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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCAO-08-040 - Compass Kitchener 2008-09 Workplan Update~ ~~~ 1 _ ~ C:~i~~,~/~~'~~r~i~~~is~~~~~~r~r`~ (~ffi~: Report To: Mayor and Council Date of Meeting: December 8, 2008 Submitted By: Shelley Adams, Director, Community and Corporate Planner, ext. 2476 Prepared By: Shelley Adams, Director, Community and Corporate Planner, ext. 2476 Ward(s~ Involved: all Date of Report: December 3, 2008 Report No.: CAO-08-040 Subject: COMPASS KITCHENER 2008-09 WORKPLAN UPDATE RECOMMENDATION: For information. BACKGROUND: In October 2006, Council received and adopted "A Plan for a Healthy Kitchener, 2007-2027" (P4HK) as the community's vision for twenty years into the future. P4HK provided a unified strategic approach to key areas essential to the health and vitality of the City of Kitchener. It articulated priorities identified in consultation with the community -quality of life, leadership and community engagement, diversity, downtown, development, and the environment. It also provided high level recommendations for action in each of these areas to be completed over the next 4 years, 2007-2010, the term of the current Mayor and Council. Compass Kitchener plays a number of roles in the achievement of P4HK; facilitating conversation and knowledge exchange, monitoring and providing comment of the municipality's realization of the community's vision and goals, and - in some cases - as a "centre of responsibility" for the completion of certain initiatives. The specifics have been set out in Compass Kitchener's 2007-2008 workplan see CAO-07-020, April 2007), with priority consideration to the following: • Annual and Term-by-term Progress Reports to Citizens and a Healthy Community Decision- making Lens • Advisory Committee Review • Creating a Culture of Safety • Community Engagement Policy and Strategy ,and • Community Access, Equity and Inclusion Diversity Strategy) CAO-08-040 December 8, 2008 In November of last year, Council received "Compass Kitchener 07-08 Workplan Update" ~CAO- 07-058) detailing accomplishments, ongoing activities and plans for 2008 term as they related to the priorities listed above. This report serves as a further update in this regard, and provides the committee's draft) workplan for the upcoming year. REPORT: 2008 was full of activity and an industrious year for Compass Kitchener: Annual and Term-bv-Term Proaress Resorts: Early in 2007 asub-committee of Compass Kitchener was created to address the recommendations in a Plan for a Healthy Kitchener ~P4HK) regarding term-by-term and annual status reports to Council and citizens, to benchmark progress on priorities, community health and well-being. This sub-committee enlisted help and guidance from the City's Performance Measurement & Internal Audit staff. In June 2008, Compass Kitchener released its first "Report Card to Citizens" regarding the 2007 operating year ICAO-08-16, June 3, 2008}. What's next? Work is underway on the 2008 Report Card. City staff are gathering the data for the metrics and Council and citizens will receive it in the Spring of 2009. In addition, the sub- committee is exploring possibilities for internal collaboration and/or local omnibus survey opportunities, where we might partner with other organizations in the community - on a single survey comprised of co-determined questions - to monitor empirically citizens' perceptions of our progress on their priorities. 2009 will also see the preparation stage of Compass Kitchener's end-of-term survey, that not only enquires as to citizens' satisfaction with the Municipality's efforts in priority areas, but request input regarding priorities for Council's next term of office. Advisory Committee Review: Compass Kitchener completed their review of the City's Advisory Committees of Council, tabling their final report ICAO-08-21) to Council in June of this year. The report made recommendations regarding; alignment of the City's Advisory Committees to support the community's priorities, recruitment and appointment processes, advisory committees' structure and mandate, representation, term of appointment, administration, and other pertinent issues that arose as a function of the review. Council had the benefit of these findings in advance of the 2009-2011 advisory committee appointment process and, albeit within a tight timeframe, were able to implement a nominating committee process with success. Council is in receipt of this inaugural group's efforts, namely, a consideration of eligible applicants aligned with individual advisory committee mandates, sector representation requirements, and as much as possible, applicant preferences. The Nominating Committee -with their 2009-2011 appointment tasks complete -will now turn their energies to developing a terms of reference for their committee, for Council approval early in the new year. As well, they will revise the advisory committee application package such that information, forms, tasks and processes align with the draft} diversity lens and support the City, over time, in seeing the diversity of our volunteer leadership keep pace with and reflect the diversity of our community. In addition, gains have been made in advisory committee infrastructure and administration. For example; committee's will now benefit from an enhanced orientation that will include a "City Hall CAO-08-040 December 8, 2008 101" component in addition to information regarding volunteer roles and responsibilities, Committee of Council procedures, mandates and so on, quarterly staff meetings to exchange information and identify opportunities to collaborate, and chair and vice chair training on procedural requirements and best practises in running effective meetings. Creating a Culture of Safety: Council recieved Creating a Culture of Safety for Kitchener -Future Search Summary and Next Steps (CAU-07 048) in October, 2007. Since that time, many strong working relationships and community initiatives with partners have evolved. Some of the gains made include: monthly meetings with key stakeholders to develop actions that address issues of safety and security in the downtown; education and training for City security and bylaw enforcement regarding people who have mental health issues and the local systems in place to provide services; the implementation of the nuisance bylaw; inclusive planning and outreach to specifically engage youth in the core; and, the Neighbourhood Engagement and Ownership Now NEON} initiative to strengthen support to both emerging and existing neighbourhoods. Our activities and collaborations in community safety and crime prevention are many and varied, so much so that Community and Corporate Planning is compiling a resource package that will detail - in terms of mandate, focus, responsibility, key contacts, issues, goals and objectives, and partnerships - each of our current and planned activities. Council can expect to receive this resource in early 2009. Community Engagement Strategy and Policy: Compass Kitchener moved forward on the strategic objective of developing a community engagement strategy in its 07-08 workplan. In October 2007, the City of Kitchener Community Engagement Strategy Working Group (CESWG) was created. The Working Group included City of Kitchener staff from a variety of departments, and representatives from community organizations and institutions. The draft policy, presented in May or this year ICAO-08-14} contains 3 parts: a preamble, guiding principles, and the proposed community engagement framework. The policy identifies (i} the corporate recognition of the benefits of community engagement; and iii} the corporate commitment to engagement and the processes to which this policy applies: development of city policies, specific projects, strategies and plans for strategic investments. It affirms that Community Engagement at the City of Kitchener will be guided by; communication, inclusivity, transparency and accountability, continuous improvement, resources, and engaging partners. The proposed includes a description of four strategies and associated promises related to reaching and involving stakeholders in specific engagement initiatives. The four strategies or levels of engagement are: inform, consult, collaborate and entrust. At present, staff are working to formalize a process that will support decision-making regarding which level of engagement to use when, and to identify what resources may be required to implement the policy, use the tools and ensure the most robust citizen engagement possible. We will, in the near future, be piloting the process to ensure usability. In the new year, we will be adding a "Community Engagement" section to report templates, requiring comment on how the process, project or initiative involved Kitchener's citizens. CAO-08-040 December 8, 2008 Community Access, Equity and Inclusion (Diversity Strategy): In P4HK, citizens supported a vision for Kitchener where "different ethnic groups are encouraged to retain their cultures and lifestyles". More recently, and as an outgrowth of concerted efforts in drafting a full "diversity strategy for the City of Kitchener", Compass Kitchener has endorsed an expanded vision, where diversity is, quite simply, "difference", including all designated groups under the Human Rights Code. Accordingly: Our shared vision is for Kitchener to be a community where all residents have equitable access to, and meaningful inclusion in the social, economic and cultural fabric of civic life." Staff from across the organization, with input and feedback from both Compass Kitchener and Safe and Healthy Advisory Committee, have drafted a policy framework and strategy that includes a rationale for increased focus on diversity at this point in our history, proposes a set of foundational values and commitments, articulates 4 specific goals for Council's consideration, considers our current inventory of programs, policies and activities against those principles and goals, and makes recommendations for next steps. The overall goal -quite simply - is one of creating an organizational culture of access, equity and inclusion. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS: N/A. Financial and staff resources for the above noted initiatives are available as part of the ongoing operating budget associated with the activities of Compass Kitchener. CONCLUSION: As described above, work continues in a number of Compass Kitchener's priority areas and Council can expect to hear more in the very near future, particularly in terms of diversity and community engagement. As well, the stalled but not abandoned "Healthy Community Lens" will be piloted with the benefit of solid directions and strategies through the Kitchener Growth Management Strategy, the Strategic Plan for the Environment, the updated Economic Development Strategy and so on. In addition to ongoing work, the Committee has earmarked youth engagement as a focus for their upcoming term, engendering a culture of civic engagement in youth and young adults to ensure that our local tradition of community participation and engagement persists into the future. As well, "intergovernmental partnerships" is on the radar, in response to changes in the environment within which the Municipality operates. It has been a challenging and successful year. Compass Kitchener anticipates this trend will continue in 2009-2010. 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