News Release
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April 20 - The Northern Ontario Service Deliverers Association recently held its Annual General Meeting in Thunder Bay, ON. This year’s meeting found 125 registrants in attendance for the 3 day event.
Iain Angus, NOSDA’s newly elected Chair from the Thunder Bay District Social Services Administration Board said “This year’s event was the best ever. There was a great deal of engagement between members, stakeholders, key government personnel and Cabinet Ministers.” Also elected to the NOSDA Executive was Barry Baltessen, Chair of the Kenora District Services Board, along with Janet Gawne, Chair of the Sault Ste. Marie District Social Services Administration Board.
The meeting was filled with full and frank discussions following the theme ‘Investing in What Works’. Panel discussions included topics such as Aboriginal Issues in Social Services, Ontario Works, Emergency Medical Services, partnering Social Housing with Supportive Services to Clients through Local Health Integration Networks across the North, and Child Care only to name a few. There were also presentations from Richard Steele, Assistant Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Community and Social Services (MCSS), Janet Hope, Assistant Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing and Karen Glass, Executive Director of the Poverty Reduction Strategy Office, Treasury Board.
Hon. Bill Mauro, of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry and Hon. Michael Gravelle of the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines were on hand to give key note addresses during the event. In his address, Minister Gravelle invited NOSDA to organize regular Briefing meetings with him to keep him up to date on social infrastructure issues.
The Northern Ontario Service Deliverers Association (NOSDA) is an incorporated body that brings together Northern Ontario’s 11 Municipal Service Managers. All eleven are responsible for the local planning, coordination and delivery of a range of community health and social services that the Province of Ontario has divested to them to locally manage, including Social Housing, Child Care, Ontario Works and Emergency Medical Services (EMS).
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