MUNICIPAL LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS ASSOCIATION MINUTES OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING Delta Armouries, London, ON Wednesday, September 13, 2017

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "MUNICIPAL LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS ASSOCIATION MINUTES OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING Delta Armouries, London, ON Wednesday, September 13, 2017"

Felix Copeland
5 years ago
Views:

1 Page1 MUNICIPAL LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS ASSOCIATION MINUTES OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING Delta Armouries, London, ON Wednesday, September 13, 2017 Board Members Present: Doug Godfrey, President Bill Bond, Vice President Randy Berg, Treasurer Brenda Russell, Secretary Directors: Randy Charlton, Jesse Edsall, Justin Harris, Yves Roy Call to Order Doug Godfrey The meeting was called to order at approximately 1:00 p.m. MINUTES The Minutes of Annual General Meeting dated September 13, 2016 were considered. It was noted that these minutes had been posted on the Association website. There were no questions or comments. or comments. MOTION Martin Guindon, Township of Alfred-Plantagenet Derek Wallace, Township of Wilmot That the minutes of the Annual General Meeting dated September 13, 2016 were adopted as distributed. PRESIDENT S REPORT Doug Godfrey presented the President s Report. He welcomed members to the 2017 Annual General Meeting and thanked Justin Harris and the Board for organizing this year s conference. He observed that public interest in the Association was continuing to grow and noted that the number of inquiries from non-members of the public, particularly regarding our education programs, had increased over the past year. He advised that during the past year the Board had been working on a number of initiatives including collaboration with Provincial Ministries, Municipalities and sister associations on a variety of topics affecting our industry. Members of the board had the opportunity to sit on variety of working groups and committees. Topics ranged from accessible parking issues to amendments to Provincial legislation. 1

2 Page2 He noted the Association s continued commitment to delivery of a wide range of training to our members and that the Board was committed to delivering such training at the lowest possible fee, noting specifically a reduction in the Canine Self Defence registration fees, as a result of renegotiation with the training providers. Doug acknowledged Bill Bond who has continued to work on communications and branding. He noted the electronic format of the MLEOA Summit was continues to be a success, partnerships contributing to the news letter s content and initiatives regarding a new branding scheme for the Association. The hard work of Kevin Way and Justin Harris did not go unnoticed; Kevin was acknowledged for his work on certification and Justin as the Association s treasurer. Doug also noted that these two board members worked diligently to update the membership list to reflect the most current information of members, and to reissue membership certificates to all members. Doug acknowledged Randy Charlton and Randy Berg s assistance with the Association Joint Working Committee, Yves Roy s work promoting the Association on a National level and Jesse Edsall who had been working on the Standard Operating Guidelines, while assisting with our silent auction and reviving our vendor trade show for the Conference. Doug observed that the Board continues to meet regularly to develop strategic plans and assess accomplishment of goals, as we continue to grow the Association. Doug closed by thanking the entire board and members of the committees for their hard work, and by acknowledging Kevin Way and Justin Harris, who would be stepping down from the Board at the conclusion of the conference, for their contributions.. MOTION Ken Campbell, Town of Hanover Jenn Toste, City of Kawartha Lakes That the President s Report be adopted, as presented. TREASURER S REPORT Justin Harris presented the Statement of Operations, as distributed to the membership. He noted that the books and records of the Association for 2016 had been reviewed by the Accountant, Brian Thompson. 2

3 Page3 MOTION Kristen Bickers, Town of Caledon Marc Bougie, Town of Clarence-Rockland That the Treasurer s Report be adopted, as presented. EDUCATION REPORT Brenda Russell thanked the Education Committee and Instructional Team. She reported that in excess of 450 students had been trained over the past 12 months noting the following courses: Part I Foundations presented October and November 2017 and May 2017 Part II Advanced presented March 2017 Part III Continuing Education February Search Warrants and Orders, Tribunals and Hearings - Whitchurch- Stouffville April Officer Safety and Self Defence Hamilton - Search Warrants and Orders, Tribunals and Hearings Whitchurch Stouffville - Canine Self Defence Tottenham June Officer Safety and Self Defence Barrie Brenda advised the Education team had continued to review materials, updating various aspects of the Canine Self Defence and Officer Safety training as well as overhauling the Part II Advanced Municipal Law training agenda. The new Part II training agenda will require students to undertake an independent pre-course review which will be tested in a self-graded Quiz at the commencement of the week replacing the current comprehensive review. This will allow more time to be committed to the advanced lesson material and group work. Additionally, a re-weighting of the week will now assess 10% for the Mock Trial exercise (including disclosure) and also establish a graded component for notebooks and Part I and III review practicals. She advised that a new Instructor s Handbook had been developed to ensure that all facilitators and instructors are familiar with applicable policies and procedures and that they deliver courses with continuity and awareness. She noted that MLEOA training continues to be sought out as the desired training for officers and municipalities across our Province and beyond, noting that officers from Alberta and Quebec have registered for our training programs over the past year, with inquiries also coming from Newfoundland and British Columbia. 3

4 Page4 MOTION Garett Hunting, Town of Temiskaming Shores Jenn Toste, City of Kawartha Lakes That the Education Report be received as presented. MEMBERSHIP REPORT Kevin Way presented the Membership Report indicating that with the assistance of Kim Fairfull the membership process has been streamlined tremendously. He advised that as of July 31 st the Association represents 1847 members.. MOTION Ken Campbell, Town of Hanover Garett Hunting, Town of Temiskaming Shores That the Membership Report be received, as presented. CERTIFICATIONS AND AWARDS REPORT Kevin Way advised that since December 2016, 34 individuals had become certified with the MLEOA. In addition, 23 members will be receiving their long service medals in Kevin brought the member s attention to the list of individuals to be recognized for certification or long service, in the Annual Report. Kevin also advised that 2 new members have achieved an OMMI designation in the past year. Kevin congratulated all in our field who have worked hard to achieve their credentials and awards and he wished them all the best in their careers. MOTION Jenn Toste, City of Kawartha Lakes Andrew Stillar, Town of Huntsville That the Certification and Awards Report be received, as presented. 4

5 Page5 GOVERNMENT LIAISON Yves Roy presented the Government Liaison Report, referring to the various changes, as noted in the Annual Report. The legislation governing the legalization, distribution, etc. of marihuana was also noted including a report that was recently released indicating that distribution would be managed through the LCBO, minimum age was established at 19, and consumption would be restricted. MOTION Derek Wallace, Township of Wilmot Jim Reichheld, Town of Midland That the Government Liaison Report be received, as presented. NATIONAL ASSOCIATION COMMITTEE REPORT Yves Roy advised that the MLEOA continues to work with sister organizations including the Atlantic By-law Officers Association, the Licensing Inspectors and By-law Officers Association of British Columbia and Ontario Association of Property Standards Officers on issues of common interest and objective. These initiatives continue to encourage sharing best practices, training opportunities and professional development. Each organization continues to participate in the conferences of sister organizations, as representatives are able, sharing information, and enabling a first hand learning experience upon which we can continue to build our professional relationships and industry. Over the past year, the Board of Directors of MLEOA believed that it was important for statistical information to begin to be collected regarding workplace incidents involving officer s safety, including near misses, particularly in light of what appears to be a growing number of incidents. We believe that data regarding these types of incidents is being overlooked at all levels, not only in Ontario, but we believe, across the Country. A Workplace Incident Report was developed and approved by the Board of MLEOA which serves to collect data regarding the incident, and communications have begun with our sister organizations to seek their support in rolling out the program and start to collect data across the country. We will be looking at how to best communicate this program to employers and officers and how to make it as easy as possible for the details of an incident to be submitted. It is our hope that officers and employers will be diligent in their reporting to the Associations, as it is this data that will enable all of us to establish a unified national position for required training, equipment, operating standards, and legislative support, as may be appropriate. We look forward to working with our sister organizations on this National objective. 5

6 Page6 Jenn Toste questioned how the data would be accumulated, reported and communicated. In response, this is a work in progress and as sister organizations express their interest and comments we will develop this. Derek Wallace commented that the clientele are the same as those the Police deal with. MOTION Jenn Toste, City of Kawartha Lakes Chris Daoust, City of Clarence-Rockland That the National Association Committee Report be received, as presented. STRATEGIC PLANNING COMMITTEE REPORT Randy Charlton presented the Strategic Planning Committee Report noting that in April 2017 the Board of Directors, together with Brenda Tindale of Bredale Associates met over two days to review the accomplishments of the Association over the past year and to consider the future organizational structure best suited to continue to grow and sustain the Association. Randy drew the members attention to the Annual Report for details regarding the Strategic Planning outcomes. He noted that of 19 goals that had been established, 15 had been accomplished in the past year with 4 pending. MOTION Kristen Bickers, Town of Caledon Thomas Doherty, County of Haldimand That the Strategic Planning Committee Report be received, as presented. JOINT WORKING GROUP Randy Charlton advised that a draft outline for a Resource Document referred to as Mitigating Risk in the Municipal Law Enforcement Environment is underway. The Associations Joint Working Committee s goal is to make this Resource Document available through both MLEOA and OAPSO websites and to deliver the completed sections of the document, accessible to members starting in the fall of

7 Page7 The Committee visions this Resource Document to consist of the following parts: Introduction - An overview of who we are and why this reference document is being created. Methodology - Explain the various steps taken in the review and development process. Role and Expectations of a MLEO - Note: that this role statement will be as general in nature as it reasonably can in order to encompass all MLEO s regardless of any specific duties or areas of discipline. Core Competencies of a MLEO - This section will identify the core competencies required by all officers. Training and Education - Fundamental training; Specialized training; Maintenance training; Emerging Issues training Policies and Procedures - This section will discuss the difference and importance of policies, as approved by Council, and standard operating procedures (SOPs) as developed at the staff level. Operating Tools and Resources - This section will discuss the appropriateness of, and standards for, various pieces of equipment that are recommended for MLEO s based on the nature of their duties. Randy advised that the Associations Joint Working Committee members consisted of himself and Randy Berg of MLEO, Warwick Perrin and Philip Cassata of OAPSO and Shayne Turner, Facilitator. MOTION David Newton, Town of Petawawa Garett Hunting, Town of Temiskaming Shores That the Joint Associations Working Group Report be received, as presented. COMMUNICATIONS REPORT Bill Bond advised that in addition to managing the day-to-day communication aspects of our Association, the Communications Committee spent a considerable amount of effort working on continuing to implement various aspects of our marketing strategy. Since having the MLEOA Summit redesigned and placed on an online publishing platform in 2016, the Communications Committee has spent time trying to enhance our publication by seeking outside contributors for content that could be of use and interest to our membership. 7

8 Page8 He advised that over this past year the Communications Committee made some changes to the social media accounts. To ensure consistency amongst accounts, our handle for Twitter was changed This past year we also created an Instagram account under to further connect with our membership. The Communications Committee has now integrated our social media accounts with the Hootsuite online dashboard. Hootsuite now allows us to manage all of our accounts from one location and to schedule posts. Bill advised that in line with our marketing strategy to strengthen our brand and to maintain a consistent image across all assets and communication tools, the Communications Committee is working with a graphic designer to apply our new brand elements to our stationary items and marketing collateral. The roll out of this initiative is still underway and changes will continue to be forthcoming. Given the evolutionary nature of technology, online design, and the increased popularity of mobile technology, the Communications Committee has begun the process of preparing to have our website redesigned. It is hoped that our Association will have a new mobile friendly website in place during the first quarter of MOTION Marc Bougie, City of Clarence-Rockland Kristen Bickers, Town of Caledon That the Communications Report be received, as presented. PUBLIC RELATIONS REPORT Bill Bond advised that over the past year we have included life events in the Membership News section of the MLEOA Summit. We continue to encourage our membership/past members to notify the committee of retirements, special occasions, promotions, or other life events. The Public Relations Committee also continues to administer requests for use of the Association s logo and reminded the membership that any use of the Association s logo should be forwarded to the Public Relations Committee for processing and consideration of the Board of Directors. 8

9 Page9 MOTION Ken Campbell, Town of Hanover Rob Martel, Township of Severn That the Public Relations Report be received, as presented. PROCEDURES AND ELECTIONS Procedures: Jesse Edsall advised that he is currently reviewing all Standard Operating Guidelines with a view to ensuring they are all up to date and reflective of current policies and practices. Elections: Jesse Edsall advised that in accordance with the Associations By-laws there were currently 3 Director s positions vacant. He called for nominations from the floor, repeating the call for nominations from the floor a second time, and repeating the call for nominations for a third and final time. There were no nominations received from the floor, and the nominations were closed. Jesse Edsall advised that he had received three properly moved and seconded nominations forms for the three year term, namely, Randy Charlton, Yves Roy and Dustin Gronc. Jesse asked each candidate if they would stand for the three year term. Their response is recorded as follows: Randy Charlton yes Yves Roy yes Dustin Gronc no Jesse declared that as the nomination forms of Randy Charlton and Yves Roy had been properly moved and seconded and as each of these individuals had acknowledged their willingness to stand for the position of Director for a three year term: THAT Randy Charlton and Yves Roy be acclaimed to the position of Director for a term of three years. Jesse Edsall advised that as a result of the resignation of Justin Harris, a two year term, being the remainder of that term vacated by Justin Harris, was also currently vacant. He called for nominations from the floor, repeating the call for nominations from the floor a second time, and repeating the call for nominations for a third and final time. There were no nominations received from the floor, and the nominations were closed. Having received a properly moved and seconded nomination form from Dustin Gronc, Jesse asked the candidate if he would stand for the two year term. His response is recorded as follows: Dustin Gronc yes 9

10 Page10 Jesse declared that as the nomination form of Dustin Gronc had been properly moved and seconded and as Dustin had acknowledged his willingness to stand for the position of Director for a two year term: THAT Dustin Gronc be acclaimed to the position of Director for a term of two years. MOTION Jim Reichheld, Town of Midland Garett Hunting, Town of Temiskaming Shores That the Procedures and Elections Report be approved. RESOLUTIONS Resolution #1 regarding the appointment of an accountant was presented for consideration. MOTION Dave Newton, Town of Petawawa Jason Smith, Town of Blind River THAT the firm of Brian Thompson, Chartered Accountant, 89 Dunlop Street East, Barrie, ON, be appointed for the operating year to review or audit books of the Association as may be deemed necessary. NEW BUSINESS The status of the Honour Guard was questioned. Doug Godfrey advised that the Honour Guard was currently under review by the Board. The Board was requested to consider stocking sweatshirts and bumper stickers with municipal law colours/logo. The suggestion was received. MOTION Jenn Toste, City of Kawartha Lakes Ken Campbell, Town of Hanover That the meeting adjourn at 2:01 p.m. 10

PROCESS 3.0 ELECTIONS AND NOMINATIONS

1 PROCESS 3.0 ELECTIONS AND NOMINATIONS 3.1 Election of Directors 3.1.1 The election of Officers shall be by secret ballot at Ontario Soccer s Annual General Meeting according to Article 5 of Ontario Soccer