Minutes
of the January 27, 2022
MANITOULIN-SUDBURY DSB BOARD MEETING
Present: Arthur Hayden, David Santi, Maureen Van Alstine, Bruce Killah, Richard Malette, Paul Schoppmann, Michael Levesque, Richard Stephens, Kevin Burke, Jim Rook and Jill Beer
Regrets: David Ham and Ted Lovelace
Staff: Fern Dominelli, Donna Stewart, Connie Morphet, Melody Ouellette, Paul Myre, Ehren Baldauf
1.0 CALL TO ORDER
Bruce Killah, called the meeting to order at 9:32 a.m.
2.0 DECLARATIONS OF CONFLICT OF INTEREST
There were no declarations of conflict of interest.
3.0 Closed Session
Resolution 22-03
Moved by: Kevin Burke
Seconded by: David Santi
BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Board move into closed session at 9:35 a.m.
Carried
Resolution 22-04
Moved by: Vern Gorham
Seconded by: Jim Rook
BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Board adjourn this closed session at 9:50 a.m. and move to the regular Manitoulin-Sudbury DSB Board meeting.
Carried
Present: Arthur Hayden, David Santi, Maureen Van Alstine, Bruce Killah, Richard Malette, Paul Schoppmann, Michael Levesque, Richard Stephens, Kevin Burke, Jim Rook and Jill Beer
Regrets: Ted Lovelace and David Ham
Staff: Fern Dominelli, Donna Stewart, Connie Morphet, Melody Ouellette, Paul Myre
Media: Michael Erskine, The Manitoulin Expositor
1.0 Vice-Chair, Bruce Killah, called the meeting to order at 10:00 a.m.
2.0 Adoption of Agenda
Resolution No. 22-05
Moved by: Richard Stephens
Seconded by: Paul Schoppmann
BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Agenda be adopted.
Carried
3.0 Declarations of Conflict of Interest
4.0 2022 Board Elections
4.1 Chair Nominations & Election
In standing with the DSSAB’s Act’s annual election requirements, Donna Stewart, (Associate CAO) presided over the election.
The Associate CAO called for nominations for the Chair. Bruce Killah was nominated by Paul Schoppmann. There were no other nominations. Bruce accepted the nomination.
Resolution No. 22-06
Moved by: Paul Schoppmann
Seconded by: Michael Levesque
WHEREAS Regulation 278/98 of the District Social Services Administration Boards Act requires that at its first meeting after January 1 in each year, a Board shall appoint one of its members as chair of the Board.
BE IT RESOLVED THAT Bruce Killah is hereby proclaimed as Chair of the Manitoulin-Sudbury District Services Board for the year 2022.
Carried
4.2 Vice-Chair Nominations & Election
Donna Stewart called for nominations for Vice-Chair. Bruce Killah nominated Richard Malette. There were no other nominations. Richard Malette accepted the nomination.
Resolution No. 22-07
Moved by: Arthur Hayden
Seconded by: Jim Rook
BE IT RESOLVED THAT Richard Malette is hereby acclaimed Vice-Chair of the Manitoulin-Sudbury District Services Board for the calendar year 2022.
Carried
Bruce Killah assumed the Chair for the remainder of the meeting.
5.0 DSB Committees & Membership
5.1 Program Planning Committee (max. 5): Michael Levesque, Jill Beer, Richard Malette, Richard Stephens, Kevin Burke, and Bruce Killah (ex officio)
5.2 HR Committee (max. 5): Kevin Burke, Richard Malette, Vern Gorham, Arthur Hayden, David Santi, and Bruce Killah (ex officio)
5.3 Property Committee (max. 5): Vern Gorham, David Santi, Richard Malette, Paul Schoppmann, Arthur Hayden, and Bruce Killah (ex officio)
5.4 Finance Committee (max. 6): Vern Gorham, Richard Malette, Richard Stephens, Paul Schoppmann, Jim Rook, Maureen Van Alstine and Bruce Killah (ex officio)
5.5 Ad-hoc Board Representation Committee (max.6): Richard Stephens, David Ham, Richard Malette, Jill Beer, Kevin Burke, Maureen Van Alstine, Michael Levesque, and Bruce Killah (ex officio)
5.6 Strategic Planning Committee (max. 4): Membership to be established when required.
5.7 Emergency Planning Committee (max. 5): Membership to be established when required.
5.8 French Language Services Committee (max. 3): Membership to be established when required.
6.0 Business Arising from Closed Session
During its Closed Session, the Board discussed Legal and Human Resources issues.
7.0 Adoption of Minutes
Resolution No. 22-08
Moved by: Kevin Burke
Seconded by: Maureen Van Alstine
BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Minutes of the November 25, 2021 meeting be approved.
Carried
8.0 New Business
8.1 DSB Signing Authority
In January of each year the DSB re-visits the signing authority for the DSB financial approval processes. This year requires a replacement of two signing authorities.
Resolution No. 22-09
Moved by: David Santi
Seconded by: Richard Malette
BE IT RESOLVED THAT the following persons shall have signing authority for the Manitoulin-Sudbury District Services Board, effective as of this date:
Board Member Bruce Killah
Board Member Vern Gorham
Board Member Jill Beer
Chief Administrative Officer Fern Dominelli
Director of Finance & Administration Connie Morphet
Associate Chief Administrative Officer Donna Stewart
Director of Integrated Social Services (A) Lori Clark
Chief of Paramedic Services Paul Myre
Information Systems Manager Iain Stephen
FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED THAT each cheque be signed by two of the above-named persons, and as per the dictates of existing Board 3.03 Financial Approval Policy.
Carried
8.2 Proposed Apportionment Formula
Resolution No. 22-10
Moved by: Richard Malette
Seconded by: Richard Stephens
WHEREAS The Corporation of the Town of Espanola (“Espanola”) has commenced a legal proceeding against the Manitoulin-Sudbury District Services Board (the “Board”) respecting the Board’s current cost apportionment formula (the “Current Formula”) and is asking that the Court set it aside;
AND WHEREAS Espanola has proposed that a new formula (the “Proposed Formula”) be established to replace the Current Formula, with the Proposed Formula being the formula proposed in the attached report from Municipal Tax Equity Consultants Inc., dated December 20, 2021 and as shown in Table 3 in this report;
AND WHEREAS DSB staff have reviewed Tables 4 and 5 in the aforementioned report and, while there is no intention to return to the default formula, staff are of the view that such tables do not represent the default formula as they contain Payments in Lieu (PIL);
AND WHEREAS pursuant to subsection 6(5) of Ontario Regulation 278/98 (the “Regulation”), the cost apportionment formula therein may not be changed to the Proposed Formula unless the following requirements are met:
a) the Proposed Formula is approved by the Board; and
b) a majority of municipalities and members representing territory without municipal organization consent to the establishment of the Proposed Formula and those municipalities and members represent a majority of the electors in the Board’s district;
AND WHEREAS a resolution of the municipal council is required for a municipality to consent and a signed consent of a member representing territory without municipal organization is required for the member to consent to the Proposed Formula change;
AND WHEREAS, in light of the current legal proceeding, it is appropriate and advisable, before the Board considers the matter further, to first determine whether a majority of the member municipalities representing a majority of the electors of those member municipalities (and TWOMOS) consent to a change in the formula from the Current Formula to the Proposed Formula;
NOW THEREFORE be it resolved as follows:
That each municipality and member be asked to, by February 22, 2022, consider the matter and, by resolution or signed consent, as the context requires, inform the Board whether such municipality or member would consent to a change in the cost apportionment formula from the Current Formula to the Proposed Formula shown in Table 3 of the Municipal Tax Equity Consultants Inc., dated December 20, 2021 for the year 2023, provided that the legal proceeding is satisfactorily resolved.
Carried
8.3 Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development
Lori Clark, Acting Director of Integrated Social Services, walked the Board through a memo that was sent to all Employment Ontario Delivery Partners on December 1,2021.
The memo was to advise agencies of the strategies being put in place to connect individuals previously receiving the Canada Recovery Benefit to Employment Ontario (EO) supports. The benefit wound down on October 23, 2021, and had approximately 350,000 beneficiaries.
A phased approach to Canada Recovery Benefit outreach is being used to connect clients to the appropriate supports. Phase one involved outreach by mail or email from November 22 to December 6, 2021. Phase two is to begin in early January and involves phone calls by EO delivery partners to former CRB beneficiaries without email addresses or home addresses on file. To assist with this work, the ministry will share contact lists with regions and regional staff will provide EO service providers with the contact lists of former CRB recipients in their area. As an EO provider in Sudbury North, we have been advised there are no clients for us to contact.
8.4 Ministry of Education
8.4.1 Health and Safety, COVID-19, and Emergency Child Care/Ministry of Education Updates
Lori Clark, Acting Director of Integrated Social Services, walked the Board through multiple memo’s received from the Ministry of Education regarding health and safety for schools and childcare.
Beginning in early December several memos were shared with Service System Managers and Child Care Licensees regarding health and safety updates, these include:
• Access to cloth masks for children;
• Access to non-fit tested N95 masks for staff; and
• licensed childcare programs will receive rapid antigen test kits for symptomatic children, staff, and providers.
The Ministry has been working over the last few weeks to support enhanced and ongoing access to vaccination, particularly boosters, for education and childcare staff. The Ministry is requesting information from all programs related to the number of staff and providers who have received their third doses of a Covid-19 vaccine.
On January 10, 2022 the Ontario government released the Covid-19: Interim Guidance for Schools and Child Care: Omicron Surge which updates the management of Covid-19 cases and contacts in schools and child care centres.
Anyone who has symptoms suggestive of Covid-19 or is a confirmed positive case must self-isolate, regardless of vaccination status. Their household contacts are also required to isolate.
Childcare operators will no longer be notifying families of positive cases. If absenteeism rises to approximately 30% above baseline, licensees are expected to provide notification to families, staff/providers in the affected childcare setting.
Child Care Licensees will continue to submit serious occurrences when a child, staff, student, home childcare provider has a confirmed case of COVID-19. Licensees are also required to report program closures related to Covid-19.
EarlyON Centres are strongly encouraged to offer virtual programs.
Emergency Child Care
The province announced that on January 5th, 2022, schools would be closed for in-person learning and that students would be moving to virtual learning.
Targeted Emergency Childcare was re-instituted for school-aged children on January 10th, 2022, for eligible front-line workers.
With sincere appreciation we are thankful to the childcare operators in the delivery of emergency childcare for our health care workers, first responders and other essential workers.
Vaccine Disclosure Policy
We previously shared information with the board from the Ministry that indicated an immunization disclosure policy was required for all licensed childcare settings.
A follow up memo was received from the Ministry with updated instructions issued by the Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health that updated requirements for vaccination disclosure policies in the education sector. Covid-19 vaccination policy must be updated an implemented no later than January 20, 2022.
8.4.2 Funding
Lori Clark, Acting Director of Integrated Social Services, walked the Board through the 2022 Early Years and Child Care Funding Approach memo received on December 2, 2021.
The funding approach will continue to remain unchanged from 2021. As a result of additional investments outside of the provincial funding approach, our funding has increased by $794,955. The increases are due to new investments because of federal-provincial partnerships.
In 2022, new funding has been devoted to the Canada-Ontario Early Childhood and Workforce Agreement, for the retention and recruitment of high-quality childcare and early years workforce. The Manitoulin-Sudbury DSB received an allocation of $576,491 to support the retention and recruitment of a high-quality childcare and early years workforce.
Also included is the renewed Canada-Ontario Early Learning and Child Care (ELCC) Agreement, to support childcare and early years program delivery. The Manitoulin-Sudbury DSB has received an additional $109,169 for childcare and $109,295 for EarlyON because of the renewal of the federal/provincial agreement.
On September 26, 2019 an Issue Report was presented to the Board with respect to Child Care funding implementation changes regarding administration cost share adjustments.
- As of January 1, 2021, CMSMs/DSSABs were required to cost share provincial childcare administration funding at a rate of 50/50 provincial/municipal.
- As of January 1, 2022, the threshold for allowable administrative funding CMSMs/DSSABs can spend on childcare will be reduced from 10% to 5% excluding ELCC and EarlyON administration funding, we are able to manage this requirement with existing resources.
The Ministry is providing a one-time transitional grant in 2022, to help offset and assist with the impact of the new 5% administration threshold. As well, to continue to help offset a portion of the 50/50 administration cost share that was introduced in 2021. The amount of the transitional grant is $414,902. The ministry will aim to implement the updated childcare funding formula in 2023.
8.5 Ministry of Health
Wiikwemkoong Ambulance Service 2021-2022 Funding
Paul Myre, Chief of Paramedic Services, walked the Board through the 2021-2022 Funding or the Wiikwemkoong Ambulance Service.
Staff submitted a business case to the Ministry of Health requesting 100% provincial funding to address gaps in response times in Wiikwemkoong Unceded First Nation. The business case requested enhancing the current single paramedic response unit (PRU) to a full transporting unit 12 hours per day, 7 days per week. The business case also described required capital improvements to the station to be able to house a third ambulance as well as offset replacement costs of end-of-life equipment. Paramedic Services would then re-deploy the current Paramedic Response Unit (PRU) stationed in Wiikwemkoong to the Little Current Station as a pilot program to analyze its effectiveness in balancing emergency coverage when Ambulances are pulled into Sudbury for transfers.
As the funding was approved by the Ministry of Health, the staffing changes and vehicle re-deployment as of January 9, 2022.
The Ministry of Health will provide up to $348,292 in additional base funding and up to $327,227 in one-time funding. This funding is for the Wiikwemkoong First Nation Ambulance Service 2021-22 funding year. This brings the total maximum funding available up to $2,725,098 to support an increase in operating costs.
The cost of 12-hour PRU in Little Current was included in the DSB 2022 Budget on the condition that the Wiikwemkoong enhancement was approved by the Ministry of Health
50/50 Land Ambulance Services Funding
Connie Morphet, Director of Finance and Administration walked the Board through the 50/50 Land Ambulance Services Funding.
Manitoulin-Sudbury DSB received a letter on December 15, 2021, advising that the Ministry of Health will provide up to $9,651 in additional base funding with respect to the 50/50 Land Ambulance Grant. This funding brings the maximum base funding under the Agreement up to $9,798,136 for the 2021 calendar year.
Non-Urgent Patient Transportation 2021-2022 Funding
Paul Myre, Chief of Paramedic Services, walked the Board through the Non-Urgent Patient Transportation 2021-2022 Funding.
Non-Urgent Patient Transportation is a vital component in ensuring patients receive the appropriate care while also complementing our Paramedic Services side by helping to keep ambulances in our communities for emergencies. This service has been running as a “pilot” for almost 9 years while we continue to purse permanent funding.
Over the years the partnership has grown stronger and in 2021 the partners signed a three-year partnership agreement to fund the Patient Transfer Service without any direct government funding. The new partnership agreement also provided for a Personal Support Worker and Patient Transfer Attendant in each vehicle and the use of three-year-old decommissioned ambulances instead of the eight-year-old vehicles that were being used since 2013.
After lengthy discussions and lobbying the provincial government the Manitoulin-Sudbury DSB received a funding letter from the Ministry of Health early in January 2022 for the non-ambulance transportation service. The letter advises that pro-rated funding for 2021 calendar year will be $225,000 with an annualized base funding up to $300,000 starting in the 2022 calendar year.
Although the annualized base funding does not cover the costs for this service, it will go a long way to one day having permanent funding for the Patient Transfer Service.
While this funding is welcome news, we still need to rely on our partnership with Espanola and Manitoulin hospitals to continue seamless operations of the service. We are currently in discussions with our partners on next steps in creating a sustainable model going forward but are encouraged that this valuable service will be able to continue in the coming years.
8.6 Canadian Mental Health Association
Lori Clark, Acting Director of Integrated Social Services, walked the Board through the Espanola and Area Situation Table/Sudbury East Mobilization Table – 12 Month Report.
Community Mobilization uses an integrated team approach based on collaboration across agency mandates to respond rapidly to emerging crisis situations, develop solutions within a circle of care, identify needs and gaps, and build on an engaged and caring community.
There are 2 Community Mobilization Tables in the District: one for the LaCloche area and the other for the Sudbury East area.
The Espanola and Area Situation Table (EAST) launched in October 2018 and consists of 20 partner agencies. Since the launch, 16 referrals have been brought forward, 15 met the threshold for Acutely Elevated Risk (AER).
In 2021, 3 cases were brought forward, all met the AER criteria; the average number of risk factors per discussion was 11 (Mental Health and self-harm being the lead factor) and the average number of agencies involved in the responses was 10.
Sudbury East Mobilization Table (SEMT) launched its table in October 2019 and consists of sixteen partner agencies.
Since inception there have been a total of 5 referrals 3 met the AER criteria. In 2021, three referrals were brought forward and two met the threshold for AER. The average number of risk factors per discussion was 9 (Mental Health, Cognitive functioning and physical health being the three lead factors).
Training sessions were offered to members to provide general training case related to the Four Filter process and overall procedures and functioning of situation tables. The goal of the training session was to bring clarity, reinforce the model's purpose, and build capacity for effective participation in our Situation Tables.
Member surveys were conducted in 2021 as a result of the surveys, the groups will be moving to a hybrid meeting model rather than an ad hoc model. The hybrid model will allow for capacity building activities during meetings where a referral is not brought forward. Regularly scheduled meetings will occur every second month, with additional meetings scheduled ad hoc.
Resolution No. 22-11
Moved by: Jim Rook
Seconded by: Arthur Hayden
WHEREAS the Manitoulin-Sudbury DSB has reviewed the Canadian Mental Health Association Sudbury/Manitoulin 12 Month Report.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Manitoulin-Sudbury DSB approve the Canadian Mental Health Association Sudbury/Manitoulin 12 Month Report and authorize staff to action the recommendations contained within the report.
8.7 Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing
Lori Clark, Acting Director of Integrated Social Services, walked the Board through the Conditional Letter of Commitment and the Ontario Priorities Housing Initiative Funding Schedule – NEMI Seniors Complex.
Staff received correspondence on January 20 ,2022 from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing advising that the Town of Northeastern Manitoulin and the Islands Seniors Complex project has been conditionally approved for funding in the amount of $623,865 for two affordable units under the Rental Housing Component of the Ontario Priorities Housing Initiative (OPHI).
The funding is conditional upon the Manitoulin-Sudbury DSB obtaining all required approvals for the project. A variety of different documents are required and have been submitted to the Ministry for approval.
9.0 Other Business
10.0 Adjourn
Resolution No. 22-12
Moved by: Richard Malette
Seconded by: David Santi
BE IT RESOLVED THAT we do now adjourn at 11:00 a.m. until the next regular meeting to be held on February 24, 2022.
Carried
11.0 Next Meeting – February 24, 2022
12.0 Adjournment
Resolution 21-16
Moved by: Vern Gorham
Seconded by: Richard Stephens
BE IT RESOLVED THAT we do now adjourn at 11:43 a.m. until the next regular meeting to be held on February 25, 2021.
Carried
original signed by Bruce Killah
Chair
original signed by Fern Dominelli
CAO (Secretary-Treasurer of the Corporation
original signed by Donna Stewart
Associate CAO