Meeting Minutes
Sep 11, 2013
10:00 am – 2:00 pm
180 Dundas St W, 8thFloor Boardroom
Chair:Pat Case
Attendees:Nancy GignacPatrick Nadjiwan (by phone)
Kathy LairdNancy Chisholm
Mary GusellaSophie Idsinga (note-taker)
Gina Papageorgiou
Item / Discussion / Follow up1 / Standing Items
a)Approval of Agenda
Motion:To approve the agenda of the September 11, 2013 Board meeting.
M/S:Gina Papageorgiou, Mary Gusella
Motion carried.
b)Conflict of Interest Check
No conflicts were declared.
c)Approval of Minutes
Motion:To approve the Minutes of the May 2, 2013 Board meeting and therefore approve posting to the website.
M/S:Mary Gusella, Patrick Nadjiwan
Motion carried.
2 / Report from the Chair
a)SJTO Workshop: The Chair reported on the workshop he conducted in June, 2013. Hehas been asked to attend again next year.
b)CASHRA Conference: The Chair reported on the CASHRA conference he attended in June, 2013.
c)Board membership and cross-appointments: Gina Papageorgiou has been re-appointed for another 3 year term.
The introduction of cross-appointed members would help to fill the existing HRLSC board vacancies. The next steps are to review the currentjob descriptions of OHRC commissioners and HRLSC board members and draft a description for joint-appointed members, which would be provided to MAG. / c) Kathy Laird to draft joint job descriptions for joint-appointed members and will make a recommendation to the Executive Director of the OHRC.
3 / Annual Membership Meeting
The Board reviewed the Annual Financial statements for 2012/13 and Auditor’s Report to the Board, as presented by Nancy Chisholm.
a)Approval of Audited Financial Statements
Motion: To approve the Audited Financial Statements of 2012/13, as prepared by Hilborn LLP.
M/S: Gina Papageorgiou, Patrick Nadjiwan
Motion carried.
b)Appointment of Auditor
Motion: To appoint Hilborn LLP as the Auditor for 2013/14.
M/S:Gina Papageorgiou, Nancy Gignac
Motion carried. / b) A procurement process will be will be conductedfor auditors for 2014/15.
4 / Financial Report
The Board reviewed the financial report as prepared by Nancy Chisholm. The report included the 2013/14 Budget, and a summary of salary comparators.
a)Approval of 2013/14 Budget.
Motion:To approve the 2013/14 Budget, including an in-year $75,000 allocation for salary increases to address internal/external inequities and pay for performance.
M/S:Gina Papageorgiou, Mary Gusella
Motion carried. / a) Management to present a sustainable plan for salary increases on an annualized basis at the December Board Meeting.A sustainable plan would not include restructuring of regional positions.
6 / Report from Management
a)Mediation Pilot Project:Funding has been approved for the first year of the pilot project.
b)Annual Report:Completion of the Annual Report was delayed due to the delay in receiving the audited financial statements. Board members will provide any additional suggested changes to the Annual Report within one week.
c)Statistics: The Board reviewed the statistics report as outlined in the meeting materials.
d)Law Foundation of Ontario funding applications:Kathy Laird reported on proposed new recent funding application(s) with clinic partners for a “Connecting Communities” Articling Fellowship. Discussion are underway with three clinics in Northern Ontario.
e)Staffing changes at Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario and the Ontario Human Rights Commission:Kathy Laird updated the Board on recent changes to executive positions.
f)Anti-Discrimination Intensive Program Update:Kathy Laird provided a brief update on the ADIP law student program.
g)Accommodation Survey:Kathy Laird outlined the results and feedback of a recent survey of staff regarding their accommodation experiences at the Centre.
7 / New Business
a)Appointment of Board Treasurer.
Motion: To appoint Gina Papageorgiou as Board Treasurer.
M/S: Mary Gusella, Nancy Gignac.
Motion carried.
In May 2013, staff identified a discrepancy between MAG’s Travel Directive and its summarized Travel Guidelineregarding approvals of out-of-province travel. This occurred at the same time that the Chair was in Halifax for the CASHRA conference. Approval of the Chair’s out-of-province travel is required.
b)Approval of the Chair’s travel to Halifax for CASHRA conference.
Motion: To approve the Chair’s out of province travel on May 29-31, 2013, in accordance with recent updates to the MAG guidelines.
M/S: Nancy Gignac, Gina Papageorgiou
Motion carried.
7 / Adjournment
Motion:To adjourn the meeting.
Moved: Mary Gusella, Nancy Gignac
Motion carried.
Next Meetings:
December 12, 2013
HRLSC = Human Rights Legal Support Centre
M/S = Moved/Seconded
SJTO = Social Justice Tribunals of Ontario
CASHRA = Canadian Association of Statutory Human Rights Agencies
MAG = Ministry of Attorney General
OHRC = Ontario Human Rights Commission
LFO = Law Foundation of Ontario
ADIP = Anti-Discrimination Intensive Program