January 13/04 Report A
9:30 am in the Council Chambers

Report A:

Present

Sam Merulla was confirmed as the chair of this committee. Andrea Horwath was selected as the vice-chair. Other members are Bill Kelly, Tom Jackson, Bernie Morelli and Brian McHattie. McHattie arrived late with explanation that he was at BIA meeting (which he chairs). Kelly left at 10:22 am and did not return.

5.1 Sam Cino respecting homelessness in Hamilton.
Request approved to speak to the committee. Focus appears to be on support for fathers' rights.

5.2 Tom Cooper of McQueston Legal Services respecting Social Services Funding for Hamilton
Request approved to speak to the committee. Cooper is a leading social activist in Hamilton.

8.1 Employment System Evaluation (HCS04001) (City Wide)
"In July of 2003, the City of Hamilton's Public Health and Community Services (PH&CS) Department contracted the Social Planning and Research Council of Hamilton (SPRC) to conduct an assessment of local employment services. The purpose of the study was to assess the local employment services sector and identify strategies that would ultimately enhance client services."
The report describes the unemployment facing many Hamiltonians and the problems encountered by some 75 agencies trying to assist. The main conclusion is that there is a need for an overall coordinating agency to do the initial assessment of people seeking employment and direct them to the appropriate employment agency, as well as keep track of their progress, etc. One key conclusion is that deficiencies in public transit are a major obstacle to people obtaining work. It also notes that youth and immigrants and aboriginal people are most heavily affected by unemployment, and that demographic changes in Hamilton mean 85% of new population growth is from immigration and this will soon become 100%.

9.1 Reestablishment of Sub-Committees Reporting to the Social and Public Health Services Committee (City Wide) (FCS04003(d)

• Affordability and Accessibility Task Force - disbanded - will report directly to committee
• Pesticides Sub-Committee - kept by intervention of McHattie who was also appointed to it.
• Smoking Sub-Committee - disbanded
• Social and Public Health Volunteer Coordinating Committee - pending review by Governance Task Force. Horwath intervened and had Tenant Advisory Committee and Food, Shelter and Housing Advisory Committees continue.
• Emergency Shelter Foundation - for abused women and children - disbanded - part of another committee

9.2 Outstanding Business - Committee of the Whole and Hearings Sub-Committee (City Wide) (FCS04004(d)

• All items kept except D (deficit mitigation).
  

Councillors in Attendance:
Sam Merulla
Andrea Horwath
Tom Jackson
Bill Kelly
Bernie Morelli
Brian McHattie - entered at 10:10 am; apologized and explained that he had been at a BIA meeting (he chairs that council subcomittee)

Maria Pearson - not a member of the committee

The meeting started at about 9:40 am. Very few people were in the galleries.

Media people were Chinta Puxley from the Spectator, a CHML reporter, as well as Maggie Hughes of CFMU Radio.

Councillor Merulla was confirmed as Chair of the committee.
Councillor Horwath was selected as Vice-Chair of the committee.

Two delegation requests - approved for the next meeting - 5.1 - Sam Cino respecting Homelessness in Hamilton; 5.2 - Tom Cooper - Social Services Funding for Hamilton

8.1 - Employment System Evaluation report by Social Planning and Research Council (SPRC) staff, accompanied in the gallery by two representatives of HRDC that they partnered with as well as with staff of Public Health and Community Services Department - Joe-Anne Priel, General Manager
Gillian Berney - staff, introduced Don Jaffray, SPRC Director who introduced the report - Assessment of the Employment Services System in Hamilton - prepared by Mark Fraser and Cathy Gazzola. Mark Fraser presented the report with a series of slides. The full report is carried in the agenda for the meeting. The study surveyed present employment services from the point of view of clients and service providers and was looking for gaps and duplications of service as well as a consideration of creating an action plan in partnership with HRDC and the City Department that might develop into a Career Development Centre. All councillors seemed to pay attention to the presentation.

A question and interaction period after the presentation:

Merulla - something about an assessment tool; will there be a new agency? Priel - don't know; may be part of action plan
Kelly - supports economic development; need a labour force with education; noted pie chart with high secondary school incomplete; is more education needed or is there a space in the workforce. Mark replied that there are many immigrants with high education that cannot get jobs in their field. Kelly - why is the drop-out rate so high; Mark - a lack of pre-employment supports in school? Kelly - industry says they cannot find trained people; the Industry Education Council is still going
Horwath - how can we keep children engaged in eduaction if they are poor and disadvantaged? Need to start with the young child - do preventive things; support for employability is important, changes over the last 5 years - removal of dental program for adults makes them less presentable for a job interview; these kinds of things should not be looked at as just a "budget line" but how it affects people.
Berney - staff - treat the person as a whole; gaps and duplications will be looked at;
Horwath - hope that any new dollars go to "clients" rather than to a new (bureaucratic) structure.
Jackson - are there other cities we can be compared with? Mark - HRDC centralized model eg. Workways in Halton-Peel; we have an aging population and immigration to Hamilton has dropped significantly; Jackson indicated surprise at that; Mark - we have a high proportion of immigrants but they are older - a slowdown of young and highly trained; the statistics in the report are for the whole City - Mountain and outlying regions would show differences.
Jackson - what's our hook? - for our department? Priel - multipurpose, we're spending a lot of money and need to see,along with HRDC where are the gaps in service are; a Career Development Centre may result. Jackson referred to the Hydro Trust money - doesn't want any overlap of services.
McHattie - transportation - HSR is important - a disconnect getting people to work and back, how is the HSR involved? Mark - consumers of services and service providers all said that transportation is a barrier to employment; HSR was not consulted for the study; Merulla - getting to the airport and Meadowlands a transportation barrier; what about GO? Mark - a need to look at all (areas, aspects?)
McHattie - 5 cent fare increase affects afordability for some; asked Priel about the implications of the fare increase, 57% of those asked indicated transportation a concern; Priel - consultation with Don Hull of HSR - increased fare affects ridership, people cannot afford; not just Meadowlands but shift work and "helping hands"; GRIDS process includes transportation - planning for jobs people can walk to; McHattie - a need to increase HSR service, not decrease it.
Motion to receive the report and its recommendations - carried

9.1 Re-establishment of Sub-Committees reporting to this committee (see Agenda Appendix A for 5 sub-committees)

Affordability and Accessibility Issues Task force was eliminated.

Morelli - put all sub-committees into S & PH Services - not separate sub-committees

McHattie - asked that the Pesticide Sub-Committee be kept - it was just being set up; members not selected yet and other cities like Toronto have one; citizens expect it to carry on. Committee decided to save it and McHattie volunteered to be on it and was accepted. Priel said that pesticide use decisions impact parks and open spaces; Jackson also volunteered and will be on this sub-committee (it appears that McHattie saved this sub-committee from extinction - wouldn't have been saved if he wasn't there)

Smoking Sub-Committee eliminated -Jackson - only enforcement needed now

Social and Public Health Volunteer Coord. Comm. - Horwath asked to keep Food, Shelter & Housing Advisory Comm. And Tenant Advisory Comm. Agreed. (Horwath saved these)

Emergency Shelter Foundation of HW sub-committee was eliminated and put under Food, Shelter and Housing Advocacy Committee

9.2 Outstanding Business - (see Agenda Appendix A - last page)
In Year Service Reductions ... eliminated

2003 West Nile Virus etc. eliminated; McHattie recommended bringing it to the Pesticide Sub-Comm. Priel will consult

Committee moved "In Camera" approximately 11:00 am.