July 14, 2022

In this era of collaboration, knowledge exchange, and learning best practices, have you accessed your Network's discussion forum to leverage the knowledge of OMSSA's membership?

Several discussion forums are available in the Members Portal, including an all-members discussion forum, and specific discussion forums for each of our four member Networks. Any member may post a new topic or reply to another members post on one of these discussion forums:

• Browse the list of topics and click on the topic name to view all posts and replies in that thread.
• Press "Click to Reply" to respond to a post inside of any of the topic threads. 
• If you would like to start a discussion on a new topic, click "Add Topic" to start a new thread.  

Did you know that you can choose to opt-in (or out) or receiving email notifications about new posts and activity on any of the discussion forums available in the portal? You can access and change these settings on the grey header bar at the top of each discussion forum:

• Choose Opt-In if you'd like to be notified by email when somebody posts a new thread on that discussion forum
• Choose Daily Digest if you'd prefer to receive one daily digest summarizing key activity and new posts on that discussion forum
• Choose Opt-Out and Daily-Out if you do not want to receive any email notifications about activity on that discussion forum

These discussion boards are meant to support open, ongoing discussion for OMSSA's Networks, to share and compare experience and approaches, and exchange knowledge and resources. 

If you have not already, log into OMSSA's Members Portal, head over to your Network's Discussion Forum, opt-in to receive updates, and start the next popular discussion!

OMSSA's Awards and Recognition Program recognizes individuals and organizations who have made outstanding contributions to both OMSSA and their communities, recognizing their commitment to planning, managing and delivering quality human services in Ontario.

Tell us about the excellent work happening in your community and the dedicated individuals who have championed human services throughout their careers before our nominations deadline of September 16, 2022. 

OMSSA encourages nominations that reflect the diversity of its membership, in particular from individuals from racialized groups and Indigenous Peoples to ensure that our awards are reflective of the racial diversity of the populations its members serve. 

• The Ontario Government released a list of legislative and regulatory changes that came into effect on July 1, 2022. 

• The Ontario Government released Ontario’s rent increase guideline for 2023 which is 2.5 per cent.

• The Ontario Government is providing over $1.1 million to help create 18 supportive housing units, 14 of which are barrier free in Simcoe to support people with disabilities.

If you would like to contribute to OMSSA's Knowledge Exchange blog, please contact OMSSA's Communications and Member Engagement Manager, Rob Kirsic, at communications@omssa.com.

The County of Simcoe has released its eighth annual report card, Housing Our Future: 2021 Annual Report, to measure and evaluate the implementation of recommendations contained in Our Community 10-Year Affordable Housing and Homelessness Prevention Strategy. The strategy sets a minimum goal of 2,685 new affordable housing units between 2014 and 2024. By December 31, 2021, the County reported that 2,531 new units had been created since 2014, 94 per cent of the way to its overall target. Click here to read more. 

Research completed by Making the Shift Youth Homelessness Social Innovation Lab and Covenant House Toronto for the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness's Homeless Hub sought to understand how living in Toronto’s emergency shelter system during the pandemic has impacted youth experiencing homelessness, as well as investigate how the sector and municipality could reimagine its response to youth homelessness and begin to shift its response toward longer-term solutions. Click here to read the report. 

In an article for Global Government Forum, author Jack Aldane examines how hybrid work can make public sector jobs a better fit for everyone. The widespread shift to remote work in 2020 came with a host of theories about the future of management, teambuilding, recognition and reward. Among them was the claim that presenteeism was dead. No longer could employers base their evaluations of staff on what they saw in the office. All that mattered were results. But with civil servants in many countries now working part of the time from offices and the rest at home, this new hybrid model has forced employers to think multi-dimensionally about fairness, diversity, and inclusion, and public sector organizations now have a big opportunity to show the way. Click here to read more. 

Data sharing in government is notoriously difficult. Due to vertical structures that hinder horizontal working, privacy concerns, and numerous other barriers, it is a nut that most organizations are yet to crack. But some have managed it. Could the North Carolina Government Data Analytics Center provide a data-sharing blueprint for both local and national governments in the US and beyond? Click here to read more. 

In the latest episode of the MW Shares podcast, Professor Shauna Brail from the University of Toronto’s Institute for Management and Innovation discusses the economic challenges facing municipalities today and how cities can continue to foster innovation in the future. Click here to listen. 

Job/RFP Opportunities

Chief Executive Officer - YMCA of Three Rivers

KCI Talent | Apply by July 15

Case Manager, Regular Full-Time

City of Kingston | Apply by July 19

Childcare System Coordinator

Hastings County | Apply by July 21

Electrical Maintenance Technician

County of Huron | Apply by July 26

...and many more

Virtual Training

Making Difficult Conversations Easier | September 13-14

OW Directives and SAMS Training: Disposition of Assets: Impact on Eligibility | September 15-16

Mental Health First Aid | September 20-21

Understanding Client Behaviours: What Research Tells Us | September 22-23

Improve Your Listening Skills with the 4-Step Empathy Loop | September 27

...and many more

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