P.D.D NORTHEAST COMMUNITY BOARD MEETING

St. Paul, Alberta

APPROVED

Don Schultz, Chair, Phil Fluet, Vice-Chair, Donna Desjardins, Carmela Levesque, Laurel Morris-Duncan, Cathy Beer, Johanne Hassey, Christine Botsford and Doug Fleming, Administration: Dr. Alex Hillyard, C.E.O., Lucille Froese, Recording Secretary.

Ray Reidy, Board Chair, SPAN; Tim Bear, Executive Director, SPAN; Connie Cook, Board Chair, AARC; Gail Davis, Executive Director, AARC; Connie Zatorski, Manager, Finance and Administration SSSC.

A. Don Schultz called the meeting to order at 9:00 am.

2. Approval of Agenda

#00-05-174 MOTION: Donna Desjardins moved to accept the agenda with the amendment that the Board Evaluation: Committee Report be added as Item C. 1. Carried unanimously.

#00-05-176 MOTION: Johanne Hassey moved to approve the minutes. Carried unanimously

2. Delegations/Presentations

Ray Reidy, Board Chair, SPAN, and Tim Bear, Executive Director, SPAN, were introduced to the Board. They issued an invitation to the Board to attend the St. Paul Abilities Network Annual General Meeting on May 23^rd at 6:30 pm. After an informative presentation, there was general discussion and copies of the presentation were distributed to Board members.

Connie Cook, Board Chair, AARC, and Gail Davis, Executive Director, AARC, were introduced to the Board and Connie presented an Accreditation Certificate to Tim Bear, Executive Director, SPAN.

AARC is pleased with and supportive of the Building Better Bridges report. Their concern about the high staff turnover rates in the rehabilitation field prompted them to visit other Boards. They would like to gain the support of PDD Boards in an effort to improve conditions in the rehabilitation field so that trained people would be attracted to it and stay. The wage issue is a major area of concern as there is a lot of competition for people in this field but they cannot make a living at the current rates of pay.

AARC is reworking a wage grid that was developed in 1997 to bring it in to line with government and other agencies and they expect to have it ready in about two weeks.

Lack of visibility is also a concern. There is a need to promote careers in the rehabilitation field in schools and increase visibility in other areas.

AARC has also asked staff to write letters to their MLAs telling them what they do, as Cabinet Ministers tend to see them as babysitters and Gene Zwozdesky needs the support across the province in order for him to take this issue to the caucus.

As a follow up to their presentation, Gail Davis handed out copies of the AARC response to the Building Better Bridges report to the Board members.

E. Information Reports

1. Board Communications and Operations

There is a higher honoraria expense rate for meetings which require more than an eight hour day. Also, there is allowance for a member to add travel time to the meeting time when claiming for meetings. This is now our policy as per the policy adopted by the Provincial Board.

#00-5-177 MOTION: Christine Botsford moved to accept Report 1.1 as information. Carried unanimously.

1. Government of Alberta Accountability Framework: Progress Report

2. Northeast Alberta P.D.D. Community Board: 1999-2000 Audit Process

The Board reviewed the financial statements and, in discussion, identified the following issues:

• Recommendation made that the statement of operations should be cut off after $594,000.00, that the transfer of surplus from prior year to the Provincial Board be put on a separate schedule.
• Statement of financial position - accounts payable and accrued liabilities reflect outstanding IFAs for March, outstanding contract payments as well as the 4 percent salary increase and the 2 percent signing bonus for employees.
• Alberta Infrastructure costs. Information provided by Alberta Infrastructure did not give breakdown of how $108,979 was arrived at.
• All services are going over to the Corporate Service Centre. Future reporting relationship is unknown. At present there is a Budget Officer whose primary focus is PDD and several other SSC staff also do some work for PDD.
• Page 6 - identifies the starting budget as reflected in the estimate and final budget for the NE Community Board. Does include transfers to Children's Services.
• $327,548 as reflected in the note on the costs that have been transferred from the Department of Human Resources and Employment to the Provincial Board and will be reflected in the Provincial Board Financial Statement.
• SSC Costs - by September we should be able to give what the costs are for the NE Community Board.

#00-5-179 MOTION: Donna Desjardins moved that the Board accept the financial statement for March 31, 2000 with the direction to make a change to the statement of operations with regard to transfer to the Provincial Board.Carried unanimously.

3. Community Governance Workshop, March 17^th and 18^th, 2000: Initial Discussion Paper

Every participant will receive a copy and copies will be available to all groups affiliated with PDD in the Northeast Region.

#00-5-180 MOTION: Doug Fleming moved to accept Report 1.4 as information. Carried unanimously.

0. Administration

1. Northeast Alberta PDD Community Board Budget for 2000-2001

Briefing by the CEO

• We received plans from the service providers based on last year
• Everything this year is based on new clients
• We had a projected client growth of 62 individuals
• Currently have a budget based on 50 new individuals
• All funding is based on new clients
• Some program changes and philosophical changes
• Plan is no move away from the current infrastructure. Income will come to individual instead of agency. New services have been identified
• This is a growth budget not a cutback budget
• Those 62 people who have been identified as growth have not all been identified as meeting the eligibility criteria. 62 may be a little above the growth trend for this region than usual.
• Overall, based on last year's budget, the change is 2.2M or 16 percent. Provincial increase was around 12-13 percent.
• If the forecasted extra twelve individuals do not show up, this budget will be reduced.

#00-5-181 MOTION: Donna Desjardins moved to approve the plan for a forecasted balanced budget for the 2000-2001 year as presented by the administration. Carried unanimously.

1. Strategic Human Resources Plan for the Northeast Region

• Service Providers are saying that they are coming up with a forecasted shortage.
• Impact of strategy will not be seen for three years

#00-5-182 MOTION: Cathy Beer moved to accept Report 2.2 as information. Carried unanimously.

An Individual Funding Audit committee has been formed to undertake a review of individual funding and revise audit procedures. There will be participants from PDD, the Audit Branch and Service Providers. A Service Provider will Chair the committee and the Terms of reference will be approved by the Board's CEO and provided to the Board for information.

#00-5-183 MOTION: Phil Fluet moved to accept Report 2.3 as information. Carried unanimously.

4. Contract Review Committee

Recommendation: That the Board receive this report for information.

Purpose of Report: Information and Input

A Contract Review Committee has been formed, with participation from PDD, Shared Support Services Centre, Human Resources and Alberta Justice. The Terms of reference will be approved by the Board's CEO and provided to the Board for information.

#00-5-184 MOTION: Doug Fleming moved to accept Report 2.4 as information. Carried unanimously.

Recommendation: That the Board receive this report for information

Purpose of Report: Information and discussion

BACL will be invited to the next Board meeting on May 27, 2000, to give a presentation.

#00-5-185 MOTION: Don Schultz moved to table Agenda Item 2.5 to the next Regional Board meeting with an invitation to the Board of Directors of the Barrhead Association for Community Living and an invitation to Bruce Uditsky or his representative to make a presentation. Carried unanimously.

Coloured copies of the Individual Needs Assessment Project, Focus Groups Results, Principles Chart will be forwarded to Board members next week.

#00-5-186 MOTION: Laurel Morris-Duncan moved to accept Report 2.6 as information. Carried unanimously.

6. Communications from Board Chairman

• Don Schultz will be attending the PDD Provincial Board meeting on May 11, 2001.
• Request from Barrhead 2001 Games Committee
• The Alberta Special Olympics Summer Games will be held in Barrhead June 30 to July 2, 2000 and the Barrhead 2001 Games Committee is requesting a financial donation from the Board.
• Referred to administration for next year's budget and a recommendation on how the Board can participate.
• Phil Fluet will bring PDD participation to the next meeting of the Special Olympics Summer Games Committee
• The Special Olympics Summer Games will be put on a Board agenda for next fall
• On June 27 there will be time set aside to go through finance issues; the three year business plan; other items on the Board's annual report

#00-5-188 MOTION: Don Schultz moved to have the Board accept his verbal report. Carried unanimously.

7. Communication from C.E.O.

• June 1^st and 2^nd , 2000 Conference: FAS
• Board members are asked to contact Lucille Froese if they would like to attend
• Timelines for the Board's Annual Report
• The Business Plan and Annual Report have to be filed by June 30, 2000
• This will be an agenda item for the May 27^th, 2000 Board meeting in Whitecourt
• Dr. Hillyard distributed a handout on The First International Conference on Self-Determination & Individualized Funding.
• Administration will reserve five spaces for participants from the NE Alberta PDD Community Board.
• #00-5-189 MOTION: Christine Botsford moved adoption of the CEO's verbal report. Carried unanimously.

7. Board Regional Feedback and Future Direction

Christine Botsford - Fort McMurray

• Reported on the New Directions in Governance Course, April 13-15, 2000 in Edmonton.
• Overall the course was beneficial.
• Beginner course when we needed advanced.
• Gave credence and affirmation as to how well our Board is run and how involved and up front with the community. Work together as a team.
• Questions asked on how this Board does things
• We were able to share our experience and process with others there

Johanne Hassey - Vilna

• No activities to report.

Cathy Beer - Vegreville

• No activities to report

Donna Desjardins - St. Paul

• May 18, 2000 is the date for the next St. Paul Community Council meeting. Agenda includes the election of a new Chairperson and Vice Chairperson and a look at what we see for the future of the Community Council.

Phil Fluet - Cherhill

• Attended a beginning meeting in Whitecourt to look at setting up a Community Council
• Other meeting participants were people with developmental disabilities, support staff and representative from PDD.
• If it is started, it will have a strong core of people with developmental disabilities
• They have already formed a social group that gets together to discuss issues, etc.

Doug Fleming - Westlock

• April 30 - Attended a meeting in Athabasca with parents and clients, to look at setting up a Community Council there.
• There is a Westlock Community Council meeting scheduled for May 15, 2000. A representative from PDD should attend.

Laurel Morris-Duncan - Fort McMurray

• Attended Community Council meeting on May 1^st, 2000
• Attended Northern Lights meeting on FAS - funding has been cut off, available now for prenatal group only
• The final report on the FAS Think Tank is now out.
• Distributed copies of a newsletter from Seattle on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome called "Iceberg" to Board members.

Carmela Levesque - Bonnyville

• Attended the first day of a Seniors initiative "Big Bag of Life" on March 29. Second day is on June 8, 2000 - feedback from this session was very positive.
• Attended a Community Council meeting April 12, 2000. Council went through the "Building Better Bridges Report" - feedback was good; wage initiative was a big area of concern.

6. Notice of Motion/Request for Information

• May 27, 2000 - Whitecourt
• June 24, 2000 - Lac La Biche
• July 15, 2000 - St. Paul

#00-5-190 MOTION: Doug Fleming moved to adjourn the meeting at 3:00 pm. Carried unanimously.

Don Schultz, Chair Dr. Alex Hillyard, C.E.O.