The top dog for the British Columbia Women’s Institute doesn’t even
live in the province.
Joan Holthe, who was elected president at the group’s June 7-9 annual
meeting in Cranbrook, B.C., lives on a cattle ranch in Alberta’s Peace
River district.
But her closest community and the WI branch she belongs to are in
Dawson Creek, B.C., so she was able to straddle the border question.
The major issues of the meeting were how to get more money and members.
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The provincial government has eliminated its yearly grant to the BCWI
“after 93 years of working hand in hand,” said Holthe. Last year the
group got $25,000.
Annual fees for the 1,000 BCWI members are $25, half of what WI members
pay in Saskatchewan and lower than the Alberta and Manitoba WIs.
Holthe said in her speech to the 122 delegates in Cranbrook that the
theme for her three-year term would be the 3Rs – roots, relevancy and
recognition.
“I’d like WI to be a choice for young women, not just rural but urban
as well. We focus on food and water safety and women’s concerns.”
She said most of the resolutions side of the meeting dealt with
constitutional changes, including approval to continue to hold an
annual meeting.
Until 1999, the BCWI held its meetings every three years, but Holthe
said the members agreed the three-year trial period of holding meetings
annually was a success. There was almost unanimous agreement on the
need to communicate more with each other.
