TAMRMS#: B06
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GPFC Recommendation: C-CS-16 Social Development Policy Amendments
Presented by: Cindy de Bruijn, Manager Community Connections, Community Services Department
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RECOMMENDATION(S)
recommendation
That the amended version of Council Policy C-CS-16 Social Development Policy, provided as an attachment to the October 28, 2019 agenda report entitled “Social Development Policy”, be approved.
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PURPOSE OF REPORT
This Council Policy captures how the Social Master Plan values will be used as a tool for planning, resource allocation and decision-making regarding social programming. Originally approved on January 12, 2015, the policy is scheduled for a review and update.
ALIGNMENT TO PRIORITIES IN COUNCIL’S STRATEGIC PLAN
N/A
ALIGNMENT TO LEVELS OF SERVICE DELIVERY
N/A
ALIGNMENT TO COUNCIL DIRECTION OR MANDATORY STATUTORY PROVISION
N/A
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION
It was identified that this Council Policy was scheduled for a maintenance review in 2019. While the overall theme of the policy is still relevant, attached are suggested edits that capture potential adjustments including the feedback received from Council at the October 15th, 2019 GPFC meeting. As indicated in the red-lined attachment, wording and definitions have been added and updated to be more reflective of current practices, language has been updated to reflect current corporate practices, and content is enhanced for some of the listed areas of work.
As per Council feedback at GPFC, grammatical edits were made, definitions to the terms “bullying” (from the National Centre Against Bullying) and “discrimination” (based on decisions from the Supreme Court of Canada) were added, and under the Standards section 1e, what was intended by engagement was further described to provide clarity.
STAKEHOLDER COMMUNICATIONS OR ENGAGEMENT
The original draft policy (2014) was shared with over 100 community partners and residents to allow the opportunity for input. It was posted on the City’s website and ads were placed in City Lights to create awareness and invite input. As the 2019 suggested revisions are relatively minor, no public engagement was sought.
IMPLICATIONS OF RECOMMENDATION(S)
Financial:
None at this time.
Legal / Risk:
None at this time.
Program or Service:
The Social Development policy guides service provision, allocation of resources and decisions regarding social programming.
Organizational:
None at this time.
ALTERNATIVES AND IMPLICATIONS CONSIDERED
If Council does not wish to support the recommendation, the following alternatives could be considered:
a) Refer the policy back to Administration to amend as per the general discussion of Council and present back to Council at a future date.
b) Direct that the policy be amended in a specific manner as per Council direction.
c) Rescind the policy.
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Report Date: October 28, 2019
Author: Cindy de Bruijn, Manager, Community Connections
Department: Community Services Department
Deputy Chief Administrative Officer: Kerry Hilts
Chief Administrative Officer: Kevin Scoble