1 00:01:20,020 --> 00:01:39,100 It is now 2 o'clock, so I would like to call the June 17th Council Committee of the whole meeting to order. Our first order of business is approval of minutes of May the 20th Committee of the whole meeting. Where there are any horrors, errors, or missions. 2 00:01:42,880 --> 00:01:52,780 My apologies, my apologies. The experienced people in the room are teaching me. So I would like to acknowledge that the city of Fort Saskatchewan is located 3 00:01:52,780 --> 00:01:56,960 on Treaty Six Territory and Maytie Nation of Alberta District 11. 4 00:01:57,360 --> 00:02:01,920 We recognize that we stand upon the land that carries the footsteps of many indigenous 5 00:02:01,920 --> 00:02:09,880 peoples including the Neowock, the DNA, the Blackfoot, Salto, and the Kodasu and the 6 00:02:09,880 --> 00:02:10,460 Maytie. 7 00:02:10,920 --> 00:02:16,740 The city honors the first peoples of this land as committed to fostering reconciliation through 8 00:02:16,740 --> 00:02:20,100 relationship building, knowledge gathering, and education. 9 00:02:20,960 --> 00:02:28,800 And some housekeeping. In the event that there is an emergency, we would ask that you exit 10 00:02:28,800 --> 00:02:35,780 the main entrance, proceed right and follow the staff, any of the ones sitting in the front. 11 00:02:36,360 --> 00:02:42,220 And the master point is that the extreme far-sided parking lot. So that's where we'd meet up in the event of an emergency. 12 00:02:42,880 --> 00:02:50,840 So, that is what I have. So, back to the agenda. So, the first item of business is approval 13 00:02:50,840 --> 00:02:51,420 of the minutes. 14 00:02:51,520 --> 00:02:54,020 This meeting is being transcribed and summarized. 15 00:02:54,440 --> 00:02:59,480 Committee of the whole meeting on May the 20th. So, were there any arrows or missions? 16 00:03:02,560 --> 00:03:04,820 Okay. So, would you like to make the motion? 17 00:03:06,890 --> 00:03:07,110 Okay. 18 00:03:09,320 --> 00:03:12,020 Okay. So, Councillor Abitoya. 19 00:03:16,450 --> 00:03:20,690 Thank you. Good afternoon, everyone. I like to make the motion that's 20 00:03:20,690 --> 00:03:25,530 Councillor approves the minutes of the May 20th, coming together a whole meeting minutes 21 00:03:25,530 --> 00:03:27,090 as presented, uncirculated. 22 00:03:28,250 --> 00:03:28,690 Okay. 23 00:03:29,070 --> 00:03:33,910 I didn't hear that there are any errors or missions, so I would put the motion on the 24 00:03:33,910 --> 00:03:35,950 floor and please 25 00:03:40,270 --> 00:03:41,990 cast your vote. 26 00:03:58,420 --> 00:04:00,140 And that is carried unanimously. 27 00:04:01,180 --> 00:04:07,020 I would also note that Councillor Noyan is not going to be in attendance at the public 28 00:04:07,020 --> 00:04:12,400 portion of today's meeting and Mayor Ketcher is joining us virtually. She's out of the office 29 00:04:12,400 --> 00:04:20,240 today but she's going to be attending virtually so she's with us. So this is a period of time 30 00:04:20,240 --> 00:04:25,900 in our meeting where we have the opportunity for delegations or people that wish to speak on any 31 00:04:25,900 --> 00:04:31,840 item that's on the agenda today. We have three public items and I'm not sure if I see anybody that 32 00:04:31,840 --> 00:04:37,800 wishes to do that, but if so, would you please identify yourself, come up and we will give 33 00:04:37,800 --> 00:04:42,940 you five minutes to speak on any of those items. If you're here to present on those items, 34 00:04:43,460 --> 00:04:49,240 then we will call those items up into course. So seeing no delegations, then I will proceed 35 00:04:49,240 --> 00:04:54,980 to the first item of business on our committee meeting today, and that's the central Alberta Regional 36 00:04:54,980 --> 00:05:02,680 Victim Service in Society, Update, and Lauren Reed, Chief Executive Officer of CRV-SSS 37 00:05:02,680 --> 00:05:03,280 in Attendance. 38 00:05:03,720 --> 00:05:07,640 So please come and make yourself comfortable at the lectern. 39 00:05:09,880 --> 00:05:12,900 Press the button and you will have some sound. 40 00:05:14,100 --> 00:05:14,660 Hello. 41 00:05:15,580 --> 00:05:16,600 Did I do that right? 42 00:05:17,160 --> 00:05:17,260 Yes. 43 00:05:17,260 --> 00:05:17,780 You did it. 44 00:05:17,860 --> 00:05:18,560 Thank you very much. 45 00:05:18,860 --> 00:05:19,040 Hello. 46 00:05:19,220 --> 00:05:20,260 Thank you for having me. 47 00:05:20,400 --> 00:05:21,880 I am happy to be here. 48 00:05:22,460 --> 00:05:29,520 finally close to home for a counsel delegation. I am here to talk about 49 00:05:29,520 --> 00:05:33,960 carbs. I say carbs because the whole thing is just so long. So from here on out 50 00:05:33,960 --> 00:05:39,000 I will say carbs. Just here to introduce us and introduce myself. I'm Lauren 51 00:05:39,000 --> 00:05:44,100 Raid, the CEO of our organization. I also have Gloria with me. She's just behind me. 52 00:05:45,260 --> 00:05:50,620 And she's our community and cultural liaison for our organization. So we are the 53 00:05:50,620 --> 00:05:54,940 newly formed victim services coming out of your local RCMP 54 00:05:54,940 --> 00:05:58,900 detachment in Fort Saskatchewan. We've been in operation since 55 00:05:58,900 --> 00:06:02,820 October 1st. Previously I worked for the city of Fort 56 00:06:02,820 --> 00:06:07,280 Saskatchewan and before that I was heavily involved in victim 57 00:06:07,280 --> 00:06:11,520 services. So I've done urban, rural, 58 00:06:11,820 --> 00:06:14,800 inner city, I've been on the board, I've been an advocate 59 00:06:15,420 --> 00:06:18,720 almost 15 years now. I've been involved in victim services 60 00:06:18,720 --> 00:06:26,400 and in some fashion. So I came back to that, I had to leave the city, which was hard, but I still get to come visit, which is nice. 61 00:06:28,400 --> 00:06:36,480 Who are we? We're victim services. We're the same victim services that's been in Fortes Gatuan, giving the same services for over 30 years. 62 00:06:37,000 --> 00:06:47,000 We're just a bigger model now. So the province did decide to go with the regional model, creating four sort of super organizations to run the victim services. 63 00:06:47,000 --> 00:06:49,160 is particularly the police-based, 64 00:06:49,320 --> 00:06:51,480 particularly with the RCMP detachments. 65 00:06:52,260 --> 00:06:56,680 Our detachment area is the CAD, the central Alberta district. 66 00:06:57,300 --> 00:06:59,880 So we have 20 different detachments in our area 67 00:06:59,880 --> 00:07:02,800 for Saskatchewan detachment area being one. 68 00:07:03,380 --> 00:07:04,900 But we are still victim services. 69 00:07:05,380 --> 00:07:08,480 We are here to provide information, referrals, and support 70 00:07:08,480 --> 00:07:10,760 to victims of crime and tragic circumstances, 71 00:07:11,060 --> 00:07:14,560 and we are based out of all of the RCMP detachments. 72 00:07:14,560 --> 00:07:20,400 The organization got a little bit bigger, so we have a central support staff now, such 73 00:07:20,400 --> 00:07:25,620 as finance, HR, cultural supports, and then we have a team of navigators. 74 00:07:26,080 --> 00:07:31,400 This sort of gives an overview so you can sort of see how we are structured and where 75 00:07:31,400 --> 00:07:32,300 those people are. 76 00:07:32,880 --> 00:07:39,260 You can see in this list we have two full-time frontline service navigators in Fort Saskatchewan. 77 00:07:39,260 --> 00:07:44,980 We did have an update because one of them went off to be an EPS officer recently. 78 00:07:45,440 --> 00:07:47,200 So this list hasn't been updated. 79 00:07:47,440 --> 00:07:50,500 But we have Laura Lee, who is from Fortescatchewan. 80 00:07:50,860 --> 00:07:55,160 And we now have Gabby, who is our new navigator, who we took from Parkland. 81 00:07:55,880 --> 00:07:58,540 So they are both full-time working out of the detachment. 82 00:07:59,200 --> 00:08:01,840 This is our area, just as a visual. 83 00:08:02,100 --> 00:08:06,560 So we go from Fortescatchewan, Moornville, all the way over to Rocky Mountain House, 84 00:08:06,560 --> 00:08:09,280 all the way back over to Stettler down to Innisfail. 85 00:08:10,120 --> 00:08:14,280 In relation to the other districts, we're the smallest in area, 86 00:08:15,780 --> 00:08:20,680 but almost the highest in population, sometimes self gives us a run for that. 87 00:08:21,300 --> 00:08:24,680 But we're lucky in that sense because we are close 88 00:08:24,680 --> 00:08:27,080 and our navigators are able to support each other. 89 00:08:27,500 --> 00:08:29,660 We don't have such a big geographic area. 90 00:08:30,040 --> 00:08:34,000 So again, we've got Southern Victims Services, Eastern and Western 91 00:08:34,000 --> 00:08:35,400 and then central in the middle there. 92 00:08:36,620 --> 00:08:39,000 We went through the transition over the summer. 93 00:08:39,260 --> 00:08:40,500 It was a fast transition, 94 00:08:40,980 --> 00:08:45,040 and we were operational all units by October 1st. 95 00:08:45,740 --> 00:08:47,940 We did start a little bit early in Fort Saskatchewan 96 00:08:47,940 --> 00:08:50,260 just to cover some gaps over the summer. 97 00:08:50,880 --> 00:08:55,200 But essentially, we did our huge recruitment run, 98 00:08:55,380 --> 00:08:57,560 structured, wrote all the policies, 99 00:08:58,180 --> 00:09:00,240 and got up and running in just a few months. 100 00:09:00,700 --> 00:09:01,480 We were really lucky. 101 00:09:01,480 --> 00:09:07,980 We were able to retain over 87% of existing victim services staff in all of our 102 00:09:07,980 --> 00:09:13,100 detachment areas. So that was pretty, pretty great. It's not the same for all the 103 00:09:13,100 --> 00:09:17,380 regions, but for Central, we were able to. So again, you guys, all of our 104 00:09:17,380 --> 00:09:21,840 detachment were able to retain the local supports and knowledge. Forts to 105 00:09:21,840 --> 00:09:26,160 scheduling, we did offer the jobs, but one of our, our Erin, who you would have 106 00:09:26,160 --> 00:09:30,980 known from before, she did end up moving. So she wasn't able to stay on. So you 107 00:09:30,980 --> 00:09:35,380 We do have fresh faces, but they are experienced in victim services, which is great. 108 00:09:36,500 --> 00:09:42,560 And again, we're doing support referrals, information, we're doing timely and equitable access 109 00:09:42,560 --> 00:09:48,800 to those services across the region, across the province, we're prioritizing services based 110 00:09:48,800 --> 00:09:54,920 on the need and the crisis situations, and that's including vulnerable people as well, and tragic 111 00:09:54,920 --> 00:09:55,480 circumstances. 112 00:09:55,480 --> 00:10:10,000 So we are getting most of our referrals from the RCMP, but we can take referrals from individuals themselves, organizations, pretty much from anywhere we've even gotten some from council members over the last few months. 113 00:10:11,040 --> 00:10:18,160 And we think about victims as direct victims and indirect victims, direct victims are the ones that a crime has happened to them. 114 00:10:18,160 --> 00:10:22,040 something has happened to them. They're likely going to be subpoenaed for court. 115 00:10:23,200 --> 00:10:26,580 They're going to need that support. Indirect victims, we also provide 116 00:10:26,580 --> 00:10:31,280 supports to those people that maybe have a bit of witness to a crime or a 117 00:10:31,280 --> 00:10:36,700 family member or a friend of somebody who has been a victim or somebody who is 118 00:10:36,700 --> 00:10:42,160 experienced a tragic circumstance. We always say no wrong door. If we received a 119 00:10:42,160 --> 00:10:45,780 referral, we are going to take it and we are going to find the either appropriate 120 00:10:45,780 --> 00:10:49,660 support, or we're going to do our best with them. So when people are always asking, 121 00:10:49,760 --> 00:10:55,280 oh, I'm not sure if I should call you. Always call. There's a very good chance that we're 122 00:10:55,280 --> 00:10:59,960 going to be able to help. And if we can't, we promise to find somebody who can. And we are doing 123 00:10:59,960 --> 00:11:06,340 that through our community partnerships and our relationships. We work quite a bit with FCSS. 124 00:11:07,120 --> 00:11:12,840 And I was just meeting with families first, ED, and we have a great relationship with them, 125 00:11:12,840 --> 00:11:15,660 particularly around their family violence prevention program. 126 00:11:16,920 --> 00:11:17,680 What do you do? 127 00:11:17,900 --> 00:11:19,740 When someone calls us, they need help. 128 00:11:20,500 --> 00:11:21,440 What is victim services? 129 00:11:21,680 --> 00:11:22,640 I could ask that all the time. 130 00:11:23,060 --> 00:11:25,280 What exactly do the navigators do in the detachments? 131 00:11:25,760 --> 00:11:28,000 The first thing they're doing is that initial navigation. 132 00:11:28,560 --> 00:11:34,900 It has a lot of crisis assistance, crisis assessments, information, informing people of the rights. 133 00:11:35,300 --> 00:11:39,660 Victims of crime don't always understand what rights they have and what access to services 134 00:11:39,660 --> 00:11:42,060 and information that they should be getting. 135 00:11:42,060 --> 00:11:48,780 They often help with applications to things, forms, paperwork, and leasing with other organizations. 136 00:11:49,980 --> 00:11:54,380 The bread and butter of what we do, though, is the court navigation or criminal justice navigation. 137 00:11:55,400 --> 00:12:00,600 Many cases that we're dealing with with victims of crime are taking up to two years in court. 138 00:12:01,080 --> 00:12:05,820 This isn't a one and done service. We are often working with people for up to two years. 139 00:12:05,820 --> 00:12:28,640 Those things include leasing with the crown prosecutors, leasing with the RCMP, moving them through the justice system, the forms, the paperwork, the court dates, attending court for them, so they don't need to and making sure that they have all of the updates, of all of the different outcomes that can happen, then obviously trial prep attending court with them, and then debriefing and supports afterwards. 140 00:12:29,820 --> 00:12:34,240 The last piece of the program is our crisis response, which is still active. 141 00:12:34,760 --> 00:12:40,540 We do have a 24-hour phone number that the RCMP can call victim services and reach us 142 00:12:40,540 --> 00:12:47,640 anytime, where they can ask for assistance or allow us to help them triage the situation. 143 00:12:48,300 --> 00:12:53,420 So those are things like suspicious deaths, home invasions, domestic violence, sexual assault, 144 00:12:53,780 --> 00:12:56,440 but mostly they are the next to kin death notifications. 145 00:12:56,440 --> 00:13:01,860 So we still are assisting across our region with those call outs. 146 00:13:03,800 --> 00:13:07,760 This is where I sort of speak to how to reach us. 147 00:13:08,380 --> 00:13:10,320 Every unit is still its own unit. 148 00:13:10,700 --> 00:13:13,360 So Fortes' schedule has two dedicated navigators. 149 00:13:13,560 --> 00:13:14,900 They have their own phone number, email, 150 00:13:16,020 --> 00:13:17,880 and anybody can reach them at any time. 151 00:13:18,340 --> 00:13:21,420 As much as we've been regionalized, we are still very local 152 00:13:21,420 --> 00:13:24,220 and the supports are given at the local level. 153 00:13:24,220 --> 00:13:29,760 We are also governed by a Board of Directors as a not-for-profit society, and our board 154 00:13:29,760 --> 00:13:32,600 is made up of board members from across the region. 155 00:13:32,900 --> 00:13:37,320 One of our board members is from Fort Saskatchewan and sat on the previous victim services board. 156 00:13:38,040 --> 00:13:45,620 So we do have a lot of local routes and we're really dedicated to keeping it that way. 157 00:13:46,280 --> 00:13:52,820 We also have still have our volunteer advocate program, which is a long-standing program 158 00:13:52,820 --> 00:13:57,980 in Alberta for victim services. So we do have a team of volunteer advocates that assist 159 00:13:57,980 --> 00:14:03,580 with crisis callouts and court support when needed. We do still have an active advocate 160 00:14:03,580 --> 00:14:08,860 program in Fortes' Gatchewan, but we'd like to pretty much double it at this point. So 161 00:14:08,860 --> 00:14:14,880 the next time you'll see me around, we'll be regarding recruiting new victim services 162 00:14:14,880 --> 00:14:21,720 advocates from the area. So then we can expand that program. But that is your victim services 163 00:14:21,720 --> 00:14:25,580 and we're just going in a nutshell. That's the 10 minute version. 164 00:14:26,160 --> 00:14:29,100 Lauren, thank you very much. I'm sure there'll be lots of questions 165 00:14:29,100 --> 00:14:32,680 by opening the floor to council and any questions you might have of Lauren. 166 00:14:34,160 --> 00:14:38,580 Councilor blizzard. Sure, we'll start off nice presentation, good information. 167 00:14:39,400 --> 00:14:43,800 This is a non-profit or is this government funded? Can people donate? 168 00:14:44,540 --> 00:14:49,620 Yeah, we are a not-for-profit organization. We are solely funded right now by the government 169 00:14:49,620 --> 00:14:59,980 and Alberta. Their commitment was that they'll be sustainable programming available. So their commitment to us is that we will have adequate funding throughout this transition. And as we go in 170 00:15:01,820 --> 00:15:17,280 We do take, we can receive donations, but we are not fundraising or soliciting for them. And any of those donations would go straight to direct client needs, such as water bottles, blankets, or sort of basic necessities that might come up. 171 00:15:17,280 --> 00:15:20,760 Okay, thank you very much and good work that you do. 172 00:15:24,550 --> 00:15:25,390 Councilor Abattoir. 173 00:15:26,070 --> 00:15:27,730 Thank you for your presentation, Ms. Raid. 174 00:15:28,530 --> 00:15:32,110 My first question is, so now we have two members 175 00:15:32,650 --> 00:15:34,530 that are serving the Futsus-Cachan area. 176 00:15:34,910 --> 00:15:37,510 Before its organization was founded, how many did we have? 177 00:15:38,390 --> 00:15:40,170 It had fluctuated over the years. 178 00:15:41,050 --> 00:15:44,310 Usually one and a half to two have been the numbers 179 00:15:44,310 --> 00:15:49,130 that we use to staff each area were a direct relation 180 00:15:49,130 --> 00:15:54,370 to what was already there, so it was either there's no reduction or anything like that. 181 00:15:54,590 --> 00:15:59,350 No, this is okay. Perfect, thank you. Yes, my question about funding. My second question 182 00:15:59,350 --> 00:16:06,450 is just because I know that there's a lot of, I'm looking for the best way to say it's a, 183 00:16:08,590 --> 00:16:14,770 there's a lot of cultural people that are disproportionately represented in the criminal 184 00:16:14,770 --> 00:16:21,390 service this system, right? What kind of effort do you have to deal with those types of groups? 185 00:16:21,790 --> 00:16:26,370 Yeah, definitely. This was one of the big focuses for us as curves as we got going 186 00:16:27,290 --> 00:16:33,010 and making it a priority especially to fill our cultural and community liaison position, which I've 187 00:16:33,010 --> 00:16:39,990 got Gloria here to do. So a lot of her work right now is connecting with those groups in our communities 188 00:16:39,990 --> 00:16:45,950 communities and really learning right now what is needed and finding those connections 189 00:16:45,950 --> 00:16:51,790 of the right people in each of the communities, whether it's Indigenous or any of our groups, 190 00:16:53,110 --> 00:16:58,090 and asking them what they're looking for and how to support them, is our big push right 191 00:16:58,090 --> 00:17:01,090 now, is to get connected and understanding those needs. 192 00:17:01,710 --> 00:17:07,230 Also that's where we're looking for advocates as well, we're particularly seeking out advocates 193 00:17:07,230 --> 00:17:12,730 in some of those groups to volunteer with us to strengthen our response and the way that we 194 00:17:12,730 --> 00:17:17,710 can help our victims. Okay, wonderful. Thank you. Well, I couldn't think of a better presence to serve 195 00:17:17,710 --> 00:17:22,750 this role, so congratulations to you and well done. Thank you. And the next step is counts for Megan. 196 00:17:24,070 --> 00:17:27,350 Thank you. Thanks for your presentation, Lauren. It's always really nice to see you. 197 00:17:27,930 --> 00:17:33,510 Just so I get a better idea of the work that you do, when you talk about the next of kin call out, 198 00:17:33,510 --> 00:17:39,970 is that one of your advocates actually going out with the RCMB to do those notifications 199 00:17:39,970 --> 00:17:45,150 and to provide support directly? Yeah, exactly. It can look at different things depending on what 200 00:17:45,810 --> 00:17:50,310 there's two things to think of. One is what the victim is asking for. So sometimes they do want 201 00:17:50,310 --> 00:17:54,870 somebody alongside, you know, to come and answer questions and be there. So we do have our navigators 202 00:17:54,870 --> 00:18:00,410 as well as the advocates that can be called out in person to those times. Sometimes it's a phone call 203 00:18:00,850 --> 00:18:02,190 to see if they have any questions, 204 00:18:02,590 --> 00:18:04,290 and oftentimes it's follow up as well. 205 00:18:04,690 --> 00:18:07,750 So even just that next day when the dust is settled, 206 00:18:07,750 --> 00:18:08,550 now what do we do? 207 00:18:08,870 --> 00:18:10,410 How do we get a hold of the medical examiner? 208 00:18:10,530 --> 00:18:11,090 Things like that. 209 00:18:11,650 --> 00:18:13,950 That's a lot of what the work seems to happen 210 00:18:14,470 --> 00:18:18,590 is the afterwards, but we are actively going to call out 211 00:18:18,590 --> 00:18:20,730 and for to sketch one in the moment as well. 212 00:18:21,530 --> 00:18:24,590 And the 24-hour service that you mentioned 213 00:18:24,590 --> 00:18:27,610 is that more for, you know, like say it's three in the morning, 214 00:18:27,690 --> 00:18:29,310 is that more for referral services, 215 00:18:29,310 --> 00:18:33,850 This is like RCMP, you're calling you out or can anybody call because they know of 216 00:18:33,850 --> 00:18:37,930 somebody who needs, who is a victim and needs the support at that time? 217 00:18:38,470 --> 00:18:42,190 Yeah, it is, there are only the RCMP can call us out 24 hours because we do need to be 218 00:18:42,190 --> 00:18:43,190 on scene with them. 219 00:18:43,390 --> 00:18:43,490 Right. 220 00:18:43,590 --> 00:18:45,390 That's one of the sort of safety protocols. 221 00:18:45,850 --> 00:18:46,070 Okay. 222 00:18:46,090 --> 00:18:50,310 So we are being called out for them by them, yeah, with them, if you will. 223 00:18:50,550 --> 00:18:55,550 And again, if it's something that we can assist you in the next day in a safe manner, we 224 00:18:55,550 --> 00:19:00,650 will as well. But next up can usually we be going with them to deliver the bad news 225 00:19:00,650 --> 00:19:05,850 and just be there to help, to be that emotional support. Yeah. Okay. Well, thank you very 226 00:19:05,850 --> 00:19:10,090 much. Of course. Well, it doesn't look like there are any more questions. So Lauren and 227 00:19:10,090 --> 00:19:14,630 Laurie, thank you very much for attending Council today and giving a set update on your organization 228 00:19:14,630 --> 00:19:18,630 and the work good work that you're doing in the community. It's obviously a very valued 229 00:19:18,630 --> 00:19:23,270 service. So thank you very much. Thank you for having me. I appreciate it. Thank you. 230 00:19:23,270 --> 00:19:24,250 So, 231 00:19:27,070 --> 00:19:32,490 the next item of business is a Truth and Reconciliation Update, Brad Babiak presenting. 232 00:19:34,720 --> 00:19:35,400 Welcome, Brad. 233 00:19:37,040 --> 00:19:40,400 And you are accompanied by Taylor. 234 00:19:40,940 --> 00:19:41,180 Taylor. 235 00:19:41,480 --> 00:19:41,760 Thank you. 236 00:19:41,980 --> 00:19:42,380 Welcome, Taylor. 237 00:20:00,960 --> 00:20:02,180 So, good afternoon, everyone. 238 00:20:02,680 --> 00:20:04,320 As mentioned, my name is Brad Babiak. 239 00:20:04,480 --> 00:20:06,380 I'm the Director of Culture and Recreation Services. 240 00:20:06,840 --> 00:20:12,880 I'm joined today, up front by Taylor Barry Bahbray, supervisor of the Ford Heritage Precinct, 241 00:20:12,880 --> 00:20:19,480 and in the audience as well as Amber Grant, the coordinator for social planning for the city. 242 00:20:19,860 --> 00:20:31,400 The city of Fortescaptuin is located here on Treaty 6 territory, and while it does not share direct boundary with the First Nation or Métis communities, it is home to many indigenous residents. 243 00:20:34,160 --> 00:20:44,260 As the order of government closest to the public, the Truth and Reconciliation is called to action note that municipalities have both the opportunity and ability to take meaningful action to address the legacy of residential schools. 244 00:20:44,260 --> 00:20:49,300 advance reconciliation between indigenous and non-indigenous residents and neighbors. 245 00:20:50,280 --> 00:20:54,760 An example of this is the call to action 57 that calls for training for municipal staff 246 00:20:54,760 --> 00:21:01,520 on indigenous history, intercultural competency, anti-racism, and a legacy of residential schools. 247 00:21:02,300 --> 00:21:06,720 Additional examples of municipal related calls to action are on page one of the council report. 248 00:21:07,840 --> 00:21:13,280 To guide the city in this work, in 2021 council directed administration to develop a truth 249 00:21:13,280 --> 00:21:17,360 within Reconciliation Action Plan, in consultation with Indigenous stakeholders. 250 00:21:18,540 --> 00:21:25,120 Resulting in a multi-year plan funded initially through Budget 2022, this is Appendix A of the Council Report. 251 00:21:26,160 --> 00:21:31,940 From the start, it was considered essential to approach this work collaboratively with Indigenous residents and neighbors, 252 00:21:32,520 --> 00:21:35,060 guided by the pace and direction of those relationships. 253 00:21:36,040 --> 00:21:41,660 During the 2025 operational budget deliberations, Council requested a progress report of the status 254 00:21:41,660 --> 00:21:51,460 of the truth and recognition initiative status and future plans by the end of Q2 of 2025. 255 00:21:54,910 --> 00:21:59,570 Areas of focus is first identified in the action plan to guide this work are listed on this slide. 256 00:22:00,250 --> 00:22:03,090 Overall progress has been made in six of the eight areas of focus. 257 00:22:04,090 --> 00:22:11,310 Appendix D of the Council report provides a high-level summary of work stemming from the multi-year action plan and areas of focus. 258 00:22:11,310 --> 00:22:16,330 While Appendix-C provides further details on events, program, and training in chronological 259 00:22:16,330 --> 00:22:21,090 order. There are three actionaries that have significant changes from what was initially 260 00:22:21,090 --> 00:22:29,170 proposed. Regionally specific online curriculum was paused due to the availability of existing 261 00:22:29,170 --> 00:22:36,570 high quality offerings available in the region already. This meant that met the intended educational 262 00:22:36,570 --> 00:22:40,990 outcomes that were desired. The move to the existing courses versus development of new ones 263 00:22:40,990 --> 00:22:42,890 is one of the main drivers for the decrease 264 00:22:42,890 --> 00:22:44,270 in the recent budget requests. 265 00:22:45,090 --> 00:22:47,410 Another area that had significant changes 266 00:22:47,410 --> 00:22:49,290 was online staff education. 267 00:22:49,710 --> 00:22:52,270 This moved from strictly an online training model 268 00:22:52,550 --> 00:22:55,290 to more diverse and engaging suite 269 00:22:55,290 --> 00:22:56,410 of in-person workshops, 270 00:22:57,370 --> 00:22:58,910 experiential learning opportunities 271 00:22:58,910 --> 00:22:59,970 and cultural sessions. 272 00:23:02,420 --> 00:23:04,420 The third area that had significant changes 273 00:23:04,420 --> 00:23:06,140 was related to community development. 274 00:23:06,940 --> 00:23:08,520 The Truth and Reconciliation portfolio 275 00:23:08,520 --> 00:23:11,280 was initially adopted by an existing FTE, 276 00:23:11,280 --> 00:23:18,720 which was the supervisor of Fort Heritage Precinct, for years one and two, where 50% of the FDE was dedicated to this work. 277 00:23:19,740 --> 00:23:22,960 And that was to then move to 25% of the position moving forward. 278 00:23:23,960 --> 00:23:32,240 In 2020, 25, the city transitioned from having one lead for Truth and Reconciliation work to being supported by two positions. 279 00:23:32,920 --> 00:23:38,280 The Truth, the social planning coordinator from Family Community Social Services is now engaged in this work. 280 00:23:38,280 --> 00:23:42,600 work, and it continues to live with the supervisor of the Ford Heritage Precinct. 281 00:23:44,020 --> 00:23:48,200 This ship reflects the scope and complexity of the work and broader administrative goal 282 00:23:48,200 --> 00:23:53,280 of embedding reconciliation across the organization and reduces the impact of potential staff 283 00:23:53,280 --> 00:23:55,500 turnover for long-term relationship building. 284 00:23:56,540 --> 00:24:00,840 Furthermore, truth and reconciliation work has been increasingly shared through the city's 285 00:24:00,840 --> 00:24:06,060 administration, as it became more of a lens of the work of the city even during normal operations. 286 00:24:06,060 --> 00:24:19,920 In involves coordination and contributions from teams including public works, fleet facilities engineering, financial services, planning and development, corporate communications, family community and social services, and of course culture and recreation services. 287 00:24:22,160 --> 00:24:28,620 There is one action area of focus that prognosis has not been made, and that's the incorporation of indigenous names. 288 00:24:29,220 --> 00:24:36,000 This remains a future or future area of action, but requires further engagement, cultural consultation, 289 00:24:36,000 --> 00:24:38,560 and co-development with Indigenous partners. 290 00:24:42,060 --> 00:24:44,720 The City's 2025 initiatives follow a community 291 00:24:44,720 --> 00:24:47,560 by four community approach that includes supporting 292 00:24:47,560 --> 00:24:49,600 Indigenous-led initiatives through funding, 293 00:24:49,860 --> 00:24:51,580 staff support, and in-kind contributions. 294 00:24:52,460 --> 00:24:55,280 As previously mentioned, upcoming events for this year 295 00:24:55,280 --> 00:24:58,640 are in appendix-y and fall under these four areas 296 00:24:58,640 --> 00:24:59,420 listed on the slide. 297 00:24:59,640 --> 00:25:01,340 City events, of which an example, 298 00:25:01,480 --> 00:25:02,700 is Indigenous People's Day, 299 00:25:03,180 --> 00:25:05,680 where the City will host a family-friendly daytime event 300 00:25:05,680 --> 00:25:08,800 in partnership with local indigenous and Métis residents. 301 00:25:09,740 --> 00:25:11,920 The celebration will honor indigenous history, heritage, 302 00:25:12,240 --> 00:25:14,800 and resilience through music, food, and cultural programming. 303 00:25:16,120 --> 00:25:19,000 Examples of programming include, in August, 304 00:25:19,200 --> 00:25:20,960 the city will offer programs that highlight 305 00:25:20,960 --> 00:25:23,020 our shared responsibilities as treaty partners 306 00:25:23,420 --> 00:25:25,180 in the lead up to treaty six day. 307 00:25:26,940 --> 00:25:28,320 Examples of staff training, 308 00:25:29,900 --> 00:25:31,720 which will be held this fall, 309 00:25:32,320 --> 00:25:34,800 is the delivery of experiential training 310 00:25:34,800 --> 00:25:39,220 opportunities for staff, supporting deeper understanding and engagement with indigenous 311 00:25:39,220 --> 00:25:40,860 histories, cultures, and perspectives. 312 00:25:42,360 --> 00:25:48,640 And a few examples of partnership are the witness blanket exhibition that is now on display 313 00:25:48,640 --> 00:25:53,140 at the Ford Heritage precinct in the Courthouse throughout June in partnership with the Elk 314 00:25:53,140 --> 00:25:54,100 Island public schools. 315 00:25:54,800 --> 00:25:58,600 The witness blanket is a powerful installation made from items reclaimed from residential 316 00:25:58,600 --> 00:26:01,380 schools and related sites. 317 00:26:01,380 --> 00:26:04,680 It honors survivors and invites reflection on Canada's history. 318 00:26:05,460 --> 00:26:09,000 This marks the first time the exhibit has been in the Mettan area since 2017. 319 00:26:10,440 --> 00:26:18,600 There is also a collaboration with local indigenous artist, Ellie Langerd, to launch a community-driven 320 00:26:18,600 --> 00:26:21,000 educational initiative healing hands of recognition. 321 00:26:21,880 --> 00:26:23,900 That is going to be unfolding over the next four months. 322 00:26:24,960 --> 00:26:31,960 This will culminate in September with the city hosting a community ceremony to 323 00:26:31,960 --> 00:26:36,080 raise this commitment to the 94 calls of action. The initiative invites 324 00:26:36,080 --> 00:26:39,240 residents to reflect, learn and commit to ongoing Truth and Reconciliation 325 00:26:39,240 --> 00:26:39,780 efforts. 326 00:26:43,060 --> 00:26:46,640 And finally, in terms of work of the Truth and Reconciliation in the coming 327 00:26:46,640 --> 00:26:51,700 years, administration proposes to keep a relationship first approach. This means 328 00:26:51,700 --> 00:26:54,760 administration will continue our engagement and collaborations with local 329 00:26:54,760 --> 00:27:00,840 Indigenous residents, community groups, knowledge keepers, and educators to continue to look for 330 00:27:00,840 --> 00:27:05,320 partnerships and opportunities to support others in helping move these action items forward 331 00:27:05,320 --> 00:27:09,600 and address gaps as necessary using the areas of focus as a guide. 332 00:27:11,640 --> 00:27:11,940 With that, 333 00:27:12,180 --> 00:27:14,360 we'll open up for any questions Council may have. 334 00:27:14,920 --> 00:27:19,600 Brad, thanks very much for your presentation. It was great to see all the work that's been 335 00:27:19,600 --> 00:27:24,960 taking place in the last little while. When the witness blanket first came to town, 336 00:27:24,960 --> 00:27:30,920 and I had the opportunity to attend, the mayor was otherwise engaged that day, so I attended his deputy mayor. 337 00:27:31,180 --> 00:27:36,680 It was really quite an interesting exposition, and anybody that gets a chance to go see it. 338 00:27:36,820 --> 00:27:44,460 And certainly the school children that have been engaged, I think that's definitely a valuable learning opportunity for our school age children. 339 00:27:44,680 --> 00:27:45,600 So thank you very much. 340 00:27:46,020 --> 00:27:51,320 I would open the floor to questions, and we have Councillor Abitouye. 341 00:27:51,320 --> 00:27:51,380 Okay. 342 00:27:52,160 --> 00:27:53,400 No, I was the last. 343 00:27:53,580 --> 00:27:54,640 The first was consummation. 344 00:27:54,980 --> 00:27:55,620 Oh, okay. 345 00:27:56,340 --> 00:27:56,920 Thank you. 346 00:27:56,920 --> 00:27:57,260 Oh, the top. 347 00:27:57,540 --> 00:27:57,960 Thank you. 348 00:27:58,600 --> 00:27:58,960 Okay. 349 00:27:59,140 --> 00:28:00,340 Thanks for making my apologies. 350 00:28:01,700 --> 00:28:02,520 Not a problem. 351 00:28:04,520 --> 00:28:05,880 Thank you for this report. 352 00:28:06,060 --> 00:28:10,780 It was exactly what I was looking for to see what we have done 353 00:28:10,780 --> 00:28:11,740 and where we are going. 354 00:28:11,840 --> 00:28:13,980 So I really appreciate all the work that went into that. 355 00:28:15,280 --> 00:28:17,880 One of the things that I kind of noted, as I was reading through it, 356 00:28:17,880 --> 00:28:23,120 is do we do any work on this with other municipalities? 357 00:28:23,460 --> 00:28:25,580 Do we collaborate with the opportunity? 358 00:28:26,040 --> 00:28:29,960 Because it just feels like all municipalities must be 359 00:28:29,960 --> 00:28:34,180 trying to figure out what the best path forward is. 360 00:28:35,960 --> 00:28:37,080 That's very correct. 361 00:28:37,240 --> 00:28:40,660 We're working as a regional working group with groups 362 00:28:40,660 --> 00:28:42,460 in Edmonton as well as surrounding area, 363 00:28:42,920 --> 00:28:44,140 we're meeting on a quarterly basis. 364 00:28:44,920 --> 00:28:47,140 And we do have the opportunity as both 365 00:28:47,140 --> 00:28:52,560 with Amber and I settle in our footings with this new co-lead initiative. 366 00:28:53,120 --> 00:28:58,860 We really do hope to expand our programming to include places like Shrathcona County 367 00:28:58,860 --> 00:29:03,920 where there's a lot of overlap in our histories, so yeah, we're really looking forward to regional 368 00:29:03,920 --> 00:29:04,320 collaboration. 369 00:29:05,180 --> 00:29:11,900 So is that the intent then of that group is to help kind of establish best practice, what's 370 00:29:11,900 --> 00:29:19,780 working what's not okay yeah so best practices as well as sharing calendar of events as well as we'll be bringing in 371 00:29:21,640 --> 00:29:26,700 different teachings we'll be doing some also some professional development as 372 00:29:26,700 --> 00:29:33,720 Indigenous liaison's of sorts so yeah it's a it's a very at this point it's an emerging working group 373 00:29:33,720 --> 00:29:38,700 but I think that it I think it could lead to really great synergies within 374 00:29:38,700 --> 00:29:40,360 and the image in the surrounding area. 375 00:29:40,800 --> 00:29:40,960 Perfect. 376 00:29:41,320 --> 00:29:41,980 Thank you very much. 377 00:29:43,890 --> 00:29:44,750 That's right, Victoria. 378 00:29:53,810 --> 00:29:53,970 OK. 379 00:29:54,350 --> 00:29:55,910 We'll have the mayor. 380 00:29:57,830 --> 00:29:57,970 Next. 381 00:29:58,150 --> 00:29:58,450 Thank you. 382 00:29:58,570 --> 00:29:59,610 OK, thank you. 383 00:30:00,000 --> 00:30:29,640 Thank you very much, Deputy Mayor Harris. You're doing a great job. So the question that I have really comes to, I'm going to talk about indigenous days. So last year, the city of Fortescachewan had our indigenous days a little bit later in the day. But the multicultural had theirs earlier in the day. So people were really confused about which indigenous days do they go to. 384 00:30:29,640 --> 00:30:33,220 Is there some way we can work with the multicultural? 385 00:30:34,120 --> 00:30:38,980 Because, again, this year we're having ours on the Saturday and they're having theirs on the Sunday. 386 00:30:39,620 --> 00:30:43,280 So it just feels like it's disjointed again. 387 00:30:43,540 --> 00:30:44,380 That's question one. 388 00:30:47,720 --> 00:30:48,260 Through the chair. 389 00:30:50,140 --> 00:30:55,520 Yes, I mean, looking to engage and share ideas is definitely something we want to really work towards. 390 00:30:55,940 --> 00:30:59,680 And I think that something will keep an eye on and trying to be more proactive 391 00:30:59,680 --> 00:31:04,020 As in some cases plans get developed very early and so it's hard to switch course 392 00:31:04,960 --> 00:31:08,520 There is while there is potentially that overlap as you mentioned 393 00:31:08,520 --> 00:31:14,740 I would also suggest it could potentially be an opportunity that way if someone misses one opportunity. There is another available 394 00:31:15,300 --> 00:31:22,240 But again, you're absolutely right. We should try and focus and at least create as much clarity as we can for the community on these events 395 00:31:22,240 --> 00:31:28,100 And where and how they're hosted and to what they might look like in terms of any differences or overlap 396 00:31:30,050 --> 00:31:35,890 Okay. It's just, it feels like it's just very disjointed with them, and I don't know 397 00:31:35,890 --> 00:31:40,410 whether they're willing to work with us or not. And I apologize if my mic is in this 398 00:31:40,410 --> 00:31:45,490 clear as it should be, but it's, it's right here. So second question that I have with your 399 00:31:45,490 --> 00:31:54,970 budgets, they range from 40,000, 79,000, 39, 29 and 29. Do we really feel that we need to 400 00:31:54,970 --> 00:32:03,050 maintain these budgets at this level. We don't give any other user group or 401 00:32:03,050 --> 00:32:07,310 cultural group that type of funding. So I guess I just question that. 402 00:32:10,830 --> 00:32:11,410 Through the 403 00:32:11,410 --> 00:32:16,650 chair, this is something obviously that's up to Council's discretion as we go 404 00:32:16,650 --> 00:32:20,330 through the budget process each year to see what level support they're willing to 405 00:32:20,330 --> 00:32:26,950 make. To your point, one of the distinctions I guess I would just raise with 406 00:32:26,950 --> 00:32:34,970 this work of truth and reconciliation, is it a little different from maybe working with 407 00:32:36,230 --> 00:32:43,090 some of our other community groups in the fact that part of this work is to actually recognize 408 00:32:44,610 --> 00:32:52,350 where Canadian organizations, whether federal, provincial, RCMP, or others have had an impact in 409 00:32:52,350 --> 00:32:57,030 indigenous peoples in a way that other culture groups may not have been impacted. 410 00:32:58,010 --> 00:33:01,770 So that's not to say they're any more or less important, but there is a different relationship 411 00:33:01,770 --> 00:33:08,690 with the treaties and the work of trying to reconcile and move forward from residential 412 00:33:08,690 --> 00:33:13,870 schools that is beyond just awareness and celebration of culture or trying to be inclusive. 413 00:33:14,790 --> 00:33:19,470 So there is a little extra work I think needed there, again to the exact budget. 414 00:33:20,310 --> 00:33:31,210 We feel that the work we've done has been really well received by the community, but if there's opportunities that you'd like us to look up to support this work differently, that's something we can that we do continue to do and look for different opportunities. 415 00:33:31,930 --> 00:33:38,170 So even though the money has been relatively stable, we have done, as you can see in the appendix, this is quite a few different types of initiatives. 416 00:33:39,410 --> 00:33:49,290 So I think the ongoing funding just also recognizes a commitment to keeping this work going versus maybe trying to give a grant out to someone which may or may not be successful from year to year. 417 00:33:50,590 --> 00:34:03,190 Okay. Thank you. I appreciate that. I just want to say I think you're doing an amazing job and I think using Ellie Lagrancher and her daughter Stacy from the Dreamcatcher's Gallery. 418 00:34:03,190 --> 00:34:09,110 I think they really help with the indigenous culture in our community. 419 00:34:09,970 --> 00:34:12,730 So just thank you for the work that you're doing with them. 420 00:34:12,790 --> 00:34:17,510 I think this hands in having the TP that will go up will go a long way. 421 00:34:17,850 --> 00:34:18,410 So thank you. 422 00:34:18,870 --> 00:34:19,230 I'm good. 423 00:34:19,990 --> 00:34:20,710 Deputy Mayor Harris. 424 00:34:21,210 --> 00:34:21,750 Thank you. 425 00:34:22,150 --> 00:34:22,790 Thank you. 426 00:34:22,950 --> 00:34:23,670 Councillor Abertoya. 427 00:34:44,510 --> 00:34:44,930 Thank you. 428 00:34:45,070 --> 00:34:45,590 Technology. 429 00:34:45,950 --> 00:34:46,630 Fall in the touch. 430 00:34:48,390 --> 00:34:52,410 Mr. Thank you very much for your response. 431 00:34:52,410 --> 00:34:56,450 I think your response was really marvelous and I really agree with you things like you just said. 432 00:34:57,350 --> 00:35:01,990 My question on that note, my question is, is there a plan to move from events-based 433 00:35:01,990 --> 00:35:08,690 reconciliation efforts to embedded systemic efforts or changes like hiring and procurement 434 00:35:08,690 --> 00:35:14,850 when it comes to indigenous people? To do the chair to answer that, so I thank you for your question. 435 00:35:15,790 --> 00:35:20,250 I think we've been trying to move towards that way. Some of this obviously isn't 436 00:35:20,250 --> 00:35:25,690 as transparent in terms of government processes, or city processes, as you may see. 437 00:35:25,810 --> 00:35:30,550 But one of the things that we have done internally, although it was to help support events, 438 00:35:30,670 --> 00:35:37,350 ironically, was to look at an on-demrarium procedure for lack of a better warm. 439 00:35:38,330 --> 00:35:46,110 So instead of treating indigenous knowledge keepers or artists as vendors, which is typically 440 00:35:46,110 --> 00:35:49,030 what our accounting area would like to see. 441 00:35:49,030 --> 00:35:53,650 We work to come up with a way that to meet the needs that we had for requirements, but 442 00:35:53,650 --> 00:36:00,630 to treat these knowledge keepers, sorry, one of the reasons for the change in a little 443 00:36:00,630 --> 00:36:05,410 bit back is when these knowledge keepers come and share information with us, it's typically 444 00:36:05,410 --> 00:36:08,210 considered to be a gift, a gift from them to others. 445 00:36:08,950 --> 00:36:13,530 And so part of the honorarium process is to give a gift back and not to pay for a service. 446 00:36:14,250 --> 00:36:16,930 So that looks a little different in terms of this is often seen. 447 00:36:16,930 --> 00:36:24,390 And they recognize this through cash gifts rather than giving us an invoice and then we pay them back later. 448 00:36:24,950 --> 00:36:31,350 And this is in a city practice, this is something post-secondary institutes and others who kind of follow these protocols go through. 449 00:36:31,730 --> 00:36:38,870 And that was one of the things we actually worked on very early on, I think in 2022, is to work with our finance department to come up with a practice that kind of does that. 450 00:36:39,210 --> 00:36:46,590 It doesn't go directly to a point of procurement, but it is an internal practice that we've looked to change. 451 00:36:48,130 --> 00:36:50,290 And sorry, you had mentioned another example of that. 452 00:36:50,290 --> 00:36:52,530 No, same things like hiring procurement policies, 453 00:36:52,770 --> 00:36:56,230 just things that are really systemic rather than just events based. 454 00:36:56,550 --> 00:36:59,470 Yeah, and so some of the other practices that we have internally is, 455 00:37:00,910 --> 00:37:03,250 there's a couple of different examples throughout. 456 00:37:03,810 --> 00:37:07,510 So our fleet facilities and engineering department is actually worked with us 457 00:37:07,510 --> 00:37:12,770 that any city facility can be smudged in now without having to go proactively to ask permission 458 00:37:12,770 --> 00:37:13,970 or whatever it's all been considered. 459 00:37:13,970 --> 00:37:18,650 and so those are again another thing that wouldn't be necessarily obviously we don't want one of those 460 00:37:18,650 --> 00:37:23,490 but in terms of the procurement and those things we're not having gone to that extent yet. 461 00:37:23,750 --> 00:37:28,150 That's a tough point. Well thank you very much for your response and my second question is 462 00:37:28,150 --> 00:37:33,310 around the training programs. I remember Donnie COVID attending a few of those online trainings 463 00:37:33,310 --> 00:37:40,010 around truth and reconciliation and my question around that is to be track that like attendance 464 00:37:41,030 --> 00:37:49,390 for staff and council, and it's also a consideration for that to be, and maybe it's already included in the onboarding process for new staff. 465 00:37:50,050 --> 00:37:54,650 I'm probably even orientation for council, so is that your a plan for that? 466 00:37:56,250 --> 00:37:58,270 Yes, your chair. 467 00:37:58,450 --> 00:37:58,990 Councillor Avertoya. 468 00:37:59,250 --> 00:38:04,850 Yeah, there are plans, and that's for additional training coming up in September. 469 00:38:04,850 --> 00:38:19,410 But one of the reasons we moved, I think it was in 2024 now, with an ongoing budget request is to build in the budget to allow that so that we can bring back and use basically sometimes the same training when we have new staff members come. 470 00:38:20,130 --> 00:38:27,530 That could be similar to council or any other person who works in the city that they're recognizing this isn't a one and done scenario. 471 00:38:28,090 --> 00:38:33,430 And that as the city grows and even adds new staff, we have the ability to continue that training. 472 00:38:33,430 --> 00:38:40,210 Okay, so just the first part of my question about the metrics from the previous training. What did that look like in terms of attendance? 473 00:38:40,610 --> 00:38:46,470 Yes, through the chair. Yes, we do track those. I don't have those numbers immediately in front of me. 474 00:38:46,510 --> 00:38:52,550 We just kind of have the number of the number of training or the different training we've done, but we could look to those numbers and get back to you. 475 00:38:52,610 --> 00:38:54,430 I appreciate you. Thank you. I thank you as well. 476 00:38:55,590 --> 00:38:56,050 Thank you. 477 00:38:57,570 --> 00:38:58,290 Councillor Blizzard. 478 00:38:59,750 --> 00:39:05,230 very good information. Thanks for bringing it all forward. It looks like we're making some progress in this area. 479 00:39:05,750 --> 00:39:13,330 It just came across something that said witness blanket exhibition and it's free on Saturdays. 480 00:39:13,430 --> 00:39:22,150 So can you talk a little bit about that and maybe we can somehow encourage if there was any papers or something that are listening to encourage people that come out to that. 481 00:39:22,150 --> 00:39:48,670 Yeah, so we were super fortunate to have a partnership with Alkaline Public Schools to bring in the exhibition, and from Monday to Friday, it's been offered to students, but for the last two Saturdays, as well as this upcoming Saturday, we're offering free admission to our 1909 courthouse, where the exhibition is currently situated along with the 21st, which is the Saturday for a National Indigenous Peoples Day. 482 00:39:48,670 --> 00:40:00,650 We are also smudging with Elder Gloria as well as we are going to be honored to be listening to some of her stories and her teachings as well in the courthouse. 483 00:40:01,070 --> 00:40:14,810 So I encourage every person, every resident from here and also beyond to come in and witness the blanket and to understand the stories and the complexities that exist within our everyday life. 484 00:40:15,790 --> 00:40:20,290 Very good. One thing with the smudging, I was at one, I think at family's first and the 485 00:40:20,290 --> 00:40:24,830 fire alarm went off. So just, if you're doing that maybe outside, or I don't know how 486 00:40:24,830 --> 00:40:31,190 you, I don't think you can turn the fire alarms off. So something that Brad was a, Brad noted 487 00:40:31,190 --> 00:40:36,030 is we've been working with our facilities group to identify spaces within Port Saskatchewan 488 00:40:36,030 --> 00:40:43,650 that Indigenous and non-Indigenous people are free to smudge. Our museum buildings are 489 00:40:43,650 --> 00:40:49,350 actually categorized as a non-concern. So it's just one step that a facility 490 00:40:49,350 --> 00:40:54,010 services is also taking in indigenizing spaces. Thank you. 491 00:40:56,770 --> 00:41:00,230 Well, it doesn't look like we've got any more questions. So thank you very much 492 00:41:00,230 --> 00:41:03,430 for that presentation. It's great to get an update on those activities because 493 00:41:03,430 --> 00:41:07,850 they are so culturally important to our community. So thank you very much. 494 00:41:17,800 --> 00:41:19,380 So the next 495 00:41:19,380 --> 00:41:23,240 It will be making the presentation with Mr. Harder. 496 00:41:52,310 --> 00:41:53,370 Thank you very much. 497 00:41:53,630 --> 00:41:55,810 Good afternoon Chair and members of the committee. 498 00:41:56,050 --> 00:41:57,250 My name is Sandy Bajaya. 499 00:41:57,590 --> 00:41:59,570 I'm the General Manager for Corporate Services, 500 00:42:00,210 --> 00:42:02,470 and I'm very pleased to provide this update 501 00:42:02,470 --> 00:42:04,790 on the city's enterprise resource planning 502 00:42:04,790 --> 00:42:08,030 or ERP modernization project. 503 00:42:10,590 --> 00:42:13,890 By way of general introduction, an ERP system 504 00:42:13,890 --> 00:42:17,170 refers to the core software that organizations use 505 00:42:17,170 --> 00:42:20,350 to manage and conduct their day-to-day business activities, 506 00:42:20,710 --> 00:42:24,750 especially the business related to financial and human resource functions. 507 00:42:25,650 --> 00:42:30,250 More importantly, ERP systems are the main repository of financial 508 00:42:30,250 --> 00:42:34,070 and resident data used to support the city's decision-making. 509 00:42:37,500 --> 00:42:41,420 This slide provides a brief overview of the project history. 510 00:42:42,200 --> 00:42:46,000 The city's current ERP system, Microsoft Dynamics GP, 511 00:42:46,880 --> 00:42:49,060 currently supports our critical business functions, 512 00:42:49,060 --> 00:42:53,540 including accounting, payroll, utility, building, and financial reporting. 513 00:42:54,420 --> 00:43:00,120 However, this system is nearing its end of life cycle, and there is now a need to address 514 00:43:00,120 --> 00:43:07,020 the next system to replace it. The city has diligently been planning for this transition. 515 00:43:07,680 --> 00:43:13,660 In 2023, we conducted a third-party review of our current state and documented existing gaps 516 00:43:13,660 --> 00:43:19,560 In our current system, as well as identified options for addressing the city's future needs. 517 00:43:20,220 --> 00:43:25,080 This review highlighted various actions that could be undertaken to ensure that the 518 00:43:25,080 --> 00:43:29,000 city is in good shape to take on an ERP system replacement. 519 00:43:30,040 --> 00:43:35,680 As part of the 2025 budget, Council approved funding to support what we are calling the 520 00:43:35,680 --> 00:43:37,340 pre-work for this project. 521 00:43:41,760 --> 00:43:51,660 Stepping back a little bit and looking at the ERP project in terms of phases, we are in the first phase of work which is focused on the preparation. 522 00:43:52,580 --> 00:43:58,700 The next phase will involve going to market through the RFP process to acquire a new system. 523 00:43:59,560 --> 00:44:08,920 Once a new system has been selected, we will be ready to move into the implementation phase, which will have likely the most impact to the organization, 524 00:44:08,920 --> 00:44:12,320 as we update and transition our current processes. 525 00:44:13,400 --> 00:44:15,880 One of our goals in this project is to ensure 526 00:44:15,880 --> 00:44:18,200 a thoughtful approach to change management 527 00:44:18,200 --> 00:44:20,220 which includes proactive communication 528 00:44:20,220 --> 00:44:23,400 and engagement with impacted staff and departments 529 00:44:23,400 --> 00:44:26,600 and tailored support and training on the new system. 530 00:44:27,380 --> 00:44:30,440 The final phase of the project is maintenance 531 00:44:30,440 --> 00:44:34,220 and we expect to make that shift in late 2028. 532 00:44:35,140 --> 00:44:37,680 But in reality, maintenance of the new system 533 00:44:37,680 --> 00:44:40,080 and will become part of our ongoing operations 534 00:44:40,080 --> 00:44:42,020 as soon as we're done with implementation. 535 00:44:45,080 --> 00:44:48,040 This slide highlights the work we have done to date. 536 00:44:48,580 --> 00:44:51,620 Again, these actions were identified 537 00:44:51,620 --> 00:44:56,020 in that 2023 review and have continued to be refined 538 00:44:56,020 --> 00:44:57,340 as we move through the work. 539 00:44:58,060 --> 00:44:59,980 Much of the work that you see on this... 540 00:45:00,000 --> 00:45:29,980 Screen is really about refining and documenting ERP system needs, confirming the best sequence for implementing ERP functions, reviewing what has changed in the ERP landscape, identifying resources for the next phases of the project, and establishing the governance framework for this transition. Other key areas of focus include data cleanup, process mapping and improvement, and documenting the 541 00:45:29,980 --> 00:45:34,440 expected interdependencies between the city's various software systems. 542 00:45:38,680 --> 00:45:43,680 In terms of the next touchpoint with Council for this project, administration will include 543 00:45:43,680 --> 00:45:48,800 a budget recommendation to support the next phase of the ERP transition as part of the 544 00:45:48,800 --> 00:45:50,480 2026 budget process. 545 00:45:51,440 --> 00:45:55,800 Before I close and turn it over to the chair for questions, I'm going to take a moment 546 00:45:55,800 --> 00:45:59,900 to acknowledge the work of the ERP governance committee thus far. 547 00:45:59,900 --> 00:46:06,060 The committee includes the Director of IT, Trevor, Director of Communications, Jessie, 548 00:46:06,840 --> 00:46:12,760 Director of People Services, Bettina, as well as our CFO, Jeremy, our Budget Manager 549 00:46:12,760 --> 00:46:16,100 and our Accounting Manager, Shannon and Clayton respectively. 550 00:46:17,140 --> 00:46:22,040 Some of these members are here today and we are now happy to take any questions from the 551 00:46:22,040 --> 00:46:23,120 committee on the project. 552 00:46:25,180 --> 00:46:31,320 I'll start off, just when we move into an ERP system and we're doing that acquisition, 553 00:46:31,980 --> 00:46:39,420 how many vendors are actually offering the types of software that ultimately would meet our needs going forward? 554 00:46:39,840 --> 00:46:43,920 Is there one primary or six or eight or how many do we have to pick and choose from? 555 00:46:44,720 --> 00:46:48,920 Ultimately that we will put our RFPO to and look for a response. 556 00:46:49,780 --> 00:46:54,200 Thank you for the question. There is a competitive market out there. 557 00:46:54,860 --> 00:47:00,220 One of the things we've observed is that since the time we started the review in 2023, 558 00:47:00,220 --> 00:47:06,000 there have been some shifts in the market, but there's probably between four and six dominant 559 00:47:06,000 --> 00:47:12,920 players that would be looking at the right scope of ERP system that the city would potentially 560 00:47:12,920 --> 00:47:18,820 be interested in. So there is a good range of options available for the city to explore. 561 00:47:19,960 --> 00:47:26,280 And second question. So ultimately in any new implementation software or other systems like 562 00:47:26,280 --> 00:47:32,240 that, change management is so crucial. So ultimately we have a well documented change management 563 00:47:32,240 --> 00:47:38,020 process and all of our major players in this exercise have good experience in change management, 564 00:47:38,160 --> 00:47:42,740 would you say? I would say that's something we've been working on as part of the 565 00:47:42,740 --> 00:47:46,320 governance committee that is overseeing this project. 566 00:47:47,000 --> 00:47:52,180 So we are sort of documenting the risks of not having the change management and identifying 567 00:47:52,180 --> 00:47:54,480 how we could mitigate those risks. 568 00:47:54,720 --> 00:48:01,580 We're also investing time and energy into developing a really robust resourcing plan. 569 00:48:02,220 --> 00:48:07,860 One of the points of failure with this type of project is not resourcing it efficiently, 570 00:48:08,520 --> 00:48:10,660 so that it becomes a corner of the desk. 571 00:48:10,660 --> 00:48:16,480 So I think the resourcing and the change management go hand in hand, those issues have been 572 00:48:16,480 --> 00:48:20,660 top of mind for the governance committee and it is something that we are turning our 573 00:48:20,660 --> 00:48:21,260 minds to. 574 00:48:21,640 --> 00:48:22,220 That's good to hear. 575 00:48:22,340 --> 00:48:26,520 And as long as we have good executive sponsorship on this, then ultimately I think you're 576 00:48:26,520 --> 00:48:27,440 moving in the right direction. 577 00:48:27,620 --> 00:48:28,100 So thank you. 578 00:48:28,560 --> 00:48:29,360 Councillor Abertoya. 579 00:48:30,900 --> 00:48:31,480 Thank you. 580 00:48:31,640 --> 00:48:32,500 Thank you for your presentation. 581 00:48:33,360 --> 00:48:37,500 I'm sure with the ERP system where you can have something that's really robust in a 582 00:48:37,500 --> 00:48:40,060 to conserve our community. 583 00:48:40,700 --> 00:48:42,760 My first question is, there's been a lot of push 584 00:48:42,760 --> 00:48:43,920 for original collaboration, 585 00:48:44,200 --> 00:48:45,920 and I'm wondering is there an opportunity here 586 00:48:45,920 --> 00:48:47,600 for in-sign municipal collaboration 587 00:48:47,600 --> 00:48:49,520 for an ARP system? 588 00:48:49,680 --> 00:48:50,880 Is that something we've seen out there? 589 00:48:52,260 --> 00:48:54,280 Thank you, that's a good question. 590 00:48:54,520 --> 00:48:56,780 Through to the Chair to Councillor Abertoy, 591 00:48:57,640 --> 00:49:02,460 we have explored some lessons learned through our region. 592 00:49:02,780 --> 00:49:05,220 So we have met with various municipalities 593 00:49:05,220 --> 00:49:07,640 that are in different phases of the ERP. 594 00:49:08,340 --> 00:49:13,600 I don't know if it's truly possible to share an ERP system 595 00:49:13,600 --> 00:49:16,580 because so much of the city's data 596 00:49:16,580 --> 00:49:20,760 and functions are tied up in that system 597 00:49:20,760 --> 00:49:22,340 and there has to be a good integration 598 00:49:23,100 --> 00:49:26,680 between that ERP system and our other components 599 00:49:26,680 --> 00:49:29,340 that need to function together. 600 00:49:29,820 --> 00:49:32,420 So I don't think that opportunity is out there 601 00:49:32,420 --> 00:49:40,620 but the lessons learned and leveraging other municipalities' experience has been mission-crucial to us. 602 00:49:41,060 --> 00:49:45,500 I will say that whenever we've reached out to any of our regional partners, 603 00:49:45,500 --> 00:49:56,340 they've been very willing to share information and examples, as well as best practices in terms of what worked or what didn't work for them. 604 00:49:56,500 --> 00:49:58,080 So that's been a positive experience. 605 00:49:58,560 --> 00:49:59,660 Great answer. Thank you. 606 00:49:59,660 --> 00:50:04,320 My second question is actually to the IT director. 607 00:50:05,000 --> 00:50:07,460 I know there's going to be a lot of, you know, 608 00:50:07,700 --> 00:50:10,440 emphasis on your departments and the support 609 00:50:10,440 --> 00:50:12,500 that you're going to be providing to the organization 610 00:50:12,500 --> 00:50:15,680 as we do this transition because there's going to be a lot of, 611 00:50:17,040 --> 00:50:19,960 I'll say issues, right, because if you're bringing the new system, 612 00:50:20,140 --> 00:50:23,700 so my question is, is your department ready for the change? 613 00:50:24,240 --> 00:50:27,700 Do you feel like you're well-staffed for this type of process 614 00:50:27,700 --> 00:50:29,460 is because it's going to be really big. 615 00:50:31,760 --> 00:50:40,720 Through Chair to Councillor Abertouille, as Ms. Paget was saying, the resource planning 616 00:50:40,720 --> 00:50:46,960 that we're going to be doing here shortly will tell the story for that. 617 00:50:47,500 --> 00:50:54,640 So currently we're not staffed properly for supporting a new system like this, but as we 618 00:50:54,640 --> 00:50:58,860 go through our resource planning, that'll paint the picture. 619 00:50:59,380 --> 00:50:59,580 Okay. 620 00:50:59,700 --> 00:51:00,120 All right. 621 00:51:00,380 --> 00:51:02,620 So you'll know as you go on, right? 622 00:51:03,160 --> 00:51:06,740 And just my final question is, okay, can I ask one more, one little question. 623 00:51:07,140 --> 00:51:10,120 So what's kind of age are we looking for for this software? 624 00:51:10,260 --> 00:51:14,200 And what was the previous, the age of the previous one, and the new one, what is our expectation 625 00:51:14,200 --> 00:51:14,660 for that? 626 00:51:15,980 --> 00:51:19,840 Through the Chair to Councillor Abertoya, so the existing software that we've had, we've 627 00:51:19,840 --> 00:51:26,260 had in operation since early 2000s, so we're running close to 20 years plus, and your question 628 00:51:26,260 --> 00:51:32,640 was the age or how long will the new system last? It's hard to say, I mean, technology changes, 629 00:51:32,800 --> 00:51:38,660 but we're looking probably most likely between the, again, the 15 to 20 year, coming upon 630 00:51:38,660 --> 00:51:42,420 the vendor support. That is the real crucial. Thank you very much. 631 00:51:42,420 --> 00:51:43,920 Councillor Kelly. 632 00:51:45,220 --> 00:51:45,800 Thank you. 633 00:51:48,280 --> 00:51:51,000 Nice to see everybody here on the same subject a year later. 634 00:51:54,220 --> 00:51:57,860 I still don't really understand what an ERP system does. 635 00:51:58,720 --> 00:52:05,520 So as I would understand our current system, we would have upwards of 20 different software 636 00:52:05,520 --> 00:52:09,600 programs that we use within the city for various functions. 637 00:52:09,600 --> 00:52:19,540 One, I assume one for our financial reporting and bookkeeping, another one, say, Excel to track whatever data we have. 638 00:52:21,940 --> 00:52:25,900 Some form of communication software that tracks email addresses. 639 00:52:26,280 --> 00:52:30,940 So does ERP replace all of those or tie all of those together? 640 00:52:33,520 --> 00:52:38,220 Through the chair to Councillor Kelly, I will start answering that question, 641 00:52:38,220 --> 00:52:41,560 but I may have to call a friend for some supplemental detail. 642 00:52:42,620 --> 00:52:48,360 So basically an ERP software is scalable, so it has many modules. 643 00:52:49,040 --> 00:52:53,240 So for example, you will have a accounting, 644 00:52:54,120 --> 00:53:00,720 invoicing, work orders, budgeting, taxes, utilities, 645 00:53:01,260 --> 00:53:03,680 and then all your people services function. 646 00:53:04,080 --> 00:53:07,740 So your payroll management, your benefits management, 647 00:53:07,740 --> 00:53:14,340 There are many, many functions that are a part of a payroll system, so it is a pretty 648 00:53:14,340 --> 00:53:21,520 extensive software that addresses a lot of needs, even things like procurement. 649 00:53:22,660 --> 00:53:28,780 What we're doing right now is identifying what are the core functions that we need to 650 00:53:28,780 --> 00:53:32,360 replace when Microsoft GP dynamic goes away. 651 00:53:32,360 --> 00:53:40,120 anything that we are doing through Microsoft GP Dynamics, we have to replace. At the same time, 652 00:53:40,440 --> 00:53:48,040 we are not beholden to using only this system. There may be instances where we say, you know what, 653 00:53:48,180 --> 00:53:54,040 for procurement, we're going to use a different software because it works better for our needs. In 654 00:53:54,040 --> 00:54:01,720 that case, we need to be confident that that software can integrate into our ERP, whether that's like a 655 00:54:01,720 --> 00:54:06,680 native integration or it requires an additional piece of software to make them talk together 656 00:54:06,680 --> 00:54:13,600 so that we can pull that data to do financial forecasting and predictions and things of 657 00:54:13,600 --> 00:54:20,900 that nature. So that's my layman's understanding and explanation and I'm looking to my friends 658 00:54:20,900 --> 00:54:27,600 if there was anything that they feel like I've missed. Quite frankly that's good enough explanation 659 00:54:27,600 --> 00:54:34,420 for myself as well. So what I think I heard you say is that this software will probably 660 00:54:34,420 --> 00:54:44,840 replace many or do perform many of the computerized or electronic functions that we have within 661 00:54:44,840 --> 00:54:51,220 the city. But what I was interested in and you all commented on that, we're not married to 662 00:54:51,220 --> 00:54:56,380 this particular software we can attempt to go outside if in fact we deem it worthy. 663 00:54:57,740 --> 00:55:02,820 Through the chair to Councillor Kelly, absolutely. That is one of the critical conversations 664 00:55:02,820 --> 00:55:12,380 we're having right now. I can give you an example. Our water portal will cease to be supported 665 00:55:12,380 --> 00:55:18,980 after June of 2026. So one of the decision points is how do we negotiate that transition? 666 00:55:18,980 --> 00:55:25,080 can we find software, a module, in our ERP system, do we make that a requirement? 667 00:55:25,680 --> 00:55:31,620 Is there a third-party software that can integrate with the ERP that would be, would better service those needs? 668 00:55:32,240 --> 00:55:35,720 So those are exactly the kinds of conversations we're having. 669 00:55:36,280 --> 00:55:47,580 I think from the perspective of the governance committee, we are being very cautious that we don't tire hands, and that we understand we will always need other software. 670 00:55:47,580 --> 00:55:52,600 We will not be able to get everything in one system, so it's finding a right balance 671 00:55:52,600 --> 00:55:57,360 between choosing the right system to meet as many of our needs as we can 672 00:55:57,360 --> 00:56:00,820 and still integrate with other systems where appropriate. 673 00:56:01,320 --> 00:56:08,400 Perfect, Sandy. I noted your comment on your lessons, lessons, learn discussions. 674 00:56:10,420 --> 00:56:16,620 I know you guys know this, but I would encourage you to do and use your peers as 675 00:56:16,620 --> 00:56:23,340 absolutely as much as possible, I have a good friend who's part of the senior management 676 00:56:23,340 --> 00:56:29,800 team of a company that employs around 1400 people. They went through this change about 677 00:56:29,800 --> 00:56:36,500 six years ago and it brought the company to their knees. And when I talked to him after 678 00:56:36,500 --> 00:56:42,500 the fact about it, his response was that they goofed up and they didn't properly allocate 679 00:56:42,500 --> 00:56:45,260 to resources necessary to get the job done. 680 00:56:46,260 --> 00:56:48,500 So it is a huge undertaking. 681 00:56:48,960 --> 00:56:52,360 I know nothing about it other than the horror stories. 682 00:56:52,620 --> 00:56:54,740 I did some research after I talked to him 683 00:56:54,740 --> 00:56:58,980 and there's all kinds of stories that abound on the internet 684 00:56:58,980 --> 00:57:02,060 about organizations that have stumbled in this process. 685 00:57:03,240 --> 00:57:06,220 So I'm encouraged, I believe you folks know what you're doing. 686 00:57:09,810 --> 00:57:12,470 Lessons learned in proper budget and proper planning 687 00:57:12,470 --> 00:57:13,450 and I think you're on top. 688 00:57:13,450 --> 00:57:18,970 I know you're on top of it, but don't commit yourself 689 00:57:18,970 --> 00:57:20,290 to your absolutely certain. 690 00:57:21,050 --> 00:57:21,650 Thank you. 691 00:57:21,730 --> 00:57:22,690 I appreciate the comments. 692 00:57:25,400 --> 00:57:28,160 They're blizzard kind of have the same question, 693 00:57:28,180 --> 00:57:31,920 but I think I still need some more clarity on it 694 00:57:31,920 --> 00:57:33,540 because I don't quite understand it. 695 00:57:33,580 --> 00:57:36,700 So is this I'm trying to wrap my head around what this is? 696 00:57:36,700 --> 00:57:39,260 Is this like if we were to buy Microsoft Office 697 00:57:39,260 --> 00:57:40,880 that has all the different parts? 698 00:57:41,160 --> 00:57:44,240 Only we are buying a bigger package 699 00:57:44,240 --> 00:57:49,300 that has all the different things that the city needs, is that kind of what it is? 700 00:57:49,420 --> 00:57:54,320 Either one of you, I guess. Through to Chair to Councillor Blizzard, yes, essentially, 701 00:57:54,660 --> 00:58:00,420 that is correct. It is software that has many different modules that perform different functions, 702 00:58:00,420 --> 00:58:07,080 but these are like about the core businesses, so are utilities, billing, or property tax, billing, 703 00:58:08,920 --> 00:58:13,340 project management, payroll. Those are the modules that we're talking about, 704 00:58:13,340 --> 00:58:16,340 But it's very similar to like the Microsoft suite. 705 00:58:16,800 --> 00:58:22,140 So when we get this though, is it going to be so different that people are going to struggle 706 00:58:22,140 --> 00:58:27,280 with like a spreadsheet is still a spreadsheet or is it going to be you got to relearn that 707 00:58:27,280 --> 00:58:30,620 you know what the ball is so what the wheel is I guess. 708 00:58:31,040 --> 00:58:36,160 One of the challenges we're facing is that right now some of our processes are very manual 709 00:58:36,160 --> 00:58:40,120 and they are literally we're managing something on a spreadsheet. 710 00:58:40,120 --> 00:58:46,420 So we're going to be upgrading to a more modern approach for some of our processes. 711 00:58:47,060 --> 00:58:50,880 For other processes, it's not going to be significantly different. 712 00:58:51,140 --> 00:58:53,360 It's just learning a new system. 713 00:58:54,160 --> 00:59:00,260 So if you had used back in the day word perfect, I'm aging myself and then switch the word. 714 00:59:00,660 --> 00:59:02,100 You just have to learn. 715 00:59:02,100 --> 00:59:02,320 Similar, okay. 716 00:59:02,320 --> 00:59:03,480 It would be similar to that. 717 00:59:03,480 --> 00:59:08,600 So in some areas, the transition won't be as transformational. 718 00:59:09,200 --> 00:59:16,180 In other areas, it will be more transformational, which is a good thing because we are at a maturity 719 00:59:16,180 --> 00:59:22,840 in terms of the size of the organization and the scope of our services where it is appropriate 720 00:59:22,840 --> 00:59:24,300 to make that transition. 721 00:59:25,180 --> 00:59:25,440 Okay. 722 00:59:25,600 --> 00:59:29,640 So maybe when all is said and done, when we come out of the other end, everything should be 723 00:59:29,640 --> 00:59:30,380 more efficient. 724 00:59:32,340 --> 00:59:38,800 hopefully? Yes, but perhaps not in the way that you're thinking. I would say in 725 00:59:38,800 --> 00:59:45,340 terms of efficiency, the goal is to free up our resources and redirect them to 726 00:59:45,340 --> 00:59:53,220 higher value work. We're not expecting that we're going to have created a lot 727 00:59:53,220 --> 00:59:58,280 of new efficiency because the new system will need the care and feeding and 728 00:59:58,280 --> 00:59:59,860 updating, and they are 729 01:00:00,000 --> 01:00:10,360 More frequently updated than traditional systems in the past. So we're entering a bit of a different ball game. Okay, I think I got it now. A little better anyways. Thank you. 730 01:00:12,460 --> 01:00:30,280 That's rabbit. Sorry. Just something just my interest here. Artificial intelligence. Is that something we're going to see with this new system that we're going to be putting out for proposal? I guess that's a travel question. Okay. Well, sorry. Jeremy, go through the chair to council rabbit toy. 731 01:00:30,280 --> 01:00:35,340 So, in our preliminary discussions and looking at some of this, what software that's out there, 732 01:00:35,740 --> 01:00:41,340 there is an implication for AI as to how we'll be used in terms of an ERP where still at 733 01:00:41,340 --> 01:00:46,000 our infancy stage of understanding that. So, I can't really give you a direct answer on that. 734 01:00:46,380 --> 01:00:47,540 I know. I appreciate that. Thank you. 735 01:00:49,700 --> 01:00:54,740 I had a case in my consulting career before I came here to work with a number of consultants 736 01:00:54,740 --> 01:01:00,220 of works almost exclusively helping organizations address what Councillor Kelly talked about 737 01:01:00,220 --> 01:01:05,680 the implementation of an ERP system without appropriate allocation of resources to deal 738 01:01:05,680 --> 01:01:11,420 with change because it ultimately comes down to how do people grasp the change in their 739 01:01:11,420 --> 01:01:11,840 jobs. 740 01:01:12,540 --> 01:01:15,480 I don't want to use this new spreadsheet, I'm going to use Excel. 741 01:01:16,000 --> 01:01:17,100 I don't want to use that. 742 01:01:17,720 --> 01:01:18,740 And so they work around it. 743 01:01:18,840 --> 01:01:24,440 So the question is how do we grapple with that change initiative to make sure that we 744 01:01:24,440 --> 01:01:26,980 apply the right resource in a right way, right way. 745 01:01:27,780 --> 01:01:32,480 And so I'm sure that it sounds like you've got a good plan and with the right level of 746 01:01:32,480 --> 01:01:38,140 executive sponsorship starting with the city manager and with yourself, Sandy, I think 747 01:01:38,140 --> 01:01:43,820 that that ultimately will help trickle down to ensure that as you implement this program 748 01:01:43,820 --> 01:01:49,460 suite, and that's what it is, it's a suite of applications to solve common problems. 749 01:01:49,660 --> 01:01:52,400 So I'm confident that you're moving in the right direction. 750 01:01:52,400 --> 01:01:57,380 So, keep up the good work and thank you very much for the presentation and keep the good work. 751 01:01:57,960 --> 01:01:58,420 Thank you. 752 01:02:00,380 --> 01:02:03,020 We don't have any more questions. 753 01:02:03,540 --> 01:02:06,780 So, the next item on the agenda is councillor inquiries. 754 01:02:07,020 --> 01:02:09,300 We have any inquiries for our administration. 755 01:02:12,070 --> 01:02:14,510 Looking around, I'm not seeing any inquiries. 756 01:02:14,850 --> 01:02:18,730 I think you're getting off easy today, Mr. Fleming. 757 01:02:19,370 --> 01:02:22,010 So, with that said, I guess we have the opportunity. 758 01:02:22,010 --> 01:02:24,630 You know, I would entertain a motion to move into closed session. 759 01:02:30,710 --> 01:02:31,350 Councillor Meigen. 760 01:02:31,850 --> 01:02:32,190 Thank you. 761 01:02:32,310 --> 01:02:37,150 I'll make the motion that we move to closed session for matters covered under FOIP. 762 01:02:38,610 --> 01:02:38,870 Okay. 763 01:02:39,270 --> 01:02:40,930 Please vote. 764 01:02:49,200 --> 01:02:51,080 We are now moving into closed session. 765 01:02:51,240 --> 01:02:51,560 Thank you.