HomeMy WebLinkAboutCompass Kitchener - 2025_04_02 KiT�;�,�,
Compass Kitchener Advisory Committee
Agenda
April 2, 2025, 4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Schmalz Room - Second Floor City Hall
City of Kitchener
200 King Street W, Kitchener, ON N2G 4G7
People interested in participating in this meeting can email Committee Administrator, Allison
Remillard at allison.rem illard(a)kitchener.ca. Please refer to the delegation section on the agenda
below for the registration deadline. Written comments received will be circulated to the Committee
prior to the meeting and will form part of the public record.
*Accessible formats and communication supports are available upon request. If you require
assistance to take part in a city meeting or event, please call 519-741-2345 or TTY 1-866-969-9994.*
Chair: Troy Glover
Vice-Chair: James Young
Pages
1. Commencement
2. Disclosure of Pecuniary Interest and the General Nature Thereof
Members of Council and members of the City's local boards/committees are
required to file a written statement when they have a conflict of interest. If a
conflict is declared, please visit www.kitchener.ca/conflict to submit your written
form.
3. Delegations
Pursuant to Council's Procedural By-law, delegations are permitted to address
the Committee for a maximum of five (5) minutes. All delegations must register
in order to participate in the meeting. Delegation registration is permitted up to
the start of the meeting.
4. Discussion Items
4.1 Advancing Truth and Reconciliation 20 m 1
Presentation
Staff will provide a 20 minute presentation on this project.
4.2 Project Presentation Debrief and Evaluation 60 m 7
Compass Kitchener members will debrief on Accelerating Business
Approvals and Advancing Truth and Reconciliation project presentations.
4.3 Review Previous Minutes 5 m
Compass Kitchener members will review the minutes from the March 5th
meeting.
5. Information Items
5.1 All Advisory Committee Workshop Agenda
6. Adjournment
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Evaluation Framework for the 2023-2026 Strategic Plan
Evaluation Process
In previous years, one of Compass Kitchener's primary challenges during the evaluation
process was a lack of sufficient information to effectively assess projects. To address this,
Compass Kitchener now sends standardized briefing templates to be completed by project
managers for each finished project. The briefing template provided below asks staff to
provide a brief summary (e.g., two- to three-sentences) of how the project has met each
evaluation criterion, along with any supporting documents for additional information.
Briefing templates will be distributed to project managers in February, with submissions due
by the end of the month. Compass Kitchener will commence their evaluations in March by
reviewing completed project briefings. If Compass Kitchener has any outstanding questions,
members will request short voluntary presentations by project staff.
Prior to finalizing their report and presenting to Council, Compass Kitchener will share the
draft report card with CLT in May for review.
Evaluation Criteria
1. Responsible Project Delivery:
This criterion focuses on how well project goals, budgets and timelines are managed. It
emphasizes the importance of monitoring and tracking progress to ensure projects are
completed efficiently and effectively, achieving goals within financial constraints and
deadlines.
• Note: Given that the 2023-2026 Strategic Plan is intended to be adaptive,
responsible project delivery also recognizes that timelines may shift due to shifting
priorities and needs.
2. Impact/Public Value:
This criterion assesses how the impact of the project will be tracked and evaluated, and
the extent to which a project (has the potential) to create positive outcomes for the
community and contributes to the goal(s) of the Strategic Plan.
3. Transparency Ft Communication:
This criterion focuses on the dissemination of information through staff reports and other
channels. It emphasizes the importance of relevant, clear, timely, and accessible
communication to the community, ensuring that project goals, progress, challenges, and
outcomes/impacts are openly shared.
4. Public Engagement:
This criterion evaluates how well a project involves the community and/or relevant
parties in its planning and execution.
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Equity Lens
Using the definition of equity outlined in Kitchener's Equity, Inclusion &t Anti-Racism policy,
Compass Kitchener will also incorporate an equity lens to underpin the evaluation of all
projects.
"An equity approach creates the conditions for fair and equal access and opportunity
for everyone, by addressing discriminations, exclusions and barriers experienced by
distinct groups. Equity is not the same as equality, nor is it the same an inequality."
Evaluation Rating
Compass Kitchener will evaluate each project using the following rating scale: exceeds
expectations, meets expectations, and does not meet expectations.
The evaluation rating will be determined based on the extent to which all applicable
evaluation criteria are met, recognizing that some criteria may not be applicable to each
project. Each individual criterion will be assigned a rating, and based on the ratings of all
applicable criteria, Compass Kitchener members will determine an overall rating through a
consensus vote.
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COMPASS KITCHENER STAFF EVALUATION
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We welcome residents of all ages, backgrounds and lived experiences. We work together on
the decisions that matter to use and have a meaningful influence in our community. We're
healthy and thriving as we easily access the diverse and inclusive programs and services we
need to succeed.
Advancing Truth and Reconciliation
Advancing Truth and Reconciliation
Staff Report
Project Description: Advance meaningful actions to Truth and Reconciliation as
identified and through relationship-building with Indigenous communities and rights-
holders.
Responsible Project Delivery: This criterion focuses on how well project goals,
budgets and timelines are managed. It emphasizes the importance of monitoring and
tracking progress to ensure projects are completed efficiently and effectively,
achieving goals within financial constraints and deadlines.
Please describe how your project meets this criterion and provide any additional
supporting material. If this criterion is not applicable, please explain why:
For 2024, the City focused on advancing Truth and Reconciliation in a number of
ways, including continuing corporate-wide education and training, the advancement
of a water stewardship project, engaging on the Places 8t Spaces plan, reviewing
processes to make it easier for Indigenous communities to access public spaces for
cultural and ceremonial needs, and on cross collaborative projects such as the
Wiinjindamaan project.
It became clear in early 2024 that the project description within the strategic plan
(as outline above) that Advancing Truth and Reconciliation is more than a singular
item within the strategic plan, but rather is a foundational commitment of the City.
This ongoing body of work is not time-bound and cannot be measured in a traditional
`Western' way, as success is, and should be, measured by the depth of relationships
built through the process of taking meaningful action.
That said, for 2024, staff chose to focus on the Wiijindamaan project as a singular
example of a project that is moving forward successfully, with direct and positive
impact. Over the past year, staff have highlighted this project in their strategic
action updates to the Council.
• Advancing truth and reconciliation remains a foundational commitment of
the City of Kitchener. Following a review of this action item in 2024, staff
believe Truth and Reconciliation is not time-bound work that can be tied to a
single project or action, and will be moving forward with multiple projects
and actions on an ongoing basis, therefore removing this item from the
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Strategic Action Council Update going forward. We are committed to
demonstrating/communicating the city's continued commitment to and
progress on truth and reconciliation (all projects and actions) through the
city's website in a greater format than the strategic updates to Council allow
at www„Ilkitcii���i. ii�� ir,,ca/recoiu iiciVia tioirii.
...........................................................................................................................................................................
Wiijindamaan project:
• The Wiinjindamaan project is a multi-partner Indigenous land restoration
project located within the Pioneer Tower Natural Area. Together, partners
involved in the project are working to help create sustainable traditional
food and medicines, increase biodiversity through habitat restoration, and
reintroduce natural species into the environment.
• The key partners in this collaborative project with the City of Kitchener
include Wisahketowinowak Urban Indigenous Garden Collective, White Owl
Native Ancestry Association and Conestoga College.
• The Various staff teams manage this initiative through various projects and
initiatives, each with their own goals and objectives. Each project is
managed within those staff teams and resources.
• The partnership has enabled strong relationship building with Indigenous
communities achieving their desired goals (e.g. sustainable traditional food
and medicines) and staff from the ParksBt Cemeteries (Forestry 8t Natural
Areas) team able to advance advance conservation and land management
goals associated with Kitchener's Natural Areas.
• The Wiinjindamaan project enters its third year and has taken a more
intentional focus on supporting and creating opportunity for Indigenous youth
to steward the land through various restoration and planting projects. The
City of Kitchener contributes to this project and reports to the college on
funding and in-kind deliverables.
Impact/Public Value: This criterion assesses how the impact of the project will be
tracked and evaluated, and the extent to which a project (has the potential) to
create positive outcomes for the community and contributes to the goal(s) of the
Strategic Plan.
Please describe how your project meets this criterion and provide any additional
supporting material. If this criterion is not applicable, please explain why:
• Actively investing in projects to build and foster relationships with Indigenous
communities creates significant and long lasting social and ecological
benefits and builds mutual long-lasting benefits. Youth involved in this
project are gaining land-based experiences, meeting and connecting with
community and building relationships with City staff.
• Various events happened which brought all nations out to the Wiinjindamaan
site to participate in ceremonies, attend community feasts and invest in land
restoration activities. Relationship building and connection through these
events has also grown and is building with First Nations and rights holders
(i.e. Six Nations, Mississauga's of the Credit) with people from outside
Kitchener coming to and participating in events. This benefit extends beyond
the immediate urban Indigenous communities.
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Transparency and Communication: This criterion focuses on the dissemination of
information through staff reports and other channels. It emphasizes the importance
of relevant, clear, timely, and accessible communication to the community,
ensuring that project goals, progress, challenges, and outcomes/impacts are openly
shared.
Please describe how your project meets this criterion and provide any additional
supporting material. If this criterion is not applicable, please explain why:
Initial paff ire.Ip2. [t...:t. ....C. .url.c.:fl April 24, 2023
• ,.. '. ,.... !rt:.i»;..�.e: June 17, 2023
• iii.:.ind4:i.Ir:IriQ`i.&`i.Irr!....You...I..ui..b.i".... w.hl.i`i.In.lrr!.i',
• Four (4) updates to Council within the quarterly Strategic Actions report.
• Staff approach communication and transparency about this project with
humility, as we do not want to draw the spotlight to ourselves over the
success and positive impact of the entire collective working together on this
project. Staff are cautious of drawing spotlight to this work when it is less
about Kitchener's impact and more about our abilities and investment in
growing and developing personal and professional relationships with
Indigenous people and communities themselves. We are focused on raising up
and elevating the projects and initiatives happening within local Indigenous
communities and being strong and sensitive partners in this regard.
• We receive regular communication and updates from our partners and in
2025 will be advancing work to develop and write a land management plan to
guide the work and establish goals for Wiinjindamaan beyond the College's
original funding grant.
• We are committed to demonstrating/communicating the city's continued
commitment to and progress on truth and reconciliation (all projects and
actions) through the city's website in a greater format than the strategic
updates to Council allow at www„I iia;Iiieiriier,,ca/irecoiu iiciVia ioiii.
Public Engagement: This criterion evaluates how well a project involves the
community and/or relevant parties in its planning and execution.
Please describe how your project meets this criterion and provide any additional
supporting material. If this criterion is not applicable, please explain why:
• Our focus has been on seeking out, supporting and engaging community allies
and new/additional partners. This includes trying to expand awareness of the
project within the immediate neighbourhood and with the people who walk
the trail running through the Wiinjindamaan site. We post information
including event invitations on the site so nearby neighbours and others feel
invited to join. We have not received complaints and continue to meet new
people who live nearby and are getting actively involved.
• With much of this work being focused at the staff level and not directly
community driven, there is more work/opportunity to advance public
awareness of involvement in these initiatives.
• In 2025, staff are working on another project to develop a natural area
management plan for Huron Natural Area which integrates and braids
Indigenous knowledge and practices into the land management objectives for
the park while also seeing substantial investment into physical amenities and
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permanent Indigenous space in this park. This park is Kitchener's premier and
most popularly attended natural area where 1000's of people visit annually.
We see this project as a significant opportunity to grow and advance public
awareness.
Overall Evaluation (select one):
Meets IIS,° x ct tions Ec dsIIS,x ct tions Does Not Meet
IIS,x ct tions
Additional Notes (if applicable)
• (Enter text here)
• (Enter text here)
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t ri�// community vision Value's priorities
Evaluation Framework for the 2023-2026 Strategic Plan
Evaluation Process
In previous years, one of Compass Kitchener's primary challenges during the evaluation
process was a lack of sufficient information to effectively assess projects. To address this,
Compass Kitchener now sends standardized briefing templates to be completed by project
managers for each finished project. The briefing template provided below asks staff to
provide a brief summary (e.g., two- to three-sentences) of how the project has met each
evaluation criterion, along with any supporting documents for additional information.
Briefing templates will be distributed to project managers in February, with submissions due
by the end of the month. Compass Kitchener will commence their evaluations in March by
reviewing completed project briefings. If Compass Kitchener has any outstanding questions,
members will request short voluntary presentations by project staff.
Prior to finalizing their report and presenting to Council, Compass Kitchener will share the
draft report card with CLT in May for review.
Evaluation Criteria
1. Responsible Project Delivery:
This criterion focuses on how well project goals, budgets and timelines are managed. It
emphasizes the importance of monitoring and tracking progress to ensure projects are
completed efficiently and effectively, achieving goals within financial constraints and
deadlines.
• Note: Given that the 2023-2026 Strategic Plan is intended to be adaptive,
responsible project delivery also recognizes that timelines may shift due to shifting
priorities and needs.
2. Impact/Public Value:
This criterion assesses how the impact of the project will be tracked and evaluated, and
the extent to which a project (has the potential) to create positive outcomes for the
community and contributes to the goal(s) of the Strategic Plan.
3. Transparency Et Communication:
This criterion focuses on the dissemination of information through staff reports and other
channels. It emphasizes the importance of relevant, clear, timely, and accessible
communication to the community, ensuring that project goals, progress, challenges, and
outcomes/impacts are openly shared.
4. Public Engagement:
This criterion evaluates how well a project involves the community and/or relevant
parties in its planning and execution.
Equity Lens
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community vision Value's priorities
Using the definition of equity outlined in Kitchener's Equity, Inclusion &t Anti-Racism policy,
Compass Kitchener will also incorporate an equity lens to underpin the evaluation of all
projects.
"An equity approach creates the conditions for fair and equal access and opportunity
for everyone, by addressing discriminations, exclusions and barriers experienced by
distinct groups. Equity is not the same as equality, nor is it the same an inequality."
Evaluation Rating
Compass Kitchener will evaluate each project using the following rating scale: exceeds
expectations, meets expectations, and does not meet expectations.
The evaluation rating will be determined based on the extent to which all applicable
evaluation criteria are met, recognizing that some criteria may not be applicable to each
project. Each individual criterion will be assigned a rating, and based on the ratings of all
applicable criteria, Compass Kitchener members will determine an overall rating through a
consensus vote.
8
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community vision Value's priorities
COMPASS KITCHENER STAFF EVALUATION
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We use our collective strengths to grow an agile and diverse local economy powered by
talented entrepreneurs, workers, and artists. We work together to create opportunities for
everyone and a resilient future that propels our city forward.
Accelerate Commercial Business Approvals
Accelerate Commercial Business Approvals
Staff Report
Project Description: Facilitate streamlined business process and approvals for brick-
and-mortar retail business across the City.
Responsible Project Delivery: This criterion focuses on how well project goals,
budgets and timelines are managed. It emphasizes the importance of monitoring and
tracking progress to ensure projects are completed efficiently and effectively,
achieving goals within financial constraints and deadlines.
Please describe how your project meets this criterion and provide any additional
supporting material. If this criterion is not applicable, please explain why:
• The project was guided by a Terms of Reference document that
defines its goals, scope, methodology, stakeholders, roles and
responsibilities, communications and milestone timelines.
• Since external consultants were not engaged during the Lean review, a
budget was not required, as all work was completed with a full-time,
dedicated internal staff resource. The project was completed within
the planned timeline (September 2023-March 2024).
• To ensure efficiency and effectiveness in meeting project deadlines
and objectives, risk and mitigation strategies were identified early in
the process.
• Accountability was maintained through monthly check-ins with project
sponsors, while progress reports were submitted to council throughout
the course of the review as part of the city's current strategic plan
reporting process.
• Additionally, to support the implementation of the 55 action items
identified in the Lean review, project leads were assigned to oversee
each improvement project, stakeholder engagement needs were
identified, and a timeline was established for each improvement
project.
• After the Lean review was completed and an implementation plan
established (i.e., after the strategic plan project was completed), a
project manager was hired, through the creation of an 18-month
internal secondment opportunity, to oversee and execute the
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community vision Value's priorities
necessary tasks, ensuring responsible project management oversight
and coordination of the continuous process improvement projects.
Impact/Public Value: This criterion assesses how the impact of the project will be
tracked and evaluated, and the extent to which a project (has the potential) to
create positive outcomes for the community and contributes to the goal(s) of the
Strategic Plan.
Please describe how your project meets this criterion and provide any additional
supporting material. If this criterion is not applicable, please explain why:
• The objective of this project is to streamline permitting, approvals, and
licensing processes for new business owners, relocating businesses, or owners
undertaking major renovations so that they can open their doors quicker;
ensure we are delivering first-rate customer service; and ensure that
Kitchener remains attractive to new businesses and entrepreneurs. The
following are a few examples of actions that would positively impact
businesses:
o Develop a visual `roadmap' document/guidebook designed to provide
clarity around various approvals and considerations when opening a
new business;
o Facilitating `pre-application' meetings with relevant staff and
business owners to identify all approvals required;
o Digitize Sign Permit reviews rather than paper printing and wet
signatures.
• The Lean review resulted in an implementation tracking sheet (documented
in Excel) with 55 action items. Project leads are assessing the impacts of
each of these items individually using various methods to measure success
such as, satisfaction surveys with new business owners, data comparison
(pre- and post-improvement), reduced processing time, and reduced fees.
• As a part of the completed Lean review, `Prioritization Workshop' was
conducted using a `PICK' chart to determine the high/low impact and
high/low effort of various action items. The objective of each action item
was created to streamline processes, deliver first-rate customer service, and
attract new businesses in the city. Within the final 55 action items, 36 out of
55 (65%) were identified as `quick wins' - low effort, high impact. These will
be used to collectively determine the impact of these changes on the
community and their contribution to the goals of the Strategic plan.
Transparency and Communication: This criterion focuses on the dissemination of
information through staff reports and other channels. It emphasizes the importance
of relevant, clear, timely, and accessible communication to the community,
ensuring that project goals, progress, challenges, and outcomes/impacts are openly
shared.
Please describe how your project meets this criterion and provide any additional
supporting material. If this criterion is not applicable, please explain why:
• Council report was made publicly available online at the end of the project
and progress on this strategic plan item was reported to council as part of
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community vision Value's priorities
the city's strategic plan update process (i.e., 3 times per year) ensuring
transparency.
• Staff closed the loop individually with business owners by sending a project
closure email update and providing a link to the council report.
Public Engagement: This criterion evaluates how well a project involves the
community and/or relevant parties in its planning and execution.
Please describe how your project meets this criterion and provide any additional
supporting material. If this criterion is not applicable, please explain why:
• The project actively engaged internal staff, the Waterloo Region Small
Business Centre, and business owners that recently navigated our
approvals processes.
• Internal stakeholders were involved through 24-hours of intensive
workshops and interviews, and external stakeholders were involved in
over 12 hours of in depth, one-on-one interviews and surveys,
providing valuable input throughout the process.
• As follow-up to the interviews at the outset of the project, two email
updates were shared to keep external participants informed about
project developments (and requesting additional feedback) and how
their feedback influenced decisions.
Overall Evaluation (select one):
setsIIS,x ectatic is/EceedsIIS,x ectatic is/H es Not Meet
IIS,x ectatioris
Additional Notes (if applicable)
Update on Implementation Efforts:
• As of now, 31 of 55 action items have been completed, 8 action items
are in progress, and the rest are dependent/not started.
• In February 2025, business owners and staff were engaged in a drop-in,
all-day focus group session to get feedback on new booklets/guideline
documents to support them in navigate the process for opening their
businesses in an efficient way.
• The Project Manager continues to meet monthly with each project
lead that oversees the remaining action items.
• The Project Manager meets quarterly with project sponsors and leads
to discuss successes, challenges and next steps for supporting
businesses.
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