Meeting of Chairs and Vice Chairs

Réunion des présidents et vice-présidents

(Advisory Committees and Boards)

(Comités et conseils consultatifs)

Monday, 9 December 2002, 6:00 p.m.

le lundi 9 décembre 2002, 18 h

Festival Room, 110 Laurier Avenue West

Salle Festival, 110, avenue Laurier ouest

Present / Présent : Accessibility Advisory Committee, Agriculture and Rural Affairs Advisory Committee, Arts Advisory Committee, Cumberland Museum Board, Cycling Advisory Committee, Environmental Advisory Committee, Equity and Diversity Advisory Committee, French Language Services Advisory Committee, Health and Social Services Advisory Committee, Heritage Advisory Committee, Local Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee, Mobility Issues Advisory Committee, Ottawa Forests Advisory Committee, Ottawa Youth Cabinet, Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee, Poverty Issues Advisory Committee, Richmond Conservation Area Management Team, Seniors Advisory Committee and Taxi Advisory Committee

Others / Autres : Bruce Thom, City Manager

David Bray, General Manager, Human Resources Department

Steve Kanellakos, General Manager, Emergency and Protective Services Department

Jocelyne St Jean, General Manager, People Services Department

Ian McCallum, Community Outreach Officer, Mayor’s Office

Pierre Pagé, City Clerk/ Director, Secretariat Services

Elaine Fleury, Manager, Council and Committee Services, Secretariat Services

Stephani Roy McCallum, Prg. Manager, Policy and Projects, Secretariat Services

Cheryle Watson, Coordinator, Policy and Projects, Secretariat Services

Louis-Philippe Basque, Secretariat Services

Robbie Tremblay, Advisory Committee Coordinator, Secretariat Services

Joanna Barclay, Facilitator (Collaborative Connections)

Julie Westeinde, Facilitator (Breakthrough Learning Associates)

WELCOME AND OPENING REMARKS

MOT DE BIENVENUE ET ALLOCUTION D’OUVERTURE

Bruce Thom, General Manager, welcomed attendees to the third meeting between the City’s Chairs and Vice-Chairs of Advisory Committees and Boards and City staff. Mr. Thom recognized the on-going contribution and work of the attendees. He briefly discussed the meeting’s format and introduced the facilitators.

CONFIRMATION OF MINUTES

RATIFICATION DES PROCÈS-VERBAUX

Minutes of the Chairs and Vice Chairs meeting of 15 April 2002 were confirmed with minor typographical corrections.

Action: Elaine Fleury, Manager, Council and Committee Services was asked to report on the actions noted at the previous meeting.

COMMITTEE PROGRESS-MILESTONES

AVANCEMENT DES TRAVAUX DES COMITÉS – ÉTAPES CLÉS

Pierre Pagé, City Clerk/ Director, Secretariat Services provided a brief overview of the Committee Progress-Milestone document, which provides a historical outline with respect to the creation, progress and milestones to date for the Advisory Committees under the amalgamated City of Ottawa. A document outlining a selection of accomplishments was circulated and Mr. Pagé noted it was just a sample of the numerous achievements of the past year. Clarification was sought on the historical timeline for the creation of certain advisory committees.

PART A – STRUCTURE AND GOVERNANCE OF COMMITTEES

PARTIE A – STRUCTURE ET GOUVERNANCE DES COMITÉS

Advisory Committee Structure

Structure des comités consultatifs

Pierre Pagé, City Clerk/ Director, Secretariat Services circulated an organizational chart outlining the reporting relationship for Advisory Committees to Standing Committees and Council. He noted that the Advisory Committees were established based on best practices, public feedback and Transition Board project team input.

Action: It was agreed that Council & Committee Services staff would coordinate the compilation of a list of accomplishments as identified by each advisory committee in order to showcase their work and contributions.

Appointment Policy and Process

Politique et processus de nomination

Stephani Roy McCallum, Program Manager, Policy and Projects, tabled the Appointments Policy and noted many attendees had requested that this item be placed on the agenda for further discussion. The Seniors Advisory Committee circulated a written submission providing a series of recommendations with respect to the Appointment Policy. Those in attendance provided the following feedback and suggestions: (Separate correspondence will be forthcoming from Policy & Projects Division in January 2003, with regard to the suggestions made, and efforts to make the process more effective.)

· A minimum geographic distribution should be ensured with representation from four areas (east, west, centre and rural);

· Candidates should apply to be on a maximum of two (2) Advisory Committees. (A suggestion was also received recommending no limit);

· The ownership of the process should be clarified and defined;

· Specific Advisory Committees may have specific advertising needs;

· More weight should be given to applicants who are seeking re-appointment, if supported by the Advisory Committee;

· A minimum of bilingual members should be guaranteed;

· Candidates should be properly screened before appointment;

· A bigger pool of reserves was requested;

· Interviews should be conducted in the presence of all selection panel members;

· Changes to the policy should be communicated further to Advisory Committees;

· Interested candidates should be encouraged to attend meetings prior to selection;

· Some flexibility should be shown in terms of the timing of appointments (not just once a year);

· Résumés should be translated for unilingual selection panel members;

· The policy as published should be followed;

· Out-going youth representatives should be consulted for Ottawa Youth Cabinet appointments;

· Patronage must be avoided;

· Advisory Committees could provide additional criteria for candidates;

· The committee year and fiscal year are out of synchronization;

· Ensure that new members can commit the time;

· Interviews should be mandatory;

Roles and Responsibilities

Rôles et responsabilités

Pierre Pagé, City Clerk/ Director, Secretariat Services noted the Roles and Responsibilities were clarified at previous meetings and attendees were invited to share their points of clarification, concern and praise on this issue.

Points of clarification were identified on the following topics (Separate Correspondence will be forthcoming in January 2003 from the Policy & Projects Division providing clarification on the following points.):

· The role of the lead department (attendance, support, mandate);

· The training of Chairs and Vice Chairs on the Rules of Procedure governing Advisory Committees;

· The role of the Chair and Vice Chair in terms of the reporting relationship to staff and Standing Committee and Council;

· The selection of non-voting Council liaisons;

· The handling of individuals who are not fulfilling their responsibility;

· The recognition and acknowledgment by staff of the input provided;

· The rules governing questions and presentations from the public at Advisory Committee meetings;

· The attendance and support of Coordinators at sub-committee meetings;

· The utilization of parking passes rather than tickets.

The subsequent concerns were raised: (Separate correspondence will be forthcoming in January 2003 from the Policy & Projects Division on efforts to address these issues.)

· Workplans and staff timelines are not synchronized;

· The roles do not include Council-staff relations;

· These documents are not being communicated;

· Coordinators change too frequently;

· A Committee representative should be able to attend a conference even if a staff person is attending, because their roles are different;

· It is a challenge to coordinate input from various committees on issues of common interest;

· Is the Advisory Committee’s role to act as Council’s buffer or clearinghouse?

· Councillor’s attendance at meetings is desired and essential;

· An issue/item must be communicated before it is finalized;

· Not all Committee members contribute equally to the work of the Committee. A pre-selection interview would solve this asking what they would do.

The following items were considered to be going well:

· Relations with staff are evolving well (more open and coming to us);

· The role is clear;

· Coordinators are excellent;

· Speaking at committee meetings is slowly improving with timed agendas;

· For the Richmond Conservation Authority Management Team, the internal/external membership balance is working well;

· Members enjoy making a difference.

Budgets and Workplan Funding

Budgets et financement du plan de travail

Elaine Fleury, Manager, Council and Committee Services provided a brief explanation of the budgets and workplan funding. She noted $150,000 was allocated by Council to be distributed amongst advisory committees for workplan items. Ms. Fleury also outlined the criteria set by Council and the exception pertaining to conferences. In response to questions from the attendees, the Manager explained that the funds are divided equally and distributed by the Standing Committee to the advisory committees that report to it. If an Advisory Committee asks for less money the Standing Committee may allocate more funds to other Advisory Committees that report to it. A concern was raised with respect to establishing a detailed plan and budget for such a small amount and it was suggested that staff monitor the expenses. Stephani Roy McCallum, Program Manager, Policy and Projects, responded that Advisory Committees are to provide advice to Council who must approve the activities being proposed.

Participation Expense Policy

Politique sur les dépenses de participation

Stephani Roy McCallum, Program Manager, Policy and Projects, noted as a result of suggestions made by Committee members the Participation Expense Policy was amended in August 2002 to ensure volunteers are not out of pocket for providing their advice to Council. She reiterated that sub-committee members who are non-voting members are not reimbursed for participation expenses.

PART B – MOVING FORWARD

PARTIE B – SUITE

The facilitators asked attendees to join one of the discussion groups on the various topics under Moving Forward. Group members provided the following recommendations and comments:

Improving Lead Time

Amélioration des délais de production

(Members will be contacted in January 2003 by the Policy and Projects Division with regard to these suggestions, and efforts to improve the process.)

· Access to RADAR (or a small list of upcoming reports) would assist Advisory Committees with scheduling future meeting agendas;

· More lead time must be given on significant documents (i.e. Official Plan and Secondary Plans);

· Ensuring more involvement at the early stage on an issue or when the budget is developed would allow for proper consultation (e.g. 1-2 years before finalization at the concept phase);

· Confidentiality considerations were acknowledged, however Advisory Committees must be consulted before a document becomes public.

Monitoring Policy Implementation

Suivi de la mise en œuvre des politiques

(Members will be contacted in January 2003 by the Policy and Projects Division with regard to these suggestions, and efforts to improve the process.)

· The group noted no feedback has been received to date on policy implementation;

· Feedback from Standing Committee and Council on the workplan was sought;

· Regular meetings with the Standing Committee Chair were suggested;

· When an Advisory Committee is asked for advice and it is provided, a follow up on whether the recommendations were implemented and feedback from the Standing Committee would be appreciated.

Training and Tools for Committee Members

Outils et formation à l’intention des membres des comités

(Members will be contacted in January 2003 by the Policy and Projects Division with regard to these suggestions, and efforts to improve the process.)

· A one-page summary was recommended to ensure Rules of Procedure are known and followed;

· A session on how to use the internet and email correspondence wisely was suggested;

· Attendees suggested a training session on how to deal with the media and how to conduct an interview.

Community Outreach Partnership – Facilitators

Partenariat communautaire – Facilitateurs

(Members will be contacted in January 2003 by the Policy and Projects Division with regard to these suggestions, and efforts to improve the process.)

· The Poverty Issues Advisory Committee has approached Health and Resource Centres to recruit sub-committee members (other groups could also be contacted);

· Typical marketing challenges such as getting information out were mentioned. The following channels were identified: internet, City’s website, Community newspapers; newspapers, radio and television;

· A suggestion was raised to go to the public to determine the perception of what has changed and what has not;

· An all-day conference was recommended.

Public Participation Policy Development

Élaboration d’une politique sur la participation du public

(Members will be contacted in January 2003 by the Policy and Projects Division with regard to these suggestions, and efforts to improve the process.)

· Use Advisory Committees to develop principles and values;

· Work groups with staff and Advisory Committees can assist in this exercise.

FOLLOW UP

SUIVI

Action : Secretariat Services Staff undertook to provide responses in a timely manner to the points of clarification and recommendations raised by the attendees.

ADJOURNMENT
LEVÉE DE LA SÉANCE

The meeting of Chairs and Vice Chairs adjourned at 8:35 p.m.