Minutes of the Board of Directors' Regular Meeting – June 18 to 20, 2024 – Ottawa, Ontario

1. Housekeeping

• The Chairperson presented all items related to housekeeping.

2. Welcoming remarks and roll call

• 45-1 Motion presented, seconded and carried by all to open the meeting at 10:10 a.m. EST.

3. Land acknowledgement

• C. Sutton presented the land acknowledgement as a small act of reconciliation with Indigenous people of the National Capital Region, from where he was participating.

4. Board meeting agenda

• 45-2 Motion presented, seconded, and carried by all to approve the agenda with modifications that the CEO’s report will be presented earlier than scheduled and that on Day 2 the lunch would be shortened, and the in-camera session will be held for 45 minutes instead of 30 minutes.
  There were questions if it would be possible to only approve Day 1 of the agenda and approve the agenda each day. After verification (post meeting), the Governance team confirms that this approach is not possible. For logistic reasons, the agenda must be approved and known in advance for the entire meeting duration. The Board still has the authority to amend the agenda should an unexpected situation occur.

5. CEO Report:

Document 14A: CEO’s report

Document 14B: Reporting on 3-year strategic plan

• This was the last CEO’s report prior to his departure from the organization. The CEO gave an update on some of the key activities happening in the past few months other than those mentioned in the CEO report.
• Accessibility Standards Canada has published its first standard on ICT (Information and communication technology products and services).
• The organization pursues its ongoing engagement with provinces, territories and federal governments, including stakeholders across the nation.
• The CEO participated virtually and in person with some staff members and Board members in presentations at events across Canada and internationally.
• CEO has ongoing engagements with other government officials on accessible housing with emphasis on “accessible ready housing”.
• Engagement with the National Research Council to promote accessibility in their building codes and various standards.
• The CEO reported that the organization will continue to publish messages through the X (Twitter) platform.

6. Consent agenda

• M. Reid explained the concept of the consent agenda to new Board members.

• 45-3 Motion presented, seconded and carried by all that the Board approve the Board Minutes of April 29, 2024 (document 5A).

• Request to discuss Item 8 (Director’s Engagement Report) under item “Items pulled from the consent agenda”.

7. What’s Happening

• Board members shared information on various activities taking place throughout the country associated with mandate and interests of Board members.

8. Chairperson’s Report

Document 13A: Chairperson’s Report

• The Chairperson informed Board members of his most recent activities as the new Chairperson of the Board of Directors. He had the opportunity to participate in the Accessible Canada-Accessible World Conference in May 2024 and met key players in the advancement of accessibility for people with disabilities across the country.
• The Chairperson welcomes support, knowledge and ongoing feedback from Board members and staff.

9. CFO’s Report

Document 15A: Financial Report

• P. Sarrazin presented the year-end financial report for year 2023 to 2024, with a carry forward of 5% of the total budget.
• The report presented spending activities in comparison with the previous fiscal year for 2022 to 2023.
• Board members requested to add accommodation and accessibility costs related to accessibility requirements presented on a separate line in the financial report. This will help to better understand how the “key performance indicators” are selected.
• Board also requested to include a separate line in the financial report to review the related costs associated with in-person Board meetings and Committee meetings.
• Board members expressed concerns that parts of the in-person meeting were canceled due to a lack of communication access and the assumption that additional audio-visual and support would be needed. They emphasized that, as an organization setting the gold standard for accessibility, all aspects of future in-person Board meetings must be fully inclusive. The Board requested that every component of future meetings, regardless of the event or location, be fully accessible, inclusive, and equitable for all attendees.
• Board members asked questions why on-site meetings are so costly. They suggested to consider other options, such as holding the meeting at the office of Accessibility Standards Canada. The Governance Manager explained that holding the meeting at the Department’s office would indeed be more costly, while raising other logistical issues.

10. Risk Management Update

Document 16A: Risk Tolerance Statement

Document 16B: ASC Risk and Key Risks

• Sarrazin presented the draft Risk tolerance statement and a document which presents the various categories of risks, graded by scores describing the degree to which an outcome becomes a high enough risk to exceed the tolerance level of the organization. Risks marked as moderate will be monitored and risks marked as critical will be mitigated.
• A system and review cycle has been put in place to monitor the risks by management and directors.
• Board members can also inform P. Sarrazin on possible risks.
• Risk assessment is planned in tandem with the organization’ Departmental Plan.
• Action: In September 2024, the risk mitigation strategies will be presented to the Board of Directors.

11. Date of the September 2024 Regular Board Meeting

Document 17A: Briefing note

• Board members agreed that the regular Board meeting for September 17 to 19, 2024 will remain as initially scheduled.
• A special Board meeting will be held in last week of August 2024 to approve the Departmental Results Report (DRR).
• Action: The Governance team will schedule a Special Board meeting for DRR approval with consultation with the Chief Financial Officer.

12. Standards Development Update

Document 19A: Standards Development Update

• D. Zuppa informed Board members that “technical briefings” will be included in future updates on standards development.
• Technical committees’ work is supported by research done through the Grants and Contributions program, along with the expertise of its members.
• A project manager is assigned for each technical committee as well as support staff for logistics, and training for committee members.

13. Centre of Expertise – Year in review

Document 20A: Briefing note

• D. Zuppa presented the ongoing success of the Centre of Expertise (CoE) site found on the organization’s website.
• All Accessibility Standards Canada’s standards which were published for public review can be found in the Centre of Expertise long after the end of the public review. These are presented in Word, PDF and HTML formats.
• All funded Grants and Contributions projects are listed in the CoE site with a brief summary.
• All completed research projects can be requested, and a copy is delivered within 3 days of request.
• The site is available to governmental departments, industries, research groups, stakeholders and public for consultation and is kept up to date on a regular basis.

14. Items pulled from Consent agenda

• All documents and forms related to Board and stakeholder engagements are being reviewed and streamlined; this information will be presented in a comprehensive format at the September 2024 Board meeting.
• Board members are encouraged to represent the organization in areas of their personal residence.
• Actions:
  • Board members requested to have access to a list of activities where Board members are involved as representatives of the organization outside of Board meetings.
  • It was recommended that future Board stakeholder engagement reports, such as item 8A, be included in the Chairperson’s report.

15. CEO profile

Document 23A: Briefing note

Document 23B: CEO profile

• The Internal Affairs Committee developed a CEO profile to be shared with those in position of choosing future candidates for this position.
• Final document on the CEO profile was presented to Board members by M. Haan.
• 45-4 Motion presented, seconded and carried by all that the Board agree to share the CEO profile with groups involved with the CEO’s appointment.

16. Annual Public Meeting feedback

• A. Deslauriers reported that an analysis of the organization’s Annual Public Meeting (APM) will be prepared based on participants response to the online survey and staff’s feedback. The report will be presented at the September 2024 regular Board meeting.
• Board members provided suggestions on how to increase participation to the APM for next year.

17. ICT standard briefing

Document 25A: ICT Standard – Summary and Speaking Points

• To further review the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) products and services standard, three team members of the Accessibility, Accommodation and Adaptive Computer Technology (AAACT) from Shared Services Canada (SSC) met virtually with the Board. The team has piloted the ICT standard for a number of years as they built tools, networks, and collaborated nationally and internationally.
• The ICT standard is crucial as it provides frameworks that go beyond web content; it includes software and hardware, prints, digital kiosks, laptops, computer monitors, cell phones and other devices.
• SCC provided the link to the technical summary of the ICT Standard. Each clause is written in plain language. The next updated version of this standard will be in 2025.
• SSC is the department who developed the tools to apply what is in the ICT standard.
• Accessibility Standards Canada’s Board of Directors adopted the ICT standard at the April 2024 Board meeting and approved recommending it to the Minister for approval.

18. Adjournment

• 45-5 Motion presented to adjourn the meeting at 4:32 p.m. EST.

Wednesday, June 19, 2024

19. Welcoming remarks and roll call

• 45-6 Motion presented, seconded and carried by all to open the meeting at 10:04 a.m. EST.
• 45-7 Motion presented, seconded and carried by all to allocate an additional 30 minutes to the in-camera session.

20. Internal Affairs Committee Chair Appointment

• 45-8 Motion presented, seconded, and carried by all that the Board approve the appointment of C. Sutton to the position of Chair of the Internal Affairs Committee for a mandate expiring on March 13, 2026.
• Board raised concerns about the current representation of women in the composition of the Board, and in the selection of Chairs of Standing Committees.

21. Policies review

Document 29A: Briefing note

Document 29B: Recruitment policy

Document 29C: Whistleblower policy

Document 29D: Code of Conduct and Ethics

• The Board agreed concerning the new approach that yearly reviews of policies are no longer necessary. The Internal Affairs Committee (IAC) will be responsible to identify which policies need to be reviewed.
• 45-9 Motion presented, seconded, and carried by all that the Board accepts recommendations that the Internal Affairs Committee will annually determine which policies require review and present to the Board for approval.
• 45-10 Motion presented, seconded and carried by all that the Board approve the Recruitment policy as reviewed and modified. A definition of an “independent member” will be included to the Recruitment policy.
• Action: The Governance team will draft a definition of an “independent member” based on the wording of the By-law and will present it for approval by the Internal Affairs Committee. The definition will be included in the Recruitment policy.
• 45-11 Motion presented, seconded, and carried by all that the Board approve the Whistleblower policy as reviewed and modified.
• 45-12 Motion presented, seconded, and carried by all that the Board approve the Code of Conduct and Ethics policy as reviewed and modified.

22. Review of Board’s assessment process

Document 30A: Briefing note

• L. Ringaert presented the Internal Affairs Committee’s (IAC) process review for the Board assessment.
• 45-13 Motion presented, seconded, and carried by all that the Board approve the recommendations #1, #2, and #3 outlined in the briefing note 30A, and that wording for recommendation #4 be changed to state “Approve in principle the proposed amendments to the Governance policy”.
• Recommendations are as follows:

1. Continue with the current Board self-assessment process.
2. Continue the process of the External Evaluation of the Board.
3. Direct IAC to develop a protocol and process for gaining insights from departing Board members.
4. To approve in principle the proposed amendments to the Governance policy to improve clarity (as presented in Annex 1).

• Note: Director Sutton, IAC, will lead the Board evaluation process.

• Action: The Governance Team will review proposed amendments wording for the Governance policy and By-law to ensure congruency with other provisions, and to prepare the French version. Proposed wording will be reviewed by the Internal Affairs Committee and be submitted for Board approval in September 2024.

23. Stakeholder Engagement Strategy 2024 to 2027

Document 31A: Briefing Note

Document 31B: Stakeholder engagement strategy 2024 to 2027

• A. Deslauriers introduced the 2024-2027 Stakeholder engagement strategy developed from the 3-year Strategic plan, the Roadmap to 2040 and from previous Board meeting discussions on stakeholder engagement and public review of standards.
• The External Affairs Committee reviewed the Engagement Strategy and supports its content.
• C. Collmorgen presented the changes to the new version of the strategy. Appendix 1 of the strategy outlines activities to be undertaken to support 2 of the 4 pillars outlined in the 2023-2026 3-year strategic plan.
• Every external activity and Board engagement will be reported and tracked in the new MS data base.
• Board members enquired if there will be an action plan to accompany the new 3-year stakeholder engagement strategy, such as consulting stakeholders for the public review process, or plans to establish groups, town halls, discussion groups.
• Current ongoing activities for stakeholder engagement will be adopted by different branches of the organization and will specify how plans will be supportive and provide guidance to the organization.
• Engagement activities can incorporate involvement with women across the country, in addition to engaging people in smaller communities and municipalities.
• 45-14 Motion presented, seconded, and carried by all that the Board approve the Stakeholders Engagement Strategy 2024 to 2027 as presented.

24. Land acknowledgement – Meaning from an Indigenous person’s perspective

• Board members agreed that the presentation on land acknowledgement from an Indigenous person’s perspective will be presented to Board at the same time as the Indigenous Awareness training. Both virtual educational program and in-person training will be part of the training and held at a future date.
• 45-15 Motion presented, seconded, and carried by all that the land acknowledgement presentation will be part of the Board’s Indigenous Awareness training. Motion to eliminate this activity from the Board’s agenda is postponed till after the completion of the Indigenous Awareness training.

25. 3-year Strategic plan 2023-2026 (Annual update)

• A. Deslauriers informed Board members that the 3-year strategic plan does not require a yearly review.
• Board recommended that the Internal Affairs Committee start preparing a 2026-2029 Strategic plan starting in 2025 for approval in the first quarter of 2026. The Committee could develop plans to highlight activities which pertain to the CEO’s office and other activities which are the Board’s responsibilities.
• Board outlined the importance of distinguishing on the process to review the strategic plan and the process on how the Board and CEO’s office reports on implementation at regular Board meeting. The CEO’s office reports quarterly at regular Board meetings. The Board does not report.
• Board outlined the possibility of creating a “dashboard process” to monitor implementation to the 3-year strategic plan.
• The Strategic Plan should continue to be reported on quarterly to assure adequate implementation. The IAC will determine which of the various mechanisms would be preferable to adopt and present their recommendation to the Board for approval.

• 45-16 Motion presented, seconded, and carried by all that the Board approve the 3-year Strategic plan 2023-2026 annual update as presented.
  Action: The Board recommends that the Internal Affairs Committee creates a review and reporting process for the present and future strategic plans for the Board. The committee could review the current review and reporting process for the CEO’s office.

26. In-Camera session

• 45-17 Motion presented, seconded and carried by all that the Board proceed to the in-camera session with invitation for the CEO’s participation.
• 45-18 Motion presented, seconded, and carried by all that the Board pause the in-camera session for lunch.
• 45-19 Motion presented, seconded, and carried by all that the Board close the in-camera session.

27. Presentation by the Chief Accessibility Officer

• S. Cadieux, Chief Accessibility Officer, met virtually with Board members. Her first official report was tabled in February 2024 and is available on her website.
• Ms. Cadieux meets continuously with various groups at all levels of governments to discuss accessibility and it impacts on people in all areas of life, and how the Accessibility Canada Act is understood.
• Her work involves meeting with people who come forward and want to be engaged on how to improve and implement accessibility in their field of work, either it be governmental, business, industries, etc.
• A series of videos on accessibility can be found on her website, and a new video on the power of removing barriers will soon be released.
• Year 2024 will be dedicated to the emphasis on employment and transportation and its impact on boosting the economy.
• Ms. Cadieux supports the ongoing work of Accessibility Standards Canada. In near future, she intends to create a central resource where all information on accessibility can be found and shared by all to reach as many people as possible.

28. Recognition for the Chief Executive Officer:

• The Chairperson took this opportunity to thank Mr. Philip Rizcallah, Chief Executive Officer, for his dedicated work since 2019 at Accessibility Standards Canada and with the Board of Directors. Mr. Rizcallah will be leaving the organization at the beginning of August 2024. A certificate was presented to Mr. Rizcallah in recognition of his work, his strategic vision, enthusiastic leadership and trail brazing ideas impacting the accessibility landscape across the country and abroad.

29. Discussion with local guests – Stakeholders

Document 38A: Biographies

Document 38B: CCB report

Document 38C: NCAD presentation

• The Board met with five local stakeholders from the disability community in Ottawa, representing a diversity of organizations. The intent was to build links with the local community, to learn about the work of these organizations and their perspective on accessibility.
• Topics of discussion focused on key barriers to inclusion and finding solutions to support people with disabilities. Education and employment were among some of the areas where guests shared their experience where changes create a strong impact. Example reviewed involved elimination of barriers to fully complete education from elementary to college or university level by providing accommodations or/and funding for these accommodations; other examples touched on the employment process to encourage both employees and employers to view the inclusion of persons with disabilities as a strong workforce.
• Some of the guests were involved in technical committee consultations and other working groups and reported on their experience and solutions to facilitate full participation of members requiring accommodations.
• Incorporating lived experiences as a person with disabilities to many aspects of life such as education, employment, and development of standards has proven to be successful.

30. Closure of Guest discussion

• Director B. Adair and the Chairperson thanked all stakeholders for participating in the discussion.
• The consultation process on draft standards will be reviewed with consideration of ways to accommodate the various accessibility needs to increase the number of people providing feedback on draft standards public reviews.
• Accessibility Standards Canada will review on how the organization re-engages the young people on accessibility issues.

31. Adjournment

• For in-camera session: Extra time is no longer required as previously planned.
• 45-20 Motion presented to adjourn the meeting at 4:50 p.m. EST.

Thursday, June 20, 2024

32. Welcoming remarks and roll call

• 45-21 Motion presented, seconded and carried by all to open the meeting at 9:35 a.m. EST.

33. Communications quarterly report

Document 42A: Quarterly web and social media report

• S. Chenier presented a detailed report on the latest updates of the three social media outlets (X, Facebook, and LinkedIn) since December 2023, both in English and French.
• Since the last update, the organization promoted 8 campaigns for various events which have been very successful.
• The Centre of Expertise has attracted 5,050 users since its launch in May 2023.
• The organization has a significant impact on LinkedIn with more than 5,000 followers which represents an increase of 30%.
• All information on the organization’s website is in plain language and in alternate formats of high-quality level. On average, visitors to the website spent 1 minute and 43 seconds mostly with use of computer, and occasional use of cellphone.
• The website had nearly 40,000 visitors in past 6 months, over 3000 files downloaded, including approximately 1600 for draft standards.
• The Communications team is constantly looking into new ways to provide content which is in line with accessible best practices.
• The organization is increasing the quantity of ASL and LSQ videos on their website.

34. Communications: Overview and Public engagement basic tips

Document 37A: Spokesperson Guide

• S. Chenier provided an overview on the many responsibilities of the Communications team.
• The Communications team provides high quality strategic communications planification, advice and guidance for internal and external communication.
• S. Chenier also gave an overview on the preparation, skills development and guidelines to follow in advising Board members on public engagements to represent the work of the organization.
• Forms for participating in events and media interviews must be filled out prior to public engagement and to be approved by the Chief Executive Officer and Chairperson of the Board.

35. Presentation by Minister Kamal Khera

• Minister Khera was introduced to Board members by the CEO. She thanked outgoing CEO, Philip Rizcallah, for his leadership in implementing the organization’s mandate as outlined in the Accessibility Canada Act.
• The Minister emphasized the important work of the Board of Directors for their knowledge and experience in advancing the work and mandate of the organization and supporting accessibility across the nation.
• Board members and Minister Khera discussed items which are in the forefront and need support to be carried to completion nationally and internationally.

36. Communications: Overview and Public engagement basic tips (continued)

Document 37A: Spokesperson Guide
 

• S. Chenier resumed her presentation on public engagement presentations. The Communications team provides support, guidance, and material for Board members engagement presentations.
• The Spokesperson Guide is an essential tool in the preparation for public presentations. Board members are encouraged to review the document and reach out to Ms. Chenier for further guidance.
• Future Board of Directors’ training will be provided to facilitate and practice public presentations and media interviews. Written material will be provided.

37. Other business

• An informal meeting will be organized to recognize the contribution of Board members who will reach the end of their term on August 25, 2024.

38. Concluding remarks – Adjournment

• 44-22 Motion presented to adjourn the meeting at 11:28 a.m. EST.

The Chairperson thanked all Board members and staff for supporting him in his role.