Our bi-annual business meetings are an opportunity for representatives from our member municipalities, invited guests and our partner organizations to share conservation and stewardship success stories and challenges. The AGM is an opportunity for your community to showcase its involvement and implementation of your habitat stewardship agreement and in seeking to become a sustainable community. It is also a chance to become inspired by work being done in other municipalities and bring those ideas back to your community. Attendance is highly encouraged, and we offer a travel incentive to cover some of the associated costs.

This year the AGM will follow the 2026 Habitat Conservation Workshop happening in the City of St. John's.

Registered participants will receive the 2026 Spring AGM Agenda and supporting materials via email prior to the AGM.

Accommodations

Guests are responsible to book their own accommodations and any related travel for this event (see below for SAM's Travel Incentive Policy). Below is a list of recommended hotels nearby:

• Hampton Inn & Suites (709-738-4888) https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/yytaphx-hampton-suites-st-johns-airport/

• Best Western Plus (709-758-5004) https://www.bestwestern.com/en_US/book/st-john-s/hotel-rooms/best-western-plus-st-john-s-airport-hotel-and-suites/propertyCode.60003.html

• Holiday Inn Express & Suites (709-738-0123) https://www.ihg.com/holidayinnexpress/hotels/us/en/saint-johns/yytex/hoteldetail

• Holiday Inn St. John's Conference Centre (709-722-0506) https://www.ihg.com/holidayinn/hotels/us/en/st-johns/yytca/hoteldetail

• Capital Hotel (709-738-4480) https://www.steelehotels.com/our-hotels/capital-hotel/

  • This is the hotel that is being used for the Habitat Conservation Workshop from May 28th-29th - there is a discounted room block for those attending the workshop/AGM under "Stewardship Association".

Tentative SAM 2026 Spring AGM Itinerary (finalized itinerary will be sent with the information package):

Friday, May 29th:

5pm - Cocktail Hour - Location TBA. Refreshments available. (All attendees and guests welcome.)

6pm - NL Habitat Conservation Workshop and SAM AGM Networking Dinner - Location TBA. (All attendees and guests welcome.)

Saturday, May 30th:

9am - SAM AGM - St. Nicholas Anglican Church Hall, 10 St. Nicholas Lane, Torbay.  (By invitation only.)

3:30pm - Local Outing - Location TBA. Please note this is an outdoor event, we ask all to dress for the weather/activity. Binoculars and cameras welcome.  (All attendees and guests welcome.)

SAM Meeting Background:

The Stewardship Association of Municipalities (SAM) Inc. works with the Eastern Habitat Joint Venture (EHJV), whose mission is to conserve landscapes in Eastern Canada to sustain bird populations, while providing ecological, social and economic benefits to society, to secure, enhance, & restore important wildlife habitat (wetlands, uplands, coastal areas, & species at risk habitat) within municipal planning boundaries in NL. Established in 1994, SAM is an incorporated non-profit organization representing a network of municipalities dedicated to conserving wildlife habitat, practicing environmental stewardship, and supporting, strengthening, and enhancing biodiversity throughout the province.

Your municipality became involved with SAM upon the signing of a Municipal Habitat Conservation Agreement with the province. This agreement, as a tangible public step taken by your municipal council, serves to proactively conserve wildlife habitat found within your municipal planning boundaries. Since taking that initial step many municipalities have become involved in restoring and enhancing wildlife habitat while educating and engaging residents in sustainable land use actions. Since 1993, 54 municipalities across NL have signed such agreements and incorporated them into their municipal planning documents and development regulations.

What happens at the meetings?

The AGM generally includes a meet and greet opening event (for invited members and guests), the AGM (for invited members only), a networking dinner (for invited members and guests) and a tour to highlight the community (for invited members and guests) - often these tours are on community nature trails or in conservation areas (Please come prepared with outdoor footwear and gear (rain gear recommended). Binoculars and cameras are encouraged!). A finalized weekend itinerary, Saturday meeting agenda, and corresponding documents will be emailed to all registered attendees prior to the meeting.

Who can attend a SAM meeting?

Invitations are emailed to SAM communities with an online registration form. Municipal councils should appoint a representative to attend the meeting, they can be either:

A) An elected member of council;

B) A member of staff; or,

C) A non-elected member of a council committee or interested town resident.

What is expected of attendees?

The AGM is an opportunity for sharing, networking, and partnership building. It is an opportunity for your community to showcase its involvement and implementation of your Habitat Conservation Agreement. It is also a chance to become inspired by work being done in other municipalities and bring those ideas back to your community. We hope that SAM Representatives come prepared to share their municipality's future environmental conservation and stewardship goals, with hopes that municipalities will leave the meeting with more tools and resources available to achieve these goals.

As designated SAM representative, your attendance at the AGM greatly contributes to the success of this event. Please let us know if there is someone else we should contact in future with this invitation.

All attendees are asked to come to the meeting prepared to openly engage in discussion and share your municipal experiences in conservation and environmental stewardship. If your municipality is not able to attend, please RSVP accordingly. 

What if I am unable to attend the meeting?

You are welcome to send a brief written report or slideshow (1 page or less, 5 slides or less), outlining the activities which have occurred recently in the ongoing implementation of your municipal habitat stewardship agreement or in terms of your town’s efforts to increase environmental sustainability. Your report will be tabled at the meeting, please email the report to samconservation@gmail.com.

What are the costs? Does SAM pay for accommodations?

There is no registration fee to attend SAM meetings and meals are provided at no charge during formal itinerary events.

SAM Travel Incentive: We understand that municipalities may not be able to cover the costs to send a representative to our AGM, but our travel incentive allows SAM to reimburse attendees following the AGM for one night of accommodations for each represented community (up to $150). Representatives are responsible for arranging their own transportation and booking their own accommodations at the designated lodgings. If a representative wishes to share a room with a representative from another town, two nights of accommodations can be covered. All other expenses incurred at the accommodations (i.e. second night stay, room service, etc.) are your own responsibility. Representatives can request a Travel Incentive Reimbursement Claim Form during the AGM or following the meeting. Please note that we require original or copied accommodation receipts in order to process reimbursement.

Where do I stay during the meeting?

Guests are responsible to book their own accommodations and any related travel for this event. Below is a list of recommended hotels in the nearby region. See the SAM Travel Incentive above for details.

• Hampton Inn & Suites (709-738-4888) https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/yytaphx-hampton-suites-st-johns-airport/ 

• Best Western Plus (709-758-5004) https://www.bestwestern.com/en_US/book/st-john-s/hotel-rooms/best-western-plus-st-john-s-airport-hotel-and-suites/propertyCode.60003.html

• Holiday Inn Express & Suites (709-738-0123) https://www.ihg.com/holidayinnexpress/hotels/us/en/saint-johns/yytex/hoteldetail

• Holiday Inn St. John's Conference Centre (709-722-0506) https://www.ihg.com/holidayinn/hotels/us/en/st-johns/yytca/hoteldetail

• Capital Hotel (709-738-4480) https://www.steelehotels.com/our-hotels/capital-hotel/

  • This is the hotel that is being used for the Habitat Conservation Workshop from May 28th-29th - there is a discounted room block for those attending the workshop/AGM under "Stewardship Association".

  
  

Are meals provided at the meeting? What about allergies and dietary restrictions?

Finger foods are generally provided for invited members and guests during the meet and greet. During the AGM, invited members receive refreshments during nutrition and coffee breaks, as well as lunch, and a full-course meal is provided for invited members and guests at the networking dinner. Breakfast may or may not be included at your lodgings, please take this into account as breakfast is not provided at the AGM. Please let us know on the online registration form about any food allergies or dietary restrictions you or your guest may have.

Town of Torbay Website

Local Attractions:

Torbay Beach

Father Troy’s Trail (East Coast Trail)

Silver Mine Head Path (East Coast Trail)

Torbay Parks and Trails

Torbay History House and Museum

Killick Coast Drive

Nearby Municipalities:

Town of Pouch Cove

Town of Bauline

Town of Flatrock

Town of Logy Bay-Middle Cove-Outer Cove

Town of Portugal Cove-St. Philips

City of St. John's