1. creation of the RURAL AFFAIRS OFFICE and rural summit workplan status update

Création du Bureau des affaires rurales et rapport de situation sur le plan de travail du Sommet rural

COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS

That Council:

1. Approve the creation of the Rural Affairs Office with the associated FTEs and budget as described in this report;

2. Approve the FTE and budget associated with the expansion of the Terms of Reference for the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Standing Committee and the creation of the Rural Affairs Advisory Committee as described in this report; and

3. Receive the update on the status of the Rural Summit action plan for information.

Recommandations du comitÉ

Que le Conseil municipal :

1. d’approuve la création du Bureau des affaires rurales ainsi que les ÉTP et le budget connexes, tels que décrits dans le présent rapport;

2. d’approuve les ÉTP et le budget liés à l’expansion du mandat du Comité permanent de l’agriculture et des questions rurales et la création d’un comité consultatif sur les questions rurales, tels que décrits dans le présent rapport; et

3. prendre connaissance du rapport de situation sur le plan d’action du Sommet rural.

Documentation

1. City Manager’s report dated 20 April 2006 (ACS2006-CMR-OCM-0005).

2. Extract of Draft Minutes 24, Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee meeting of April 20, 2006.

Report to/Rapport au :

Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee

Comité de l'agriculture et des questions rurales

and Council / et au Conseil

20 April 2006 / le 20 avril 2006

Submitted by/Soumis par : Kent Kirkpatrick,

City Manager/Directeur des services municipaux

Contact Person/Personne ressource : Moira Winch,

Rural Summit Project Manager / Gestionnaire de project, Sommet rural

City Manager's Office / Bureau du directeur municipal

(613) 580-2424 x13360, moira.winch@ottawa.ca

City Wide

Ref N°: ACS2006-CMR-OCM-0005

SUBJECT:

creation of the RURAL AFFAIRS OFFICE and rural summit workplan status update

OBJET :

Création du Bureau des affaires rurales et rapport de situation sur le plan de travail du Sommet rural

REPORT RECOMMENDATIONS

That the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee recommend Council:

1. Approve the creation of the Rural Affairs Office with the associated FTEs and budget as described in this report;

3. Receive the update on the status of the Rural Summit action plan for information.

RECOMMANDATIONS DU RAPPORT

Que le Comité de l’agriculture et des questions rurales recommande au Conseil :

1. d’approuver la création du Bureau des affaires rurales ainsi que les ÉTP et le budget connexes, tels que décrits dans le présent rapport;

2. d’approuver les ÉTP et le budget liés à l’expansion du mandat du Comité permanent de l’agriculture et des questions rurales et la création d’un comité consultatif sur les questions rurales, tels que décrits dans le présent rapport; et

3. de prendre connaissance du rapport de situation sur le plan d’action du Sommet rural.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AND BACKGROUND

In January 2005, Mayor Chiarelli announced the City of Ottawa would host a Rural Summit to identify ways in which the City could improve how it delivers services to its rural constituents and to promote greater understanding between the City’s rural and urban residents. In June 2005, City Council approved the approach for Ottawa’s Rural Summit, a two-day event to be held in the fall of 2005. In preparation for Ottawa’s Rural Summit, in-depth consultations took place throughout rural Ottawa to identify the major issues of concern to rural residents and businesses and the agricultural community. The issues identified through these consultations led to the creation of six sub-committees consisting of rural residents and City staff to research, investigate and develop options for solutions to the major issues in Access, Communication and Consultation; Governance; Service Issues; Policy Issues; Rural Business Issues and Agriculture. Participants on Day Two of the Summit would consider the options for solutions from the Sub-committees, and the recommendations in these areas that arose from Day Two of the Rural Summit were forwarded to the Rural Summit Task Force for further review and to determine the priorities to be recommended to Council for inclusion in the 2006 Budget.

The report on the Rural Summit and its outcomes, including the Task Force recommendations, are outlined in full in the Rural Summit-Final Report (ACS2006-CMR-OCM-0004), received by City Council on March 8, 2006.

The Rural Summit Task Force presented its recommendations to City Council as part of the Budget 2006 process. Improving the governance of rural issues and concerns was one of the most important priorities of the Task Force, and there were three key initiatives that the Task Force recommended to achieve that goal: the expansion of the role of the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Standing Committee, the establishment of a Rural Issues Advisory Committee and the creation of a Rural Affairs Office as part of the City Manager’s Office. A budget envelope of $500,000 for these three initiatives was identified within the $1.9 million Rural Summit allocation.

The City has begun work on all of the Rural Task Force action items under the leadership of Moira Winch, the Rural Summit Project Manager and Ned Lathrop, the Deputy City Manager of Planning and Growth Management. An update on the status of these initiatives is included in this report.

The Governance priorities identified by the Rural Summit Task Force have been the focus of attention from the City Clerk’s office and the City Manager’s Office to meet the City Manager’s commitment of having the changes to the Standing Committee, the Advisory Committee and the Rural Affairs Officer in place by June.

The City Clerk’s Office has been working closely with the Rural Summit Task Force, Executive Management Team, all City Departments and Moira Winch, Rural Summit Project Manager, to prepare revised Terms of Reference for the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee and a proposal for the creation of the Rural Issues Advisory Committee, and these are outlined in the Rural Summit—Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee Terms of Reference report (ACS2006-CRS-CCB-0027), under consideration by Committee and Council at the same time as this report. The $100,000 and 1 Full-Time Equivalent position (FTE) needed to support these Committees are being recommended for approval as part of the Governance allocation in this report.

The City Manager and the Rural Summit Project Manager have been developing the mandate and structure for the Rural Affairs Office, to be lead by a Rural Affairs Officer. The Office will ensure that rural issues continue to be a prime focus of the City Manager, and that emerging rural and agricultural concerns are identified and understood by the City’s Executive Management Team. As directed by the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Standing Committee, the Office will act as a champion and advocate for services related to the rural areas, help rural and agricultural organizations achieve their goals and objectives, work directly with provincial and federal agencies whose policies affect agriculture and rural affairs, and research new policies and initiatives as needed. As well, the Office will support the implementation of the Rural Task Force Action Plan and the work of the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Standing Committee and the Rural Issues Advisory Committee.

It is recognized that the recommended mandate of the Rural Affairs Office outlined in this report is a starting point, and that the role of the Rural Affairs Office (which will be funded from the remaining $400,000 of the Governance budget envelope) will evolve to respond to the needs of the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Standing Committee and the rural community. However, the creation of the Rural Affairs Office as presented will ensure that the progress and momentum that began with the Rural Summit will continue without interruption.

SOMMAIRE ET CONTEXTE

En janvier 2005, le maire Bob Chiarelli a annoncé que la ville d’Ottawa serait l’hôte d’un sommet rural, afin de déterminer comment la ville pouvait améliorer la prestation de ses services à ses constituantes rurales et favoriser une meilleure compréhension entre les résidents des secteurs urbains et ruraux de la municipalité. En juin de même année, le Conseil municipal a approuvé l’approche retenue concernant le Sommet rural d’Ottawa, soit un événement s’échelonnant sur deux jours qui aurait lieu à l’automne 2005. Dans le cadre de la préparation à l’événement, on a procédé à des consultations approfondies à l’échelle des secteurs ruraux d’Ottawa en vue de cibler les sujets de préoccupation les plus importants pour les résidents et les entreprises de ces secteurs, ainsi que pour la collectivité agricole. Les questions déterminées au moyen de ces consultations ont mené à la création de six sous‑comités, formés de résidents ruraux et d’employés municipaux, chargés de chercher, de scruter et d’élaborer des options de solutions aux principaux problèmes cernés dans les domaines suivants : l’accès, la communication et la consultation; la gouvernance; les enjeux liés aux services; les enjeux liés aux politiques; les enjeux liés aux entreprises rurales et à l’agriculture. Lors de la seconde journée du Sommet, les participants ont eu pour tâche d’étudier les options de solutions proposées par les sous‑comités, ce qui a donné lieu à des recommandations qui ont été transmises au Groupe de travail du Sommet rural, afin que celui‑ci les examine plus en profondeur et détermine des priorités qu’il soumettrait au Conseil, en recommandant de les inclure au budget de 2006.

Le rapport sur le Sommet rural et ses résultats, y compris les recommandations du Groupe de travail, figurent en entier dans le document Sommet rural - Rapport final (ACS2006-CMR-OCM-0004), présenté au Conseil le 8 mars 2006.

Le Groupe de travail du Sommet rural a présenté ses recommandations au Conseil municipal dans le cadre du processus d’établissement du budget de 2006. L’amélioration de la gouvernance en ce qui a trait aux enjeux et aux préoccupations des secteurs ruraux a constitué l’une des principales priorités du Groupe de travail et, pour réaliser cet objectif, celui‑ci a recommandé trois initiatives clés : l’élargissement du mandat du Comité permanent de l’agriculture et des affaires rurales, la création d’un Comité consultatif sur les enjeux ruraux et la mise sur pied d’un Bureau des affaires rurales, qui ferait partie du Bureau du directeur municipal. On a déterminé une enveloppe budgétaire de 500 000 $ pour ces trois initiatives, provenant du montant de 1 900 000 $ affecté dans le cadre du Sommet rural.

Sous la direction de Moira Winch, gestionnaire de projet du Sommet rural, et de Ned Lathrop, directeur municipal adjoint de l’Urbanisme et de la Gestion de la croissance, la Ville a entrepris de donner suite à toutes les mesures déterminées par le Groupe de travail.

Le Bureau du greffe et le Bureau du directeur municipal se sont concentrés sur les priorités en matière de gouvernance ciblées par le Groupe de travail du Sommet, afin que soit respecté l’engagement pris par le directeur municipal de faire en sorte que les changements au Comité permanent, au Comité consultatif et au poste d’agent des affaires rurales soient achevés en juin.

Le Bureau du greffe a collaboré étroitement avec le Groupe de travail du Sommet rural, l’Équipe des cadres de direction, tous les Services municipaux et Moira Winch, gestionnaire de projet du Sommet rural, afin de préparer le mandat modifié du Comité permanent de l’agriculture et des affaires rurales et de formuler une proposition pour la création du Comité consultatif sur les questions rurales; le mandat et la proposition figurent dans le rapport Sommet rural - Mandat modifié du Comité de l’agriculture et des questions rurales (ACS2006-CRS-CCB-0027), et sont examinés par le Comité et le Conseil en même temps que le présent rapport. Dans le rapport, le montant de 100 000 $ et le poste équivalent temps plein (ÉTP) nécessaires au fonctionnement de ces comités sont recommandés aux fins d’approbation dans le cadre de l’affectation liée à la gouvernance.

Le directeur municipal et la gestionnaire de projet du Sommet rural se sont attachés à élaborer le mandat et la structure du Bureau des affaires rurales, qui sera dirigé par un agent des Affaires rurales. Le Bureau visera à faire en sorte que les enjeux ruraux continuent de figurer parmi les principaux centres d’intérêt du directeur municipal et que les préoccupations rurales soient bien ciblées et comprises par l’Équipe des cadres de direction de la Ville. Comme l’a demandé le Comité permanent de l’agriculture et des questions rurales, le Bureau agira à titre de champion et de défenseur des services liés aux secteurs ruraux, aidera les organismes ruraux et agricoles à atteindre leurs objectifs, travaillera directement avec les organismes provinciaux et fédéraux dont les politiques ont des répercussions sur l’agriculture et les affaires rurales, et procédera à des recherches concernant de nouvelles politiques et initiatives, au besoin. En outre, le Bureau viendra appuyer la mise en œuvre du plan d’action du Groupe de travail du Sommet rural, ainsi que le travail effectué par le Comité permanent de l’agriculture et des questions rurales et le Comité consultatif sur les questions rurales.

Nous reconnaissons que le mandat du Bureau des affaires rurales recommandé dans le présent rapport ne constitue qu’un point de départ, et que le rôle du Bureau (qui sera financé à partir des 400 000 $ restants de l’enveloppe budgétaire de la gouvernance) évoluera en fonction des besoins du Comité permanent de l’agriculture et des questions rurales et de la collectivité rurale. Toutefois, la création du Bureau des affaires rurales, tel qu’il est présenté, permettra d’assurer une progression constante et de faire en sorte que l’élan donné par le Sommet rural soit maintenu sans interruption.

DISCUSSION

The report on the Rural Summit and its outcomes, outlined in full in the Rural Summit-Final Report (ACS2006-CMR-OCM-0004), identified the Rural Summit Task Force’s highest priorities:

q structuring an enhanced Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee (ARAC) which would have increased authority to respond to the needs of rural citizens directly;

q creating a Rural Issues Advisory Committee;

q introducing a Rural Affairs Office within the City Manager’s Office to support the enhanced Agriculture and Rural Affairs Standing Committee, the Rural Issues Advisory Committee, the agricultural community, the rural business community and rural residents;

q developing training programs that improve communication and consultation with rural residents and increase staffs' ability to respond effectively to enquiries from rural citizens;

q increasing broadband access for rural residents and businesses;

q and, increasing rural road and ditch maintenance.

These priorities were endorsed by City Council as part of the 2006 Budget in December 2005. The following table identifies the considerable progress the Rural Summit Task Force and City staff have made on these priority initiatives over the past five months:

		Initiatives	Expected Outcomes	Status & Comments
Services		Rural roads and ditches: $6.36M investment in 2006 Includes $795,000 in new money supported by Rural Task Force, approved by Council	· Better and safer roads for rural residents. New gravel, some upgrades to hard surface, and spot improvements at hills, intersections and railway crossings. · Better ditches result in better drainage which prevents deterioration and flooding of roads · Will fund more than 200 rural projects in 2006: 90 gravel resurfacing projects, 120 ditching, numerous spot repairs · $795,000 in new money is a Summit benefit delivered	· Already approved · To be implemented this year
Governance	Create Rural Affairs Office		· Provides full-time advocate for rural residents who is plugged-in to decision-makers at City Hall · Will consult with rural residents, community groups, farmers and business owners and connects them to City Hall · Brings issues and information to ARAC · Pro-actively looks to improve services and address rural concerns · Tracks international, federal and provincial agricultural policies and issues and connects local farmers – and City – to other levels of government	· Apr 20: ARAC (committee) · Apr 26: City Council · April 2006: Post job for Officer · Spring/Summer 2006: Fill position · Summer 2006: Officer hires staff
Governance	Staff Rural Affairs Office		· See above	· Summer/Fall 2006: Staff office
Governance	Expand powers of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee (ARAC)		· Puts rural issues more in the hands of rural representatives, in a forum where the focus is on rural residents and their priorities · Rural planning issues (e.g. re-zoning, severance applications, Village secondary plans) and transportation issues (e.g. gravel road maintenance, intersection improvements) to go to ARAC instead of going to Planning and Environment Committee or Transportation Committee. (Some issues to require joint meetings) · Rural appointments to some boards and organizations (Carp Airport, Committee of Adjustment) to go to ARAC instead of Corporate Services and Economic Development Committee · Some bylaw issues having primary impact in the rural areas to go to ARAC instead of Emergency and Protective Services Committee (e.g. appointment of livestock valuers, fence viewers)	Timeline for New Terms of Reference: · Apr 20: ARAC (committee) · Apr 26: City Council · April 27: Take effect, if approved
Governance	Establish Rural Issues Advisory Committee (RIAC)		· Dedicated group of farmers, rural residents & business owners who have the ear of ARAC, Council and staff to make sure rural views influence City decisions · Includes representatives from Rural Council, agricultural associations, rural tourism, rural business	Timeline for New Terms of Reference: · Apr 20 - ARAC · Apr 26 – Council Spring/Summer 2006: First meeting
Policy	Work plan to resolve wetland issues		· City to work with – not against - property owners · Establish Wetland Stakeholder Group to implement work plan · Fix existing drainage problems · Find ways to protect both real wetlands *and* the interests of rural landowners · Petition province for changes to wetland evaluation system	Workplan: · March 9: ARAC approved · April 5: Stakeholder group held 1^st meeting · Summer 2006: Report on results
Rural Business	Make City contracts more accessible to rural companies (i.e. “review and change procurement policies to allow for contracts based on smaller dollar amounts, location, reduced security, and insurance requirements”)		· Give rural companies a better chance to win City contracts · Strengthens rural economy · Give rural businesses chance to do public works in their community as before amalgamation · Give City options for greater efficiency (e.g. crew in rural area can make purchase at nearby hardware store instead of going back downtown to main supplier)	· March 2006: Review underway · April/May 2006: Report to ARAC/ CSED · May 2006: Report to Council · Spring/Summer 2006: Workshops for small business on how to win City contracts
Rural Business	Expand Broadband		· Access to broadband for every rural resident and business owner by 2008 · Provide services that are difficult or impossible to get with dial-up: video conferencing, video-on-demand, online learning, distance medicine · Results in new business opportunities, and improved access to services, information and entertainment	· Report underway on potential to use towers for expanded wireless telecommunications and broadband · Spring 2006: Tower report complete · 2006/2007: Develop Masterplan and public consultation strategy
Rural Business	Expand Toll-Free Calling		· No more long distance charges calling anywhere within Ottawa-Hull · Rural residents and business can call anywhere in City with no long-distance charge or extra hassle · Introduce city wide, 3-year surcharge to recover toll-revenues forgone because of toll-free calling	Report to move ahead and select surcharge option: · Apr 27: ARAC · 2 May: CSEDC · 10 May: Council · Sept 2006: CRTC application · 2007: target implementation
Rural Business	Establish City-Centre Farmers’ Market		· Build partnership between City and Ottawa Farmer’s Market Association · Give local producers new source of revenue; helps keep farming viable · Gives local consumers something they want: fresh, home-grown produce and meat and local crafts · Encourage expansion of grow-local, sell-local producers	Report endorsing project, granting start-up support: · March 23: ARAC approved · April 12: Council approved · Summer 2006: pilot project underway at Lansdowne for summers 2006 and 2007 · 2007: Staff report on options for permanent market
Rural Business	Buy Local Brand Campaign		· Help local producers distinguish their products from imports. Strengthens local farmers, creates market for local goods · Recognize and promote the historical role and cultural relationship between urban communities and the farming community	· City to lead creation of Steering Committee with community, business, agricultural partners
Rural Business	Rural Association Partnership Program		· City to match funds (up to $7,500) put up by rural business groups, farmers markets and fairs for projects that support rural economy · Puts project selection in hands of jury made up of community members	· March 23: ARAC approved · April 12: Council approved · April 13: Open for applications · May 15: deadline for 2006 submissions
Access, Communication and consultation	Train front line staff (3-1-1, Client Service Centres) about rural issues, communities		· Staff answering calls and emails and greeting residents at service counters will know enough to take ownership of problem/question · Staff can deal with straightforward inquiries themselves and directly refer more complicated issues to the right person · Results for client: better answers, shorter wait-time, greater accountability	· Recommended by Task Force · March 2006: Training complete
Access, Communication and consultation	Train “Rural Experts” among Client Services staff (in 3-1-1, Client Service Centres) to handle issues that need in-depth knowledge		· Gives residents and business easy access to staff who can deal with more complicated or specialized rural questions, issues	· Fall 2006: Training to be complete
Access, Communication and consultation	Develop Rural Website at Ottawa.ca		· One-stop site for everything rural residents and business owners want to know about City services and issues · Info on everything from well-water testing to rural bylaws to applying for a burn permit · Makes it easier and faster for rural citizens to access and deal with City on the issues that matter to them · Highlights and promotes important rural events (e.g. fall fairs)	· Spring/Summer 2006: develop concept, consult with rural residents, businesses · Summer/Fall 2006: Launch site
Agriculture	Appointment of Livestock Valuers - *from the community* - to review claims for livestock losses		· Directly responds to concern that compensation for livestock losses was too low · Instead of bylaw staff implementing evaluation process, the job will now belong to members of agricultural/rural community · Brings back common pre-amalgamation practice of appointing officers from community	· 2005: Concept approved by Council · March 23: Councillors Brooks and Thompson selected to review applications and select valuers · Spring 2006: community valuers appointed
Agriculture	Grant program to offset building permit fees for farm buildings required by Nutrient Management Act		· Relieves farmers of one more expense; helps in a small way to stay competitive · Some compensation for increasing costs (taxes, fuel) and lost revenues (e.g. BSE) · City used to waive these fees before province changed rules in July 2005 · New program will give grants in 2006 and reimburse farmers who paid fees since July ‘05 · $35,000 in new money is a summit benefit delivered	Report outlining program: · April 4: Approved by Corporate Services and Economic Development Committee · April 12: Approved by Council

Improving Rural Governance:

The three Governance priorities identified by the Rural Summit Task Force have been the focus of attention from the City Clerk’s Office and the City Manager’s Office to meet the City Manager’s commitment of having the changes to the Standing Committee, the Advisory Committee and the Rural Affairs Officer in place by June.

Enhancing the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Standing Committee and Creating the Rural Issues Advisory Committee

The City Clerk’s Office has been working closely with the Rural Summit Task Force, Executive Management Team, all City Departments and Moira Winch, Rural Summit Project Manager, to prepare revised Terms of Reference for the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee and a proposal for the creation of the Rural Issues Advisory Committee, and these are outlined in the Rural Summit—Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee Revised Terms of Reference report (ACS2006-CRS-CCB-0027), under consideration by Committee and Council at the same time as this report.

The additional meetings and volume of material that will be created as a result of these changes require the addition of a Committee Assistant and an increase to the meetings budget.

The $100,000 and 1 Full-Time Equivalent position (FTE) needed to support the enhanced Agriculture and Rural Affairs Standing Committee and the Rural Issues Advisory Committee are being recommended for approval as part of the $500,000 Governance allocation within the $1.9 million Rural Summit envelope.

Creating a Rural Affairs Office

The Rural Summit was widely regarded to be a significant and necessary first step towards improving the relationship between the City of Ottawa and its rural citizens – but it was understood to be a beginning rather than an end in itself. In order to maintain the awareness of the importance of rural issues and the momentum gained to resolve those issues that began with the Summit, the Task Force asked that a Rural Office be created and that it report directly to the City Manager.

The City Manager and the Rural Summit Project Manager have developed the mandate and a recommended structure for the Rural Affairs Office.

First and foremost, the Rural Affairs Office will ensure that rural issues continue to be a prime focus of the City Manager, and that emerging rural and agricultural concerns are identified and understood by the City’s Executive Management Team. The Rural Affairs Officer, as head of that unit, will sit with the City’s Executive Management Committee to provide advice on the potential impact of City initiatives on rural citizens and work on behalf of the City Manager and the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee to identify potential practical, common sense solutions to issues as they arise.

As directed by the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Standing Committee, the Office will act as an advocate for services related to the rural areas, help rural and agricultural organizations achieve their goals and objectives, work directly with provincial and federal agencies whose policies affect agriculture and rural affairs, and research new policies and initiatives as needed. As well, the Office will support the implementation of the Rural Task Force Action Plan and the work of the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Standing Committee and the Rural Issues Advisory Committee.

The Rural Affairs Office staff will be visible in the community. They will regularly attend community meetings and events, and work with rural and agricultural groups and organizations on an ongoing basis. The Office will be able to provide service in both official languages and maintain regular contact with the federal and provincial organizations that deal with rural issues.

The Office consists of 4 staff that together will have the expertise to effectively manage issues, anticipate and respond to community needs, and effectively champion change as directed by Committee and Council and/or the City Manager (as appropriate).

Specifically, the Rural Office will:

1. Possess expertise in both rural affairs and City programs and services in order to bridge the gap in understanding of the rural perspective and City’s perspective for service delivery by:

Developing and maintaining expert knowledge of the City’s by-laws, policies, programs and services
Developing and maintaining expert knowledge of the major components of the legislative agenda for the City of Ottawa, its committees, advisory boards, and agencies
Developing and maintaining expert knowledge of the major components of the rural-related legislative agenda, programs and services of the federal and provincial governments.

2. Support rural citizens by:

Providing expert strategic advice on key rural issues to the City’s Executive Management Team and elected officials

Consulting and negotiating with key departmental contacts to improve the communications, activities, services, and programs directed to rural constituents
Representing the rural perspective, in accordance with Committee and Council’s direction, to the provincial and federal authorities.

3. Support the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Standing Committee and Advisory Committee by:

· Reporting and responding to the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Standing Committee on emerging rural issues.

· Acting as the staff resource for the Rural Issues Advisory Committee.

4. Develop and implement rural-specific strategies and projects consistent with the City’s goals and priorities as directed by the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Standing Committee. (e.g. Rural Summit Task Force Action Plan)

5. Provide strategic advice on rural communications from the City by:

Advising on public consultation strategies for policy and service changes and initiatives that address rural concerns and take into consideration rural needs
Identifying and understanding emerging rural issues affecting the corporation and advising on issues management strategies for the timely response

6. Conduct research and analysis for the purpose of presenting recommendations for rural-specific best practices in policy and programs as directed by the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Standing Committee.

It is recommended that the process to hire the Rural Affairs Officer begin as soon as Council approves the position. Once hired, it is expected that the Rural Affairs Officer will further refine the job descriptions and workplans for the rest of the Office. However, the Office will undertake the following activities over the coming months:

Immediate / Short Term Activities:

· Determine the organization structure for the Rural Affairs Office and conduct the staffing process.

· Support the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Standing Committee on emerging rural issues, by-laws, policies, programs and services affecting the rural areas.

· Work in consultation with departmental staff to address matters of rural affairs.

· Oversee the implementation of the Rural Summit and Task Force recommendations.

- Develop a work plan (with departments) for implementation of Rural Summit priorities.

· Establish a working relationship with the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee and the Rural Issues Advisory Committee.

· Establish a process to ensure inclusion in the legislative agenda review process so that all reports with rural implications can be reviewed for comment before they go forward to Committees and Council for approval.

· Develop and begin implementing a change management strategy that addresses how rural affairs, issues, and concerns are managed within the City.

· Begin to establish relationships with The Ottawa Rural Council, rural community and recreation associations, agricultural groups and rural business associations.

Medium Term Activities:

· Develop an inventory of rural related services and service levels in order to document a baseline and develop performance indicators and track progress over time.

· Liaise with all departments to document areas of concern that relate to agriculture and rural issues.

· Develop a communication and consultation protocol that addresses rural concerns and takes into consideration rural needs (i.e. spring planting, fall harvest, winter shows).

· Develop a knowledge base of provincial and federal resources, programs, and key contacts.

· Develop a solid working relationship with the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, the Conservation Authorities serving Ottawa’s rural areas, local Fair Boards, provincial and federal key contacts, etc.

· Maintain a dialogue and promote relationships with other amalgamated municipalities with the view to begin problem-solving at the provincial level.

Long Term Activities:

· Conduct best practice reviews for topics within the Office’s scope.

· Develop an expertise in agriculture and environmental related research and issues.

· Organize and implement the next Rural Summit (once per term of Council).

It is recognized that the recommended mandate of the Rural Affairs Office outlined in this report is a starting point, and that the role of the Rural Affairs Office will evolve to respond to the needs of the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Standing Committee and the rural community. However, the creation of the Rural Affairs Office as presented will ensure that the progress and momentum that began with the Rural Summit will continue without interruption.

Funding Issues

When the Rural Summit Task Force earmarked funds for the three governance priorities, the $500,000 envelope was based on very high level estimates of the resources that might be needed to successfully complete the three projects. City Clerk’s Office identified that they needed $100,000 of those funds to support the new work of the enhanced Agriculture and Rural Affairs Standing Committee and the work of the new Rural Issues Advisory Committee.

As the scope and mandate of the Rural Affairs Office was refined, a staff complement was identified that would allow the work to get done within the remaining $400,000 allocation. The positions identified are what staff believe are the minimum required to achieve the goals of the Office. The full compensation costs for the 4 staff recommended for the Rural Affairs Office total $392,000, leaving only $8,000 to run the office on an annual basis. As this Office is expected to be out in the community on a regular basis, it will require a reasonable budget for mileage in addition to the normal budget for office supplies, printing, etc. As well, it is reasonable to establish a project fund in this office to enable it to respond to requests from Committee and Council that fall outside of normal City business (to plan a Rural Summit, for example).

Therefore, given that the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Standing Committee and the Rural Issues Advisory Committee are ‘business as usual’ for the City Clerk’s Office, it is recommended that the $100,000 required to support those Committees come from the City Clerk’s Office budget allocation in 2007 and beyond and not from the Rural Summit envelope. Those funds can then be used to support the operations of the Rural Affairs Office in future years.

In addition, because both the Office and the Committees were budgeted for full year costs but will only be fully operational for part of the year, there will be gapping savings for 2006. This gapping will be used to fund the start up costs of the Rural Affairs Office. Should there be funds left over at the end of the year from any of the rural initiatives, it is recommended that those funds be directed to a special project fund attached to the Rural Affairs Office to be used to deal with emerging or unforeseen issues as identified by the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Standing Committee.

The annual $2 million Rural Summit budget envelope will reside within the Rural Affairs Office. Each year, the Rural Affairs Officer and the City Manager will work with the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Standing Committee and the Rural Issues Advisory Committee to identify the funding required for the Rural Affairs Office and for other rural initiatives to be funded from this envelope and make recommendations to City Council as part of the annual budget process.

RURAL IMPLICATIONS

As described in this report.

CONSULTATION

The information and recommendations in this report are the result of the extensive consultations that took place as part of the Rural Summit process and the work of the Rural Summit Task Force. Specific consultations also took place with the Rural Councillors and with the first Chair of the Rural Summit Task Force.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

As identified in the body of the report, the funding required for the three governance initiatives are:

Governance Allocation of the Rural Summit Budget Envelope

Allocation	$500,000

Rural Affairs Office Complement:	$391,200 (includes benefits) 4 FTE’s
· Rural Affairs Officer
· Strategic Support Coordinator (2)
· Research Assistant

Committee Assistant:	$100,000 (includes some non-compensation and) 1 FTE

Total Compensation	$491,200 and 5 FTE’s

*Total Remaining for Other Expenses*	*$8,800*

Approval of the recommendations in this report will create a $100,000 budget pressure for the City Clerk’s Office beginning in 2007. As part of the 2007 budget, the Corporate Services Department will bring forward a budget pressure identifying the $100,000 funding requirement for continued support to the enhanced Agriculture and Rural Affairs Standing Committee and the new Rural Issues Advisory Committee.

The tax increase forecast for 2007 as presented in the 2006 Draft Budget Summary document was projected to be 8.1%. The impact of this additional requirement in 2007 will result in a 0.01% tax increase. All additional requirements approved by Council that have a 2007 budget implication will be summarized and presented in the City’s quarterly status reports.

DISPOSITION

On approval, the position for the Committee Assistant will be made permanent. As well, hiring will begin for the Rural Affairs Officer position, and the budget will be allocated as indicated in this report.