Business Arising from the MinuteS
No business arose from the previous
minutes.
GOOD WISHES
Chair Blais indicated that Diane Blais, Committee Coordinator, had
broken her ankle and Robbie Tremblay was acting on her behalf. The Chair asked Mr. Tremblay to pass on the
Advisory Committee’s message for a speedy recovery to Ms. Blais.
ITEMS
OF BUSINESS
1. FLSAC
REQUEST FOR FUNDING – CLARIFICATION
In response to comments made by Member B. Grandmaître, Mr. P.G.
Pagé, Director of Secretariat Services, explained that when an advisory
committee makes a recommendation to Standing Committee and Council, the lead
Department is required to provide comment in the accompanying report. Mr. Pagé reiterated that the decision does
not lie with the Department; rather the recommendation will go forward to
Standing Committee and Council.
Member G. Richer stated that all other advisory committees deal with
a specific sector with the exception of the French Language Services Advisory
Committee, whose mandate clearly relates to the whole of the services provided
by the City. She suggested the Advisory
Committee keep this in mind when making its request.
Chair Blais stated a small sub-committee met to determine the funds
required and Member L. Swanlund undertook to obtain information on current
salary scales within the municipality for a similar position. Ms. Swanlund stated she received a job
description for a project officer with a salary range of $40,000 to $46,000,
excluding benefits. In response to a
question from Member Grandmaître, Ms. Swanlund confirmed the responsibilities
of the project officer position reflect more or less the duties of a potential
researcher and suggested the job description could be modified to reflect the responsibilities
of the position.
Member Grandmaître asked if a staff person currently working for the
City could provide additional assistance to the Committee. Mr. Pagé indicated that at the present time
no additional support could be given above and beyond the administrative
support of the Committee Coordinator and the assistance of the Manager of
French Language Services. Mr.
Grandmaître surmised that a new person would need to be hired.
Member P. Dufresne also noted that the amount of the request must
be specified along with a job description.
He suggested the position could be created under a particular Department
and directly report to this Advisory Committee. Chair Blais suggested it would still impact the Council policy
due to the identification of new positions for service to the consultative
process. Mr. Dufresne noted it would
not burden the municipality’s revenue sources or reserve accounts because the
position would presumably be financed from the $2.5 million dollar federal
grant.
Vice Chair C. Andrew agreed with the arguments put forward by other
members and suggested it is important to make the argument that research is
required to provide the best advice possible on the use of the funds to ensure
the most impact.
In response to a question from Member Grandmaître, Mr. Pagé noted
the French Languages Services Annual Report, which will be prepared in a month
or so, will include an outline for the use of the funds. The Advisory Committee will have an
opportunity to make comments and recommendations. In further response to questions, he confirmed that the Advisory
Committee could request that the position be funded through the grant
funds. Mr. Pagé also suggested that the
Advisory Committee recommendation could be deferred until the Annual Report is
released. The Chair responded in the
negative.
Member L.G. Bordeleau suggested funds could be requested for
services to be rendered rather than for the creation of a specific
position. Chair Blais reiterated that
such a request for services would also contradict the policy previously adopted
by Council. He reiterated the points
previously made that include requesting funding of the position through the
federal grant and advancing that the French Language Services Advisory
Committee is mandated to provide advice on the delivery of services throughout
the Corporation in contrast to other advisory committees, which focus on a
particular sector.
Mr. Pagé suggested that once first year administration issues are
dealt with, the manager of French Language Services could provide additional
support; however, it was difficult to comment further at the present time
without greater detail on what the Advisory Committee is requesting. Chair Blais expressed his frustration on the
Committee’s inability in its first year to fully address all the issues facing
French Language Services across the new City.
A researcher could provide sufficient briefing, which would allow, for
example, asking the appropriate questions to obtain necessary information when
meeting with the Human Resources Department to discuss bilingual positions.
Member L. Belmahdi reiterated that the development of a job
description is imperative. She
suggested approaching the University of Ottawa to select a Masters student to
study French Language Services in the new City of Ottawa. Ms. Belmahdi noted this approach would
not require funds since the student would perform his or her duties in the
context of the program of study providing the required research and additional
support.
Vice Chair Andrew stated proper research is required to provide the
best possible advice on the use of grant funds. She favoured the creation of a position to ensure continuity and
suggested proceeding immediately before the City determines on its own how to
allocate the federal grant. Finally,
Ms. Andrew said the requested amount should include the salary and a modest
support budget to purchase research materials.
Member C. Raskin suggested an initial project would be to
provide a general summary on the current situation facing French Language
Services to determine a course of action.
Chair Blais responded that the Advisory Committee’s workplan provides an
opportunity to set out the activities and objectives over the next year. He stated the challenge is to arrive at a
strong and achievable work plan without the necessary resources to fully
develop the guiding document. The Chair
concluded there is a need for additional resources to maximize volunteer
energies to their fullest.
Member Grandmaître inquired on the process to provide comments with
respect to the report dealing with the use of the federal grant funds. Mr. Pagé reiterated that consultation would
occur once a preliminary report is written at which time it will be submitted
to the Advisory Committee for consultation.
Once comments have been submitted, staff will examine the submission and
make changes if deemed necessary. The
final report will then be tabled and additional comments may be provided as the
report proceeds to Standing Committee and Council for approval. Mr. Pagé noted the federal grant funds
must be used yearly over a five-year period.
Member Richer quoted a portion of the report that will accompany the
recommendation when it is considered at the Corporate Services and Economic Development
Committee relating to the need for a researcher: “…the importance of
insuring well researched recommendations related to the decision making process
on the allocation of funds towards the various aspects of French Language
Services at the City.” Ms. Richer
reiterated her previous point on the Advisory Committee’s broad mandate
providing advice on services provided by the Corporation as a whole.
Ms. Richer explained this past year’s work has focused on the
designation of bilingual positions and training, just to name a few
issues. She suggested it is necessary
to determine in greater detail the needs of the Advisory Committee. She supported the Vice Chair’s view that a
researcher is necessary to assist in providing advice on how the grant should be
utilized to best serve the needs of the Community.
Member H. Barkun recalled the context in which the original motion
was carried. He referenced Councillor
Legendre’s previous comments explaining that the grant must be used for
training of staff, providing translation services and establishing
relationships with the business community.
He suggested waiting for the tabling of the preliminary report to
provide timely advice on how the funds are to be used for the upcoming
year. He deduced it would be difficult
to dedicate funds for the position this year considering the timeframe for the
consideration of the Advisory Committee’s motion by Standing Committee and
Council, the finalization of the job description and the selection of a
candidate.
Chair Blais responded the issue is not one of timing but rather
whether or not funding will be provided.
He provided his personal opinion that the research position is required
to avoid wasting valuable time. The
Chair undertook to appear before the Corporate Services and Economic
Development Committee to present the arguments put forth by members in support
of the recommendation that must be modified to specify a budget. He suggested proceeding immediately in order
to avoid missing opportunities to provide input. Member Bordeleau suggested it is urgent to finalize a proposed
job description in order to ensure that if the proposal is supported, the
researcher is in place at the time of the consideration of the preliminary report.
Member Legg restated the points previously made by Member Richer and
Vice Chair Andrew. He suggested
proceeding immediately with a recommendation that includes the numbers provided
by Member Swanlund and suggested that a sub-committee be tasked to examine the
preliminary report once it is tabled and to meet with the author to ask
questions and provide comment. Chair
Blais indicated the report will be reviewed whether or not a researcher is
hired and Mr. Pagé indicated the report will be complete and ready for
consultation in October.
Member Belmahdi suggested the City had promised an additional
$7 million over five years to be added to the $2.5 million from the federal
grant. Mr. Pagé clarified it was not
the case, but probably the current costs.
Chair Blais noted a small group met to discuss a possible budget for
the proposal and agreed on requesting $65,000, including $46,000 for salary and
$19,000 to cover research materials and other incidental costs. In response to a question, Chair Blais noted
the “background” section of the report will accompany the recommendation and it
was not necessary to include it in the motion.
He suggested the job description be developed and could be presented at
the meeting when defending the proposal.
Member Swanlund offered to prepare the job description using the
parameters of the City of Ottawa. It
was agreed that a draft be sent to all members by email for comment in order to
come to a consensus.
Member Dufresne suggested the motion be worded in such a way to
avoid giving the impression to Council that the request contravenes the current
Advisory Committee policy. Member
Grandmaître suggested the inclusion in the motion that the funds are to be
allocated from the $2.5 million grant.
In response, Member Barkun reiterated Councillor Legendre’s information
regarding how the funds are to be used.
It was agreed to leave the request in general terms without defining how
the employment will be affected giving leeway to Standing Committee and Council
on how to accommodate the request. The
Chair commented that it would be important to make a very strong presentation
before the Corporate Services and Economic Development Committee.
Moved by C. Andrew
That the French Language Services Advisory
Committee add to its motion of June 6, 2002 a budget of $65,000,
including a salary of $46,000 and a support budget of $19,000.
CARRIED
That the French Language
Services Advisory Committee receive this report for discussion.
RECEIVED
2. 2003
WORKPLAN
Chair Blais
recalled a strategic planning meeting was held in the spring and four members
were subsequently mandated to review the recommendations from the session. On the recommendation of Member Barklun a
sub-committee structure was proposed.
The Chair noted the Complaints Sub-committee is already in place,
presided by Member L. Albert, with its own mandate and responsibilities. An additional three sub-committees were
proposed.
The Structure
and Designation of Bilingual Positions Sub-committee would have an internal
perspective focussed on the City’s administration including the issue of
designation and classification of bilingual positions as well as the
administrative structure in terms of the provision of french language
services. The second sub-committee
would focus on increasing the demand for french language services and would
focus on outreach activities to the Community.
The Communications Sub-committee would be tasked with communicating the
Advisory Committee’s activities and mandate to the general public to ensure
visibility. It would also coordinate
responses to letters to the editors and articles. The Chair clarified that it is the municipality’s role to
publicize the services it provides, the sub-committee however can analyse its
adequacy or effectiveness.
Chair Blais stated
each sub-committee is tasked with formulating for the workplan its objectives
and activities for the upcoming year.
In response to a question from Member Richer, the Chair noted two thirds
of the membership of each sub-committee must be members of the Advisory
Committee. He also provided a
clarification on the roles of the outreach and communications
sub-committees.
Member Legg
expressed his support for the proposed structure. In response to a question from Member Legg, Chair Blais noted
each sub-committee would report at the next meeting in order to prioritize for
the workplan. The Chair asked each
member to indicate his or her preference to determine sub-committee membership. He noted Vice Chair Andrew volunteered to
preside the Communications Sub-committee and Member Swanlund put her name
forward to chair the Structure and Designation of Bilingual Positions
Sub-committee.
The Chair
requested that each sub-committee meet to discuss its mandate, identify
activities as well as confirm the chairperson and report back at the October
meeting. The notes of the strategic
meeting were requested and the Committee Coordinator undertook to forward a
copy along with the previous workplan to all members.
That the
French Language Services Advisory Committee receive this report for discussion.
RECEIVED
3. DISABLED
AND PROUD THE NEWSPAPER
Conseillère/Councillor M. Meilleur
Chair Blais
indicated a copy of “Disabled and Proud, The Newspaper” was distributed to all
members for discussion and comments. In
response to a question from Member Grandmaître, Mr. Pagé explained this item
was included on the agenda at the request of Councillor Meilleur. Mr. Pagé noted the group responsible
for the newspaper would like it to become bilingual and was seeking suggestions
from the Advisory Committee. The Chair
requested that Charles Matthews of Disabled and Proud be invited to speak to
the Advisory Committee at the next meeting.
That the
French Language Services Advisory Committee receive this item for discussion.
RECEIVED
4. UPDATE
ON THE DESIGNATION OF BILINGUAL POSITIONS
Mr. Pagé
indicated two sessions were held with managers and directors at the end of
July, followed with the distribution of questionnaires. A deadline of 9 August 2002 was set to hand
in the questionnaires and 80% have been received to date. Analysis of the data has commenced and the
remaining questionnaires are expected by the week of 10 September 2002. He noted additional information will be
provided once the analysis is complete.
In response to questions from the Chair, Mr. Pagé added that he spoke to
Bruce Thom, City Manager to ensure the remaining 20% are handed in by the week
of 10 September 2002.
That the French Language Services Advisory Committee receive the
above-noted verbal update for information.
RECEIVED
OTHER BUSINESS
INQUIRIES
Member Barkun inquired on the status of “Ottawa: Officially Bilingual”.
Chair Blais responded that the provincial government has come to a decision on
the matter and he was unaware of new discussions on the issue. Member Legg noted both Claudette Cain and
Bob Chiarelli did not use the term during the election campaign and cautioned
the use of the term. Member Grandmaître
noted the Government of Ontario, through the Minister responsible for Francophone
Affairs, has stated the responsibility for the provision of official languages
lies with the municipal level. The
Chair suggested the courts have ruled that municipalities could not determine
such issues on their own. He noted the
debate on this issue is on going.
Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 9:10 p.m.
R.
Tremblay, A/Committee Coordinator J.J.
Blais, Chair
