Olson’s garage last Thursday.  Volunteers at Esquimalt Farmer’s Market (EFM) today from 4.30 – 7.00 PM included Gregg, Rob, Pat, Pete, Doug and John (sorry if I missed anyone). Several houses have already been sold.

• Gregg booked the EFM table for next two Thursdays at Memorial Park in Esquimalt at a cost of $15.50 per Thursday.

• Vic West Fest. June 6.  Rob is willing to coordinate booking if group decides to go ahead.  $75 fee, may be waived, though Vic West Community Association depends on the Fest to generate its income. Discussion about goals of attending and request for members to think about whether we should participate.  Possibility of making small wooden toys, bat houses, selling more Mason bee houses etc. Decision to vote at next meeting or our participation. 

www.victoriawest.ca/vic-west-fest-2026

• Esquimalt Neighbourhood Party. June 13. Coordinator? Opportunity for us to create more awareness of Men’s Shed.  Each participating group is asked to host an engaging activity to create a vibrant atmosphere. Not a place to sell products. Decision to determine by next meeting what projects or activities we could display at our table.

• Fairfield Repair Café. April 11. Doug is coordinating.  We have been invited to have a representative take part as a volunteer to give us a better idea of how we can operate the Repair Cafés. Doug, Layton John and Pat have volunteered to be there.

• Anglican Church space in Esquimalt. A meeting is being planned for the Men’ Shed to take a look at the space where the furnace room at the church is now located.  We need to evaluate the feasibility of the room for storage/workshop space, once the furnace is removed.  Doug, John and Graham have volunteered to look into this and report back to the group.

• A request was received from a young film maker who has made a film on obsession and is looking at Men’s Shed to partner with him for a community screening.  He has submitted a grant application to the Canadian Council for the Arts.  Mark N will connect with him to find our more details. 

• Mark Pollock has had to step down from the Board as Secretary/Treasure due to family commitments. Members are asked to consider taking up one or both positions on the Board and to let Doug know before the next meeting if able to take on these roles.

• Future Fixit Café.  Greg emphasised the need for good planning and better promotion for future Cafés.   Late June/early July might be a good time to plan for the next one. A suitable date should be determined at our next meeting and Tony could advise if the Church venue might be available again.

Please let me know if there are any omissions or errors.

Rob Harris