ACTION items
points D’ÉXÉCUTION
1. UPDATE FROM SUB-COMMITTEES INCLUDING ITEMS GOING FORWARD TO HRSS FOR
HSSAC COMMENTS / RECOMMENDATIONS
MISE-À-JOUR
DES SOUS-COMITÉS INCLUANT DES POINTS ET RAPPORTS À TRANSMETTRE AU CSLSS:
COMMENTAIRES ET RECOMMANDATIONS DU CCSSS
Housing
·
Committee members received a written summary from Member M. Casagrande
regarding the Housing sub-committee meeting held on 16 May 2006.
·
It was noted that two sub-committee members would
attend the Housing Conference being held by the Canadian Federation of
Apartment Associations (CFAA), and the Eastern Ontario Landlords Organization
(EOLO) on 9 June 2006.
Action 1: The sub-committee will review the City Housing
Strategy report that is scheduled to be presented to HRSS on 15 June. The HSSAC agreed that the Housing
sub-committee pursue this matter and provide their comments to staff,
subsequent to e-mail communication with the HSSAC members. The sub-committee may have someone present
at the HRSS meeting of 15 June.
Action 2: The
sub-committee will discuss next steps pertaining to the Neighbourhood Planning
Initiative at its June meeting.
Early
Childhood Development & Women’s Issues
·
Member S. Bird informed the HSSAC
that sub-committee members would be meeting with Mr. Steve Kanellakos, Deputy
City Manager of Community and Protective Services, on 13 June 2006 with regard
to child care centres and housing development.
Health and Service Delivery Models
·
Member A.
Crawford provided an update regarding the Champlain Local Health Integrated
Network (LHIN) workplan and consultation meetings. Vice-Chair B. Jonah reported on the public consultation meeting he attended on
29 May 2006.
·
Member J.
Bennett distributed a one-page summary of the Capacity Review Committee’s final
report: “Revitalizing Ontario’s Public Health Capacity”. It was noted that Dr. David Salisbury would
attend the 27 June HSSAC meeting to provide an update with regard to the City
of Ottawa 2006 Health Status Report.
PRESENTATIONS
pRÉSENTATIONS
2. COALITION OF COMMUNITY SUPPORT SERVICES
COALITION
DES SERVICES DE SOUTIEN COMMUNAUTAIRES
The HSSAC received a presentation from Ms. Lise Richard, Coordinator
for the Ottawa Community Support Coalition (OCSC), with regard to their
community support services offered to seniors and adults with physical
disabilities. She also provided a
listing of agencies and the services they provide throughout the City of Ottawa. Ms. Richard indicated that the OCSC’s main
challenges are with funding requirements and the eventual shortage of
volunteers as essential services increase.
(A copy of the presentation will be kept on file with the Committee
Coordinator).
3. AGE-MIXED BUILDINGS
IMMEUBLES
AVEC GROUPES D’ÂGE DIVERS
Ms. Barb Lajeunesse, Executive Director of The Old Forge Community
Resource Centre, informed
the HSSAC of the “Reaching In To Seniors” project, an initiative of the Olde
Forge funded by a one-year City of Ottawa Community Project Funding grant. The intent of the project is to provide
services to roughly 60 seniors presently living at Regina Towers, one of ten Ottawa Community Housing
Corporation age-mix buildings, which were converted from seniors’ buildings in
1992 and 1996. She stated that many seniors have since isolated themselves in their own
apartments and live under severe circumstances.
Ms.
Lajeunesse indicated that City funding currently enables the Olde Forge to have
one staff person for up to two days per week at Regina Towers, encouraging the
seniors to take advantage of services being offered and activities being held
in the building and the surrounding community.
She noted that the Olde Forge project should serve as a pilot to provide
much needed support to seniors in the other age-mix buildings within the
City.
4. STAFFING
PRESSURES
CONTRAINTES
EN MATIÈRE DE DOTATION
Ms. Barbara
Clark, Executive Director of the Nepean Seniors Home Support, explained that
they currently do not have adequate funding to hire the qualified staff needed
to provide essential services to seniors.
She also discussed the problems with financing programs, and added that
current staff have had to take on additional tasks, while their salaries have
suffered substantial cuts.
5. REACHING
OUT TO ISOLATED SENIORS (ROTIS)
TENDRE
LA MAIN AUX AÎNÉS ISOLÉS
Ms. Marjorie
Milloy, Chair of ROTIS, provided background information to the HSSAC with
respect to their program. It’s
objective is to develop, implement and evaluate a community model involving a
network of agencies, groups and individuals that would work together to meet
the needs of isolated seniors. Ms.
Milloy noted that obtaining sustainable funding is a constant challenge. (A copy of the presentation will be kept on file
with the Committee Coordinator).
6. OTTAWA
COMMUNITY IMMIGRANT SERVICES ORGANIZATION (OCISO)
ORGANISATION
DES SERVICES COMMUNAUTAIRES AUX IMMIGRANTS D’OTTTAWA
Mr. J. P. Melville, a Cross Cultural Education Coordinator, provided an
overview of services offered by OCISO, and listed the various partnerships
involved with the organization. OCISO
is a community-based non-profit agency, helping newly arrived seniors and their families becoming established in
Ottawa. Mr. Melville talked about
multiple generational family living vs. independent living, and stated that
housing and new constructions should adhere to the new Canadian
population. (A copy of the presentation
will be kept on file with the Committee Coordinator).
ADDITIONAL ITEMS
POINTS SUPPLÉMENTAIRES
The following two items were added to the
Agenda at the outset of the meeting.
Moved by S. Bird
That the Health and
Social Services Advisory Committee, pursuant to By-Law 2006-64 governing the
proceedings of Advisory Committees, add the following items to the Agenda for
consideration at today’s meeting.
CARRIED
7. FAMILY
AND FRIENDS’ COUNCIL OF THE PETER D. CLARK CENTRE
CONSEIL DES FAMILLES ET AMIS
- CENTRE PETER D. CLARK
Further to their letter of 21 February 2006 to The Honourable George
Smitherman, Minister of Health and Long Term Care for Ontario, Ms. Joy Large,
First Vice-President for the Council of the Peter D. Clark Centre, made a brief
presentation to the HSSAC regarding their concerns about long
term care. It was noted that a response had not yet
been received from the Minister.
Ms. Large indicated that the nursing home becomes a permanent dwelling
for the residents and added that the Centre has created a home-like atmosphere
to help make the lives of the residents as pleasant as possible, however, there
is not enough funding to provide the necessary services.
Ms. Rehana Mufti, President, noted that as caregivers and volunteers,
they feel that additional financial assistance should be allocated from the
different levels of government in order to provide appropriate home care and
address staffing issues.
HSSAC members suggested that the Council of the Peter D. Clark Centre
change the emphasis of their initial letter and state that the funding
currently being allocated is not sufficient to provide the basic care needs and
essential service requirements. It was
also noted that political advocacy from a number of groups would be needed for
better services.
Action 1: In
terms of the presentations received this evening, the sub-committees will
review the information provided by the various organizations and come back with
next steps at the June HSSAC meeting.
Action 2: Chair P. Brown suggested
that the OCSC, along with any
interested organization that presented this evening, develop a report to
address yearly cost pressures for maintaining basic services being provided,
and determine the budget increase that would be required for their
programs. Chair Brown also suggested the
organizations make a presentation to the HSSAC based on such a report later
this Fall prior to the 2007 budget process.
8. CHANGES
TO THE ONTARIO DISABILITY SUPPORT PROGRAM
CHANGEMENTS
AU PROGRAMME ONTARIEN DE SOUTIEN AUX PERSONNES HANDICAPÉES
Suzanne Gagnon and Elizabeth Farrell,
Employment and Financial Assistance (EFA) Branch, made a presentation to the
HSSAC regarding the legislative and financial changes to the Ontario Disability
Support Program (ODSP). (A copy of
the presentation will be kept on file with the Committee Coordinator).
Ms. Farrell explained that non-disabled spouses who don’t have
care-giving responsibilities will be required to participate in employment
activities. It was noted that ODSP
files will be reviewed in June 2006 and spouses will be referred to the EFA
beginning on 29 June. Referred ODSP
recipients will be asked to attend an information session that will advise them
of support services provided by the EFA, followed by an employment assessment
and an action plan. The affected
clients will be expected to complete an Ontario Works participation agreement.
Ms. Farrell noted that these changes aim to strengthen employment
incentives for ODSP recipients and their families, and added that the EFA will
assist referred clients prepare for, find and maintain employment. An information report will be presented to
the Health, Recreation and Social Services Committee (HRSS) on 15 June.
HSSAC members were apprehensive with the overall changes and the
potential negative impacts these will have for ODSP recipients. The HSSAC also voiced their concerns with
regard to possible claw backs to benefits subsequent to non-disabled spouses
becoming employed. The Committee
indicated it would have been beneficial to receive feedback from affected ODSP
recipients.
Moved by M. Bulthuis
WHEREAS
the City’s Employment and Financial
Assistance Branch (EFA) is taking action to
comply with provincially mandated changes to ODSP and OW;
AND WHEREAS EFA staff have sought
to develop the best means towards implementation of these changes;
AND WHEREAS the HSSAC has concerns
regarding the uncertain, and potentially negative implications for ODSP
recipients and/or their spouses arising from mandated changes, and in
particular the possibility of support being clawed-back from ODSP recipients arising
from non-disabled spouses being required to enrol in employment activities;
AND WHEREAS the HSSAC feels so
strongly about this matter that it plans as part of its work plan to seek
client and community feedback on the financial, social and other impacts of
these changes.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Health and Social
Services Advisory Committee recommends that the City undertake and allocate the
necessary resources for ongoing review, reporting and evaluation of the
financial and social impacts for both applicants and their spouses receiving
ODSP, with particular attention to changes in benefit and overall income levels
and their impact on the health and well-being of ODSP recipients, with annual
reporting to commence within 12 months of the initial implementation of the
mandated changes to ODSP.
CARRIED
Action: Following
and inquiry about the ODSP definition of spouse, Ms. Farrell will send a response to the
HSSAC.
INFORMATION ITEMS
POINTS D’INFORMATION
9. HEALTH,
RECREATION AND SOCIAL SERVICES COMMITTEE –
DISPOSITION OF
ITEMS FROM 4 MAY 2006
COMITÉ DE LA
SANTÉ, DES LOISIRS ET DES SERVICES SOCIAUX – RETRAIT DE L’ARTICLE DE LA RÉUNION
DU 4 MAI 2006
The
disposition was received for information.
ADJOURNMENT
LEVÉE
DE LA SÉANCE
The Committee adjourned the meeting at
10:10 p.m.
Original Signed By Original
Signed By
________________________ _____________________________
Committee
Coordinator Chair
