Corporate Services and Economic

Development Committee

Report 8

 

Comité des services organisationnels

et du développement économique

rapport 8

 

 

 

Extract of draft Minutes 9

15 may 2007

 

Extrait de l’ébauche du
procès-verbal 9 – 15 mai 2007

 

 

            EQUITY AND DIVERSITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE - 2006 ANNUAL
REPORT, 2007 WORKPLAN AND REVISED TERMS OF REFERENCE

COMITÉ CONSULTATIF SUR L’ÉQUITÉ ET LA DIVERSITÉ - RAPPORT ANNUEL DE 2006, PLAN DE TRAVAIL 2007 ET MANDAT RÉVISÉ

ACS2007-CCV-EQD-0001     CITY WIDE / À L'ÉCHELLE DE LA VILLE

 

Councillor El-Chantiry introduced a motion to receive the Advisory Committee’s 2006 Annual Report, approve its 2007 workplan but defer consideration of its revised Terms of Reference pending a report back from staff on the review of the City’s Advisory Committee structure in conjunction with Bill 130.

 

Mayor O’Brien noted that no members of the Advisory Committee were present to speak to their report.

 

Councillor Cullen asked that the item be held in order to get information on the timing of the report from staff on the review of the City’s Advisory Committee structure in conjunction with Bill 130.  He noted that many Advisory Committees had requested changes to their Terms of References and Committee and Council had approved them.  He further noted that the report did not contain staff comments indicating that the proposed revised Terms of Reference would cause problems.  Therefore, he wondered why this Advisory Committee was being treated differently. 

 

The following information was provided in response to Councillor Cullen’s questions and comments:

•         Mayor O’Brien pointed to the departmental comment, from Business Transformation Services, contained at pages 2 and 3 of the report outlining concerns with the proposed changes and recommending deferral pending the City’s review of its Advisory Committee structure in conjunction with Bill 130. 

•         Mr. R. O’Connor, City Solicitor, noted staff done some groundwork on the review but would begin to work on it in earnest once Council had finalized its priority setting exercise in June.  He advised that a report would be coming forward in the third quarter.

•         With respect to staff’s position on the proposed revised Terms of Reference and the recommendation to defer consideration pending the review of the City’s Advisory Committee structure, Mr. S. Finnamore, Executive Director of Business Transformation Services, explained staff’s concern was that this was not a minor change to the Advisory Committee’s mandate; it was going from an external, City-wide focus to an internal, administrative focus.

 

Councillor Deans raised a point of order, noting that Committee had a long-standing tradition of dealing first with items for which there were public delegations and then returning to items for which there were no public delegations. 

 

Councillor Cullen expressed a willingness to stand the item down.

 

Mayor O’Brien felt the item could be dealt with quickly and he ruled that Committee complete its consideration of this item before moving forward. 

 

A procedural debate ensued.  Mayor O’Brien recognized Councillor Chiarelli.  Councillor Chiarelli moved that the question be put. 

 

 

Moved by Councillor E. El-Chantiry

 

WHEREAS on 6 December 2006, Ottawa City Council approved a motion to defer Advisory Committee recruitment until the end of 2007 to allow the City to review the Advisory Committee structure in conjunction with the final version of Bill 130;

 

AND WHEREAS the City has not completed its review of the Advisory Committee structure in conjunction with the final version of Bill 130;

 

AND WHEREAS the Equity and Diversity Advisory Committee is recommending significant amendments to its Terms of Reference;

 

AND WEREAS staff has recommended deferring the amendments to the Equity and Diversity Advisory Committee’s Terms of Reference, in light of the City’s review of its Advisory Committee structure in conjunction with the final version of Bill 130;

 

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Corporate Services and Economic Development Committee recommend Council:

 

1.      Receive the Equity and Diversity Advisory Committee’s 2006 Annual Report, as detailed in Document 1 of its report;

 

2.      Approve the objectives contained in the Equity and Diversity Advisory Committee’s 2007 workplan, as detailed in Document 2 of its report; and

 

3.      Defer consideration of the Equity and Diversity Advisory Committee’s revised Terms of Reference pending a report back from staff with respect to the review of the City’s Advisory Committee structure in conjunction with the final version of Bill 130.

 

            CARRIED

 

Committee then voted on the item, as amended.

 

That the Equity and Diversity Advisory Committee recommend that the Corporate Services and Economic Development Committee recommend Council:

 

a)         Receive the 2006 Annual Report of the Equity and Diversity Advisory Committee, as detailed in Document 1;

 

b)         Approve the objectives contained in the Equity and Diversity Advisory Committee’s 2007 workplan, as detailed in Document 2; and

 

c)         Defer consideration of the Equity and Diversity Advisory Committee’s revised Terms of Reference, as outlined in Document 3, pending a report back from staff with respect to the review of the City’s Advisory Committee structure in conjunction with the final version of Bill 130.

 

                        CARRIED as amended