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Clarington Task Force on
Affordable Housing
Terms of Reference
1 . Purpose and Mandate
The Clarington Task Force on Affordable Housing is a volunteer advisory
Committee established by the Municipality of Clarington Council in accordance
with these Terms of Reference.
2. Following an Official Visit and Roundtable Discussion with
the Lieutenant Governor Elizabeth Dowdeswell on January
29, 2018, a Task Force on Affordable Housing was
formed.Scope of Activities
The Clarington Task Force on Affordable Housing shall:
• Assist with the advocacy, creation and maintenance of affordable housing
with particular emphasis on affordable housing for seniors;
• Provide advice, comments and recommendations to Council on issues
related to affordable housing, affordable rental housing for both low and
moderately-low-income households and seniors housing needs;
• Build relationships between Municipal staff, Regional staff, developers and
the community;
• Foster a greater understanding of the need and commitment to address the
issue of providing suitable and affordable housing for Clarington residents;
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• Provide an opportunity to meet with various partners to raise awareness
and remove barriers to accessible, affordable housing; and
• Consult with other groups and/or Task Forces on issues of mutual interest.
3. Definitions
Not applicable.
4. Task Force Members
4.1 . Composition
The Committee shall be comprised of the following members appointed by
Council:
• Ten voting members; and
• 1 voting Member of Council.
Subcommittees or working groups may be formed by the Task Force to complete
tasks and address specific issues but must report through the Clarington Task
Force on Affordable Housing. The Task Force shall establish a clearly defined,
specific work plan for the subcommittee or working group, which shall not be the
core function of the Committee. The subcommittee or working group may draw
upon members from the Task Force as well as non-members as deemed
necessary. The chairperson of the subcommittee and/or working group shall be a
voting member of the Task Force.
4.2. Qualifications
Members should be citizens of the Municipality of Clarington and represent a
broad range of interests in the Community.
4.3. Length of Term
Membership shall run concurrent with the term of Council or until their successor
is appointed.
4.4. Remuneration
Members serve on a voluntary basis and do not receive any form of
remuneration.
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4.5. Election of Members
The Task Force shall select a Chair and a Vice-Chair from among its voting
membership. Members of Council and Municipal Staff sitting on the Task Force
are not eligible to assume the position of Chair or Vice-Chair, except as Election
Chair, as outlined in this Terms of Reference.
The Chair and Vice-Chair are elected at the first meeting of every second
calendar year, for a four-year term.
Before the election of the Chair, either a Council member, Clarington Staff, or the
former Chair shall be the Election Chair during the election portion of the
meeting. Once the Chair is elected, they may take the Chair and conduct the
other elections and meeting. See Appendix A for the Election Process.
If any of the elected positions become vacant, another election will be held for
that position at the next Task Force meeting. If the Vice-Chair becomes vacant,
the Chair may appoint a member of the Task Force as Interim Vice-Chair until a
new Vice-Chair can be elected. The elections, when required, will be held at the
next meeting of the Task Force in accordance with the process set out in
Appendix A.
4.6. Staff Resources
The municipal department responsible for the Task Force shall provide clerical,
administrative, and technical assistance, as deemed appropriate by the
Department Head, to ensure the proper functioning of the Task Force, which will
include:
• preparing and forwarding meeting materials to members;
• preparation of summary meeting minutes and Task Force correspondence
(including assistance in drafting);
• professional advice on matters within the mandate of the Task Force; and
• assisting the Task Force in participating in events and activities related to its
mandate.
Staff resources are provided only to assist the Task Force in undertaking its
mandate. Additional requests of staff, such as original research or organization
of events shall be at the discretion of the Department Head and within staff,
time, and budget constraints.
A designated Task Force member shall be the liaison between the Task Force
and the Region of Durham's Affordable and Seniors' Housing Inter-Disciplinary
Tactical Team.
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5. Responsibilities and Obligations of Members
5.1 . General
A member of the Task Force shall have the following duties:
• to deliberate on, and execute, the mandate of the Task Force;
• to attend meetings and work activities;
• to vote when a motion is put to a vote;
• to read, understand, and respect the Rules of Procedure, the Code of
Conduct, and any guidelines for the Task Force.
5.2. Conduct of the Task Force Members
All Task Force members shall abide by these Terms of Reference.
Amendments to the Terms of Reference may be recommended by Committee
resolution and shall be forwarded to the Municipal Clerk's Office for review
before Council consideration.
The Chair, or a spokesperson/member appointed by the Task Force, may speak
on behalf of the Task Force to Council or the public. Other members shall not
act, or speak, on behalf of the Task Force without prior approval of the Task
Force.
The Task Force, or its members, shall not issue petitions, resolutions, or position
papers on behalf of the Task Force unless specifically authorized by Council
resolution.
The Task Force, and its members, shall not act outside of the mandate and
advisory capacity of the Task Force. Should the Task Force wish to comment
on an issue that is within the mandate of another Council Committee or Task
Force, the Chair shall consult with the responsible Staff Liaison(s) and the Chair
of the other Committee or Task Force.
The Task Force, by resolution, shall have the right to censure members that, in
the Task Force's opinion, are misrepresenting the Task Force and may request
Council to remove that person from the Task Force.
5.3. Absences
This section does not apply to a member who is absent for 20 consecutive
weeks or less if the absence is a result of the member's pregnancy, the birth of
the member's child or the adoption of a child by the member.
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Members unable to attend a Task Force meeting shall notify the staff liaison at
least 24 hours in advance.
Members unable to attend a meeting cannot send an alternate.
The Chair shall advise the Municipal Clerk, in writing, of any member who is
absent for three consecutive meetings without being authorized to do so by a
resolution of the Task Force and may request Council to remove the member
from the Task Force.
5.4. Resignations
Members who wish to resign shall notify the Chair, and the Municipal Clerk, in
writing, of the resignation. The Chair shall notify, either by email or on an
agenda, the other members of the resignation but shall not give details of the
resignation other than timing.
Council may appoint new members to the Task Force to fill any vacancies in
accordance with Clarington's "Appointment to Boards and Committees Policy".
5.5. Chair and Vice-Chair
It shall be the duty of the Chair:
• to provide leadership to the Task Force;
• to ensure that the Task Force carries out its mandate;
• to act as the primary liaison between the Task Force, Clarington Staff and
Members of the Public;
• to set the meeting dates and agenda items, with input from the Members
and Staff Liaison;
• to provide information to Members on any matter relating to the business of
the Task Force;
• to open the meeting by taking the Chair and calling the members to order;
• to announce the business before the Task Force and the order in which it is
to be acted upon;
• to receive and submit, in the proper manner, all motions presented by the
Members;
• to enforce the Rules of Procedure; and
• to adjourn the meeting when the business is concluded.
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The Chair may eject any Task Force member from a meeting if, in the opinion of
the Chair, that person is being disruptive or disrespectful.
If the Chair is temporarily absent or becomes vacant, the Vice-Chair will assume
the position and responsibilities of the Chair until a new Chair can be elected.
5.6. Conflict of Interest
A conflict of interest may arise for Task Force members when their personal or
business interests conflict with the duties and decisions of the Task Force. The
municipal conflict of interest requirements as defined by the Municipal Conflict of
Interest Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. M.50 will apply to the Task Force. A Task Force
member must disclose any potential or perceived conflict of interest and shall
remove themselves from the meeting for the duration of the discussion and
voting (if any) with respect to that matter.
6. Meetings
6.1 . Frequency and Location of Meetings
The Task Force will meet bi-monthly and a minimum of four times per year.
6.2. Quorum
Quorum shall be a simple majority of the total number of currently appointed
Task Force members (i.e., 50% plus one). If there is no quorum after 15 minutes
of the scheduled start time, the meeting shall be cancelled and/or rescheduled.
6.3. Land Acknowledgement Statement
In recognition of a necessary first step towards honouring the original occupants
of a place, and as a way to recognize the traditional First Nations, Metis and / or
Inuit territories of a place, and to commemorate Indigenous peoples' principal
kinship to the land, a Land Acknowledgement Statement shall be read in
accordance with the Land Acknowledgement Guidelines.
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6.4. Procedures and Rules
The Task Force is subject to the Clarington Procedural By-law which governs the
proceedings of Council and its Committees and Boards, Council Code of
Conduct, and any other applicable policies and/or procedures.
6.5. Recommendations
Recommendations and decisions reached by the Task Force must be based on
consensus wherever possible. If a consensus cannot be reached and there are
different opinions on the issue, the Chair may call for a formal vote by show of
hands. Recommendations and decisions will be carried by a simple majority of
the voting members present. Each voting member of the Task Force has one
vote.
Only recommendations and decisions that appear in the Minutes of the Task
Force can be considered as officially representing the position of the Task
Force. Minutes of the Task Force shall be forwarded by the Staff liaison to the
Municipal Clerk's Office for publication. This is done immediately after the
minutes are finalized by the Chair and they do not wait to be adopted by the
Task Force. Any changes to the minutes at the next Task Force meeting, will be
reflected in those meeting minutes and a corrected or changed version of the
previous minutes shall be provided to the Municipal Clerk's Office for
publication.
To approve a recommendation from the Task Force, a Member of Council shall
remove it from the consent agenda and put forward a motion to approve the
recommendation within the minutes of the Task Force.
The Task Force shall not forward comments or recommendations directly to
other groups or agencies without the consent of Council.
See Appendix B for details on motions, amendments, etc.
6.6. Electronic Participation
A member of the Task Force is permitted to participate electronically in a
meeting and may be counted in determining whether, or not, a quorum of
members is present at any point in time.
A Member may also participate electronically in a meeting that is closed to the
public, if the meeting is properly held in closed session. See the Open and
Closed Meetings section of these Terms of Reference.
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6.7. Public Participation and Delegations
All Task Force meetings are open to the public. Members of the public are not
permitted to participate in the Task Force discussions but may appear as a
delegation before the Task Force. Delegations shall be for a maximum of 10
minutes. Those wishing to appear as a delegation at a Task Force meeting must
advise the Chair, Vice-Chair, or Staff liaison a minimum of five days before the
meeting.
The Task Force, by resolution or through its Chair, may invite any individual,
interest group, agency, or Staff to appear at a meeting as a delegation or to
submit/present information that will assist the Task Force in carrying out its
mandate.
6.8. Open and Closed Meetings
All Task Force meetings must be open to the public unless discussing items
noted below. The Task Force shall provide at least one week's notice (i.e., an
agenda) for a regular or special meeting or 24-hour notice for a rescheduled
meeting. Notice will be provided using as many means as possible, including the
municipality's website by forwarding to the Municipal Clerk's Office.
The following are reasons for a closed meeting of an advisory board or
committee or Task Force, in accordance with Section 239 (2), Municipal Act,
2001:
• Security or property
• Personal matters about an identifiable individual, including municipal and
board employees
• Proposed or pending acquisition or disposition of land by the municipality
or local board
• Labour relations or employee negotiations
• Litigation or potential litigation, including matters before administrative
tribunals, affecting the municipality or local board
• Advice that is subject to solicitor-client privilege, including communications
necessary for that purpose.
In accordance with Section 239 (4) of the Municipal Act, 2001, Before holding a
meeting or part of a meeting that is to be closed to the public, a municipality or
local board or committee of either of them shall state by resolution:
• The fact of the holding of the meeting; and
• The general nature of the matter to be considered at the closed meeting.
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Where a meeting, or part of a meeting, is closed to the public, the Board shall
request those persons not specifically invited to the closed meeting to vacate the
meeting room in which the meeting is being held.
A meeting shall not be closed to the public during a vote except where the
meeting is a closed meeting permitted or required by statute, and where the
vote is for a procedural matter or for giving directions or instructions to
employees of the board or persons retained under contract with the board, or
officers, employees or agents of the Municipality.
Minutes of the closed session shall be recorded and provided to the Clerk's
Office for distribution to Council at their next appropriate meeting.
7. Agendas and Minutes
7.1 . Agendas
The Task Force shall forward all agendas to the Municipal Clerk's Office one
week before the meeting and shall include the following:
• Date, time, location;
• Land Acknowledgement Statement;
• Disclosure of Pecuniary Interest;
• Presentations / Delegations
• Adoption of the Minutes;
• Items for Discussion; and
• Adjournment.
7.2. Minutes
The Task Force shall report to Council by presenting the unapproved minutes.
The draft minutes of all Task Force meetings shall be reviewed by the Staff
Liaison/Chair and forwarded to the Municipal Clerk's Office for inclusion on the
next Council Agenda.
Minutes shall include:
• Members absent and present;
• Land Acknowledgement Statement;
• Disclosure of Pecuniary Interest;
• Adoption of Previous Minutes;
• Presentations / Delegations;
• Items and Recommendations Discussed and voted on;
• Date, time, and location of next meeting; and
• Adjournment.
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8. Budget, Annual Reports and Work Plan
The Task Force shall present annually to Council on their activities of the past
year and their work plan for the upcoming year.
Any budget requests by the Task Force shall be provided to Staff in accordance
with the municipalities budget timelines.
9. Purchasing/Procurement Policy
The Task Force has no purchasing or procurement responsibilities.
10. Insurance
The Task Force members are covered through the Municipality of Clarington's
insurance coverage for accidents and liability.
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Appendix A
Election Process
Nominations — Accepting nominations, from the floor, for any position:
• Nominator raises their hand to indicate they are going to nominate a member.
• Does not need a seconder.
• Nominees' names are recorded in the minutes.
• A person can nominate themselves.
• A member can be nominated for more than one position but can only hold
one position at a time.
• A member may be nominated even if they are not in attendance.
• Nominees do not have to leave the room during the vote. They can participate
in the voting.
• The Election Chair can continue presiding, even if they are one of the
nominees for the office.
• Nominations are open until the Election Chair asks for nominations and there
are no names put forth at which time the Election Chair will close
nominations.
• Nominees can remove their name at any point during the process.
Stand — As each member is nominated, the Election Chair asks the nominee if
they will have their name stand. If the member does not agree their name shall
not be included in the vote.
Voting
• If there is only one nominee, that person is appointed.
• If there is more than one nominee the Election Chair asks, for each nominee,
"All those in favour of Bob Smith for Chair, please raise their hands". The
person with the most votes is appointed.
• If the vote is tied, and there are more than two people nominated for the
position, the person with the least votes is removed and another round of
voting with the remaining members is conducted. If a tie vote remains with
two people, and all voting members are present, the selection will be made by
picking a name out of a hat.
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Appendix B
Motions, Amendments, etc.
1. Voting on motions and their amendments is done in this order:
• On the amendment to the amendment (the second amendment)
• On the amendment
• On the motion or the motion as amended (this must happen if approved
amendments have been added to the motion).
2. Tied Vote
If the vote is tied, the motion is lost.
3. Deciding Vote
Every member present at the meeting, when the vote is called, shall vote unless
disqualified under the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act. The vote required to pass
a motion shall be a simple majority.
4. Lost Motion
A lost motion should not come up again during the same year unless at least
two-thirds of the members present to approve a motion that "the question be
reconsidered." This motion is not debatable and calls for an immediate vote.
5. Motions
The following steps are required to introduce, deliberate, and vote on a motion:
• A member asks to speak and when their turn comes up, they make a
motion by saying "I move...".
• Another member seconds the motion. If there is no seconder, no
discussion or vote takes place; it is not recorded in the minutes; and the
Committee moves to the next agenda item.
• The Chair should restate the motion clearly after it has been made and
seconded "It is moved and seconded that ...".
• Only one motion is addressed at a time.
• Discussion is not in order until a motion has been stated by the chair.
• Discussion follows. The Chair should not allow anyone to speak twice on a
motion until everyone has had a chance to speak once.
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• The Chair should give up the chair when they move a motion. In this case,
the Vice-Chair or any other member may act as Chair until the motion is
voted on.
• The vote is taken, and the Chair announces the result — "The motion is
carried", or "The motion is lost."
6. Negative Motions
Negative Motions are not in order and should not be allowed (i.e. "That the car
not be automatic transmission" should be changed to "That the car be standard
transmission".)
7. Amendments
Amendments or small changes to a motion may be proposed at any time during
the discussion. It cannot be contrary to the main motion. It must be relevant to
the motion and can change the motion in only one of three ways:
• By leaving out certain words
• By adding certain words
• By replacing certain words with others.
(Not more than two amendments may be made to an open motion at one time.
As soon as one amendment has been accepted or rejected another may be
proposed if it is different from the one already defeated).
If dealing with motions or amendments, always state the exact wording. The
Chair may ask the secretary to read it if the phrase is forgotten.
Adoption of an amendment does not mean adoption of the main motion. The
amendment is carried before the main motion as amended. When the "main
motion, as amended" is on the floor, the Chair will state "main motion as
amended" before the vote.
8. Withdrawal of Motions
A motion can be withdrawn with the consent of the mover. If the seconder
withdraws a new seconder will be required before the motion can be voted on.
Amendments must be withdrawn in reverse order. If the mover refuses to
withdraw, the motions must be voted on.
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