Ontario Trails Council
Executive Committee Meeting Minutes
January 11, 2012 0930-1020am
Ontario Equestrian Federation Offices
1) Attending: Chris Laforest, Forbes Symon, Damian Bradley, Ray Gilbert, Patrick
Connor, (Staff)
Guest – Kirsten Spence, Kinghorn Rail to Trail Project
2) Chair Welcome: Chris Laforest welcomed attendees to the meeting. Thanked
folks for participating and looks forward to outcomes from the group in support of
the OTC.
3) Motion to accept agenda – Moved by Ray, seconded by Chris. Discussion.
a. Adjust out of agenda Treasurer’s Report, ED Report, Governance, Strategic
Relations. Carried.
4) Treasurer’s Report: carried over to Board meeting
5) Executive Director’s Report: carried over to Board meeting
6) Secretarial Report: Damian indicated that there were a number of Secretarial
items related to actions and correspondence all covered under Other Business.
7) TTN Committee Report: carried over to Board meeting
8) Conference Report: Damian indicated that a report has been received from
Wayne Daub, Conference Planning Chair and that this will be discussed at the
Board meeting
9) Governance Report: carried over to Board meeting
10) Other Business:
a. Provincial and Federal Government updates
i. Provincial - Ministry of Tourism and Culture – desire to create a
relationship, what should it be, how defined. Suggestions included:
1. Building on Huronia Trails and greenways data inventory and
communication project, perhaps ways to share and support each
other.
Ontario Trails Council PO Box 500 Deseronto Ontario K0K 1X0
877-668-7245 fax: 613-396-2144
Ontario Trails Council [email protected]
2. Ontario Tourism Marketing partnership Corporation – OTMPC,
define a relationship with them that supports trail tourism
development – product development, evaluative tools, descriptive
models. Examples of roles mentioned:
a. OTC – Oversight and education
b. OTMP – Peer review
c. MNR – Model development support
d. HTG – Case study
e. RTO7 – Provincial infrastructure / mechanism
f. Consultants – Data model R&D
3. Ministry of Natural resources – continue to liaise with Carol-Anne
Albertson crafting a sharing model of characteristics so that as we
develop or gather information is can be utilized by LIO and her
department.
4. Get the groups together in the same room, OTMC, MNR, HTG
(other trail tourism proponent leadership) meet to discuss ideas and
coordination of go forward steps
5. Demonstrate value – OTC has to create a clear list of value
statements so as to concisely and precisely define for these
partners to MTC and how it can assist in helping an Ontario
Tourism strategy succeed.
Strategic Direction: clarity statement for the MTC should assist, continue to
canvas the Board, membership in Tourism Industry Association of Ontario a
starting point.
Resolution: write a clear value statement that leads to a working strategy for the
groups with OTC in the lead.
ii. Federal - no issues, Patrick to continue to work with the CTF and the NTC
try to secure funds for trail projects.
b. OPA’s non-OTC related trail courses – No action required
c. Board member replacement – Forbes was tasked with seeking Alan Medcalf as
a cycling representative to the Board. Damian will be in touch with IMBA to see if
he can act as liaison between IMBA and the OTC to represent mountain bikers.
d. Trails Data Model: Damian and Patrick to study and put forward a working list of
characteristics, roll this into a starting point for working group as per above
Ontario Trails Council PO Box 500 Deseronto Ontario K0K 1X0
877-668-7245 fax: 613-396-2144
Ontario Trails Council [email protected]
e. Staff overtime and holidays: The executive discussed the issues of staf
overtime and annual bonus and came to the following:
Resolution: The executive committee has decided to
a) Roll $500 annual bonus into staff salary
b) Deny vacation buy-out option, but encourage staff to take current
vacation time owing
c) Review executive director job description, request task list, and create
staff performance review criteria / mechanism.
Motion to accept the above resolution – Moved by Chris, seconded by Forbes.
Carried.
f. Kinghorn Rail to Trails Project – Kirsten Spence dialed in and provided the
Executive with an overview of a Northern Ontario trail development initiative. The
Kinghorn Rail to trail is a conversion of a railway to trail in Nipigon Ontario. This
collaborative project is seeking Ontario Trillium Foundation Funds and the project
lead has to be replaced. The project is asking OTC to be the lead. The Executive
supported it in principle and requested greater detail in clarity of role of OTC. The
Executive asked Kirsten to provide these notes to Patrick and Patrick to forward
to Executive. Executive to confirm or deny OTC participation to Kirsten on Friday
January 14, 2012.
1)
Motion to adjourn: by Damian, seconded by Chris Laforest. Carried
_______________________________________________________
Damian Bradley, Secretary
Ontario Trails Council PO Box 500 Deseronto Ontario K0K 1X0
877-668-7245 fax: 613-396-2144
Ontario Trails Council [email protected]