Report to/Rapport
au:
Transportation and Transit Committee/
Comité des transports et des
services de transport en commun
09 July 2001 / le 09 juillet 2001
Submitted by/Soumis par: Rosemarie Leclair, General Manager/Directeur général
Transportation,
Utilities and Public Works/
Transport, services et travaux publics
Contact/Personne
ressource: John
Buck, Manager/Gestionnaire, Safety and Traffic Services Division/Division de la
sécurité et de la circulation
580-2424, Extension 21693,
John.Buck@city.ottawa.on.ca
|
|
Ref N°: ACS2001-TUP-TRF-0023 |
SUBJECT: ADULT
SCHOOL CROSSING GUARD PROGRAM
OBJET: PROGRAMME
DE BRIGADIER SCOLAIARE ADULTE
That the Transportation and Transit Committee direct staff to continue with the development and implementation of a comprehensive traffic safety program for school zones with an immediate focus on the Adult School Crossing Guard Program.
Que le Comité des transports et des services de transport en commun enjoigne le personnel de poursuivre l’élaboration et la mise en œuvre d’un programme complet de sécurité routière autour des écoles en se concentrant en premier lieu sur le Programme des brigadiers scolaires adultes.
Over the past five years the
Ottawa-Carleton Police Service has consolidated, administered and co-funded a
small Adult School Crossing Guard Program for the Ottawa area.
In 1999, Ottawa-Carleton Police Service announced their intention to transfer the program to the municipal level of government effective 30 June 2001. Quoting the Ontario Highway Traffic Act, they felt that the municipality, as stated, should be the administering body.
Section 176 of the Traffic Act states that . . . “ a ‘school crossing guard’ means a person 16 years of age or older who is directing the movement of children across a highway and who is, a) employed by a municipality; or b) employed by a corporation under contract with a municipality to provide the services of a school crossing guard.”
As crossing guard locations were
located throughout the region, the Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton
was, at that time, the preferred municipal government to assume the Program.
In September 2000, the Chair of the Ottawa Carleton Regional Police Services Board (OCRPSB) presented this position to the Ottawa Transition Board. During the previous Board meeting the following Motion was approved: (Annex A)
“That
the Ottawa-Carleton Regional Police Services Board authorize the Board Chair to
write to the Transition Board to apprise them of the Adult Crossing Guard
Program, which falls within the mandate of the new City of Ottawa, and to
request that the Transition Board incorporate funding for the Program in the
2001 Budget for the City.”
The Transition Board responded on
31 October 2000, indicating that they would forward the information to the
Budget Project Team to be included in the Draft 2001 Budget for Ottawa
Transition Board consideration. Upon
completion of the 2001 Budget process, no funding was assigned to the Adult
School Crossing Guard Program (Annex B).
As a result of the Police Services Board motion passed in September 2000, the Program was eventually directed to the Transportation, Utilities and Public Works Department as a future responsibility. As it exists today, there is no municipal funding or policy to support and/or guide this Program. The material presented in this report identifies the Program’s history, current status, and how the Transportation, Utilities and Public Works Department envisions the Program’s future existence.
The Department recommends that the Adult School Crossing Guard Program continue as it currently exists for the 2001/2002 school year. The cost-sharing relationship that currently exists with the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board will continue. The City’s funding share of approximately $20,000, to cover the remaining four 2001 school months, will be absorbed by the existing Transportation, Utilities and Public Works Department’s program funds. Funding to cover the remaining six months of the 2001/2002 school year, approximately $30,000, will be identified in the Department’s 2002 Budget submission.
To properly administer and fund the Program, a new municipal policy will need to be developed. Continuation of the Program in its current format from the 2001/2002 school year is recommended as an interim measure. It is anticipated that the Program will expand its subject limits to become a comprehensive traffic safety program for school zones. Policy will be developed using the services of a consultant and directed by a Steering Committee with a suggested composition of representatives from the City’s transportation and legal staff, Council, school boards, Police Services and the Ottawa Safety Council. It is anticipated that policy development will be complete and presented to Transportation and Transit Committee and Council in Spring of 2002, with the new policy in place prior to the 2002/2003 school year.
At a Special City Council Meeting on 18, 19, and 20 December 1995, the former City of Ottawa withdrew its support from the Adult School Crossing Guard Program that it administered. The program at that time consisted of five crossing locations with the cost being shared equally, as it is today, with the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board. With the City pulling out, the Chief of Police felt the action jeopardized the Program and introduced an unacceptable risk at the crossing locations. To sustain the Program, the Ottawa-Carleton Regional Police assumed responsibility. The former City of Ottawa continued its involvement in the Program only as a technical resource, with the Police administering the Program and covering the City’s 50 percent cost share. Over the next four years, the Ottawa-Carleton Regional Police combined the other Adult School Crossing Guard Programs throughout the region. This added six existing crossing locations, four from the former City of Nepean, and two from the former Township of Cumberland (funding only) to the five former City of Ottawa locations. In addition, two new former Ottawa locations were requested by the public and accepted, having met the former City’s Adult School Crossing Guard Warrant of that time. This brought the total number of crossings to 13 locations. Of these, the police funded all 13 but only administered and staffed 11, as former Cumberland staff administered the two former City of Cumberland locations.
In response to the Police Service Board’s September
2000 approval of the Police Department’s request to transfer the Program to the
new City, responsibility for the Program, although initially directed to the
Emergency Services Department, was transferred to the Transportation, Utilities
and Public Works Department.
Responsibility for the program by the Transportation, Utilities and
Public Works Department became effective with the withdrawal of Ottawa-Carleton
Police Service from the Program on 30 June 2001 (the end of the 2000/2001
school year).
Since the adoption of the two new Ottawa crossing
locations in 1999, no new locations have been considered for the Program. Lack of policy and funding to support growth
in the Program forced Police to freeze expansion of the Program despite many
requests. Interest in Adult School
Crossing Guards did not disappear. In
2000, the former City of Kanata approved funds for a pilot program to be
administered completely by the City.
The purpose of the Program was to assess the value of an Adult School
Crossing Guard Program for their community.
The Program was approved and structured to assess four to six crossing
guard locations for a period of four months.
Funding in the amount of $25,000.00 was set aside to carry out this
program. There is an understanding
among the Kanata Traffic Safety Committee, the residents of the former
municipality, and the Ward Councillor, that the pilot will be implemented in
the Fall 2001.
Locations
Of the 13 current crossing guard locations, 11 are
administered and co-funded, and 2 (former Township of Cumberland) are funded
only by the Ottawa Police Service. A
50/50 cost sharing arrangement exists with the Ottawa-Carleton District School
Board.
The 13 locations support 10 public schools. Within the City of Ottawa there are 225
publicly funded elementary schools that educate approximately 147,000
students. Of the four boards that
oversee these schools only the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board
financially supports the Adult School Crossing Guard Program. The table below provides a listing of the
crossing guard locations, the school supported, and the guard times.
|
Location |
School |
Guard Times |
|
Lorry
Greenberg at Pike |
Roberta Bondar P.S. |
8:30-9:30
and 3:10-4:10 |
|
At
2605 Alta Vista Drive |
Charles Hulse P.S. |
7:55-8:55
and 2:45-3:45 |
|
Kilborn between Niagara and McQuaig |
Alta Vista P.S. |
8:20-9:20
and 3:20-4:20 |
|
Richmond
at Robertson |
Bells Corners P.S. |
8:45-9:45,
12:10-1:10 & 3:30-4:30 |
|
Greenbank
at Bellmen |
Knoxdale P.S. |
7:45-8:45
and 2:30-3:30 |
|
Greenbank
at Craig Henry |
Knoxdale P.S. |
7:45-8:45
and 2:30-3:30 |
|
Woodroffe
at Lenester |
D. Roy Kennedy P.S. |
8:20-9:20
and 3:10-4:10 |
|
Lenester
at Fairlawn |
D. Roy Kennedy P.S. |
8:20-9:20
and 3:10-4:10 |
|
Bank
at Sunnyside |
Hopewell Ave. P.S. |
8:30-9:30
and 3:15-4:15 |
|
Sunnyside
at Grosvenor |
Hopewell Ave. P.S. |
8:30-9:30
and 3:15-4:15 |
|
McCarthy
at Cahill |
R. Byrns Curry P.S. |
8:00-9:00
and 2:45-3:45 |
|
Prestwick
at Des Epinettes |
Dunning-Faubert E.S. |
NA |
|
Watters
and Charlemagne |
Trillium E.S. |
NA |
These locations were originally selected as
requiring guards through various processes ranging from standard warrants to ad
hoc warrants and observation to decisions of former Councils.
Of the 13 locations, 7 fall within the former City
of Ottawa, 4 within the former City of Nepean and 2 within the former Township
of Cumberland. Although there was no
Program in the former City of Kanata, there are three sites currently being
reviewed as potential Adult School Crossing Guard sites as part of the
assessment program scheduled for implementation this upcoming school year.
2. Staffing (most recent conditions)
The 11 locations administered by the Ottawa Police Service
fell under the Youth Services Division.
This Division is responsible for police programs and issues associated
with the school boards in Ottawa. In
staffing the 11 locations, the Ottawa Police Service contracted out the
crossing guard work to a local firm, Ensign Security. Ensign also provides guard training based on material supplied by
Ottawa Police Service.
The two locations administered by the former
Township of Cumberland were staffed under the direction of By-law
Services. The one guard, who is a
casual employee of the City (carried over from the former Township of
Cumberland), performed the crossing guard duties for both schools in the former
Township. The By-laws group, based on
material supplied by Ottawa Police Service, supplied the necessary training.
Child safety, as it relates to City streets, is a
significant concern and priority for area residents, School Board staff and the
City. This safety issue, in particular,
is frequently raised when it relates to child movement between home and
school. Two fundamental reasons are the
general public’s concern with vehicle speed and aggressive driving, and School
Board budget constraints that have forced school closures and reduced busing.
The rise in school closings in the inner city has
resulted in an increase in the size of school boundaries. Where school boundaries tended to fall
within areas bounded by major arterials, more are now falling across major
arterials and collectors resulting in a greater number of students crossing
heavily travelled roads. Combined with
the continued reduction of school busing, it is anticipated that the ongoing
requests for Adult School Crossing Guards will continue to increase over time.
The City of Ottawa’s current program does not rate favourably in a comparison with municipalities across the province. (Annex C). Of all the municipalities surveyed, the City of Ottawa has a significantly smaller program when considering our population. The City’s financial commitment of ten cents per capita, at 50% dollars, is significantly less when compared to the surveyed average of $3.29 that is consistently fully funded by other municipalities. The range of funds committed annually to an Adult School Crossing Guard Program, within the municipalities surveyed, varies from a low of $108,000 for the City of Peterborough, to a high of $1,800,000 for the City of Mississauga.
With the continued desire for Adult School Crossing Guards and the general acceptance and support of Adult School Crossing Guard Programs across the province, staff have recognized a responsibility to the public to continue with, at a minimum, the Adult School Crossing Guard Program as it now exists with the desire to expand on the Program to develop a comprehensive traffic safety program for school zones. Although the Adult School Crossing Guard component would be the most significant piece of the Program, in terms of budget requirement, it is staff’s position that it only be a part of a larger Program that assesses and utilizes all traffic control tools when ensuring safe walking and cycling conditions for children when in transit to and from school. This would be a Program that would entail not only physical (signs, signals, etc.) and personal (adult crossing and student crossing guards) means of traffic control, but would also involve the use of traffic enforcement in school zones, soft-side programs involving parents and the community, and education programs such as those offered at the Children’s Safety Village by the Ottawa Safety Council and riding programs offered by the Citizens for Safe Cycling.
To follow through on staff’s
vision, the following program will have to be embarked on over the next 12
months.
Prepare and deliver the Adult School Crossing Guard Program as it currently exists for the upcoming school year. This will entail the identification of funds within the current Transportation, Utilities and Public Works Department’s Budgets (approximately $20,000) to cover the period between September 2001 to the end of December 2001; confirm our cost-sharing arrangement with the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board; establish and prepare the new former City of Kanata pilot sites; meet with a security contractor to establish a contract for the upcoming school year and address issues arising from the past year; assign staff to oversee the contract and the contractor’s performance; and retain consultant services to monitor and assess the Kanata pilot locations.
A
Steering Committee will be identified to oversee and direct the development of
a comprehensive School Zone Traffic Safety Program and associated policy. The Steering Committee will, in all
likelihood, consist of transportation and legal staff, representation from
Council, school boards, police services, and community/safety
organizations. The Steering Committee
will, in the short term, through research and assessment of the current Ottawa
environment, establish a framework for the overall Program, specifically the
Adult School Crossing Guard component of the Program. Based on the framework established, funding requirements and
long-term staging of the Program will be identified to form the basis of a
Transportation and Transit Committee report recommending approval for the
Program in principle and identifying the Budget needs for 2002. This report would be submitted for
consideration in the 2002 Budget process.
Budget
needs will be comprised of three components:
the funds required to continue the status quo program through to the end
of the 2001/2002 school year (estimated to be approximately $30,000 with the
school board paying an equal share of $30,000); funds to retain a consultant to
assist in the development of the Program (estimated to be $20,000-$25,000,
refer to the next section for details); and the anticipated funding requirement
to initiate and conduct the Program in the Fall of 2002 for the 2002/2003
school year.
2. Program and Policy Development Phase (October 2001 - May 2002)
If
approved in principle by Council, the Steering Committee will continue with its
development of the Program. Terms of
Reference will be drawn to retain a consultant to develop policy for the
Program. In addition to developing an
Adult School Crossing Guard Warrant the consultant will be responsible for
detailing the Program’s framework originally developed by the Steering
Committee. This will include items from
the identification of the Program’s elements, to their interaction, to
identifying the process for retaining guards, to the monitoring of the Program,
to the indication of staff resources required for the startup and annual costs
of the Program, to the writing of the Program’s policy. Monitoring and assessment of the pilot Kanata
sites will be incorporated into the consultant’s work. Assessment of the current 13 sites will be
performed as part of the warrant development.
It is anticipated that the consultant’s involvement in the Program’s
development will occur in the first three to four months of 2002.
The
consultant’s work will form the basis of a Spring 2002 Transportation and
Transit Committee report. The report
will recommend a policy for a School Zone Traffic Safety Program, which will
include a warrant process for Adult School Crossing Guards. Accompanying the policy will be the
anticipated financial needs of the Program for the following three to five
years and an identification of staff resources to administer the Program.
3. Final Phase (June 2002 - August 2002)
Based
on Committee and Council approving 2002 Budget funding in the Fall of 2001 for
the 2002/2003 school year, crossing locations will be assessed in the remaining
school months to identify new crossing guard locations for the upcoming school
year. Once the sites have been
established, the process to retain guards will be initiated. City staffing requirements will also be
addressed at this time. It is
anticipated that the identification of guards in subsequent years will be done
on an annual basis with one report for the upcoming school year.
Although it is not anticipated that the City will have as many guards as Hamilton (246) or spend as much money as Mississauga ($1.8 million), it is the Department’s vision to have a sustainable program that falls somewhere between where we are currently and a level which has been achieved by these two leaders in school area safety and Adult School Crossing Guard Programs.
From time borrowed from the year extension of the current Program and the knowledge gained from the piloting of sites in Kanata, staff will be able to establish a thorough and efficient program for the City of Ottawa. The Program would be fair and receptive to the needs and desires of the community. Ideally, it would be financially supported by various agencies including the school boards and the City. The Program would involve partnerships to carry it out (including the business community, residential community associations, volunteer agencies, seniors groups, etc.), and would draw on all our road safety resources to provide a comprehensive and effective approach to child safety in our school zones.
During the development of the future comprehensive traffic safety program for school zones and for the immediate focus on the Adult School Crossing Guard Program, appropriate groups, including the Ottawa Police Service and Ottawa-Carleton District School Board, will be consulted.
TRANSPORTATION MASTER PLAN
Section 2.2.1 Supportive Measures, of the Transportation Master Plan, approved by the former Region, provides direction:
“Educational and promotional programs are key measures to increase the use of walking as a primary travel mode…
Council shall:
1. Support walking through promotion and education initiatives that address issues including, but not limited to, personal security, safe behaviour by vehicle drivers, cyclists and pedestrians, and awareness of the environmental issues and private and public costs of travel choices.”
In order for the City of Ottawa to commit to continuing the existing Adult School Crossing Guard Program to the end of 2001, there is a requirement of $20,000. Although funding has not been previously recognized, it is this Department’s intention to transfer $20,000 from the Transportation, Utilities and Public Works, Safety Improvement Program, Account Number 900692, to cover this expenditure.
City staff will be working with
the Kanata Traffic Safety Committee and the area councillor to establish three
(3) full-year school crossing locations, adding to the present 13 Ottawa
crossing locations. This is a diversion
from Kanata’s originally approved pilot program (four to six sites for a four
month period) - Reason: fewer guard positions
to staff and a full year to assess. The
Kanata Traffic Safety Committee has endorsed this variation and anticipates
meeting in July 2001 to confirm the three Adult School Crossing Guard
locations.
Funding for these sites will be paid through established former City of Kanata accounts, $11,000.00 from 1999 Ancillary Roadway Items, Account No. 1999326511 and $14,000.00 from 2000 Ancillary Roadway Items, Account No. 2000320088. The Kanata Traffic Safety Committee has also committed $10,000.00 from their Operating Budget, Cost Centre Account No. 181600, for retaining a consultant to review these Adult School Crossing Guard locations.
The current Ensign Security billing rate (October 2000 contract) for a crossing guard, combined morning and afternoon shift, is $33.00/day ($11.00/hr for 3hr/day). A $9 per day increase over the pre-October 2000 negotiated conditions. With 11 locations falling under the Ensign contract and a 190 day school year, the crossing guard contract is worth approximately $6,300 per site, $71,000 in total. Combining this with the cost of the two former Cumberland sites, $43/day ($4,050/site) gives an overall Program cost of approximately $79,000. With the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board sharing 50 percent of the cost, the Ottawa Police Service was responsible for providing $39,500 in funding.
It is anticipated that Ensign Security will request an increase in their rates from those negotiated in October 2000. The increase will most likely reflect their demands leading into the last contract negotiations. The 2000/2001 contract paid $33/day/site for two-hour guard duty (one hour in both the morning and afternoon), the requested rate was $44/day/site for the same guard duty. The funding figures identified in this report for the 2001/2002 school year reflect the higher rate.
Based on Council’s
acceptance of the direction recommended, staff will be required to:
- Proceed with the operation of the Adult School Crossing Guard Program in September for the 2001/2002 school year as it currently exists;
- Confirm our cost-sharing arrangement with the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board;
- Negotiate a contract for services with Ensign Security to supply Adult School Crossing Guards for the 2002/2003 school year;
- Establish three crossing guard locations within the boundaries of the former City of Kanata, including a monitoring and assessment program;
- Establish a Steering/Working Committee to initiate and undertake the development of a School Zone Traffic Safety program and associated policy; and,
- Identify the financial requirements and framework for the overall Program, and present this information to Committee and Council in the Fall of 2001.
Annex A – Letter to Transition Board from the Ottawa-Carleton Police Services Board
Annex B – Response from the Ottawa Transition Board to the Police Services Board
ANNEX A
ANNEX
B
ANNEX
C
ANNEX B ANNEX C