The British Columbia Women’s Institute heard at its May 1 annual meeting in Kamloops, B.C., that it might administer a provincial fund to assist farm women.
BCWI president Joan Holthe said one of the provincial agriculture department’s priorities is to develop opportunities for women in agriculture.
BCWI, which has 1,013 members, was one of several women’s groups that met to draw up guidelines for use of such a fund. It has yet to be approved by the department so no details were given of its potential size, but it could start this fall.
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“BCWI is going to administer the funds, but a specific group from the strategic planning seminar will do the actual evaluation of the applications…. the only real specification being that a group has to apply, not an individual,” she said.
“We are hoping it will run the gamut of teaching, growing, improving, marketing, safety and what have you in the agricultural initiative. It can be a program, experimental plot, seminar. We want to go wild with it.”
In other business at the BCWI meeting, two resolutions were passed that will affect the group’s future structure. They set elections for directors every year, instead of the whole board every third year, and will allow a delegate to carry more than one proxy vote to annual meetings.
“That motion to establish a rotating board eliminates the crisis of having everyone’s term coming to an end at the same time,” Holthe said.
“This creates a board that has a balance of new and experienced members. Everyone knows that you just get your feet wet, then it’s time to go.”
Another approved resolution asked the federal government for more money for health care.
“Health is a very touchy issue for BCWI members, who feel that with our aging population, obesity crisis and cutbacks, money allocation should be increased even at the detriment of other programs,” Holthe said.
A deficit budget was passed and long-term financial solutions were discussed, she said.
The BCWI also held a history workshop to instruct branches in how to collect, write and save archival material in preparation for the printing of the group’s 100 year history, due in 2009.
