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AWARE Simcoe asks the Severn Sound Environmental Association for transparency

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In Severn Sound Environmental Association
Oct 20th, 2012
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By Kate Harries AWARE Simcoe October 19 2012
I made a presentation yesterday on behalf of AWARE Simcoe to the board of the Severn Sound Environmental Association regarding some communications and reporting issues.  Although Executive Director Keith Sherman said the practices we complained of were the way things have been done for 15 years, the board appeared receptive. In fact, it seemed that some felt they themselves were not getting the information they needed.
Board members in attendance were: Midland Councillor Bob Jeffery (Chair), Springwater Councillor Perry Ritchie, Tay Councillor Dave Ritchie, Orillia Councillor Andrew Hill, Tiny Mayor Ray Millar, Severn Councillor Ron Stevens and Oro-Medonte Councillor Kelly Meyer. 
The AWARE presentation made 4 recommendations, of which three were adopted – posting the agenda a week ahead, resolutions being made available (we asked for “immediately”, they decided “in a timely manner”, which was ok), and posting reports in advance with the agenda. They didn’t agree to our request to release draft minutes, saying they had to be approved by the board before release, but we were ok with that, as long as we can get any resolutions “in a timely manner.”
The minutes of the July meeting are now posted on the SSEA website.  They include a resolution regarding Sandy Agnew of AWARE Oro-Medonte, who has been making presentations to local groups and councils suggesting that consideration be given to having the SSEA become part of a Conservation Authority. The resolution misstates Agnew’s position which is described as “naive.”
Agnew offered the following comment: “This motion is a knee jerk reaction to the suggestion that it’s time to examine the costs and benefits of membership in a Conservation Authority. It would cost nothing to invite Conservation Ontario to present to the SSEA and to invite proposals from the two area CAs.
“Sources have told me that before my presentation on April 19, 2012 the board was instructed by the chair not to engage in discussion or ask questions and that I would eventually go away. All members meekly complied and not one question was asked about my presentation. Protecting the status quo seems to be the priority of this board instead of looking at all options for protecting the environment.”
Agnew added: “It was evident during Ms. Harries’ presentation on October 18, 2012 that SSEA has not been transparent in how they operate. Hopefully this will change. It’s a shame that the SSEA  board has to be challenged by AWARE Simcoe before they are willing to be transparent in how they operate. They can start by opening up their strategic planning process to the public.”
 
Text of presentation to directors of the Severn Sound Environmental Association — October 18, 2012
My name is Kate Harries and I am here to speak on behalf of AWARE Simcoe. Our group was formed to push for a commitment to transparency in the 2010 municipal election because of a growing dissatisfaction with the failure of some local governments to communicate effectively. Information was being withheld, or released too late in the decision-making process, meetings were held behind closed doors or without due notice to the public. The result was an uninformed and disengaged public, resentful of their elected representatives and suspicious of the democratic process. 
We determined to change that – to renew the lines of accountability and promote public participation. Following the 2010 election, members of AWARE in various municipalities started to monitor local government. Other groups not affiliated with AWARE took on the task in some municipalities. We also monitor Simcoe County Council and the Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority and, as our network grows, other agencies and boards will be added.
We see timely dissemination of information as an absolute key to an informed electorate and good decision-making, and we do what we can to advance that cause. The information our volunteers gather is posted on the AWARE website, goes out on Twitter to several hundred subscribers, goes onto our Facebook page and is sent to an email list of several hundred people. On occasion, we also alert the media about matters we feel have slipped under the radar. Recently we set up the AWARE News Network to increase the efficiency of our information dissemination.
At our July board meeting (attended by representatives from 14 municipalities) directors from AWARE Oro-Medonte shared their concerns about the fact that SSEA does not make reports available to the public at the time they are presented to the SSEA board. The AWARE board believes that, as a public agency, SSEA should meet basic requirements for open government. We do not know whether the Municipal Act applies to your organization but it offers a reasonable standard and is generally adhered to by local agencies. 
The AWARE board was advised that the SSEA failed to provide reports that had already been presented to the SSEA board at their April 19, 2012 meeting upon request by AWARE Oro-Medonte’s Sandy Agnew, and we were told that the SSEA continued to withhold the reports despite a further request being filed under the Freedom of Information and Privacy Act. 
Mr. Agnew also asked for details of SSEA expenditures. The cheque register that was released to him shows the SSEA’s disbursements for the fourth quarter of 2011. But every cheque recipient’s name was blacked out. A letter from your executive director Keith Sherman, dated June 11 2012, states that the documents contain personal information that had been provided in confidence. We presume that the vast majority of these payments were to companies that do business with SSEA, rather than any type of compensation of a personal nature. In any case, the public (in this case Mr. Agnew) has the right to know details of these transactions. It is a fundamental obligation of any organization receiving tax dollars to divulge to whom the money is being paid. 
At the July SSEA board meeting, you passed a resolution, apparently condemning Mr. Agnew. When Mr. Agnew asked for a copy of the resolution, it was refused. He was told he would have to wait until the minutes were approved at the next board meeting (today’s).
AWARE Simcoe can see no justification for this lack of transparency and timeliness, which is aggravated by the fact that the board only meets every three months. It appears all board decisions and supporting information are withheld for three months, by which time one would assume that they have been implemented. 
We urge you as SSEA board members to examine and update your communications and reporting procedures with a view to making them more accessible to members of the public.
We suggest:
1. Advance notice, with agenda, of all SSEA board and public committee meetings be posted on your website. We understand, for instance, that the board had a special meeting on July 6 and, as far as we know, no public notice was given of that meeting.
2. Any resolution passed by the board be made available immediately. A resolution, with a mover and a seconder, voted on by those present, is a decision. It may be reversed at a subsequent meeting, but at the time of voting, it is a fact. The public has a right to know what decisions have been made.
3. Reports to the board be made available to the public in advance of the meetings at which they are to be discussed, when the agenda is posted. Our understanding of the present practice is that these reports are withheld for three months. This makes it impossible for any member of the public to have a grasp of what the SSEA is doing, and what information or research it is basing its actions on. It makes it impossible for the public to have any meaningful input into the deliberations of the board. 
4. Minutes of board meetings be made available within a reasonable time, which we suggest would be a week, with the proviso – as is the practice generally – that the minutes are a draft and subject to change until finally ratified by the board. 
AWARE Simcoe considers that such changes would make the SSEA’s practice in compliance with the Municipal Act, which we think is a desirable goal, and likely to benefit both your agency and the public.
I was delegated by the AWARE Simcoe board to make this submission to your July meeting, but that was not allowed, which is why I am here many months later. I do appreciate this opportunity to detail our concerns and look forward to your response.
Thank you,
Kate Harries
Vice-chair, AWARE Simcoe
Editor, AWARE News Network

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