The following is the most recent consolidated Quarterly Report that the DSB will be sending to member municipalities and posting on the public website. Expect Quarterly Reports in February, May, September, and November of each year.
The program statistics are provided separately and updated monthly. They are available on the website by clicking the following link: Monthly Program Statistics
The DSB 2024 Fourth Quarter (Unaudited) Financial Report was presented to the Board and projects a year-end municipal surplus of $742,804. Ontario Works, Children’s Services, are forecasted to be on budget. Community Housing is forecasted to be under budget by $510,159. Non-Urgent Patient Transfer Service is forecasted to be under budget by $624. Paramedic Services is forecasted to be over budget by $523,468. Interest revenue on non-reserve accounts is forecasted to be $755,489 more than budgeted.
The DSB quarterly financial reports are available on the DSB website by clicking the following link: Quarterly Financial Reports
Paramedic Services Recruitment
Paramedic Services continues efforts to improve recruitment of personnel. The actions implemented in 2024 have proven to be positive in that this last quarter has allowed for the hiring of 6 new paramedics.
Staff have met with students in the local colleges to advocate for interest in a career with MSDSB. There will be an estimated 7 students enrolled for their final residency and conditional employment for Q1 2025.
Funding Opportunities
In the fall of 2024, the province of Ontario announced that they were planning to invest more than $32 million dollars into mental health support for first responders. While this investment I obviously welcomed, there are more than 70,000 first response personnel in Ontario. Staff are preparing submissions for access to this investment and expect that the project requests will be released in early 2025.
Correspondence was received from Ontario Health on October 7, 2024 notifying the DSB of both one-time and annualized funding increases to be used for provision of the Community Paramedic program. Increases for one-time funding in the amount of $3,719 and base funding of $21,073 have been allocated for use during 2024-25. Staff will continue to work with Ontario Health and all other funding partners to improve program evolution.
Paramedic Services Response time Standards Planning Report
Paramedic Services staff presented the 2025 Response Time Standard (RTS) Plan to the Board in October 2024. This plan was accepted by the Board and subsequently submitted to the Ministry of Health. Given the significant effort underway to evolve Paramedic Services in 2025, staff maintained the RTS Plan at the 2024 levels, with an option to amend the plan in-year. The RTS Plan is felt to be achievable and sound.
Contract Negotiations
Manitoulin-Sudbury DSB successfully negotiated a 4-year collective agreement with OPSEU in the fourth quarter of 2024. The contract has included significant changes to the operation of the service and will help the evolution of service delivery and scope of practice within the system. The new Collective Agreement now permits the expansion of Advanced Care Paramedics and Float positions in the DSB.
Community Paramedicine (CP)
Recruitment of a Commander of Community Paramedicine Programs was posted in the fourth quarter with an anticipated onboarding in early 2025. Staff continue to work with partner agencies to expand the program success. Work continues to introduce increased CP scope of practice.
Non-Urgent Patient Transportation Service (NUPTS)
The nonurgent patent transfer service continues to grow despite challenges with staffing. Work is being done with partners and the Ministry of Health to refocus funding models to better reflect the community needs and realities of regional health care.
The Manitoulin-Sudbury District has 20 licensed child care locations, including 14 center-based sites within schools, one community-based center, and five licensed home child care sites. During the fourth quarter, 552 children were enrolled in child care services, with 457 paying full fees and 95 receiving subsidies. This represents a 3% increase from the previous quarter and a 1% decrease compared to the same period last year, likely due to home child care closures and staffing challenges. Special Needs Resourcing supported an average of 56 children, from infants to school-age, during the fourth quarter, showing a 4% increase compared to the same quarter last year.
In the fourth quarter, EarlyON programs welcomed 3065 visits from parents/caregivers and children. These services are provided through various means including mobile, virtual, and outdoor programs. This represents a 33% increase from the previous quarter.
Child Care Worker and Early Childhood Educator Appreciation Day
October 24th, 2024 marked the celebration of the 24th annual Child Care Worker and Early Childhood Educator Appreciation Day. This day served as an opportunity to honor and acknowledge the exceptional dedication, hard work, and commitment of those who work with young children. The theme for this year, "Worth More," underscored the profound impact these professionals have on our communities.
This day is annually proclaimed by the Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care (OCBCC), the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), municipalities and school boards across Ontario. It is widely observed by child care centres, unions, and community allies throughout the province.
Ontario Child Care and Early Years Funding Guidelines
The Ontario Child Care and Early Years Funding Guidelines for 2025 have been shared with staff, with the final release of the Local Priorities and EarlyON Child and Family Centre Guidelines in November. These updates will guide planning and service delivery.
In the fourth quarter, the Ontario Works/Temporary Care Caseload average was 462. Compared to last year at this time, the caseload has increased by 0.9%.
Centralized Intake
The Manitoulin-Sudbury District Services Board (DSB) received 104 applications in the fourth quarter. Of the 104 applications received, 35 were auto-granted by the Intake and Benefits Administration Unit (IBAU), 26 were referred by the IBAU to the Manitoulin-Sudbury DSB for processing, 14 were transfers from another Ontario Works office, 22 were for Emergency Assistance which is completed online and sent to the local office for processing, and 7 applications were processed at the local office rather than being referred to Centralized Intake as certain applications are not yet being processed by the IBAU.
The initial goal of Centralized Intake was to have 70% of applications completed by the IBAU. During the fourth quarter, 34% of applications were completed by the IBAU.
Policy Changes to Support Centralized Intake
On December 20th, the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services (MCCSS) advised that the Manitoulin-Sudbury District Services Board had been selected, along with 9 other sites, for implementation into the expanded Centralized Intake model effective January 27th, 2025.
In these 10 areas, the ministry will be responsible for initial eligibility decisions, including authorization of initial payments, and notifying applicants. Full implementation across the province will be completed in 2025.
Employment Ontario
The Employment Services (ES), Youth Job Connect (YJC), and Youth Job Connect Summer (YJCS) programs continue to be advertised and delivered from the Chapleau office. From October to December 2024 there were 10 new intakes for Employment Services.
Quality Assurance
During the fourth quarter, the Quality Assurance Coordinator for the Child Care and Ontario Works programs supported local service provider networks, professional development initiatives, and continued active community engagement. These efforts have directly contributed to the ongoing development of the Child Care and Ontario Works programs.
The Quality Assurance Coordinator served as the primary contact for the Child Care and Early Years IT Modernization project, which began in October 2024. The project initially focused on improving the child care search and application process, with later phases addressing fee subsidies, financial management, and EarlyON services.
Continued support was provided to Pedagogical Leads, Childcare Supervisors, and Local Service Provider Networks, helping set goals and initiatives to support children, families, and educators ensuring the ongoing development and delivery of quality services.
In alignment with organizational goals, the Quality Assurance Coordinator facilitated internal professional development sessions focusing on Employment Services Transformation (EST) topics. The sessions included an overview of key concepts such as the Common Assessment, Action Plan, and a recap of EST, preparing staff for the rollout of these initiatives in 2025.
The Quality Assurance Coordinator joined the Indigenous Service Provider Network supporting the ability to meet the needs of Indigenous communities, ensuring culturally sensitive approaches and the integration of Indigenous perspectives in service provision.
In collaboration with the Integrated Human Services Manager and Administrative Assistant, the Quality Assurance Coordinator contributed to planning and executing the delivery of food hampers and holiday gifts to over 150 households on Manitoulin Island. This initiative, supported by community donations to Manitoulin Family Resources, ensured that families in the community had access to essential resources and children's gifts during the 2024 holiday season.
During this last quarter, the Quality Assurance Coordinator for housing and homelessness continued to focus on streamlining internal processes and on collaboration with Paramedic services to ensure more effective workorder processes.
In November the Quality Assurance Coordinator was a panellist at the National Addiction Awareness Conference (NAAW) hosted on Manitoulin Island to present information on the By Name List and how it correlates with addiction using local data.
The DSB continues to prioritize participation from all the communities within our catchment area to support the By Name List. As of December 31, 2024, there were a total of 28 households/32 individuals on the By Name List. Lower numbers are not an indication of a decrease of homeless individuals in our communities, rather a result of limited participation by community partners in the By Name List to identify, refer and track individuals in their communities without permanent housing.
It is important to stress as we enter the winter season that of these 32 actively homeless individuals, 3 of them identified as being unsheltered with no emergency shelter services available in our district.
There were 697 applications at the end of the 4th quarter. The applicant breakdown is as follows:
1 Bedroom 517 2 Bedroom 81
3 Bedroom 54 4 bedroom 45
Staff continue to identify and complete the application process with eligible applicants for the Direct Shelter Subsidy (DSS) program. All applicants receiving the benefit are deemed housed. As of the end of this quarter there were 212 active DSS recipients. At the end of Q3 of this year there were 225 recipients and at this time last year there were 203.
Per DSB Policy, every effort is being made where the waitlist allows us to mix the Community Housing Buildings with RGI, Affordable and Market Rent Tenants. As of Dec 31, 2024, we have successfully housed 28 market rent tenants and 137 affordable rent tenants. This represents 9% and 46% of our portfolio respectively and shows an increase of 1 Market rent and a decrease of 3 affordable rent from last quarter. Comparably, at this time last year, we reported 23 market rent tenants (8%) and 122 affordable (41%)
As of the end of the 4th quarter of 2024, 226/295 of the portfolio’s units are designated as Smoke-free. This represents 76% of the full portfolio currently. Units are designated as turnover occurs or should the current resident choose.
Canada-Ontario Housing Benefit (COHB)
On September 26, 2024, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing provided communication confirming our allocation for the COHB program for the 2024-25 year.
The Manitoulin-Sudbury DSB’s allocation for this year is $74,200 or approx. 18 new households. Currently approximately 55 households in the DSB area are already receiving the COHB benefit.
This year, Ontario is waiving this requirement for households that hold a Special Priority status under the Housing Services Act. This means verified Special Priority households can remain on a social housing waitlist even if they accept a COHB benefit.
This approach aligns with the intent of the Special Priority Policy, which is to help ensure that housing is not a barrier to an individual leaving a situation of abuse for trafficking.
Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing – Investment to Support Homelessness
On December 13th the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing issued a memo providing more details regarding protecting community safety and making additional investments to further support homelessness prevention and provide people living in encampments with access to alternative accommodation.
The investments included a $5.5 million top-up to the Canada Ontario Housing Benefit to immediately free up shelter spaces for those living in encampments to move people from shelters to longer term housing. A $20 million investment to expand shelter capacity and create additional temporary housing to provide people living in encampments with accessible alternative living options and $50 million in last-mile funding for ready to build long term affordable housing projects across the province.
The minister stressed that the expectation is that the funding be tied to clearing out encampments. The funding is being provided to municipalities that demonstrate their commitment to and show results in winding down encampment sites.
The focus of the funding is to support the urgent expansion of shelter capacity by providing funding to support the creation of additional alternative emergency accommodation.
The last mile funding which is intended to speed up supportive housing projects that are in advanced stages of construction where additional funds would lead to faster completion. Business cases for this funding opportunity are due January 10th, 2025.
The intention of the funding is to end visible encampments, Manitoulin-Sudbury DSB staff met with the Board and shared that they are not aware of visible encampments but do recognize that there are many individuals living in precarious, unsafe and unsuitable situations.
The board directed staff to write a letter to Minister Paul Calandra expressing concern about the eligibility criteria of this funding and communicated that the funding was targeted to large urban areas and does not consider what homelessness looks like in rural communities.
Capital Projects with Housing Services Corporation
The Chapleau landscaping project is now complete. In the spring of 2025 roof replacements will be done in Webbwood, Massey and 1 of the Marguerite Street units, the request for quotes has been released for engineers to bid. We will be completing structural upgrades to 60 Barber in the spring, engineer assessments have been completed.
The 70 Barber Street Make Up Air unit replacement project has been postponed until mid-March due to the contractor experiencing shipping delays on the unit.
The abatement testing portion of the Mindemoya window replacement project has been completed with negative results and the windows have been ordered.
Work Orders
During the fourth quarter a total of 214 Work Orders were generated: 175 for Community Housing; 5 for Administration Offices, and 34 for Paramedic Services. 128 Work Orders were closed or resolved during that time. (Work orders are closed if the work is done in-house, or when the invoice is paid from an outside source). There were also 4 work orders for unit turnovers, all for apartments.
Canada-Ontario Community Housing Initiative (COCHI)/Ontario Priorities Housing Initiative (OPHI)
Out of the 12 projects that were planned for 2023/2024 funding, all but 1 have been completed, this is due mainly to project changes and shipping timeline for parts. An extension was requested for this project as it will not be completed by the March 2025 deadline.
There are 3 projects planned for 2024/2025 funding, 1 of which is already completed.
Upgrades
All buildings have been inspected for energy efficiency by CLEAResult and have been approved for various upgrades, such as insulation, window/door caulking, and/or new fridges. The 210 Mead Blvd and 347 Second Ave administration buildings have had their rooftop units and new air conditioning units replaced. The St. Charles entrance and hallway flooring has been upgraded with new tile and carpet on both floors and the Gore Bay common room is undergoing a full upgrade with expected completion by early February.
Years of Service
The DSB would like to acknowledge the following staff persons for their years of service with the organization:
5 years of service
Case Managers: Andrea Bernier and Jenna Bourcier
Community Paramedic: Ashleigh Desormeaux
Paramedics: Travis Clelland, Devan Deschamps and James Stefanko
10 years of service
Director of Integrated Human Services: Lori Clark
Paramedics: Travis Allen-Lamothe and Scott Burns
15 years of service
Paramedics: Jeffery Hinschberger, Jarret Maltby, Shawn Marcoux, Davide Perrotta, and Gary Welch
20 years of service
Deputy Chief of Paramedic Services: Jennifer Tasse
Community Programs Supervisor: François Seguin
Community Paramedic: Sherri Chopra
Paramedics: Darren Assiniwe, Tiffany Brault, Scott Cameron, Keith Crockford, Dwayne Elliott, Jeanette Fox, Audrey Jones, Gaetan Lagrandeur, Melanie Laramee, Ron Mailloux, Todd McKenzie, Patrick McKinnon, Ray Patrie, Blair Peltier, Theresa Peltier, James Robinson, Monic Rochon-Shaw, Denis Seguin, Michael St.Amour, Rod Steele, Andre Therrien, and Aaron Wright
25 years of service
Director of Finance and Administration: Connie Morphet
Information Systems Manager: Iain Stephens
Executive Assistant: Melody Ouellette
Case Manager: Jim Putman
Employment Consultant: Tara O'Hearn
Finance Assistant: Leslie Giroux
Thank you all for your commitment to the organization!
Donna Stewart
Chief Administrative Officer
Manitoulin-Sudbury District Services Board
Phone: 705-222-0499
E mail: donna.stewart@msdsb.net
Website: www.msdsb.net
