THE CORPORATION OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF CHATHAM-KENT CHATHAM-KENT COUNCIL MEETING COUNCIL CHAMBERS, CHATHAM-KENT CIVIC CENTRE March 9, 2015 4:00 P.M. 1. CALL TO ORDER The Mayor called the meeting to Order. Present were: Mayor Randy Hope, Councillors Authier, Bondy, Canniff, Faas, Fluker, Herman, Leclair, B. McGregor, C. McGregor, Myers, Pinsonneault, Robertson, Sulman, Thompson, VanDamme, Vercouteren and Wesley. Absent: None 2. DISCLOSURES OF PECUNIARY INTEREST (DIRECT OR INDIRECT) AND THE GENERAL NATURE THEREOF 3. SUPPLEMENTARY CLOSED SESSION AGENDA ITEMS 4. RECESS TO CLOSED SESSION 5. ADJOURNMENT OF CLOSED SESSION 6. APPROVAL OF SUPPLEMENTARY AGENDA There was no Supplementary Agenda. The Deputy Clerk noted that Item #13a – Chatham-Kent Renovates Pilot Program 2015-2016 has been postponed until the April 13, 2015 meeting. 7. DISCLOSURES OF PECUNIARY INTEREST (DIRECT OR INDIRECT) AND THE GENERAL NATURE THEREOF Councillor Wesley declared a conflict of interest with regard to the Energy East Proposal that will be discussed during Non-Agenda Business as he works at Union Gas. Councillor Canniff declared a conflict of interest with regard to the Energy East Proposal that will be discussed during Non-Agenda Business as he works at Union Gas. Chatham-Kent Council at its meeting held on March 9, 2015 Page 1 of 41 8. DEPUTATION (a) Welcome to New Physicians and Update on Physician Recruitment by Fannie Vavoulis, Medical Recruiter and Education Coordinator, Chatham-Kent Health Alliance Fannie Vavoulis, Medical Recruiter and Education Coordinator, Chatham-Kent Health Alliance, introduced and welcomed the following new physicians/residents to Chatham- Kent. Dr. Imran Ibrahim – Dresden Family Health Team Dr. Muhammad Afzal – Wallaceburg Family Health Team Dr. Naveed Hasan – Wallaceburg Family Health Team Dr. Glen Providence – CKHA Hospitalist Dr. Briana Providence – Dresden Family Health Team Dr. Maqsood Ali – Pediatrician Dr. Sacha DeSouza – Pediatrician Dr. Cecil Liu – Emergency Medicine Dr. Taylor Johnson – Emergency Medicine, CHC Dr. Paul Ricketts – Resident Dr. Kristin McCulloch – Resident Dr. Aislinn Pearce - Resident (b) Municipal Heritage Committee presents the 2014 Mayor’s Heritage Preservation Awards John Taylor, Chair of the Municipal Heritage Committee presented the following recipients with 2014 Mayor’s Heritage Preservation Awards. Robert & Marjoe Sellen – 83 Sherman Street, Thamesville Laurie & Brad Langford – 168 Llydican Extension, Chatham John & Camille Kerr – 505 Mariners Road, Erieau Peter & Ellen Jennen – 11775 Base Line, Community of Camden Steve & Rachel Ross – 11938 Base Line, Community of Camden James Bolos – 504 James Street, Wallaceburg 9. DEPUTATIONS - ITEMS ON CURRENT AGENDA (requests must be received by 3:00 p.m.) There were no requests for deputations. 10. CONSENT AGENDA a) Information Reports (i) Social Assistance Management System (SAMS) (ii) Senior Advisory Committee (SAC) Status Update b) Routine Approvals (i) Dedication By-laws (ii) Noise By-law Exemption – Highway 401 Rehabilitation Chatham-Kent Council at its meeting held on March 9, 2015 Page 2 of 41 c) Committee Reports (i) Chatham-Kent Board of Health minutes from its meetings held on December 17, 2014 and January 21, 2015 (ii) Public Utilities Commission minutes from its meeting held on January 15, 2015 (iii) Chatham-Kent Public Library Board minutes from its meetings held on November 25, 2014, December 16, 2014, and January 27, 2015 (iv) Committee of Adjustment minutes from its meeting held on January 8, 2015 (v) Municipal Heritage Committee minutes from its meetings held on October 15, 2014, November 26, 2014, and January 21, 2015 d) Council Meeting Minutes (i) Chatham-Kent Council minutes from its meeting held on January 12, 2015 (ii) Chatham-Kent Council minutes from its meeting held on January 19, 2015 (iii) Chatham-Kent Council minutes from its meeting held on February 9, 2015 Councillor Robertson requested that Item 10(a)(i) – Social Assistance Management System (SAMS) be placed aside for discussion. Councillor Robertson moved, Councillor Vercouteren seconded: “That the Items listed on the Consent Agenda be approved as presented and that action be taken as required, excluding those items placed aside.” The Mayor put the Motion Motion Carried 10(a)(i) - Social Assistance Management System (SAMS) Municipality of Chatham-Kent Health and Family Services Employment and Social Services Information Report To: Mayor and Members of Council From: Valerie Colasanti, Director, Employment and Social Services Date: February 20, 2015 Subject: Social Assistance Management System (SAMS) This report is for the information of Council. Chatham-Kent Council at its meeting held on March 9, 2015 Page 3 of 41 Background In January 2013, Council received a report noting that the Employment and Social Services Division was working with the Ministry of Community and Social Services to replace the current technology system, Service Delivery Model Technology (SDMT), with the Social Assistance Management System (SAMS). SDMT, introduced in 2001, no longer meets the needs of social assistance staff and recipients. The Social Services Solutions Modernization Project (SSSMP) was a multi-year project, led by the Ontario Ministry of Community and Social Services, to enhance the delivery of social assistance through technology and business renewal. The project is part of the Major Application Portfolio Strategy (MAPS), a broader government initiative to modernize technology for enhanced service delivery across the Public Service. The Province promised that the new technology and business process renewal would result in: Improved customer service through new online services and enhanced service tools Streamlined business processes Timely implementation of policy and program changes Effective management of client data and other information to support service planning and delivery Increased audit capacity and accountability Staff engaged in significant training to prepare for the new technology. Two staff were identified as Trainers for the project, utilizing a train-the-trainer model. A project team of “Subject Matter Experts” was also put in place to assist with the transition. Training took place between June 2014 and November 2014, resulting in approximately 3000 staff training hours. However, the training environment was unstable, incomplete and did not provide a fulsome environment for staff training and preparation for implementation. A detailed site readiness plan was developed and the Division worked closely with the Ministry of Community and Social Services on a plan to provide strategies to assist in easing the workload pressures for staff leading up to the release of the new technology. Staff committed to maintaining current client service levels, and the expectation was that the changes would be transparent for social assistance recipients, service providers and the public. The scheduled implementation of SAMS was delayed on two separate occasions, with a final implementation date of November 11, 2014. Comments As with any new technology program, “glitches” were expected, however extensive challenges have been experienced by municipalities province-wide in the transition to the new SAMS technology. Following are some examples of the issues that have been experienced while working within the SAMS technology; Payment amounts on cheques do not match the cheque register. Information on cheque stubs do not reflect the correct rationale for payment. Payments were deposited into incorrect bank accounts. Verification of payments continues to be addressed manually. Staff have extremely limited confidence in converted data. Data entry for clients appears to be averaging two to three times longer to enter into SAMS as opposed to the previous system (SDMT). SAMS requires more key stroking and it is taking longer to complete most transactions. For example, previously it would have taken three mouse clicks to print an application but it now takes 37. Chatham-Kent Council at its meeting held on March 9, 2015 Page 4 of 41 The Ministry reported on February 20, 2015 that accumulated to date (73 days), there have been a total of 20,879 tickets of which 10,699 have been resolved. That leaves a large number outstanding, and when the issues are resolved the fixes are not communicated to staff. Many of the fixes also do not resolve the issue resulting in multiple re-ticketing for problems that were indicated as resolved, adding to staff frustration levels. From a Human Resource perspective, the system has resulted in tremendous demand on staff, both in time requirements for processing and difficulty in ensuring effective/compassionate client service. The issue of labour unrest within the Ministry only adds to the concerns regarding service delivery. We anticipate an increase in sick leave and utilization of the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) in the future as has been noted by some Consolidated Municipal Service Managers (CMSMs) and District Social Services Administration Boards (DSSABs). Currently very little financial accountability features are active within the SAMS system. This has both long term and short term effects. Financial reconciliations for monthly, quarterly and annual requirements cannot be met as Cognos reports are currently unreliable. Year-end deadlines will be difficult to meet and a substantial number of estimates will be required. Actual subsidy claims are impossible to determine. Several audit risks evolved regarding accuracy and systems testing,