by Hannah Saunders | Mar 14, 2023 | Advocacy Updates
FOPL was granted a deputation to the Standing Committee of Economic Affairs and Finance on February 13th to compliment our Pre-Budget Submission to the Ministry of Finance. Our sector has had, in total, six deputations to the Standing Committee and/or the Minister of Finance combined this budget season. I’m so energized by the way our sector has really come together to support our goals! We have certainly made ourselves heard. A big thank you to everyone who took the time to apply and present on behalf of libraries across the province. FOPL and OLA were formally invited to consult with the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport on February 24th along with a few other key stakeholders. These consultations have been framed as information-gathering sessions as the MTCS seeks input to modernize support for Ontario’s public libraries. The purpose was to discuss the current priorities, opportunities and issues impacting public libraries so that the MTCS can develop a path forward. We are VERY encouraged by these consultations and delighted that the Ministry is engaged and looking for ways to improve its contribution to our sector. Read FOPL’s Pre-Budget...
by FOPLED | Jan 27, 2023 | Advocacy Updates
FOPL and OLA continue to have conversations with Ministry staff and answer any questions they may have about the ODPL and the funding issues with public libraries on reserve, which have also been of great interest. We hope to meet again formally next month to follow up from our conversation in November. We have also continued to monitor developments with Bill 3, Strong Mayors, Building Homes Act, 2022 and have sent a letter to the Toronto and Ottawa municipalities as the province proposes to expand the bill to other regions. These letters, sent as correspondence to the municipal Clerks, will hopefully make it to council agenda for review. I have attached these letters for you to read as well. The Minister of Finance and The Standing Committee of Economic Affairs and Finance have convened in January to accept deputations. FOPL has rallied a variety of public libraries CEOs across the province to apply for deputations to both. I was fortunate enough to be accepted to speak to the Minister of Finance during his budget consultation session in Brampton on January 11th. I spoke to our provincial priorities, emphasizing the frozen Public Libraries Operating Grant, the serious concern for public libraries on reserves and the province-wide benefits of creating the Ontario Digital Public Library. Kitty Pope from Windsor Public Library and Monika Machacek from Clarington Public Library also gave deputations to Minister Bethlenfalvy as the committee moved across the province, strengthening our message. Deputations for the Standing Committee on Economic Affairs and Finance are coming up and we have heard back from at least two CEOs that they have been...
by FOPLED | Jan 12, 2023 | Advocacy Updates
FOPL and OLA have have drafted a joint letter to Toronto and Ottawa municipal councils regarding the Strong Mayors Act. The intent of this letter was solely to bring to light to Toronto and Ottawa council members important information about the relationship between the exercise of authorities granted in Strong Mayors and the broader statutory framework governing Ontario’s public libraries. The letter will be sent via email this week. I will attach a copy in next month’s member emails. The Standing Committee Finance and Economic Affairs will be meeting in January and February across the province. The purpose of this committee is to hear deputations from various parties in advance of the provincial budget requests in February. FOPL and a few of our members have applied to attend 6 of the 9 committee meetings across the province, in Sudbury, Sault Ste Marie, Timmins, Kingston, Barrie and Queens Park. We will hopefully get a few slots and provide appropriate library sector representation! FOPL will be submitting a formal budget request after the committee meetings to the Minister of Finance. FOPL will be attending the Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA) Conference in Toronto from January 22nd to 24th. Stop by at our tradeshow booth and bring your local Councillor for an introduction! We will also be at the OLA SuperConference February 1-4. Stop by our booth outside of the tradeshow for a quick hello, I would love to meet you all in-person! FOPL is presenting two sessions as well, On Friday, February 3rd in person and during the virtual board bootcamp on Saturday, February...
by FOPLED | Dec 1, 2022 | Advocacy Updates
Earlier this month, FOPL and OLA sent a joint letter in response to Bill 23, More Homes Built Faster Act to the Standing Committee on Heritage, Infrastructure and Cultural Policy. Simply put, the government aims to reduce housing costs by reducing fees and charges. This includes development charges, community benefit charges and parkland dedication fees. The goal of the letter was to highlight the importance of development charges to public library capital needs as the bill proposes to make changes to the Development Charges Act, among others. Myself and OLA met with Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport Assistant Deputy Minister Katherine Kelly Gatten. ADM Kelly Gatten was joined by Lorraine Dooley, Director, Culture Policy and Deborah Cope, Manager, Culture Policy Unit. We were able to have an engaged conversation with all three ministry representatives. All three showed a keen interest in both the Ontario Digital Public Library initiative and providing immediate aid for the Public Libraries on Reserve. ADM Kelly Gatten said that there is a real interest in public libraries right now and the ministry is making these items a priority. We will be following up with Lorraine Dooley and Deborah Cope in December and with ADM Kelly Gatten in the new year to discuss a plan of action. Good news all...
by FOPLED | Nov 3, 2022 | Advocacy Updates
The province posted its proposed regulations under the Strong Mayors, Building Homes Act for consultation, with comments due by October 13th. FOPL and OLA created a brief joint response to this regularly consultation. Of particular interest is some further clarification around the authority to hire or dismiss heads of municipal divisions. The Act references that statutory positions are excluded. While it does not reference the Public Libraries Act by name, the Act includes broader language that encompasses any such Acts/positions not specifically identified. Our brief focused on the PLA and that public library CEOs are clearly captured within the list of statutory positions and the risk of municipal governments not understanding this statutory relationship. The brief has been included for your review. I attended the Ontario Public Library Week event hosted by OLA on October 21st. The event was held at a new library in Hamilton, in Minister Neil Lumsden’s riding. It was a fantastic networking opportunity and an excellent, low-pressure environment to meet and begin a relationship with the Minister. Myself, OLA and OLS were in attendance as well as one of FOPL’s board members, Feather Maracle, who did a wonderful job representing the interests of First Nations libraries. We are hoping to sit down with Minister Lumsden in the coming months to discuss our priorities and...
by FOPLED | Oct 13, 2022 | Advocacy Updates
Last month FOPL and OLA met with Hannah Andersen, Policy Advisor for the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport. We discussed FOPL and OLA’s main priorities, keeping with what we submitted for the 2022 provincial budget requests. Hannah was very responsive, and we discussed the Ontario Digital Public Library and the need for sustainable funding for public libraries on reserve at length. In October, FOPL and OLA will be requesting meetings with various members of the elected PC Caucus. We are hoping to build support for our requests within the party. FOPL continues to monitor the implications of the Strong Mayors, Building Homes Act for libraries and their boards. The province has posted its proposed regulations under the Strong Mayors, Building Homes Act for consultation, with comments due by October 13th. FOPL will be submitting a brief, joint response with OLA to the regulatory consultation at the advice of Counsel Public Affairs. I will have more information with my next update email. Keep in mind that this Act is limited to Toronto and Ottawa at this time. I have attached two advocacy postcards; Keeping Public Libraries Independent and The Value of Public Libraries. Please feel free to use these as we near the municipal elections and afterwards as you orient your new boards and meet with councils. If you would like a set of postcards to hand out to your new boards, we have a limited supply of surplus from our conferences. Please send me an email with the general number of members on your board and FOPL will be happy to send you some (while supplies...
