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Danielle McDonald, CEO
and Sarah Macintyre, Acting Program Manager, Board and Strategic Services
provided a presentation on OPL’s Service Delivery Framework (SDF) (held on
file with the Chief Executive Officer). Ms. McDonald indicated the SDF consists
of two main components: Service Categories and Service Delivery Channels.
Each of those components will require the development of key strategic
documents, which will include decision-making components to guide staff
decisions. Through the SDF, staff will undertake a holistic view of service
planning and assessment that will ensure better decision-making processes
supported by data. She noted that The SDF is an accountability tool that will
increase transparency and result in a more consistent and equitable service
experience for customers. Ms. McDonald provided some high-level context and described
the history that underscored the need to update OPL’s SDF at this time. Ms.
Macintyre spoke about the Phases of work that have been completed to date, as
well as described the major components of the SDF in detail. Ms. Macintyre spoke
in detail about the Service Channels (Virtual, Facility, and Mobile) and
Service Categories (Collections, Expertise, Programs, Spaces, and Tools). Each
Service Channel includes a broad definition and an associated Framework that
staff will use to guide decision-making. The Service Categories definitions
are intentionally broad so that staff can go on to develop the Service
Strategies, which are tactical documents that will guide the implementation
and assessment of services. Ms. Macintyre noted that the development of the
Channel Frameworks and Service Category Strategies (part of Phase 6) is where
a lot of the more operational work will begin. She provided a visualization
of the SDF and Ms. McDonald then presented a brief discussion about OPL’s next
steps.
The
Board heard from the following delegation:
John
D. Reid said that the SDF is one of the most
important items to come before the Board in this term, because of its
long-term impacts. He had three concerns with the report. The first concern was
related to the Board’s authority over strategic frameworks. Specifically, he
noted that the Board has previously approved strategic frameworks. Mr. Reid
said that this report indicates that the Board will not have that role with
strategic frameworks and suggested that both the frameworks and strategies be
approved by the Board. He also suggested the creation of timeframes for
delivery. Second, he noted that the report includes several mentions of
community engagement. He asked about the extent of the public input, noting
that the previous 5 Phases did not include any. Mr. Reid looked forward to
the community development approach that was discussed in the previous
presentation and hoped that community development would be considered as part
of the SDF. The final concern Mr. Reid had was with the release of Board
documents to the public. He felt that the current process for providing the
Board documents on the Friday before the scheduled meeting was inadequate,
and noted that due to technical difficulties, the documents were not
available this past weekend. Ms. McDonald said that the Board has authority
over OPL’s strategic frameworks and confirmed that while staff will report
back in the fall, she did not have a timeline at present. She said that public
engagement is important and noted that this would come back through each of
the strategies. She thanked the delegation for his comments. Following the
meeting, staff addressed Mr. Reid’s comment on the online release and
technical difficulties of the Board package documents by way of
correspondence to the delegate and the Board.
Trustee
Brockington thanked Mr. Reid and asked him to articulate what his vision
would be regarding public input. Mr. Reid said that OPL should have solid
outreach with documents available for review through avenues other than the
website, such as in branches, to make the engagement equitable to obtain
across the city. He suggested that outreach should serve the entire
community.
Trustee
Brockington said that the SDF is an important initiative being undertaken and
asked how the SDF and the Facilities Master Plan will be connected. Ms.
McDonald indicated that OPL has many interconnected services; those services
are how staff deliver the $55M budget, which is done through service
channels. She pointed out that some services are not equally offered through all
channels, and noted that as staff drill-down, standards will be established. For
example, staff will look at minimum thresholds as part of program assessment
and evaluation. She said staff will be set up for success if the SDF and
guiding principles are implemented correctly, and a goal is to define
expectations. Anna Basile, Division Manager, Corporate Services spoke about
the connection to the City’s approach to asset management, particularly
related to underserviced areas. The asset management approach starts with service
levels, which further identifies service commitments. She said the SDF has
five different services, of which two are mandated, and that some of those
pieces will be built into the facilities framework. Ms. Basile remarked that
when it comes to the facility channel, OPL’s commitment to facilities for
residents needs to consider the unique challenges in Ottawa, such as urban
and suburban mix and broad geography. She noted that a facility cannot be
planned for without first knowing what services will be offered and said that
some of this is going to come forward through the Facilities Framework.
Trustee
Brockington said the Service Strategies should come before the Board for
approval. Ms. McDonald said the comment is duly noted and indicated that upon
approval of the report tonight, staff will clarify what will be coming back
to the Board, as per the Board’s DOA policy.
Trustee
Brockington asked the CEO to clarify the frequency of updates that will be
provided to the Board with regards to the progress of the SDF implementation.
Ms. McDonald said staff will clarify frequency once the workplan and
high-level timeline is developed and will report back based on the delegation
of authority.
Trustee
King supported Trustee Brockington’s suggestion to have the service
strategies return as an approval document rather than for information. He then
asked what public engagement would look like for the SDF and asked what would
be considered appropriate. Ms. Macintyre replied that at the present time,
there is no exact plan for public engagement. Ms. McDonald considered that public
engagement could be done on the expected outcomes of the services. Staff
noted that the present report does not speak to specific details, because the
purpose was to present an updated SDF and seek direction to establish the
service planning and design team, which will then develop the approach, strategies,
and frameworks that will underscore the implementation of the SDF going
forward.
Trustee
King felt that it is exciting that the public wants to be involved with
service delivery and said that public engagement is important. He referenced
the balance of equity and community development as described in the previous
presentation and said that he was grateful to have received a tour of the
digitization lab at Beaverbrook branch recently. He also said that he agreed
with the delegation that equitable distribution of service across the city is
important, despite constraints. He asked about the discussions that staff
were having about enhancing service equity across the city. Ms. McDonald confirmed
that staff still have to return to the Board on a few directives, such as
clarifying the definition of vulnerable neighbourhoods, and she said that
these discussions are ongoing. She also noted the work of the Alternative
Services Framework Ad hoc Committee, which is looking at the Mobile Channel. She
indicated that the framework allows staff to use the same language and
terminology, which is being examined. She noted that OPL was reliant on the
Virtual Channel during the pandemic but said that some of those virtual tools
are not available to everyone, which highlighted a gap. That gap will be
considered in the work for vulnerable communities. Ms. Clark pointed out that
the SDF provides staff guidance on how to create service levels across the
system, identify, measure, and decommission those services which are not
required. As an example, Ms. Clark said the digital lab was brought to the
Beaverbrook branch through staff initiative, but noted that its services can
be replicated elsewhere. The Framework will give staff the guidance to do
just that.
Trustee
Brockington urged staff to reach out to Board members to determine their
expectations regarding community engagement, as this has potential to be very
big. He suggested that if staff reach out to trustees early enough in the
process, their feedback can help ensure expectations are met.
Chair
Luloff thanked the delegation, as well as the trustees for their questions to
staff. He said the Finance and Facilities Ad hoc Committee work has connected
the SDF and Facilities Framework, which will draw a line between both.
There
being no further questions, the report was RECEIVED and CARRIED as presented.
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