Ad Hoc Policy Committee Meeting: September 12, 2024
The Ad Hoc Policy Committee meeting for the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board took place on September 12, 2024, with me as chair. Staff brought forward three reports with two recommendations for discussion.
I voted in favour of the recommendations in Report 24-099, Recession of Board Policy P.048.GOV Board Guiding Principles which brought forward the recession of Board Policy P.048.GOV Board Guiding Principles. The proposed rescission is consistent with the Board’s policy review and development process and supports a commitment to effective governance since this policy content is redundant and directly mirrors the language outlined in Policy P.012.GOV Board Governance. The recommendations were carried.
I voted in favour of the recommendations in Report 24-104, Revisions to Policy 0.018.GOV Electronic Meetings of the Board and Committees which brought forward changes to Policy P.018.GOV Electronic Meetings of the Board and Committees due to Ontario Regulation 436.97. The Ministry of Education made amendments to the regulation to “promote and enhance accountability, transparency, and fairness by adding new exceptions to the in-person presence requirement that applies to Trustees.” The changes to the regulation will take effect in two phases but there is still significant interpretation on how to operationalize this:
As of July 29, 2024, all Trustees will attend regular Board meetings and Committee of the Whole meetings in person, unless they request and receive approval from the Chair to participate electronically based on one of the following criteria:
The distance from the Trustee’s primary residence to the meeting location is 125 kilometres or more.
Weather conditions do not allow the Trustee to travel to the meeting location safely.
The Trustee cannot be physically present at a meeting due to health-related issues.
The Trustee has a disability that makes attending meetings in person more challenging.
The Trustee is unable to attend in person due to family responsibilities.
As of September 1, 2025, failure to attend more than one Committee of the Whole or Board meeting in person, unless they request and receive approval from the Chair to participate electronically based on the criteria, may result in the Trustee’s seat being vacated according to clause 228(1)(e) of the Education Act.
During the discussion, Trustees made amendments to the policy that were both carried and failed. You can listen to the discussion on the amendments here. The recommendations as amended were carried.
Staff brought forward Report 24-081, revisions to Policy P.008.GOV the Advisory Committee on Equity for discussion. This report brings forward proposed revisions to Policy P.008.GOV Advisory Committee on Equity (the Policy) following consultations with the public and trustees for discussion. The Advisory Committee on Equity assists the Board of Trustees in its commitment to provide an equitable and inclusive educational and work environment which supports student achievement and well-being. The policy brought forward provides the framework for the Committee operate under. In preparation for this review, staff undertook a comprehensive process to invite feedback and suggestions to address challenges and offer opportunities to the committee. Key considerations in reviewing the policy included committee membership, creating a welcoming space, revising the decision-making process to a consensus model, revising the terms of office, revising the chairing model to exclude staff, aligning with appropriate Ontario regulations and inviting more public participation. During the discussion, I made the following comments (timestamp 2:27:31):
“I am glad to see the community organizations struck and the reason I say that is that I hate to have a restrictive box. I think is this going to allow the committee to evolve and respond to issues in the community. I also want to say as someone who loves policy that fewer words are better so saying protected grounds incorporates concerns of discrimination in the space. Overall, I think this is heading in the right. I am going to echo support, if there is a way we could pivot from a Committee to an Advisory Body that would be an interesting concept.”
The revised policy is expected to come back to the Ad Hoc Policy Review committee for action in the fall.
Please note, that the opinions expressed here are entirely my own and do not reflect an official position of the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board or the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board of Trustees. Please note answers from staff are paraphrased, the recording can be found here if you would like to watch the entire meeting. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me using my contact form here.
Key links
Video for the Ad Hoc Policy Review Meeting on September 12, 2024
Agenda for the Ad Hoc Policy Review Meeting on September 12, 2024
Report 24-099, Recession of Board Policy P.048.GOV Board Guiding Principles
Report 24-104, Revisions to Policy 0.018.GOV Electronic Meetings of the Board and Committees
Appendix B: Revised Policy
Appendix C: Ontario Regulation 436.97
Report 24-081, Revisions to Policy P.008.GOV the Advisory Committee on Equity
Appendix B: Revised Policy
