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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2016-06-02 SAFE AND HEALTHY COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES JUNE 2, 2016 CITY OF KITCHENER The Safe and Healthy Community Advisory Committee met this date, commencing at 4:05 p.m. Present: Mr. A. Bieronski – Chair Councillors S. Marsh and D. Schnider, Ms. E. Clarke, Ms. L. Roberts and Messrs. M. Farwell, C. Letizi, D. McKlusky and W. Rahimi Staff: Mr. M. Hildebrand, Director of Community Programs and Services Ms. D. Campbell, Manager of Community Resource Centres Ms. L. Korabo, Committee Administrator LITTLE LIBRARY ON WHEELS 1. Councillor S. Marsh advised of community members who are launching a ‘little library on wheels’ meant to bring libraries to neighbourhoods and events around the City to make them more accessible. The library is mounted on a bicycle at a total cost of $6,000. As funding has not yet been identified, Councillor Marsh inquired whether an application for a City grant could be encouraged. She cautioned the concept is not tied to a single neighbourhood and this may hamper meeting eligibility criteria for a Neighbourhood Matching Fund Grant or a Belonging / Inclusion Grant. Mr. M. Hildebrand advised the proposal would not meet the criteria for a Neighbourhood Matching Fund Grant as proposals must be neighbourhood specific. However, the idea could possibly fit the criteria for a Belonging / Inclusion Grant as the little library will be visiting neighbourhoods and supporting people coming together. Ms. D. Campbell reminded members the maximum grant available is $2000. and the application needs to be supported by either a neighbourhood association or a community organization in order to qualify for the full amount. Councillor Marsh thanked the Committee for their guidance and advised she will encourage an application to be submitted for a Belonging / Inclusion Belonging Grant in the near future. RAINBOW COMMUNITY COUNCIL 2. Jeremy Steffler, Co-Chair, Rainbow Community Council (RCC), advised the RCC was formed in 2015 and is committed to fostering a connected, welcoming, integrated and supportive community in Waterloo Region that is inclusive of the Rainbow Community. The Rainbow Community is a term used by all those who identify with a wide range of sexual identities. In order to understand the needs of citizens with differing sexual identities, Mr. Steffler advised the Wilfrid Laurier University School of Social Work held open community conversations on the topic of living in Waterloo Region and hopes for the future. The conversations were sponsored by various community leaders and approximately 90 people participated in the roundtable discussions. A major decision emerging from the discussions was the need for an organization focussed on support and advocacy for the Rainbow Community. The volunteer- based Waterloo Region Rainbow Coalition (WRRC) was formed and acts as a central hub for the local Rainbow community. It brings together various stakeholders from across the Region with an emphasis on building partnerships and working collaboratively to meet the needs of the Rainbow community. The RCC is an initiative of the WRCC and works to bring existing community organizations together to develop a community-wide, sustainable framework for supporting the Rainbow community. Mr. Steffler also advised of another community organization called ‘Spectrum’ which provides safe space for businesses whose services are used by RCC members. In response to questions raised by the Committee, Mr. Steffler advised it had been suggested the City of Kitchener be approached about ways to increase the visibility of the RCC and support its mission and vision. The Committee was circulated with a listing of 10 recommendations for consideration. A question was raised regarding the availability of trainers if the City wished to pursue staff training around providing more inclusive programming and facilities. Mr. Steffler advised the RCC is currently developing accessible training but in the meantime, he noted there are other organizations and individuals with the skills to provide training should there be an interest. With regard to the request for a City of Kitchener representative on the RCC, the Committee was advised the City of Waterloo had recently appointed a staff person to this role. SAFE AND HEALTHY COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES JUNE 2, 2016 - 15 - CITY OF KITCHENER RAINBOW COMMUNITY COUNCIL (CONT’D) 2. Members were advised the RCC is working with community partnerships and will be conducting a survey later this year to gather baseline information about the Rainbow community in the Region. As the RCC is a grass-roots organization and has no funding, it is looking to build a sustainable framework in order to provide its support to the community. It is hoped the information gathered via the survey will allow the RCC to target the correct grants, etc. to allow the provision of some services. In conclusion, Mr. Steffler stated his hope that today’s presentation provided a starting point to a continuing conversation with the City of Kitchener around areas of mutual interest and support. Mr. M. Hildebrand agreed to take the information provided today back to staff to allow follow-up and further discussions. SUSTAINABLE URBAN FOREST MANAGEMENT PROGRAM 3. Dave Schmitt, Environmental and Urban Forest Project Manager, provided an introduction on the development of a Sustainable Urban Forest Management Program (SUFMP) which is an identified priority in the City’s current Strategic Plan. Mr. Schmitt shared the issues and challenges faced by urban trees, noting that long-term planning and management of trees can minimize costs and risks while maximizing the benefits of the urban forest. Development of the SUFMP will include the collection and analysis of information (currently underway); the development of a long term Strategy for presentation to Council; the drafting of a policy with measurable goals and identified priorities over a 10-year period; and the development and execution of an Asset Management Plan which will include best practices for City lands only. It was noted that community workshops and other engagement will form part of the information gathering and Committee members were circulated with a list of discussion questions for consideration. Members were requested to provide their responses to these questions and submit them at the end of the meeting. Clarification was provided regarding the definition of an urban forest, the percentage of tree canopy in Kitchener (currently 26% with a goal of 40%) and considerations being given to climate change difficulties. Mr. Schmitt commented that a key outcome of this Program is to ensure best practices are used when planting and maintaining the City’s urban forest assets as well as cooperation between levels of government. Members noted the importance of communication around the long-term Strategy for urban forest development and a suggestion was made to target homeowners who may have lost trees to the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) infestation. A further suggestion was made to work closely with school boards to green their public space, to connect with various community garden groups across the City and perhaps most importantly, to hold focus groups away from City Hall as this may encourage better participation. NEIGHBOURHOOD STRATEGY ENGAGEMENT TOOLS 4. Michelle Drake, Neighbourhood Strategy Project Manager, advised the community consultation phase of the Strategy has commenced and will continue until mid-August, 2016. She reminded members of the three streams of engagement to be used for the consultation, being: creative engagement (placemaking challenge); conversational engagement (street teams); and, online engagement (survey). Members were divided into focus groups and conducted conversational engagement on a series of questions provided. Information gathered was then submitted to Ms. Drake for inclusion in the consultation phase. WE BELONG WATERLOO REGION INITIATIVE 5. Ms. E. Clarke advised of the ‘We Belong Waterloo Region’ initiative which is launching a website to share stories, photos, etc. on the topic of inclusion and belonging. This website is being made possible due to a grant from the Kitchener-Waterloo Community Foundation. SAFE AND HEALTHY COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES JUNE 2, 2016 - 16 - CITY OF KITCHENER WE BELONG WATERLOO REGION INITIATIVE (CONT’D) 5. Ms. Clarke asked if the Committee would be interested in posting a story about some aspect of its work. It was suggested that photos of the annual Neighbours Day could be posted as well as some information on the Committee’s Belonging / Inclusion Grant. Members agreed that this might be a good initiative to become involved with. Ms. E. Clarke agreed to gather additional information and share it at a future meeting. INTERNATIONAL DRUG OVERDOSE AWARENESS DAY 6. st Mr. D. McKlusky reminded members that August 31 is International Drug Overdose Awareness Day and he had previously advised the Committee that there may be a funding request from organizers. A proposal has now been made to host an event at City Hall (either in the Square or in the Rotunda), in conjunction with the Region of Waterloo to recognize this day. Mr. McKlusky suggested the Committee contribute funds to assist with some aspect of the event. He offered to take a lead role on this initiative and keep the Committee informed. In response to questions, Mr. McKlusky suggested approving a maximum of $1000. to contribute to costs, however, noted that he was unsure at this time of the exact amount of funding that may be required. Mr. M. Hildebrand suggested that obtaining more information about what the funds would be used for would be beneficial for the Committee prior to reaching a decision on funding dollars. Ms. D. Campbell advised off the City’s In-kind Facility Grant which may assist with covering costs when holding events at City Hall. She agreed to share the grant’s criteria with Mr. McKlusky. Mr. McKlusky agreed to obtain more information at the next organizational meeting and follow- up with Ms. Campbell about costs and funding needs. It was agreed this matter would be placed on the Committee’s August 2016 agenda for final decision. BELONGING / INCLUSION GRANT 7. Mr. C. Letizi advised that a late application for a Belonging / Inclusion Grant had recently been received from Muslim Community Services. Mr. Letizi advised he has briefly reviewed the application and it does not appear to meet the grant’s criteria. He will call a meeting of the sub-committee to provide a formal review and report back at the next Committee meeting. ADJOURNMENT 8. On motion, the meeting adjourned at 6:10 p.m. L. Korabo Committee Administrator