HomeMy WebLinkAboutCompass Kitchener - 2025_09_03
Compass Kitchener Advisory Committee
Committee Minutes
September 3, 2025, 4:00 p.m.
Schmalz Room - Second Floor City Hall
City of Kitchener
200 King Street W, Kitchener, ON N2G 4G7
Present J. Stephens-Wells, Member
C. Abarca, Member
K. Brabazon, Member
L. Thompson, Member
L. Terry, Member
L. Trumper, Member
T. Glover, Chair
Staff: S. Sweazey, Senior Policy Advisor
A. Remillard, Committee Administrator
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1. Commencement
2. Disclosure of Pecuniary Interest and the General Nature Thereof
3. Delegations
4. Discussion Items
4.1 Council Presentation Debrief
The Chair thanked R. Gill and J. Stephens-Wells for presenting the report to
Council on August 25.
The following comments were brought up during the debrief on the report card
presentation:
A couple of the Councillor's questions were outside of the Compass Kitchener
Advisory Committees mandate and members had to explain why they couldn't
respond.
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A suggestion was made to preface future presentations with a reminder of their
role as an advisory committee and the context by which they work.
It was acknowledged that staff may assist in preparing Council, and this support
is planned for next year.
4.2 Fall All-Advisory Committee Meeting
Compass Kitchener members brainstormed ideas for the upcoming All Advisory
Committee gathering, with a focus on enhancing collaboration and information
sharing across committees. It was clarified that the purpose of these meetings is
not strictly tied to the Strategic Plan but rather to foster idea exchange among all
advisory committees.
Key points discussed included:
Policy Alignment: A reminder was shared that the Compass Kitchener Advisory
Committee Terms of Reference includes a duty to convene two All Advisory
Committee meetings annually for the purpose of sharing information and
identifying collaborative opportunities.
Collaboration Challenges: While there is interest in cross-committee
collaboration, limitations in staff support were noted, often leaving committee
members responsible for follow-up with staff.
Scope and Mandate Awareness: the importance of committees understanding
their mandates and scopes was emphasized, suggesting that discussions should
remain aligned with their Terms of Reference.
Sharing Committee Work: There was strong support for having each committee
present a brief overview of their work, including their mandate, achievements,
methods of operation, and challenges. A structured format was proposed, with
each group given five minutes to speak.
Pre-Meeting Preparation: Suggestions included having committee chairs and
vice-chairs submit a short written summary (e.g., 500 words) ahead of the
meeting.
Meeting Framing: The idea of branding the event as a ÐMid-point Check-inÑ was
proposed to reflect its timing and purpose.
Compass Kitchener members agreed they would continue planning out the finer
details of the agenda at the next Compass Kitchener meeting.
The date for the Compass Kitchener All Advisory Committees meeting was
decided to be held on Wednesday, November 12 from 5-8 pm.
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4.3 Review Previous Minutes
The July 2nd minutes were reviewed.
5. Information Items
6. Adjournment
Meeting adjourned at 5:35 pm.
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