You are receiving this important message/reminder because you are listed as an "Active" member of a Commissioner, Registrar, Administrator, Treasurer or Secretary on a Group Committee or Area/Council Team.

Please help ensure that your Group (or the Groups you support) are properly set up for registration.

If you can't personally set these things up, check with your Group Commissioner, Registrar and Treasurer to be sure it's been (or gets) done!
Topics in this message
  • Registration and Readiness Call: 1 May, 2019
  • Registration Dates
  • Registration fees for 2019-20
  • LDS Update for 2019-20
  • Refund Eligibility Changes
  • Group Fee Set Up Reminder/Instructions
  • "Max Participants" Set up Reminder/Instructions
  • Summer Program Set up Reminder/Instructions
The Call: via phone and Skype for Business
Get the latest information and tips on registration, MyScouts, screening and training.
Wednesday, 1 May
beginning at 7:00 pm Mountain

This call will be for your Registration questions. Unlike other calls, content will be determined by attendees.

An agenda will be posted prior to the call. No other advanced materials are currently planned. A summary of topics, questions and answers will be posted after the call. Check the "Registration and Readiness Calls" page.


Please submit questions to meg.barlow@scouts.ca.
Questions will also be accepted (live) during the call.


Slides/resources from past calls are available on prairies.scouts.ca "Resources" section under "Registration and Readiness Call Resources". 


To join the conference:

Using Skype for Business, Click here for the meeting link. 
If you're using this service for the first time, you will be prompted (and need) to download the App. Please aim to do this at least 15 minutes prior to the start of the call.

By phone, please dial:  1.866.219.8638 Toll Free (in Canada)
When prompted, input the participant access code:  9546479 followed by #

Please join us.
Registration Spring 2019-20
Opens Wednesday, 1 May: Are you ready?
Registration for current Participants renewing in the same Group (even if different Section) begins Wednesday, 1 May.

New (and otherwise not registered) members and those wanting to change Groups can be registered beginning Wednesday, 15 May.

All registrations must be completed online by:
  • A parent/guardian for youth under 18 (Participants and Volunteers)
  • The individual new/returning (adult) Rover Scout
  • The individual new (or otherwise not currently registered) adult Volunteer*

*Currently "Active" adult Volunteers will be invited via email to renew using a simplified process.


Registrations for Beaver through Venturer Scouts may be completed using:

Participant registrations not completed in a timely manner may be removed without notice.

FEES:
Early (discounted) fee: $200
  • Beginning Wednesday, 1 May for current participants being "Renewed"
  • Beginning Wednesday, 15 May for new participants (and those otherwise not currently registered)

Full-year (regular) fee: $230
  • Beginning late on Sunday, 30 June (i.e. midnight Eastern time between 30 June and 1 July)
  • Continues through to the end of December 2019

(Part-Year fee information will be provided later.)
LDS Update:
Currently registered Participants do not need to be renewed.

Only parents of new (or otherwise not currently registered) participants wanting to join will need to complete online registration.

Codes issued in April/May 2018 have been made valid until the end of December 2019. (Codes are still required to complete the online registration.)

Additional details (re: continuing Participants) to follow in a separate/later message.

Refund Eligibility
Important note: Change
All registrations will be eligible for full refund if requested within 30 days of registration.

No refund if requested later than 30 days from registration date.

Requests for registration refunds must be initiated by the member’s parent/guardian.

Parents/guardians initiate refund requests using the Online Support form at help.scouts.ca. 
Please indicate support type as "Refund Request".
Are your Group fees set up?
Are they set correctly?
Groups that will charge a fee (to be added to the National fees listed above) must set the fee in MyScouts.

$XX (any other amount) = $XX charged at registration in addition to National fee;
$XX deposited to Group accounts (if Group has previously submitted banking information to National Finance).

Groups that do not charge a fee above the National amount (ie. in the past would have indicated a fee of $0) should not have to set up a fee - though having one (set as $0) can help us verify that you do mean to accept Participants/run program for the new Scouting year.

Groups with no additional fee not setting up a fee is a change from previous years.

Recommendation: 1 May, please run a Find a Group search log in to verify that:
  • Your Group appears in results
  • A "Register as a Participant" button is available for your Section(s)
  • The correct fee appears
Group Commissioners / Registrars / Treasurers:

In the Group profile, click "Add Fee" to add a 2019-20 Scouting year Group fee.
The example shows a Group fee of $20 being set (right) and set up correct (below)
Click the "Fees" tab when you're done to check that it's set up properly (or to see whether someone else did it. Look for 2020).
"Max Participants"
Getting the numbers right
How many Participants a Section can accept varies from Group to Group (and Section to Section) and may depend on:
  • The number of available Scouters
  • The size/allowance of your meeting place

All Sections with Participants under 18 require a minimum of two appropriately "Active" Scouters.

For Colonies, Packs and Troops with more than 16 Participants, you need an additional Scouter for each additional lot of up to eight Participants - 1:8 Scouter/Participant ratio. (eg. a Pack with between 17 to 24 Cubs needs at least three Scouters).

Companies need at least two Scouter regardless of size, but do not have a specific ratio.
In each Section profile, under "Org Options" click to "Edit Meeting Details".
Set your Volunteers numbers high: you can always use more help!

The "Max Participants" number is the maximum number of Participants you will accept for the current Scouting year (2018-19).

"Max Participants (Next Session)" is your 2019-20 Scouting year "cap" - until 1 May, when the system updates to the new Scouting year.

These numbers can be adjusted whenever you need during the year.
Offering Summer Programming?
Yes: means you welcome new youth to start NOW
If one (or more) of your Sections will be running program (even if not regular weekly meetings) AND will welcome new members to join in, "Yes" may be the answer for you.

Setting the "Summer Programs Offered?" selector to "Yes" in a Section profile* allows participants not already registered for the 2018-19 Scouting year to register (beginning 15 May) for the rest of this year plus the new Scouting year for the same fee. (The remainder of the 2018-19 Scouting year becomes a "gift with purchase" of sorts when the 2019-20 fee is paid.)
No: means a September start
The default (No) means that only a 1 September start will be offered to both new registrations and renewing members during the registration/renewal process.
*Feature is by Section, not by Group.

eg. Your Pack and Troop may welcome new members now (change to "Yes") but perhaps the Colony is "shutting down" for the season and the Company has a big trip in the summer that they've been training and fundraising for so aren't accepting new participants now (leave with the default "No").

All Sections are encouraged to offer at least occasional summer outings/activities. (eg. day hike, games night, cook-out, canoe or swimming trip, "Yellow Fish Road" or other environmental service project)
Not sure which option is right for your Section(s)?
Contact either Meg Barlow OR Pat Papineau, Prairies Member Services Registrars at the Service Centre in Calgary for guidance.