PDD NORTHEAST COMMUNITY BOARD MEETING
Saturday,
October 18, 2003 9:15 am – 3:30
pm
Boardroom,
Shaw House, Bonnyville, AB
APPROVED MINUTES
Present:
Don Schultz, Donna Desjardins, Christine Botsford, Ralph Gorrie, Carmela Levesque,
Laurel Morris-Duncan
Administration: Dr. Alex Hillyard, CEO; Lucille Froese, Recording Secretary
Regrets: Dr. Doug Fleming was absent for personal reasons.
Guests:
Lawrence Noel and Lionel Remillard, Co-Chairs, Bonnyville Community Council, Roger and Sally Noel, Vic Stapleton, Chair, Bonnyville Housing Committee, Cam Fontaine, Bonnyville Housing Committee, Marlene Coulter, Community Service Coordinator.
A.
Don Schultz, Chair,
called the meeting to order at 9:15 am, October 18, 2003.
#03-10-681 MOTION: Ralph Gorrie moved the Board approve the
agenda.
Carried unanimously.
C. Approval of Minutes
#03-10-682 MOTION: Donna Desjardins moved the Board approve the
minutes as presented. Carried unanimously.
Ralph Gorrie, Vegreville
1. Vegreville Library – Inclusive Libraries Initiative
· What does accessibility mean to you?
· Equitable access for all Albertans
· Access by rolling or clicking from home and outreach in the community, particularly for persons with developmental disabilities.
· Moving away from the stereotype thinking that a library is a book storage when it must be and is far more than that.
· Facilities need to be designed differently to adjust to this new concept.
· What do you perceive to be barriers to a library in the community?
· People are not aware of the new library services and accessibility.
· Present shelving is not conducive to wheelchair users.
· Large senior population of 22.5% requires large print books and audio books.
· Northeast Community Online not used extensively
· Once website is built will include Northeast Community Online as a link.
· One person from PDD has been involved as a volunteer to develop skills with FCSS and Library.
· How can the library improve accessibility?
· Larger facility is definitely needed, possibly twice the present size at least.
· More awareness of its resources
· With a population of 8,800, including surrounding area, need a downtown facility or in a school.
· What strategies/solutions can you offer to improve accessibility?
· Strong local support
· Involvement of the County
· Agreement with Northern Lights does not refer to infrastructure for local services
· Where do we go from here?
· Identify resources for infrastructure
· Communicate to our users of our needs and what we are doing
· Resources for staffing for programs to grow
· Next meeting is scheduled for October 20, 2003
2. September 10, 2003 Vegreville FCSS 30th Anniversary Celebration
· On behalf of the Northeast Alberta Community Board and Helen Litwin, I presented a bouquet for the main registration area.
· Many dignitaries were present, to present congratulations along with a brief history of the organization.
3. September 10, 2003 VALID Board Meeting
· Briefly discussed the Auditor General’s Report with respect to Grandfathering and Accountability
· Outlined the major accomplishments of the Northeast Alberta Community Board with respect to the Annual Report 2002-2003
· Northeast Region input on Provincial Board Priorities from the two sessions at Vegreville and Westlock and left the Board with the plain language summary of the input generated.
· 5th Annual Conference slated for St. Paul this year with consideration to move to other communities in the region for 2004 and 2005 – Special mention of the inclusion of elected officials in a session on building community capacity.
· Budget Approval 2003/04
· Discussed the overall allocation of $21,508.00 approval
· The Board requests the general input into the distribution of funds within the allocation with our CEO who will report back to the Board in September.
· Building Community Capacity – discussed briefly Dr. Kendrick’s presentation on Sustainability.
· In particular I emphasized the Prevalent Assumptions and the Contrary View which clearly outlines that we use our wisdom in being resourceful and creative with the resources we have and that more money is not necessarily the answer.
· I left copies of the outline of Kendrick’s treatise for them to peruse.
· I once again emphasized that we in Vegreville need to involve and include our total community with the purpose of mobilizing our many resources. VALID is a main partner and catalyst in the movement.
· Discussed the special allocation of “Building Community Capacity” of which VALID will have a major involvement in this. This is related to my previous observations of mobilizing capacity.
· Northeast Professional Development Committee
· The Board recognizes the significance of this committee in relationship to providing opportunities for those who need professional development being a major player in the development of the program.
· Community Council will be meeting on September 29, 2003.
· Nominations for the Northeast Conference in St. Paul
· Planning for the year ahead
· Development Committees to follow through with recommendations in Pat Butcher’s Report.
4. September 30, 2003 – Community Council
· Council will be following up the analysis of the Research Project “Making Community Councils Work”.
· Council selected individuals for the Community and Individual Awards.
· Introduced the new budget followed up by Bill with more details. The concept of Community Capacity derived from the budget allocation was discussed. As well, the topic will be on the agenda of the Conference in November.
5. October 1, 2003 – VALID Meeting
· Introduced the follow-up of the “Second Century Communities” concept with the emphasis on family rather than money.
· Discussed the direction of Building Community Capacity, which I had discussed on various occasions with the Board, emphasizing the funding allocations in place and the need for a cooperative approach to bring about this enhancement of the service model.
· Building capacity will begin with involvement of the elected municipal officials through meetings with Mayors and Reeves in the area.
Christine Botsford, Fort McMurray
· There was no Community Council meeting in the past month. The next meeting is scheduled for next week.
· Will be attending the Board Development Workshop on November 8th.
· Will attend a Provincial Board meeting in either November or December.
· Contacted the Mayor for dates for a meeting on community capacity. No date has been confirmed yet.
Doug Fleming, Westlock
· Attended the Athabasca Community Council meeting. There were over 35 people in attendance.
· Discussed the time and place of the meetings and found that what they were doing was not right.
· The meeting was held at the school, pizza was ordered, and people from the school were encouraged to come and bring their families.
Donna Desjardins, St. Paul
· Interprovincial Ball Tournament for Special Olympics in St. Paul, August 23 and 24, 2003.
· A tremendously successful tournament – 15 teams from Alberta and Saskatchewan attended. The ball scores were close and the sportsmanship high.
· Resulted in a number of articles in the St. Paul Journal regarding good sportsmanship (passed around).
· Like to thank Dr. Hillyard and Christine Botsford for their support in the concession.
· With regard to Special Olympics, Lucie Jean now sits on the Special Olympics Alberta executive.
· St. Paul Community Council
· Two meetings since last report –
· September 17, 2003
· Tremendous turnout – around 35 people.
· Individuals with developmental disabilities expressed a lot of excitement about the possibility of learning how to be empowered in their community through Leadership Today, and their local self-advocacy group, Positive People Society of St. Paul. Since that time, the Positive People Society has written a letter to Leadership Today expressing a concern about supporting those individuals who want to be empowered, but do not have the reading or writing skills.
· Seven individuals asked if they could have their stories told on NorthEast Community Online.
· Tremendous excitement about the upcoming conference.
· October 15, 2003
· Once again, a tremendous turnout – around 35 people.
· Daniel Desjardins and Denis Duchesneau shared their experience with the Japanese delegation in town on October 9, 2003.
· Everyone who wanted their stories online now have appointments to tell their story. It is hoped that all of these will be online by conference time.
· Terry Holmgren reported on the Service Planning weekend in Westlock on October 18, 2003.
· St. Paul Abilities Network
· Have just completed their accreditation process. They do not expect results for 2-3 months.
· Tim Bear was part of the presentation to the Japanese delegation. In the course of preparing for this, they were surprised to find out that 35 individuals are employed in full time, or part time paid work. These individuals are employed by 23 different employers. There are also 7 individuals that are self-employed in town.
· Hector Jean
· Hector Jean of St. Paul, Alberta, a nominee for the Norm McLeod Award was featured in the most recent copy of the Provincial Perspectives.
· Met with Mayor John Trefanenko and Council – gave a presentation on Community Capacity.
· Had a discussion around joint Town/County endeavor.
Laurel Morris-Duncan, Fort McMurray
· No Community Council meeting.
· Board development – phoned over 40 places to give them the information on the Board Development Workshop. Was able to give it directly to 24 and left messages for the rest.
Don Schultz, Barrhead
· Attended the Whitecourt Community Council Open House – some new individuals also attended.
· There is a great employment push on now in Whitecourt.
· They are trying to pick individuals to come to the conference, more people want to attend that space allows.
· Attended the Barrhead Community Council meeting. The Mayor and County Council also attended.
· Brought forward the housing initiative. The Council is going to invite the director of community housing to speak to an open house.
· Good discussion on the direction of housing and direction that it needs to go. Want to make community aware that housing is very important not just to individuals, but to others.
· The community council is making good steps to let people know what they are doing.
· Will be meeting with the Mayors and Reeves of Westlock and Barrhead next week.
Carmela Levesque, Bonnyville
· Had a supper meeting with Hansa Thaleshvar, Mayor of Cold Lake – discussed community capacity.
· She is very interested and will talk to the Cold Lake Town Council members.
· Hope to meet with Mayor Wiebe of Bonnyville on October 27, 2003.
· The next Cold Lake Community Council meeting is scheduled for October 23, 2003
· They are trying to put a newsletter out to the community talking about the community council, trusteeship, etc.
· Some families attended the Family Voices meeting. The next meeting will be on October 22nd.
· Bonnyville Community Council had a meeting on September 9th. The Chair had to leave to attend a Town Council meeting.
· One new individual attended.
· Looking at ways to get new people to attend community council meeting.
· The next meeting is scheduled for October 27th.
Presentation by Lawrence Noel, Secretary-Treasurer for People First, Bonnyville.
· People with developmental disabilities are dependent on parents and workers to drive them where they need to go. They would like to be less dependent.
· Taxi’s are expensive even with the Town of Bonnyville subsidies.
· Asked the Board to assist with a solution to this issue in the Northeast region.
· Lionel Remillard welcomed everyone to Bonnyville and mentioned that he had sent a letter to the Minister to express appreciation and confidence in this Board for the commitment and excellent work that has been done by the Board and Bonnyville staff.
· Mr. Remillard also drew attention to a study that was done by the Cold Lake and Bonnyville Community Councils, in conjunction with the Northeast Board, on the need of the people. Results showed four areas of needs – housing, transportation, employment, and transition.
· The Bonnyville Community Council got involved in the housing issue and helped initiate the Bonnyville Housing Committee.
· Vic Stapleton is the Chair of the Bonnyville Housing Committee.
· Mr. Stapleton gave a detailed presentation on what the Committee is doing and some of the issues facing the Committee.
· A basic plan has been developed for an affordable housing project called Millenium Place, in Bonnyville. The project will include one lot that is designated as park space, with room for picnic grounds. It will be landscaped, fenced – green space for residents.
· The project will require support from the community for development.
1. Board Communications & Operations
1.1
Japanese Delegation Visit to St. Paul, Alberta
Recommendation: That the Board receive this report for information.
Purpose of Report: Information and discussion
On October 7, 2003 the Town and County of St. Paul, along with the Northeast Board, hosted a delegation of educators from Japan. The visit by the delegation is part of a four-year mission to learn about practices in Alberta for adults with intellectual disabilities, which can be applied in Japan.
Ray Danyluk, MLA for Lac La Biche-St. Paul, welcomed the delegation and talked about services to persons with developmental disabilities.
The delegation received a number of presentations about initiatives underway in the region for persons with developmental disabilities in the areas of post secondary options, housing, employment, person centered planning, family networks, and online communication.
Comments from the delegates themselves suggested that they were very impressed by the nature of services offered in our rural community.
#03-10-683 MOTION: Carmela Levesque moved the Board accept the report for
information. Carried unanimously.
1.2
Northeast Vision for the Year 2010
Recommendation: Northeast Vision for the Year 2010
Purpose of Report: Information and Review
On November 12th and 13th, 1999 the Board held its first regional conference in Westlock, Alberta. The Board invited a representative group of individuals, families, Service Providers, Provincial and community partners to come together for the first time with the Northeast Board.
The primary purpose of the conference was to develop a common vision for the future regarding our communities and services for adults with developmental disabilities. This year is the 5th anniversary of that conference date and five years under the leadership of this Board.
The Board reviewed and discussed the last five years, how things have grown and what they would like to accomplish in the next five years.
#03-10-684 MOTION: Christine Botsford moved the Board accept the report for
information. Carried unanimously.
1.3
Northeast Regional 5th Annual Conference:
Update
Recommendation: That the Board receive this report for information.
Purpose of Report: Information.
Donna Desjardins, Co-Chair of the Conference Committee, and the administration, gave the Board an update on preparations for the conference.
Board members held an extensive discussion on various aspects of the conference.
A new feature this year is the introduction of community members and partners to participate in providing the Community Report Card along with the Chairman. Also, fireworks have been arranged and there will be a live band – Malibu - for the dance.
Board members volunteered to act as co-monitors for each of the conference sessions on Friday afternoon and individuals from different communities will be asked to assist as session monitors as well.
#03-10-685 MOTION: Laurel Morris-Duncan moved the Board accept the report for
information. Carried unanimously.
1.4
North Central Alberta Governance Agreement
Recommendation: That the Board receive this report for information.
Purpose of Report: Information and input
The Northeast Board was a member of a governance agreement including the Children’s Authority, School Boards, and the Health Board in the Westlock area. This agreement resulted in numerous collaborative initiatives, which enhanced services for children, youth, families, and individuals.
This agreement needed to be reviewed in light of the reorganization of the Children’s Authorities and Health Regions. As a result, the Northeast Board and the newly formed Children’s Authority Region 7 Board agreed to host a session of representatives from all the existing and newly formed Boards and Authorities in North Central Alberta.
This group met in Barrhead, Alberta on May 22, 2003 to discuss the formation of a new governance agreement.
The Board reviewed a working draft document and recommended several changes. A copy of the document and a letter was sent out to all participating Boards and Authorities, requesting feedback by October 15, 2003.
A second meeting of the Northeast Alberta Community Board, Children’s Authority, Health Authority, and School Boards is scheduled for October 22, 2003.
#03-10-686 MOTION: Donna Desjardins moved the Board accept the report for
information. Carried unanimously.
1.5
Northeast Alberta Board Business Planning 2004/05
Recommendation: That the Board receive this report for information.
Purpose of Report: Information and discussion.
At their October 19th, 2003 public meeting the Provincial Board approved their business plan strategic priorities and goals for 2004/05. Performance measures will be developed and presented to the Provincial Board for approval in January 2004.
The Board and administration discussed the major priorities and timeline for the business plan. Time will be set-aside at the next Board meeting for a more thorough discussion and review.
#03-10-687 MOTION: Christine
Botsford moved the Board accept the report for
information. Carried unanimously.
2. Administration
2.1
Transfer of Alberta Corporate Service Centre (ACSC)
To Northeast Alberta Community Board
Recommendation: That the Board receive this report for information.
Purpose of Report: Board Information.
From the inception of the Community Board until September 30, 2003 all finance and finance related services were provided to the Community Board by staff in the Alberta Corporate Service Centre.
In early 2003, the PDD Provincial Board and
the Ministries who received similar services from ACSC decided that these
strategic services would to be returned to the Ministries.
Effective October 01, 2003, all finance and finance related services were transferred back to the Ministries and are being performed by staff who report directly to the CEO.
#03-10-688 MOTION: Donna Desjardins moved the Board accept the report for
information. Carried unanimously.
2.2
Community Capacity Initiative
Recommendation: That the Board receive this report for information.
Purpose of Report: Information and discussion.
At their September 20, 2003 Public Meeting,
the Board endorsed an approach for the Community Capacity Initiative in the
Northeast Region.
This approach includes an initial meeting of
Mayors and Reeves individually, by Board members and the administration. The
purpose of these initial meetings is to introduce the initiative and ask the
Mayors and Reeves who should be involved from their communities and how best to
proceed.
The Board discussed the results of the
meetings that have taken place so far and the interest and concerns expressed
by the Mayors.
#03-10-689 MOTION: Laurel Morris-Duncan moved the Board accept
the report for
information. Carried unanimously.
2.3
Board Development Bulletin
Recommendation: That the Board receive this report for information.
Purpose of Report: Information and feedback to the administration.
The Northeast Board continues to support the board development program offered through the volunteer branch of the Ministry of Community Development. The approach has been to facilitate the offering of workshops throughout the region and to involve members from other non-profit community boards.
Board members from Service Provider Boards attending the workshops have commented on their value and how much they have learned from the contact with members from other boards.
Board members from the Northeast Alberta Community Board attend each of the Board Development sessions.
#03-10-690 MOTION: Donna Desjardins moved the Board accept the
report for
information.
Carried unanimously.
· Michener project – heard a presentation from a group that is looking at Michener. According to the report referred to, there have been 18 admissions to Michener in the past year.
· The group is disturbed that there were a lot of admissions with no end plan.
· Ninety-nine percent of the admissions are coming from Calgary.
· October 25, 2003 – gave a presentation to the Regional Lions Club Convention in
St. Paul
· Board Development Workshops
· Two more Board development Workshops are planned for this year. One on October 25th in Cold Lake and one for November 8th in Fort McMurray.
#03-10-691 MOTION: Carmela Levesque moved the Board
support in principle the
development of Millenium Place in Bonnyville. Carried unanimously.
#03-10-692 MOTION: Donna Desjardins moved the Board direct administration to
meet with the Bonnyville housing group to get more information for the Board to consider as it considers endorsement of the project. Carried unanimously.
#03-10-693 MOTION: Laurel Morris-Duncan moved the Board go
In-Camera to
discuss organizational issues
at 9:15 am. Carried unanimously.
#03-10-694 MOTION: Christine Botsford moved the Board come out of Camera at
10:15 am. Carried unanimously.
#03-10-695 MOTION: Christine Botsford moved the Board go In-Camera to discuss
organizational issues. Carried unanimously.
#03-10-696 MOTION: Donna Desjardins moved the Board come out of Camera at
3:15 pm. Carried unanimously.
#03-10-697 MOTION: Donna moved the Board adjourn the meeting at 3:30 pm.
Carried unanimously.
________________________________ ________________________________
Don Schultz, Chairman Dr. Alex Hillyard, CEO