Here’s a summary of the matters discussed at the 27 February meeting of the Council of Commissioners. To learn more about the Council of Commissioners, visit the Governance page.
Chair’s Report
In his report, Chairman James Shea pointed out two points of interest: his and the ADG’s participation in a promising provincial workshop convened by the Minister of Education on vocational training programs in the 21st century; and his open letter response to a Montreal Gazette article in which he explained that Western Québec’s 30% dropout rate is far from representing the reality. This letter was also sent out to local media and through social media.
Chairman Shea took the opportunity to speak on the QESBA First Nations, Métis, and Inuit (FNMI) Committee. He began by acknowledging that the land on which the Council is gathered is the traditional territory of the Algonquin Nation. He indicated that he looked forward to the dialogue with the communities, and that he believes this is only the beginning of cultivating meaningful relationships.
Director General Report
In is report, DG Mike Dubeau celebrated the success of the Destination Imagination competition which took place on February 24 at Hadley Jr./Philemon Wright High Schools, and the Destination Leadership camp held in November in preparation for the D.I. competition.
His report also explained, in preparation for the upcoming school elections, the different status’ of electors. Western Québec’s Returning Officer, Pascal Proulx, proposed that an insert be attached to the upcoming tax invoices so that our taxpayers are aware that they can, if they wish to do so, transfer their voting rights to our board. They are, in most cases, currently registered voters on the French school board voter list.
Election of a Security Officer and Two Incident Managers
In the spirit of Québec’s Law 133 “sur la gouvernance et la gestion des ressources informationnelles des organismes publics…“ on information security, Terry Kharyati was named Security Officer (Responsable de la Sécurité de l’Information) and Stewart Aitken and Pascal Proulx named Incident Managers (Conseillers sectoriels en Gestion des Incidents). They are respectively Secretary General, Director of Education and Director of Buildings, Equipment and Technology. Together, their new responsibilities are to report incidents, develop, implement and follow the procedures in order to ensure information security.
Nomination of a Secretary of Selection Committee – Greater Gatineau Project
Western Québec’s Procurement Officer, Alain Gendron, was nominated by Council as the Secretary for the Selection Committee for the Professionals affected to the Agrandissement project at Greater Gatineau Elementary School.
Conditional Lease of the old Pontiac Adult Ed Centre
Council has approved a lease of a room in a board owned building (26 Leslie, Campbell’s Bay) to be used as an office for the returning officer of Pontiac during the upcoming provincial elections. A rental agreement will be completed between the board and the Directeur général des Élections du Québec.
Regionalization Project of the Outaouais’ School Taxation – Mandate of the Director General
Québec’s Bill 16 An Act to Reform the School Tax System is currently in parliamentary deliberations before its adoption into law. The conditions it enacts include the implementation of a regional taxation service centre in each region of the province. Council has mandated Director General Mike Dubeau and Director of Finance Sandra Cox to collaborate with their Francophone counterparts of the four Outaouais school boards as well as the Francophone school boards of the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region to develop the parameters for the implementation of the taxation service centres, and to propose potential locations and management scenarios of such a service.
Authorizing the Discharge of a Mortgage
Council has authorized the discharge of the mortgage held by Western Québec with Trivium Academy, which had purchased the Henry A. Ward Campus in 2005. Trivium Academy has now satisfied the conditions of the mortgage.
Bussing Mileage and Capacity Adjustments 2017-2018
As recommended by the Transportation Committee, Council passed motions adjusting the mileage and capacity recorded by four bussing companies. The total adjustments represent $5728.01:
– Decrease of $27 280,93 for Autobus Outaouais
– Decrease of $10 051.34 for Baie Transport
– Increase of $14 793.98 for Bigras Transport
– Increase of $28 266.30 for Autobus LaSalle
Addition of a Bus
As recommended by the Transportation Department as well as the Transportation Committee, Council has approved the addition of bus #130 to reduce the time students spend travelling on a daily basis. As of January 8, a one-year contract was awarded to Autobus Outaouais in the amount of $29 449.08.
Adoption of School Calendar 2018-2010
As recommended by the Director of Human Resources Terry Kharyati, Council has approved the 2018-2019 Board Calendar.
Disclaimer – This information is provided solely as a short summary of the matters discussed at the Council of commissioners meeting. This summary is provided in the spirit of transparency, and it will in no way replace the official minutes of this meeting, which are usually approved at the following meeting, and made available online shortly thereafter. In the case of a conflict between the information provided here and the approved official minutes, the latter takes precedence.