Management Response to the Report
“Road Map: Toward Excellence in the
Application
of the City of Ottawa’s Bilingualism
Policy”
·
The project
was conducted at the request of the French Language Services Advisory Committee
of on November 2, 2006,
to follow‑ up on the first
recommendation of the Bisson study of recreational services (January 2006), which suggested
a broader study of the status of bilingualism and French language services in
the new City of Ottawa. The objective was to establish perform an initial
assessment of French-language services, from May 2001 to December 2007.
·
The study
was financed by Canadian Heritage.
·
The process
for conducting the study was coordinated by the French Language Services
Division (FLSD).
·
The two
consultants retained to conduct the study hadve extensive experience in this field.
·
It is
important to note that the study coincided with the designation of bilingual
positions, a key component of the Policy.
Key elements of the researchers’ mandate:
·
Review
implementation of the Bilingualism Policy since its adoption in 2001.
·
Review the
services that the City offers in French.
·
Make
observations and recommendations based on these reviews.
·
Propose a
working approach for implementation of section R.1.6 of the Policy, and
specifically prepare a plan for improving services provided in French by the
City’s five major departments.
Methodology
proposed by the consultants and accepted by FLSD: review of documentation,
interviews and report.
Purpose
of the study
"“. . . "to help the
City set the foundations for an appropriate implementation scheme for its
by-law of May 9, 2001, thereby ensuring the achievement of the purpose of the
Bilingualism Policy brought into force through this by-law.” (p. 8)
“. . . to scan the important issue of the
fundamental equality of Anglophones and Francophones . . .” (page p. 8)
“. . . this study has to draw the road map to
equal access to municipal services of equal quality for Anglophones and
Francophones that meet their respective needs . . . the road map must focus
on achieving equal results, which is to say true equality between Anglophones
and Francophones when they are communicating with the City or receiving
services from it.” (page p. 9)
Management and
staff have reviewed the recommendations and provide the following response.
Recommendation
1
“The sustained commitment of municipal
leaders, including both elected officials and senior staff, starting at the
highest levels, is indispensable; this commitment must be regularly conveyed in
clear terms to both the employees and the public, and day-to-day actions must
always confirm its authenticity.
In this regard,
an appropriate long-term internal and external communication plan must be
developed, its implementation must
be monitored, and the plan must be regularly updated.”
Management
response:
Actions
proposed by the City or under way
Since
amalgamation of the 12 municipalities, the City of Ottawa has
developed and Council has approved annual reports on its French-languages
services. The reports describe the progress made by the City each year, as well
as upcoming challenges.
French Language
Services Division (FLSD) will work with Departmental Communications to create
internal and external communication plans to promote the new initiatives and
offering of services in French.
Since
amalgamation, improvements have included:
·
2001-2002
Report
The Bilingualism Policy, adopted by City
Council in May 2001, confirmed the City’s commitment
to providing accessible services in French and English, in an equitable manner,
to both residents and employees.
In order to facilitate implementation of this Policy,
and address ongoing issues with respect to the provision of French -language services, the
French Language Services Division was created with the following mandate:
o To eEnsure the long-term availability and quality
of services in English and in French.
o
To eEnsure access to services by
the public and employees in both languages.
o To pProvide work tools for employees in
languages.
o To eEnsure quality language training for
employees, in co-operation with Human Resources.
o To cConsult partners and associations on services
in both languages.
o To dDevelop a policy on signage in facilities and
for documentation in both languages.
o
To eEnsure quality in the
provision and interpretation services.
·
2003-2004
Report
o Creation of the French Language Services
Procedures Manual in May 2003, which outlines the standards
for staff when communicating with the public or with other City employees and City employees.
o An important step in the designation of
bilingual positions process was the development of new language proficiency
levels.
o
An average
of 286 municipal employees
took part in each session of the second-language training program.
o Translation Service received 11,000
requests for translations.
o The Business Assistance Program Supported
businesses’ efforts to improve their customer service by making language
training, promotional tools and low-cost translation services available to
interested businesses.
o
A procedure
for resolving French-language service complaints was developed.
·
2005-2007
Report
Significant
progress was made during this period:
o In July 2006, Council adopted a catch-up plan
that will see the City subsidize a proportional number of French child- care places by the year
2010. This commitment will require an injection of $2.3 million new tax
dollars.
o Parks and Recreation Branch announced the
implementation of a new planning and delivery structure for French-language
recreation programs. This effort resulted in the publication of the first
edition of Mon guide francophone des loisirs, which lists services
provided in French by the City and its partners.
o The City’s Housing Branch and the FLSD
participated in the creation of the Coalition pour prévenir l’itinérance
chez les francophones d’Ottawa (Coalition for preventing homelessness among
fFrancophones in Ottawa).
o The first ever Mayor of Ottawa’s Rendez-vous
francophone, which took place at City Hall in March 2007, provided an opportunity to launch
a new website, Raconte-moi Ottawa (Tell mMe aAbout Ottawa) developed by the City in
collaboration with several partners, which tells the story of the contribution
of Ottawa’s French-speaking community to the history of Ottawa.
The 2005-2007 report acknowledged that the active
delivery of French-language services, both to the community at large and to
City staff, still presents faces challenges:
o The number of senior managers taking
second-language training to meet the requirements of their position should increasebe greater.
o French needs to be better integrated into
the format of all City events, both those intended for the general public and
those for staff.
o Additional efforts are is required to accelerate the
use of French as one of the two languages of municipal administration.
o The provision of French-language services
sometimes lacks focus, which hinders results and discourages demand. The City
needs to clearly define the function of actively providing French-language
services to the general public and to staff so that departments and employees
understand their responsibility in this field. The offer needs to be proactive.
Actions undertaken by
FLSD in 2005-2007 to meet these challenges:
o Have
all municipal services prepare annual action plans for the delivery of
French-language services, supported by evaluation and performance measures.
o Develop an implementation plan for the Bilingualism
Policy.
o Develop tools, guidelines and procedures
for management to promote best practices and improve proactive delivery of
French-language services.
o Encourage municipal services to further
recognize their responsibility to proactively offer French-language services to
the community and City staff.
o Underline that the actively offering of French-language services fosters
increased demand from the general population and from staff.
o Work collaboratively with second-line
City services on improving French-language services (public health, community
funding, services for the homeless and tenants at risk, emergency measures and
services to employees).
o Promote the Bilingualism Policy
among all City employees.
o
Seek to
encourage a more sustained dialogue between the Francophone community and
municipal services.
o
Manage the treatment and
resolution of complaints to avoid recurrence and to improve overall services in
French.
·
2007-2008
Report
o In 2007, the City increased the
number of subsidized spaces providing child care
services in French, under a catch‑up plan scheduled to continue
until 2009. It is estimated that by the end of 2008 there will be
1,016 such spaces (, or 13.7 per cent per
cent % of
all spaces subsidized by the City).
o The number of recreational
activities provided by the City in French increased by 22 per cent%, the number of
registrations by 18 per cent%, and income from these registrations
by 22 per cent%.
o Systemic action was taken to increase
French-language content at City public events.
o The Ottawa Public Health initiative of
adapting documents translated into French was continued in 2007
and 2008. The purpose of this initiative is to make documents destined for
Francophones easier to read.
o In receiving the 2005‑2007
Report on French Language Services, City Council adopted a motion requiring that each of the five City Departments
conform tocomply with
section R.1.6 of the Bilingualism Policy by preparing an action plan for improving French-language services.
These action plans will be prepared for the first time in 2008.
o In its 2007 planning exercise, City
Council ratified the City’s commitment to offer comparable services in both
official languages while continuing to improve “the service culture”.
o In accordance with its
mandate, the French Language Services Division (FLSD) maintained links of
co‑operation and exchange of information with the French-speaking
community. It also followeds
up on complaints from residents and employees about French-language services.
In 2007, the FLSD handled 36 complaints.
o In early 2007, for the first time,
the second-language proficiency levels of all senior managers from level 1
to level 3 (City Manager, Ddeputy Ccity Mmanagers, and Ddirectors) were tested. This
testing was repeated in early 2008. Progress in second-language proficiency is
now an annual evaluation criterion for these senior managers. In 2007, as a
condition of hiring, 13 of the 36 senior managers from level 1
to level 3 were required to take second-language training in French.
o Among other City employees, an average of
241 persons took second-language training during each of the three
sessions offered by the City in 2007. Of these employees, 92 per cent% achieved or exceeded their
learning objectives, and 90 per cent % stated that they were satisfied or very
satisfied with their learning experience.
o In 2008, although the number of words to
be translated decreased, the number of texts translated increased by 8 per cent%. These translated texts
included 2.1 million words, the equivalent of 20,500 pages.
o
The
agreement between the City and the Department of Canadian Heritage was extended
in 2008 for a two‑year period ending on March 31, 2009. This
agreement has made it possible to carry out a number of projects aimed at
improving French-language services in the National Capital Region.
·
The
Designation of Bilingual Positions Project was completed, and on September 1,
2008, was replaced with
on‑going designation.
Following a thorough consultation with all City branches, senior management
approved the designation of 3,968 positions, or (27.6 per cent% of a total of 14,361 City positions).
·
FLSD has
hired a consultant to work with the five City departments to facilitate the
preparation of sectoral services plans in 2008, with implementation as of
January 2009. These plans will raise awareness of the Bilingualism
Policy and its scope while fostering the commitment of managers.
Recommendation
2
“The proper understanding of the legal
framework for "‘equality of rights and privileges for both
linguistic groups"’ (Bilingualism Policy, section R.1) is the first step
in triggering a process of commitment in this regard.
“This first step must involve a joint review
session in which the City Council and the French Language Services Advisory
Committee will take part. It must also involve mandatory training - —with no exceptions - —ordered by the City Manager
for all managers.
“Answers will
have to be provided to the legitimate questions asked by the responsible
officials seeking to fully understand the meaning and scope of the Bilingualism
Policy. It is important to smooth out any obstacles there might be in their
path towards a solid understanding of the concepts and of their practical
implications, as well as to the adoption of the underlying fundamental values.
This measure will help ensure that the Policy is mastered and that the new mind-set
and perceptions become firmly rooted, which will be essential to the required
shift and to the excellence sought in terms of the delivery of services to the
public.”
Echoing this
second recommendation, the consultants identifiedy another responsibility of the City :
“. . . as an institution, the City of Ottawa . . . must protect the Francophone
minority community, reflect its identity, and thereby actively contribute to
its preservation and development."” (page p. 15)
Also in regard
to Rrecommendation 2, the
consultants stated that
the City of Ottawa, as the capital of Canada, has a further responsibility to
promote English and French as Canada’s official languages.
Management response:
The French
Language Services Division will work with Departmental Communications to
develop a communications plan to inform Council and management of the full
meaning and scope of section R.1 of the Bilingualism Policy,
and to identify
the support mechanisms needed for implementation.
Actions
proposed by the City or under way
·
In 2006,
the Ontario Superior Court of Justice rendered an opinion on the validity and
constitutionality of the City’s Bilingualism Policy:
“Based on the
evidence before me, I find that the Bilingualism Policy has a purpose
rationally connected to the workplace and was adopted for a good faith and
honest belief that it was necessary for that purpose. The City is using the
Policy on a functional and practical basis where it is warranted and
justified . . .
The
By‑Law No. 2001‑170 is valid. The Policy passed on the same
day and incorporated in By‑Law No. 2001‑173 is valid. There is
no breach of any Charter right.”
(extracts Excerpts from the judgment
rendered on October 3, 2006, by the Honourable J.P.R. Métivier of the
Ontario Superior Court of Justice, in the matter of an application by Canadians
for Language Fairness against the City of Ottawa, paragraphs para. 102, 103, 135 and
136).
·
The City is
active in the Association française des municipalitiésmunicipalités de l’Ontario, where it seeks to share
its unique expertise.
·
The City is
helping to improve the offer of French-language services, notably in particular by supporting
the Business Assistance Program.
·
The City
offers services, and funds other services,
to help to
develop the foster
Francophone community
development.
·
Clear
instructions have been given to strengthen reinforce the linguistic standards governing
internal and public events run by the City.
Recommendation
3
"“A thorough understanding of
the specific characteristics and needs of the Anglophone and Francophone
language communities being served, both of which are becoming increasingly
diversified, as well as of their respective territorial distributions, is
essential to the informed commitment, effective leadership and administrative
involvement that are needed to achieve excellence in internal and external
services to the public in English and French.
“To this end, the officials in
charge of the main municipal services to the public have to develop a strategy
for engaging a suitable group of community leaders with recognized skills in
the target areas, who will be able to provide advice and guidance. They must
join with them in partnerships that can validate the relevance of their
definition of the issues at hand to ensure true equality between Anglophones
and Francophones in the municipal activities under their responsibility. They
will also have to validate the rationale for the strategies they are proposing
for achieving this equality throughout the City. These partners will also be able to provide the
officials in charge of services with feedback that will enable them to check
whether the established targets are the right ones, whether the target results
are being achieved, and whether their outcomes are contributing to a sufficient
degree to achieving true equality between Anglophones and Francophones. When
implemented with an open‑minded attitude, careful attention and the
required degree of professionalism, this kind of guidance will generate
tremendous benefits for all interested parties.” (See also pages pp. 35 and 36)
Management response:
Actions
proposed by the City or under way
The
equality of the rights of Anglophones and Francophones is a question of law legal issue that the City
acknowledges. However, through its a practical approach to implementing its the Bilingualism
Policy, the City of Ottawa favours the offer of comparable
services to its Anglophone and Francophone citizens, which was recognized by
the consultants themselves as the only reasonable course:
"“It is unrealistic to think about achieving
equality in the use of English and French . . . The reason is quite simple: the
number of people using English is proportionally too high compared to those
using French for equality to be possible in use throughout the City of Ottawa
or within its administration.
In practice, in both cases there should be a certain number
of areas where French dominates, a much larger number where the equal use of
both languages generally prevails and will prevail, and an even larger number of areas where
the use of English prevails and will continue to prevail.” (page p. 27)
·
The City
has completed and will continue the bilingual position designation process.
·
The City
has taken unique steps to improve the delivery of French-language services in
many areas including child care, public health and recreation. Still to come:
housing, community funding, emergency measures, etc.
·
The five City departments are
currently preparing annual plans to foster implementation of the Bilingualism
Policy, with implementation scheduled for January 2009 and evaluation of progress to date
in early 2010. This level of effort across the corporation is an indication of
long‑term commitment.
·
Through its
many services to the public, the City makes concrete and continuous efforts to
promote dialogue between the City and the Francophone community.
·
A number of
divisions are looking to establish working groups on French-language services.
Already management models exist, notably in the area of public health and recreational
activities; these models are based on creating homogeneous teams in charge of
planning and carrying out activities in French.
(1) Senior administration is not familiar with the City’s
Bilingualism Policy.
Actions proposed by the City or
under way
·
The
designation of bilingual positions means that all branches are becoming more
familiar with the Policy and aware of its scope.
·
FLSD is
preparing communication/promotion activities.
·
See also
Recommendation 1.
(2) The City must develop an Annual Official Languages
Plan.
·
With
implementation set for January, 2009, plans to enhance
French-language services are being prepared by each of the City’s five major
departments (section R.1.6 of the Policy). These comprehensive plans will
promote awareness and interaction with the Francophone community. The first of
these annual plans are to be prepared in 2008, implemented in 2009 and
evaluated in 2010.
·
Before they
are presented to the French Language Services Advisory Committee and then
Council, the plans will need to be discussed with the City Clerk, who is
responsible for French-language services. The manner in which the plans will be
distributed and communicated will be approved by the City Clerk.
·
Timelines
will reflect those proposed by the consultants (see pages pp. 35 and 36).
(3) Since the Ontario Municipal Act does not
prohibit legislative bilingualism, the City should, in keeping with its Bilingualism
Policy, adopt its by‑laws and meeting minutes in both official
languages and amend its French Languages Services Procedures Manual
accordingly.
·
These
documents are already translated when requested.
·
As of 2008,
Council minutes will be translated.
(4) The City must establish a sub-committee of the
City Council that will be "“in charge of conducting the necessary
studies to ensure equal results for Anglophones and Francophones everywhere.”.
·
This
observation is not neither practical, nor pertinentrelevant.
·
The French
Language Services Advisory Committee (FLSAC), created by Council in 2001,
already has a mandate which that requires it to “…. . . provide advice to Ottawa City
Council and its Ddepartments, on issues that impact official
languages in the City”; to this aimend, the Committee has met on a regular basis
since
amalgamation with the Mayor and various members of Council since amalgamation.
·
The French
Language Services Division, within the City Clerk’s Office, also liaises with
the Francophone community.
(5) The City must develop a strategy to change its
corporate culture to better reflect the requirements of the Bilingualism
Policy.
and
(6) "“City Council and senior City staff are responsible
for creating and maintaining a workplace that respects the equal status of
English and French and is conducive to the use of both official languages.". (page p. 24)
·
As stated
on page p. 27 of the report:
"“It is unrealistic to think about achieving
equality in the use of English and French . . . The reason is quite simple: the
number of people using English is proportionally too high compared to those
using French for equality to be possible in use throughout the City of Ottawa
or within its administration.
In practice, in both cases there should be a certain number
of areas where French dominates, a much larger number where the equal use of
both languages generally prevails and will prevail, and an even larger number of areas where
the use of English prevails and will continue to prevail.”page
·
FLSD is
planning ways to promote comparable services in English and French.
·
With the
practical approach presently being used by the cCity to implement the Bilingualism Policy,
the aim is to offer services of comparable quality and accessibility to both
linguistic groups.
·
Senior
staff are is involved in increasing
and improving French language services (e.g.:, leisure and day care services).
·
The City
has created specific management units for enhancing services (e.g.: , the team coordinating
French language recreational services, Tthe Franco-Santé work group,
and the Francophone Health Services Committee).
(7) The City must develop and implement an appropriate and
effective accountability framework under within which it can meet all its obligations
under the Bilingualism Policy.
·
Plans to
enhance French-language services are being prepared by each of the City’s five
major departments (section R.1.6 of the Policy). These comprehensive plans
will promote awareness and interaction with the Francophone community, with
implementation set for January, 2009,.
(8) The City must review and adjust its policies,
programs, mechanisms, procedures and practices to foster equality in English
and French language services and to promote the active offer of these services.
·
In order to
meet these objectives, the City will continue to use a practical approach in
implementing the Bilingualism Policy.
·
The City
will promote comparable (rather than equal) services in English and French.
·
Continue to
encourage City staff to communicate with residents and employees in the
language of their choice (e.g.:, the Employee Services Direction will
undertake to communicate with employees in this fashion).
·
Propose
ways to enhance the services planning process to include the needs of the
Francophone community at from the outset.
·
Make
excellence in French-language services a measure of success in all of the City’s
initiatives.
(9) The quality of documents published in French by the
City is below that of documents in English.
·
For the
most part, French translations are at par with their English version.
·
Ensure that
all services use the City’s centralised Translation Service to guarantee
quality and consistency.
·
Adapt key
documents for the general public (e.g.:, public involvement policy ).
·
Have
Translation Services revise more documents translated by freelancers to ensure
consistency in translation.
·
Develop a
mechanism to solicit suggestions and recommendations from the various municipal
services that have documents translated.
·
Use a
rigorous process for the selection of freelance translators.
·
Complete the
installation of two new software programs for Translation Services and
use them to their full potential:
o The Tracking Tool is a routing program that improves the
management of translation requests and allows for better turn-around
time and reporting.
o Multi trans is a text bank. It is expected to generate 20 per cent% efficiency savings from the division’s 2008 operating budget of $2,315,000. The
efficiencies are generated by the tool’s ability to track duplicate requests
and to avoid
the unnecessary
full translation of documents that in fact only require
translation of new or amended materials.
(10) "“Employee Services has certainly not
displayed leadership in terms of its responsibilities under the Bilingualism
Policy."” (page p. 22; see also page p. 28)
·
Employee
Services have been increasingly responsible for completing the Designation of
Bilingual Positions Project.
·
With the
support of FLSD, staffing advisors (HRC) are instituting ongoing designation of
bilingual positions with hiring managers, in order to continue to meet the
staffing requirements set out in the Bilingualism Policy.
·
ES will
hold regular working meetings with FLSD to implement ongoing designation and
discuss related topics (e.g.: , language testing and training).
(11) Employees who hold designated bilingual positions and
who meet the language requirements of their position should receive a bonus.
Management
rejects this suggestion.
·
Prior to
amalgamation, many former Cities and the Regional Government already
successfully offered French language services, as their employees were well
aware of the importance of doing so.
·
It has
never been the practice at the municipal level to offer bonuses.
·
Currently,
at the City, bilingualism is valued as one of the many skills required of
employees in designated positions and is not treated differently from other
required skill sets.
·
Bonuses are
not provided for in the Policy.
·
Clearly the
consultants did not understand the substance of the Bilingualism Policy
and the means by which it is being implemented.