This post is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:

Password:

This post is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:

Password:

This post is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:

Password:

This post is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:

Password:

The purpose of this is to fulfill the requirements set out in Regulation 429/07, to establish a policy governing the provision of services to persons with disabilities.

2. Policy

In fulfilling our mission, Church House strives at all times to provide its services in a way that respects the dignity and independence of people with disabilities. We are also committed to giving people with disabilities the same opportunity to access our services and allowing them to benefit from the same services, in the same place and in a similar way as other clients.

3. Providing services to people with disabilities

Church House is committed to excellence in serving all clients including people with disabilities and we will carry out our functions and responsibilities in the following areas:

3.1 Communication

Staff shall communicate with people with disabilities in ways that take into account their disability.

3.2 Assistive devices

We are committed to serving people with disabilities who use assistive devices to obtain, use or benefit from our services. We will ensure that our staff is trained and familiar with various assistive devices that may be used by clients with disabilities while accessing our services.

4. Use of service animals and support persons

• Employees shall allow persons with disabilities to be accompanied by their guide dog or service animal unless the animal is excluded by law.
• Where the animal is excluded by law, the reason shall be explained to the person with disability, and other reasonable arrangements to provide the service shall be explored with the assistance of the person with disability.
• When a service animal is unruly, disruptive or exhibits harmful behavior, an employee may ask the person with disability to remove the animal from the area or refuse access to services. In this event, other reasonable arrangements to provide services shall be explored with the assistance of the person with disability.
• Persons with a disability may be accompanied by a support person while accessing our services.

5. Notice of Service disruption

Church House will provide clients with notice in the event of a planned or unexpected disruption in the facilities or services usually used by people with disabilities. This notice will include information about the reason for the disruption, its anticipated duration, and a description of alternative facilities or services, if available.

The notice may be provided in a number of ways (including a posting at the entrance to our premises), and will be done as quickly as possible.

6. Training for staff

Church House will provide training to all employees, volunteers and others who deal with the public or other third parties on their behalf, and all those who are involved in the development and approval of policies, practices and procedures.

This training will be provided as soon as practicable, after commencement of duties. The content of the training will be dependent on the trainee’s role in terms of accessibility.

Training will be on an ongoing basis as changes are made to these policies, practices and procedures.

Training records shall be kept, including the dates when training is provided and the number of individuals to whom the training was provided.

7. Feedback process

Feedback from our clients provides us with opportunities to learn and improve. We recognize the right of our clients to make a complaint, compliment or make suggestions on ways to improve our services. Comments on our services regarding how we are performing are welcome and appreciated.

Feedback regarding the way Church House provides services to people with disabilities can be made in writing, in person, e-mail, or telephone to The Accessibility Coordinator:

Name: Sandra Kitson
Email: skitson@national.anglican.ca
Phone: 416 924 9199
Fax: 416 924 0211

Address: 80 Hayden St., Toronto, ON M4Y 3G2

The Accessibility Coordinator will respond either in writing, in person, e-mail or telephone acknowledging receipt of the feedback and will set out the action to be taken in response to any complaints.

8. Modifications to this or other policies

We are committed to developing customer service policies that respect and promote the dignity and independence of people with disabilities. Therefore, no changes will be made to this policy before considering the impact on people with disabilities.

9. Exclusions

This Accessibility Customer Service Standards Policy shall not apply during any period where Church House has declared a “State of Emergency” as defined under the Emergency Management Act.

Definitions

Accessibility Coordinator – The person appointed by Church House to ensure that the implemented system is operating as it should.

Assistive Devices – Any auxiliary aid such as communication aids, cognition aids, personal mobility aids and medical aids (i.e. canes, crutches, wheelchairs, or hearing aids).

Disability – The same as definition of disability found in the Ontario Human Rights Code.  (See below).

Employees – Any person who deals with members of the public or other third parties on behalf of Church House whether the person does so as an employee, agent, volunteer or otherwise.

Persons with Disabilities – Individuals who are afflicted with a disability as defined under the Ontario Human Rights Code.

Service Animals – Any animal individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of a person with a disability.

Support Persons – Any person whether a paid professional, volunteer, family member or friend who accompanies a person with a disability in order to help with communications, personal care or medical needs or with access to goods or services.

The definition in the Human Rights Code

Section 10 (1) of the Code defines “disability” as follows:
“because of disability” means for the reason that the person has or has had, or is believed to have or have had,

1. any degree of physical disability, infirmity, malformation or disfigurement that is caused by bodily injury, birth defect or illness and, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, includes diabetes mellitus, epilepsy, a brain injury, any degree of paralysis, amputation, lack of physical co-ordination, blindness or visual impediment, deafness or hearing impediment, muteness or speech impediment, or physical reliance on a guide dog or other animal or on a wheelchair or other remedial appliance or device,
2. a condition of mental impairment or a developmental disability,
3. a learning disability, or a dysfunction in one or more of the processes involved in understanding or using symbols or spoken language,
4. a mental disorder, or
5. an injury or disability for which benefits were claimed or received under the insurance plan established under the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997

“Disability” should be interpreted in broad terms. It includes both present and past conditions, as well as a subjective component based on perception of disability. Although sections 10(a) to (e) set out various types of conditions, it is clear that they are merely illustrative and not exhaustive. Protection for persons with disabilities under this subsection explicitly includes mental illness,^[X] developmental disabilities and learning disabilities. Even minor illnesses or infirmities can be “disabilities,” if a person can show that she was treated unfairly because of the perception of a disability.^[XX] Conversely, persons with an ailment who cannot show they were treated unequally because of a perceived or actual disability will be unable to meet even the prima facie test for discrimination. It will always be critical to assess the context of the differential treatment to determine whether discrimination has taken place, and whether the ground of disability is engaged.

____________________________________________________________________________________________

^[X] Mental illness has been described as “significant clinical patterns of behaviour or emotions associated with some level of distress, suffering (pain, death), or impairment in one or more areas of functioning
(school, work, social and family interactions). At the root of this impairment are symptoms of biological, psychological or behavioural dysfunction, or a combination of these.” See Canadian Psychiatric Association, Mental Illness and Work,(brochure), online: Canadian Psychiatric Association homepage http://cpa.medical.org/MIAW/MIAW.asp at pg. 1
^[XX] The Code’s definition of “disability” includes perceived disability.

This document is also available as a PDF.

Overview
General Synod’s 2012 budget continues a path that is both fiscally conservative and focused on the future. As was the case last year, the 2012 budget is balanced. It enables General Synod to continue implementing Vision 2019 and to live out the Marks of Mission as an example to the rest of the church.

This budget fulfills two major requests from the Council of General Synod (COGS).

First, Management Team has honoured COGS’s request to eliminate deficit budgeting by 2012. The background to this decision is that after revenue began dropping in the 1990s and expenses continued to rise with inflation, the church began to generate financial deficits, then drifted into an unsustainable practice of budgeting for deficits. In 2008, COGS directed General Synod to eliminate deficit budgeting by 2012—a goal that General Synod achieved a year early, with a balanced budget in 2011.

Second, the format of this budget addresses a request from COGS that Management Team develop a budget for 2012, a forecast for 2013 and 2014, and a two-year trend (2015 and 2016). This new format and process allows COGS to be more proactive in establishing General Synod priorities.

The current stability is something to give thanks for. At this point, with current revenue projections, 2012 and 2013 project balanced budgets. But it is important to understand that the 2012 budget and initiatives would not be possible without support from the Ministry Investment Fund.

The Ministry Investment Fund (MIF) was established in 2010 and is funded by 90 per cent (60 to 80 per cent in 2009 to 2011) of unrestricted bequests to the national church. Up to $250,000 a year is available to General Synod ministries as seed funding for new programs; funding for single-purpose, time-limited projects; or funding for specific transition initiatives that support Vision 2019. This funding has enabled General Synod to pursue new and exciting initiatives in line with Vision 2019 that would otherwise have been impossible.

Applications to MIF are reviewed and approved by a committee of the Primate, the Prolocutor and General Secretary in consultation with the Treasurer.

General Synod’s Management Team is committed to maintaining budget equilibrium. In 2010, it restructured staff and programs in light of our fiscal reality, and it is aware that future financial sustainability depends on stabilizing revenues. In this context, the work of Resources for Mission (formerly the Department of Philanthropy), in partnership with dioceses, is critical.

Budgeting background
The restructuring of programs allowed General Synod to reduce costs significantly between 2008 and 2010. In April 2010, Management Team, assisted by a consultant, established guiding principles from a variety of governing documents. Management Team then identified work that matched its mission priorities and that could only be done at a national level.

The new structure, implemented in Nov. 2010, touched all ministries. Cuts included many grants to overseas partners and ministry work, including Volunteers in Mission and the Theological Students International Internship Program. Management Team decided to wind down the library and streamline support staff and travel and event planning.

Management Team described 2011 as a year of transition, during which the new structure was tested and reviewed while leadership continued to focus on maintaining a balanced budget. This review has resulted in small adjustments to some ministries.

Long-term trends
Heading into 2012, General Synod continues to face financial pressures on several fronts. Proportional giving from dioceses accounts for 67 per cent of our budgeted revenue and this has been decreasing at a rate of 3 per cent annually (adjusted for inflation) since the early 1990s. This trend parallels the overall decline in Anglican church attendance across Canada. There is no indication that this will turn around.

If revenues continue to decline and the inflationary push on expenses continues at today’s rates, General Synod will be running a deficit again in 2014. By 2016, that deficit will have reached about $1 million.

2012 to 2014 planning process
Management Team approached 2012 budgeting work through the lens of Vision 2019, guided by the Marks of Mission.

Each ministry director or coordinator provided a three-year work plan aligned with Vision 2019 priorities and practices as well as relevant COGS and General Synod resolutions. A Management Team roundtable provided an opportunity for each ministry head to discuss their hopes and priorities for the next three years.

As a second step, directors met individually with the Primate and Treasurer to review work plans which established measurable outcomes for which the ministry will be held accountable each year. The work plans identified

• What must be done
• What could be deferred if funding were not available
• Contingency plans, were funding not available
• Possible alternate funding being explored

During these meetings, directors also forecast budget numbers, including staff requirements and ministry costs.

Resources for Mission and the Treasurer also assessed revenues and projected a five-year forward trend. This work not only charted plans for the next several years but also provided some groundwork for contingency plans that General Synod could use if revenues are not realized.

The projected costs were compared with revenues and after several iterations, this final draft budget was prepared for your consideration.

Ministry commitments
This budget reflects ministries that General Synod has committed to supporting. The total cost of these commitments in 2012 is $12.2 million.

Council of the North
The most significant cost commitment is yearly grants to the Council of the North, the church’s 10 northern dioceses. This commitment reflects the Anglican Church of Canada’s long-standing determination to provide sacramental and pastoral ministry to remote and sparsely populated regions of the country, especially in northern Canada.

In 2007, General Synod committed to maintaining $2.4 million in yearly grants to the Council of the North until the end 2011. This commitment was honoured.

In 2011, the Council of the North proposed to COGS that the budget process consider a reduction in grants of 5 per cent per year for five years, to be reviewed in three years. Incorporating this proposal, the 2012 budget includes $2.26 million for the council.

The Council of the North has approved new criteria for allocating grants among member dioceses which will establish a high level of accountability and transparency. This process also aligns its ministry with Vision 2019.

General Synod ministries
General Synod funds the fixed costs of ministry from Church House, including the infrastructure of maintaining the offices and operations. Also included are the governance requirements of the national church, the triennial gathering of General Synod and annual meetings of all standing committees, councils, and boards.

General Synod also devotes resources to program and support ministries. Details of these ministries and their work plans are included in standing committee reports, but here are some highlights:

• Our commitment to Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations work is primarily reflected in our support for various councils.  A report suggesting a way forward for this ministry and seeking direction from COGS will determine future resource requirements. This ministry also supports the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (especially events).
• Anglican Global Relations is strategically refocusing our commitment to the global Anglican community. Similar to Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations, the Global Relations’ budget provides a level of financial commitment, subject to direction from COGS regarding this ministry’s work plan and resource needs.
• A key focus of Indigenous Ministries in 2012 and 2013 is the governance work of the Anglican Council of Indigenous Peoples moving toward Indigenous self-determination. The 2012 Sacred Circle will focus on the discernment process.
• Faith, Worship, and Ministry’s areas of focus include the Liturgy Task Force, theological education, ecumenical and interfaith dialogues, congregational life and leadership, ethics, and the Anglican Communion Working Group. The Ministry Investment Fund supports some elements of this work.
• The General Secretary’s Office tends to the governance requirement of the national church, including the legal, archival, and healing work associated with Indian Residential Schools. This office also manages the youth secretariat mandated by General Synod 2010, and the government relations work mandated by Vision 2019.
• The Primate’s Office supports the Primate as leader of the church in Canada and its representative in the worldwide Anglican Communion. The office supports the House of Bishops, the Metropolitan Council of Cuba, and the Bishop Ordinary to the Canadian Forces. The Primate also champions full communion with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada.
• General Synod is investing in a commitment to improve and enliven communications through the Communications and Information Resources Ministry. The web team is breaking new ground in social media work; the Anglican Journal is pursuing a plan to improve capacity and ensure sustainability, and Anglican Video has launched a Marks of Mission educational campaign. The Ministry Investment Fund has funded some of these important initiatives.
• Financial Management and Administration focuses on securing and improving stable, reliable reporting systems and building capacity through efficiencies to better support General Synod ministries. Two important initiatives are the statistical project, mandated by Vision 2019, and a review of proportional giving, mandated by General Synod 2010.
• General Synod is investing in a commitment to gather financial resources to equip ministry across Canada through the work of Resources for Mission. A key work plan component is Together in Mission, a diocesan-based, mission-focused national  campaign. (More detail is provided below.)

Stabilizing revenues
The budget relies primarily on an analysis of past and future trends in an attempt to provide an understanding of where the church stands financially. But that is only part of the story.

The other part of the story that is not open to the same kind of analysis, lies in significant, visionary, and exciting initiatives undertaken on the church’s behalf by the Resources for Mission ministry. This ministry is working to enhance existing appeals and, in partnership with dioceses, to stabilize revenues and find new sources of funding that will decrease General Synod’s reliance on proportional giving.

Resources for Mission is responsible for the other two revenue streams, which have recently reorganized and reinvigorated:

• Traditional fundraising initiatives—annual giving, planned giving, major gifts—have been rethought and reinvigorated. An analysis of annual giving trends demonstrates that with careful management, this source of revenue can grow. Planned giving and major gifts are areas that are harder to predict, but there were very significant successes in 2011.
• Together in Mission is a new, diocesan-based, mission-focused national campaign that aims to address the financial needs of the whole church—parishes, dioceses and the General Synod. Together in Mission recognizes that healthy parishes mean healthy dioceses and a healthy national church. While the campaign and the way dioceses have received it thus far offers considerable hope, it is clearly not a quick  fix.

Conclusion
General Synod has a balanced budget for 2012, with the help of grants from MIF, but as the long-term forecast shows, significant work is needed to maintain sustainability. General Synod has restructured and trimmed expenses to address the current reality. With the help of grants from MIF, we continue to meet our commitments to Vision 2019 and General Synod 2010. The focus now is on stabilizing and increasing revenues through Resources for Mission, in partnership with dioceses.

As General Synod moves into an uncertain future, COGS’s governance role is key. After reviewing information from the longer term budget, this budget narrative, and committee reports, COGS members will be well positioned to assess and provide guidance on work plans and budget priorities in spring 2012, and help chart the next stage of General Synod’s road to financial sustainability.

Explore the short clips below, or watch the full interview.

[vimeo width="466" height="262"]http://vimeo.com/30672969[/vimeo]

[vimeo width="466" height="262"]http://vimeo.com/30676889[/vimeo]

[vimeo width="466" height="262"]http://vimeo.com/30689388[/vimeo]

[vimeo width="466" height="262"]http://vimeo.com/30687224[/vimeo]

[vimeo width="466" height="262"]http://vimeo.com/30766476[/vimeo]

• Read a news story about Archdeacon Thompson

This post is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:

Password:

This post is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:

Password: