NORTHEAST ALBERTA COMMUNITY BOARD
PERSONS WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES
PUBLIC MEETING
Saturday, May
28th, 2005 8:45 am to 2:15
pm
Conference
Room, Dove Centre
6201-52 Avenue, Bonnyville, Alberta
APPROVED MINUTES
Present:
Don Schultz, Chair, Donna Desjardins, Vice Chair, Ralph Gorrie, Glenn Hennig,
Colleen Marks, Caren Mueller, Floyd Thompson, Dr. Doug Fleming
Administration: Dr. Alex Hillyard, CEO; Lucille Froese,
Recording Secretary
Guests:
Ajaz Quraishi, Vice Chair, Dove Centre Board, Roland Michaud, Member, Dove Centre Board, Roger Ouellette, CEO, Dove Centre, Diane Metrunec, Dove Centre, Ed Rondeau, MD of Bonnyville, Audrey McFarlane, Chair, Cold Lake Community Council, Geoff Wright and Philip Mackin, Co-Chairs, Fort McMurray Community Council, Roseanne Krikke and Kaylynn Jehn, Co-Chairs, Westlock Community Council, Jamie Lafantasie and Garrett Mytrash, Co-Chairs, Vegreville Community Council, Krista Dutat, START, Tanya Houle, WJS, Vegreville, Janice Guy, WJS, Westlock
A.
Don Schultz, Chair,
called the meeting to order at 8:45 am, May 28th, 2005.
#05-05-223 MOTION: Ralph Gorrie moved the Board approve the agenda
as changed. Carried unanimously.
C. Approval of Minutes
#05-05-224 MOTION: Glenn
Hennig moved the Board approve the
minutes as presented. Carried unanimously.
· A representative from Blue Heron spoke about Special Olympics.
· I spoke about what we did at our last meeting
· Talked about Fort McMurray – names will come forward at the next meeting in June, and Service and Merit recipients will be decided then.
· Dr. Susan Moisey and Heather Halpenny gave a presentation on the stories that are online. Only a couple of individuals had stories online so people broke into groups to help individuals develop their stories to be put online.
· At every meeting there are a few more individuals attending.
· Plan to have a year-end windup as was done last year.
· May 16 was Subway’s Special Olympics day – they did very well.
· May 27 was the windup for Special Olympics bowling, with a wiener roast and award presentations for all the bowlers.
Floyd Thompson, Lac La Biche
·
Attended the
Community Council meeting on May 11, 2005
·
Nancy Richards,
a guest from Portage College, gave a presentation on their Employability Skills
Program. Several people were interested in making application.
·
The program,
involving nineteen weeks in class and the same in a practicum, has been really
successful in completion and placements.
·
The conference
in Fort McMurray is gaining a lot of interest and the council would like
monthly updates on what is happening.
·
The Council
will have their brochure ready by September.
·
Don Pottie,
from Family Voices, attended the Council meeting and will continue to attend on
a regular basis. He spoke about the number of connected families – 622. Don is
doing an excellent job on that.
·
The council
enjoys the regional feedback and wants it on a regular basis. I report back to
them on what is happening in the region.
·
At the fall
meeting the council will be inviting a Chamber representative from the various
businesses in Lac La Biche.
·
The next
meeting will be held on June 8, 2005.
Donna Desjardins, St. Paul
· Met on May 18, 2005. There was a very large turnout, with lots of dynamic discussion. It was nice to see additional people join us from Elk Point, as well as new families and self-advocates from St. Paul.
· Individuals expressed great concern that banks did not understand their financing needs. The Council decided that they would like to develop a brochure for families and self-advocates about financial planning. Then the bankers will be invited to join the Community Council for lunch. Self-advocates will have the opportunity to tell their stories in their own words, and also, the bankers will have documentation to refer to for the future. A similar process has been suggested for lawyers.
· To initiate this goal, next month the Council will have someone from AISH and a financial planner present. I am sure that there will be a lively discussion, with lots of information to contribute to the brochure.
· The council continues to have alternating co-chairs as designated by the Positive People Society of St. Paul each month.
·
Positive People Society of St. Paul
· Meetings are still being held each month. The Society is sending seven individuals to the Leadership Today annual meeting in June 2005.
·
St. Paul Abilities Network
· The barbecue is now operational. It is available for community events.
· SPAN is currently in discussion with the Provincial Government to take over the Poundmakers Lodge. They, and another group that wants to train immigrant Canadians in specific skills in the oil and gas industry, would like to share the facility. This is a very large facility, and not counting the very large grounds, has 61,000 square feet of buildings. The school would make up 18,000 square feet.
· SPAN is making a conscious effort to encourage community employment for all individuals. As a result, they are no longer offering janitorial services to the local Bingo Hall.
·
Special Olympics St. Paul
· Over 100 bowlers came to St. Paul on April 30, 2005 for the annual bowling tournament.
· Special Olympics Alberta came to St. Paul last week to view the town facilities. It appears that we are still being considered for the Provincial Winter Olympics 2007.
· There will be representation from one of our ball teams as well as a contingent of bowlers at the Provincial Olympics in Lethbridge in July 2005.
·
Safer St. Paul Task Force
· There is some concern in town with regard to having a safe and caring community. A task force has been struck. Self-advocates will be approaching the task force for membership, and input.
·
Small Sparks Committee
· A special celebration was held on May 15, 2005 recognizing some of the “Small Sparks” that have happened thus far. It should be noted that new applications are coming in every day.
· As part of the celebration, we had invited folk from Fort George Buckingham House. They hosted log sawing, boot tosses, etc. A barbecue was put on by Alberta Pork Producers with no cost to the Committee. A great time was had by all. This was truly a community event, with all of the community participating.
· A good turnout. We were pleased to be able to invite some families from Bonnyville and Vegreville. A number of families came from Bonnyville, and seemed very appreciative.
· A very successful day. The comment at the Community Council meeting was “This is the best opportunity that the Council has offered yet—and there have been some good ones”.
·
I will be participating in AACL IPSE Project.
· I did not attend the May 5, 2005 meeting as I was at the AARC Conference in Kananaskis. However, I did receive the minutes. Paulette McGinnis will be speaking to the council on self-advocacy in July and they are presently finalizing arrangements for this. On Wednesday, June 1, 2005, there will be a presentation on transportation from Bev Hagman. The Northeast PDD conference was discussed briefly and members were asked to think about nominations for the Merit and Service Awards. These will be decided at the June 2005 meeting. They are also combining impromptu public speaking with their grounding circle. The next meeting of the Whitecourt Community Council is June 2, 2005.
· Westlock Community Council
· I attended the community council meeting in Westlock on May 9, 2005. They had a late start as there was a mix-up at the Westlock Inn so we had to wait in the lobby for 20 minutes while they prepared a room for us. There was a guest speaker, Nina Wile from the Westlock Anti-Poverty group. She advised everyone that the AISH Review report is out. She handed out copies of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms to anyone that wanted a copy. This group meets at Fantastiks Restaurant in Westlock once per month. The Poverty committee has not met since the last meeting.
· The Northeast PDD Conference, scheduled for November 2005, was discussed. The Westlock Community Council decided on the Service and Merit awards recipients.
· Self-Esteem and Assertiveness Training: Pam Kollkross will be speaking to them at the June 13, 2005 community council meeting.
· Roseanne Krikke spoke to the council about her Kananaskis retreat. They dealt with provincial issues such as transportation, housing, AISH, and having a voice.
· The next meeting of the Westlock Community Council will be held on June 13, 2005, and I will be unable to attend, as I will be in Cambridge Bay.
· I will be attending the Provincial Symposium meeting in Edmonton on June 8 and 9, 2005.
· I did attend the AARC Conference in Kananaskis on May 4-6, 2005. My comments on this will be addressed under agenda item 1.3.
· On May 16, 2005, I attended the Inclusive Libraries Session held in Westlock. There were fourteen people present from across the region. Dr. Kathleen Biersdorf was the guest speaker. Her topic was Supporting Organizational Excellence and Innovation - Easy Access for All. She stressed the importance of plain language, leadership, and communities working towards a common goal. She feels that anything that you do that increases accessibility for one-group benefits everyone, e.g. ramps, curves.
· Dr. Biersdorff also talked about kinds of accessibility:
· Physical space
· Financial affordability
· Procedural rules
· Information understanding
· Emotional availability
· Plain Language
· Plain language is a ramp for people with learning difficulties.
· Basic Rules:
· Active voice (subject first)
· Short simple words
· No contractions
· No jargon
· No metaphors or clichés
· No acronyms
· No roman numerals
· Break lines with reading aloud in mind
· Make period big and bold
· Do not capitalize everything
· Do not use full justification
· Use 16-point font size or larger, depending on viewing distance
· Always use a clean font, not script
· Black on white is easiest to read
· Plain Pictures
· Support text with pictures that are:
· Realistic, not stylized
· Adult, not cutesy or childish
· Complete (faces have features)
· Interpreted to mean what you hoped
Presentation by Roger Ouellette, CEO, Dove Centre. Mr. Ouellette’s presentation included a handout on the services provided by Dove Centre.
The presentation read:
On behalf of the Dove Centre, I would like to welcome all the members from the Northeast Alberta Community Board to the Bonnyville/Cold Lake community. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to talk to you about the services that Dove Centre provides in the Bonnyville/Cold Lake area.
The Dove Centre has been providing services to adults with developmental disabilities since July 1973.
The document that was given to you is an overview of the services we provide.
Dove Centre presently has 36 staff (27 full time, 7 part time and 2 casual) working with the individuals. The Bonnyville/Cold Lake Programs is currently serving 60 individuals. Of those 60 individuals, 44 have a community placement, either employment, work experience or volunteer. Of the 44 community placements, 30 individuals are employed earning at least minimum wage.
For the last two years, we have had Employer Appreciation evenings in Cold Lake. This year, we also held one in Bonnyville.
This year, we had an excellent turn out for both events. As a result, we have secured two paid positions, and working on a 3rd position. Also, there are prospects of positions on the Base. Staff are presently working with the Cold Lake Base on securing employment for five individuals. This could develop into five paid positions.
In Bonnyville, we have recently secured one paid position.
I would like to thank the Board and Dr. Alex Hillyard, for the Community Capacity dollars we were given. These dollars enabled us to have the employer appreciation evenings in Bonnyville and Cold Lake.
Mr. Ouellette then presented a plaque, which highlights pictures from the 2005 Employer Appreciation Evening, to Dr. Hillyard.
Don Schultz, Chair, presented a framed CET Certificate for Dove Centre, to Roger Ouellette.
Tacey Murphy, Catholic Social Services
· In the community of Cold Lake the last mayor established a transportation system, which is now going to be done as of June 1. There was a sign up sheet protesting shutdown of the transportation system, initiated by a senior’s organization. It has been a major concern for the last few months as it affects a lot of groups. Bonnyville does not have a transportation system yet either.
· In Cold Lake the increase in AISH will just meet people’s needs.
Board members and guests discussed Community Council attendance and what helps to get people out to meetings, housing, and the children with developmental disabilities being able to leave home to live independently.
1. Board
Communications & Operations
1.1
Northeast Alberta Community Board
Audit Committee Budget 2005/06
Recommendation: That the Board receive this report for information
Purpose of Report: To identify the resource requirements for the operation of
the Audit Committee for the 2005/06 fiscal year.
On April 16, 2005 the Northeast Alberta Community Board approved revised terms of reference for the Board’s audit committee. Under the Terms of Reference the Board approves the operating budget of the Audit Committee. The Audit Committee will be held accountable for its activities and report to the Northeast Board.
Donna Desjardins, Chair, Northeast Board Audit Committee, presented the budget and discussed it with the Board.
The Board approved the budget for the Audit Committee.
#05-05-225 MOTION: Donna Desjardins moved that the Board receive this report for
information, and further that the evaluation procedure of the Audit Committee be revised by the Board following approval of the regional budget. Carried unanimously.
1.2
Northeast Alberta Community Board Audit
Committee
Schedule of Major Events 2005/06
Recommendation: That the Board receive this report for information
Purpose of Report: To identify the activities that the audit committee
will be responsible for or involved in the 2005-06 fiscal year.
The Audit Committee, pursuant to the Terms of
Reference, is responsible for a number of activities and may be responsible for
other activities as called upon by the Northeast Alberta Community Board,
Provincial Board, or the work of the Auditor General.
The Board reviewed and discussed the Annual Plan of Events for the April 2005-March 2006 fiscal year. The plan identifies major activities that the audit committee will do during the fiscal year, and report to the Board on.
The Office of the Auditor General and the Office of the Chief Internal Auditor have reviewed the Plan.
#05-05-226 MOTION: Donna Desjardins moved the Board accept the
report as
information. Carried
unanimously.
1.3
The AARC Spring Conference May 4-6, 2005: Board
Follow-up
Recommendation: That the Board receive this report for information.
Purpose of Report: Information and discussion.
The Northeast Board was well represented at the AARC Spring Conference entitled “The Many Faces of Leadership”.
Board members who attended the AARC Conference reported on their participation and experience at the conference. Overall, it was an excellent conference with very good presentations at the workshops, a beautiful location, and opportunities to talk with frontline workers and self-advocates from all over Alberta.
Some of the workshops attended by Board members were:
Report from Colleen Marks
I enjoyed the conference “THE MANY FACES OF LEADERSHIP” and found the material presented to be valuable to my work as a Board member.
The keynote speaker was interesting and made many points. I hope to be able to read some of the material from his suggested reading list. Richard Hatala spoke about the four most important qualities of leadership that people (out of 450,000 surveyed) felt were the most important:
· Honesty
· Forward Thinking
· Inspiring
· Competent
· Compassion was 5th on the list.
· I attended the workshop on “Leading from the Outside Looking In!” The presenter was Laurie Maslak.
· She showed a video entitled “Celebrate What is Right with the World”. A photographer relates about beauty and discovery. It is not important to be the best in the world, but the best for the world.
· Patience is to wait for the right time.
· We had four questions for small group discussion, and then we moved to the large group for more discussion.
· Describe a positive board experience. What was your role? How was it positive and fulfilling:
· Vision: What is important? Key factors that strengthen the power of this vision.
· What are you looking for in a board member?
· Dream board: what makes one?
· The next session that I went to was “The Board’s Role in Risk Management” by Linda Graff.
· Linda spoke about the concept of risk. An organization cannot manage a risk that it does not identify. Risk management is “doing no harm, and preventing harm”. The least costly accident in terms of time, money, and morale is the one that does not occur. Insurance is a financial band-aid that is applied after the harm has been done. The board has responsibility in terms of developing policy and protocols in regard to screening, training, job descriptions, and reference checks.
· Ethical Leadership and Social Responsibility – Carla Hamarsnes
· Carla spoke on the four dimensions of disability oppression.
1. Political Economy and a world system
2. Culture and belief system
3. Consciousness and Alimentation
4. Power and Ideology
· Mission, Vision, & Values – Alive in Your Organization - VRRI Staff
· This workshop described the journey that this organization took to review their mission, vision, and values. There was a Steering Committee who created a process that involved everyone. They formed sixteen teams, which included 300 staff and board members.
· Everyone was assigned to a team. This process took nine months and its purpose was for everyone to understand the mission, vision and values, to uphold them and to evaluate the effectiveness of the process. The end result was a mosaic with the VRRI logo, which everyone signed. They felt that this process was good for the morale of the organization and that it helped people understand each other’s role in the organization. They balanced learning with fund activities.
Generally, it was a positive experience and I felt that it was interesting as a board member. The networking opportunities were good and the hotel and facilities were wonderful.
1.4
Community Council Chairs and Co-Chairs Meeting
With the Board (Scheduled for
12:00-1:30 pm)
Recommendation: That the Board receive this report for information.
Purpose of Report: Information
At the 6th Annual Regional Conference on November 5th and 6th, 2004 in Bonnyville a meeting was convened of the Chairs and Co-Chairs of the Community Councils. Following that meeting, Audrey McFarlane, Chair, Cold Lake Community Council was nominated to, on behalf of the group, arrange a meeting with the Northeast Board.
The Community Council Co-Chairs met on the morning of May 28, 2005 in Bonnyville and then met with the Northeast Board for lunch and discussion. Some of the issues brought forward by the community councils chairs and co-chairs were:
· What should community councils be and what are the expectations from the Board’s view on how to use community councils.
· Concern that the community council may not be representing the whole community – feedback may not be reflective of everyone’s needs.
· Would like to be in a position to give feedback to PDD before something happens rather than after.
· Sometimes information from the Board is filtered through the agencies rather than going directly to the individuals and families.
· Would like help from the Board to understand the differences between the groups, and assistance to get people from Family Voices to attend community council meetings.
· A person with a developmental disability should be on the Board.
The Board will summarize these discussions, come up with an action plan, and talk it through.
1.5
Northeast Board Governance and Accountability
Framework: Next Steps
Recommendation: That the Board receive this report for information.
Purpose of Report: Information and discussion.
The Board Governance and Accountability Framework Advisory Committee provided the Board with an update on their activities and the next steps in the process.
The Board reviewed and discussed a report on the Board Governance Review Process and a list of the membership on the Northeast Board Governance and Accountability Framework Committee.
#05-05-227 MOTION: Colleen Marks moved the Board accept the report for
information. Carried unanimously.
1.6
Seventh Annual Northeast Regional Conference
November 4th, 5th,
6th, 2005: Update
Recommendation: That the Board receive this report for information.
Purpose of Report: Information
The Fort McMurray Conference Committee met on May 26, 2005 just prior to the Board meeting. There is currently a high degree of enthusiasm for, and commitment to, the successful unfolding of the conference.
#05-05-228 MOTION: Doug Fleming moved the Board accept the
report for
information.
Carried unanimously.
1.7
2004/05 Service Provider Audits: Approval and Follow-up
to Provincial Board
#05-05-229 MOTION: Donna Desjardins moved that the Board accept Agenda
Item B4, regarding service provider audits, and that the Northeast PDD Chair, in the form of a motion, bring concerns to the Provincial Board regarding the need for immediate direction and policy from the Provincial Board on appropriate benefit costs and the use of surplus dollars. Carried unanimously.
2.1 Draft 2004/05 Northeast Alberta Community Board Annual Report
Recommendation: That the Board receive this report for information
and review the attached draft.
Purpose of Report: Information and Review
The Board received and discussed a draft Annual Report for the 2004/05 fiscal year, which describes opportunities, challenges and highlights for the year and includes a profile of the recipients of the Communicator of the Year Award.
Board members will review the report for overall tone and content and send any changes to the administration by June 3.
#05-05-230 MOTION: Colleen Marks moved the Board accept the report for
information.
Carried unanimously.
2.2
Abuse Prevention and Response Protocol: Regional Update
Recommendation: That the Board receive this report for information.
Purpose of Report: Information
In January 2004 an enhanced Abuse Prevention
and Response protocol was introduced to Service providers and families across
the province.
The Board reviewed and discussed a report on
the Abuse Reporting and Follow-up process. There are ongoing training sessions
in the Northeast Region and all PDD staff in the Northeast region have attended
these sessions and have train the trainer status.
Train the Trainer sessions for service providers and families were held in December 2003 in Fort McMurray, Barrhead, and St. Paul. Two more Train the Trainer Abuse Protocol sessions are planned for May 31st, 2005 in Lac La Biche and September 7th, 2005 in St. Paul. Service Providers are very good at ensuring their staff are trained. A result of the training has been increased understanding and more information getting out.
#05-05-231 MOTION: Caren Mueller moved the Board accept the
report for
information.
Carried unanimously.
·
Letter to
Roseanne Krikke re nomination for the Norm McLeod Award.
·
Provincial PDD
Governance Symposium
June 8 and 9, 2005
·
Board members
from all regions will be getting together for this Symposium. The Norm McLeod
Awards will be presented on the evening of June 8, 2005.
·
Clarence Turner
and Randy Jacobson from St. Paul were nominated for the Norm McLeod Award.
Randy Jacobson is the winner this year.
·
John Duteau,
John Kelly, and a person appointed by the department will be interviewing for
new Northeast Board members in late June or July with recommendations to the
Minister afterward for appointments.
·
Donna
Desjardins will represent the Northeast Board at the Catholic Social Services
Annual General meeting on June 10, 2005.
H. Communications
from CEO
A Guide for Supporting Individuals Working in the Community
· START was contracted to do this. The Guide and Manual were developed with input from all Service Providers in the Northeast Region.
· Copies will be given out as soon as they are ready and will be available to Service Provider CEOs at the next business meeting.
I. In-Camera Session
(Review organizational issues)
#05-05-232 MOTION: Doug Fleming moved the Board go In-Camera at 8:45 am.
Carried
unanimously.
#05-05-233 MOTION: Colleen Marks moved the Board come out of Camera at
9:50 am. Carried unanimously.
J. Notice of
Motion/Request for Information
K. Proposed Meeting Dates
· June 18, 2005 Fort McMurray
· July 16, 2005 At the call of the Chair
· August 20, 2005 Vegreville
· September 17, 2005 Barrhead
· October 15, 2005 Westlock
· November 6, 2005 Fort McMurray
· December 17, 2005 Lac La Biche
#05-05-234 MOTION: Doug Fleming moved the Board adjourn at 2:15 pm.
Carried unanimously.
_______________________________ _______________________________
Don Schultz, Chairman Dr. Alex Hillyard, CEO