the john howard societyns.johnhoward.ca/images/2011-2012annualreport.pdf · impacts the services we...

THE JOHN HOWARD SOCIETY OF NOVA SCOTIA

2011-2012 ANNUAL REPORT

“Carpe Diem! Seize the Day” ~ John Keats

Find us on the web: www.ns.johnhoward.ca

http://www.ns.johnhoward.ca/

"A golden heart stopped beating, two shining eyes at rest. God broke our hearts to prove to us, He only takes the best."

- Author: unknown

In Memory of Serving Director

Terrence "Ted" Lloyd Smith

(June 9, 1949 - May 19, 2012)

The John Howard Society of Nova Scotia http://www.ns.johnhoward.ca Since 1950 1- 541Sackville Dr., Lr Sackville, NS B4C 2S1 Certified

E-mail [email protected] Phone (902) 429-6429 Fax (902) 406-7619 *Member Society of The John Howard Society of Canada Board of Directors: President Janis Aitken Vice President Dana Bowden Secretary/Treasurer Flora MacLeod Board Members: Bob MacDonald Terry Hatcher Oscar Miller Angela Power Don Clairmont Ivan Wyse Executive Director: John Peach Programs & Services: - Restorative Justice - Integrated Adult Restorative Justice - Educational Workshops - Community Assessments - Community Maintenance Program - Community Workplace Program - Aftercare - Crime Prevention

AGENDA

62nd Annual General Meeting “Carpe Diem- Seize the Day”

Thursday June 21st, 2012

Stone Hearth Bistro, 7071 Bayers Rd., Halifax

6:00PM Meet and Greet with refreshments 6:15PM Business Meeting

Call to Order o Welcome and Introductions o Moment of Silence for Five Life Members for

have passed on this year: Glen Hancock, William “Bill” McCombs, Paul O’Regan, Terrance “Ted” Smith and Ralph Hollett

Approval of Agenda Approval of 2011 Annual General Meeting Minutes Review of 2011 Annual Report

o President o Executive Director o Director – Central Region o Director – North Eastern Region o Director – Halifax Region o Motion to receive reports

2011 Financial Statement o Appointment of 2012 External Auditor

Nomination Report o Election of Directors to the Board

Ratification of the Acts of Directors Presentations and Recognition My Pardon Process – Shelley Murray Adjournment

Central 184 Arthur St., Suite 220

Truro, NS B2N 1Y4 (902) 843-4969

[email protected]

Halifax 1-541 Sackville Dr.,

Lr Sackville, NS B4C 2S1 (902) 429-6429

[email protected]

North East 2042 Queen St. Suite 211 Westville, NS B0K 2A0

(902) 396-1999 [email protected]

Provincial Society c/o 1-541 Sackville Dr.,

Lr Sackville, NS B4C 2S1 (902) 429-6429

[email protected]

http://www.ns.johnhoward.ca/

mailto:[email protected]

2011-2012 Annual Report – “Celebrating 62 Years of Service”

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

CORE STATEMENTS: Description............................................................................................................ ii Mission …………………….…………….……………………….…………….. ii Methods ……………………………………….…………………….…………... ii Values ………………………………………….………………….…………….. ii BOARD OF DIRECTORS: List of Directors ...……………………………………..…………….…………. iii List of Board of Directors Meetings..………………………………….….…..… iii REPORTS: President’s Report………………………………………………………….….…. 1 Executive Director’s Report…………………………………………………..….. 3 Central Regional Report………………………………………………………..... 5 North Eastern Regional Report………………………………………………….. 9 Halifax Regional Report……………………………………………………….… 11

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John Howard Society of Nova Scotia

Core Statements

Description: The John Howard Society of Nova Scotia is a provincial organization comprising and governed by people whose goal is to understand and respond to problems of crime and the criminal justice system. Mission: Effective, just and humane responses to the causes and consequences of crime. Methods: In furtherance of its Mission, the Society:

- works with people who have come into conflict with the law, - reviews, evaluates and advocates for changes in the criminal justice process,

- engages in public education on matters relating to criminal law and its application, and promotes

crime prevention through community activities. Values: More specifically, the Society engages in the following:

- Advocacy, which includes active, planned and frequent contact with the media, key government policy analysis, advisors and politicians and committees with respect to the promotion of the objectives of the John Howard Society of Nova Scotia

- Research related to the development and dissemination of briefs and positions on matters of

national and provincial importance which incorporates positions in the furtherance of objectives of the John Howard Society of Nova Scotia;

- Communication with other John Howard Societies to promote a coordinated consultative

process which allows the Society to respond to the needs of members and facilitate joint projects.

- Community Education which focuses on the sharing of information among members and the promotion of the objectives of the John Howard Society of Nova Scotia to the members through board development activities and broad based community education initiatives to enhance its role.

- Coalition Building through a coordinated process of information sharing and the dissemination

of materials with other like minded organizations;

- Resource development initiatives to strengthen the ability of the provincial office to further the objectives of the John Howard Society of Nova Scotia

- Direct service provision by supervising those ho have come in conflict with the law, by assisting

with community reintegration and by working with the families of offenders.

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2011-2012 BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Name Office Notes

Janis Aitken

President

2 of maximum 3 terms as Pres. Joined Board September 2001

Dana Bowden

Vice President

2nd term as Vice President Joined Board June 2009

Flora MacLeod

Secretary/Treasurer

2nd term as Secretary/Treasurer Joined Board November 2009

Bob MacDonald

Director

Joined Board November 2005

Terry Hatcher

Director

Joined Board June 2009

Terry “Ted” Smith

Director

Joined Board June 2009

Oscar Miller

Director

Joined Board November 2009

Angela Power

Director

Joined Board February 2010

Don Clairmont

Director

Joined Board February 2011

Ivan Wyse

Director

Appointed to the Board by the Board February 2012

2011-2012 BOARD OF DIRECTOR MEETINGS

Date Location No. of Directors Present

June 28th, 2011 (Re-org) Dartmouth 7 of 9

August 27th, 2011 Lr Sackville 7 of 9

November 19th, 2011 Lr Sackville 7 of 9

February 17th, 2012 Bedford 8 of 10

April 20th, 2012 Bedford 7 of 10

Please Note: In the interest of the environment the 2011 AGM Minutes may be found at http://www.ns.johnhoward.ca/about/annual_meeting/

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http://www.ns.johnhoward.ca/about/annual_meeting/


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President’s Report

While 2011 did not bring as many changes to the John Howard Society of Nova Scotia as we witnessed in 2010, our progress has been ‘relatively smooth’, although not without its challenges. We continue to encounter financial issues related to the changes in the federal government’s approach to program funding which, in turn, impacts the services we can provide and our “bottom line”. Our Executive Director has most ably addressed all of the ‘twists and turns’ presented and, once again, has kept us financially stable and moving forward.

Due to unforeseen health issues, our administrative assistant Claudette Colley had to resign her position. We thank her for her considerable work effort on behalf of the agency and wish her well with her health and future life endeavours.

A sudden and very sad change to the Board came as the result of the unexpected death of Terry ‘Ted’ Smith in May. Terry had a long history with corrections in Nova Scotia and was a much valued volunteer in his home community, in addition to his contribution to our JHSNS Board. We will miss his even tempered, good natured approach to the business of the agency as well as his ongoing support, all of which he combined with a mischievous and fun loving presence.

Our thoughts and prayers are with his family as they deal with their grief.

We are pleased to welcome a new Board member Ivan Wyse, a resident of New Glasgow, who is the Project Manager for Project Lead. In addition to his knowledge and expertise, he brings us a perspective from that part of the province.

The Board continues to provide support and ideas for furthering the aims of the Society in Nova Scotia. Board meetings have been consistently well attended despite weather conditions and geographic distances traveled by some members. This is a testament to their commitment and desire to see the John Howard of Nova Scotia be successful in its mission and endeavours.

Staffs in all the offices have also continued to demonstrate their commitment to our work. Chris King, Director of the Central Region Office and her staff have been very successful as a pilot site for the Department of Justice’s Integrated Adult Restorative Justice Pilot Project (IARJPP) which we commonly refer to as Adult Restorative Justice. They have all adjusted with relative ease to working with adult offenders and, in doing this work have demonstrated how restorative justice can be applied to adult cases without a significant infusion or resources. Susan Hughes, Director of the

“...the Society continues its sustainability in the face of tough economic times and, despite more than a few ‘grey hair producing’ moments.”

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North Eastern Region and her staff team have continued to provide consistent and positive work action in their area.

As mentioned earlier, our Executive Director John Peach again this year demonstrated excellent judgment and financial skillfulness in meeting the ‘tests’ presented by government (federal and provincial) policy changes and bureaucratic approaches which are not consistent with the successful operation of a non-profit organization. Under his leadership the Society continues its sustainability in the face of tough economic times and, despite more than a few ‘grey hair producing’ moments, John maintains a positive vision for and interest in the Society’s growth potential.

Once again, our Society has weathered changes and issues with a quiet, understated response and heads into 2012-2013 with a view to providing services of which we can all be proud.

In all of my years in corrections, this year and the immediate future seem destined to challenge in very serious ways the voluntary, non-profit agencies’ ability to meet their mandates without great flexibility and creative management. As I noted last year, it takes the effort of many people such as our staff, Board members, volunteers and supporters to maintain the Society. Again, I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to all for your efforts on behalf of the Society and our clients.

Janis Janis Aitken President, JHSNS

~~~

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Executive Director’s Report

At the end of March 2012, the Society reached a critical juncture. For the past four years, I have been working as a change agent within the Society. The thought struck me that this task has taken about the same amount of time and effort as it takes to get a baccalaureate degree. From a knowledge and experience perspective I would humbly suggest that the understanding gained was equal to, or exceeded, what would be gained through the more academic route. I make the comparison only for the purpose of pointing out that my estimate of how long it would take to reach this juncture was not even close to the reality. I am also cognizant that the transition has been difficult for a lot of our staff, but I still believe it was necessary for our continued relevance to the community and our clients. The journey has not been easy and not surprisingly, not all of our staff stayed with us for the trip. For those who did and those who have joined us, thank you! So the obvious question is “where to from here”? My best advise is “Carpe Diem, or seize the day”. One of my favourite quotes is by Thomas Edison;

“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work." How many times have you thought to yourself, I should do...

but then don’t, because you internally talked yourself out of it? It might have entailed more effort than you wanted to put into it, or you rationalized that it would cost too much. The real question you have to ask yourself was the cost a “lost opportunity?” I know I have done this, on more than one occasion. For approximately six years during the first decade of this century, I lost contact with what was going on with other “like” organizations in the Halifax Metro area. During this time, JHS Halifax declined, or at best stayed the same as it had been at the turn of the century. When I looked around, I was amazed at how some of the others had grown and thrived. It was not that there had been a whole lot of new money put into the NGO justice sector, but these other organizations had seen “opportunities” which we had not and had “seized the day. I recall a conversation with a senior bureaucrat one day when I was lamenting about our lack of growth and the response is one I often think about. “They want to partner with non-profit organizations that have strength and can recognize opportunity. The weak will simply wither away”. The days of funders coming to ask us to take on new projects are gone. They want to partner with organizations that can show strength and that have the desire to succeed. What you did in the past is

“We are the change we have been waiting for.” ~Barack Obama

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only an indicator of what you might be able to do. If you are coming from a weak past, then it does not inspire confidence for further future investment. The traditional funding sources that we have relied on in the past are also changing their funding priorities. As an example, JHS has been fortunate in the past to have been funded for a number of Skills Link Development programs through Service Canada. As evidenced by Bill C-10, the “Safe Streets and Communities Act”, the priorities have shifted greatly. The Safe Streets and Communities Act ignores the established evidence that if you want to reduce crime you address;

- Child poverty - Services for the mentally ill and

those affected with FASD - Diversion of young offenders

from the adult justice system - Rehabilitation of offenders and

helping them to reintegrate into Society.

These are no longer the priorities. I fear that more young Canadians will spend months in custodial centres before trial. Experience has shown that at-risk youth learn or reinforce criminal behaviour in custodial centres; only when diverted to community options are they more likely to be reformed. Bill C-10 actually also eliminates conditional sentences for minor and property offenders and instead sends those people to jail. Judges are required to incarcerate people whose

offences and circumstances clearly do not warrant time in custody. Longer and harsher sentences will increase the strains on a justice system already at the breaking point. Almost every offender re-enters society at some point. Do we want them to come out as our neighbours, or will they have become hardened by their prison experience with no hope of being able to reintegrate? Then there is the whole issue on “toughening” the pardon process. This is a proven barrier to obtaining employment. JHS can only help address these issues if we are in a position of strength. In order to get there, we had a lot of work that needed to be done. Some tough decisions were made by the Board and I thank them for their support along this journey. I am not sure if I am the right person to lead the next phase as my strength has always been in getting us to where we are now and not in building growth. I have always been the janitor, or “clean up guy” that goes in and cleans up the “spill on isle 13”. The next phase will be a challenge for me as it is “out of my comfort zone”, but I am prepared to seize the opportunity. I will not however stay to get in the way of success, if it is not going in the direction that we need to go. To our staff, our Board of Directors and our supporters ~ many thanks! I look forward to the opportunities ahead.

John John Peach, Executive Director

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Central Region

The John Howard Society, Central Region had a busy and productive year in 2011-2012 as we started service delivery for adults for the Integrated Adult Restorative Justice Pilot Project (IARJPP). Staffs were excited about this new initiative and rose to any challenges with great enthusiasm. Although we saw a decline in referrals for youth, we saw an increase in

referrals for adults. This past year our agency received 68 youth referrals and 78 adult referrals bringing us to a total of 146 restorative justice referrals, which is at our maximum capacity level. I am particularly pleased to report that we maintained 89-91 percent compliance range for the completion of restorative justice contracts for both youth and adults.

Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar68 Youth 2 9 6 3 5 11 3 3 4 6 7 1078 Adult 3 5 2 8 7 9 1 7 6 5 12 12

5 14 8 11 12 20 4 10 10 11 19 22Total

“Our RJ group (at CSC Nova Institution) has received lots of interest and positive feedback from the participants.”

Regional Director - Christina King

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Successful

Unsuccessful

Positive Experinces Working With Adult Offenders

• Offenders gain a better understanding of victim empathy

• Victims are given the opportunity to participate and be kept informed

• Higher rate of restitution to victims

• Community gets involved

• More police officers seeing the benefit

• Adult Offenders take responsibility & ownership ( see the benefit of the program)

• Adults do not want to go to court or receive a criminal record.

• Grateful & appreciative for an RJ experience

• Adult offenders show more shame

• Want it dealt with more quickly

• Sense of dignity restored (they do not want to be labelled a criminal )

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334(b)28%

43025%

14510%

3557%

3486%

2666%

3805%

2675%

3684%

3624%

Offences

334 (b) Theft Under $5000430 Mischief145 Failure to Appear355 Possession of stolen property348 Breaking and Entering266 Assault380 Fraud267 Assault with a weapon368 Trafficking / possession of forged documents362 False statement

MSOffice1

One example of one of the cases that came to us as a result of our participation in the Integrated Adult Restorative Justice Pilot Project (IARJPP) was for a stolen purse;

A 30-year-old male stole a purse from an employee who worked in a public service building. He had wandered into the staff room and saw a purse lying on top of a locker. The young man took the purse and then left the building. Once outside, he removed the money but turned in the purse, with its contents, to the business next door. The police collected the purse and returned it to the victim. The victim was grateful to have her purse returned along with her prescriptions and identification;

however, she was missing $100.00 in cash.

The victim agreed to participate in a restorative justice forum and meet with the offender. She was upset that her purse had been stolen, but was more embarrassed that she was so careless to leave her purse in plain view. She also wanted to learn more about the offender and why the young man stole the purse in the first place. The offender felt obligated to pay full restitution as part of his contractual agreement. The victim wanted the young man to be a productive citizen and get his life on track. She wanted him to take responsibility for his actions and turn his life around.

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Once the victim heard the offender had already begun to make life style changes and had returned to school to further his education, she decided she did not want full restitution. The victim agreed to $50.00 in restitution and for the offender to participate in a Victim Empathy Workshop. When the session was over the young man apologized to the victim and extended his hand for a hand shake; instead the victim asked if it would be all right for her to give him a hug. She wished him good luck with his goals and hoped he would come back into the building where she worked and continue to utilize their services. With the assistance of volunteers and students we developed new programming options to support our adult clients, such as: Self Esteem, Adult StopLifting, Elder Abuse Awareness, Victim Empathy, On Line Parenting Program, Effects of Reckless Driving and Awareness for Head Injuries. We continue to offer crime prevention and educational sessions to our youth clients. Programs offered are; Justice Awareness Sessions, Employability Search Program, Youth Stoplifting, Drug Awareness and Victim Empathy. The staff at Central Region participated in several events during National Restorative Justice Week. We displayed information booths at local

schools; distributed a newsletter to stakeholders and local MLAs; sent information packages to police agencies and staff participated in several speaking engagements within the community. I am delighted to report on the volunteer work we do at Nova Institution for Women. We offer a restorative justice group to the women at Nova on restorative practices. Our RJ group has received lots of interest and positive feedback from the participants. Topics discussed at our Nova RJ group have included: restorative principles, restorative practices, forgiveness, writing an effective apology, victim empathy and anger awareness. The participants will receive Certificates of Participation for attending restorative discussions presented by the John Howard Society, Restorative Justice Program. On a final note, I would also like to extend my appreciation to my colleagues Cindy Reid, Caseworker; Wanda Dickie, Administrative Assistant/Caseworker and to all our community volunteers for their hard work and ongoing dedication to the clients. On behalf of the Central Region, I would like to thank our Board of Directors and Executive Director, John Peach for their ongoing support.

Christina King

Christina King - Director

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North Eastern Region

The past year has brought many changes to the JHS North Eastern Regional Office. Some of the changes include staff. We had Rob MacDonald fill the position of Administrative Caseworker until the Fall, at which time Rob moved to the JHS Halifax Regional Office. Heather Rankin took Rob’s position. While Heather is very passionate about the Restorative Justice Program, she had a little surprise come her way in April of this year and her name is Jordan. Filling Heather’s shoes while she is on maternity leave, we have the pleasure of employing Diana Wallis, former Launch Out facilitator. Diana has slipped into Heather’s shoes with ease and has great rapport with our clients. Kate Bray our restorative justice caseworker has continued to grow in her position and is very respected by our clients and the stakeholders. We have also had some additions to our list of volunteers. We recently had two volunteers join us who have an extensive background in facilitation experience. We have had contact from former volunteers expressing an interest in returning and have been delighted to have a NSCC student decide to join us. Volunteers have had the opportunity this year to participate in several workshops:

Addictions 101, Coping with Childhood Anxiety, viewing the Restorative Justice Play “Tough Case“, and also were invited to listen to a presentation by former staff member Carrie Bryan who gave a presentation on her trip to Poland and visit to the concentration camps. During the past year we have taken three student placements from the NSCC Campus in Truro and New Glasgow, all three students gained valuable information and experience in the Restorative Justice field. In March our agency became a “Work Resource Centre” under the Community Work Program with the NS Department of Justice – Corrections. We have been receiving a steady flow of adult Community Service Orders, with nine cases from the Pictou County area. Our Restorative Justice Caseload for the first part of the fiscal year was on the low side; however things really turned around during the second half of the year and the numbers increased significantly. Along with the changes in the number of referrals, it is of note that of the youth who entered into a Restorative Justice Contract over the past six months, there has been a 100% completion rate. The change has been that the agreements

“...participants now seem to have a better understanding of what a

“Restorative Approach is” Regional Director

- Susan Hughes

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were developed, not out of a sense of punishment, but rather the focus was on accountability and what needed to happen to make things right. Collectively the victim, youth, youth support, community, and police work toward developing a contract that has meaning for all the parties affected by the offence. . At one time it seemed that Community Service Work was the only thought as an outcome but over the past year Community Service Work as an outcome is only in the agreement if it has a meaningful purpose to those involved in developing the contract. This is an indicator that people understand the “Restorative Approach”. Over the past year we have made extra efforts to include victims and community and we have seen positive results from this. Victims have told us in many cases how pleased they are with the outcome; they feel their voices are being heard and they are seeing their needs being met via the contract. We have also gone to great effort to keep victims a part of the process even if it is their decision not to participate in the Restorative Justice Conference they still have a voice and are kept updated throughout the progress of the case, and are advised of the completion. Connections with community partners over the past year have increased; the JHS staff attend monthly meetings with community stakeholders: the Pictou County Partners, Guysborough County Schools Plus, and the Youth Engagement, a subcommittee of Pictou

County Partners. Staff attend regularly at both Pictou and Antigonish Courts which has also proven to be very effective as we get an opportunity to meet with youth and their families who are being referred and to give them information about RJ and the JHS contact information. We have been asked by schools and community groups this year to give presentations and to work in partnership with the community police officer at the Antigonish RCMP detachment making joint presentations in the schools. We have also been asked to return to the LEAD Program - Legal Enrichment and Decision Making for African Canadian Youth. We do struggle with getting the police to refer directly at a pre-charge level. This will not likely change until we are able to get a shift in mindset. Considering that Restorative Justice has been in the province for the past eleven years, it is important to recognize how far we have come. Adult Restorative Justice already is being conducted in two pilot areas. We are waiting to hear how and when this will be expanded into the rest of the province. Restorative Practices is used in some of the schools; Restorative Justice is used in some cases of elder abuse; there is a Restorative Approach Cottage in Waterville; Restorative Practices are being considered in cases where there are complaints to the Human Rights Commission; and Dalhousie University is starting a Restorative Justice Pilot Project ...We have come a long way!

Susan Hughes

Susan Hughes - Director

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Halifax Region

A Year of Transition:

In order to understand what has transpired in 2011, it may be useful to understand some of the recent history of the JHS Halifax Regional Office. The Halifax Office has never been accustomed to a lot in the way of change. For over 40 years it had been located in the Roy Building on Barrington St., in Halifax, and for most of that time it had occupied essentially the same office suite, with the odd sideways expansion or contraction of spacial requirements based on the business requirements of the time. For over 40 plus years, file cabinets were filled with documents, most of which were no longer used, all of the furniture was old and had been procured at the end of its useful life cycle from some other entity, and redundant equipment had simply been put in storage, in case it might be needed again some day. In short, in 2008 the JHS was paying for a lot of office space for the dead storage of unused and unneeded assets. In the fall of 2008, the Halifax Office was downsized and moved to Octerloney St. in Dartmouth, partly as a measure to try and bring our costs in line with reduced revenues. This new space was more cost effective but had a much smaller footprint than the old office space. We thought most of the 40 plus years of accumulated surplus property had been disposed of but we soon

learned that we still had a significant amount of redundant “things” in our life that we were hanging on to but for three years we just settled in. In the first week of April 2011 we were advised by our landlord, Heritage Credit Union (HCU), that it was not going to be possible for us to stay in our current office space at Ochterloney St. while two additional floors were added to the building. This was contrary to what JHS and HCU had originally been told by the project architect. HCU now needed us to vacate as soon as possible and within two weeks we had located new office space at 1-541 Sackville Dr., Lr. Sackville with the same landlord. Before moving in, the opportunity was taken to do some renovations. A public reception area secure from the operational environment of the main office was created, consistent with what the JHS had done the previous year at the North East and Central Regional Offices. We took a more cautious approach to our move this time and the opportunity was taken to renew the office furniture which was delivered directly to the new location. What could be recycled of the old furniture was either given away or otherwise disposed of. Our approach was much more critical and only the essentials came with us. At the new

“Your life does not get better by chance, it gets better by change.” –Jim Rohn

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location, it took a few weeks of construction, painting, additional electrical, new networks, etc. but once it was completed the move proved to be much more conducive to the Society’s work. We were able to get the HCU to cost share on many of the projects including paying for the move, and the remainder of the costs were absorbed in this year’s current operating budget. When the Halifax Office moved, there was an initial concern that the location might be perceived as difficult for travel. The reality was that staff were travelling opposite to the rush hour traffic flow, there is ample parking, and clients who wish to attend at our office seem to have little difficulty in getting to our office as there was public transportation that stopped right by our location. The analysis had also revealed that for the most part JHS Halifax staff either conduct their sessions offsite, such as at Community Centres, or travel to visit with clients in the client’s home setting, as per the requirement of some of our contracts. The reality was that the JHS Halifax Office has few walk-in clients. It had been known for some time that the Community Work and Fine Options Programs were not in good shape. The “what” these programs were was the easy part. The remainder was very unclear and difficult to determine but in June it was clear that we either had to get to the bottom of a very manual and paper driven system or get out of the business. Slowly, over time we began to get an understanding of “how” it was suppose to work but a number of anomalies seemed to have crept in that no one really seemed to be able to explain and it became apparent that we were not getting paid for these files.

It seemed to the JHS that even the funder did not have a grasp on what was taking place with these programs. By the early fall, the JHS had developed and implemented electronic systems to manage the administration process and we went from piles and piles of paper to just two actual documents that need to be printed for billing purpose. The remainder of the documentation comes in electronically, is dealt with electronically, and is stored electronically. All of our file notes are also kept electronically. Four more file cabinets were eliminated and, in February 2012, the JHS finally had a database that matched the database used by the program funder. Unfortunately, the funding for CWP has not changed since 2002 and that is a significant issue as to the future viability for the JHS’s participation. In the July/August timeframe, Chris Underhill advised that he would be accepting a position with another employer for pay at a level significantly higher than the JHS could offer. Chris and Shannon Bond were very generous in helping with the transition and training of Rob MacDonald to backfill in this role. Rob had been filling a temporary position at the North Eastern Region Office and accepted our offer of a permanent position in Halifax as the Community Assessment/Caseworker. In September, Correctional Services Canada advised that the Community Maintenance Program was being migrated to a new pilot program and that Shannon Bond would need to attend two weeks of training for this new pilot program. The downside for the JHS was that we are paid on the basis of “per session of programming provided” and

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this resulted in a decrease in program revenue. In November, our Administrative Assistant /CWP Caseworker went off on medical leave. After several months’ absence, it became apparent that the JHS did not require a full time person in this role. During this absence, technologies were developed and implemented that drastically reduced the workload for an Administrative Assistant. There still was a requirement for a part-time CWP Coordinator and, in January, Natalie Cox joined the staff of the Halifax Office. Since joining us, Natalie, along with one of our volunteers, Shannon Doherty has been very instrumental in going through the remaining file storage cabinets and reducing the documents we are storing to only those required by the Canada Revenue Agency. Approximately 30 additional banker’s boxes of documents were sorted and the contents shredded. The JHS’s active business records have all been categorized and set up in their appropriate “active” file folders required for the Society’s business. Many other processes have been streamlined or moved online. While this was all transpiring, the Halifax Office was going through a security approval process by Public Works Government Services Canada – Commercial Industrial Security Division

(PWGSC-CISD). This was an onerous challenge but it was also a contract condition for the new Community Maintenance Program we had been awarded in December 2011 through a MERX bid. This contract may be renewed annually for a further four years. The approval process started in early January but it was not until April 5th, 2012 that we received the letter that we are now upgraded to a “Designated Organization Screening” status which allows us to handle federal documents with a “Protected B” information designation. Since that time, we have been advised that a second contract we have with CSC will fall under the new rules. Fortunately, since we have the designation, we should not have to go through this again for a few more years. It has been a year of great transition in an organization that has not been accustomed to a lot of change. The desire would be that we are now at a point where we can start to build and better fulfill our mission in the community. I would like to acknowledge the tremendous help and cooperation that the Halifax staff provided during this transition, while at the same time professionally carrying out their regular duties. Without their enthusiasm and help we simply would not have achieved what needed to be done.

John Peach John Peach, Executive Director

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“No one can go back and make a brand new start. Anyone can start from now

and make a brand new ending.”

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